adjensen

The beer was great- and I have no idea what it was. Let me know if you are interested, I’ll go back through all of our pictures to find the taps.

Probably Alaskan? They make a lot of really good beers!

Post the taps, though, we're up there next year.

Generally, no.

One ways no longer available since Sun stopped Alaska runs this year.

Maybe not this year, but next year we're booked on the Jewel in August, going from Vancouver to Seward.

Yes, you get two blue pool towels in your cabin and you can take them off the ship with you. Just remember to bring them back, because they'll charge your cabin if they go missing.

For us, the main shortcoming of the Epic is the curved walls in the staterooms, and the odd shaped bed that I'm an inch or two too tall to fit on. If you carefully select your cabin (zoom in on the deckplans, and you'll see the curves -- you want a cabin with the curve on the OUTSIDE,) and you aren't too tall, there's a lot to like about the Epic. We're going on it again this November (transatlantic crossing.)

Thanks. We will definitely bring our refillables.

Don't refill directly from the water dispensers, you'll get yelled at. Instead, fill a glass with water/ice and then use that to fill your water bottle.

Refilling directly heightens the risk of cross contamination.

On the big ships, I love sitting in O'Sheehan's, as my wife fritters away our life's savings in the casino (not really, lol,) at the bar, watching soccer (football) and enjoying Newcastle draft after draft.

On the Escape, District Brewhouse was a frequent hangout.

On smaller ships, it depends -- the first couple of days, I scope out the different bars, tipping, and find the bar that has the best service/personalities behind the bar. On my most recent cruise, the Sun in May, 2018, it weirdly turned out to be the casino bar (where there was a guy that knew how to make a "Mr Worldwide") and the bar aft of the buffet, which had a bartender that I wrote to NCL as my "Cruise Hero."

They have a big screen in Spice H2O on the Epic, but I don't remember there being movies back there, it was always random scenery, for some reason. I always thought that was a lost opportunity.

But it's been a couple of years since we were last on her, things might have changed.

Was it hot? We have 1208 and worried about the sun in August.

Sun in Florida and points south is going to be intense in August.

Bring sunscreen and if you're sensitive (I am, skin cancer survivor,) stay out of the sun, as much as you can.

I appreciate that the ATM's by the casino are focused toward the Dollar paying casino users however I still feel an onboard ATM paying out Euros for those going ahsore would have been useful (especially considering the difficulty in getting an ATM to pay out during our shore excursions - I had to try around 4-5 machines on shore at two of the stops before they would pay out to my Mastercard.

I don't think that it's a simple matter of taking US dollars out of the ATM and putting in Euros, you would likely have to either physically switch out the machines or radically change the internal works, and that just doesn't make any sense. The maintenance of the ATM is probably left to the casino, who can restock it with cash taken in by the slot machines and tables. Having a machine that dispenses Euros would probably have to be maintained by an in-port service, and if you had a hard time finding at ATM ashore, there probably is no such service.

We plan on converting the money we'll expect to use ashore on our upcoming TransAtlantic before we leave the US.

The "Freestyle Sun Deck" on 19 is clothing optional and adults only (age 18 and above.)

The Sun Deck on 18 is not clothing optional and open to anyone.

Or bottles of Grolsch, if you like it, with swing top stoppers. They had these on the Epic but it was a couple of years ago.

They had Grolsch on the Escape last February, but didn't have it on the Sun last month. Maybe it's ship size, maybe it's the port, maybe it's just hit or miss.

Watch this......https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXeroHJikWI

 

 

 

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Honestly? You get that, on the Escape, port side of the ship, same hot tubs, same bar with no one at it, without spending anything, on the first part of the cruise? Yes, people will eventually find their way to Deck 20 and 21, but it's not really worth the $200 and the hassle of being in Group One, to get them both into Vibe.

Just to make this clear -- you can find a bar, with a hot tub nearby and a bunch of open chairs, which is private because no one knows about it, on the higher decks of the Breakaway+ class ships, without spending money.

Dawg67, were you able to get into the port before 10:30? We like to get there early, but we were told today (at our hotel) that the port doesn't even open till 10:30. Yet we were able to choose 9:30 as a pier arrival time. I don't mind waiting there, but do hope to at least be able to get in. :)

Your pier arrival time (we think of it as checkin time) only puts you in another queue to get onto the ship. The earlier you are scheduled to arrive at checkin, the earlier you are to get on the ship, but the times don't really line up.

First on the ship, around 11:00 - 11:30, depends on how disembarkment went, Haven guests. (If you're on a ship that doesn't have Haven, skip this)

Shortly after that, NCL Latitudes Platinum and higher people.

After that, general boarding ensues, which is in the order that people showed up at the port. So, if you showed up at 9:30 and are neither Haven nor Latitudes Platinum, you're going to sit in the waiting area for a couple of hours.

Another alternative might be picking a late arrival time, showing up then, and getting straight on the ship after you get to the port. That's what we usually go with (since we're driving down from Daytona Beach, we can manipulate our arrival time.) At 1:00PM, when you arrive at the terminal, you're pretty much going to walk right on the ship.

Hope this isnt considered thread hijacking but I also have a Howl at the Moon question. Is it 21+ for this show/location? My dd and friend are both 15 yr old musicians and would love to see some of it. The last ship we were on that had it, she was only 10 at that time so I didn't go but we walked into the venue when it was empty and it smelled strongly like cigarettes. I guess smoking is allowed?

After 11PM, the show is announced to be "for adults only," but on the Escape last February, this wasn't enforced and there was a ten year old (or so) kid in there every night past 11PM. The first time, the entertainers took note of it and adjusted their material, on subsequent nights, they did not and some of the post 11PM material was pretty edgy. We even walked out one night because the material was very offensive.

This is great to hear. I have never done one of the NCL all-inclusive ships, though I've had the drink package on many cruises. I know that they are different, however. Were there many things that you couldn't get without paying the upcharge?

Every bar and restaurant has drink menu -- anything in the drink menu that has a price isn't free (exception -- there are drinks on the first page with prices, but that's because they come in a souvenir glass -- tell the bartender you don't want the glass, and the drink is free.) If the wine on the wine list has a price per glass, you have to pay for it.

People get confused, because on the other ships with the Ultimate Beverage Package, anything under $15 is free, but on the Sun (and Sky,) if it has a price listed, no matter what it is, it isn't free.

That said, unless you absolutely have to have top shelf liquor in your drink, or you can't get by on "house" wine, everything you're going to order will be free.

Glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise! Leaving in 9 days - same itinerary. (Waiting for word on my upgrade bid - would love that Deck 11 suite!)

 

One question..how was embarkation at PC and embark/disembark in ports? I’m reading that they use a ticket system and there are still long lines to exit the ship in ports.

If you're on an NCL booked excursion, you get off the ship at an appropriate time to meet up with your guide.

Havana is a docked port, so there aren't the same issues that one finds with a tendered port. The only hold up is Cuban Customs, which slows things up, a lot, and the currency exchange, which is another chokepoint.

Coming back to the ship, the Cuban authorities will run you through a metal detector and re-check your passport, otherwise not much of a big deal.

Sliders? Like mini hamburgers? That's what's in the MDR on NCL and that's what you dream about?

 

Lord help me next week...

It's an appetizer, and it's really good -- mini burger, with coleslaw on the sandwich and a very spicy sauce. Tiny wedge salad on the side. I get one every dinner :)

One thing I'll point out is that cabin 12072 has the bump out (curved wall) on the inside, so your bed is going to be in the middle of the room, right next to the shower and toilet, and the sink. It's an incredibly annoying design flaw, and with four people in the cabin, you're going to be tripping over each other constantly. I would go for the mini-suite and make sure that the bump out is on the outside, not inside (if you look at the deck plans on ncl.com and zoom in, you'll see where the curves are.)

Your current room is going to look like this:

On the Sun and the Sky, if a drink has a price on the menu, it isn't free, period. There is no "$15 limit," that's for the Ultimate Beverage Package, which is on other ships and is not available on the Sun or Sky. The only exception is the handful of drinks on the first page (Rebellious Fish, Moscow Mule, Mai Tai, etc,) which have prices, but which include a souvenir glass -- you're paying for the glass, not the drink, and if you don't want it, tell the bartender so, and the drink is free.

My wife and I generally give the guide $20 and, if there's a driver, he gets $10. Sometimes I want to give a little more when I see that few people are tipping them, which I do not understand. A few weeks ago, I was on a tour at GSC, where there was this extended family from India (about a dozen of them,) and the grandfather was just obnoxious -- at one point, he shoved the guy steering the boat out of his seat so that he could sit there and pose for pictures!

Guess what they tipped?

Not one thin dime. I overtipped and told the guide that I was sorry for the way he was treated by that asshat.

Little higher restrictions in the dress code for the Le Bistro and aft Main Dining Room (MDR)

meaning more leg covering for the men (no shorts bermudas etc.)

For the aft dining room (Manhattan Room on the bigger ships,) that is no longer the case -- only Le Bistro and the seafood restaurant requires slacks for men. Someone also said "no open toed shoes/sandals," and that is no longer the case, either.

Based on my experience on the Escape in February and the Sun a couple of weeks ago. I'm not a fan of t-shirts and shorts in the upscale MDR, but that is the standard these days.

And, just as an aside, I wish that they would do away with the "Formal or not night," or at least kick the photographers out of the atrium staircase. Stairs are for getting from one deck to another, and it's irritating to have to wait five minutes to go up or down the stairs because a photographer is hogging the steps for formal pictures.

Thanks for the advice...I will definitely ask for a drink to order. Is that typical of a NCL cruise, or unique to Sky and Sun?

On most of the ships that I've been on, they tend to premix certain drinks (those that are eventually "Drink of the Day", we've gotten to the point at home where we cite a drink of the day, here at home :D) but you can ask for yours fresh.

Really? Say it ain't so! So according to the menus, there's an upcharge for a Moscow Mule?

No, the drinks on the first page have prices because they all come in "souvenir glasses" -- if you order a Rebellious Fish or Moscow Mule and tell them you don't want the glass, it's free.

I see some of the items have prices and some don't, why is this? I know the drinks on the all inclusive only include up to $15.00 but many don't have a price listed at all. Are those over the limit?

If it has a price, it isn't free. The "All Inclusive" thing on the Sky and Sun isn't the same thing as the Ultimate Beverage Package on other ships. There is no $15.00 limit, you just don't pay for anything that doesn't have a price on the menu.

For the most part, that means you'll pay for "top shelf" liquors (they literally put them on the top shelf in most of the bars) and glasses of wine beyond house wine. The selection of "top shelf" liquors is a little weird -- Grey Goose is top shelf, Tito's Handmade, which is much more expensive here in Florida, is not, so any vodka drink with Tito's is free, the exact same thing with Grey Goose is going to cost you $5 or so.