firstcarib

Some folk will suggest you take the Aerobus from the airport into the city, its cheap....but theres usually a long queue & if you have heavy cases theres very little room on board, plus you have to heft them around yourself. Its not really that much more for 2 people( even better for 3) to take a taxi. Just hope you dont get stuck in heavy traffic as of course the meter keeps running. A weird & wacky hotel is Hotel Continental, at the top of Las Ramblas. A free running snack buffet plus free beer & wine on tap makes it a convivial place to stay...theres often a cruise group there who have met up on this site! All rooms are decorated in pink...like I said, its weird & wacky, not for everyone. But we loved it. A Balcony room overlooking Las Ramblas is great for people watching...but pack earplugs. Visit La Boqueria market, just over the road...fantastic foodie place but I think its closed Sundays.

Glad I'm a Brit...a Free promo here means Free...no grats or taxes can be added on, so it is actually free & well worthwhile. Always book a cruise when theres a promo on, only time we didnt was on a Transatlantic on X Eclipse and the drinks package on board cost more than the actual cruise.

Epic is certainly an ugly ship...the bathroom bit is weird but we managed it with no issues. Family rooms are small...too small for 4 IMHO. We had a great time....we went as a family group of 10 (inc 4 teens) round the Med last May. The food was good, the entertainment ( Priscilla & Burn the Floor) was fantastic, but not really suitable for young families. Casino is far too big, & theres not much outside deck to stroll around, except the pool areas, but if it has an all inc drinks package...go for it. The Med is certainly a busy cruise, very port intensive, so you will enjoy time recovering on your balcony.

No, it would not be helpful for me, it would only be helpful for you as it would just save you from the time and effort of locating the information yourself.

 

Nobody spoon fed me, and nobody should spoon feed you either. As an adult, I see the two different terms used. I realize there must be a business or legal reason to use two terms instead of just one (which would seem to be easier). I took it upon myself to research and LEARN the difference. Once I understood, then I was able to see the issue in a whole new light from an informed perspective. I had the information, I wasn't guessing or relying on the guesses of others.

 

I think you (and everyone else) should do the same. Or not. It is up to you on whether you want to know, or if you want to be ignorant on the relevant facts.

 

Perhaps if you had done the research, you would be able to comment from an informed perspective instead of just trying to be snarky.

???😱😱😖 why be so snarky😖

This is a very long thread & I don't want to muddy the waters ....but I really hate it when certain folk get to the theatre early but choose to sit on the outside 2 seats of a row. Then they "tut" loudly & look aggrieved when others need to squeeze past them to find a seat. But wait....perhaps they sit there so they can beat a hasty exit if they are...offended, need a toilet break, have a child calling from the creche, need another all-inc drink from the bar, or hate the show for various other reasons. Do not even mention the passenger who coughed loudly & persistently throughout an entire performance, spreading Cruise Cough left right & centre. That was one time we really should have just got up & left, but we were in middle row seats so would have caused a lot of inconvenience to others. However the ensuing Cruise Cough we contracted caused us a lot of inconvenience

It is my understanding I can have my luggage delivered to the airport when we disembark in Barcelona. Does anyone know what the epic charges to have this done? Or do they arrange with a private service. Thanks for any information.

 

 

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We arranged this ourselves last May with Bags & Go. There were 10 of us travelling as a family with 8 cases. All went very smoothly, they had a well marked stand in the baggage sheds & it left all 10 of us free to enjoy a whole day in the city without luggage. The only issue was that we had to collect our bags from T1 at the airport & our flight went from T2- quite a long way away! So leave plenty of time for the shuttle between terminals if this applies to your homeward flight.

Thanks for all info on the Epic's spa...I think we will book it, but I wish there was a covered pool, weather may not be great as we will be on a Transatlantic crossing in Nov to Florida. As long as the seas are calm it should be fine.

I’m glad you are enjoying! Thank you for reading!!

 

 

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Taking Epic across The Pond from Barcelona in Nov, so not expecting good weather all crossing. Please can you advise if theres a covered pool, and or a decent sized thalasso pool in the Spa? Was rather disappointed by the spa on Jade as its very segregated (m & f.) No joint jacuzzis or saunas.

The day passes are sold at the discretion of the spa. Normally only if they sell out the weekly passes. And then, normally on the slowest of port days. Never a Sea day. On all our recent cruises, the spa did not sell any day passes.

Would you recommend th spa on Epic? We were disappointed by the spa on Jade as it was very male/ female segregated...ie no mixed jacuzzis at all, plus a very small thermal pool with about 4 beds in ...so not much room for others in the water. The heated relaxation beds outside the pool were often full too, so my husband & I went into the spa several times but then we left immediately, as there was really nowhere to go, other than sit separately in the designated male or female areas. The Dawn spa was better...so am wondering what the Epic spa is like.

No free water in restaurants in Europe or in other countries outside the USA. If you want to stay hydrated you just have to purchase the water. As simple as that.

Ivi

Rubbish....we travel extensively throughout UK, Europe, Australia & you can always ask for a jug/carafe of "tap" water & it will be served to you free of charge. A recent survey of bottled waters in UK has shown many contain small particles of plastic...I will stick to my "tap" supply.

The perks with Royal are very good now , when we first became Diamond a good few years ago my hubby a non drinker got 20% discount on his coke at the nightly event & I got an almost undrinkable Chardonnay

 

 

 

On Jewel was disappointed when our card didn't work for the concierge lounge love the little outdoor area in that room , but really happy to discover on that cruise free coffee all day at cafe Latte-tudes so that with 3 free Lemon Drops every night one happy cruiser [emoji3][emoji3]

Anyone thinking of just booking with RCCL to keep their perks....Try MSC...they status match all cruise lines & even some hotel loyalty programmes.![emoji12]

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You have to pay for bottled water in the MDRs - they don't serve 'tap' water. However, water, tea & coffee are all available, without cost, 24/7 in the buffet. The water from the tap in your cabin is potable - you could bring a glass of that to lunch/dinner with you.

 

You can also buy a bottled water package if the all-inclusive drinks package doesn't suit.

😱😱That’s diabolical! I thought everywhere on land or sea had to offer a free jug or carafe of “tap” water, it’s a health concern if folks do not hydrate sufficiently, especially in a warm climate. On NCL & RCCL there’s always fresh iced water poured from a jug by wait staff in restaurants & we fill our water bottles( from our glasses ) to keep hydrated through the day. We like an alcoholic drink as much as anyone else but are fully aware of the need to drink plenty of water. To only serve bottled water with meals is appalling.

We were on the "Divina" end of Jan, earlier in the month we were on "Caribbean Princess". Any questions on either?

My observations/comparisons?

Just booked Divina for Xmas & New Year in the Caribbean. This will be our first time on MSC but we recently sailed from Singapore to Perth on Sea Princess & the food on board was very good...better than RCCL or NCL. I've read some bad reports about MSC food, especially the buffet...although we dont usually go to the buffets on any line. We understand that Amercans don't totally " get" the smaller portions & thin crust pizzas etc that Europeans are used to, but is the general standard of the food in the MDRs acceptable? Any feedback most welcome.

You can pre order cases of water before you sail for 6.90 per case. So much easier than carting it on. We always do this now. We pre order two cases for a 7 day cruise and 3 cases for a 10 day hot weather cruise. We used to tag ours and send it with the porter or carry on ourself, but the no hassle pre order is so hassle free.

I cant see anywhere on my cruise personalizer where I can pre order water...just want to sell me soda packages or incredibly expensive alcohol packages. I would be tempted by the incredibly expensive alcohol packages if they included bottled water, but bizarrely they dont. So we will just buy our drinks as we go, but I would like to have some water in our room.

Last April I did a Transatlantic cruise on the Crown Princess, Fort Lauderdale to Southampton, for 5 nights on the run Princess put the clocks back 1 hour and stole an hour from my beloved cruise, no amount of complaining at the pursers desk helped.

Well 6 months later I’m getting my own back, I’m doing a cruise back to Fort Lauderdale so I will get my stolen 5 hours back, but here’s the clever bit, I’m starting in Barcelona so I’ll get 6 hours added on to my cruise. Haha Princess I win.......... is stealing 1 hour back from them worse than smuggling booze :o

I never know if I get younger or older when I fly fromUK to Australia...I suppose it depends which way round the world I fly. But then I have to fly back, so I end up the same age. Thats why Im cruising part of the eay this time...you know it makes sense😜

I can confirm that Sea Princess, which we disembarked from in Perth this morning still has buy one get one for $1 drinks available. Don't know what will happen after the cruise that departs today to Singapore for refurbishment.

Really hope they keep the BOGO for $1 ....as no way will we be buying the drinks packages. Giving our livers a small rest before we get to WA for 3 month stay��

Any one have info on the Sea Princess refit??...we are on her November sailing out of Singapore to Freo post refit & hoping all will be fine & dandy.

We did a 10-day in an inside once because we booked so late. It was fine - we just were out & about on the ship more than in our cabin. You'll have a great time anyway! :)

Agree-we came back on the T/A from Tampa to Southampton on Jade recently...in an inside as everything else was booked. Cabin was fine, refurbed nicely, just very very dark!!!! Jade looked good, much improved from our trip over on her to Florida in Oct/ Nov.

Atrium looked good, so did Spinnakers & Garden Cafe....we were also told the awful old chairs in Martini Bar, Bliss etc were going asap.

You will love the Jade, shes a nice sized ship, lots of space, we prefer her to Epic where the smelly smoky casino dominates one deck & the ceilings seem too low in the main areas.

We are sailing on the Epic in December, there are 4 of us ladies going and staying in one cabin (free at sea promo)

We upgraded to a M2 cabin on the 13th deck... with a balcony

Has anyone stayed in this type of cabin? If so can you give me pro's and con's for 4 adults please

OMG-the thought of 4 adults sharing a cabin is scary😱! Not sure what an M2 is, hopefully its larger than average? We've just returned from a great time in the Med on Epic...we had a balcony cabin on 13. Our booking said it was a "family balcony" but luckily it was just the 2 of us ...the rather silly curved couch didn't look as if anyone could possibly sleep on it. No sign of a drop down bed from ceiling. It was very snug just for the 2 of us!!! Lots of storage space tho. My poor family( 2 adults & 2 tallish teens) were opposite us in a family inside...what a squash! Double bed plus 2 drop down beds coming from ceiling. Steward put the beds back up every morning & down again every night but it was still such a small space for 4. Difficult to all get ready in the mornings or to get changed in the evenings...my granddaughter came over to our room to do her hair & make up. Hope you are really good friends.....Using the shower will be interesting!

Just off the Jade... It definitely said no takeaway food allowed from O'sheehans. Go to aft of Garden cafe...Great Outdoors. Goid sea views/fresh air & nice choice of foods but nit as varied as inside in the buffet.

Thanks, specially for the O'sheerans, I was afraid someone tell me, hey sit there to eat your food!

Yes, we saw the same meagre offerings in the Atrium. Never saw anyone buying any...no surprise there! So how fresh were they??...they all looked the same every day to me...perhaps they dusted them....or the crew eat them late at night!!!

The weird thing is...on a UBP you cannot get a decent coffee anywhere on the ship( the brown stuff served in the MDR is awful!!) but you can get a free " cocktail" Irish coffee...made with a shot of Jamesons whiskey & topped with cream! Weird rule...but then so is the charging for bottled water on board when most of the booze is included on the UBP for free.

quote=Ergates The Ant;53141452]Just an update. Arrived back on the Jade yesterday.

The only offerings in the Atrium bar were macarons for $2 or little chocolates for $1.50 ( plus gratuity, I assume!)

We usually enjoy having breakfasts in the coffee bar, consisting of a large coffee and a croissant or Danish pastry. This time I had one coffee to try on the first day, but it wasn't that good, and had to go elsewhere for something to eat. So our coffee bill for the cruise was an eighth of usual.

Could be a waste of money for a balcony...our T/A was cool & windy, with only the grey wide ocean to look at day after day? No whales seen, but I kept looking though!;p Check the spa isnt segregated into male & female daunas/jacuzzis if you travel as a hetero couple. The Jade is, with a very small thalasso pool, not big enough for more than 5 or 6 people. The few relaxer heated chairs are nice, but not worth the cost of the 2 week spa pass. IMHO ;p

quote=planma'am;53103866]A transatlantic is on my bucket list. Balcony would be the minimum cabin category, and the spa pass a must!

Have a great time!

Spas vary greatly ship by ship...Jade wasnt worth it, Dawn was. So check it out before you pay lots for something that may disappoint.

Interesting on how some folks a really hooked on getting a spa pass. Works for them.

 

On the other hand, we have been on two week cruises, across the pond and never stepped foot in the spa area.

Just home from T/A cruise on Jade...we asked the hotel director ...very nicely...if we could possibly have a tea kettle in our inside cabin as we love our cuppa in the mornings! It magically appeared 2 days later.. But without cups!! Our steward got those for us. We had our own teabags but took milk from the buffet & kept in our fridge. It saved us ordering early morning tea each day...which is awful, luke warm water in a coffee flavoured pot! By the way, you pay the room service charge if you order tea after 10am!!!!

All plugs were USA or European, no UK ones on Jade...but as she has had a recent refit there were UB ports for charging phones/Ipads etc, but could only be used if you were in the room....stewards would remove them if you were out....poss due to fire risk from some phones! Hair straighteners seemed to be allowed...no probs with mine.

,m

our newbie travelling companions have asked if there are facilities in the staterooms for making your own tea/coffee, and also if hair straighteners are allowed onboard. On Dawn I seem to remember there was a tray for making drinks, but was it just a coffee maker on there :confused:. What's the score on Star, please.

I don't use straighteners so haven't paid heed to the rules about these.

 

Lastly, is there a 3 pin plug in staterooms on Star, as there was on Dawn. Very useful for us Brits!

 

Not many weeks to go now - getting excited. :cool:

:D

Great Review . So fair and very helpful . I wish all reviews were this honest . We are going on a nine day Jade cruise in two weeks . Thanks

We were on this T/A cruise too-the revamped Jade was great! We loved the differences made in the refit -we had travelled on her last October the " other way" over The Pond,& even though we had a good time then too,she was looking a little tired in some areas. But now most of her is looking spruced up. Just need to get rid of the old chairs in Mixers /Magnums& those horrid orange pointy things still in the new Bliss Lounge(it was previously Medusas-& still has the nasty orange chairs in one part of the revamped area!!) But I heard all the old chairs were being ditched at Southampton-so I hope that's true!

Food in both MDRs was good-not outstanding but we always found something nice on the menus. New casual dining area O'Sheehans on deck 8 was great for breakfast-a sea view,waiter service,nice but small selection( but no fruit!! -only served at lunchtimes..why????!)

Shows were mainly good-Elements was superb! Marlon our Cabin steward was fantastic-his towel cake made my birthday special.Wouldn't choose an inside cabin again( but we booked too late for a balcony!!) as it was so dark my husband just wouldn't wake up!!!😜But it was a great cruise, interesting stops,especially the Azores. We met some lovely folk,plus we really enjoyed our free UBP-we just need to diet & go on the wagon now!!;p

Keep in mind that you do pay the 18% gratuity on the value of the 'free' drink package and the 'free' specialty dinners. IMO it's worth the cost, but some folks don't realize they have to prepay those gratuities.

Only if you are from USA-or Canada. We lucky ones from U.K. get the free UBP as totally free-we pay no extra gratuities on the drinks. But it's all changed here now recently-NCL is now All-Inc if booked in UK-drinks,grats,water in room & coffee in restaurants. Probably cruise gone up in price though! Our USA friends should check that-it may be better to book in the UK if you like a drink (or several!)