MITSUGIRLYS EPIC CRUISE--2nd time around-1st from Port Canaveral

Oh Kim, I am so sorry your day at the Baths was disappointing. I was so hoping you would enjoy it, and I think you're right- Given different circumstances (behaving camera) and just the 3 of you to worry about, you likely would have had a much different experience.

I hope the rest of the adventures went much better!

Loving your review so far! I was in Tortola on the 19 of this month, and really enjoyed it there. We went to a different spot than the baths though because BF isnt one to be traipsing through water, so I found us a spot where he could drink beer while I got my beach and water fix lol:D. As far as crowding, I've noticed this on our last two NCL cruises. We just had a B2B on the Gem out of San Juan, and man was that ship CROWDED! I try to plan cruises for the off season to try to enjoy a less crowded ship and fewer children, however, my system has failed me this last cruise. It was very difficult for me to relax and enjoy myself with the crowding that was present. A lot of people were contributing it to the 3rd and 4th person sail free promotion, making it cheaper for families to sail and therefore, more crowded ships. I also have to comment on O'Sheehans. The first week service was good, in the second week however, it was AWFUL! The worst we ever experienced in any venue in any ship. It was so weird that it varied so much one week to the next. Anyway, enough from me, I can't wait to see more of your awesome review!:D

I can relate to your day in Tortola...in St Thomas I booked a sea kayaking trip. Well after not fitting properly in the kayak, paddling against the wind for 45 minutes, hubby was barely speaking to me...all in front of our guide. I made the best of (snorkelling with sea turtles made things slightly better) it but it was our 19th wedding anniversary and what was supposed to be a fun adventure turned into a day of blame. Like it was my fault he could get himself comfortable. We actually spent some time apart when we got back to the ship. I feel your pain.

 

 

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Oh gosh, you can relate. I think we had somewhat of a day, like you described, on our cruise before this. We rented kayaks and went over to an island in St Maarten and Kendra was not liking it at all. It was a struggle for sure for them.

Kim, I did the transatlantic from Barcelona to Port Canaveral just before your cruise. We have cruised the Epic about 4 times and really love that ship. I cruised solo this time though hubby was at home.

 

I want to thank you so much for all the effort you put into your photographs and reviews. I so love your personal view of things and how you put your family into your reviews.

 

I know travelling with family members can pose some challenges. I think we all have them but some people just never mention them. Thanks for your honesty. I cruise once a year or so just with my married daughter and her two small kids. The kids club saves our sanity sometimes but I love them being able to enjoy cruising at their young ages. It was never something I was able to do or we could afford to do with our kids.

 

I am an Ohioan as well and my son went to school at Otterbein and ended up marrying and staying in Columbus so I am pretty familiar with the area. I love to cruise, sometimes going 4 or more times a year. I just retired a year ago so sometimes I go solo if nothing else works out. I find I enjoy the me time to just relax and chill out. There is nothing like making plans with only yourself to worry about.

 

Don't know why I am rambling so but just wanted to thank you again for all your efforts.

Thank you so much for the comments and glad that you like the reviews an how I do them. It means a lot to me.

Yes, cruising with family presents to be a challenge sometimes for us. It's a lot of work. I truly enjoying having my kids go with me and Kendra is my best friend. But, things don't always go as planned and we are both pretty much very laid back and can do our own thing with no problem and meet up later. That's what makes it work good with us. Courtney on the other hand is not very "individualized" and will follow you like a shadow. It's like she has no idea what to do or where to go without direction. That presents to be a challenge at time. But I still love her.

It's ok about the ramble. Hello there fellow Ohioan!

I went to the Baths once on a cruise and started in the first rock formation and backed out. I started getting a panic attack with the small space coupled with water. My heart started pounding at the thought of getting stuck in there with the water rising. That was not for me. I'll pass on the Baths. Tortola is so beautiful and lots of great tours from there. On the Escape last year I think we left around 2 PM. At first I was bummed, but that was the best sail away. Seeing all the islands in the daylight as you sail away was such a treat.

Maybe I should have stay up on the deck (or our balcony) during sailaway, to see all the little islands. Usually after we pull out of dock, we're inside doing things or eating and don't pay much attention.

Sorry to hear about your panic attack in the Baths. I would agree, they are not for everyone.

Kim, thanks for another awesome review! I'm sorry your day in Tortola didn't turn out to be all that you wanted. Hopefully you will get the chance in the future to repeat your visit to the Baths, because the beach at the end of the trail is absolutely worth it!

 

We did a ship's excursion to the Baths a few years ago and it was basically transportation to the area and then you were on your own. We had a time to meet back for the trolley over to the ferry. There was no guided tour for us, but maybe they have one now. We did the climb/hike through the boulders and then ended up on the most gorgeous beach I have ever seen! I don't know the name of that beach, but we hiked back on a dirt trail (not back tracking through the Baths) and ended up at that restaurant/pool area that you guys were at. I remember thinking that if I ever returned, I would simply take that dirt trail over to the gorgeous beach and skip the hike through the boulders again.

 

I'm booked on the Epic for NYE 2017/18-this will be my second time on the ship. I hated the bathroom setup, but oh well. Going with a big group of friends so can overlook the bathrooms and the 3-port itinerary (I prefer 4 ports on a 7-day cruise, too). Thanks again for taking the time to do a review!

That's the part I was most bummed about...missing the beach on the "other side". I heard it was beautiful and that's actually where I wanted to spend my day at. Things just didn't work out. Both my husband and Kendra tried to tell me to "let's go, let's just do it" again, but at that point, I was so over it and really didn't want to split the family up. It was a rough day.

You know, I was just thinking the same thing if I ever return (going down the dirt trail to the beach and staying instead of the long hike in the baths).

Devil's Bay Beach perhaps

Found great info here

http://www.bareboatsbvi.com/virgin-g...-bay-beach.php

I'm not understanding what you are saying (or asking?) Yes, that is the place that we were headed to, but didn't make it.

The link was a good read. If I ever return, I'd probably just go option #2 and head down the path to get there.

one of the platinum perks is supposed to be concierge access-was there not a card in your cabin with their number which might give you extra chance of a reservation

 

I know when we have tried to book specific times for platinum dinners we have been told no availability at our preferred time[7pm] so seated earlier

However we have often noticed empty tables long after 7pm so perhaps they hold back tables so suite guests can praise their concierge in getting them into a full venue lol

 

Also if you have the card given out at the meet and greet with the head of departments telephone numbers that will probably get more action than going to the restaurant or guest services

Nope, there wasn't a card in my room and never has been and we have been Platinum on several cruises already. I do know this is supposed to be one of the perks, but since we never really use a concierge, I've never really looked for a number or inquired about it before.

We did not attend the meet and greet, so we didn't get any card with the officers names on them like we normally do. Whenever we cruise with the entire family, I have a tendency to not go to the meet & greets. I usually only go if we are cruising alone. I guess that's where I made the mistake. :(

Oh Kim, I'm so sorry you had a bad day at The Baths. I did a lot of research beforehand on what to do and what to bring and not bring. My DH just carried a flat beach bag over one shoulder and we really limited what we put in it: 2 small towels (not beach towels - bath towels), sunscreen, cruise cards and tissues and then a small camera. My husband had no trouble navigating the baths with the beach bag at all. For tight spaces, he'd put it in his hand or on his wrist and carry it behind him. With water shoes on we scampered all over The Baths like kids - the water shoes make the rocks and ladders not slick! I suffered a catastrophic injury about 15 years ago and I'm really paranoid about falling but I felt quite safe there. I just went slow and was careful and the water shoes were a very important safety component for me. I let people pass me many times so I could take my time and enjoy my visit to The Baths. I felt like I was on Treasure Island exploring pirate caves! It was just an amazing day and we had such a good time - and yes, I'm fluffier than you, but had no problem fitting through the rocks - even that tight entrance, I just got low and went through it - it's not tight once you are through and I knew that having researched the area on video. Devils Bay Beach is absolutely gorgeous and the climb back up is less steep on that side. It was hot that afternoon and we stopped several times to take a break. Then when we got to the Top of the Baths restaurant, we had their famous Pina Coladas - the BEST we've ever tasted! On the way back on the ferry, I pointed out Richard Branson's Necker Island to a lady on the ferry and was telling her about it. She was really fascinated but my husband scoffed (that can't be it) - however when we got back on the ship, he looked up Necker Island on the internet and immediately recognized the compound I had pointed out. (LOL!) "How do you know these things?" he asked me. (I'm always pointing out places of interest.) I have a photographic memory and had seen photos.

 

Next time we go to The Baths, I want to go by charter boat and swim in and then swim out and have a picnic on the boat with frozen pina coladas and maybe some seafood. I think that would be a really cool way to experience The Baths - like we are on a boat and could pretend to be the first people to "discover" the area. (I'm imaginative - what can I say?) For us, the experience was safe, not too difficult and the whole day was just amazing and so much fun! I hope you go back to The Baths someday and hopefully without too many other people to distract you on your visit and most importantly with water shoes - they do make a huge difference there climbing on those rocks and ladders. I personally found The Baths absolutely gorgeous and mysterious and also very luxurious in a way. We took our time and really enjoyed the different areas and caves. We didn't find the climbing particularly difficult and not really dangerous, just tiring. But it was so worth it! I would go again in a heartbeat. It really was my absolute favorite thing I've ever done in the Caribbean.

It definitely sounds like you had a wonderful time when you went to the baths. We really didn't carry anything with us but the necessities and still had a bit of difficulty. The hubby had to crawl through a couple places and they seemed to be a very tight squeeze with a backpack on.

I hate to say, but I have no idea who Richard Branson is or Neckler Island. :o

Although I didn't have water shoes on, I did have my snorkeling socks on when we were climbing. I wear these socks usually when I'm on a rocky beach or using my fins (obviously) and they keep me from slipping on most surfaces, like rocks in the water that might have algae or something. It wasn't that I had any problem with slipping, it was the fear of it maybe happening that was getting to me. Everything was wet and having to walk up things that could potentially cause me to fall was a little nerving and to make matters worse, I had nagging kids that wasn't happy, a young daughter and grandson who was having the time of their life and had run off way ahead of us, and a struggling husband. It just wasn't a good day. :(

Thank you so much for this review! I'm going on my first cruise aboard the Epic in February with the same itinerary. Your detailed write up along with the great pictures have been super helpful

You are welcome and thank you for the comment.

Kim

You have been on WAY more excursions than I have. I have read countless reviews of the baths at Tortola. I just don't get it. To me its a bunch of big rocks on a small and ok beach. I don't see the appeal at all. Are big rock formations cool to see? Yes. But I would not spend money to see them when there has to be better beaches in Tortola. What are your thoughts? If I make it to Tortola, I just don't see me booking this excursion. I see the Baths as "the everyone has to do and see this in Tortola." Or follow the leader type of thing.

 

I am hoping you get your reservation at La Cucina. Booked for the entire week? Wow. Things really have changed at NCL.

I'm really torn about the baths. I definitely pictured something a little different. They were pretty and unique, but I'm not sure I'm drawn to them like others are.

Yea, the reservations and bookings on the ship was just crazy. Everything was completely booked up at ALL reservation restaurants. I just never expected that. To me, that's not freestyle cruising. :mad:

Thanks for doing this review with pure honesty! After your review, I don't ever see myself trying it out, only because seeing those small crawl through spaces made me claustrophobic from photos, I can't even imagine trying it in person, so I definitely appreciate that.

 

That being said, I hate that you had a disappointing time there. I am also the planner of our group. All of our cruises have been extended family trips. I research what I want to do, give options to my hubby and 3 kids, and they pretty much leave it up to me. My kids are 13, 12, and 12, so they love any new adventure, and especially if it involves a beach and water. Hubby is a "go with the flow" kind of person. I have always sent detailed information to the rest of the siblings and asked if they want to join us, or do something on their own. Honestly, I don't like the pressure, so I would never have minded if they went out on their own. They have always decided to go with us. A few times, once we've gotten there, or the night before, I have gotten the "We're doing what? It costs how much? What about doing this instead?" Seriously, I sent detailed information with photos numerous times, and if they can't be adults and read information, then I'm not responsible. This is what happened the night at dinner before Little French Key. I still regret not going there. We had great time in West Bay, the beach was beautiful, but that was my one regret that I let everyone talk me out of LFK because of the price (which I had told everyone else NUMEROUS times in the months prior, including the hubby). I hate that you had to deal with being blamed for something that you wanted to do and took such measures to plan out. Hope the rest of the ports went better, can't wait to read more!!

You are very welcome. I try to do every review as honest as I can. However, my experience may not equal that of another (obviously) and everyone does not have the same taste. I just review as it happens to me and try not to discourage anyone from doing something or encourage them to do it, but merely give pictures to show what it could be.

Thanks SO MUCH for your story about your planning, LFK, and how things go with you. It sounds like we are exactly alike. I do the same. I do the research, I present to everyone going...including a price list, hubby just goes with the flow...and I still get reactions like you said. Oh well, such is life and next time I will tell them what I'M doing and if they want to go and can afford it, then fine, if not...they're on their own. Ok...well maybe not. LOL I don't know if I could just leave them behind. Sigh. :o

Enjoying your review. Sorry you had a bad experience at the baths, but I appreciate your honest review of the visit.

Thank you and glad you are enjoying the review.

I agree with you about the sea days. On a 7 day cruise, 2 sea days is enough for me, preferably one at the beginning and one at the end of the cruise. To each their own but I honestly don't understand people who say they would do a cruise of all sea days. I enjoy getting off the ship and visiting tropical places I wouldn't otherwise get to experience. The last cruise I went on was an 8 day with FOUR sea days!!!! To be honest, the last sea day, I was bored and was ready to get off the ship. And just as an FYI, I've only sailed Carnival, but make it a point to read all of your reviews because I love your style of writing and how honest you are in all of your reviews. Thanks for sharing!

Yea, the sea days are just not as fun as they use to be for me. I once said that I didn't enjoy so many ports (and I'm almost sure that I did a review with 4 ports and wished there were less ports because I felt worn out from doing so many)...now my ideas have changed drastically.

The one thing that I have to COMPLAIN about is those cruises (like this one) that DOESN'T have a sea day on the last day. I absolutely hate that. I like having a sea day on the last day so that I can have time to pack during the day and be ready to enjoy my evening that night. When you have a port on the last day, it's so hectic trying to get packing done and everything. I just don't like it.

I would never be able to cruise and not get off the ship. Yuck.

Thanks so much for your comments. I will probably do Carnival next time around...so stay tuned for my next review. :D

I have avoided the large NCL ships because there aren't enough sea days. I love what amenities they have but if there aren't more sea days how would I see it all?

That is true, but honestly, the things that we like to do is something that it wouldn't matter how many sea days. The shows are at night and not when in port. The pools and slides are there when you return from port. They have the rock climbing, golfing, and other stuff...but all of this could be done on one sea day (and we basically did this).

The only ship that I would say would be hard to do without a bunch of sea days is something like the Oasis or Allure. Now those would be ships that I would sail for the ship and experience itself and not the ports. :D

Kim,

I just wanted to show you this as a possible Christmas present for Sakari:

http://www.zulily.com/e/mermaid-tail...0268_600_300&&

Yea, people are always showing me the mermaid tail blankets. She has one already that we got for her last Christmas. It's an actual blanket, made by the same original maker of her mermaid tails (finfunmermaid). She liked it at first, but then it wore off and she barely uses it now. I'm not sure why.

Tonight...I put her order in with Santa for a new Mermaid tail. She absolutely loves birds and especially peacocks. So, finfun just came out with a peacock mermaid tail. I knew it was her and told Santa to bring her one. So, it's on the way along with a "free" mermaid Christmas stocking. She's going to love this. Her elf "Trixie" will be bringing the stocking before Christmas so that she can enjoy it.

Oh Kim, I am so sorry your day at the Baths was disappointing. I was so hoping you would enjoy it, and I think you're right- Given different circumstances (behaving camera) and just the 3 of you to worry about, you likely would have had a much different experience.

I hope the rest of the adventures went much better!

Yea, it was very disappointing. I can't imagine anything getting any worse than that day. But you never know with our group.

Loving your review so far! I was in Tortola on the 19 of this month, and really enjoyed it there. We went to a different spot than the baths though because BF isnt one to be traipsing through water, so I found us a spot where he could drink beer while I got my beach and water fix lol. As far as crowding, I've noticed this on our last two NCL cruises. We just had a B2B on the Gem out of San Juan, and man was that ship CROWDED! I try to plan cruises for the off season to try to enjoy a less crowded ship and fewer children, however, my system has failed me this last cruise. It was very difficult for me to relax and enjoy myself with the crowding that was present. A lot of people were contributing it to the 3rd and 4th person sail free promotion, making it cheaper for families to sail and therefore, more crowded ships. I also have to comment on O'Sheehans. The first week service was good, in the second week however, it was AWFUL! The worst we ever experienced in any venue in any ship. It was so weird that it varied so much one week to the next. Anyway, enough from me, I can't wait to see more of your awesome review!

Thanks and glad you are loving the review. The Gem is out of San Juan? I will have to check that out. The Gem is the last ship I have to sail to complete the "old" fleet.

We have been sailing mainly with NCL since 2010 and mainly stuck with them for the fact that I have always booked the "kids sail free" promotion that turned into the 3rd-8th person free promotion and has now stuck with all the other promotions. I feel that the ships are getting more crowded than ever before lately (with all the promotions constantly). While they are nice to give great promotions and it's good for their business and bottom line, I feel like their service is lacking a little over the last few years.

So we are both Platinum. With a Platinum status comes several "goodies" and one of those goodies is a dinner for two at a specialty restaurant x2 (one for me and one for the hubby).

 

We tried to get in to our favorite place La Cucina, but when we tried to book, using our phones, they showed full....FOR ALL WEEK! Seriously? I tried calling the reservation line...I was told the same thing. They did tell me that they could get me into Cagneys at 5pm tomorrow if I wanted and that was the ONLY opinion for the entire week. Well, Cagneys really isn't my cup of tea, so I told them I would let them know. Plus that didn't solve the problem that we are supposed to get two dinners.

 

So I decided to head down to Guest Services to discuss this problem. This is SO not like me at all. Usually I would just accept it and be done. However, I thought....why not give it a try and see what they had to say. I'm missing 2 dinners and 2 bottles of wine. I earned this status and don't even get to enjoy it because of this stupid big ship with too many people on it already having everything booked up. I had no idea it would be like this. I was very disappointed.

 

Once at Guest Services, I explained the situation and the disappointment in not being able to fulfill our Platinum dinners and bottle of wine. They told me to hold on and the representative went around behind closed doors. When he returned he now told me that they would be able to get me into Le Bistro (not exactly what I had wanted of course) at 5:30pm the following day. Everyone knows that we are "night" people and usually don't eat dinner until very late...like 10pm late. 5:30pm was going to present a few problems such as: This was a port day, which sailaway was at 2pm. We always come back from a port starving and eat at the buffet right away. I knew that we were not going to be able to hold out until 5:30pm to eat. Then the next problem would be that if we are to eat at 5:30pm, then we would be starving again around midnight. Ugh. But what choice did I have at this point? So, I took the 5:30pm time reluctantly.

 

I was told that I should call the reservation line at 5:30pm the following day, when they opened, to see if there were any cancellations or new openings. "Well, I'm supposed to be having dinner in Le Bistro at 5:30pm, how do you reckon I do that?" "Oh, that's right" he replied. "Well, try the next day". Sigh. I knew in my heart that this would be the only dinner we would be able to get with our Platinum status. I was disappointed and at this point, I never wanted to book another ship that was this big or this many people...ever again. I was really second guessing liking the bigger ships at all.

 

We went to the casino and donated some money for a little bit and I was just so over this day that we picked up Sakari early from the kids club and decided to call it a day.

 

Our towel animal waiting for Sakari that night:

 

 

The hubby would do a little bit of computer work and we were in bed by 10:30 after I completed our beach bag packing for the following day.

Kim I had the same issue on the Breakaway...we could only get reservations for Cagneys at 8:30 to celebrate hubbys birthday...that was too late for us... went to the service desk but they couldn't help us ...as Platinum members we have a Concierge benefit .. so I called them and they changed our dinner reservations to 6:30 with no problem..the best is when we got to Cagneys there were many empty tables...keep in mind we weren't using our free dinners there and paid for the meal...we did get a reservation for La Cucina but not for our second dinner...so we end up in the MDR and asked for our free bottle of wine.. they gave it to us with no problem just had to give them the voucher..

Kim I had the same issue on the Breakaway...we could only get reservations for Cagneys at 8:30 to celebrate hubbys birthday...that was too late for us... went to the service desk but they couldn't help us ...as Platinum members we have a Concierge benefit .. so I called them and they changed our dinner reservations to 6:30 with no problem..the best is when we got to Cagneys there were many empty tables...keep in mind we weren't using our free dinners there and paid for the meal...we did get a reservation for La Cucina but not for our second dinner...so we end up in the MDR and asked for our free bottle of wine.. they gave it to us with no problem just had to give them the voucher..

It sounds like I should have just went somewhere to ask for the bottle of wine at least. I didn't think about that. It was just very aggravating to not be able to get all of the perks you worked so hard to get. :( If I ever run across this issue again, I'll make sure to try to locate the concierge information. I don't know why I have never received this info before. I also noticed that when we went to Le Bistro, there was PLENTY of seating when we were there. They made it sound like it was completely booked full and they were squeezing me in (Guest Services) that night. The place was still half full when we left from there after dinner as well....which tells me that we could have came at a later time as well. :(

On my transatlantic on the Epic I had booked LeBistro and was taking a new friend. However, on the day my stomach was giving me fits so I cancelled.

I called a few days later to book again and was told that LeBistro was booked for the remainder of the cruise. Now this was a 13 day cruise and we had only been on the ship about 6 or 7 days. I looked at my letter and it said LaCuchina could be used so I was able to book that. I told the rep that it was ridiculous that I could not use a Platinum benefit at this point in the cruise (before I knew about LaCuchina) but she was inflexible.

I would have taken this higher but decided to just book LaCuchina. I really, really hate the reservation thing on NCL for the shows especially. I had the dinner package and it is so hard to get reservations for dinner and a show that work together. I did the standby a couple of times for shows and it actually works better I think.

I just don't understand partly empty restaurants that have no reservations. I guess they just don't have the staff but that makes no sense to me. They "give" you the packages as a perk then make them very hard to use.

I used to be an an NCL cheerleader but not so much anymore. Some of the staff look so worn out and you see them at the start of the day and still at the end of the day. Most always with a smile on their faces, but still I feel for them. My room stewart was a gem but I could tell that by the end of the 13 day cruise he was just not as perky as before.

Anyway, I will continue to cruise NCL with 28 cruises thus far but I have less enthusiasm for the "extra" things to spend money on.

I LOVE the peacock mermaid tail you got for Sakari! Did it come with a matching top like her other tails? It's really beautiful!

Here's the 411 on Richard Branson and Necker Island:

Richard Branson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Branson

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necker_Island_(British_Virgin_Islands)

Necker Island: http://www.virginlimitededition.com/en/necker-island

The Necker Island website makes me want to go back to the Caribbean!

Kim, I think your feelings about The Baths were colored by the behavior of others which was...distracting, to say the least. When we were there, the other visitors were helpful and kind - even to people who were going the opposite way. It was such a completely different experience than yours. All I can say is think about what you saw and experienced and decide for yourself if you want to try this again or not. I imagine it is like most places where you can go 100 times and have 100 completely different experiences.

Kim, great review as always. The Epic was the first ship that my wife and I ever cruised on, as newlyweds, and she hooked us on cruising. Seeing her again 5 years later brings back a lot of great memories.

I'll have to admit, reading your Baths experience brought back memories of a different sort. We were there this summer, and I booked a ship excursion for the first time ever, since we had a short (7 AM - 1 PM) port time, and I didn't want to chance missing the ship, but wanted to see the Baths. Everyone said how wonderful and beautiful it was, and that it couldn't be missed. I was really excited about it.

And so we get there...and it's hot as Hades, and it's crowded. The excursion turned out to be the same ferry you were on, with an unceremonious "Well, here you are, the entrance is over there, have fun." We, along with the rest of the world, journeyed down the stairs, got to the bottom, and it was...pretty? I guess?

The rock formations were kinda cool, but I feel like they were built up to be more than they really were.

The beach was pretty...small. It didn't help that there were wall-to-wall people, with even more swimming into shore from another excursion.

We snorkeled for a bit, and the snorkeling was good.

Then, we hit the caves, which were neat but harrowing, and it felt kind of rushed. There people were in front of us and behind us, and it was hardly roomy in there—even less so with our backpacks, and the amount of food we were both consuming onboard. None of my pictures really came out because of foggy lens syndrome, and in the few that did, we look hot, tired, and uncomfortable. Which we were.

I don't regret going, but I would not go back if I found myself in Tortola. The snorkeling was good, but I've gone to beaches with cool rock formations and better snorkeling—Tobacco Bay comes to mind.

Later on, I sort of questioned myself—was it just us, or were the Baths, ya know, not that great? Reading through your review, I couldn't help but have a bit of a wry smile. Maybe it wasn't just us. :o

This has got to get better! Fun loving Kim, on her favorite ship, with her family, having a down day at a beach. I've read all your reviews and have never read this before. I'm sure this is going to get much better, it has to.

I'm going to post again when this review turns around some.

bruce...

SPORTS DECK.

 

Here you have the basketball court:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They also have the trampoline air jump and the spider web climbing thingy.

 

 

 

 

Is there a cost for the trampoline and the spider climbing thing?

Hi Kim, Great review as per usual, the Epic was my first cruise earlier this year and it gave me the bug! Am off to Dubai in January for my second cruise :D We are going on a lot smaller ship, only 1300ish passengers, so am interested to see how it compares to the Epic...

I am organising the meet and mingle/greet, Do you have any advice on this? Am only at the stage of getting people's names, who do I have to get in touch with pre cruise? Sorry for bombarding you but I have read every review of yours in the last 6 months, You are a legend! If you don't know about it, no one does :)

Thank you, Lorna.

Yay, another Kim review!

Ahhh the joys of vacationing with family or others ... some days are gems and others, well, you wonder why you do it. Luckily those occasions aren't often, but, they do happen.

We have a rule; you do what you want, I'll do what I want if we both want to do it wonderful, if not, no hard feelings, go have fun! Even with that there still sometimes a few stressful moments. LOL usually my sister wanting me to do what she wants to do, which is shopping and no thank you!

It sounds like I should have just went somewhere to ask for the bottle of wine at least. I didn't think about that. It was just very aggravating to not be able to get all of the perks you worked so hard to get. :( If I ever run across this issue again, I'll make sure to try to locate the concierge information. I don't know why I have never received this info before. I also noticed that when we went to Le Bistro, there was PLENTY of seating when we were there. They made it sound like it was completely booked full and they were squeezing me in (Guest Services) that night. The place was still half full when we left from there after dinner as well....which tells me that we could have came at a later time as well. :(

The issue with the restaurants is not the number of tables, it is staffing. This was explained to me by an officer I met on the Gem last year. He said if they fill all the tables service slows down so much people complain even more than usual about how long it takes for dinner. I booked all of my restaurants and shows at 90 days just to be safe. Sorry you had such a rough time Kim. Things have changed a lot since your first Epic cruise it seems.

Hi Kim!

Just following along. You and I were on the same breakaway cruise to Bermuda last Oct (2015). I used your review from your Dawn to Bermuda trip to extensively plan our time in Bermuda! Here we go again -- we have the same trip on Epic planned for Dec 2017. This time instead of just me and my husband we will be bringing our 2 kids who will be 4 and 13 months at the time of sailing, as well as my parents and brother. Let's just say - thank goodness for the UBP!!! Thanks again for such an extensive review. It helps just to daydream - seeing as it's still over 1 yr away!

Sorry the baths weren't what you expected. Extended family certain can complicate things when you are trying to make everyone happy. We are just planning on Cane Garden Bay that day - I don't dare do anything too adventurous with little ones along. Did you happen to see any "regular" taxis on Tortola? Not the open air ones. I don't mind our 4 yr old traveling a short distance without a car seat but we planned to bring a seat for our 13 month old. I doubt open air taxis are designed to accommodate a car seat!

Hope you were able to enjoy the rest of your trip. Thanks again - Love the pictures!!!

On my transatlantic on the Epic I had booked LeBistro and was taking a new friend. However, on the day my stomach was giving me fits so I cancelled.

 

I called a few days later to book again and was told that LeBistro was booked for the remainder of the cruise. Now this was a 13 day cruise and we had only been on the ship about 6 or 7 days. I looked at my letter and it said LaCuchina could be used so I was able to book that. I told the rep that it was ridiculous that I could not use a Platinum benefit at this point in the cruise (before I knew about LaCuchina) but she was inflexible.

 

I would have taken this higher but decided to just book LaCuchina. I really, really hate the reservation thing on NCL for the shows especially. I had the dinner package and it is so hard to get reservations for dinner and a show that work together. I did the standby a couple of times for shows and it actually works better I think.

 

I just don't understand partly empty restaurants that have no reservations. I guess they just don't have the staff but that makes no sense to me. They "give" you the packages as a perk then make them very hard to use.

 

I used to be an an NCL cheerleader but not so much anymore. Some of the staff look so worn out and you see them at the start of the day and still at the end of the day. Most always with a smile on their faces, but still I feel for them. My room stewart was a gem but I could tell that by the end of the 13 day cruise he was just not as perky as before.

 

Anyway, I will continue to cruise NCL with 28 cruises thus far but I have less enthusiasm for the "extra" things to spend money on.

I couldn't have said it better. I was "somewhat" of a cheerleader, but with all the recent changes and now being able to get the free packages...things are just too crowded at the bar, crowded at restaurants, sucking up the internet....the list goes on. It use to be a special occasion to get the perks, now it's an every day thing. I have less enthusiasm as well. This is why I have been enjoying breaks and going on Carnival. It's a nice change for us and I am really enjoying them. I almost 99.9% I will cruise with them next. So sure that I purchased some gift cards with Verizon today...just to use as a deposit when I decide to book. :D

I LOVE the peacock mermaid tail you got for Sakari! Did it come with a matching top like her other tails? It's really beautiful!

 

Here's the 411 on Richard Branson and Necker Island:

Richard Branson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Branson

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necker_Island_(British_Virgin_Islands)

 

Necker Island: http://www.virginlimitededition.com/en/necker-island

 

The Necker Island website makes me want to go back to the Caribbean!

 

Kim, I think your feelings about The Baths were colored by the behavior of others which was...distracting, to say the least. When we were there, the other visitors were helpful and kind - even to people who were going the opposite way. It was such a completely different experience than yours. All I can say is think about what you saw and experienced and decide for yourself if you want to try this again or not. I imagine it is like most places where you can go 100 times and have 100 completely different experiences.

I did not check into the top/bottoms. I honestly don't really care for their "style" in bathing suits (you by them as a suit, not just top). They have the tie strings at the top and bottom versus the clasp hooks and the way they are designed in the front is just weird as well. They kind gap in places and it's just not a good fit. I have bought 2 of them so far to match her tails, but I don't think I will buy anymore.

Kendra informed me that she bought Sakari 2 mermaid tails tonight...purple and pink ones. Oh boy...she's going to be busting at the seams with tails this Christmas. Courtney/Kolin had also said they were going to get her one too.

So this Neckler Island...did you check out the prices to stay??? :eek: Oh my. Did I understand right that you pass this place on the ferry? I swear I almost took a picture of something that looked like this building and then thought, nah...it's just a hotel.

I believe it was colored by others as well...but I'm still not convinced that it's the right place for me. I will probably give it another try in the future...ONLY when we don't have others with us and can enjoy it. I'm just not sure if it would be on the "next" cruise there. We are due to return in October...but I'm double thinking it.

Kim, great review as always. The Epic was the first ship that my wife and I ever cruised on, as newlyweds, and she hooked us on cruising. Seeing her again 5 years later brings back a lot of great memories.

 

I'll have to admit, reading your Baths experience brought back memories of a different sort. We were there this summer, and I booked a ship excursion for the first time ever, since we had a short (7 AM - 1 PM) port time, and I didn't want to chance missing the ship, but wanted to see the Baths. Everyone said how wonderful and beautiful it was, and that it couldn't be missed. I was really excited about it.

 

And so we get there...and it's hot as Hades, and it's crowded. The excursion turned out to be the same ferry you were on, with an unceremonious "Well, here you are, the entrance is over there, have fun." We, along with the rest of the world, journeyed down the stairs, got to the bottom, and it was...pretty? I guess?

 

The rock formations were kinda cool, but I feel like they were built up to be more than they really were.

 

The beach was pretty...small. It didn't help that there were wall-to-wall people, with even more swimming into shore from another excursion.

 

We snorkeled for a bit, and the snorkeling was good.

 

Then, we hit the caves, which were neat but harrowing, and it felt kind of rushed. There people were in front of us and behind us, and it was hardly roomy in there—even less so with our backpacks, and the amount of food we were both consuming onboard. None of my pictures really came out because of foggy lens syndrome, and in the few that did, we look hot, tired, and uncomfortable. Which we were.

 

I don't regret going, but I would not go back if I found myself in Tortola. The snorkeling was good, but I've gone to beaches with cool rock formations and better snorkeling—Tobacco Bay comes to mind.

 

Later on, I sort of questioned myself—was it just us, or were the Baths, ya know, not that great? Reading through your review, I couldn't help but have a bit of a wry smile. Maybe it wasn't just us.

Yes, that's what it reminded me of-Tobacco Bay and I loved that place. However, I didn't have to climb things either. I just don't know. I'm torn about this place. It's hard for me to get excited about going again and trying it out when I think back at the bad time we had. I just don't know. :( You are probably the second or third person that I have read that really didn't "enjoy" the baths like everyone else does. You are not alone.

This has got to get better! Fun loving Kim' date=' on her favorite ship, with her family, having a down day at a beach. I've read all your reviews and have never read this before. I'm sure this is going to get much better, it has to.

 

I'm going to post again when this review turns around some.

 

bruce... [/quote']

 

I know right? It's just not me.

 

 

Is there a cost for the trampoline and the spider climbing thing?

 

Nope, no charge if you can ever find them open...good luck.

 

 

Hi Kim, Great review as per usual, the Epic was my first cruise earlier this year and it gave me the bug! Am off to Dubai in January for my second cruise :D We are going on a lot smaller ship, only 1300ish passengers, so am interested to see how it compares to the Epic...

 

I am organising the meet and mingle/greet, Do you have any advice on this? Am only at the stage of getting people's names, who do I have to get in touch with pre cruise? Sorry for bombarding you but I have read every review of yours in the last 6 months, You are a legend! If you don't know about it, no one does :)

 

Thank you, Lorna.

 

I have been on much smaller ships and it's definitely a different "feel" to it. I like them as well. They just never seem as crowded to me.

 

Here's something to get you started: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1300907

 

 

Oh I don't know about knowing about things....I'm still a young grasshopper with a lot to learn. So many helpful people on these boards.

 

Yay, another Kim review!

 

Ahhh the joys of vacationing with family or others ... some days are gems and others, well, you wonder why you do it. Luckily those occasions aren't often, but, they do happen.

 

We have a rule; you do what you want, I'll do what I want if we both want to do it wonderful, if not, no hard feelings, go have fun! Even with that there still sometimes a few stressful moments. LOL usually my sister wanting me to do what she wants to do, which is shopping and no thank you!

 

Yes....family....ah....ugh....sigh. They like to do me in that's for sure. The problem with my family, they don't know anything about the places we go and are not on here. So, they would be totally lost if they didn't come with me. I do usually give them a choice and do research and go over it with them (by them I mean the girls), then we pick. But, I guess you win some and you lose some. Oh well.

 

The issue with the restaurants is not the number of tables, it is staffing. This was explained to me by an officer I met on the Gem last year. He said if they fill all the tables service slows down so much people complain even more than usual about how long it takes for dinner. I booked all of my restaurants and shows at 90 days just to be safe. Sorry you had such a rough time Kim. Things have changed a lot since your first Epic cruise it seems.

 

Yea, I kinda assumed that was the deal, but not for sure. I figured they staggered the people coming in so that when they were seating the last bit of the restaurant, then the first half that sat down should be about ready to go.

 

I just find it SO HARD to book anything before cruising, let alone 90 days out. Heck, I don't know what I'm going to be in the mood for as early as that morning while on the ship. We eat at different times and different factors go into whether or not we would come back from a port and even feel like dressing up and going somewhere fancy. That's why I like freestyle, which isn't so free on the mega ships now.

Hi Kim!

 

Just following along. You and I were on the same breakaway cruise to Bermuda last Oct (2015). I used your review from your Dawn to Bermuda trip to extensively plan our time in Bermuda! Here we go again -- we have the same trip on Epic planned for Dec 2017. This time instead of just me and my husband we will be bringing our 2 kids who will be 4 and 13 months at the time of sailing, as well as my parents and brother. Let's just say - thank goodness for the UBP!!! Thanks again for such an extensive review. It helps just to daydream - seeing as it's still over 1 yr away!

 

Sorry the baths weren't what you expected. Extended family certain can complicate things when you are trying to make everyone happy. We are just planning on Cane Garden Bay that day - I don't dare do anything too adventurous with little ones along. Did you happen to see any "regular" taxis on Tortola? Not the open air ones. I don't mind our 4 yr old traveling a short distance without a car seat but we planned to bring a seat for our 13 month old. I doubt open air taxis are designed to accommodate a car seat!

 

Hope you were able to enjoy the rest of your trip. Thanks again - Love the pictures!!!

Well hello there! Hope you are doing well.

Wait a minute....wait just a minute. You have a 13 month old...hmm, if my calculations are correct (and they may not be because I'm super tired and have been sick)...you got a lasting gift/reminder from the Breakaway cruise. :D Congrats. More power to ya for bringing the "Little" on your next cruise. I remember Sakari's first cruise and 3 1/2 years old. I really wasn't sure how she would do, but all turned out well. We just brought tons of cheese plates back to the room for her dinner. I think she was clogged for weeks. :o But eating at one of the restaurants (and sometimes the buffet) presented to be challenging at times.

You know what...now that you mentioned taxi's, I honestly did not see one. I knew we didn't need any, so maybe I was just oblivious to them around me. I just looked at my pictures and only seen the open air buses too. Hopefully someone else can chime in. I mean I can't imagine them not having any. That would be weird.

Kim, I think blusun said her little one will be 13 months at the time of sailing in Dec. 2017. Which means she must be at 9 months or just had her baby. Or did I misread it?

Kim, I think blusun said her little one will be 13 months at the time of sailing in Dec. 2017. Which means she must be at 9 months or just had her baby. Or did I misread it?

Oh, whoops. I told ya I was tired. LOL I can't think straight or read right. I've had a terrible croupy cough for days, laryngitis for several days, and my head is completely full of...."stuff" that keeps me from breathing and obviously thinking straight. LOL Oops. :D Ok, off to a nice hot shower to open me up and then bed.

Oh, whoops. I told ya I was tired. LOL I can't think straight or read right. I've had a terrible croupy cough for days, laryngitis for several days, and my head is completely full of...."stuff" that keeps me from breathing and obviously thinking straight. LOL Oops. :D Ok, off to a nice hot shower to open me up and then bed.

Get well soon!

Well hello there! Hope you are doing well.

 

Wait a minute....wait just a minute. You have a 13 month old...hmm, if my calculations are correct (and they may not be because I'm super tired and have been sick)...you got a lasting gift/reminder from the Breakaway cruise. :D Congrats.

Not quite a souvenir from last October - I just had a baby boy 5 weeks ago. He will be 13 months when we sail Dec 2017. Though we do have a 3 yo souvenir from our first cruise on the Sun in 2012! ;)

Get well soon!

Thank you

Not quite a souvenir from last October - I just had a baby boy 5 weeks ago. He will be 13 months when we sail Dec 2017. Though we do have a 3 yo souvenir from our first cruise on the Sun in 2012! ;)

Whoops sorry, it was a long day and I was tired and completely missed the part that said "would be ___ year old at the time of sailing". :D Congrats on the new addition to the family.

Wednesday-Nov 16: St Thomas 7am-2pm

The port info:

I was REALLY looking forward to this day. We decided we were going to do something brand new...never experienced before. So, I was super excited, but yet very nervous for this day to arrive. I knew that it was going to either be the best day on the cruise...or possibly the biggest let down. Only time would tell.

I had my alarm set for 5:30 am and jumped in the shower to attempt to wake up a little more. Man I was tired. The night before I had read in the dailies that the buffet didn't open until 6:30am, which would be too late, since we had to be off the ship at 7am. We started thinking about other options, such as O'Sheehans or the MDR. But that meant we couldn't just eat and go. We would be at the mercy of slow service if it was anything like the other times. We headed up to the buffet just to check things out...and it was open. Thank goodness! Maybe they decided to open earlier than normal due to an early port day. Either way, I was happy.

I had my usual, other than the scrambled eggs. I have to say that I have never had a problem in the past with the "powdered" scrambled eggs, but this time...they were icky. You could tell they were not "real" and they just wasn't good. Oh well, I had my waffle still.

Taken with my already foggy camera lens...ugh

Kolin discovered that they had a new type of chocolate milk and he was really in love. He must have had about 5 of them with breakfast. He just kept talking about how good they were.

He said they were the best thing he had ever had. Later in the week I would try one and I didn't care for it. Remember I don't like chocolate, but I will drink chocolate milk. This stuff was injected with steroid chocolates and was just too much for me.

We headed back to the room and hung out on the balcony because we knew that we were still moving for some reason.

Beautiful St Thomas.

Sakari was super excited to get this day going as well.

Announcements were made that we were coming in late, so we wouldn't be able to get off the ship until 7:30am. Yikes. No, let me off now, I'll swim. hehe

They said due to the late arrival, our new "on board" time would now be 2pm. Ok, I guess that makes up for it. I'm good with that.

It was looking like a very cloudy morning.

A view of the port from our balcony:

I can see the sky ride from here.

At 7:30am, we headed down to Deck 5 in order to get off. But, we soon discovered that we still had not fully docked yet. Grrr.

We decided to hang out and wait there at the art gallery area. There were maybe around 25 people or so there. It's a big open area that's basically part of the hall that goes back and forth to the atrium. For some reason, the lady in uniform there approached us (we were standing along the wall) and told us "You can't wait here. You need to go somewhere else until they call for everyone to get off. Go have breakfast or a cup of coffee". Seriously? Do you think we are standing down here because we haven't had breakfast yet? Also, is there a reason that you signaled US out? Not a single other sole was approached and told to leave. We watched her the entire time, pace back and forth, and she did not say anything to any of the other people waiting in the same area as us. I thought that was rude. So...I did my usual style and plopped down on the floor and leaned against the wall and WAITED, just like everyone else. We were not in anyone's way, we were not doing anything wrong, we were quiet. So therefore, we were also waiting! Unless she wanted to clear the entire room, what she had just told us to do was completely invalid to me. I'm not a rule breaker, but I'm also not a pushover. Don't signal me out and not tell anyone else.

We were unable to get off the ship until 8am, so 1 hour past the time that we were supposed to get off. They made one last announcement, reminding us that we were getting off late (like we didn't know) and the new time to come back would be........drum roll.....still 2pm. Ugh. They could have at least changed it to 2:30pm....or 3, or even 6pm. Once again, I will double check any port times on my next cruise to make sure there's not a stupid 7-2pm port day. I just hate this.

We headed off the ship for the paparazzi to be waiting outside for us.