NCL Epic Review Nov 22-29

This is my review of our November 22-29 sailing aboard the Norwegian Epic. Sorry it’s been a month since the trip ended, but things have been quite hectic around here.

First of all some introductions and a little background. The members of our group are Myself, My Wife Esther, and our daughter, Breanna. This is my 5th cruise with NCL, Esther and Breannas 3rd. First aboard the Epic for all of us.

Breanna is a senior in college and in the last month of a semester studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain. When she was accepted for Study Abroad, the

first thing that came to my mind, (after "Holy Shamolly! My girl is going to be half the world away from me!"), was "What a perfect excuse to book a Mediterranean Cruise!" So after extensive research and number crunching, We decided on the Epic. We also decided to fly in 3 days early to see Barcelona and let our bodies adjust to the major time change.

The flight:

We used American AAdvantage points to book our flights, so getting there was an adventure all in itself. We left Minneapolis at 6:50 AM Wednesday the 18th, went to Philladelphia, Charlotte, JFK, then finally overnight to Barcelona, arriving there Thursday, 7:15 AM local time. WHEW!

Breanna met us at the airport, got us on the train, then the Metro, ending up 4 blocks from our first destination, the main office for the short stay apartment we rented. Total cost 2 euro. The advantage of having a "local" guiding us around was already starting to show, (the greatest advantage was yet o come).

We rented an apartment at Ramblas Studios. It was a nice efficiency about 4 doors down a side street off Las Ramblas. The building across the street is being remodeled, so during the day there was quite a bit of activity and noise. Being so close to Las Ramblas, there was also a bit of noise at night, as the Barcelona nightlife doesn't start until nearly Midnight. If you're looking for a nice quiet luxury hotel, this isn't it. If you're looking for a decent place to stay at a good price, it is. Cost us $240 total for the three nights.

For the next 3 days we toured all the popular attractions, plus many you don't see in the tour guides, like local eateries that serve good food at non-tourist prices.

The local protest

Park Guell

These guys set up shop all over the Las Ramblas area. We called them the "Blanket Peddlers". They lay out a blanket on the ground and cover it with stuff to sell. Mostly knock off purses, tennis shoes and other cheap clothing articles that probably come apart the first time in the wash machine. if you look real close, you can see ropes attached to the blankets. When the Police get close, one of the peddlers alerts them all, they grab the ropes and the sheet pulls together like a Santa Sack, and off they run to find a new place to set up shop. It's a continuous game that goes on all day long.

La Boqueria- An open air market close to the middle of Las Ramblas. A very interesting place to visit

Just a sample of one of the booths in La Boqueria

Specialty Hams that they shave very thin pieces off. Check out those prices!

But there was one stop we made that you probably won't find in any tour book. On Friday afternoon, I started to have a funny feeling in one of my teeth. Sure enough, I woke up Saturday morning with a full blown abscess. This is where Breanna saved the trip. She helped me find a Dentist, interpreted for me with them and the Pharmacist, and had us back on our way.

One quick note about the local clinic. It was as modern a Dental office I had ever been in. We walked in shortly after 11:00 AM, registered, had x-rays taken, consulted with the Dentist, went to the Pharmacist and picked up the prescription. At 12:20 I was taking my first dose of antibiotics. To say the least, I was impressed. Total cost: $84 Euro, $60 for the Dentist (an emergency walk-in ) and $24 for 2 prescriptions. When was the last time you said Hi to your Dentist on the street without getting a bill for more than $60.00 ?

Embarkation:

At 10:10 we walked out of our apartment. 10 minutes and a $15 Taxi ride later, we were checking our bags at the pier. We breezed through the main entrance, and by 10:40 were seated in the waiting area looking over the menus for all the specialty restaurants. Check-in started at 11:00 and went lickety split. We drew boarding group 2 (avoided the "Group W” bench this time) and by 11:40 we were aboard the mighty Epic! One of the smoothest Embarkation procedures I have ever experienced!

The first order of business was to dump our bags, then lunch. We snuck past the machine guns and found our cabin, a Mid-Ship Balcony # 10191. The Attendant, Ryan, was just finishing up and invited us to drop our bags, which we were more than happy to do. Off to Taste for lunch. Unfortunately, Taste wasn't open yet, but the person standing by the entrance invited us to eat in the Buffet, already the 3rd person to do this. Knowing what the buffet is like on Embarkation day, we opted for O'Sheehan's. I had Mozzarella sticks and Fish & Chips, which was very good. Time to explore the ship!

The Ship:

Looking at all the pictures of the Epic, I always thought it was quite possibly the ugliest cruise ship afloat. But after seeing her in person and experiencing a week aboard, I am 100% convinced she is the ugliest cruise ship afloat. The box above the Bridge used for The Haven and forward Sun Deck, ugly. The straight up and down tail, ugly. The wavy cabin layout, ugly. The sink out of the bathroom, ugly.

Public Areas:

I could go on about every nick and ding I noticed and talk about how the Epic is showing her age, but I won't. I work in the entertainment industry, and know full well how hard it is to keep public areas looking nice, and to mention a chip on some of the wood trim or a cart ding on the hallway wall is just nit-picking. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out these occurred the first sailing out of dry dock. Overall, I would rate the condition as excellent.

Note to NCL: Do a better job of signage for the public toilets. A small plaque on the jamb of a doorway is too hard to see when traveling through the walkways. Please get some signs with arrows, out where people can see them.

Navigating through the decks was easy enough. Figuring out which side of the ship you are on is made easy for you. Port side carpeting, elevator numbers, and Room Key Cards are orange in color. Starboard is blue. Going through the casino on deck 6 was no problem at all. Decks 5, 6, and 7 seemed like walking down a mall to me. The atrium is probably one of the smallest and most plain of any I have seen. The ship was definitely not designed with opulence in mind. As many others have posted on these pages, they could certainly use another bank of elevators mid-ship. As is the norm with ship elevators, they were generally slow and crowded.

My elevator rant: Why do people think it's necessary to lean on the Door Close button as soon as the doors start to open on a floor that they aren't getting off? All it does is start a button pushing war with those trying to get on, and actually delays getting to where you want to go.

Since this trip was so port intensive, and the temps were mostly mid 50's, we spent virtually no time on the pool decks. From what I saw, they were no better or worse than on any other ship.

The Cabin:

The cabin layout makes me think the reason for the waves is the same reason developers use cul-de-sacs and pie shaped lots. More lots per acre. Functionally, it's a flop. It's practically impossible to walk from the door to the balcony without bumping into something. And to have 2 people fit between the bed and the counter top is impossible. Having the toilet separate from the shower is a great idea. Having the sink outside the toilet is not.

There are 3 large drawers and 2 closets supplying ample space for 3 people to store a week worth of clothes, and plenty of room under the bed for suitcases Under the counter are European and American outlets, 2 of each.

Hint: If you use a night light and have as many electronic gizmos to charge over night as we do, get yourself a short extension cord with multiple outlets so you can plug everything in at night. We actually brought 2.

Three mirrors are on the wall opposite the bed. This accomplishes two things. It makes the room feel larger, and allows all three people to use a mirror at the same time. Behind one of the mirrors is storage for toiletries. One thing they could definitely use is more lighting around on the sides of the mirrors. A guy shaving has nothing but shadow below the jawline, so you have to tilt your head completely sideways to see what you are doing. The bed was pretty comfortable, but a little short. I'm 5'6" and had to have my head nearly all the way to the headboard to keep my feet from going off the edge. I could only imagine if I was 6+ feet. The balcony was nice with room enough for three. Unfortunately, there was only 2 chairs and a very small table.

Muster was at 4:30, so we had plenty of time to explore the ship, which we did a thorough job of doing.

Here are a few pictures of some of the areas.

The main pool

The Kids Pool

Water Miniature Golf

These swinging chairs were right outside the Adult Pool area. Something I haven't seen on a ship before.

Good photos, well-written review. Thanks very much. We sail on the 13th.

Muster went real smooth. Thankfully we no longer have to bring our life jackets and demonstrate we know how to put them on.

Right after Muster we went back to the cabin, and there was Ryan, who had just finished putting our bags inside the cabin from the hallway. We quickly unpacked and headed back to O’Sheehan’s for dinner. All 3 of us had the Prime Rib and it was absolutely great. It was tender with wonderful flavor.

After dinner we went up top for sail away, then down to the casino for the Slot and Blackjack Tournaments. I entered 2 of the qualifying rounds for the Blackjack Tournament, and both times I was the leader going into the last hand. Unfortunately, the Blackjack Gods weren’t with me, because I got beat on the last hand both times. Esther had better luck in the Slot Tournament. It took her 3 qualifying rounds to make the finals, which she was lucky enough to win in the last 15 seconds of the tournament.

We spent a little more time in the Casino playing Craps, Slots, and those goofy coin drop games, then went to the Epic Theater for the first night’s show, which was basically an introduction of the Cruise Staff and a short show by The Epic Beatles, which is their Beatles Tribute band.

Casino Note:

Breanna pointed this out to me, which really made me realize that the cigarette smoke in the Casino was virtually non-existent. We have both read numerous posts about how horrible it is, and found it to be no problem at all.

A couple more Casino shots

This was waiting for us when we got back to the cabin.

Day 2 Monday November 23 Day at Sea:

We started out the day with Breakfast in Taste. This was the first time they messed it up. I ordered a Ham, Bacon, Sausage and Cheese omelet. What I got was a Ham, Sausage and Cheese omelet with a side order of bacon. Esther and Breanna’s orders were done right.

One thing about breakfast. Most of the egg dishes come with hash browns. These are not your mother’s hash browns, or any other hash browns you are probably used to. They are a small pad of hash browns about the size of a silver dollar. They are obviously used to people ordering extra helpings, because they delivered a plate full to our table approximately 2 minutes after asking for more.

After Breakfast we just hung out until it was time for the Meet & Greet, which was scheduled for 11:00 am and we were hosting.

The Epic uses The Cavern Club for its Meet & Greet venue, so at 10:30 I went down to get set up. Lo and behold, there was a group in there having some kind of travel chat in a language I couldn’t understand. I figured they were probably just finishing up, so I sat off to the side and started organizing my stuff. About 10:45 2 employees of the Epic showed up to start setting up the refreshment table. They immediately got on the phone with a supervisor. Apparently this group was supposed to be using the room from 9:00-10:00. Why they were still there, nobody knows. Within 5 minutes someone came in and shooed the whole group out, so we could set up. I was both surprised and impressed. This was the first indication of how seriously NCL takes Cruise Critic groups!

At 10:55 a member of the Cruise Directors staff showed up, complete with name tags and a sign in board. 15 minutes later Pedro, the Cruise Director showed up with the Ship’s senior officers. After introductions and a Q & A session, they led the group singing Happy Birthday to Esther. The officers left to take care of their responsibilities, and the 40 or so who showed up socialized and planned shore excursions. Before we knew it, the clock had already passed 12:30. This was a very fun and productive gathering.

One thing about Meet and Greets, If you sign up to attend, at least have the courtesy to show up. NCL puts out a considerable effort to accommodate these gatherings by supplying a venue, providing refreshments, and having the Senior Cruise Staff show up. When the organizer tells them 93 people signed up, that's what they plan for, so if less than half show up, they start losing incentive to accommodate us. NCL's effort should not be taken for granted.

Meeting and Greeting

By the time we finished cleaning up, it was well past 1:00 so we headed up to the Buffet for a late lunch. As could be expected, it was still a zoo in there. I only recall one thing I had to eat, which was ¼ of a fresh roasted chicken, which one of the chefs was carving up. It was real good, much better than I expected.

There wasn’t much going on that we really wanted to see, so we headed back to the cabin. When we got there, we found this Happy Birthday cupcake for Esther.

Day 2 Continued

Dinner was at Cagney’s, and as expected, it was excellent. I had the Shrimp Cocktail

and the New York Strip.

Esther was given a Birthday Cake, and another round of Happy Birthday To You, sung by the Waitstaff.

After dinner was The Perfect Couple Game Show. The show is always very entertaining. However, using the Atrium as the venue doesn’t work real well. There is limited seating, and poor sight lines for many trying to watch the show.

This was our Night 2 towel animal

Like your review of the Epic.

Day 3 Tuesday, November 24 Naples

We had only 1 objective for the day, which was to visit Pompeii.

Since the ship was scheduled to dock at 7:00am, we headed to the Buffet for Breakfast, and what a madhouse it was. Everybody jockeying for what few open tables there were, long lines everywhere, and rude people elbowing their way in wherever they felt like it.

The ship cleared Customs very quickly, so by 7:05 the Captain was announcing disembarkation.

As soon as you leave the Terminal, you are bombarded by Taxi Drivers and Tour Guides hawking their services. We shared a taxi with a couple headed the same place as us, and ended up getting the taxi for $100.00 round trip, which came to $20.00 each.

Shortly after arriving in Pompeii it started to mist. Luckily we had a couple travel umbrellas packed. Not surprisingly, all the little vendors suddenly had boxes of umbrellas right next to their selfi-sticks.

Pompeii is interesting for its historical value, but a lot of it looks the same after a while. If you have plans for visiting there, be prepared to do plenty of walking and wear sturdy shoes. You are walking on centuries old streets and walkways, and they aren’t exactly smooth and level.

These grooves are from the people having to push their carts up and down the street

I think this was the kitchen area from one of the houses that was destroyed

After about an hour, the mist turned into a pretty steady rain. We looked at all the popular spots and a few side streets. By then, our feet were pretty wet and the cool damp air was making us a little uncomfortable, so we headed out of the compound.

We are Christmas Ornament collectors, and found a real nice one in the main gift shop. There is a whole row of tents set up with vendors, but we didn’t feel like walking around in the rain anymore.

Note About Pompeii: Have some small denomination Euro on hand, because you have to pay to use the toilets. It costs $0.50E per person.

We made arrangements with the driver, Ciro Lucarelli, to be back in 3 hours to pick us up, and he was right on time. The drive is right around ½ hour, so we were back in time for a late lunch.

After lunch, Breanna and I ventured into Naples to see what was there, and there wasn’t much. We found the main road in the shopping area, and it was 1 clothing store after another, with an occasional Farmacia or Coffee Shop, Back to the ship we headed, Right by the pier we saw signs for a shopping mall. After looking around, we realized the mall was the building we walked through to get to and from the ship. We wandered around the area for a while, but didn’t find anything that interested us.

Dinner tonight was in La Cucina. To get there, you have to walk all the way through the Garden Café to the front of the ship, then go down a flight of stairs. I had the Fried Calamari, which was very good, And the Lobster Fettuccine, which was just good. I don’t know if it was the sauce, or something else, but the flavor wasn’t great.

Tonights entertainment was Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and it wasn’t very good. The music and choreography was fine, but the story line was, at times, hard to follow. On top of that, it was just bad, and nothing I go on a cruise to see.

If NCL wants to do a show about how we’re all supposed to accept Transvestites, and feel bad for them because a bunch of Australian Bush Cowboys don’t, then put that information right up front. And even if I had known that going in, the story and presentation was bad.

I walked out of there feeling ambushed. No different than if Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump had walked out on stage and started giving us their political viewpoints. I think it was the worst show I have ever seen on ANY cruise ship.

Our night 3 Towel Animal

Time for another family function. More to come.

Great Pompeii information and tips. Thank you.

We are going on our first NCL cruise on the Epic in Feb so really appreciate reading your review, is there any opportunities for dancing on the ship? Thank you and Happy New Year.

Just back from Epic christmas cruise. yes lots of dancing opportunities, mostly in the Atrium.

Just back from Epic christmas cruise. yes lots of dancing opportunities, mostly in the Atrium.

Oh dear sorry to hear it's in Atrium, we usually cruise on Celebrity and our main gripe is they have lovely dance floors but usually hold their dance events now on a totally unsuitable dance floor in the atrium. Oh well will have to have to wait and see how small the area is.

Thank you for your reply Carol58.

Thank you for this review. I'm heading out on the Epic on Jan. 13, so I'm reading it with great interest.

A question: how were the lines to get into Pompeii? Long?

Day 4 Wednesday, November 25th Civitavecchia

This was the most hectic day of the trip. We woke up early and had breakfast again in the Madhouse Buffet. I don’t know if it was just me or not, but the food seemed blah in all aspects.

Our plans for the day were to do Rome on our own, since all the organized tours went to more places than we wanted to see, and spent less time than we wanted to spend at the ones on our list. NCL has busses that pick you up right at the ship and take you to a lot at the end of the pier. From that lot you can walk to the shopping area of town, get a cab to take you where you want to go, or board a bus to the train station. The train station is walkable, but since we had lots to do with plenty of walking ahead of us, we opted for the bus ride ($2E each).

Round trip tickets to Rome are $10 E per person. We got off at the Roma Termini station, which is the main terminal, closest to the Colosseum. This was a mistake for 3 reasons.

#1 It is almost 30 minutes more time on the train than if you get off at Roma S. Pietro.

#2 You have to pay $1E to use the toilet, and they have Toilet Police patrolling the area. You put your $1E coin into a coin slot and an automatic divider opens up to let you in. Some older woman tried sneaking in with her daughter and got caught. The toilet patrol made her go back out, and wouldn’t even let her pay to get back in! Told the woman she couldn’t use the toilet at all. Toilets are free at S. Pietro.

The Toilet Cop This is one person you don't want to mess with

#3 There is a very long line to get a cab. We probably stood in line at least 20 minutes before we got a cab. Plenty of cabs available, the line is just that long and a traffic light right by the exit slows things down. At S. Pietro there are cabs waiting with no lines.

My recommendation is to get off at S. Pietro and grab a cab there. The fare might be a little higher, but you will give yourself nearly an extra hour of time.

Once we finally got a cab, it was less than 10 minutes ride and $6.5E to the Colosseum. Luckily it is off-season, so the wait to get in was only 15 minutes. We must have had 20 people offering us personal tour guide service. Business must be pretty slow. If you have any interest in Construction, Architecture, or History, this is definitely a must see place.

I took this picture just for the sheer irony. In a structure that is made completely of brick, mortar, and marble, why do you need a fire extinguisher station?

After the Collosseum, we headed across the street to see the Forum. Another mistake. We walked up a long stone walkway that ended at a church on top of a hill. Every gate along this walkway that would let you into the Forum was locked. There is a wall along the side of the walkway that runs right into a building next to the church. On the other side of the wall is a walkway to the Forum. Of course, there is no way to get to the other side of the wall. After walking all the way back down, we realized the entrance was about 4 blocks to the West, then another long walk to the Forum. By now we were getting short on time, so we just grabbed a cab to the Trevi Fountain.

The Trevi Fountain just had a bunch of work done to it, and it does look very nice. There is a small plaza around the front of the fountain, not nearly as big as I expected. For me, after 10 minutes I had seen all I wanted to see.

 

Tonights entertainment was Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and it wasn’t very good. The music and choreography was fine, but the story line was, at times, hard to follow. On top of that, it was just bad, and nothing I go on a cruise to see.

If NCL wants to do a show about how we’re all supposed to accept Transvestites, and feel bad for them because a bunch of Australian Bush Cowboys don’t, then put that information right up front. And even if I had known that going in, the story and presentation was bad.

 

I walked out of there feeling ambushed. No different than if Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump had walked out on stage and started giving us their political viewpoints. I think it was the worst show I have ever seen on ANY cruise ship.

 

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Hi! Enjoying your review, but I have a question... I am personally looking forward to this show! I've always enjoyed musicals and was happy to get the occasion to see this one onboard NCL. Out of curiosity, was it the subject or the actual rendering of the musical that you did not enjoy?

Day 4 Continued

10 Minutes walk to the west of Trevi Fountain and you are at the Pantheon, considered the most pristine of all the ancient Rome buildings. Once again, Construction, Architecture, and History.

Another 10 minute walk west and you are at Piazza Navona. According to some travel guides, this is the most popular plaza in Rome. It is pretty nice, with 3 different fountains, and lined with food tents, most having a hawker standing out front trying to entice you in for a meal. Don’t even give them a second look.

Piazza Navona

If you’re looking for a good meal, go to the southwest corner of the plaza, by the Museo di Roma. Follow Via di Pasquino street west until it runs into Via di S. Pantaleo ( about 1-1/2 blocks). Go right for about 1 block. The road curves to the left. On the right side of the road is a restaurant called Mastro Ciccia.

Our Niece told us about this place, and am I glad she did. It has indoor and outdoor seating. The waiter was very friendly and efficient. The food was great. Esther had a burger, Breanna had a pasta dish, and I had the best Lasagna I have ever had in my life. It was served in a stone dish, and the lasagna was surrounded by a cheesy sauce, and cooked to perfection.

After eating, the waiter brought us some Limoncello, which is a lemon flavored booze. I’m not much a fan of lemon anything, but it tasted pretty good.

After eating we did some souvenir shopping, then grabbed a cab to the S. Pietro Train Station. We got back to Civitavecchia with some extra time to spare, so Breanna and I went down to the shopping area, but Esther returned to the ship. Just like Naples, we didn’t find anything that really interested us. It seriously didn’t seem much different than walking down a mall in America.

We did discover something of importance. The ship had been advertising a sale on their Citizen watches. We came across a store that advertised Citizen watches, so we stopped in to check them out. We found some identical models to what the ship was selling, and every one of them was significantly lower priced than in the Ship’s gift shop, even after the sale discount.

Dinner was in Moderno, the Brazilian Steakhouse. For those not familiar with how Moderno works, you are given a card, red on one side and green on the other. This is your communication with the servers. Green side up means keep bringing the meat, red means stop. The meal starts with a trip to the salad bar. After you get all the salad you want, turn the card green side up and the servers start coming by with the different meats. First ones were the Chicken, Ribs, and Chorizo, which is Spanish Sausage. These were all very good, but not what I was waiting for. The wait between server visits was a lot longer than I liked, about 10 minutes. After each of these had been by for the third time, I started asking for the Filet Mignon and the Garlic Beef. Each time I asked, I was told “They are coming”. It was almost an hour after we sat down before they finally came by with the good stuff, which was extremely good. To keep from having to wait so long between servings, I started ordering doubles. I somehow couldn’t stop thinking that the reason they took so long to come out with the Filet and Garlic Beef was to let people get filled up on the less expensive Chicken and Ribs, so they eat less of the Filet, thereby saving the company some money.

My final assessment of Moderno is that the food is great, but it takes way too long to eat your meal.

That night there was a Hot Seat promotion in the Casino. Apparently throughout the night random players were chosen to win a special prize. We heard them announce the beginning of the promotion, but never heard a winner announced.

Our night 4 towel animal

Day 5 Thursday November 25 Thanksgiving Day Livorno

We couldn’t handle another trip to the Buffet, so we gave O’Sheehan’s a try for breakfast. The food was definitely better than the Buffet, but not as good as the MDR. The service was also pretty slow. Still the best option for the day, considering the MDR didn’t open until 7:00, and that is when we were scheduled to dock.

NCL offers bus rides directly from the pier to the Livorno Train Station for $15 per person, round trip. The other options were a taxi, $25E each way, or a 2 part bus ride that would take 1-1 1/2 hours each way. This worked perfectly into our plan for getting to Pisa.

The train ride was about 20 minutes and cost about $5 each. This was the only time we didn’t validate our tickets, and as luck would have it, someone came by to check them. After a thorough tongue lashing, he manually validated them for us. Most travel websites warn you that they can fine you $100E for not having your ticket validated, and being a tourist won’t get you off. We got lucky.

IF YOU DECIDE TO RIDE THE TRAIN VALIDATE YOUR TICKETS! There are machines around the terminal for doing this.

Once you get to Pisa, walk out the doors of the train station and taxis are right there waiting for you. A quick $6E cab ride and you are at the Tower.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is actually 1 part of a complex containing the Tower, the Cathedral, and the Baptistery. Tickets to climb the Tower cost $18E each, and include admission to the Cathedral. Funny thing is, you can get in the Cathedral only for nothing. Tickets are sold for specific times, 15 minutes apart. If you want to make the climb, you better be in good enough shape to handle nearly 300 steps going up a long way. It’s one of those things you do just for the sake of doing it. The view from the top is pretty good too.

You simply can't visit the Leaning Tower Of Pisa without taking a cheesy tourist shot

These guys are serious about their security

After climbing the Tower, we shopped around the plaza and bought some souvenirs, then headed back to the Epic.

Dinner was at Le Bistro, and with Swordfish on the menu, I had been looking forward to it all week. I was not disappointed. It was a little more dry than the last time I had Swordfish, but still very tasty. The service was a little slower than I would have liked, but still good.

Esther decided she wanted to have the Thanksgiving Turkey dinner offered in the MDR, so she went to Dinner while Breanna and I were finishing getting ready. By the time we arrived at Taste to sit with her, She was almost half way through the main course. Right after we sat down, the Waiter got all kinds of nervous because Breanna and I didn’t have any food in front of us. We explained that we weren’t eating, which put him at ease. However, Esther did mention to him that she ordered a 7-Up with her meal, but hadn’t received it yet. The waiters response was “It’s on the way”. Maybe they thought it was an after dinner drink. About 5 minutes later, the Maitre D’ came by, concerned that Breanna and I didn’t have any food. So I explained to her that we were eating in Le Bistro later on. I also let her know that Esther had ordered a drink with her dinner, and was still waiting for it to show up. The next thing we knew, there were 2 people showing up with a 7-Up simultaneously. This just about put the 2 servers into a complete tailspin. Neither one knew who was supposed to go first, and when one of them finally set down the drink they were carrying, the other one couldn’t figure out where to place the second one. I don’t think this situation was ever a part of their training. Esther’s report on the dinner was that it tasted very good. The turkey was moist and tender, and the sides were cooked right.

Our night 5 towel animal

Day 6 Friday November 27 Black Friday Cannes France - Monaco

Cannes is a tender port, and one thing I really liked was the opportunity to book tender tickets from your room on the television set. So Thursday night, right after Dinner, I booked for 7:45. This gave us time to eat Breakfast in Taste. Esther was pretty walked out from three days in a row in Italy, so she decided to sleep in and pass on going to Monaco. That left Breanna and I waiting at the door of Taste promptly at 6:55. I kept my order simple by just getting Ham and Eggs, and Breanna ordered a Ham, Tomato, and Green Pepper Omelet. My order was done right, but Breanna ended up getting a Tomato, Mushroom, and Green Pepper Omelet. The third time Taste messed up our order, and this time there was no time to have it redone correctly.

The tendering process was very smooth. About 7:40 we showed up right outside the Manhattan Room and checked in. About 7:50 we headed out, down to the disembarkation level, and walked straight onto the tender. Once everyone was on the Tender it was a quick ride to the pier.

From the pier, we walked about 15 minutes to the Train Station, and caught our train to Monte Carlo. About 30 minutes on the train and we were in Monte Carlo. Right across the street from the Train Station is the harbor. Walking along the harbor through the Marina is quite the experience. Everything you see screams money! I swear some of the Yachts were nearly as big as the first NCL ship I sailed on.

I love the name of this yacht

Breanna and I did some Black Friday shopping and found this deal

We made it to our final destination, the Monte Carlo Casino. If you have any interest at all in Casinos, this place is the Holy Grail. The Casino doesn’t open until 2:00 for gaming, but for a $10E fee they let you in early to look around and take pictures.

Day 6 Continued

After spending our time in the Casino, we found our way back to the Train Station, and arrived back in Cannes in time to meet up with Esther, who had gone to town around noon.

We met near what I would call the main intersection in town, where Prom de la Pantiero meets Quai Saint Pierre. This is the Northwest corner of the harbor. Go north 1 block and cross Rue Felix Faure, then 1 more block north to the first street to the right, which is Rue Meynadier. Take a right on Rue Meynadier and you have a nice 2 block stretch of shops to check out. There are your typical touristy t-shirt stores, plus shoes, bags, and food. I decided that I needed some authentic French Pastry, so as we walked along the street, I kept my eye open, and after crossing a street to the second block, finally came across this place.

I opted for a Chocolate Croissant, and after 1 bite I knew I had made the right choice. The first thing I noticed was the buttery flavor of the bread, which basically melted in my mouth. The chocolate was fresh and creamy, not too sweet, and not too bitter. This stuff was seriously good. A little way further down the street Breanna found a store with some nice looking boots. As luck would have it, right next door was this place.

While Breanna was trying on boots, I decided to do a little comparison shopping, and went in for another Chocolate Croissant. This one was good, but not nearly as good as the first one. Sorry Paul, but you took a distant second place.

The last tender was at 4:30, and time started running out, so we headed back to the ship.

Dinner tonight was Teppanyaki, which was a completely new experience for me. For those who don’t know how Teppanyaki works, Diners sit around 3 sides of a large flat grill, and the Chef sets up on the fourth. The Chef cooks everybodys dinner right in front of them on the grill. There is constant dialog and showmanship that makes it all very entertaining.

The meal starts out with Miso Soup, which was ok, and Seaweed Salad with Ginger Dressing, which was pretty good. My Main Course selection was the Land and Sea, which is Filet Mignon and Jumbo Shrimp. Both of these were excellent. Once everybody around the grill has been served, the extras are offered up. Who wouldn’t want more steak and shrimp? Teppanyaki tied with Cagneys as my favorite restaurant of the week.

That night I went to see the Comedian, Martin Beaumont. Using Headliners as the venue for a Stand Up show is a great idea. There isn’t a bad seat in the house, and being close to the Comedian makes things more intimate, a lot like going to a local Comedy Club. Martin was pretty good. Some of his stuff was a little predictable, but he had good delivery and crowd interaction which makes the show worth seeing.

Our Night 6 towel animal

Day 7 Saturday November 28 Palma Mallorca An Epic Disaster

The Epic arrives in Palma at 2:00pm, which makes for a leisurely morning.

On day 2 (Sea Day) and day 7 (late in port), Moderno has a Breakfast Buffet starting at 9:00am. Since Taste had a perfect record of messing up at least 1 of our orders whenever we ate there, and the Garden Buffet disqualified itself earlier in the week, we opted for Moderno. This was definitely the right choice. The selection of fresh fruits was much better than the Garden, the eggs were fresher and better tasting, and the rude crowd was non-existent.

If I had one suggestion to improve the Moderno Breakfast Buffet, it would be to get those stupid hand sanitizing stations out of the way. They are placed at the start of the buffet, one on each side, between the buffet and the table holding the pastries and the toaster. This creates a narrow walkway that is almost impossible to have two people pass through side by side. All it takes is one person waiting in line for the buffet and one person getting a pastry, and it’s completely blocked off. If the hand sanitizing stations were removed, there would still be room for someone to walk through. Overall, the Moderno is a good choice for Breakfast

.

After Breakfast I went down to the Casino to sign up for the Blackjack Tournament. With three minutes to go before the tournament was scheduled to start, there was only three people signed up. With me signing up, that would make the total of all entries $80. The house keeps 50% of the entries, which makes the prize $40. Not worth it for me, so I passed.

Walking past the Atrium I noticed Deal or No Deal game cards being sold. I had never played the shipboard version, so I stopped by to check it out. For $20 you get a card that looks like a large pull tab. Each card has 20 “suitcases”, which are flaps that open with a prize amount behind it. Each card is also numbered. When you purchase a Game Card, your Freestyle Card is swiped and the Game Card is scanned, so the computer knows what you have. Before the game starts, the computer randomly selects a Game Card number, and the holder of that card comes up to the podium to be the player.

On a large screen is a projection of the 20 suitcases, plus a list of all the prizes, which range from $0.01 to $1000.00. The game is played just like the TV version, with the player choosing a suitcase, then picking others in sets to eliminate prize amounts. After each set, the Bankers offer is made. As the player chooses a suitcase number and the prize amount is shown, everyone else holding a Game Card opens the flap for the same suitcase number. If the prize amount is the same as what is shown on the screen, it’s a match for the card holder. I think a minimum of 3 matches are needed to win a prize. Since Game Cards are matched to Freestyle Cards, the computer automatically knows if you win a prize. You get two games with each card you buy. I would put the odds of winning a prize as equal to winning on a slot machine.

Deal or No Deal is one of the games that works well in the Atrium, since you only need to be able to see the big screen. We sat on Deck 6 in a part of O’Sheehan’s that overlooks the Atrium, where we had appetizers and drinks while playing the game. Even though we didn’t win, it was still fun and I would probably do it again.

Once the Epic docked we headed down to Deck 5 to disembark. We were surprised to see the line coming up the stairwell from Deck 4, and extending into and around the Photo Gallery. This was the first time all week we saw a line like this to get off the Ship. Even so, the line moved rather quickly and we were off the ship soon enough. It’s a bit of a hike to the Taxi stand, where we caught a cab to the Palma Train Station. Our plans were to take the Ferrocarril de Sollar, which is an old, low speed train from Palma to Sollar, going through some scenic areas. The price is $15E one way, and $21E round trip, and the ride is about 50 minutes. We purchased Round Trip tickets departing at 3:00 and returning at 5:00.

This attraction is a complete waste of money. Most of the ride is going past what looked like some sort of fruit trees, with nothing growing on them. When you finally go past the valleys that should have a nice scenic view, There is so much wild brush and tree growth that you can’t see anything.

Part of the advertising for the ride talks about all the Mom and Pop stores in Sollar selling unique merchandise. When we walked through the town, there were 2 or 3 touristy souvenir stores and a restaurant open. The rest of the town had pretty much shut down. I inquired at one of the stores about whether the Palma metro came out this far, but I was out of luck. We would have gladly paid another couple bucks each to get back early.

With nothing else to see, we headed back to the Train Station to wait for the 5:00 departure. It was about 4:25 and people were already starting to board the train, a large number who were part of the NCL tour. I told Esther and Breanna to grab some seats and I would be there shortly, as I had to go to the bathroom. Just as I was walking back on the platform, the train blew it’s whistle and started moving! I took off at a full run, dodged two platform workers who tried stopping me, and caught the caboose. The Conductor, standing on the back, was holding out his hand and telling me I can’t jump on, But with Esther and Breanna on board, I wasn’t about to miss the train, so I jumped aboard.

The guys on the platform were cursing me in Spanish, and the Conductor was telling me I can’t jump on like that. So I told him my Wife and Daughter were on board, and I wasn’t about to jump back off. All he could say was “Just go get a seat”. I later found out that this train was an extra one to accommodate the cruise ship passengers, which is why it was leaving at 4:30.

I walked forward two cars to where Esther and Breanna were, and guess what? They weren’t there! I went forward another car, and not there. One more car forward, and not there either! So I went all the way back to the Caboose checking every seat along the way and they were no where to be found. By now the other passengers on the train were starting to give me some pretty weird looks. Just then, the Conductor came by and told me my Wife and Daughter were on the platform, and would be on the 5:00 train. Turns out, just as I was jumping on the Caboose, Esther and Breanna were jumping off the car they had been sitting in, because I hadn’t shown up yet! What a fiasco! I explained to the Conductor that I had all the tickets, and he told me it wouldn’t be a problem, because he would radio to the 5:00 train the situation.

About halfway back to Palma, the train stopped so all the people from the Ships tour could get off and board their buses. As they were getting off, I heard plenty grumbling about what kind of a rip off the tour was. We were just getting to the outskirts of Palma when the Conductor came by to tell me that Esther and Breanna would be waiting for me at the Station. Now I was really confused.

Sure enough, when I got off the train, there they were, waiting on a bench. Apparently, when Esther jumped off the train, she lost her footing and took a tumble to the pavement, landing pretty hard on her left elbow , and smacking the back of her head to the ground, causing it to bleed. Not only that, but her tablet went flying out of her hand and got run over by the train.

Boys and girls, don't let your tablet tangle with a train, as this is the result

The platform workers gave her a damp rag and some ice to hold on her head, which stopped the bleeding. Breanna was still very concerned, so they took a cab back to Palma instead of waiting for the 5:00 train to leave, so we could get back to the ship and see the Dr., if necessary. We grabbed a taxi and made it back to the cabin without incident.

Esther took some Aleve and got cleaned up, and by Dinner time was feeling pretty good, as long as nothing bumped the back of her head. Walking into Cagney’s, Esther’s knee suddenly gave out, and down she went. This meant we had to take a detour to the Dr. Office, which was closed.

Funny how you don’t notice some things, until you are personally involved. This was the first I had noticed that the Medical Center hours are 8:00-9:30am, and 6:00-7:30pm, even on sea days! So I guess you have to schedule your illnesses or injuries.

Coincidentally, after hours visits cost quite a bit more than visits during open hours. Hmmmmmm.

The sign on the door says if it’s after hours, pick up a phone on the wall and call the after hours number for help.

As luck would have it, the phone didn’t work. Lucky for us, the Medical Center was just down the hall from our cabin, so I ran there and made the call. By the Time I got back, Esther was already inside. 1 hour 3 x-rays, a knee wrap, and $428.00 later, and we were back on our way to Cagney’s.

The Dr diagnosed Esther with a probable stretched ligament, that would have to be diagnosed further by an Orthopedist.

In Cagney's, I had the garlic shrimp. It wasn't quite as good as what I had at Teppanyaki, but it was still great.

The worst thing about the last night of a cruise is having to pack your bags for the trip home. It takes up time that could be better spent doing just about anything else, and it drives home the fact that the trip is over.

The good thing about this last night is that we didn’t have to put our bags in the hallway, because we did self disembarkation. The last thing I did was stop at the Guest Services Desk to schedule a wheelchair for the morning, but they told me all I had to do was call the desk in the morning and they will have one brought by in 5-10 minutes. So I left it at that.

Our night 7 towel animal

Sunday November 29 Disembarkation Day

Our flight was scheduled for 11:50am departure, so we had a pick up scheduled for 8:00. This would give us plenty of time for checking in, bags, and going through security.

We decided to give Taste one more chance, and they held true to their pattern. I ordered a Bacon, Ham, and Cheese Omelet, and Breanna ordered a Ham, Tomato, and Green Pepper Omelet. I received a Denver Omelet, and Breanna received a Ham and Cheese Omelet. At least they got the English Muffins right. Since Esther couldn’t make it to Taste, we ordered a Sausage and Cheese Omelet to go for her. Surprisingly, they got the order right, and brought it out just before we were ready to leave.

This was my first ever attempt at self disembarking, and with Esther’s leg messed up, I was a little more apprehensive than I normally would have been.

While Esther was eating her breakfast, I called Guest Services to arrange for a wheelchair, and they told me it would be 40 minutes to an hour. This didn’t sound anything like what I was told the night before, so I called the Medical Center to request a chair. 5 minutes later Guest Services was on the phone letting me know that a wheelchair was on the way.

Ten minutes after the wheelchair guy showed up, we were walking out the door, and our Suntransfers driver was there waiting for us, 7 minutes before our scheduled pick up time. He got us to the airport with plenty time to spare.

If anyone is looking for a reputable company for airport transfers in Barcelona, do a search for suntransfers Barcelona, and you will find a great one. We had a private car (nice Mercedes Benz) with a great driver, for only $2 more than we would have paid for a rude taxi driver.

The Final Word

Overall this is a very good cruise. The Epic is a nice ship, with one of the friendliest crews I have ever experienced. Being so port intensive, it can get to be a bit of a grind.

If I was planning the itinerary for this cruise, I would eliminate the Palma stop, and either add a sea day so people can get a little rest after Civitavecchia, or stay in port a second day because there is so much to see in Rome.

That is pretty much a wrap. If anyone has questions, feel free to ask, and I will do the best I can to answer them. I will also be posting the Freestyle Dailies in another thread for people to read.

Thank you for this review. I'm heading out on the Epic on Jan. 13, so I'm reading it with great interest.

 

A question: how were the lines to get into Pompeii? Long?

Not long at all for us. Maybe 10 minutes. I think you might be able to pre-purchase tickets online. This would definitely save some time getting in.

 

 

 

Hi! Enjoying your review, but I have a question... I am personally looking forward to this show! I've always enjoyed musicals and was happy to get the occasion to see this one onboard NCL. Out of curiosity, was it the subject or the actual rendering of the musical that you did not enjoy?

A combination of both. Like I said in my original post, I felt ambushed by NCL, trying to make a social statement. Had they been upfront about that, I would have had a different viewpoint going in, or maybe just skip the show all together. Like I sad, I don't go on vacation to have social or political opinions thrown at me.

I also enjoy musicals. Having worked Lights and Sound on several, I may have higher expectations than others. This production had no flow, a poor set, and a bad choppy storyline. I understand the Epic is a multi-use theater, but NCL bills this as a Broadway quality show. It doesn't even come close.

We all disliked the show so much, we didn't even give Burn The Floor a chance. It could very well have been an excellent production, but we may never know now.

Thank you.

A really great review.