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Epic Spa Suite 14137


valleyvillage

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Thanks to ValleyVillage for opening this thread for me, really appreciated it!!

 

Just back from Epic 06/11 - 20/11 in a Spa Suite 14137.

 

I’m not going to do a full day by day review as there have been many excellent detailed reviews done already (thanks to everyone who took the time to do these as they really helped me enjoy the cruise). I’m just going to comment on a few of the things I was looking forward too and points I was worrying about from reading these boards for the past 18 months and also note a few points I think might be useful for others from my experience. I’ll also be happy to answer any specific questions about the Spa Suite.

First off, overall we had an great cruise and really enjoyed the 2 weeks, but there were some issues and it was far from perfect. It just wasn’t as good as I expected? Before anyone starts ripping into any negative comments I will say I came to this cruise with very high expectation having waited 18months and being our first time in a Suite and this may have coloured my opinions, but I have tried to be as objective as possible.

 

Embarkation

We didn’t have a great experience. The check in was great and we were quickly escorted in a group to the gangway to be met on the ship, however, this is were we were left. There was then an issue with our cards as they didn’t swipe. We were told we would have to go back to check in, but by this time 4000 people were now queuing to board behind us and we told we would just have to push through them to get back to check in. None of the staff around were willing to show us quicker or more practical route than pushing through and were frankly down right rude. Having pushed our way back to check in we did finally find someone in charge and were quickly personally escorted all the way to the courtyard. This was one of the parts of the ‘Suite Life’ I was really looking forward to and it was a let down, but for the others in our initial group the embarkation process did work really well.

One of our bags was then taken to the naughty room. There was nothing in it to warrant this and when we went to pick it up it hadn’t been opened and nothing was taken out. They would not provide any explanation as to why it had been taken?? Talking to other people this seemed to be a recurring theme…… It did highlight an issue with the elevators on embarkation days. Having waited 10 minutes we gave up and hauled our bag up 8 floors and seen plenty of others doing the same. On the other days there were no problems getting an elevator.

Apart from this, meeting the Concierge, touring the Courtyard, lunch in the Epic Club and the sail away party in Posh were all great.

 

Spa Suite 14137

 

Initial impression of the Suite was that it looked great. I absolutely hated it by the second day but then grew to like it by the end of the cruise.

  • Loved the bed and no issues with length despite the curve (I’m 6’2)
  • Great Storage.
  • Loved the coffee machine.
  • Jacuzzi - It’s big enough for 2, but we could only get the water luke warm at best. Not really a problem in the Caribbean but may be an issue in the Med Sep / Oct.
  • Shower - Great pressure, loved the rain head. It does have one major problem though. In even moderately rough weather it flooded the room and we constantly had to reduce the flow, kick water towards the drain and build a towel damn around the door. Really annoying at the start and not really what you want to have to do but by the end it became a routine. Poorly designed and located drain.
  • Lights - There was no coloured room lighting as stated on the website, but the different setting were nice. At night the room is very bright. We had to turn the coffee machine off and also use pillows to cover the buttons for the bed side lights as they were very bright blue and in your eye when you lay on your side. The toilet light issue I read about seems to have been sorted to the other extreme. Our light only stayed on for 5 seconds (I counted) and you constantly had to wave your hand even when doing a number 1. Suppose this is better than staying on to long but not great.
  • Noise - There is excessive noise from the pool deck at all times of the day. In the first few days I considered asking to be moved but gradually got use to it throughout the cruise. The room is located right under the end of the green slide and people have no choice but to walk over your cabin to get from one end of the ship to the other. Early morning your could hear the pool deck being cleaned, chairs being set out, kids running throughout the day and the noise of high heels throughout the night. The music from the pool was also often excessively loud especially mid afternoon. Some of the other Spa Suites may have less noise such as 14151 as they are located under the quieter shaded sunbathing area, but this issue would definitely stop me booking this Suite again.
  • General - The room is already starting to look tired probably from initial poor build quality, but it doesn’t have the feel of a ship that’s 6 months old. The wood laminate flooring is already stating to bubble and peel. The cupboards don’t all close properly. The pull out side tables on one side of the bed was falling apart and even when fixed we decided just not to pull it out. The sink doesn’t hold the water for more that a few seconds. After having it ‘fixed’ on 3 separate occasion it still didn’t seal properly. We just gave up and left the tap running to keep the water topped up. No problem with size of this sink or water getting on the floor. I wouldn’t like to see this room in another few years.

Courtyard

This is a great area and to be honest we barley spent any time during the day anywhere else on the ship. We usually sunbathed and the front of the ship as it was quieter. The main pool area is often very windy and had to be closed twice during our cruise as sun beds went flying, we actually seen one hit a woman. The stairs to the front area are an unusual set up and you have to go through separate changing rooms to get to them. Never felt crowded and great bar service throughout the day.

 

Butler / Concierge

Our Concierge was Florentina and our Butler was Cherry. We rarely used there services but they were always available, helpful and eager to make our cruise great. Cherry was an excellent Butler!

 

Restaurants

Epic Club - Excellent food (best steaks I’ve had in years for both breakfast and dinner). Even better service. Always happy, very personal service, remembered your favourite wine and deserts etc. Special thanks to Histrina who really made it and amazing experience each time we went and will be a lasting memory from our cruise.

Manhattan Room / Taste - Food was good, but service is rushed, especially in the Manhattan Room. The menu does not have great variety and were both the same so if you were planning to only eat here for 14 nights I think you would be disappointed.

Moderno - The food was great and I loved the endless selections of meat. The service wasn’t great though and we spent a lot of time waiting for the different meat to come. If you go plan to be patient and you’ll love it.

La Cucina - We went on our last night. Food and service were very good. Not really the best view and seems a bit wasted when it’s dark but they probably can’t illuminate the bow to obscure the view from the bridge. Sunset would be the best time to eat here.

Cirque Dinner - Really not good. The menu wasn’t too bad but the food was cold. Plan to eat after and enjoy the entertainment, which was good.

O’Sheenan - Great place for lunch or a late evening snack. Loved the Mozzarella Sticks!!!

Garden Café - I thought the food here was always really good. Great selection and although always busy there was never a problem getting a seat. We have the majority of our breakfasts and lunches here.

 

Entertainment

This is definitely the ship for you if you want to be entertained, always something to do………

Blue Man Group - loved it! Very entertaining! Was very impressed.

Cirque - The performances were very good and the performers are very skilled. There are numerous not very subtle sexual innuendo’s and I’m in no way a prude but if I had children approaching teenage years I think it could raise some awkward questions.

Second City - Really Funny. Seen the show at all three of the different times and they were all excellent. It’s different every time so you’ll never get bored of it.

There are always plenty of other games shows and entertainment going on including Dating Game, Newly Weds Game show, Fabba Party and White Hot Party. These were all good and worth going too.

 

Casino

I did come on the cruise worrying about the smoke issue. I hate smoke and in bars an restaurants at home would be very sensitive to it. I can honestly say I never found it an issue. There were plenty of people smoking but unless you stand directly beside someone who is smoking you will barley notice it. There are air purifiers everywhere which clearly work well and the smoke certainly does not go to other decks. I also read plenty about not being able to go anywhere without going through the Casino. You can get to almost everywhere using decks 5 and 7 if you really don’t want to walk through.

 

Pool Area’s

 

We only used the main pool area for about 3 hours in total over 14days.

  • The slides are great and no waiting on port days. Didn’t try to go on sea days.
  • The pool area did seem to be a good size to me, although none of them were very deep. The fountains make it a great area to cool off. They were always busy but I didn’t feel any more so than when I was on the Pearl in 2008.
  • The major issue is the drainage and those mats. Whoever designed the drainage in this area needs a new career!! There was constantly water everywhere. The mats look terrible and most of the time were very dirty. I think the hole set up is ridiculous, takes away from the whole look of the area and needs urgently addressed.
  • Slippy Surfaces - I went on preparing to be careful and to be honest didn’t find the surfaces to be too slippy. I did, however, personally witness 3 people taking quite nasty falls and considering the limited time I spent in this area it is clearly a problem. Just be careful! 
     

General

 

Just a few other things a felt about the ship and cruise overall;

  • The ship is beautiful and I loved the décor and design but there is no real wow factor when you board. This didn’t bother me but I can see why entering at the casino doesn’t really appeal to people.
  • Initially the decks seem smaller height wise and the corridors are very narrow. They really have packed as much as possible into this ship.
  • You really don’t get the feeling your at sea from the main decks, which I didn’t think was great.
  • There are numerous design issues and poor finishes in many area, in particular drainage (showers and pool) and wind in the courtyard. We also felt there seem to be constant repair / maintenance going on.
  • We loved the Spa but it can get very busy especially on sea days.
  • We had a sneaky look into a few standard balcony cabins (for future reference) and didn’t think they look particularly small. I liked the look of the bathroom design.
  • All the staff we came into contact with on the Ship were friendly and helpful and really made it seem like they enjoyed there job.

Overall we had a great cruise, would cruise on the Epic again but would look at other options first rather than rushing back.

 

If anyone has any specific questions I’ll be happy to try and answer.

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  • 1 month later...
Thanks to ValleyVillage for opening this thread for me, really appreciated it!!

 

Just back from Epic 06/11 - 20/11 in a Spa Suite 14137.

 

I’m not going to do a full day by day review as there have been many excellent detailed reviews done already (thanks to everyone who took the time to do these as they really helped me enjoy the cruise). I’m just going to comment on a few of the things I was looking forward too and points I was worrying about from reading these boards for the past 18 months and also note a few points I think might be useful for others from my experience. I’ll also be happy to answer any specific questions about the Spa Suite.

First off, overall we had an great cruise and really enjoyed the 2 weeks, but there were some issues and it was far from perfect. It just wasn’t as good as I expected? Before anyone starts ripping into any negative comments I will say I came to this cruise with very high expectation having waited 18months and being our first time in a Suite and this may have coloured my opinions, but I have tried to be as objective as possible.

 

Embarkation

We didn’t have a great experience. The check in was great and we were quickly escorted in a group to the gangway to be met on the ship, however, this is were we were left. There was then an issue with our cards as they didn’t swipe. We were told we would have to go back to check in, but by this time 4000 people were now queuing to board behind us and we told we would just have to push through them to get back to check in. None of the staff around were willing to show us quicker or more practical route than pushing through and were frankly down right rude. Having pushed our way back to check in we did finally find someone in charge and were quickly personally escorted all the way to the courtyard. This was one of the parts of the ‘Suite Life’ I was really looking forward to and it was a let down, but for the others in our initial group the embarkation process did work really well.

One of our bags was then taken to the naughty room. There was nothing in it to warrant this and when we went to pick it up it hadn’t been opened and nothing was taken out. They would not provide any explanation as to why it had been taken?? Talking to other people this seemed to be a recurring theme…… It did highlight an issue with the elevators on embarkation days. Having waited 10 minutes we gave up and hauled our bag up 8 floors and seen plenty of others doing the same. On the other days there were no problems getting an elevator.

Apart from this, meeting the Concierge, touring the Courtyard, lunch in the Epic Club and the sail away party in Posh were all great.

 

Spa Suite 14137

 

Initial impression of the Suite was that it looked great. I absolutely hated it by the second day but then grew to like it by the end of the cruise.

  • Loved the bed and no issues with length despite the curve (I’m 6’2)
  • Great Storage.
  • Loved the coffee machine.
  • Jacuzzi - It’s big enough for 2, but we could only get the water luke warm at best. Not really a problem in the Caribbean but may be an issue in the Med Sep / Oct.
  • Shower - Great pressure, loved the rain head. It does have one major problem though. In even moderately rough weather it flooded the room and we constantly had to reduce the flow, kick water towards the drain and build a towel damn around the door. Really annoying at the start and not really what you want to have to do but by the end it became a routine. Poorly designed and located drain.
  • Lights - There was no coloured room lighting as stated on the website, but the different setting were nice. At night the room is very bright. We had to turn the coffee machine off and also use pillows to cover the buttons for the bed side lights as they were very bright blue and in your eye when you lay on your side. The toilet light issue I read about seems to have been sorted to the other extreme. Our light only stayed on for 5 seconds (I counted) and you constantly had to wave your hand even when doing a number 1. Suppose this is better than staying on to long but not great.
  • Noise - There is excessive noise from the pool deck at all times of the day. In the first few days I considered asking to be moved but gradually got use to it throughout the cruise. The room is located right under the end of the green slide and people have no choice but to walk over your cabin to get from one end of the ship to the other. Early morning your could hear the pool deck being cleaned, chairs being set out, kids running throughout the day and the noise of high heels throughout the night. The music from the pool was also often excessively loud especially mid afternoon. Some of the other Spa Suites may have less noise such as 14151 as they are located under the quieter shaded sunbathing area, but this issue would definitely stop me booking this Suite again.
  • General - The room is already starting to look tired probably from initial poor build quality, but it doesn’t have the feel of a ship that’s 6 months old. The wood laminate flooring is already stating to bubble and peel. The cupboards don’t all close properly. The pull out side tables on one side of the bed was falling apart and even when fixed we decided just not to pull it out. The sink doesn’t hold the water for more that a few seconds. After having it ‘fixed’ on 3 separate occasion it still didn’t seal properly. We just gave up and left the tap running to keep the water topped up. No problem with size of this sink or water getting on the floor. I wouldn’t like to see this room in another few years.

Courtyard

This is a great area and to be honest we barley spent any time during the day anywhere else on the ship. We usually sunbathed and the front of the ship as it was quieter. The main pool area is often very windy and had to be closed twice during our cruise as sun beds went flying, we actually seen one hit a woman. The stairs to the front area are an unusual set up and you have to go through separate changing rooms to get to them. Never felt crowded and great bar service throughout the day.

 

Butler / Concierge

Our Concierge was Florentina and our Butler was Cherry. We rarely used there services but they were always available, helpful and eager to make our cruise great. Cherry was an excellent Butler!

 

Restaurants

Epic Club - Excellent food (best steaks I’ve had in years for both breakfast and dinner). Even better service. Always happy, very personal service, remembered your favourite wine and deserts etc. Special thanks to Histrina who really made it and amazing experience each time we went and will be a lasting memory from our cruise.

Manhattan Room / Taste - Food was good, but service is rushed, especially in the Manhattan Room. The menu does not have great variety and were both the same so if you were planning to only eat here for 14 nights I think you would be disappointed.

Moderno - The food was great and I loved the endless selections of meat. The service wasn’t great though and we spent a lot of time waiting for the different meat to come. If you go plan to be patient and you’ll love it.

La Cucina - We went on our last night. Food and service were very good. Not really the best view and seems a bit wasted when it’s dark but they probably can’t illuminate the bow to obscure the view from the bridge. Sunset would be the best time to eat here.

Cirque Dinner - Really not good. The menu wasn’t too bad but the food was cold. Plan to eat after and enjoy the entertainment, which was good.

O’Sheenan - Great place for lunch or a late evening snack. Loved the Mozzarella Sticks!!!

Garden Café - I thought the food here was always really good. Great selection and although always busy there was never a problem getting a seat. We have the majority of our breakfasts and lunches here.

 

Entertainment

This is definitely the ship for you if you want to be entertained, always something to do………

Blue Man Group - loved it! Very entertaining! Was very impressed.

Cirque - The performances were very good and the performers are very skilled. There are numerous not very subtle sexual innuendo’s and I’m in no way a prude but if I had children approaching teenage years I think it could raise some awkward questions.

Second City - Really Funny. Seen the show at all three of the different times and they were all excellent. It’s different every time so you’ll never get bored of it.

There are always plenty of other games shows and entertainment going on including Dating Game, Newly Weds Game show, Fabba Party and White Hot Party. These were all good and worth going too.

 

Casino

I did come on the cruise worrying about the smoke issue. I hate smoke and in bars an restaurants at home would be very sensitive to it. I can honestly say I never found it an issue. There were plenty of people smoking but unless you stand directly beside someone who is smoking you will barley notice it. There are air purifiers everywhere which clearly work well and the smoke certainly does not go to other decks. I also read plenty about not being able to go anywhere without going through the Casino. You can get to almost everywhere using decks 5 and 7 if you really don’t want to walk through.

 

Pool Area’s

 

We only used the main pool area for about 3 hours in total over 14days.

  • The slides are great and no waiting on port days. Didn’t try to go on sea days.
  • The pool area did seem to be a good size to me, although none of them were very deep. The fountains make it a great area to cool off. They were always busy but I didn’t feel any more so than when I was on the Pearl in 2008.
  • The major issue is the drainage and those mats. Whoever designed the drainage in this area needs a new career!! There was constantly water everywhere. The mats look terrible and most of the time were very dirty. I think the hole set up is ridiculous, takes away from the whole look of the area and needs urgently addressed.
  • Slippy Surfaces - I went on preparing to be careful and to be honest didn’t find the surfaces to be too slippy. I did, however, personally witness 3 people taking quite nasty falls and considering the limited time I spent in this area it is clearly a problem. Just be careful! 
     

General

 

Just a few other things a felt about the ship and cruise overall;

  • The ship is beautiful and I loved the décor and design but there is no real wow factor when you board. This didn’t bother me but I can see why entering at the casino doesn’t really appeal to people.
  • Initially the decks seem smaller height wise and the corridors are very narrow. They really have packed as much as possible into this ship.
  • You really don’t get the feeling your at sea from the main decks, which I didn’t think was great.
  • There are numerous design issues and poor finishes in many area, in particular drainage (showers and pool) and wind in the courtyard. We also felt there seem to be constant repair / maintenance going on.
  • We loved the Spa but it can get very busy especially on sea days.
  • We had a sneaky look into a few standard balcony cabins (for future reference) and didn’t think they look particularly small. I liked the look of the bathroom design.
  • All the staff we came into contact with on the Ship were friendly and helpful and really made it seem like they enjoyed there job.

Overall we had a great cruise, would cruise on the Epic again but would look at other options first rather than rushing back.

 

If anyone has any specific questions I’ll be happy to try and answer.

 

I will be sailing the EPIC in Oct. 2011. TA from Barcelona to Miami. I am in spa suite 14151. Looking forward to it! I have a question regarding the jacuzzi in room. Is there a room divider that can be pulled to separate from the bed area? I love early morning jacuzzi's and don't want the light to bother the DH when sleeping...thanks ...and great review!!

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I will be sailing the EPIC in Oct. 2011. TA from Barcelona to Miami. I am in spa suite 14151. Looking forward to it! I have a question regarding the jacuzzi in room. Is there a room divider that can be pulled to separate from the bed area? I love early morning jacuzzi's and don't want the light to bother the DH when sleeping...thanks ...and great review!!

 

The room is maybe 15' across, with the bed taking up 6'....so you're only 4' from the bed, when you're in the jacuzzi.

 

It IS loud...so the noise is your bigger issue. However with ear plugs and an airline-style eye mask, you could get by.

 

The window-blind is motorized, and controlled by a switch next to the balcony door (near the coffee maker). You could raise it just an inch or two, to allow light for your tub but not to overwhelm the whole room.

 

 

Please take care of the cabin! :) We were the very first people to stay in 14151, and we're in the same suite again in May!

 

.

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Thanks for the review. We are staying in spa suite 14149 12th feb sailing and I was wondering if there was an iPod dock or similar?

 

 

Let me know how the suite is, we are booked in the same one in Nov. We've already stayed in aft penthouse and I hated the shower in the tub, looking forward to the separate shower. Not sure what kind of chairs & table they have in the cabin, if its the same as the penthouse.

 

Pat

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Let me know how the suite is, we are booked in the same one in Nov. We've already stayed in aft penthouse and I hated the shower in the tub, looking forward to the separate shower. Not sure what kind of chairs & table they have in the cabin, if its the same as the penthouse.

 

Pat

 

Two regular sitting chairs and a small side table between. Not a "sit at the table and eat dinner" type of table.

 

The cabins are identical in size and layout except for the hot tub in the corner, at least in the non-bathroom area, so far as I can tell....

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We wanted 14151 as well, but couldn't get it even 18 months out! Does look like the best Spa Suite!

 

I booked 14151 for an April 2011 cruise just a couple of weeks ago. It was the only one left on that cruise and others in March. I saw that it had a bigger balcony, but I actually thought something may have been wrong with it because it was the only one left.

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I booked 14151 for an April 2011 cruise just a couple of weeks ago. It was the only one left on that cruise and others in March. I saw that it had a bigger balcony, but I actually thought something may have been wrong with it because it was the only one left.

 

 

Someone probably had to let it go at Final Payment, and it went back to available...

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Two regular sitting chairs and a small side table between. Not a "sit at the table and eat dinner" type of table.

 

The cabins are identical in size and layout except for the hot tub in the corner, at least in the non-bathroom area, so far as I can tell....

 

 

Thank you, it sounds like it is exactly like the penthouse, which was great except for the shower in the tub. Can't wait to cruise again, this time we're doing the eastern. Loved the Epic.

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Let me know how the suite is, we are booked in the same one in Nov. We've already stayed in aft penthouse and I hated the shower in the tub, looking forward to the separate shower. Not sure what kind of chairs & table they have in the cabin, if its the same as the penthouse.

 

Pat

 

Will do. Does anyone know how many electrical sockets there are in the spa suite? I've heard a lot of people talk about taking extension leads and wondered if this was necessary.

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  • 3 months later...

Thank you for all the info - we were just offered an upgrade to suite 14147, so I took it. Can you tell me what is the difference between a butler and a steward? what do they do for you?

 

did you go into those thermal suites? i can't figure out what that is.

 

Is there any furniture in the room to sit on other than the bed?

 

Is the food in the Epic Room different,, or better than the public dining rooms.

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First, thanks for the review. We fully agree about Hristina in the Epic Club- truly a great employee and we look forward to seeing her again next week for the TA.

KVetter-

 

Can you tell me what is the difference between a butler and a steward? what do they do for you? All rooms have a steward (or stewards). They handle the basic cleaning and upkeep of the room. The suites and villas include a butler who will handle any in-room requests you might have (keep the coffee machine stocked, arrange ensuite dining, bring afternoon snacks, etc.). The concierge will handle outside the room requests (dinner/show res, priority debarkation, etc.). These are just the basics, of course.

 

did you go into those thermal suites? i can't figure out what that is. I assume you're referring to the spa thermal area, which is included with the spa suite. It includes the hydrotherapy pool, hot tubs, steam room, saunas, heated tile loungers, other loungers inside and on the aft balcony, as well as tea and ice water service. It's a great area, but can occasionally be crowded.

 

Is there any furniture in the room to sit on other than the bed? I recall just a couple of chairs to sit on.

 

Is the food in the Epic Room different,, or better than the public dining rooms. The Epic Club menu is definitely different than the MDR and the food is great and the service even better.

Enjoy your cruise! :)

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I have to wait awhile, but was able to get this one ( 14151 ) for my dec 2012 sailing, have to use use a scooter while roaming the ship, any big issue with getting it in the room. I was told the room is a really nice size

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There are some narrow areas in the room, like when you first come in the area between the closets and bathroom is relatively narrow, and it continues to be narrow past the end of the bed. I don't have a feel for the width of a scooter. You should check with NCL regarding the dimensions in order to make sure you are ok...you probably are, but no reason to take a chance!

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  • 3 weeks later...
Is the Epic Club open for dinner? I had heard they were open for breakfast and lunch...

 

Definitely open for dinner, nice menu, specials are the same as the main dining room every day...

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  • 10 months later...

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