Recap of first-time-ever NCLer going on EPIC . . .

[DGP1111]

. . . Many thanks for your wonderful review! :D

 

And many thanks to you, in return, for the very kind words.

Greatly appreciated!! :) :)

May all of your future sailings be wonderfully enjoyable as well. :D

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[DGP1111]

If I "happen" to log onto NCL-dot-com and book a cruise on the Epic, it will be all your fault. I hope you can live with yourself!!!!

 

:D Still feelin' guilt-free :D

 

Don, you have converted way to many and we are going to wind up with over-stuffed NCL ships now dangit!! :D

I think we need to tone down the love a little. :p

 

I'll try . . . but no guarantees. :) :)

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[smilejesuslovesu]

Thanks for the info...we are scheduled to sail on the Epic in Dec.

 

Thanks again

[zellka]

Thanks for posting a great review, the pics were great.

[Tropicalgurl]

We'll cross paths eventually !!! :)

 

Tom

 

Hey Tom,

I want to be like you & Cheryl when I grow up:o... If you 2 keep cruising like u'all are doing?? I 2 will cross paths with u'all... Hope u had a nice one last week...I am hoping to go on the Epic for Thanksgiving due to my birthday being on Thanksgiving this year... would like to go with u'all on the 11/26, but there r NO more studios left...What the heck??? Will keep you posted.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...I am hoping to go on the Epic for Thanksgiving due to my birthday being on Thanksgiving this year... would like to go with u'all on the 11/26, but there r NO more studios left...What the heck??? Will keep you posted.

 

Keep checking... something is up with the studios on that sailing. One day they show as "Sold Out", the next 15 are available (just last night)! This has occurred 2-3 times over the last couple of weeks. They are $849 each time they show up. We are looking at that because we may add another person to the 16 I have already booked!

 

We had an AMAZING time on the VH1 cruise. I will post a review very soon... it's a long read though, approaching 4,000 words. It's difficult to condense some thoughts!!!

 

Tom

[DGP1111]

We had an AMAZING time on the VH1 cruise. I will post a review very soon... it's a long read though, approaching 4,000 words. It's difficult to condense some thoughts!!!

 

Yea!!!! Glad to hear that. :D

:) Welcome back, my friends!! :)

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[dubberjas]

Don, I just skimmed through the 26pages and I got to say WOW cannot wait for my trip in November. I am also in a studio, 1256 I think and the only question I have is how long are the beds as I am 6'2"?

[apmecruise]

Don, I enjoyed your review so much that I have been attempting to complete a review worthy of yours. It has been hard work and time consuming. I am not sure everyone realizes the hours it must have taken you to highlight all your special details. As I am about 10 hours into my own review (I am a bit more wordy...I am working on being succinct) I now realize the gift you offered me before I cruised.

 

I truly enjoyed your inspired review. I haven't figured out how to upload pictures but I am still trying. Until then I try to paint pictures with my words.

 

Thanks again!!

[slotaddict]

Don, thanks for the great review of the Epic, it set me up for my cruise. I thought the ship was awesome. My husband had a few complaints, he didn't like the layout of the ship, but all in all we had a wonderful cruise.

 

Your review helped us, I felt like I had been there before....I could never write a review like yours it was fabulous....Thanks for taking the time to do it..

[kingraam]

Enjoyed this - and going on the Epic in Nov. Thanks!

[Gazball]

Don, thank you so much for your review, i wasnt 100% sure whether to book with this cruise line or not, but after reading your review and seeing all your wonderful pictures, i have now booked a cruise on the epic for Feb 2012. :)

[CruisingAmazona]

Don, if you're still reading........you were right on the money! We too, like you, are platinum on CCL and were fairly loyalists, but boy has NCL turned it around for us! I just posted my review. It was a spectacular sailing experience!

[DGP1111]

. . . I thought the ship was awesome. My husband had a few complaints, he didn't like the layout of the ship, but all in all we had a wonderful cruise.

 

Your review helped us, I felt like I had been there before . . .

 

Glad to read that you could use the word 'wonderful' to describe your own experience. Also glad to hear that my yammerings were of some pre-sailing assistance. :)

 

 

Enjoyed this - and going on the Epic in Nov. Thanks!

 

Hopefully that time will get here soon for you. Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy! :)

 

Don, thank you so much for your review, i wasnt 100% sure whether to book with this cruise line or not, but after reading your review and seeing all your wonderful pictures, i have now booked a cruise on the epic for Feb 2012.

 

I hope you'll have a truly spendiferous time next February!! :)

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[DGP1111]

Don, if you're still reading........you were right on the money! We too, like you, are platinum on CCL and were fairly loyalists, but boy has NCL turned it around for us! I just posted my review. It was a spectacular sailing experience!

 

I like that word 'spectacular'. :D

 

I tried to be very cautious during this thread to not be unkind with any strong, and potentially controversial, comparisons between certain lines.

But let's just say I'm betting we agree on a lot of things these days. ;)

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[DGP1111]

Don, I enjoyed your review so much that I have been attempting to complete a review . . .

 

I've enjoyed reading your own review entries. Well done!

[halos]

Don, I was curious about something...a couple questions:

1) Did you buy a FCC while you were on board?

2) If you did....as a single cruiser, did they give you the full OBC when you bought it OR did you only get 1/2 the OBC....like the other line does to their single cruisers?

 

 

I tried to be very cautious during this thread to not be unkind with any strong, and potentially controversial, comparisons between certain lines.

 

 

:eek:

I have learned that can be dangerous :eek:

Edited May 14, 2011 by halos

[kerrytens]

Don, I was curious about something...a couple questions:

1) Did you buy a FCC while you were on board?

2) If you did....as a single cruiser, did they give you the full OBC when you bought it OR did you only get 1/2 the OBC....like the other line does to their single cruisers?

 

 

 

:eek:

I have learned that can be dangerous :eek:

(Warning to Don - mini hijack here)

 

Halos - LOVING the new avatar!! Such a cute pup:D

 

Now, back to our regularly scheduled excellent Epic review ... I am interested in the FCC answer too btw. My cruising companion and I have been discussing it quite a bit.

[DGP1111]

Don, I was curious about something...a couple questions:

1) Did you buy a FCC while you were on board?

2) If you did....as a single cruiser, did they give you the full OBC when you bought it OR did you only get 1/2 the OBC....like the other line does to their single cruisers?

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Ahhhhh, excellent question, my friend . . . and one I should have mentioned earlier in my recap. Ooops.

 

I did buy one of those almost immediately after arriving onboard, and when I later went with T-n-C to acquire theirs, I felt compelled to purchase a second one as well. In hindsight (yeah, that 20/20 vision thing) I wished I'd purchased at least one more.

 

A single/solo cruiser is treated identical to a couple purchasing the NCL Cruise Rewards. :D You get the full, and immediate, $100 OBC to spend as you choose.

 

In the envelope is an offer to 'upgrade' your credit with a casino incentive.

 

 

If you feel lucky . . . then go for it. :)

 

But there is another option, as well, that might not be considered, since it's not strongly promoted (for obvious cha-ching reasons). The $100 OBC can be applied to absolutely any onboard charge made during the sailing, including your purchase of the Cruise Reward.

 

So, it can easily be handled as follows:

Purchase the Cruise Reward for $250

Allow the $100 to remain on your account to be applied against your purchase.

 

It's the equivalent of getting the $250 certificate for $150.

I applied both of mine to sailings within a few days of debarking EPIC, and I received $500 (total) off my bookings for my 'investment' of $300. I thought that to be a pretty cool arrangement. :)

This is, in my opinion, much better than on HRCL*, where the process is to purchase the certificate, and not receive the bonus savings until that future sailing actually happens. Oh, and for solo cruisers paying 200% on HRCL the fine print (on the actual certificate received, but not on the actual application) advises you only received half (50%) of the OBC offered.

 

That being said . . . on some of the other online OBC offers that NCL makes, there is still some inequality remaining, and the administration is very aware of the concerns of several about that. But overall, they've treated the solo pasenger very well -- and impressed me with their efforts. :)

 

* Horse's Rectum Cruise Line

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Edited May 15, 2011 by DGP1111

[DGP1111]

(Warning to Don - mini hijack here)

 

Halos - LOVING the new avatar!! Such a cute pup:D

 

No prob - - and I totally agree. :) :)

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[kerrytens]

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This is, in my opinion, much better than on HRCL*,

* Horse's Rectum Cruise Line

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OK, you so owe me a new monitor ... :D;):D

[halos]

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ahhhhh, excellent question, my friend . . . and one i should have mentioned earlier in my recap. Ooops.

 

 

* horse's rectum cruise line

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roflmao!!!!!

 

Thanks. I'm thrilled to hear that you got the full credit. I don't understand *HRCL and their stance on this because it is so totally unfair to charge a person 200% cruise fare and then tell them they only get 50% of the OBC.....wth???????????????????

I'm happy to hear that not all cruise lines do that. :)

 

(Warning to Don - mini hijack here)

 

 

 

Halos - LOVING the new avatar!! Such a cute pup

 

 

 

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Luke is 5 years old now but we get him a puppy cut for the summer :D

Edited May 15, 2011 by halos

[kerrytens]

roflmao!!!!!

 

Thanks. I'm thrilled to hear that you got the full credit. I don't understand *HRCL and their stance on this because it is so totally unfair to charge a person 200% cruise fare and then tell them they only get 50% of the OBC.....wth???????????????????

I'm happy to hear that not all cruise lines do that. :)

 

 

 

 

Luke is 5 years old now but we get him a puppy cut for the summer :D

What breed? He is too cute.

[DGP1111]

A little review before I post an earlier requested link . . .

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The Purple slide makes a rogue departure from the other two and travels you behind the funnel, and then drops your fanny in a lower collection area.

 

 

 

While we both seemed to have a slippy zippy time on Green . . . Purple offered me one personal challenge. I thought if I lay on my back with my fancy new waterproof camera held upwards, it would create a much more steady video image - - and it did. Unfortunately the collection tube had deep enough water that a lot of it ran up into my sinuses at the conclusion. My video (which I'm certainly not posting :p) captured some interesting audio with all the coughing, spitting and sputtering. Yowza!

 

So, you might want to sit up a bit on that one.

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Oh Don, pleaaaaaasssseeee? Or just send it to me privately. I promise not to laugh ... at least any harder than I just did:o

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Aww, heck, why not.

 

No harm in posting, right??

 

It's not like I've come across as a sane person anyway, so . . .

 

Here ya go:

 

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If I eventually figure out a way to edit out the naughty word from the EPIC Plunge experience, I may post that one later as well, but definitely not in its raw form. :o

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[sdmike]

That's hilarious, Don! LOL