EPIC - Transatlantic April 14-25

[xenagurl]

Completely agree with you! Slam Allen is the absolute best!!! We enjoyed the other entertainment but we came back to Fat Cats every night to hear Slam Allen and the band. Slam is charismatic and his music is wonderful. We would take another Epic cruise just to hear his music.

 

Yes! :D A true entertainer! He and the rest of the band put their all into each performance.

 

Can't blame you, it's definitely worth cruising in order to get "Slammed" lol I was hoping that if I sat all the way in the front some of that talent would rub off. Didn't work. Ha!

 

 

I know - had to book for November 10 as I need to be back with plenty of time to organize the Christmas holidays which have a knack of coming round quite quickly (especially with work and our ever growing family!)

Your Epic review is great, as always :D

Will be interested to hear what it's like on the Star. That's our next booking (very soon I think!) for the Baltic next year.

Will keep in touch via your Jade Roll call for November 21st or will be on my one for November 10th.

Haven't posted pictures - need to work out how to do it first!!!!:o

Have a great time in Barcelona - if you're ever getting down to Southern Spain let me know :)

 

 

Time does seem to go inordinately fast in last few months of the year. November through January can be a blur! LOL

 

Thanks. It's slow going, but hopefully will have it all up before next week.

 

I'll definitely post about the Star asap. I'm looking forward to that sailing, it'll be interesting to see the design and layout of another class of ship in the NCL fleet.

 

I think your roll call in busier so I'll probably post in there! LOL

 

Completely agree with you! Slam Allen is the absolute best!!! We enjoyed the other entertainment but we came back to Fat Cats every night to hear Slam Allen and the band. Slam is charismatic and his music is wonderful. We would take another Epic cruise just to hear his music.

[xenagurl]

if you're ever getting down to Southern Spain let me know :)

 

 

Sounds good! I forgot that you were in Spain! Hola!

[Esperanza7]

Sounds good! I forgot that you were in Spain! Hola!

 

I know - can't believe we've been here almost 23 years now. Far cry for me from London and hubby from Sicily!! Seems almost as crazy as having been married for 40 years!!!!

[xenagurl]

* Studio Room, Spa, Gym

 

 

Much has been said about the Studios on the Epic so I won't go into extreme detail but simply state my opinion. 11 days without a window was a test for me. I thought by day three they might have had me sedated down in medical somewhere.

 

 

 

I was going to upgrade and my husband said I'd be just fine, quit my bellyaching and spend my money on something else that I'd want more than sunshine, assuming there'd be sunshine. He was right. For one thing the upgrade would have cost more to do it ahead of time.

 

 

 

As the ship was half full upgrades were available on board and were going for really good prices. I didn't even bother to enquire instead I went and bought a POSH pass and spa pass. I wound up having trouble with my key twice, once when I tried to use to the POSH pass. Customer service was apologetic and a nice representative offered to come up to make sure that the next key worked, but I wound up having them take the POSH pass away as 1) didn't feel like heading back up to 16 (can't remember the floor) to use it, 2) I figured I'd use the spa more anyway. In the end, it worked out, there was plenty of space around, so except for nicer seating, I doubt it would have made too much of a difference in my trip.

 

 

Studio

 

 

Back to the Studios. 100 square feet can go a long way when done right and I happen to think that it was done right. After looking around CC and noticing the suggestion of using over the door shoe holders I decided to buy one. It was the little bit extra that I needed for all of my little girly accessories and junk and coupled with all of the cubby holes and spaces provided in the room I was fine and had space for everything even if it was a bit tight. If you don't carry as much clothing as I do, you'll hair even better!

 

 

The lighting in the studios was the best that I've encountered in any stateroom. I was very thankful for that considering that there would be no outside light. The ambient light that came in through the double paned opaque window that opened to the hallway was also interestingly similar to morning light when all other lights were off in the room.

 

 

The studio itself as well as the hallways felt to me as if it would be the type of room one might have on the Starship Enterprise. (Yessssss another Star Trek reference, and there are plenty more where those came from! LOL) I like them, and if I'm traveling solo on the Epic again I'd probably book it over a regular inside room. Not to say that I didn't like the setup or closet space of the inside rooms (I had a chance to take a look at a few different stateroom types) but I'm sold on the style, and easy use of the coffee machine for an Espresso or Cappuccino any time of the day or night doesn't hurt either. I might however book a room a tad closer to the lounge. I booked room 11576. The very last room at the very back. I did this for peace and quiet. Did I mention that the ship was half full? Yeah it was a moot point. I almost wonder if I was the only person on my “block”!

 

 

The room steward was Orthos, not only did he do a splendid job of keeping the space tidy, but he was always available for a quick chat, and even showed concern when he thought I was doing something really off kilter, (I wasn't) but especially as a solo female traveler I truly appreciated the fact that he took notice and showed concern without being intrusive.

 

 

Gym

 

 

It was my goal to go to the gym everyday! That worked for the first 6. After that I figured that 2-4 hours of sweaty dancing a night was enough! The gym is open, airy and inviting! I like the fact that there's a vending machine for water right at the entrance, and like even more that because it's the largest gym at sea there's always a machine available. I'm partial to treadmills and never had a problem finding one, even when it was busy, and I am happy to say that it was sometimes busy. There's hope for us cruisers yet!

 

 

I didn't attend any classes mainly because I prefer embarrassing myself in private.

 

 

Spa

 

 

Ah the Spa. I bought a spa pass which I intended to use each and every single day. As it happens I found myself involved in so many activities I could have just bought daily passes for the amount of time I used it! No matter, I was glad I had it. On the Epic there's an outside deck where you can sit and soak in the fresh air.

 

 

On my way tot he gym I was offered a free trial massage from one of the therapist (Thomasz from Bulgaria if I remember correctly). Considering how my back had been feeling in the weeks prior I figured that it couldn't hurt to try. Someone ought to label it as addicting, because I booking a full massage for the next day and 2 more after that. It wasn't in my original budget but I considered it therapy and indeed it was. I felt no more pangs from my back or neck after that. I had the hot rocks massage done all three times which got rid of my PRC (personal rock collection) as Thomasz called it that seemed to previously have been stuck between the muscles of my left shoulder.

 

 

So yes, I enjoyed the spa. Every second of the spa. My favorites are the Aromatherapy steam room. (I looooove the steam room) the massages (I loooooove the massages) the therapeutic pool, and watching the sun set while sitting in the sauna.

[ontheweb]

Thank you. Slam will be there. I spoke to him the evening before debarkation and he said that he leaves for vacation but that's it. It's been two years now and they're really fortunate to have him, he's a definite draw!

 

That's great to hear. I really, really hope he is NOT on vacation during our August 19th cruise.

 

I have heard him a few times as he is from my neck of the woods. (I know one of his uncles, a saxophone player.) The last time I saw him (and he must have been on vacation at the time) was this past January at a fund raiser for local food pantries. The last time before that was a few years ago on the stage at Bethel Woods (the site of the original Woodstock festival in 1969). He said Buddy Guy and B.B. King just recently played on this stage. Unfortunately, I missed that concert. We were flying back from Rome after a 10 day Eastern Mediterranean cruise on the Holland America Noordam. I really wanted to see Buddy Guy, who I have never seen live, but we would have never been there before his set was done. I guess I could have caught part of B.B.'s set, but would have been too tired to enjoy it. (We actually saw B.B. in 1977 on the last date I had with my wife before I proposed to her.)

 

Earlier this month I was sitting in the Motor Vehicle Bureau when I spotted an old friend who happens to be a drummer. I told him that my wife and I were going on a cruise this summer, and one of the things I read that was not to be missed was Slam Allen. He laughed and said he used to call him "Pookie".

[xenagurl]

How cool! I'd like to see him play on land as well. He did mention that even when he's "off" he still plays. It's definitely in his blood. I'll look up Buddy Guy on YouTube.

 

LOL at "Pookie" I bet he'd like to forget that. :D

 

Hopefully he'll be there!

 

That's great to hear. I really, really hope he is NOT on vacation during our August 19th cruise.

 

I have heard him a few times as he is from my neck of the woods. (I know one of his uncles, a saxophone player.) The last time I saw him (and he must have been on vacation at the time) was this past January at a fund raiser for local food pantries.

 

Earlier this month I was sitting in the Motor Vehicle Bureau when I spotted an old friend who happens to be a drummer. I told him that my wife and I were going on a cruise this summer, and one of the things I read that was not to be missed was Slam Allen. He laughed and said he used to call him "Pookie".

[kirsty_r]

oooh, this review sounds familiar... wait its the cruise I was on!! I'm jealous of all your booked cruises though!! How did you find the EPIC compares to some of NCL's other ships for solo cruising??

[xenagurl]

oooh, this review sounds familiar... wait its the cruise I was on!! I'm jealous of all your booked cruises though!! How did you find the EPIC compares to some of NCL's other ships for solo cruising??

 

Wasn't it a great trip! :D

 

It probably depends on personality. The EPIC definitely has more in place for solo travelers so if someone would prefer to have more definite arrangements where they could meet other people, Epic is best.

 

I think though for people that use Cruise Critic it's easier as they'll probably see familiar friendly faces if they attend the M&G and I do remember the Jade having a solo get together every few days. (I didn't attend)

 

This was the first trip where I spent significant time around other solos travelers (and one where there were plenty that obviously were) on other solo trips I'd do things on my own and sometimes with others that I met here or on the ship.

[xenagurl]

* Last but not least. I'll be heading on the Star in 2 days and I won't have the full review up on my blog for a couple of weeks, so I wanted to add a few additional thoughts about my trip along with a some more pictures of the Epic and Barcelona on my Flickr page.

 

 

Dinner with an Officer

I've had the opportunity to dine with the Hotel Director and Captain on the Jade on my past cruises. So I was happy to be able to dine with an officer once again on the Epic. This time I had the opportunity to eat with lovely Irina (forgot her last name so sorry) who is the assistant guest services manager on the Epic. Along with a couple from Arizona we ate at Taste and had a nice evening getting to know one another and talking about travel in general.

 

 

Shore Excursion

I cannot remember the name of the tour I took in Sao Miguel (see a theme here) but it was the full day tour that went to the Caldera, Tea Factory, had lunch etc. If I'd paid enough attention and realized that most of the tours went to the same place (short of lunch) I would have saved my money and booked one of the shorter tours instead or just walked around on my own. It was nice to see the various areas of the island which is absolutely gorgeous. The Captain told us that we might see him riding around on his bike on the island but not to worry as he'd be back on time. He was. :)

 

 

Rappelling Wall

Good fun. I didn't try to rock climbing wall (meant to, but was busy doing other things) the rappelling though was pretty cool. I'd no problem climbing up the ladder, or settling into the harness yet once I had both feet on the side of the wall looked to my left a little ways over and saw the ocean I suddenly said to myself...”what am I doing up here?” That feeling didn't last long, as soon as I got down it was right back up to do it again. Definitely worth a go even if you do proper rock climbing with gear. Hanging off a wall on one of the largest cruise ships in the world is a fun experience.

 

 

Shopping

Tradewinds has it's shops on Deck 7 and is nicely set up. You almost feel as if you're walking through a mall. This trip shopping was limited to beach towels and shot glasses.

 

 

Svedka Ice Bar

If you've never tried one it's worth it just to go in and look around. You can stay in there up to 30 minutes. 15 was good enough for me.

 

 

 

 

The Epic itself.

It's a huge ship and you will walk around. Personally I think that's a great thing. Daily I probably logged in about 2 miles just walking around the ship to various activities between doing that, taking the steps and hitting the gym every so often my clothes we actually loose by vacation's end. Of course you could choose to stick to certain areas, but in the end you will walk whether it's to get to your dining area (Garden cafe Deck 15 Forward – Manhattan Room deck 6Aft – Epic Theater Deck 5, 6 Forward etc) so if you really don't want to walk a booking a room on deck 8-11 on a Jewel class ship is a better idea.

 

 

I did miss being able to walk completely around the ship the way you can on the Jewel class ships and being able to see the Ocean easier when on the walking deck (there are Life Boats in blocking sea views on the “walking deck” except for designated spots.) This wouldn't stop me from booking the Epic again. There are just so many things to do and it's such a huge ship with a ton of places to sit, relax and enjoy oneself that the truth is I can't wait to get back on. 11 days on her and there are still places I didn't get a chance to explore that I want to next time.

 

 

All in all it was a great trip. I met lots of cool people. Made new friends and hope to sail the Epic again in the near future.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Thank you so much for the review. I have a studio booked on the Epic next fall for my first solo cruise (also my first NCL cruise) and it was good to ready your thoughts as a solo cruiser. thank you!

[xenagurl]

Thank you so much for the review. I have a studio booked on the Epic next fall for my first solo cruise (also my first NCL cruise) and it was good to ready your thoughts as a solo cruiser. thank you!

 

You're going to have a wonderful time!

I'm glad it was helpful to you.

Happy sailing! :D

 

 

BTW Great pics! Such gorgeous shots of Alaska!

[Quilting_Cruiser]

You're going to have a wonderful time!

 

I'm glad it was helpful to you.

Happy sailing! :D

 

 

 

BTW Great pics! Such gorgeous shots of Alaska!

 

 

Thank you. And thanks for your comment about the photos--it's easy to get gorgeious shots in Alaska! :D

[bluesea777]

* Last but not least. I'll be heading on the Star in 2 days and I won't have the full review up on my blog for a couple of weeks, so I wanted to add a few additional thoughts about my trip along with a some more pictures of the Epic and Barcelona on my Flickr page.

 

 

Dinner with an Officer

I've had the opportunity to dine with the Hotel Director and Captain on the Jade on my past cruises. So I was happy to be able to dine with an officer once again on the Epic. This time I had the opportunity to eat with lovely Irina (forgot her last name so sorry) who is the assistant guest services manager on the Epic. Along with a couple from Arizona we ate at Taste and had a nice evening getting to know one another and talking about travel in general.

 

 

Shore Excursion

I cannot remember the name of the tour I took in Sao Miguel (see a theme here) but it was the full day tour that went to the Caldera, Tea Factory, had lunch etc. If I'd paid enough attention and realized that most of the tours went to the same place (short of lunch) I would have saved my money and booked one of the shorter tours instead or just walked around on my own. It was nice to see the various areas of the island which is absolutely gorgeous. The Captain told us that we might see him riding around on his bike on the island but not to worry as he'd be back on time. He was. :)

 

 

Rappelling Wall

Good fun. I didn't try to rock climbing wall (meant to, but was busy doing other things) the rappelling though was pretty cool. I'd no problem climbing up the ladder, or settling into the harness yet once I had both feet on the side of the wall looked to my left a little ways over and saw the ocean I suddenly said to myself...”what am I doing up here?” That feeling didn't last long, as soon as I got down it was right back up to do it again. Definitely worth a go even if you do proper rock climbing with gear. Hanging off a wall on one of the largest cruise ships in the world is a fun experience.

 

 

Shopping

Tradewinds has it's shops on Deck 7 and is nicely set up. You almost feel as if you're walking through a mall. This trip shopping was limited to beach towels and shot glasses.

 

 

Svedka Ice Bar

If you've never tried one it's worth it just to go in and look around. You can stay in there up to 30 minutes. 15 was good enough for me.

 

 

 

 

The Epic itself.

It's a huge ship and you will walk around. Personally I think that's a great thing. Daily I probably logged in about 2 miles just walking around the ship to various activities between doing that, taking the steps and hitting the gym every so often my clothes we actually loose by vacation's end. Of course you could choose to stick to certain areas, but in the end you will walk whether it's to get to your dining area (Garden cafe Deck 15 Forward – Manhattan Room deck 6Aft – Epic Theater Deck 5, 6 Forward etc) so if you really don't want to walk a booking a room on deck 8-11 on a Jewel class ship is a better idea.

 

 

I did miss being able to walk completely around the ship the way you can on the Jewel class ships and being able to see the Ocean easier when on the walking deck (there are Life Boats in blocking sea views on the “walking deck” except for designated spots.) This wouldn't stop me from booking the Epic again. There are just so many things to do and it's such a huge ship with a ton of places to sit, relax and enjoy oneself that the truth is I can't wait to get back on. 11 days on her and there are still places I didn't get a chance to explore that I want to next time.

 

 

All in all it was a great trip. I met lots of cool people. Made new friends and hope to sail the Epic again in the near future.

 

How about the westbound TA BCN to MIA?? We're on it again - for the 2nd time - last year it was great fun. Yes, we didn't like the "promenade" on Epic but the ship was huge enough for us not to put on any weight. Also we are a dine-out-a-lot couple and we loved the variety of dining on Epic.

 

Cheers!

[xenagurl]

How about the westbound TA BCN to MIA?? We're on it again - for the 2nd time - last year it was great fun. Yes, we didn't like the "promenade" on Epic but the ship was huge enough for us not to put on any weight. Also we are a dine-out-a-lot couple and we loved the variety of dining on Epic.

 

Cheers!

 

That sounds like fun and I was seriously considering it, but currently the plan is to be on the Jade for a few weeks in November so I don't think it would work for me this year, but I never say never! :)

 

It is huge! I thought it was amazing that 3.8 laps was a mile, it really spoke to just how big she is!

[bluesea777]

Xenagirl, ENJOY your STAR cruise to Bermuda and have a great time here - have you been here before?

 

STAR is a lovely ship - great outdoor decks - wide wide promenades and terraced decks from pool up to Bier Garten and down on other dise toward bow.

 

Have fun!

[xenagurl]

Xenagirl, ENJOY your STAR cruise to Bermuda and have a great time here - have you been here before?

 

STAR is a lovely ship - great outdoor decks - wide wide promenades and terraced decks from pool up to Bier Garten and down on other dise toward bow.

 

Have fun!

 

Thank you! This will be my first time there, so I'm excited. Star sounds lovely, I look forward to taking tons of pictures of her!

[jlajr]

Hello. I was on this cruise, too, and I enjoyed reliving it through your posts.

 

I actually had no idea that there was such a thing as the Chef's Table. It is simply amazing that even after 11 days on board, there were places, activities, and events that we missed!

 

While I agree with you that Slam Allen and his band was very good, and I spent a couple of nights at the club, I also thoroughly enjoyed Carrie Stone, the guitarist who played every night (I think) at Maltings.

 

jlajr

[xenagurl]

Hello. I was on this cruise, too, and I enjoyed reliving it through your posts.

 

I actually had no idea that there was such a thing as the Chef's Table. It is simply amazing that even after 11 days on board, there were places, activities, and events that we missed!

 

While I agree with you that Slam Allen and his band was very good, and I spent a couple of nights at the club, I also thoroughly enjoyed Carrie Stone, the guitarist who played every night (I think) at Maltings.

 

jlajr

 

So true! There's so much to do on this ship, I can't wait to get back and explore some more! Or maybe just hit the water slides again. LOL

 

I'll check out Carrie Stone next time. :)

[kirsty_r]

So true! There's so much to do on this ship, I can't wait to get back and explore some more! Or maybe just hit the water slides again. LOL

 

I'll check out Carrie Stone next time. :)

 

Even more water slides on Breakaway ;)

[xenagurl]

Even more water slides on Breakaway ;)

 

Yes! And it will be sailing out of NY! Woo Hoo! :D

[Howie from Maui]

His website states that Slam is coming back on board November 3, 2012 and departing on February 28, 2013..We think he is jumping ships for NCL and going to the Breakaway when it debuts..He is loved by all who have sailed on the Epic with him..He will be loved by all wherever he goes!:)