Epic May 6-13 Western Mediterranean sailing with pictures

[AttilaTheFun]

Cannes/Nice:

After the 2 heavy Italy days, we agreed to take it a bit easier for the Cannes port and start out after lunch. I found out early on in the cruise that you can book tender tickets through the TV, starting at 8am (even though the ship arrives at 7am). After enjoying sleeping in, breakfast, and then lunch, we tendered into Cannes, which was open to anyone (no reservation needed) by around 11am. The tender process took about 15-20 minutes and you have a 10-minute walk out of the port and up into the main part of town. Cannes is a very nice little town and I felt we saw enough of it on our walk to the train station.

 

I didn’t do a ton of research for this port, so printed out Tom’s Port Guide and decided we should check out Nice by train. The walk to the Cannes train station was about 20 minutes from the tender spot and not terribly hard to find. At the ticket area, I immediately tried to purchase tickets by machine, but was notified that I couldn’t purchase the right kind of tickets on one machine and the other machine only accepted chip and PIN credit cards (a technology our US credit cards don’t have, but this is the only place we had an issue). Instead, we waited in a short line for a ticket agent. Look for the British flag on the screen above the agent – this lets you know he/she speaks English. Our agent quickly helped us get tickets and gave us an idea for when we should return along with a handy map/timetable. You can also buy your tickets online ahead of time for around $15 per person, but the exchange rate actually worked better to pay in euros and it came out slightly less than $15 or whatever I would have paid online in advance.

 

Always check with someone, but we were told that we could take the trains headed for Nice Ville (the name of the main stop in Nice) OR Ventimiglia. These trains were fairly nice, like the Rome ones, and air-conditioned. The scenery along the way was nice as the train rides along the coast, but I was struck by how rocky all the beaches are from Cannes to Nice. It seems like if you may want to re-think any beach plans for this area unless you like laying on sharp rocks!

 

Unfortunately, I had forgotten to validate our tickets before getting on the train, so was very nervous as we passed by each station, hoping that no conductor would find us out and hand us a fine! As soon as we arrived at the Nice Ville station, I validated the tickets! From the station, we walked 5 minutes to the main drag of Nice – Jean Medecin – and walked south to reach the Old Town section. Jean Medecin is a clean, big street, but the shops/stores along the way didn’t seem like anything that special. We made a pit-stop at a McDonald’s and found that the stairway down to the bathrooms had a keypad and lock! I fumbled my way through ordering a beverage in French and got the code to use the bathroom. I’ve never seen such a well-guarded bathroom in the US!

 

We strolled around the Old Town area a bit, walked to the water, and then backtracked to the Flower Market, which was just a few stalls when we visited. We found one stall that sold scented soaps and as the Provence region is known for lavender, bought some to take back as small gifts. The soaps came in all sorts of scents other than lavender too and were around 1.70 euros each or 7 for 10. They are VERY scented though, so be ready for your suitcase to smell like them unless you put them in a Ziploc bag!

 

We only ended up spending about 2 hours in Nice before taking the train back. Nice was fine, but not as impressive as I thought it would be. Maybe if we had more time to walk further there would have been more to see and explore.

 

Marseille:

Marseille was the port I was going to play by ear depending on how tired everyone was. NCL was charging $20 per person for an unlimited shuttle into town and said we docked 3 miles outside of town, so walking was definitely out of the question. Others have mentioned that you can find taxis and public transportation for cheaper outside the dock area, but we didn’t feel like paying NCL for the shuttle and just stayed onboard. It didn’t feel like a huge waste as I haven’t read any glowing reviews of Marseille and it seems like a lot of other passengers stayed on the ship as well. We briefly got off the ship to look at some little stores that were set up right by the gangway and I saw the same soaps from Nice, but marked up in price. I guess they know they have a captive audience! My parents found some miniature pottery painted in bright colors that they liked.

 

 

In closing...

 

To wrap things up, we enjoyed the cruise, but the ports are definitely a test of endurance! My sister and I enjoyed NCL and the Epic – in fact, I’ve just booked a January 2013 cruise on Epic with friends! My parents were very turned off by the entertainment and will not choose to cruise with NCL again, which is fine. They are a better fit for Celebrity with their traditional dining times and shows, which they missed on NCL. I love NCL for the Freestyle concept and will continue to cruise with them!

 

 

I almost went crazy trying to plan for this cruise, so I hope my review helps others as you get ready for yours! Feel free to ask any questions you may have. If I ever get more pictures from my sister, I’ll be sure to post them.

 

Happy sailing!

[Teacher_91]

Cannes/Nice:

After the 2 heavy Italy days, we agreed to take it a bit easier for the Cannes port and start out after lunch. I found out early on in the cruise that you can book tender tickets through the TV, starting at 8am (even though the ship arrives at 7am). After enjoying sleeping in, breakfast, and then lunch, we tendered into Cannes, which was open to anyone (no reservation needed) by around 11am. The tender process took about 15-20 minutes and you have a 10-minute walk out of the port and up into the main part of town. Cannes is a very nice little town and I felt we saw enough of it on our walk to the train station.

 

I didn’t do a ton of research for this port, so printed out Tom’s Port Guide and decided we should check out Nice by train. The walk to the Cannes train station was about 20 minutes from the tender spot and not terribly hard to find. At the ticket area, I immediately tried to purchase tickets by machine, but was notified that I couldn’t purchase the right kind of tickets on one machine and the other machine only accepted chip and PIN credit cards (a technology our US credit cards don’t have, but this is the only place we had an issue). Instead, we waited in a short line for a ticket agent. Look for the British flag on the screen above the agent – this lets you know he/she speaks English. Our agent quickly helped us get tickets and gave us an idea for when we should return along with a handy map/timetable. You can also buy your tickets online ahead of time for around $15 per person, but the exchange rate actually worked better to pay in euros and it came out slightly less than $15 or whatever I would have paid online in advance.

 

Always check with someone, but we were told that we could take the trains headed for Nice Ville (the name of the main stop in Nice) OR Ventimiglia. These trains were fairly nice, like the Rome ones, and air-conditioned. The scenery along the way was nice as the train rides along the coast, but I was struck by how rocky all the beaches are from Cannes to Nice. It seems like if you may want to re-think any beach plans for this area unless you like laying on sharp rocks!

 

Unfortunately, I had forgotten to validate our tickets before getting on the train, so was very nervous as we passed by each station, hoping that no conductor would find us out and hand us a fine! As soon as we arrived at the Nice Ville station, I validated the tickets! From the station, we walked 5 minutes to the main drag of Nice – Jean Medecin – and walked south to reach the Old Town section. Jean Medecin is a clean, big street, but the shops/stores along the way didn’t seem like anything that special. We made a pit-stop at a McDonald’s and found that the stairway down to the bathrooms had a keypad and lock! I fumbled my way through ordering a beverage in French and got the code to use the bathroom. I’ve never seen such a well-guarded bathroom in the US!

 

We strolled around the Old Town area a bit, walked to the water, and then backtracked to the Flower Market, which was just a few stalls when we visited. We found one stall that sold scented soaps and as the Provence region is known for lavender, bought some to take back as small gifts. The soaps came in all sorts of scents other than lavender too and were around 1.70 euros each or 7 for 10. They are VERY scented though, so be ready for your suitcase to smell like them unless you put them in a Ziploc bag!

 

We only ended up spending about 2 hours in Nice before taking the train back. Nice was fine, but not as impressive as I thought it would be. Maybe if we had more time to walk further there would have been more to see and explore.

 

Marseille:

Marseille was the port I was going to play by ear depending on how tired everyone was. NCL was charging $20 per person for an unlimited shuttle into town and said we docked 3 miles outside of town, so walking was definitely out of the question. Others have mentioned that you can find taxis and public transportation for cheaper outside the dock area, but we didn’t feel like paying NCL for the shuttle and just stayed onboard. It didn’t feel like a huge waste as I haven’t read any glowing reviews of Marseille and it seems like a lot of other passengers stayed on the ship as well. We briefly got off the ship to look at some little stores that were set up right by the gangway and I saw the same soaps from Nice, but marked up in price. I guess they know they have a captive audience! My parents found some miniature pottery painted in bright colors that they liked.

 

 

In closing...

 

To wrap things up, we enjoyed the cruise, but the ports are definitely a test of endurance! My sister and I enjoyed NCL and the Epic – in fact, I’ve just booked a January 2013 cruise on Epic with friends! My parents were very turned off by the entertainment and will not choose to cruise with NCL again, which is fine. They are a better fit for Celebrity with their traditional dining times and shows, which they missed on NCL. I love NCL for the Freestyle concept and will continue to cruise with them!

 

 

I almost went crazy trying to plan for this cruise, so I hope my review helps others as you get ready for yours! Feel free to ask any questions you may have. If I ever get more pictures from my sister, I’ll be sure to post them.

 

Happy sailing!

 

 

I have really enjoyed reading your day by day account. I'm headed to DC on Sunday and Alaska in 36 days :D but once I return I'll be ready to start planning for our EPIC adventure. Your insight and advice will factor into my plans greatly. Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed account. Hopefully we'll get to see the pics soon! ;)

[GUEST080219]

Thanks for your detailed report.

I plan on doing the ports on my own as well, so a lot of valuable information for me.

[debris]

I went on the tour excursions wth epic it cost over £800 so it is far cheaper to do them yourselves,best excursion we went on was to the Amalfi coast-that is a must if you want jaw dropping natural beauty-a little tip though if you have ever watched ice road truckers dont sit on the side of the bus facing the sea-hair pin bends and reversing with long drops,but the views are so amazing.I didnt like the commercial aspect of pompeii we were taken straight to a cameo making place directly outside the gates of pompeii and a souvenier market which did not appeal to me,but credit where its due it was bucketing down with rain and we were sold a poncho in the market for 5euros which kept me dry,beware though if its raining the cobbles get very slippery.The opening poster did the right thing staying in port for marseille I wish we had!

[Teacher_91]

I went on the tour excursions wth epic it cost over £800 so it is far cheaper to do them yourselves,best excursion we went on was to the Amalfi coast-that is a must if you want jaw dropping natural beauty-a little tip though if you have ever watched ice road truckers dont sit on the side of the bus facing the sea-hair pin bends and reversing with long drops,but the views are so amazing.I didnt like the commercial aspect of pompeii we were taken straight to a cameo making place directly outside the gates of pompeii and a souvenier market which did not appeal to me,but credit where its due it was bucketing down with rain and we were sold a poncho in the market for 5euros which kept me dry,beware though if its raining the cobbles get very slippery.The opening poster did the right thing staying in port for marseille I wish we had!

 

I'm really thinking we'll start the cruise in Marseille. What did Y'all do there? Was it just a dud of a port?

[AttilaTheFun]

So my dear little sister got around to uploading pictures of the trip. Better late than never!

 

Starting with Barcelona...

 

Sagrada Familia church

 

 

 

 

 

Parc Guell

 

 

 

[elaine5]

for those thinking of skipping Marseille, unless someone is looking for a down day, I recommend doing ship/private tour of Provence. Once you get outside of Marseille (sometimes called the Naples of France), there are a number of very good places to to explore, from hilltowns to Aix to Avignnon, etc. A day-long tour of Provence hilltowns with lunch was a highlight of our trip a few years ago. I usually NEVER take ship's tour, but sometimes, due to logistics, it is better. We took 2 ship's tours of Provence and Cinque Terre (not NCL--but they are all pretty much the same) and were very happy. Given to pain to get to the train station, this is one port where I might just take a ship/private tour.

[AttilaTheFun]

From day 2 in Barcelona...

 

My sister thought it was cool that McDonald's sells macarons in Europe:

 

 

La Pedrera/Casa Mila

 

 

 

 

 

[AttilaTheFun]

Day 2 of Barcelona continued...

 

Casa Battlo

 

 

 

 

Our lunch at Txapela (with snotty waiters)

 

 

 

La Boqueria market

 

 

 

[AttilaTheFun]

Day 2 of Barcelona, part 3...

 

Our churros & chocolate snack with espresso

 

 

 

(Back of) Columbus Statue

 

 

 

Palau Guell

 

 

 

A view of Barcelona from the mountain - you can see Epic on the right-hand side

 

 

 

Zoom-in of Epic

 

[AttilaTheFun]

Some photos of the ship

 

Epic anchored at Cannes

 

 

 

Sides from Moderno, from top-left going clockwise: Beans, buttered rice, mashed potatoes, fried bananas

 

 

 

Keycard slot in the room - if there isn't a keycard in there, the lights turn off after about 20 seconds. Good energy-saving technology!

 

 

 

Our closet in the bed-close-to-door setup - notice how deep it is

 

 

 

Our parent's closet in the bed-by-the-balcony room - see the difference?

 

 

 

Our room steward gladly opened our balcony divider between rooms and it was left open for the whole cruise

 

[AttilaTheFun]

Pompeii photos

 

Stepping stones across the street

 

 

 

Pompeii is a huge site!

 

 

 

 

 

Famous "beware of dog" tiled floor

 

 

 

House of the Faun

 

 

 

 

 

[AttilaTheFun]

Rome photos

 

Vatican Museums exit

 

 

 

St Peter's Basilica from afar

 

 

 

Every square inch of the Vatican Museums is intricate and amazing

 

 

 

We weren't really sure what was going on in this painting

 

 

 

Raphael Room

 

 

 

Spanish Steps

 

[AttilaTheFun]

Rome, part 2

 

McDonald's is a lot more expensive in Europe!

 

 

 

The Trevi Fountain

 

 

 

 

 

The Pantheon

 

 

[AttilaTheFun]

Pisa/Florence

 

Pisa Baptistery

 

 

 

Olive Oil producer Gian showed us

 

 

 

Tuscan countryside

 

 

 

Ponte Vecchio

 

 

 

More sculptures near the plaster David reproduction

 

 

 

 

[AttilaTheFun]

Cannes/Nice

 

A view of Cannes while tendering

 

 

 

Place Massena in Nice (anyone know what the men sitting on pole sculptures are?)

 

 

 

 

Large fountain in Nice Old Town

 

 

 

Ouch! Rocky beach in Nice

 

 

 

Nice flower market

 

 

 

[ontheweb]

for those thinking of skipping Marseille, unless someone is looking for a down day, I recommend doing ship/private tour of Provence. Once you get outside of Marseille (sometimes called the Naples of France), there are a number of very good places to to explore, from hilltowns to Aix to Avignnon, etc. A day-long tour of Provence hilltowns with lunch was a highlight of our trip a few years ago. I usually NEVER take ship's tour, but sometimes, due to logistics, it is better. We took 2 ship's tours of Provence and Cinque Terre (not NCL--but they are all pretty much the same) and were very happy. Given to pain to get to the train station, this is one port where I might just take a ship/private tour.

 

Marseilles is the one port where we are looking at an excursion that really interests us, the one that includes Arles (where VanGogh did much of his painting), and a village where you could do stuff including swimming.

 

I know I mentioned in an earlier post about Florence that my wife is the world's best elementary art teacher. Well she is also a swimmer. There have been summers where she has not misssed a day. On previous cruises, she has got up and swam laps very early while everyone else is sleeping off the previous day and night.

 

One of the best ever excursions we have taken was in Cozumel where we went to Mayan ruins and then swimming. way overpriced, but well worth it. Got back to the ship way late, but since it wa a ship's excursion, we were back safely before the ship sailed to Belize.

[ontheweb]

Thank you and your sister so much for those pictures. My wife commented that many look just like ones she took 10 summers ago. She then laughed and said things had not changed in a thousand years.

 

Re: that picture you asked what was happening--She said it looks like a nail is being driven into that person, so possibly it's a crucifixtion.

 

Re: the rocky beaches---She bought water shoes earlier today because she remebered the rocky beaches.

 

Re: McDonalds---If you know, did they have decaf coffee? She drinks decaf, and we remember in Copenhagen, McDonalds and all the other places we tried did not have decaf.

[AttilaTheFun]

Re: McDonalds---If you know, did they have decaf coffee? She drinks decaf, and we remember in Copenhagen, McDonalds and all the other places we tried did not have decaf.

 

Sorry, can't remember. The only thing I ordered at McDonald's was a soda to get there Fort Knox bathroom code :)

[larry the lobster]

This review and pictures are amazing. We go on our Europe cruise in August and this is helping us plan and get excited!!:D

[debris]

Im not putting marseille down just the tour guide and tour we took. During THE tour we were taken to a fish market and there were seagulls flying overhead and pooping on the fish which ppl were happily buying,then we were left by the tour guide to mingle in amongst a flower and fruit market we noticed there were pigeons happily scampering over the fruit,a homeless persons dog tried to attack me that was frightening.The tour guide said he would meet us all in the fish market and take us back to the bus as because of the building works around the area the bus couldnt park,the whole bus was waiting for the tour guide in the fish market he didnt turn up,everyone was panicking and sweating under the impression he had abandonned us,he had decided to sit in the bus instead of meeting us but forgot to tell us.the notre dame was fab.

[aussiecruzer]

Thanks for an excellent review. We are considering the Norwegian Epic Western Med 5th May 2013. I know weather is variable, but can you tell me in general how you found the weather at this time of year in these ports? Thanks.

[AttilaTheFun]

Thanks for an excellent review. We are considering the Norwegian Epic Western Med 5th May 2013. I know weather is variable, but can you tell me in general how you found the weather at this time of year in these ports? Thanks.

 

It was perfect - high 60s/low 70s each day and no rain. Plus, it's before the really heavy tourist season starts in June, so the sites could be less busy.

[my_crib_too]

Thank you for posting this travel log. I really enjoyed reading and seeing the pictures.

[aussiecruzer]

It was perfect - high 60s/low 70s each day and no rain. Plus, it's before the really heavy tourist season starts in June, so the sites could be less busy.

 

Thank you, that sounds great. :):)