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So..........was our Epic adventure an Epic success???


meltingmoments

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So Monday.....sea day. Awake at 8:00am after a great nights sleep, but felt a little queasy on waking up! There is definite movement in these aft cabins!! Once I started moving around though, I was good!!

 

Breakfast in the Garden Cafe was madness so we chose our food and went to La Cucina on advice from you lovely people on here!! Great idea.....only half a dozen of us there!!

 

Then began the hunt for sunbeds!!! :rolleyes:

 

We ended up on deck 17.....the quiet area...and finally nabbed 2 beds.....we stayed a while!!

 

Lunch in O'Sheehans, back to deck 17.....we didn't leave our towels, I promise!!!

 

Back to our cabin for a chill and to get ready for another evening!

This one began with an invitation to Cocktails and Canapes with the Captain......very nice indeed!! This was held in the Epic Lounge and the Captain, Frank Juliussen, was a very nice guy!

Had dinner in The Manhattan Room. I had chicken which was lovely, DH had steak, which he assures me was on a par with anything he had tasted before.....if not better!

Our evenings were beginning to take on a theme.....O'Sheehans, Casino, Fat Cats......and a little late night snack......oh dear for the waistline!! ;)

Naples tomorrow!!

 

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Hols 2012 065 by smilinglady, on Flickr

This greeted us tonight!!

 

 

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Hols 2012 217 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

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Hols 2012 214 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

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Hols 2012 171 by smilinglady, on Flickr

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I was hoping you'd post a review! DH and I were commenting on the lack of reviews...when I'm here waiting to read everything I can!:D. Thank you!

 

Thanks for taking the time to figure out posting pics from Flickr. Pain isn't it?

 

Lol I was like you before we went......reading everything I could find! :)

 

And yes.......Flickr was a pain.....but thanks to Craig...aka Single Cruiser.....I managed it!! ;)

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So.....Tuesday......must be Naples!! Our trip today wasto Pompeii, so we were up early with the help of what was to become our wake-up call each day!! Those bloomin thruster thingies at the aft of the ship......noisy beggars!! ;)

 

Had a great view of all the ports we entered each day though, so that was good!

 

We had ordered room service for breakfast rather than face the buffet scramble and really enjoyed eating it on the balcony watching Naples come into view!

 

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We met in the Manhattan Room, and I have to say, NCL have their trips organised down to a fine art! Our trip was called, we walked past a staff member who put a sticker on us which told us our bus number and we were led off the ship to the waiting coaches.....all very painless!!

 

Our guide for the morning was Fabio, he was hilarious!! :)

 

A 30 minute ride and we were in Pompeii. After some helpful advice from CC members I was able to find places I could walk fairly easily, avoiding tricky areas.....I have Arthritis, so un-even surfaces can be tricky, but I did ok! I'm glad the trip was only the morning though, as the heat was un-believable!! Take plenty of water, and cover your shoulders, and wear plenty of sunscreen! All-in-all.......an enjoyable trip.

 

 

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Hols 2012 082 by smilinglady, on Flickr

That's Fabio, our guide, with the cap on!!

 

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Hols 2012 081 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

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Hols 2012 079 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

 

 

 

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So we arrived back at the ship around 1:30pm and spent the rest of the afternoon eating, relaxing on deck 17 again and chilling on the balcony!

This evening was spent eating at Moderno.........this was fantastic!! Food was great, service was great, atmosphere was great......really enjoyed it.......had to turn my little card red many times.....didn't stop my DH though!!

 

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Hols 2012 092 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

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Hols 2012 264 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

We then went to O'Sheehans and watched Twice as Nice......singing duo who were excellent. They play in the Atrium, and O'Sheehans overlooks this, so good viewing! Then it was on to the casino for a short while before hitting the sack........it's tiring work enjoying yourself!! ;)

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Wednesday.......Rome!

 

Woke early again so on the balcony taking pictures at 6:30 am!!

 

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Hols 2012 100 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

Meeting was in the Epic Theatre this morning for another very well organised getting off the ship and onto your coach. Today was a LONG day.......soooo hot and so crowded, but glad we did it! Saw The Vatican.....albeit closed!

Went into St Peter's Basilica.....amazing!!

Went to the Trevi Fountain....but didn't throw a coin in as couldn't get close enough through the crowds.....looks like I'm not going back!!

 

Then onto the Colisseum....amazing place....could really imagine what went on here all those years ago!

 

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Hols 2012 107 by smilinglady, on Flickr

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Hols 2012 123 by smilinglady, on Flickr

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Hols 2012 133 by smilinglady, on Flickr

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Hols 2012 135 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

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Hols 2012 136 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

We fitted a lot into our time in Rome, but it was only a snapshot.......and we were shattered when we got back onboard!

Tonight was a quick trip to O'Sheehans for some chicken wings and a beer followed by a fairly early night!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thursday.......Florence

 

Another early awakening......another picture as we pull into port!

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Hols 2012 142 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

Epic theatre meeting place.....easy off the ship, onto the coach. Our guide today was amazing......she really knew her Florence and was passionate about it......I only wish I could remember her name!!

We visited Santa Croce ,which is the main Franciscan Church in Florence......beautiful!! We also visited the church of Santa Maria Novella and of course, walked across the Ponte Vecchio. We had lunch in a lovely restaurant.....of course I had pizza....it was delicious!!

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Hols 2012 162 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

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Hols 2012 161 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

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Hols 2012 160 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

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Hols 2012 154 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

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Hols 2012 151 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

We didn't have enough time to visit any of the museums, but this was certainly a place we think we would like to visit again!

Back onboard and just enough time to chill on the balcony before having a meal in the Manhattan room.......I had the chicken with garlic mash....DH had steak again....it was so good last time....and this time too!

 

Entertainment tonight was Legends in Concert! Rod Stewart was up first......he was good!! Then came Madonna.......mmmm......looked like her...yes.....sounded like her???.....not really, if I'm honest.....she squeaked a lot, but that's just my opinion!! Lol Elvis was excellent....looked AND sounded like him........the show was a lot of fun! The only * blip* was.....we ordered 2 glasses of wine...one red...one white and DH nearly dropped court-legged when he saw the bill.....$21?????? Never DID understand why....should have questioned but hey!!

Went on to Fat Cats to listen to Charlie again, gave the casino some more dollars and then to bed......another fab day over!

 

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Friday......Cannes

 

Yay, we can have a lie-in today!! Ha...no chance....up at 6:30 again with the noise of the docking!! Still, we got to see a gorgeous view of Cannes.

 

 

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Hols 2012 169 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

Had a late breakfast today in the Garden Cafe.....not too crowded as people had got off early for trips . We had nothing planned except to tender off when we were ready and take it easy!

Tendering off was simple.....if a bit rocky.....I needed a helping hand both on and off that tender...lol.

We hit the beach......first time in the sea.....lovely!! Then we took a little train ride around Cannes. What a great way to see the place....10 Euros for about an hour and a half...with running commentary about what you were seeing and a stop at the highest point for picture taking! Highly recommended!

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Hols 2012 181 by smilinglady, on Flickr

The Epic from the beach

 

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Hols 2012 185 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

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Hols 2012 191 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

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Hols 2012 178 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

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Hols 2012 187 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

 

 

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Back on board, had a bite to eat and a chill on deck 17.

 

Ate in Taste tonight......I had steak, DH had fish, all good, but we liked it in Manhattan better......just our choice!

Went to the White Hot Party tonight......lasted about an hour...lol....showing our age.....techno music not for us!! ;)

 

 

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Hols 2012 204 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

Not a brilliant pic, but you get the gist!!

 

Off to O'Sheehans for a while, then to the Casino.......do you see a pattern here? ;)

 

DH was peckish, so we went BACK to O'Sheehans for chicken wings.......did I mention we liked them.....and so did our waistlines!!!! :eek:

That's another day done!!

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Saturday.......Marseille

 

Up early when docking but back to sleep till 9:00 am ...what a treat!! Lol.

 

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Hols 2012 213 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

We were really tired by now and Marseille was not terribly appealing to us, so we had breakfast and made a decision to stay onboard and enjoy the Epic for the last day!!

Managed to find a quiet spot on deck 17 .......and didn't move all day!!! Well......DH went and grabbed some food at one stage but brought it to the sunbeds......how lazy was that?? ;)

Went to view and buy our souvenir photos and then it was time to pack!! :(

We ate in O'Sheehans and then headed to the Epic Theatre where we were booked to see The Blue Man Group! Before the show begins, there are messages that flash up around the theatre, such as * happy birthday to such-and-such* and * welcome to such a body, returning once again *......suddenly my DH's name appeared on the screen, saying * let's all say a big hi to David.......he's just a regular guy, not celebrating anything, but let's show him some love*......and the screen asked him to make himself known by waving!! Well, everyone was laughing and I was beside myself with giggles.....so funny!! Boy was he embarrassed!!! It would seem one of the Casino staff we had got chatting to had set it up.....it made my night!

We loved The Blue Man Group......we were not sure beforehand, as they are not known to us in the UK.......I guess DH and I have a quirky sense of humour, cos we so got them!! Great evening to end on!

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Hols 2012 222 by smilinglady, on Flickr

 

Back to O'Sheehans to finish our wine!! Took a final glass back to our cabin and drank it on the balcony! What a way to end a holiday :)

 

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Can you believe on the final morning.......I slept through docking.....typical...lol.

Final packing, shower, breakfast and we did easy walk-off with our own bags......and it WAS easy....took no time at all.

We took a taxi to Barcelona Sants train station where we were heading for Sitges for a further 5 days, so although our Epic adventure was over.....our holiday wasn't!!!

 

 

So there you have it! I hope I haven't bored you all with my ramblings......I can talk/type for England!!! ;)

 

Did we love the Epic?.......YES!!!

Would we sail her again?.......IN A HEARTBEAT!!

 

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask and I'll try and help.

Once again, thanks to everyone who helped me out before we went on our Epic adventure and to all of you about to sail her.......I HATE YOU ALL......:eek:

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Looking and sounding great. But no Howl at the Moon yet? My fave spot, well after O'Sheehans of course ;)

Craig, not sure if it was the mix of people on our cruise, but we popped our heads into Howl at the Moon a couple of times........and there was hardly anyone there......so we skipped it!! :eek:

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Craig, not sure if it was the mix of people on our cruise, but we popped our heads into Howl at the Moon a couple of times........and there was hardly anyone there......so we skipped it!! :eek:

 

That's a shame, some really talented musicians. It didn't used to get busy until about 10-11 when the 2nd theatre show kicked out. But by midnight we were all singing along and lots of audience participation.

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What a fun read! Thank you for sharing your trip. My wife and I were just saying that we need to go to Europe. I think another cruise is calling me!!

 

What better way to do it than on my favorite ship!

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