An In-Depth Review: My First Cruise Ever! Epic March 9-16, 2013 (solo traveler)

[ibcnusoon]

Subscribed! Great review!

[meltingmoments]

Loving your review so far, but I have to say...........boy, can you EAT!!!! ;)

 

Keep it coming! :)

[vent1020]

Enjoying the review. We were on the Epic in Feb of 2012 and reading your review is bringing back memories. Can't wait for day 3!

[300dtc]

Great Review, you're doing a good job!! Did you say you can buy a posh pass for a day?

 

Thanks!

[gambee]

Great Review, you're doing a good job!! Did you say you can buy a posh pass for a day?

 

Thanks!

 

Technically you can, but they mostly sell out the first day because most people buy them for the week.

[towel-animal]

Great Review, you're doing a good job!! Did you say you can buy a posh pass for a day?

 

Thanks!

 

Apparently so. The Guest Services desk lady asked me if I wanted a day pass for I believe $15 (I could be wrong about that price...I don't fully remember) or the week for $59. One of the best purchases I made.

[jdvmd]

What a wonderful review, Camden! And as the mother of a 23-year-old, may I say how mature you are? Keep those comment coming!

[SissasMomE]

 

I didn't notice any smell, so I'd say no. :)

 

Great, thank you.

[TryingCruising]

I'm loving your review! Looking forward to more. We're looking into the Epic as our next possible cruise.

[DGP1111]

Camden:

VERY glad to read that (at least so far) your sailing was an enjoyable experience. I appreciate your kind initial words, but I'm certain you'd have been just fine 'winging it' on your own as well. :)

 

I'll assume that Junnel was still working the Shakers Bar and made you the memorable martini. He's good.

 

Will look forward to continued reading of your onboard journey. :)

 

.

[Sue Do'nym]

Great review-you have given me some new information-had no idea about Champagne sail away in posh and I had a Posh pass on my cruise-definitely missed out! Congrats on your solo trip-I like to travel solo but have discovered that as I brag about my planned solo trips-I end up with company! Always welcome, but I love the freedom of solo travel. Also,on the Cirque dinner-same experience and my mom (who was traveling with me) was very concerned that it was a real injury. I told her I doubted it was since there was a girl who came out dressed as a nurse, but I think she will be relieved to know it was part of the show. Cannot wait to read more!

[LetsGoDutch]

I am waiting with bated breath for the rest of your fabulous review.

[NYGirl1002]

Great review. I look forward to the rest of it.

[vent1020]

I am waiting with bated breath for the rest of your fabulous review.

 

LOL. I have thought about this review several times wondering when the OP would continue. He last posted in March, so I don't think he is going to finish it. Too bad, one of the best reviews I ever read.

[towel-animal]

LOL. I have thought about this review several times wondering when the OP would continue. He last posted in March, so I don't think he is going to finish it. Too bad, one of the best reviews I ever read.

 

I'm still around! My apologies for not keeping up with my review. School has been so crazy, I've kept putting it off. I will make it my weekend project though :)

[vent1020]

I'm still around! My apologies for not keeping up with my review. School has been so crazy, I've kept putting it off. I will make it my weekend project though :)

 

Cool. I look forward to it.

[towel-animal]

Forgive my tardiness in continuing my review. I got bogged down with work at school and just kept putting off my writing. Luckily, I had made bullet point notes covering what I did each day, so I haven’t forgotten anything. Let the review continue!

 

Day 3:

 

Today would prove to be a very dramatic one.

 

I woke up to the Good Morning announcement of the captain at around 8:00. He scolded passengers for chair-hogging (yay!)!. Evidently people must have been complaining. I was glad that at least he was acknowledging this was occurring, as I’d read that it was a problem. After he wished us a good day, I quickly went right back to sleep until around 11:00 (I love to sleep in!). I put my bathing suit on decided to put my Spa Pass to use. As I was walking to the Spa, that awful sick feeling returned to my stomach. I realized at that point it had definitely not been the margaritas before…I must be prone to seasickness. I was hoping a little Spa relaxation would set me straight. I laid down on one of the hot stone loungers and was taken to paradise! Man, those things are cool! I took a look at the hydrotherapy pool, and couldn’t help but take a dip. The jets are really relaxing, as is the connected hot tub. After a while, I got out and to succumb to the temptation of the Spa’s aft balcony. As I was headed out there, the sick feeling returned in my stomach and my head felt funny. I suspected that it was only when I'm standing that I felt sick. Sure enough, when I sat on one of the loungers, my stomachache subsided. I can’t even begin to put into words how breathtaking the view is from the Spa balcony. Truly the best ocean view on the ship! I heard later that passengers were complaining that people were chair hogging in the Spa too, but I had no problems getting one. I stayed there quite a while since it was so beautiful (I'd compare it to getting front row, center orchestra for a hit Broadway show), and also because I was afraid of getting sick if I stood up. But I couldn’t stay there forever.

 

As I feared, when I did get up and start walking, I didn’t feel good. In fact, I felt downright awful. When I retrieved my key from the check-in desk, I asked if there was something anyone could give me for seasickness. She told me to go to the buffet and eat some green apple, and to absolutely not drink any water. I’d never heard of either of those remedies, but I took her word for it. I headed to the buffet and ate the apple to the core, but to be honest, it didn’t help much. I started to get upset, because I figured I’d never be able to cruise again and wouldn’t enjoy the rest of my trip. I can’t remember who, but someone told me that the liquor store on board sold some kind of special bracelet that helped with sea sickness, so I made my way down there. I was really starting to feel violently ill. I made it to the store but couldn’t find anything resembling what I was looking for, so I asked the assistant for help. This was probably the worst employee encounter I had on my trip: he flat out refused to show me where they were. He just pointed in the direction I’d already looked. I made a second attempt to find them but still didn’t see them, and he deliberately avoided my eye contact and proceeded to go talk to other people in the store. Sick and upset, I left. I really felt like I was going to pass out at that point, and as I passed the seating area outside of Tappenyaki, I collapsed into one of the chairs. The next thing I knew, an officer was shaking me awake, concern etched all over his face. He asked me did I need medical attention, and I told him that I felt extremely seasick. He told me that Guest Services had complimentary medication for that and he personally escorted me there to get some. I can’t tell you how appreciative I was. I guess I was lucky he happened to be around at that moment, and I was touched by how determined he was to help me out. I thanked him profusely and after taking the pills, went back to my room to sleep while they kicked in.

 

A few hours later and I was a new man! Those pills they give you really do the trick. Feeling back to normal, I was able to enjoy my cruise again. I will say that I had to take the pills like clockwork for the rest of the trip. If I was late or forgot to take them, the sickness quickly came back until I did so. I’m very surprised I’m so sensitive to the waves. I’ve never really had a problem with any type of motion sickness before.

 

I ventured to Spice H20 hoping to run into Jeff and Dana. Sure enough, there they were. Jeff and I enjoyed the hot tub for a while and then worked on our tans. I also ventured to the purple slide; that was a lot of fun! Today was also the Marketplace shop special. I didn’t see anything I wanted, but I enjoyed browsing around.

 

Before long, it was getting into evening hours. By this point, I’d given up on the solo gatherings in the studio lounge. They were basically just meet-up-and-then-immediately-go-to-dinner. Since I was on my specialty restaurant kick, it didn’t make much sense for me to go to the gatherings.

 

Speaking of specialty restaurants, I chose Le Bistro as my eatery of choice that evening. I decided to dress up a bit and wore a mocha linen blazer buttoned over a cream striped t-shirt, tan linen pants, and cognac leather shoes. A matching tan and brown dressy canvas fedora completed my resort-wear chic ensemble which would soon cause me some embarrassment. As I approached the hostess and asked for a table for one, she was quick to tell me in a not so subtly snarky tone, “Can you please remove your hat?” I quickly obliged. I guess I should have known better than to wear a hat (I normally am a stickler for etiquette) but I thought since it was clearly a classy looking hat and not a baseball cap, that it would be fine—obviously not. But what happened next really put me off. The hostess proceeded to walk around the podium, eyes narrowed, and slowly (and I do mean slowly) look me up and down from head to toe in order to make sure I had on proper shoes. I felt like Julia Roberts in the infamous shop scene from “Pretty Woman.” But with hat removed, and proper shoes, she couldn’t complain, and sat me at a window table. I ordered the cream of four mushroom soup to start. Now, I had read quite a lot about this soup from Cruise Critic; it’s popularity seemed unmatched by any other dish on board. I did find it quite tasty, but I will admit I had to add a dash of salt. My entrée was the rack of lamb with artichokes, tomatoes, zucchini, and green olive sauce. This was one of the dishes I was most looking forward to (I had studied the menus extensively online before the trip), and it did not disappoint! I asked for the asparagus appetizer as a side dish, and it accompanied the lamb beautifully. For dessert, I enjoyed the warm apple tatin with walnut ice cream and the French press coffee. A perfect ending to a wonderful meal!

 

From there, I headed to Shakers for the FOD meeting. I joined Jeff and Dana and ordered a sidecar. I’ve had these before and always love them, but quite frankly, this one was gross. It was just so strong! I slowly sipped it with a glass of water, but I couldn’t finish it. Oh well, no biggie. From there, the three of us headed to Bliss to watch the Family Game Show. It was cute, but got a touch boring after a while.

 

Coincidently, the three of us had reservations for the late night Second City show, so after Bliss, we headed to our cabins to freshen up and agreed to meet at Headliners later for the show. When I got to my studio I was greeted by a fancy black envelope with my name handwritten in shiny silver script. Intrigued, I delicately opened it and found a confirmation for the Chef’s Table the next evening. I couldn’t help but jump up and down with excitement! I headed inside my room and took a nap.

 

After my rest, I headed to Headliners and met up with Jeff and Dana. We got pretty good seats, three rows back on the right hand side. Although it seemed more skit-based than improv, the act was hilarious! Since this was the late show, there was a bit of sailor-mouthing and naturally the jokes related to sexual positions, but I appreciated the humor of both and was in stitches. I particularly enjoyed a song called “Back Door Annie” (she liked it in the fanny!). However, I will say I and the rest of the audience were caught off guard how abruptly the show ended. We’d expected the show to be a bit longer, but nonetheless a great time was had by all.

 

We took a look at the daily and thought maybe we could catch the end of the FABBA party at Spice H20. Sadly not. When we got there, it had already transitioned to the Glitter Disco Ball Party. Normally, I never EVER enjoy dancing. I just can’t do it properly and I feel embarrassed. But maybe I was on a vacation-high, because that night I let loose and busted out some moves. It was a lot of fun! After about half an hour, Dana announced he was tired and the two headed off to bed. I still had a bit of energy, but I didn’t want to dance alone. Earlier on this thread, someone posted that “I sure can eat.” I guess they’re right. All that dancing had worked up my appetite, so I headed to O’Sheehans for some of them good ol’ hot wings.

 

It was here that something very disturbing happened.

 

A blond girl sitting alone at the table next to me asked me if I was by myself. I said that I was, and she decided to join me. She introduced herself as Paige, and immediately asked me, “How old do you think I am?” Admittedly, I’m absolutely terrible with ages. I really didn’t have a clue, so I took a stab at 18. Her eyebrows raised and she said “Really?! You’re crazy, I’m 14.” In my defense, she looked older for her age. But the conversation quickly took an awkward turn as she proceeded to tell me that older men on the ship were propositioning her, that she went to a conservative all girls school where everyone thought she was a lesbian and that she was very socially awkward. I was taken aback by how she just launched to her random monologue out of nowhere, saying all these personal things to a complete stranger. Things went from awkward to alarming quickly. She told me how she had been in the Entourage Teen Club, and been scolded for grinding on both the boys and girls, so she left with a thirteen year old boy, went to his parents’ cabin while they were out, and gotten intimate, and she was proud to have taken his virginity, but now scared because they didn’t use protection and she might be pregnant. :eek: My stomach quickly dropped, appetite gone, and I looked around aimlessly, desperately wanting to get out of this situation. She told me that I should sneak into Entourage the following night, as I looked 17. I said I wasn’t interested, but she was persistent. She then wanted my phone number! I told her I didn’t have a smart phone so I wouldn’t be able to text her, but she insisted that I give it to her anyway so she could keep in touch. I felt like I was going to be sick, I was almost scared for myself as I started to wonder what this girl was capable of. I gave her a fake phone number to shut her up. Luckily she was getting her food to go, and left shortly after. But before she left, she looked at me and said, “You’re nice, I don’t want you to get in trouble.” I thought about it for a moment and started to wonder if this was some wacko girl who got her kicks from getting guys over 18 to make a pass at her so that she could get them in trouble with the law. A very frightening encounter indeed. I almost wondered if I should say something to guest services, but I decided against it.

 

I ate some of the wings and then decided it was time for bed.

 

Up Next: Day 4- St. Maarten and the Chef's Table!

 

[towel-animal]

Day 4: St. Maarten and the Chef's Table

 

My deep sleep was interrupted early this morning by the ringing of my telephone. Startled and confused, I groggily answered. The reply was not good news. “Hello this is the Shore Excursion desk, I’m sorry to tell you that you’re Sea Trek Helmet Dive excursion has been canceled due to low visibility.” Awww man! I was crushed, as I’d been SUPER excited for that excursion. But I understood that it wasn’t her fault, so I agreed to stop by later at her post by Taste and see what my other options were. After a little more rest, I got up and dressed, then headed to the pool deck to grab some breakfast from Great Outdoors. I expected that the ship would be much less crowded on a port day, but wow was it dead! Hardly anyone anywhere! It was almost spooky. I’d also gotten so used to nothing but ocean that it was a little strange be surrounded by land, haha. After breakfast, I went to the aft of the ship just to admire the view. Now I had to figure out what to do with my day since there’d be no helmet dive. I went down to Taste and met with the lady from the phone. None of the remaining excursions with vacancies really sounded all that appealing to me, but I really wanted to do something. Then I remembered that Jeff and Dana said they were doing the Orient Beach Bash excursion, but I didn’t know what time. Luckily, the lady was able to look in her computer and saw they were booked for the later one, and there were a few spots left. Yay!

 

I had a few hours until the excursion so I left the ship for just a bit to explore the immediate area of St. Maarten. The shops were pretty interesting, and I had a great free sample of a coconut smoothie! But after about half an hour, there really wasn’t that much to see, and I didn’t want to take a taxi anywhere and risk missing the excursion, so I got back on board went to Posh for a bit to read some of my book. I’d gotten burned the day before so I made sure to apply plenty of sunscreen this time. My goal was to go from pasty to perfect! After a couple hours of just relaxing and enjoying the quiet, I figured I should probably grab lunch before I had to leave for the excursion. I went to the buffet to check it out. Other than the apple the day before, I hadn’t really eaten in the buffet, so this was kind of my first real experience there. I had a great lunch of Caribbean meatloaf, a spicy chicken skewer, and some cooked to order pasta. A really tasty meal!

 

Before long, it was about time to head to the pier to meet for the excursion. As I made a quick trip to my studio to grab my bag, I ran into David, a very friendly man from England whom I’d met at the studio gathering on the first night. I stopped for a brief chat, and then raised my eyebrows when he said he was about to get ready for the Sea Trek Helmet Dive excursion. What?! I told him I’d been booked on the earlier one and that mine had been canceled. He said he hadn’t heard anything about his but that he would go and check. (It turned out that his had indeed been canceled as well; he just hadn’t been notified.)

 

After I grabbed my things, I returned to the pier and found my meeting station. Before long, Jeff and Dana arrived, and I told them the story about my excursion getting canceled. Even though it was disappointing, I’m glad I got to be with my new friends for the afternoon! We had a lot of people doing the Beach Bash, and we were divided into 3 or 4 big buses. The ride over to Orient Beach was very interesting. Long stretches of flat roads among weeds and then suddenly we’d go up and down a twisty mountain road. The views were spectacular! After about 45 minutes, we arrived at the beach, where we were directed to our section on beach chairs. As soon as we put our stuff down, Jeff was adamant that he wanted to go to the “other” section of Orient Beach. Dana and I didn’t really want to, but we didn’t want to ruin Jeff’s fun, so we grabbed our free rum punch (which was quite weak) and made the hike over to the other side of the beach. It was true what I’d read…the people who took advantage of the no clothing option were mostly the people who shouldn’t. But it was still quite an experience! I didn’t feel comfortable changing into my birthday suit, but luckily neither did Dana so I wasn’t alone. People are VERY offended by and strict about photography on that side of the beach, and I can understand why. I witnessed several altercations over tourists taking pictures, with one that got security involved.

Time seemed to fly by in St. Maarten and before we knew it, it was time to head back to the bus. (We did grab one last rum punch and it was much stronger this time! :D). Right before we got on the bus, the three of us were approached by a local with an ENORMOUS bag of marijuana. “Want some pot?” he asked. :eek: Dana and I, both wide-eyed, declined and he want on his merry way to find some more potential clients. Jeff told me that these “dealers” are often police in disguise, trying to get high-searching tourists in trouble with the law. They had taken a cruise on the Epic a year prior and saw a high-school principal who’d been arrested on the island and had to get her family to wire some money to pay them off and let her out of jail. Scary stuff!

 

Up and down and back around the mountain we went, headed back towards our beautiful trip. We got a bit delayed as there was a funeral procession holding up traffic (I’m so glad I was on an excursion booked through the ship, instead of being on my own, because I very well may have gotten left behind otherwise.) When we left bus and walked towards the ship, we were greeted by the crew dancing to “Gangnam Style” and “Hey Baby.” Immediately I was sensing a connection, as those were the songs the chefs at Tappenyaki were singing as they prepared the meals. I didn’t have long before it was time for the Chef’s Table! I didn’t think the meal would take longer than about an hour and a half, so I agreed to meet Jeff and Dana at Bliss for the Dating Game show at 8:30. I made a beeline for my studio to shower and get ready. I wore another linen ensemble (the hat stayed in the room this time) and then made way up to the Epic Club.

 

The meal I’d been anticipating for months…the meal I’d stressed and worried myself to death if I would get a spot…the meal I’d gotten to the Port of Miami hours earlier than necessary to make a reservation for was FINALLY here!!!!

 

My body tingled with anticipation as I headed through the double door entry to the Epic Club, beautifully decorated with velvet sofas and gilded mirrors. As soon as I walked in, a lovely crew member from the Philippines greeted me eagerly, “Hello Mr. Camden! Would you care for a glass of wine?” Wow! She knew me by name! I guess the crew study the photos of the Chef’s Table guests, and I must say I appreciated the welcome. There weren’t that many people there yet, so I took my wine and sat down across a gentleman at a sofa overlooking the center of the pool deck (A really great view!) I wasn’t sure if he was a suite guest, or if he too was here for the Chef’s Table, so I introduced myself and found that John, like me, was there for the meal. We had a delightful chat (during which the hostess offered to refill my wine, which of courses I accepted). After a few minutes, it was announced that all the guests had arrived and we were escorted to the private table at the back of the restaurant. Normally the Chef’s Table seats 12 and we were told that there’s usually an extensive waiting list for those who couldn’t get a reservation in time, but tonight, there were just 8 of us. Before we sat down, we took a group photo with Charles Fernandes, the executive chef. Then we got to take a photo individually with him.

 

As I expected, I was definitely the youngest once in attendance by about 30 years. But to be honest, even growing up I’ve always tended to socialize with adults rather than people my own age. The 8 of us made our introductions. Jim and I were the only ones traveling solo. There were two married couples, and the other 2 were mother and son. Everyone had very interesting stories to tell about their lives and careers and how they ended up on the Epic. They were all curious to know why someone as young as me was traveling alone, and they were impressed by my “bravery” as they put it. In fact, one of the married couples insisted on setting me up with their daughter, and demanded my phone number after the meal.

 

Soon, the chef reappeared and explained how the courses would be presented. He said that on Chef’s Table days, he devotes the entire day into the preparation of the meal, which really hit home how special the experience truly was. He also announced that the dinner typically takes about 3 hours! I guess I should have figured that a 9-course meal would take longer than an hour and a half. I felt bad because Jeff and Dana would be waiting for me. I excused myself from the table, and approached the hostess to ask her if her if I could make a call. She smiled, and said “Certainly!” while producing a phone from her desk, I left a message for them letting them know I’d be quite late, and would still head to Bliss after to see if they were there. When I hung up, the hostess was admiring my leather necklace, and I took it off for her to look at it. She was so nice!

 

With my mission accomplished, I returned to my seat and soon after, the first course arrived: the amuse-bouche- a large spoon filled with mango and vodka & jalapeno ravioli. Absolutely delicious! Up next was an Ahi tuna tartare with an orange wasabi glaze. It honestly melted in my mouth! These were paired with a fruity Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc, which paired beautifully.

 

Following was an asparagus cream soup-style dish with a cauliflower flan in the center. I relished every spoonful. I also enjoyed the presentation. The bowls were placed with the flan already set, and then the servers poured the cream around it. After that was a short crust tartlet with goat cheese, sundried tomato chutney, and an olive tapenade. I absolutely LOVE anything with goat cheese so I particularly enjoyed this dish. As a palate cleanser, we were presented next with one of the most interesting dishes I’ve ever seen. It was a grapefruit and moscato granite, which seemed like a sorbet with a very unique texture, almost like tiny individual spheres. Up next was a pan seared sea bass encrusted with plantains and topped with a mango, papaya, and avocado salsa, served in a lobster sauce. Heaven on a plate! Those courses were paired with a Silverado Vineyards Chardonnay. (One gaff when the server refilled Chardonnay into my Sauvignon Blanc, but he quickly rectified the error.)

 

During each course, I enjoyed the stimulating conversation with the other guests. One of the married couples had been to eight Chef’s Tables! They did it every time they cruised with NCL. The wife was actually a chef herself, and she was very opinionated on each dish. She actually was a bit tactless at times with her comments to the Chef (She tried to pry into where he’d worked previously before NCL but he wasn’t comfortable disclosing that info, and she also tried to get him to bash Carnival, with also created an awkward moment for him), but they were still an entertaining duo nonetheless.

 

But it was on the sea bass course, that something a bit irritating happened. Jim, the man I’d socialized with prior in the waiting area, was so engrossed in his conversation, that he’d barely touched his food by the time everyone else had finished. I took a glance to the side and saw the servers wondering how to proceed. After waiting about 20 minutes with him still not touching his food, they came to clear the plates. When they asked about his, he told them he wasn’t finished. Another 15 minutes passed (his food was the only plate on the whole table) and he still had only taken about 2 more bites, engrossed in his conversation with the couple across from him. (He also had a laugh that rival the largest hyena on the planet, and chose to direct each booming burst directly into my left ear) They came again to see if they could take his plate, and he said, “No, I’m still working on it,” with a definite edge to it this time. Now, I can understand not wanting to be rushed to finish your food, but surely you should realize when you’ve taken almost 40 minutes longer than everyone else, and are at this point holding up the meal. Finally he signaled that he was done with the sea bass and the meal proceeded.

 

Out next was a HUGE milk fed veal chop. Honestly, it was so big it could have been a meal of its own. Served with Anna potatoes, sautéed spinach, and a truffle veal jus, I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven, that’s how good it was. This course would prove to be battle number 2 in the Jim vs. Servers War. Since the portion was so large, it’s understandable that it would take longer to eat. But once again, long after the rest of the table had finished, he’d barely touched it. After another hyena howl, I turned to the lady on my right (the mother) and said quietly, “He’s going to take 2 hours to eat that damn veal chop) and she couldn’t help but laugh in mutual agreement. After a while, the servers asked if we would like to take it home as the next course needed to come out. Irritated, Jim told him no and to just take it away unfinished. The next course was a cheese plate with St. Andrew Triple Crème & Stilton served with honey comb, port wine infused figs, and bagel chips * pickled watermelon. This was the only course that I didn’t swoon over. The toppings were delicious, but I found the cheese to be a bit bitter. All of these courses, along with the dessert were served with a Franciscan Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

Speaking of dessert! The ladies were given the dome of yogurt mousse & hazelnut sablee with a lychee raspberry crème & lime vanilla reduction. For the men, a chocolate log with spiced dark rum infused bananas and cocoa mousse. I guess due to a mix up, I received the yogurt mousse dome instead of the chocolate log, but that suited me fine, as I don’t really care that much for chocolate. So if you have a preference for one of the 2 desserts, let the crewmember at the restaurant desk know when you make your reservation.

 

With the courses completed, the hostess brought us our checks, and then escorted us back to the seating area where we were offered after dinner drinks. I elected for French press coffee and a Baileys Irish Cream on the rocks. First time I’ve had Baileys, and now I’m hooked! :D We stayed in the lounge and chatted for a bit. Then I realized it was 10:30! We’d been there for 4 and a half hours! But honestly, one of the most divine 4 & a half hours of my life. Even though I felt deaf in one ear, I loved every minute of that meal, and if I get to go on another NCL cruise, I’m definitely going to do it again.

 

At that point, most of the group stayed to continue chatting, but I was scared that Jeff and Dana were wondering where I was, so I said my goodbyes and headed to Bliss. The two of them were at the Bar, and thankfully hadn’t been waiting for me long. We stayed for Karaoke (some really great talent on board!) At 11, we looked and saw that there was a magic show in the theatre. Honestly, that was one of the funniest things all week. I absolutely loved it! Be forewarned, if you’re homophobic, you will not enjoy Jeff Hobson. He constantly flirted with the male participants, but it was hilarious and the tricks were pretty neat too! One particularly funny moment was when Jeff told a little girl her reward was a cigarette.

 

After the magic show, it was quite late and the three of us decided to head to our rooms for much needed sleep (But not before I made a quick trip to O’Sheehans to grab a burger and fries to go!)

 

Stay tuned for Day 5!

[sdmike]

:eek::eek::eek::eek:

[towel-animal]

:eek::eek::eek::eek:

 

Uh oh, what did I do?

[SwellBee]

Love your review! I can't wait until you post the rest. I am considering booking the Med itinerary on the Epic for October 2014. The ship sounds fantastic. Do you have any photos you are willing to post? I would also be traveling solo and am looking at the studio cabins. :)

[jdvmd]

I am so wowed by your review thus far. Especially, the very detailed report on the Chef's Table. Incredible!

[vent1020]

Awesome! Man, the whole "Paige" incident is kind of creepy.

[towel-animal]

Day 5: St. Thomas

 

This morning we were docked in the beautiful St. Thomas! I didn’t get to sleep in this morning as I had an early excursion booked. First up was parasailing!!!! I’ve always wanted to try it, but never had the opportunity, so I was quite giddy with excitement. On my way off the ship, I took my cell phone and called Verizon to have them unblock my texting. St. Thomas is considered an unincorporated U.S. territory so you don’t get international charges for using your cell phone, and Jeff had told me the night before he’d text me so we could meet up after my excursions.

 

I met the parasailing group at the meeting point in Headliners and then we made are way off the ship onto the pier. The host was a really jolly local who I immediately warmed to. Through talking with her, I found out that my next excursion, the Screamin’ Eagle Jet Boat, was also with her company, so she told me to stay put after the parasailing so I wouldn’t have to make an unnecessary trip back to the Epic. Finally we were all together, so she escorted us to our boat for the parasailing. Even though I was solo, they made everyone go up in pairs. Luckily there was another solo, an older man, so we got to be partners. It was so much fun watching the people before us scream and laugh as they launched up in the air and then get dunked in the water on the way down! Soon it was our turn; we got buckled up and then up we went! That feeling of being in the sky of St. Thomas, the beautiful scenery all around and the ocean below with all the ships was just breathtaking. Even though it had been windy down below, it felt remarkably calm up in the air. We were probably up for about 10 minutes before we were brought back down.

 

When we were back at the dock, I waited as I’d been told, and soon after, the rest of the group for the Screamin’ Eagle jet boat arrived. I was super excited for this excursion, as I love thrill rides! When we were all loaded into the speed boat, the captain made a frightening announcement that due to the high speeds and quick turns, it was quite possible that we may fall out, and he told us what to do if that happened. Everyone looked around at each other with nervous laughter. As soon as we passed all the cruise ships, the captain pushed the throttle to the max and boy were we zoomin’! I could feel that tickle of my stomach that happens on roller coasters from the speed. All of a sudden he turned the wheel all the way to the left and we did a 360, getting everyone completely soaked! We enjoyed about 10 more 360 turns, and then went for a long stretch of straight speed sailing, before he pressed the break, almost immediately bring the boat to a sudden halt, water coming up from behind and re-soaking us. It was so much fun!

 

Back at the dock and drenched from head to toe, I was so thankful I’d packed an extra change of clothes and didn’t have to go back to the ship. I looked at my phone and Jeff had texted me telling me to meet them at a coffee shop. Figuring out where it was proved quite the task. I asked several locals for directions, getting different answers each time, and ended up going to the complete opposite direction. Exasperated, I ran into the host from the parasailing excursion, and luckily she knew exactly where it was. Finally I met up with Jeff and Dana and we walked around the shops. Jeff pointed out the house from the Real World, and that was pretty interesting to see. We didn’t have as long in this port as we did in St. Maarten the day before so it wasn’t too long before we had to head back to the Epic.

 

Once on board, we parted ways and agreed to reunite at the FOD meeting. I went back to my studio to shower and change before dinner. Tonight I decided to try Shanghai’s. I got there pretty much as soon as they opened. To my horror, so did Paige, the disturbing girl from O’Sheehans! :eek: She was with her grandmother. When she saw me, she smiled and said hello. I said hi back, but made sure to tell the hostess to sit me at a table as far away from them as possible. I started with the chicken lettuce wrap, the spring roll, and the hot and sour soup. I couldn’t decide between the Cantonese mahi-mahi or the Malay lamb curry. The waiter recommended the lamb. I’ll admit, while the appetizers were great, the lamb was not good. Something about the texture was just really off-putting. For dessert I had the warm banana pancakes and coffee, which was quite tasty. I left feeling that yes, I would go back to Shanghai’s if I’m ever on the Epic again but I would stay away from the lamb.

 

I took a stroll around the ship and played a few rounds of Keymaster before heading to the FOD meeting. The past few nights had seen a dwindling crowd, but tonight had a full house. We stayed for quite a while, drinking and socializing, and then decided to check out Charlie Love and the Silky Smooth Band in Fat Cats. It was just ok. The music wasn’t really our thing, but we stayed for about an hour and then went over to headliners to see Howl at the Moon. That was a blast! They’re really talented musicians and also quite funny comedians too. We stayed for the entire thing. Afterwards, we wanted to check out these “secret stairs” we heard about at the aft of the ship. We found them and ventured all the way to the bottom, where were surprised to find a huge cut out opening on the very aft wall. We leaned over, and the ocean was close, it honestly felt like you could reach out and touch it. It was actually pretty spooky being so close to the pitch-black water speeding by. If you’d had to much to drink, or had made someone particularly angry on the cruise, it would be quite easy to fall through, or be pushed overboard at that spot! :p

 

As it was almost 2 AM, they announced they were headed to bed. I made another jaunt to O’Sheehans and got a hotdog to go. Back at my studio, I enjoyed the late night snack and watched some television before nodding off to sleep.

 

Up next: Day 6: The final sea day.

[jinxyoz]

Brilliant. That is all.