Micro Mini Review of 9-1-13 EPIC from Barcelona

[Chas2crews]

One wife, 2 sisters in law arrived on Friday in Barcelona for a fun cruise departing Sunday. I don't have a full review, but some thoughts below just because:

 

 

Sunday Embarkation

If you fly in a day or two early, plan to board the ship around 2 pm or so. We arrived then and waited in line for zero minutes. We went right to the front, received pictures and card key in 8 minutes or so. We had tagged the luggage so it almost beat us to the room. The Garden Buffet stayed open until 4 so we were able to explore the ship, get a snack and sign up for spa packages all before heading to our muster station.

 

Dining

Manhattan Room at 7:30 was a breeze for seating with no wait. The band was loud for meal time in my opinion but others did not agree. Food was fine, service slow.

Blue Man Group--not my cup of tea, but clearly talented and energetic.

 

Monday

This was a sea day, and we launched it with breakfast in the Garden Cafe. The food offerings were varied and pleasantly presented. For mu personal tastes, the scrambled eggs did not appeal from a color and texture view, but you could cooked to order scrambled eggs which came out great.

We hit the Beatles' trivia with a fellow CCers and managed 19 out of 20 only to lose to a Scottish team with 20 out of 20. I never made it to the sun deck, so I cannot comment about the deck chair wars. My s-I-l did witness a fierce verbal battle in the thermal spa (which we each paid for but I barely used. The issue was the heated recliner which a women was saving for her husband. A new arrival took offense, referencing the 30 minute rule. The seated woman was giving no quarter, the husband returned, at which point it went nuclear and uttered the four magic words, "You must be an American." She left, NCL staff later returned and reminded the couple of the 30 minute rule (I am assuming they could do so knowing when the couple arrived.

We had the MOAMAM, and NCL was a most gracious and generous host with drinks and pastries and an engaged and informative presentation from senior staff. Kudos to NCL for one of the best meet and greets at sea. Edith had made such beautiful name tags (I kept mine as a souvenir!), and folks did freely mingle and chat.

 

We had lunch in the Great Outdoors, Latin themed and perfectly okay. More trivia and casino time, then off to the Cirque Dreams show. The show was amazing, amazing, amazing. The food and service was fine, so this is a must. Do line up 30 minutes for the best seats whether or not you bought premium, and the premium seats are worth the extra cost. This was dress up or not night, and I wore a black suit, white shirt and bow tie. The women in my group wore dressier pants combos or a dress. I think NCL may have solved the dress code wars as it seemed the passengers dressed for what they felt like and not for others. No sneers or jeers, about 65 % of the women were "dressed up" and maybe 30 % of the guys. I saw tons of mixed couples, where the women looked like they were fresh off the red carpet and the guys looked like they were about to lay the carpet. Proof that NCL has hit on a relationship saving formula that still allows people to cruise together though their styles are different.

 

After dinner, we hit the Ice Bar. Well worth the $20 and it came with a nice assortment for the drinks, one of which should be a vodka neat. It was only missing a TV loop of the 1967 NFL Packer Cowboys title game.

 

We finished the evening with dancing in Bliss. It got of to a slow start as karaoke ran over, and you briefly worried that it would be a medley of passengers singing the dance tunes (3 versions of "I Will Survive"?). We survived as the DJ warmed into a nice mix of danceable tunes.

 

TUESDAY

 

ROOM- while I am thinking about it, I have to think most find the storage space in the balcony rooms to be simply the best. You may not find them all in a week. The bed was acceptably firm and the a/c responsive. Coffee on the balcony is an absolute delight. The design, however, is just wrong. I am not the tallest, but banging into another"s toes as you walk by while they are sleeping unacceptable. The kabuki dance while two are dressing simultaneously would be worth a full season long reality show if filmed ("the Epic Dressing Game"), but simply fails as a cruise amenity. I would like to think after two drinks in the Ice Bar, the ship's architect would agree.

[mj]

Thanks for sharing. Good to see a review of the Epic in the Med. Have not seen too many reviews lately. Keep it coming.

[anandaindonesia]

Enjoy reading your review. Thanks for sharing.

[Chas2crews]

Enjoy reading your review. Thanks for sharing.

 

Thanks for the encouragement. I am very interested in your solstice cruise, so I will be reading that review.

[B6ConMe]

Thanks for the encouragement. I am very interested in your solstice cruise, so I will be reading that review.

 

Loved your review, thanks for sharing. The term, been there, done that, doesn't quite fit....yet but it will soon enough. You have a real knack for making a smile appear....;)

[dottyparka]

Really enjoying it, keep going please!

[Chas2crews]

TUESDAY

 

So this was the Naples stop so the four of us did a private excursion with 2 other couples. After years of cruising taking only the ship's excursions, we were somewhat apprehensive about venturing into the private tour world. No need to be. We did it for four of the five stops, and everything came off without a hitch. The driver was Mario, and he was very knowledgeable about the area. He decided our schedule would be Sorrento, Positano and Naples, and that timing worked well and avoided some of the bigger crowds from the larger bus groups. Mario was especially helpful in giving us a feel for the day-to-day life in Southern Italy. (For example, Italy is the poorest part of the country, with unemployment approaching 20%.) He was also frank and direct ("What is that building over, Mario?" "I don't know.")

Two points on the touring--In planning we were asked would we want a local lunch, and the 8 of us said answered affirmatively. No prices were discussed, and we had a very nice meal, served family style, with assorted Italian specialties and wine. The total was 25 Euros per person. I probably am cheap, but I rarely spend about $40 for lunch. As we departed, we passed a mezzanine level which looked like a private tour driver convention as there were several there enjoying their meal (gratis I presume.) I would have changed nothing about the tour, but sometimes you do not want to know how the sausage is made.

The second point is, again being cheap, we declined the private guide in Pompeii, partially because some of us had been there before and partially because a couple of us had the Rick Steves book. Well, Rick's book started at a different entrance than the one we had and we never got turned into the right place. Get the guide, or bring Rick Steves with you to Pompeii.

There was a big request to have pizza in the birthplace of pizza. While Mario did not take us to the place mentioned in all of the guide books, after bringing us back to the ship, he did show some the location of a nearby pizza place. While I was not the pizza fiend, I got summoned as I was about to board the ship to come back to security. Thinking my sister-in-law had lost her idea or something, I learned that my important mission was to help them eat the pizza. They had ordered it to go, but ship rules do not allow one to bring prepared foods on board. So there I am, spending a week on a floating food trough being ordered to scarf down some Neapolitan pizza on land to avoid violating the prepared food rule.

Dining that night was Le Bistro, which was very delicious. Service wasn't the fastest, but we were learning to relax and enjoy lengthy meals. Plans to dance the night away faded with that dangerous phrase, "Let me just put my head on the pillow for a few minutes." 3:17 was the next time my eyes officially opened.

/COLOR]

[OnTheGoMom921]

Really enjoying your review...love your humorous remarks! I will be doing this itinerary next year, so I am looking forward to the rest of your review. :)

Thank you!

[Sauer-kraut]

I think NCL may have solved the dress code wars as it seemed the passengers dressed for what they felt like and not for others. No sneers or jeers, about 65 % of the women were "dressed up" and maybe 30 % of the guys. I saw tons of mixed couples, where the women looked like they were fresh off the red carpet and the guys looked like they were about to lay the carpet. Proof that NCL has hit on a relationship saving formula that still allows people to cruise together though their styles are different.

 

LOL what a great review! :D

[Kingfisherhill]

Im loving your review, please keep it coming.

[Chas2crews]

WEDNESDAY

The Emperor has no clothes. Today's stop was Rome, and it is really one of the biggest conspiracies in the travel industry that you can dock 70 minutes away at the height of rush hour in a city of 3 million with a recorded history dating back to the Etruscans and "see" Rome by 4:30 p.m. in time to fight rush hour to return to the ship. Only the Visigoths have been able to hit more Roman sites faster. Now that is something Snowden should have leaked. Having myself been part of this madness before and likely happy to do it again, I proceed.

 

One sister-in-law had a friend in Rome, so she took advantage of the ship's Rome on Your Own excursion which dropped you off in the city and picks you up later in the day for the return. She said that transportation was perfectly acceptable, and it likely saves time over those d-i-yers who take the long walk to the train station and wait at the mercy of the train schedule. The three of us joined a family of four for a private tour. Our private guide, Gian Carlo, was present on time and fully engaged and informative. As a relatively young guide, he was very helpful in giving every day insights from a Gen X perspective. Our first stop was St. Paul's Basilica, an impressive church located on or near an historic site for those of the faith. He also decoded for us some of the symbology that we would likely see in other cathedrals. A very helpful tip that proved true on later stops in Italy, France and Spain. As we drove, we learned that he had a secret advantage as his wife was an archeologist. Coupled with his political science major, we had good discussions on current and historic politics. The trip took us past monuments to the first Italian king until we ended up at the Colosseum. Again being cheap, we did not hire a guide, but Gian Carlo got us our "skip the line tickets" and away we went, stop watch in hand. Here, Rick Steve's was very helpful, and we felt that we got a solid overview of its purpose, import and legacy. From there, we hit Palatine hill and the Forum. Again, no guide, and rick Steves was no help when I became the second person in 2,000 years to make a very bad wrong turn at the Forum (Julius Caesar being the first.). We catch up with Gian Carlo a little late, so it is a sprint to the Pantheon and a 20 minute food/bodily function break before racing on to Trevi Fountain (in hindsight I know this is sounding like a chapter from The DaVinci Code, but I refer you to the first paragraph above.). Some worked through the crowds to get to the front of the fountain for photos and the coin toss. I, seeing an opening in the crowd, launched a coin from the side street about 35 yards away. I tossed a second for good measure, spun around and headed back to the vehicle.

 

Off to the Vatican, where we had skip-the-line tickets. Once again, no private guide, but here I would say you do not need one. As Gian Carlo explained, "You will see the Sistine Chapel, dead or alive." Once we got in, I saw what he meant. It was a virtual tourist mosh pit of bus groups, guides and others, packed together in a moving mass of humanity. Die of a heart attack or whatever, much like a Weekend at Bernie's, you will be moved along to the Sistine Chapel at which point you will get some attention from the Vatican guard, "Sir, no resting on the floor to view the Sistine Chapel! Get up and move along, or we will have to take you out." You also don't need a guide because everyone else has a guide. You only lose out if it is all Japanese day, and you don't speak Japanese. In fact, given the cruise ship deadline, a guide slows you down. I followed three British 20 something women who did "guide surfing" as they made their way. Listen in to the Disney guide in the map room, The Royal Princess guide in the statuary, etc. They were like my pulling guards, with "a seal here and a seal here," until we're in the Sistine Chapel. Take no photos there, but if you are a nerd like me, a pair of binoculars was invaluable. Rick Steves was helpful here as he laid the ceiling out in an understandable grid. Follow the "Tour Group Only" exit out, hit St. Peter's Basilica and there, you have "seen" Rome. You have heard it, but we saw them yanking out of line those baring the knees, shoulders and upper arms. Rome was hot, high 80's, so bring a pashmina or other covering for those offending parts and take it off when you leave.

 

Gian Carlo was very flexible, returning to St. Peter's so folks could get extra photos and taking us to six of the fabled Seven Hills of Rome. I highly recommend him for a private tour.

 

If you are only going to do pizza once in Italy, do it in Rome as it was much better than the Naples version according to those eating it. Dinner tha night was in Taste, no wait, acceptable food, slow as usual service. K

[Chas2crews]

THURSDAY

This was Livorno, and we chose a private tour to Pisa and Florence. Some guide books say don't do this because there is so much to see in Florence. For first timers, I say do exactly this because there is so much to see in Florence, you will never see it all any way. There were again 7 of us, even though the vans hold 8 I like the 7 number unless your group always has a person small enough to be comfortable in the front middle seat.

 

our guide was on time and very knowledgeable. He was not as flexible as previous drivers towards the day's end on extra stops with the result we were back onboard an hour and change early. No one wants to miss the ship, but feeling like you had time for one more brief stop is not satisfying either. I chalk it up possibly to things at home on that same day where he may have needed do get home sooner. I would use Him again.

 

The first stop was Pisa where the s-I-l's had 9 a.m tickets to climb the tower. We did not because there were no more 9 a.m. tickets and we needed to be on our way to Florence by 9:45. A couple of quick points. Climbing The Tower tickets were 18 euros each, and my sisters in law said this was money well spent We also bought tickets for the Baptistery for 5 euros each. DO NOT DO THIS if your day includes Florence. The Baptistery does not open until 10 a.m, so your travel time would be thrown off. The driver took me into a local cafe while they climbed. He bought, and I wimped and went Cafe Americano. It was fun to see him and the locals do their morning interaction talking (as best as I could tell) politics, sports etc. for bodily function breaks, the Tower of Pisa restrooms don't open until 9 and the bars want you to buy something.

 

We headed to Florence, and the private driver was well worth it again. We hit Parc Michaelangelo for an overview of the key city sights. Then, off to see the Duomo, lunch, skip the line tour of David and Ponte Vecchio. One of the sisters and I walked on from the bridge to Pitti Palace. We had no time for a tour, but a request to go to the bookstore for souvenirs let us skip the very long line and give us a taste of the grand scale of this structure. Back to meet the group, and off to the return to the ship.

 

Dinner that night was Cagney's. spend the money and do this. The food is great, the ambience elegant and the service less slow. This was also White Hot Night" which only I managed to attend, and even then only about 20 minutes.

[jdvmd]

Nice comments! Now I am wondering what was the one Beatles trivia question you missed.

[Chas2crews]

Nice comments! Now I am wondering what was the one Beatles trivia question you missed.

 

Well, it was "Day Tripper". Our team was all around it, but we just could not pull it out of the memory cobwebs. And of course, there was no loud person who invariably shouts an answer and says "Ooops!". When you miss one, you hope it is obscure so folks would say, "Oh, yeah, that was a hard one." This song was a fun one that you smack your head because you know you should have gotten it.

[Chas2crews]

FRIDAY

So our private tour this day in France was the four of us plus Sarah, her boyfriend and her parents. So four private tours and four great pairings. I don't know if that is the norm, but I am now sold on private tours.

 

Our guide/driver was Gilles, and it did not take long for me to stuff my toes in my throat. I mentioned how good it was to have a tour away from Marseille because "Touring marseille would be like touring Newark." (Sorry you Newark residents, but I doubt YOU tour Newark with your out of town guests.). Gilles politely noted that he lives in Marseille and tourism has grown as a business in the last 5-7 years. We reached a pleasant truce as I stated I might take him up on it my next visit. With that out of the way, we headed to Arles. This was a fun city to give hints of the reach of the Roman Empire. We lucked into a ceremony launching the fall bull fight season. I was able to use my rusty college French to decipher that the regional leader, the mayor and the festival director all promised that there would be adequate security at this year's festival, a point punctuated by the presence of two horse mounted officers. The 1950 years old roman amphitheater is still used for the bull fights, putting those cities who feel they need to get a new stadium every 25 years in a glaring light.

 

Gilles was a knowledgeable guide, and it helps again having a younger guide who gives information on some of the challenges for the youth. We learned that the kids are in school until 5 pm, and recess is an hour and a half. Probably would not work here stateside, but it does seem worth exploring. Heading to Avignon, Gilles gave some of the history on how the papacy ended up here for 5 popes. The building was fascinatingly huge, and we used the time to explore on our own and have lunch. An awkward moment is worth highlighting here. We understood that Europe was more civilized and tips were automatically included. The proprietor explained that is now less true given the recession and downturn. Hmmm. It was not a huge issue as I would typically toss a little more in if the tip was included. In this case, I steered a middle ground, tipping less than I would in the states but more than if le pourboire was included.

 

From Avignon, the next stop, barely, was St. Remy, where Van Gogh spent some of his time as he was losing it. It was fun to see some of the landscape paintings juxtaposed with the actual gardens which had not changed much over the past century or so. From there to Les Baux, another of these fascinating hillside fortress cities. Clearly, the thugs were rampant in those days, so you get as high as you can so you are able to drop hot oil from altitude. Hey, a bit like Newark.

 

The return to the ship was in sharp contrast to the early deposit in Livorno. Here, we ran into an LA worthy traffic jam, moving one car length a minute. Visions of sitting in traffic as the ship pulled away ran through your mind briefly. Gilles teased that instead of touring marseille, I could stay overnight. No need to worry. The bulk of the traffic was headed to a ferry destined for Algeria. We got back to the ship with 17 minutes to spare, not that I was counting.

 

We did the Garden Cafe for dinner, and it was impressive in the variety of options in my mind. It also had a bar where you could get wine with the meal. Good place to hang out in a pinch.

[Chas2crews]

SATURDAY

For those boarding in Barcelona, after four consecutive days of hard touring shore excursions, a beach day in Palma de Mallorca is just what the doctor ordered. If you are still in excursion mode, that is available. In addition, locals said the best beach is some 40 minutes away. We chose instead the $12 round trip cruise sponsored bus to downtown. Two of us then walked 3/4 of a mile to the beach, while two others walked down to the old city. The beach just outside of the hotels at the end of the beach had imported sand on top of the rocky shoreline. The beach is very European, so those guys and gals for whom that is an attraction, bring your best pair of wrap around sunglasses. You can order drinks and food on the beach, so alll in all, kick back, relax and enjoy.

 

SUNDAY

 

Cruises end way to soon, so I am determined to do a 10 day soon. Of course that one ends as well, but putting it off is fun. We opted for the "walk your own bags off" debarkation, and trust me, that is definitely the way to go. Taxis are plentiful as you leave, and the trip to the airport is relatively short. Check in for American Airlines was nightmarish for some, so if you are flying that carrier, three hours is not too much for peace of mind.

 

So this is the review. I liked Epic, would do Freestyle again on one of the newer ships, and highly recommend it for large groups traveling together. Some quick hits:

 

1. Leave from Rome and arrive a few days earlier to get more sightseeing in.

2. Do not embark in Marseille.

3. Be prepared for virtually no English if you hire a private cab in Barcelona. The gentleman who met us when we arrived seemed over his pay grade at, "Hello."

4. Be sure to try sushi, Cagney's and Cirque.

5. Bring binoculars to the Vatican tour. It's too creepy, so don't bring them to the beach.