First ever cruise (Epic) - Weird odds 'n ends questions

[littleengine]

Hi... I leave on Saturday for my first cruise ever. I've been pouring over these forums and trying to absorb as much info as possible (There are fish on the carpets that "swim" in the direction of the ship? Who knew!) but I still have a few last minute odds 'n ends questions I'm hoping to find some answers for.

 

1 - If you bring your own wine on board, or even when filling up at the soda station, etc. is there a type of cup they request you drink out of if you're walking around the ship with it? i.e. plastic only, no glass glasses outside on the decks, etc? I was going to use whatever was available in my room but am now thinking of packing a thermos type cup with a lid for my soda. Are they used on board as they are at, say, all inclusive resorts. If I was purchasing an alcoholic drink, would they make it in that rather than whatever glass/plastic cup they normally would?

 

2 - When you purchase something at the bar to consume elsewhere, what do you do with the glass once you're done (if I can't use my own cup in #1)? Same question for 'take out' from the restaurants, actually. Do you take it back and drop it where you got it from when you're done with it, or can the used glasses/plates/cutlery be dropped at any bar/restaurant?

 

3 - For bottled wine bought on board (i.e. free bottle of wine when booking the specialty restaurant combo, etc) is it true that if you don't finish the bottle at that meal, they keep it for you to be used at your next meal? Are you allowed to take it back to your room with you to finish it there?

 

4 - If you buy the "bucket of beer" special, do they give you a bottle opener for them, or are they always twist offs? Since I wouldn't be able to finish it all at once, am I allowed it take it back to my cabin for future consumption? What do I do with the bucket once the beer is gone?

 

I'm sure there will be more of these little odds and ends questions.. many have popped up now that I've entered the final phase of packing and I'm trying to figure out if I need to bring that bottle opener, wine stopper, grown up sippy cup, etc.

 

Thanks!

Edited January 6, 2014 by littleengine

[3DBeach]

Hi... I leave on Saturday for my first cruise ever. I've been pouring over these forums and trying to absorb as much info as possible (There are fish on the carpets that "swim" in the direction of the ship? Who knew!) but I still have a few last minute odds 'n ends questions I'm hoping to find some answers for.

 

1 - If you bring your own wine on board, or even when filling up at the soda station, etc. is there a type of cup they request you drink out of if you're walking around the ship with it? i.e. plastic only, no glass glasses outside on the decks, etc? I was going to use whatever was available in my room but am now thinking of packing a thermos type cup with a lid for my soda. Are they used on board as they are at, say, all inclusive resorts. If I was purchasing an alcoholic drink, would they make it in that rather than whatever glass/plastic cup they normally would?

 

2 - When you purchase something at the bar to consume elsewhere, what do you do with the glass once you're done (if I can't use my own cup in #1)? Same question for 'take out' from the restaurants, actually. Do you take it back and drop it where you got it from when you're done with it, or can the used glasses/plates/cutlery be dropped at any bar/restaurant?

 

3 - For bottled wine bought on board (i.e. free bottle of wine when booking the specialty restaurant combo, etc) is it true that if you don't finish the bottle at that meal, they keep it for you to be used at your next meal? Are you allowed to take it back to your room with you to finish it there?

 

4 - If you buy the "bucket of beer" special, do they give you a bottle opener for them, or are they always twist offs? Since I wouldn't be able to finish it all at once, am I allowed it take it back to my cabin for future consumption? What do I do with the bucket once the beer is gone?

 

I'm sure there will be more of these little odds and ends questions.. many have popped up now that I've entered the final phase of packing and I'm trying to figure out if I need to bring that bottle opener, wine stopper, grown up sippy cup, etc.

 

Thanks!

 

When we purchased a bucket of beer it did come with a little bottle opener. You can take it anywhere on the ship. I would think you could either leave it in your cabin when done (the steward would take it back for you) or just leave it in a bar area. We brought ours back to the cabin.

[Mrsjones0202]

You can bring your wine anywhere. We had some at dinner and then took it back to our cabin because we didn't finish it. We also drank some on the deck by the pool one night- we just asked the bar for 2 glasses and handed them back when we were done.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[triptolemus]

1. The only restriction would be whatever rules are in place for glass on the pool decks. Bartender discretion to the other part....they may not want your dirty peronsonal cup behind the bar for sanitary reasons, but they seem to have no problem refilling sodas, so...?

 

2. You leave the glass wherever...nearest bar, table, whatever. You simply don't toss it overboard, that's the only rule on that!

 

3. Yes or yes, your preference. Take your glasses and roam around the ship with the bottle. All good.

 

4. Yes they give you an opener if needed. Take the beers and bucket with you wherever you like. Abandon the bucket in alignment with #2. Keep the opener.

 

Drinking on board a cruise ship is not at all as complicated as you are making it! They make it very, very simple where you'll find you don't have to think about these things too much!

Edited January 6, 2014 by triptolemus

[Powriv]

Also solo and leaving on Saturday.

 

Have you joined the roll call. Lots of other solo travellers and a great bunch of non solo travellers

[crystalspin]

@ littleengine

 

Re: adult sippy cup. I thought I would buy a souvenir travel coffee cup on board the N.Star, but the only kind they had in the shop was tall metal without a handle, not a type I like. I ended up buying NCL Traveler ceramic cups because they were larger than the cups in the room, for use in the room, but they were still not deep enough I felt like carrying them around. (I had brought coffee and filters for the 4-cup maker in balcony-and-up room.) Used them enough, but I really didn't NEED more coffee mugs at home!

 

Next time I will bring my favorite ThermoServe "car cup" with handle and use it for coffee (which I will make in the morning and carry to breakfast because the coffee in all dining rooms is pretty much undrinkable) and quite possibly wash it out and carry my own rum-and-diet-pepsi to shows -- rum from bar setup in room. The drink glasses in room are also too small and too shallow to bother taking them around.

 

They did have reusable cold-drink cups in the gift shop -- ones that look like a milkshake glass, with a permanent spiral straw in it. If you like BIG drinks.

 

JMHO. I would leave something out, to make room for car cup, if I were doing it again.

[jetoem]

Littlengine....see you on the ship..

We are bringing our Timmys cup for coffee and as good canadian ambassadors we always have openers..don't forget your koozie for your beer to stay chilled.

[SeaShark]

Hi... I leave on Saturday for my first cruise ever. I've been pouring over these forums and trying to absorb as much info as possible (There are fish on the carpets that "swim" in the direction of the ship? Who knew!) There are, but not on the Epic. but I still have a few last minute odds 'n ends questions I'm hoping to find some answers for.

 

1 - If you bring your own wine on board, or even when filling up at the soda station, etc. is there a type of cup they request you drink out of if you're walking around the ship with it? i.e. plastic only, no glass glasses outside on the decks, etc? No special cup required. I was going to use whatever was available in my room but am now thinking of packing a thermos type cup with a lid for my soda. Are they used on board as they are at, say, all inclusive resorts. If I was purchasing an alcoholic drink, would they make it in that rather than whatever glass/plastic cup they normally would? Glassware isn't a problem and you won't need your own. They'll even bring wine glasses to your room for you if you need them.

 

2 - When you purchase something at the bar to consume elsewhere, what do you do with the glass once you're done (if I can't use my own cup in #1)? Leave it with an employee at any bar/restaurant and they will take care of it. Some people simply set them down somewhere and walk away, but I think that's a little rude. Same question for 'take out' from the restaurants, actually. Do you take it back and drop it where you got it from when you're done with it, or can the used glasses/plates/cutlery be dropped at any bar/restaurant? While you can take it back to any restaurant, simply leave it on the counter in your room and the steward will take care of it. Some people just drop stuff in the hall outside their rooms for someone else to worry about, but I think that's a little rude.

 

3 - For bottled wine bought on board (i.e. free bottle of wine when booking the specialty restaurant combo, etc) is it true that if you don't finish the bottle at that meal, they keep it for you to be used at your next meal? If that is what you want, then yes they will. Are you allowed to take it back to your room with you to finish it there? Yes you are. You can actually finish it anywhere onboard OR you can even take it home with you if that is what you want.

 

4 - If you buy the "bucket of beer" special, do they give you a bottle opener for them, or are they always twist offs? You will get a bottle opener if needed. Since I wouldn't be able to finish it all at once, am I allowed it take it back to my cabin for future consumption? Yes...or you can carry it around the ship all day (you will see many people do just that) What do I do with the bucket once the beer is gone? Return it to any bar or give it to your room steward.

 

I'm sure there will be more of these little odds and ends questions.. many have popped up now that I've entered the final phase of packing and I'm trying to figure out if I need to bring that bottle opener, wine stopper, grown up sippy cup, etc.

 

Thanks!

[Rollingstone43]

Have a great trip littleengine - when do you leave ? This week ? Next ?

 

Don't forget that there are package offers on drinks too, if you think you will consume a reasonable amount of any particular product !!

 

Enjoy !

[Demonyte]

Also, to clear any possible misunderstanding, there are no soda stations on NCL ships - if one has purchased a soda package, you need to go to any open bar to be served.

[Demonyte]

Some people just drop stuff in the hall outside their rooms for someone else to worry about, but I think that's a little rude.

 

Not only rude but strictly forbidden by the rules. One should leave nothing laying in to the corridors outside the stateroom (dirty dishes, scooters, etc) because of the safety regulations. Only exception is the "checked" luggage on the last night and even then the crew should move them to storage areas promptly (while in the reality it's a bit different ;)).

Edited January 6, 2014 by Demonyte

[littleengine]

Hi Al... yes, I'm all signed up on the Roll Call. Looking forward to dinner Friday night - provided the backlog of cancelled/delayed planes is cleared up by then and I'll be able to leave Toronto on time. :-(

 

Also solo and leaving on Saturday.

 

Have you joined the roll call. Lots of other solo travellers and a great bunch of non solo travellers

[littleengine]

Thanks! The cruise leaves this Saturday... only 4 more days!

 

Have a great trip littleengine - when do you leave ? This week ? Next ?

 

Don't forget that there are package offers on drinks too, if you think you will consume a reasonable amount of any particular product !!

 

Enjoy !

[littleengine]

Thanks for the head's up. For some reason I assumed there would be. Where would one get water if they didn't want to buy the ridiculously priced water package on board? Also from any bar, or is they water they give you the same as what you'd get from the tap in the cabin? Bottled water might be one of the items I end up picking up when I hit Miami on Friday.

 

 

Also, to clear any possible misunderstanding, there are no soda stations on NCL ships - if one has purchased a soda package, you need to go to any open bar to be served.

[littleengine]

Thanks, everyone for your help! I realize I am over thinking this a bit, but there's just so much to try to absorb. I also realized that pretty much all the first set of questions I asked were alcohol related, so here's one that's not.

 

What's the general temperature inside the ship? And, outside on the decks? Does it tend to be a bit cooler than, say, while on one of the islands? I wasn't really planning on packing any long pants or sweaters, other than the pair of convertable cargo pants that I can roll up to capri's once I hit Miami. Can I get away with those as my only 'long' pants and stick with regular capri's the rest of the time? I really just want it to always be +25 rather than the -25 it is here right now.

[Demonyte]

Thanks for the head's up. For some reason I assumed there would be. Where would one get water if they didn't want to buy the ridiculously priced water package on board? Also from any bar, or is they water they give you the same as what you'd get from the tap in the cabin? Bottled water might be one of the items I end up picking up when I hit Miami on Friday.

 

The water in bars and restaurants is exactly the same as in cabins but it has been filtered with an additional carbon filter that bars ans restaurants have, so it lacks the chlorine taste that is present when you take water from the tap in the cabin. You can get tap water from any bar just by asking.

 

We usually bring a case of still water with us, also the cases of smaller 0,5 litre Pellegrino bottles (I think that we have bought them from either Publix or Walgreen's for about 1/4-1/3 price per litre compared to onboard price) have been quite money savers too - the mineral water is also ridiculously overpriced onboard. While I can somewhat understand that, I can't understand how the bean counters have ended up putting pretty much the same price tag for both regular water (usually from tap like Aquafina) and alot more expensive, imported mineral spring water...

[crystalspin]

You have an individual thermostat ("warmer" or "cooler" not degrees) in your stateroom. Capris are often cited as being dressy enough for women on NCL, if you don't want to dress to the nines on those nights.

 

I took two pair of knee-length crinkle-rayon culottes and two gauzy long pants (and one twill cropped pants that were more 'rugged' for a boat-train-bus excursion, to keep the other options cleaner). That was for a 2-week cruise! I took a sweater for my husband and a linen 'topper' for wearing to dinner and shows, and I did wear mine over a nice tanktop, but it was for looks and NEVER needed. He never touched his!

 

Something I just thought of and that is: THE SUN. The sun is not your friend! It is much stronger in/near the tropics. So either a long-sleeved topper or frequently applied sunscreen, or both. Areas with coral reefs have specific types of sunscreen that are allowed/banned; I am not familiar with what is OK what isn't. If I were going to swim/snorkel I might wait and buy there. What I took was a Zn-oxide spray from REI, a very lightweight LS overshirt, and a visor hat that wraps around and shades my ears (I have very short hair, no protection).

 

It is humid outside even while the ship is underway. I don't know your itinerary or how often you are comfortable wearing, say, those cargo pants between laundering, but I do recommend packing light, and lightweight clothing! If you intend to have anything laundered on the ship, make sure it can stand HOT water and HOT drying. On the Norwegian Star there was a short clothesline in the shower; I brought a dozen plastic clothespins and used the handwash from the dispenser for handwashing a few things, a couple times during our trip.

 

Re: water on board. The water from the tap is fine to drink. Some find it chlorine-y; I found it kinda flat tasting but we brought Crystallite and it was fine. If you bring your own empty bottle to refill, you may not be able to tote it off at ports (our ports all had the SEALED BOTTLES ONLY rule in force), so you'll want unopened bottles for that.

 

A 20-oz bottle of water just before disembarkation was US$2.50! Many ports there would have been places to buy much cheaper conveniently, but you can't always guess which ones NOT SO.

 

If you want to refill a bottle in the buffet, to get pre-chilled water, you'll see signs saying NO WATER BOTTLES HERE. They want you to use a clean glass at the spigot, then pour into your bottle, so that nothing that might have touched your lips, touches the dispenser. Then it is OK.