couple of questions re: NCL Epic

[pennydog24]

Hi everyone, really enjoyed browsing through the questions.Sorry I cannot answer them - maybe when I get back!

I had a couple of questions for anyone who has cruised before on NCL - I'lljust go for it and see if anyone can answer:

I have read the dress code about long trousers and collared shirts in the evening for over 12s.How strict are they with teens? My 13 and 15 year old will not be bringing many shirts, but have plenty of smart collared polo type T shirts. Will they be ok in the main dining areas? Will they insist on long trousers?

 

Also, where can we fill up water bottles or get drinking water? I have to have water by my bed at night!

 

How busy do the slides get ? and will we struggle to get a sunbed? Is there a quieter area of the ship to sunbathe?

 

I heard about the laundry midweek special - do they still do this?

 

When do you get your flight tickets?

 

Finally - is there a cheaper way of getting to pompeii than the NCL tour but not going it alone completely? I am a bit timid!

Thanks

[Cubechick]

Hi everyone, really enjoyed browsing through the questions.Sorry I cannot answer them - maybe when I get back!

I had a couple of questions for anyone who has cruised before on NCL - I'lljust go for it and see if anyone can answer:

I have read the dress code about long trousers and collared shirts in the evening for over 12s.How strict are they with teens? My 13 and 15 year old will not be bringing many shirts, but have plenty of smart collared polo type T shirts. Will they be ok in the main dining areas? Will they insist on long trousers?

 

That's fine. There are only two restaurants that don't allow shorts. Le Bistro and one main dining room.

 

Also, where can we fill up water bottles or get drinking water? I have to have water by my bed at night!

 

At the buffet. However the water from the tap in your room is perfectly fine. I usually fill up a bottle and chill it in the fridge.

 

How busy do the slides get ? and will we struggle to get a sunbed? Is there a quieter area of the ship to sunbathe?

 

I heard about the laundry midweek special - do they still do this?

 

Yes.

 

When do you get your flight tickets?

 

I typically book at around the 6 month mark.

 

Finally - is there a cheaper way of getting to pompeii than the NCL tour but not going it alone completely? I am a bit timid!

Thanks

 

I've answered a couple of your questions. :)

 

I have read that it is fairly easy to get to Pompeii on your own. But I was a chicken too and booked through the ship. ;) Pompeii was a highlight of the trip.

[WouterC]

I've answered a couple of your questions. :)

 

I have read that it is fairly easy to get to Pompeii on your own. But I was a chicken too and booked through the ship. ;) Pompeii was a highlight of the trip.

 

You can get there by train or shared taxi (I believe I read there's even a bus, but I forgot where I read that).

 

I was quoted €120 (about $164) for a round-trip from the cruise port to Pompeii and back. If you can get together 4 persons, it might be worth it.

 

However, the excursion from NCL includes the guide. Guides for Pompeii can be expensive, and several people mentioned to me that having a guide in Pompeii is really useful. Which means the Pompeii Excavations excursion from NCL is not per definition a bad offering.

[Winnigirl]

Polo shirts are fine for the Dining Room, as long as they have collars. The truth is that none of these rules are ever enforced too strictly. I would have them take one pair of long pants to wear to dinner. It's not that they'd be turned away - it's just a good teaching tool to teens that sometimes you just have to follow the rules, even if they don't make sense to you.

 

As for Pompeii, I would definitely recommend a tour.

[nadeki]

You should have long pants with you on this trip as in many of the churches men and boys must wear long pants to go inside. We have found we are packing many more clothes than usual this trip. I would hate to go so far away and then be turned away from seeing things because we were dressed like tourists!

[Cubechick]

You should have long pants with you on this trip as in many of the churches men and boys must wear long pants to go inside. We have found we are packing many more clothes than usual this trip. I would hate to go so far away and then be turned away from seeing things because we were dressed like tourists!

 

That is definitely the case at St. Peter's. However I didn't find it an issue anywhere else.

[Usamickey]

I just got off the Epic and can answer a few of your questions. The dress code is very relaxed. People wear everything. The Manhattan Room is clearly more formal than Taste, however it is truly a big mix. I think I would have felt out of place going too casual to Manhattan, but that does not mean it did not happen.

 

I can not really answer your questions about the slides and water area because we really did not have much opportunity to utilize those areas. It was a bit chilly by the time we were back on the ship.

 

As for Pompeii, check out Can't Be Missed tours. Very affordable and really excellent tour guides. They are at the ship, you board a bus and go to the Amalfi coast to Positano and Sorento and then back to Pompeii. They take you in Pompeii and give you a tour of all of the highlights. I can't say enough great things about the tour. if you want more details, feel free to message me. I also used them in Rome.

[WouterC]

Great to hear you say that, since that's the tour we booked for Naples.

 

As for Pompeii, check out Can't Be Missed tours. Very affordable and really excellent tour guides. They are at the ship, you board a bus and go to the Amalfi coast to Positano and Sorento and then back to Pompeii. They take you in Pompeii and give you a tour of all of the highlights. I can't say enough great things about the tour. if you want more details, feel free to message me. I also used them in Rome.

[mugtech]

Guess the Epic does not go to Istanbul, but just for your info women are required to cover their shoulders and their knees and head coverings are required to enter the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.

[Love my butler]

Hi everyone, really enjoyed browsing through the questions.Sorry I cannot answer them - maybe when I get back!

I had a couple of questions for anyone who has cruised before on NCL - I'lljust go for it and see if anyone can answer:

I have read the dress code about long trousers and collared shirts in the evening for over 12s.How strict are they with teens? My 13 and 15 year old will not be bringing many shirts, but have plenty of smart collared polo type T shirts. Will they be ok in the main dining areas? Will they insist on long trousers?

 

Also, where can we fill up water bottles or get drinking water? I have to have water by my bed at night!

 

How busy do the slides get ? and will we struggle to get a sunbed? Is there a quieter area of the ship to sunbathe?

 

I heard about the laundry midweek special - do they still do this?

 

When do you get your flight tickets?

 

Finally - is there a cheaper way of getting to pompeii than the NCL tour but not going it alone completely? I am a bit timid!

Thanks

 

In the two restaurants that require pants, ANY pants will do. Don't listen to this 'nice' jeans or khakis baloney. Also just about ANY shirt will do. Collared shirts are NOT required.

 

To get water for the room, simply order a pitcher of water from room service.

 

The yellow slide can get very busy. The purple and green usually do not have a line. The yellow slide is the best and they only put a set number of tubes into play that you use for the yellow slide. Might be a 15+ minute wait for the yellow slide.

 

Loungers can be very hard to find in the main pool area. Go all the way forward to the lounge area that almost nobody knows about. It seldom has many people.

 

Midweek laundry special is $28 to fill a bag. Happens on all NCL ships.

[KeithJenner]

The water slides are very busy on the sea day, but pretty quiet for most of the rest of the cruise.

 

If you pack your swimwear in your carry on then you can get your fix on embarkation day.

 

As Love My Butler says, any long trousers will do, and collars are not required. I understand from reading these boards that most people dress up a bit on this cruise (I never actually notice what people are wearing so can't comment from experience).

[WouterC]

That is definitely the case at St. Peter's. However I didn't find it an issue anywhere else.

 

My DW was asked to cover her shoulders in at least one other church, or she wasn't allowed to enter. I believe it was Santa Maria Maggiore, but I'm not 100% sure.

 

She always takes a shrug/bolero for these occasions, very practical.

Edited May 27, 2014 by WouterC

[pennydog24]

Great replies very helpful