Our Epic first time cruise- photo review- 3rd Jan Canaries/Spain

[SquishTheWhale]

Day 8- Cagneys!

 

Cagneys was hands down my fave meal of this trip. It wasn't just the food- which was great- it was the level of service. Our waiter had one of those 'vacation hero' badges on, and he was so lovely that I wish I had taken his name so I could nominate him for another one! If we cruise Norwegian again I think Cagneys will be the only speciality we'd return to. I enjoyed all the others, but they were more a 'fun to try once' type of thing rather than somewhere I'd pay to go back to. The service in the other specialities was also no better than the service in the MDR, but in Cagneys it really felt a bit special.

 

Sorry no menu pics- but the standard Cagneys menu is easy enough to find online (until they change them all to a la carte anyway...)

 

For starters I had the chicken drumsticks, and F had the waygu slider burgers

 

 

 

These were both really good! The chicken had a lovely sauce on it and the dips were awesome. F asked for the sliders to come medium but they were pretty well done (which was fine by me as then I got to take a bite), but they were super juicy still and tasty so it didn't matter.

 

F did tell me off for not informing him in advance that we had Cagneys booked tonight, as he had steak in the MDR last night, so he didn't really want steak again. My bad. So he ordered the ribs, and I ordered the double cut australian lamb chops (well done).

 

 

These lamb chops were seriously tasty, with the tiniest hint of pink- which was fine by me, but that is two items that weren't really cooked as we asked! Tiny hint of pink was fine though, I just don't like meat that still looks half raw, and find if I ask for 'tiny hint of pink' it comes red and bleeding, so normally just ask for well done. The lamb jus they came with was also really nice.

 

 

The ribs- sorry for the bad pic. F really enjoyed these, but I do feel that he slightly missed out on the Cagneys experience by not having a steak! I think he still wasn't feeling 100% as he only managed about half of this.

 

For sides we just had to try the famous Cagneys fries (yum) and also ordered some onion rings and mac and cheese, which was slightly over ambitious but I wanted to try them all!

 

 

 

All the sides were really good, especially the fries.

Edited February 6, 2016 by SquishTheWhale

[SquishTheWhale]

For dessert I knew even before the cruise what I wanted- Oreo cheesecake! F said he was too full, despite the waiter's best efforts to get him to try just a little of something.

 

 

Oreo cheesecake! Seriously yummy, and much bigger than I expected to be! F said he would bet me anything that I wouldn't finish it, so I nearly made myself sick proving him wrong. But it was worth it :D

 

After Cagneys we had reservations for Burn the Floor (so when I said before that we saw it for the 2nd time another evening- I was wrong!), so we headed there and very much enjoyed seeing that for the second time. There was a very long queue to get in this time- I think because it was the last showing of the cruise everyone was wanting to see it. Then it was time for bed!

Edited February 6, 2016 by SquishTheWhale

[red212fire212]

Again fab review!!!...

 

What was your room number? we are also in a deck 10 aft inside! can I pick your brains a little or anyone else who knows?

 

Would we be alright bringing a travel kettle?

 

If there is no iron are we alright bringing a travel iron do you think? (seen a few on here say you aren't allowed)

 

Was there a hairdryer?

 

(To anyone that may know...) Will my ghd's work?!?! (in the 2 different places in America I tried em they wouldnt come on, I presume cos of the wattage difference!!)

 

Keep up the good work... I have ordered my brita filter bottle, saves hunting round ashore for water to bring on! thanks for that tip and the many many others!!

 

Roll on the 24th Feb!!!!!

[SquishTheWhale]

Again fab review!!!...

 

What was your room number? we are also in a deck 10 aft inside! can I pick your brains a little or anyone else who knows?

 

Would we be alright bringing a travel kettle?

 

If there is no iron are we alright bringing a travel iron do you think? (seen a few on here say you aren't allowed)

 

Was there a hairdryer?

 

(To anyone that may know...) Will my ghd's work?!?! (in the 2 different places in America I tried em they wouldnt come on, I presume cos of the wattage difference!!)

 

Keep up the good work... I have ordered my brita filter bottle, saves hunting round ashore for water to bring on! thanks for that tip and the many many others!!

 

Roll on the 24th Feb!!!!!

 

As far as I'm aware no travel kettles or irons are allowed- I didnt try and bring one but I'm pretty sure that's the rule. A lot of people on here talk about bringing wrinkle release spray to make up for the lack of an iron, but its not something sold in the UK. I made my own (following online instructions)- fill a small spray bottle with water and a splash of fabric conditioner. Then just hang the clothes up and spray all over them, giving them a tug to pull the wrinkles out. Depending on the fabric it works pretty well!

 

I plugged my GHDs into the European socket under the desk as that one has the correct voltage! So make sure you bring European travel adaptors. I bought both US and euro ones but never used the US sockets. There's a hairdryer in the cabin and it worked fine for my long hair- it was a proper one, not one of those pathetic travel ones where you have to hold a button in (they give me cramp in my arm!)

 

I was in 10297, which are you in?

Edited February 6, 2016 by SquishTheWhale

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Ooh roll call based fame, I like it! :D I have to say I didn't notice any shops closing for siesta- I think in the tourist areas they probably don't. Checking on the shopping situation- a girl after my own heart! :p

 

 

That's good! I have to admit, it struck a little fear in my heart when she told me that. She's traveled there recently, so I'm sure she's well informed, but the fact that you didn't notice an impact is encouraging! :D

 

For dessert I knew even before the cruise what I wanted- Oreo cheesecake!

 

Last time I cruised (my first NCL cruise) I hadn't heard of this legend, so I'm really looking forward to trying it this time. Yum!

[red212fire212]

As far as I'm aware no travel kettles or irons are allowed- I didnt try and bring one but I'm pretty sure that's the rule. A lot of people on here talk about bringing wrinkle release spray to make up for the lack of an iron, but its not something sold in the UK. I made my own (following online instructions)- fill a small spray bottle with water and a splash of fabric conditioner. Then just hang the clothes up and spray all over them, giving them a tug to pull the wrinkles out. Depending on the fabric it works pretty well!

 

I plugged my GHDs into the European socket under the desk as that one has the correct voltage! So make sure you bring European travel adaptors. I bought both US and euro ones but never used the US sockets. There's a hairdryer in the cabin and it worked fine for my long hair- it was a proper one, not one of those pathetic travel ones where you have to hold a button in (they give me cramp in my arm!)

 

I was in 10297, which are you in?

 

...First time doing the 'quote' thing, Hope it works....

 

Thank you for replying.. will relay the info to the the rest in my party! I dont take an iron on holiday... I'm on holiday lol!!!

 

We are opposite your room, I'm in 10306, We have 5 rooms port side. Can't wait for the rumble of the engines to wake us up when docking (fingers crossed lol) in Tangier and the other ports... Who need an alarm clock eh??!!

 

Don't let me take up any more of your time.... You have a review to carry on with!!!

[funnybunny70]

...First time doing the 'quote' thing, Hope it works....

 

Thank you for replying.. will relay the info to the the rest in my party! I dont take an iron on holiday... I'm on holiday lol!!!

 

We are opposite your room, I'm in 10306, We have 5 rooms port side. Can't wait for the rumble of the engines to wake us up when docking (fingers crossed lol) in Tangier and the other ports... Who need an alarm clock eh??!!

 

Don't let me take up any more of your time.... You have a review to carry on with!!!

 

 

Hi

We are also on the Feb 24th cruise ! I hope to god my GHDs work or I will be walking around like a frizzy haired mad women lol!

Kim

[SquishTheWhale]

Hi

We are also on the Feb 24th cruise ! I hope to god my GHDs work or I will be walking around like a frizzy haired mad women lol!

Kim

 

Haha don't worry, they work fine with the euro sockets- I didn't inflict my 'au natural lions mane' on the rest of the passengers! I know some newer GHDs have a voltage converter in them so they may also work with the US sockets. Mine are around 6 or 7 years old so not sure if they have one but they did work perfectly.

[funnybunny70]

Haha don't worry, they work fine with the euro sockets- I didn't inflict my 'au natural lions mane' on the rest of the passengers! I know some newer GHDs have a voltage converter in them so they may also work with the US sockets. Mine are around 6 or 7 years old so not sure if they have one but they did work perfectly.

 

 

Ha ha

I've got both( I have my own hair salon) and yes the newer ones convert themselves in the US the older ones are good in Europe as if you in screw the big screw in the plug an pull the cord out pops a European plug so no need for an adaptor!

Loving the review it must be keeping you busy I think we will all be very sad when we get to the end!

Kim

[Quilting_Cruiser]

i think we will all be very sad when we get to the end!

 

yes!

[Dorset Cruiser]

As far as I'm aware no travel kettles or irons are allowed- I didnt try and bring one but I'm pretty sure that's the rule. A lot of people on here talk about bringing wrinkle release spray to make up for the lack of an iron, but its not something sold in the UK. I made my own (following online instructions)- fill a small spray bottle with water and a splash of fabric conditioner. Then just hang the clothes up and spray all over them, giving them a tug to pull the wrinkles out. Depending on the fabric it works pretty well!

 

I plugged my GHDs into the European socket under the desk as that one has the correct voltage! So make sure you bring European travel adaptors. I bought both US and euro ones but never used the US sockets. There's a hairdryer in the cabin and it worked fine for my long hair- it was a proper one, not one of those pathetic travel ones where you have to hold a button in (they give me cramp in my arm!)

 

I was in 10297, which are you in?

 

You can order an iron and ironing board from housekeeping. Our steward told us they give you a two hour slot. Did not take the offer up though as our clothing wrinkles fell out after hanging clothes in wardrobe.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[ellieocb]

Thanks Dorset cruiser great tip !

[SquishTheWhale]

Sorry for no weekend updates- was embarking on wedding DIY projects instead!

 

Day 9- Malaga

 

Remember when we were in Funchal and I said to F that I wished we had longer in Funchal and less time in Malaga? That sums up how I was feeling about this port stop- a bit 'meh'. For some reason I had in my head that because it was mainland Spain it would be a bit Benidorm-ish. Well. Well. Let me tell you how wrong I was! Malaga is absolutley the hidden gem of this cruise. After Loro Parque it was probably my fave thing of the cruise.

 

But back to the start of the day- we had breakfast in the buffet and weren't in a massive rush to disembark as we had a long port day. Our plan was to explore on foot- maybe see the beach, the cathedral, find some churros to eat. When you disembark there is shuttle buses available to ferry you to the end of the port- unless you are disabled or chronically lazy there is no need to use these.

 

Head off along this walkway (you can't go wrong, just follow it from the ship)

Eventually the road will split- head right towards the beach, or carry on straight/left-ish to the town and marina area. We headed right, towards the beach (just because we could see it and we didn't really know where the other way went!)

 

 

 

Such a beautiful beach! Very quiet this time of year- most of the beach bars were shut (although it was also early in the day), but lovely to walk along. F found this equipment- we think it's for surfing practice?

 

 

There was loads of these little green birds around- anyone know what they are?

 

 

After an hour or so walking along the beach we headed back towards that split in the road and headed left instead- this takes you down the main route into town, through a lovely modern marina area with loads of nice shops, cafes, ice cream bars etc. And of course some classic picture opportunities:

 

 

We did a little shopping- got some nice embroidered pashminas for our mothers at 10 euros each. There's a good variety of shops here- from designer to cosmetics to sportswear. It's also just a lovely place to stroll next to the water in the sunshine. I wish I had taken a picture (instead focusing on penguin cut-outs, maybe...) so you could see what I'm on about but I didn't! Everything is super clean, modern and well maintained- really impressive.

Edited February 8, 2016 by SquishTheWhale

[cruisejunkie76]

We were on b2b over Xmas and new year and I too hated the ship, far too big and impersonal! I'm travelling solo in April and really not looking forward to it, I did try to change ship but nothing sailing that fit in with my dates

 

You should try out the Studio Lounge for the Solotraveller. Have you booked a Studio for April?

I have made 3 Cruises in a Studio on the Epic so far and I was great. You meet People that are travelling alone for any Kind of reasons and the result is that I still friends with some of them.

[SquishTheWhale]

While you are walking along the marina you will notice a London Eye style big wheel at the end- we headed towards this and decided to hop on for about 10 euros. You get some pretty good views up here- as well as being pretty, it helped us see where we were and know where to go next!

 

 

You see the path covered in the canopy with a wave on the top? That's one half of the marina walkway- the other half is at right angles with it, where all the boats are.

 

There's the HOHO bus- it goes from the base of the wheel

 

 

Oh look, there's the cathedral! Lets head there next.

 

After 3 spins round the wheel, we used our new found sense of direction to head off to the Cathedral. As Cathedrals go, it's not huge but was very pretty- and part of the charm is how it sits in this un-assuming little square.

 

 

I was at the back of the little square but still couldn't get the whole thing in shot!

Edited February 8, 2016 by SquishTheWhale

[jodieh12]

You should try out the Studio Lounge for the Solotraveller. Have you booked a Studio for April?

I have made 3 Cruises in a Studio on the Epic so far and I was great. You meet People that are travelling alone for any Kind of reasons and the result is that I still friends with some of them.

 

I wasn't travelling solo at Xmas but am travelling with my 15 year old in April so yes effectively solo so will join the solo group. My partner had a studio and I thought it was like a cell although many people do like it.

 

Liverpool Jo

[SquishTheWhale]

The center of Malaga is a rabbits warren of little streets covered in tapas bars and tavernas. It was getting towards lunch, so we headed off down a random series of streets and then picked out somewhere for lunch- not for any special reason other than we were getting a bit lost and confused so went for the next tapas place we saw!

 

We then proceeded to order WAY too much food. They offered a mix of small and large tapas dishes- the small being 2 euros and large being 4. As in England tapas will often set you back £6 a dish, we assumed the small ones were tiny- like one meatball- and the normal size ones would be tapas size. Wrong! They were full meal size, and we ordered 4 of them- eek!

 

 

 

 

The prawns were good, everything else was mediocre and we left most of it. They also put an un-touched and un-requested basket of bread on the table and charged us a euro for it- I noticed it on the bill but didn't tell F as I knew he'd want to argue with them about it.

 

We then intented to re-trace our steps, but ended up taking a different route and coming across a huge shopping street lined with big department stores and every other store you could think of. When they say Malaga is a shoppers paradise they aren't joking! Now despite F dragging me away from shops earlier in the cruise, he does also like to indulge in a bit of retail therapy, so we spent a happy couple of hours on this street. The prices are crazy cheap- I got two cardigans from Pull and Bear for 6 euros each- which is about £4 and they are lovely! F got a lovely shirt for 19 euros, and I also got a hoodie for 15 euros. It did help that we visited during the Jan sales!

 

After shopping we followed our feet back to the sea, where we found beautiul gardens

 

 

And the base of the castle

 

 

 

We would have loved to go up inside the castle, but sadly it was getting to 'that time'. I loved cruising, but I think having such a limited time in each destination takes some getting used to! And it just makes me want to come back for a longer stay. We got briefly chatting to a retired American couple (F was wearing a Pittsburgh Panthers top from a visit there and they were supporters), and they were in Malaga for a month! They couldn't believe that we were there for such a finite amount of time.

Edited February 8, 2016 by SquishTheWhale

[SquishTheWhale]

We had 3 original objectives in Malaga- see the beach, see the cathedral and eat churros. We had ticked off two of those, and I decided it was time for number 3. Near the place we had lunch I had spotted a cafe with a big churros sign outside, so we headed back there. I was soooo looking forward to my churros- mmm I love them, but I've never had the authentic product in Spain! They serve them hot and crispy covered in cinnamon sugar and with a cup of thick melted chocolate. So you can imagine my dismay when the cafe man grunted 'no churros now. Come after 6. Ok?' 'Not OK, my ship leaves at 6!' I wailed, to no avail. We walked some more in search of somewhere else serving them, but no luck. How is it so hard to obtain churros in spain? Bah.

 

So we headed back along the marina, and I drove F mad by insisting on examining every restaurant menu (even the really non Spanish ones) in case they did churros. We did pop into the sports shop where I got myself a much needed new Reebok gym bag which was only 20 euros instead of the £35 it would have cost in England. Still sad about the churros, I consoled myself with a frappuchino from the Dunkin Donuts van, and as we had a little time we popped back onto the beach where F decided he had to 'go in' the sea at least once this trip

 

 

There was lots of lovely stray kitties around this end of the beach (right next to the walkway to the port)

 

 

If we lived here we'd adopt them all, they made us miss our kitty at home. Then it was back onto the ship. F headed to the gym while I took the much more sensible approach of watching sail away with a bowl of ice cream (more consolation for the lack of churros).

 

 

Edited February 8, 2016 by SquishTheWhale

[Quilting_Cruiser]

So sad for you about the churros! Would it be horrible of me to tell you I have a food tour booked in Malaga that's starting with--you guessed it--churros?! :p Malaga sounds wonderful. It's one of the stops I'm really looking forward to. Well, mostly because of the food tour but I did learn (as you pointed out) that there's a lot to be seen by just wandering around. That's the plan!

 

I'm so sad that your cruise is almost over. Your review has been delightful and just the thing for someone who's leaving three weeks from tomorrow! :o:p

[ellieocb]

We cruised from Malaga twice before and I love it,I prefer it to Barcelona! It's amazing for shopping and food and is a short train ride to lots of amazing beaches.

[roberthale7787]

Missed you much more than I should for somebody I I haven't met Guess you know how much we all love and appreciate your travel log… Thank F for sharing you and your journey with us Not sure what those birds were in the water… Being that it's the "Canary Islands" maybe there's a clue there You truly have made my anticipation of this cruise in March 6 exciting

Warmly, ROBERT

[SquishTheWhale]

So sad for you about the churros! Would it be horrible of me to tell you I have a food tour booked in Malaga that's starting with--you guessed it--churros?! :p Malaga sounds wonderful. It's one of the stops I'm really looking forward to. Well, mostly because of the food tour but I did learn (as you pointed out) that there's a lot to be seen by just wandering around. That's the plan!

 

Oh no, why didn't I think of that! I foolishly assumed it would be so easy to get churros in spain :'(

 

Missed you much more than I should for somebody I I haven't met �� Guess you know how much we all love and appreciate your travel log… Thank F for sharing you and your journey with us ������ Not sure what those birds were in the water… Being that it's the "Canary Islands" maybe there's a clue there �� You truly have made my anticipation of this cruise in March 6 exciting ��

Warmly, ROBERT

 

They seemed big for canaries- about the side of a pigeon- but I'm not well versed in species of canaries so they could well have been!

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Missed you much more than I should for somebody I I haven't met �� Guess you know how much we all love and appreciate your travel log… Thank F for sharing you and your journey with us ������ Not sure what those birds were in the water… Being that it's the "Canary Islands" maybe there's a clue there �� You truly have made my anticipation of this cruise in March 6 exciting ��

Warmly, ROBERT

 

 

Actually, the Canary Islands were named such because when they were discovered, there were large dogs on the islands, and the latin word for dog is canaria. There's also a possibility they were named for the sea lions, know as sea dogs. Yes, I have done a bit of reading in my preparation for my cruise. LOL.:D

[b_cruise]

Thank you so much for the review and pics are fabulous!!

 

I'm glad sun transfers worked out for you. Unfortunately, I was one of the many they have left at the airport. They even knew my plane was going to be 15 minutes late as I Tex and emailed them 8 hours prior and they had replied. Then they wouldn't even refund me. I think they had other people scheduled so unless ur plane is right on time, I personally wouldn't take the chance. Then the taxi ended up cheaper, so next time I know to save $$ just book a cab.

 

I want to do the canaries or baltics in 2017 but your review is leaning me to the Canary Islands...thank u😄

[roberthale7787]

My sad, feeble attempt at humor.... Darn....you are good!