***LIVE FROM the Epic Transatlantic 2016***

[Rhea98]

CraigJB, we're back at moderno this evening so I'll try to get that info.

 

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[SuiteCruiser]

Day 10

 

Spent the morning in Posh, back down to the Epic Club for lunch. Back to Posh for a bit more. I haven't mentioned the weather or the seas. It has been sunny and hot every day except for one rainy day. The seas have been like glass the whole time. No white caps, waves at the most 1 meter, but I haven't even seen any of those.

 

They're replacing the carpet in the casino bit by bit, so our favourite pit was half gone, with our UTH and 3 Card tables missing. Thankfully they have other tables, so we shifted over there.

 

Still no luck, tried the machines and made $100, best part was it just kept going and going, so I was there for almost an hour, never got very high.

 

Played a Quick Hits machine and hit 6 bonuses, but they never really turned into much.

 

Up to my cabin to read, then down to dinner at Teppanyaki.

 

My friend Jason had arranged for 32 of us to go, we do a group every year. This time 32 took up the whole small room they have, which was great.

 

Show was good, food was good, company was great. One of the guys at my table has and egg allergy, so they brought him all of his food cooked elsewhere. He'd been enjoying his rice and suddenly was coughing and running from the room. A few of the guys went out with him, some have medical background and we all stopped it was a scary few moments. Someone reported that he was lying down and was now surrounded by help. He started feeling nauseas, so went tot he bathroom and got rid of it, which was very helpful, took some Benadryl and by the end of the meal, he was back and looking healthy. He stayed away from the rice and only ate veg and seafood.

 

Back to the casino for continued rotten luck, then up the the Haven Lounge to watch the election coverage. Everyone was in shock and it was early then. Back to the cabin, watched some more and fell asleep.

[SuiteCruiser]

Day 11

 

Woke early and watched us pull into San Juan. After 43 cruises I finally made it here!

 

Spent some time up in Posh, with the beautiful scenery, it was already a scorcher and it was 8:00 AM.

 

I went to breakfast for the second time this whole cruise, and it was good. Eggs were cooked perfectly.

 

We all had to clear immigration and it started at 8:00. Form said for International guests to go to Manhattan room and US citizens to go to Bliss at certain times.

 

If you were walking off on your own, you could go as late as 11:15. I guess the form I got was for Haven as Rob and Linda had different ones.

 

I went to the Concierge desk to ask about times, and my butler was there and he told me to follow him. We got to O'Sheehan's and I saw people in line with green forms. There was no green form in my suite. He told me to wait, so I sat and he got me a form and I filled it out. I saw Rob and he was waiting for Linda who had just joined the line. He then walked me past the line of people waiting. It went from Manhattan room, all the way back to the forward elevators. I just kept looking ahead, feeling very guilty. I arrived and waited for one person to go, then the customs officer told me I didn't need the form, stamped my passport and sent me on my way.

 

In the past, Canadians were told to go to the same place as Americans and leave the "International" people who require Visas to be separate.

 

I had a fun task today. My cousin wanted me to look for a diamond trinity ring and earrings. I took my phone with me and hit the streets of San Juan. Went to 4 different stores and took pictures and sent prices via messenger. 4th was a winner, good price, and she is very happy.

 

It is so hot today that as soon as I stepped into AC, sweat started pouring off of me. Not a pretty sight.

 

Walked back to the ship, approaching the forward gangway and I see Rob and I see Rob and Linda leaving. It took her 2 hours to clear the line. In fact, They were still making announcements to clear customs at 2:00 PM, when I was in the Epic Club and Posh. All aboard was 4:30, so not much time for those people to explore.

 

Back to my cabin to read and cool off and I dozed off. Woke and read some more, then went out on my balcony to watch us sail out of San Juan. It was beautiful.

 

Down to the casino for more up/down, eventually down and letting for my cabin at 10:30. Early sleep and up now to catch up on my blog at 7:00 AM.

 

My toilet wouldn't flush, hopefully they can fix it quickly. Thankfully I have 2 in here. Heading up to Posh to read and relax. Only one more sea day after this one, cruise has flown by and I'm not ready for it to end.

[SuiteCruiser]

Hey Sally! I'm presently on the Jade TA, and our UTH table has a new thing - an Ultimate Pair Bonus ... I wonder if the Epic has the same on their UTH tables.

 

It's something new, and I had not seen before and I have been lucky - hitting it with a pair of Aces several times so far!! :D

 

Enjoy the rest of the cruise. Here on the Jade things are quieter than Epic as most pax are elderly!

 

Next year it's the Getaway TA - Copenhagen to Miami - you on it???

 

You may not remember me but I was also on your Epic 2012 and Escape 2015 TAs - I'm the shy one who has played at your table a couple or so times.

 

I do indeed remember you! Hope you're enjoying the Jade :) I'm thinking about the Getaway next year, but not booked yet.

 

We've had the Ultimate Pair Bonus since last year's Escape TA. That was the first time I'd seen it. I've had a few hits K-A suited, but no A-A for me yet. Everyone else has been pulling them a lot.

[Rhea98]

Thank you very much! There are a couple of pages that are missing the right hand side of the wine list which shows whether they are available by the glass. Would you happen to have those?

 

 

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Hope between the two sets you have what you want:

 

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[CraigJB]

Hope between the two sets you have what you want:

 

 

Absolutely! Thank you very much for sharing these pictures.

 

 

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[DGP1111]

. . . He then walked me past the line of people waiting. It went from Manhattan room, all the way back to the forward elevators. I just kept looking ahead, feeling very guilty.

 

That made me giggle. "Don't make eye contact. Don't make eye contact". Tempers might have also been a bit higher than normal due to some personal feelings regarding the election results.

 

 

Walked back to the ship, approaching the forward gangway and I see Rob and I see Rob and Linda leaving. It took her 2 hours to clear the line. In fact, They were still making announcements to clear customs at 2:00 PM, when I was in the Epic Club and Posh. All aboard was 4:30, so not much time for those people to explore.

 

Yowza! :eek: That probably caused some interesting onboard dialogue for those really wanting to spend any quality time in PR.

Again, with some of the delayed passengers potentially already having internalized frustrations from recent news updates.

 

 

Only one more sea day after this one, cruise has flown by and I'm not ready for it to end.

 

Solution: continue on for another week, or find that perfect place to become a stowaway. I'd enjoy meeting you. :)

And, oh so selfishly, I'm also thinking, "Hurry up and get here!" :)

 

Also, speaking of Posh, since you've seemingly been spending some enjoyable time up there . . . Are the bartenders mostly the same (my experience in the past) or being rotated during the TA? And is there a particular one you've enjoyed that I should get to know for making consistent beverages?

 

Have an excellent last day!!

 

.

[CasinoCruzGirl]

Sally only 23 more days until th next one

[SuiteCruiser]

Day 12

 

Up super early again, in Posh. A couple of hours in I was hungry, likely because I hadn't eaten dinner last night. I headed down for breakfast in the Haven. It was delicious again, headed back to Posh and a few hours later, I was back in the Epic Club having lunch.

 

Posh for a while longer, then to the casino with zero luck, so up to my cabin and read for a long while.

 

Back to the casino for a little bit, saw no improvement, so back upstairs. It was the night of the Hot Party as well as Norwegian's Night Out, so I decided to dress up a bit then headed to Bliss to meet up with the guys at Friends of Dorothy. A couple of drinks and visiting with the boys, I decided to head to Le Bistro for some french onion soup.

 

Waited about 10 minutes to get in, eventually got my soup and a glass of wine and enjoyed both. I don't mind eating alone, but for some reason Le Bistro is a place for couples and friends and for the first time this whole cruise, I felt a little lonely.

 

I asked for my bill, gave my card and didn't expect any charges, since I had the full old UDP. The waitress thought she was doing me a favour in charging me for the soup, since it was only $3.95, not worth using the UDP. I didn't care about using the UDP as fI had only used it a few nights and it's all covered, but the interaction was strange. She came back and said she'd spoken to her manager and they wouldn't charge me since it was just soup. I still didn't understand the issue, but thanked her and headed to the casino.

 

I handed over my card and asked for $200. The supervisor came back and said that my account was a cash account and there were no funds left. I didn't understand, but finished my chips and headed back to the cabin. I was trying to figure out the problem, I have an Amex that is fully paid off every month and the payment wasn't due until Sunday. Slept terribly tossing and turning. I was worried about the car rental on Saturday as I need a credit card for it.

 

I woke and called guest services and they said I should go to the Concierge and they could put through a call to Amex. They did, and everything was quickly settled. Sounds like the purchase in San Juan for my cousin may have tripped an alert.

 

Glad to have it all sorted, I'm back up in Posh on Day 13, having some drinks, feeling a lot more relaxed and going to enjoy my last day.

[SuiteCruiser]

That made me giggle. "Don't make eye contact. Don't make eye contact". Tempers might have also been a bit higher than normal due to some personal feelings regarding the election results.

 

 

 

 

Yowza! :eek: That probably caused some interesting onboard dialogue for those really wanting to spend any quality time in PR.

Again, with some of the delayed passengers potentially already having internalized frustrations from recent news updates.

 

 

 

 

Solution: continue on for another week, or find that perfect place to become a stowaway. I'd enjoy meeting you. :)

And, oh so selfishly, I'm also thinking, "Hurry up and get here!" :)

 

Also, speaking of Posh, since you've seemingly been spending some enjoyable time up there . . . Are the bartenders mostly the same (my experience in the past) or being rotated during the TA? And is there a particular one you've enjoyed that I should get to know for making consistent beverages?

 

Have an excellent last day!!

 

.

 

We're almost there Don! The bartenders are the same ones every day in Posh. Nash is the main bartender, and is fantastic :) I'll be jelly thinking of you next week, have a blast and thanks for following along!

[spiff2]

That same deal happened to us once with the credit card. We bought a ring in St Thomas and the transaction went thru but when we tried to pay our tab at the end of the cruise it was locked. They called for us and it was straightened out. But just a word to the wise, if you make a large purchase out of the country and that is an unusual thing you might want to give them a call at that time. I'm sure whatever shop you are at would be glad to do it.

[farmer92]

We always call card companies and notify of travel.... Saves some confusion sometimes

[luvcruzing]

We always call card companies and notify of travel.... Saves some confusion sometimes

 

I've called Amex to let them know I was going on a trip and was told I didn't have to call to let them know. I guess a large purchase triggers an alarm in their system.

[BermudaBound2014]

We're almost there Don! The bartenders are the same ones every day in Posh. Nash is the main bartender, and is fantastic :) I'll be jelly thinking of you next week, have a blast and thanks for following along!

 

 

Good to hear about fantastic bartenders. Can you please comment on shade availability in Posh? I noticed there were a few days you left posh for shade and I'm wondering just how sunny it is up there :)

 

 

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[kpms]

Loved Your Review!

 

Will be aboard the Epic when she goes back to Barcelona in Mar/Apr - Sounds like you were in amazing company and had some great memories...

 

We are also Canadian, though on the West Coast :)

 

Can't wait to read more!

 

Kris

[katiecat]

Watching you pull into the new home port on the web cam.

[Callimero]

Watching you pull into the new home port on the web cam.

 

 

Yes, she's just turning around.

[dexddd]

I've called Amex to let them know I was going on a trip and was told I didn't have to call to let them know. I guess a large purchase triggers an alarm in their system.

 

That is our experience with Amex as well - not needing to call in advance.

[dexddd]

Watching you pull into the new home port on the web cam.

 

Looks like Epic is at Terminal 1, I thought Epic was using terminal 5 or a different terminal. Maybe it will on future sailings.

[Callimero]

Looks like Epic is at Terminal 1, I thought Epic was using terminal 5 or a different terminal. Maybe it will on future sailings.

 

 

After this cruise the EPIC will arrive and depart from newly renovated Terminal 10!

 

Oliver

 

 

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[whenisthemidnightbuffet?]

Welcome Home Sally! Looking forward to hearing about the remainder of your travels!

 

Phyllis:)

[easyboy]

We always call card companies and notify of travel.... Saves some confusion sometimes

Likewise. And we also post our itinerary on our account on their website.

[DGP1111]

Sally, Nash said Hello.

They had a 'tough crowd' after embarkation (due to passenger frustration regarding check-in, including Haven peeps), so they were pleased to hear the compliment I shared on your behalf.

 

 

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[SuiteCruiser]

Sally, Nash said Hello.

They had a 'tough crowd' after embarkation (due to passenger frustration regarding check-in, including Haven peeps), so they were pleased to hear the compliment I shared on your behalf.

 

 

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I'm sorry embarkation was tough! Have an amazing week and check in :)

[SuiteCruiser]

Day 13

 

I spent most of the day in Posh, went to the casino to get some tip money for the butler and concierge and played $100 in the casino. Lost it, so said goodbye to everyone there and headed back upstairs. Packed and more Posh.

 

Today was breezy and I made the mistake of staying in the sun too long because I was comfortable. Not too badly burned, but I always have "raccoon eyes" because I need to wear sunglasses. Today was totally crazy.

 

I went to Friends of Dorothy to see the guys and say my goodbyes, then had my first dinner in the Epic Club. I had the prime rib and shrimp cocktail, it was great. There was a group of 10 of us, fun guys and funny stories.

 

Back to the suite for a final sweep to check I hadn't left anything, and then packed up, put out my case, had my first bath (no issues thankfully!) and went to sleep. It was early, around 11:00.

 

Woke early, read, went to Posh, then to breakfast and gathered to leave the ship around 9:00. It was a long line to leave, we were skipped to the front to scan out of the ship, but then join the crowds to go through customs. Finally out, I had to wait two bus loads to get to Thrifty, then wait again, finally getting my car at 10:50.

 

Drove to my friend Mindi's place in western FLL (3 hours), hung out for a while, then off to the airport for an 8:00 flight, landing in Ottawa at 11:00.