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Off the epic and our thoughts

jaxw17

By jaxw17,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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jaxw17

jaxw17

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Well we are back. On the Epic for the first time this was our 15th cruise and second on NCL for sister and BIL it was their first ever cruise.

I will try to be as objective as I can and relay what we found.

We arrived in Barcelona a couple of nights before and the sensible thing to do was the HoHo bus We have been to Barcelona a few times before but it really is beautiful place and there are lots of things to do. we stayed in the Hotel Moderno just off La Rambla. I would not recommend it expensive and shabby. Hey ho you win some you lose some.

Getting on the ship was a breeze we arrived around noon and there were no queues of any description we just went straight through. This is a first for us on any cruise.

We went straight to Taste for lunch to avoid the crowds in the buffet and it was a very nice way to start the cruise.

Around 2 we went to the cabins we were 10140 and 10144 mid ship balcony.

The cabins looked good but i found the wavy shape wasted space and the cabin seemed narrow. The toilet and bathroom set up was not as bad as I had feared and the shower an good size and quite powerful. There was however lots of storage space.

We did not meet the cabin steward until lots later the only thing I wanted from him was to empty the mini bar and make sure we had fresh ice every day. We did want the division opening between the balconies but he said he could not do this.

The flow of the ship feels wrong with no central lifts and no proper atrium but we soon got used to it.

We went to Muster oh why can people not be on time it is one of my pet peeves. No dramas.

On the first night we went to Taste and i was pleased with the meal. No waiting around and service was timely. We then had a wander around and a few beverages.

Off to bed and quite a good nights sleep.

Buffet for breakfast and a sea day. this is where you start to realise just how many people are on the ship and just how many left their brains at home.

We headed for adults only spice H20 we managed to get a sun bed but it was getting tight later on. the main pool area to me was everything i did not want kids, noise, pushing and shoving. each to their own.

that night it was Hubbys birthday and we had booked for Cagneys. it was good i had the surf and turf. Left and partook in an arrange of beverages. New liver is coming off ebay this week !

Will carry on later just a few obsevations there were lots and lots of indians on the ship never seen that before so NCL must be marketing pretty heavily there but talked to someone at the airport of off an RCL ship and they said the same. no problem its just that it was unusual.

the casino is the biggest I have ever seen but the worst I like to play roulette but there are only 2 tables and I could not get near. With is being so big it warrants more.

There is no duty free selling tobacco and alcohol first time i have encountered this on a cruise.

Sometimes the drinks waiters were thin on the ground I wondered if it would be so if people did not have the drinks package. usually they are on it like a car bonnet.

Will return with day 3.

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SKYELADY

SKYELADY

Posted
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EU-only cruise, no duty free. :( And VAT collected on gift shop purchases, etc. throughout the cruise, is that right?

I was told that there was duty free from the NCL r ep who dealt with our cruise ,he mentioned it regarding buying drink with our OBC lol do hope its got one or be hunting in ports for duty free lol:D

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yippiolguis

yippiolguis

Posted
Posted (edited)
EU-only cruise, no duty free. :( And VAT collected on gift shop purchases, etc. throughout the cruise, is that right?

That happened to me on my last cruise from Barcelona. When cruising I usually happily bough cigarretes at great price on duty free but I was told that IVA (VAT) had to be paid for everything sold on the ship. They told me it was because leaving from Barcelona.

 

 

But, foreign people can get the taxes back at the end of the trip, I think at the airports and with receipts. I do not know if that applies to non-spanish people or just to prople outside European Union(most probably).

 

So maybe is an interesting thing to know to some people, to get their 21% of VAT back.

 

 

Edit: I guess is just for non EU people, and still I'm not sure if it can work for you, but here is the official info: http://www.agenciatributaria.es/AEAT.internet/en_gb/Inicio/Aduanas_e_Impuestos_Especiales/Folletos_informativos/Folleto_Devolucion_IVA_en_regimen_de_viajeros/Folleto_Devolucion_IVA_en_regimen_de_viajeros.shtml

Edited by yippiolguis
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newmexicoNita

newmexicoNita

Posted
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Well we are back. On the Epic for the first time this was our 15th cruise and second on NCL for sister and BIL it was their first ever cruise.

I will try to be as objective as I can and relay what we found.

We arrived in Barcelona a couple of nights before and the sensible thing to do was the HoHo bus We have been to Barcelona a few times before but it really is beautiful place and there are lots of things to do. we stayed in the Hotel Moderno just off La Rambla. I would not recommend it expensive and shabby. Hey ho you win some you lose some.

Getting on the ship was a breeze we arrived around noon and there were no queues of any description we just went straight through. This is a first for us on any cruise.

We went straight to Taste for lunch to avoid the crowds in the buffet and it was a very nice way to start the cruise.

Around 2 we went to the cabins we were 10140 and 10144 mid ship balcony.

The cabins looked good but i found the wavy shape wasted space and the cabin seemed narrow. The toilet and bathroom set up was not as bad as I had feared and the shower an good size and quite powerful. There was however lots of storage space.

We did not meet the cabin steward until lots later the only thing I wanted from him was to empty the mini bar and make sure we had fresh ice every day. We did want the division opening between the balconies but he said he could not do this.

The flow of the ship feels wrong with no central lifts and no proper atrium but we soon got used to it.

We went to Muster oh why can people not be on time it is one of my pet peeves. No dramas.

On the first night we went to Taste and i was pleased with the meal. No waiting around and service was timely. We then had a wander around and a few beverages.

Off to bed and quite a good nights sleep.

Buffet for breakfast and a sea day. this is where you start to realise just how many people are on the ship and just how many left their brains at home.

We headed for adults only spice H20 we managed to get a sun bed but it was getting tight later on. the main pool area to me was everything i did not want kids, noise, pushing and shoving. each to their own.

that night it was Hubbys birthday and we had booked for Cagneys. it was good i had the surf and turf. Left and partook in an arrange of beverages. New liver is coming off ebay this week !

Will carry on later just a few obsevations there were lots and lots of indians on the ship never seen that before so NCL must be marketing pretty heavily there but talked to someone at the airport of off an RCL ship and they said the same. no problem its just that it was unusual.

the casino is the biggest I have ever seen but the worst I like to play roulette but there are only 2 tables and I could not get near. With is being so big it warrants more.

There is no duty free selling tobacco and alcohol first time i have encountered this on a cruise.

Sometimes the drinks waiters were thin on the ground I wondered if it would be so if people did not have the drinks package. usually they are on it like a car bonnet.

Will return with day 3.

thanks for a good start. I know nothing is perfect and one thing you picked out is not perfect: that is the elevator situation. We were driven nuts over this: both on the Epic and the BA. As for the cabins, we were quite satisfied with ours, but agree the couch is weird and a waste of space. The worst cabin steward we ever had was on the Epic last Nov. Otherwise we enjoyed the ship.

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CruiseMH

CruiseMH

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It`s the first time i hear that a cruise line doesn`t sell tobacco and alcohol duty free during a cruise.

I`ve been on many cruises within Europa,most of them only docked in EU ports and there was always the possibility to buy tobacco and alcohol duty free.The only important thing was that the shops opened after the ship had reached international waters.

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hawkeyetlse

hawkeyetlse

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It`s the first time i hear that a cruise line doesn`t sell tobacco and alcohol duty free during a cruise.

I`ve been on many cruises within Europa,most of them only docked in EU ports and there was always the possibility to buy tobacco and alcohol duty free.The only important thing was that the shops opened after the ship had reached international waters.

Duty free sales are only possible on intra-EU cruises if one of the ports is outside the EU VAT area (for example, Canary Islands, Gibraltar, Åland). Otherwise, you may be able to buy alcohol and tobacco on board, but it won't be duty free. On NCL (and several other cruise lines), they simply don't offer such sales.
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KeithJenner "Live from...." Rare

KeithJenner

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I was told that there was duty free from the NCL r ep who dealt with our cruise ,he mentioned it regarding buying drink with our OBC lol do hope its got one or be hunting in ports for duty free lol:D

 

I see you are on the Epic round trip, so no you won't have duty free sales onboard.

 

Always take what the NCL reps say with a pinch of salt. Many of them don't know these specifics. There will be duty free sales available on just about every other NCL ship, but not the Epic, due to the itinerary. The rep you spoke to obviously didn't know the difference.

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jaxw17

jaxw17

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Well back so gutted about losing all the text last night. i was literary gold as well worth any amount of awards...well I thought so but we will never know !

Next day was Naples another one for us that we have been to before the Sister and BIL (who I am now going to refer to as S&L) have not been before but they are going there for 9 days in august as their Daughter is living there so there was no great rush to go and see anything. They did get off though and had a walk around. You will gather from this if you are looking for any great port reviews i am not your man or your woman for that matter.

Naples itself is run down dirty and full of graffiti there are some beautiful pplaces around it though but i think more worthy of a few days stay in the area. There a a great food market winding its way through the streets. hold on to your wallets here and just be vigilant like anywhere else.

So we stayed on and dossed about H20 where they emptied the pool so i had to go to the main pool for a dip. Nice and quiet everywhere when most people are off and this is a very port intensive cruise.

we read a while sunbathed ate and drank not necessarily in that order.

S &BIL came back on fairly early so we had a few drinks together and discussed their up coming trip into Rome tomorrow. For what they paid I would want transporting in on a golden carriage pulled by unicorns.

will post this now and carry on paranoid about losing it again

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jaxw17

jaxw17

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Tonight was going to be low key on account of S and L trip to rome tomorrow. We started off after dinner with a drink in O'Sheeans. it took a long time to get said drink and i was not overly enamoured with the service. S &L decided on and early night we however went to explore the ship its bars and what it had to offer. Now here is where I am at odds with what NCL call free style freestyle to me means going where I want when I want. Venues such as the Cavern, comedy club etc are small in compared to the number of guests on the ship. so booking is in order I don't want to have to think ahead and book i want to be spontaneous.

We went back to O'Sheeans and I discovered in a booze fug the cottage pie. "get thee behind me satan ! " it was delish and just the sort of booze soaker you crave I will have to watch this.

Rome S &L had paid well in excess of £240 each for this trip yes eye watering. Rhino tours NCL they know how to charge. The train to Rome takes around an hour and cost 10 euro return each ! going on to the roll call for the cruise and you can do it with a guide for nearly a third of this. It was their money and their choices and they said they really enjoyed it I was saving myself for Florance the only trip I was going to make on this cruise.

They came back on board and they were happy but exhausted so we said that we would go in our own couples for dinner and they were having an early night as we should for Liverno and Florence. Wehad had a few wines together before getting ready for dinner so the plan was dinner a couple of night caps and early to bed.

We had dinner in the other place to Taste no problems and then started to work our way round the bars a few times we said we will get going after this and a few times we had another . Got talking to some great people on of whom Was very drunk so I felt quite sober. Oh go on I will just go in the casino. I had zero zero luck on this cruise and this is the first time this has happened.Left my room card in the machine so went to get another and followed that by another couple of glasses of red. on now to O'Sheeans. Two Wolf Blass Shiraz please. Don't they serve cottage pie in here oh yes. Lets just have another couple of glasses before bed. What time is it oh that's okay we have about 3 hours to sleep..............

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