Second time around on the Epic........good choice! :)

So, awake early to watch us pull into Civitavecchia. Met in the Epic Theatre for another trip.......Rome on your own.

Great and informative guide yet again. Dropped off at the Coliseum and that would be the pick-up point too.

We set off to have some breakfast in a lovely café.

Here's our view from there!

DSCN5137 by smilinglady, on Flickr

We then decided to be adventurous and get the local bus to The Vatican, where I had booked online to avoid the queues! Well this was an experience, I can tell you! When in Rome, do as the Romans do.......no queuing for a bus.......just jump on! No limit to numbers on the buses....just pile 'em on!! Crikey, I had to get up close and personal to some locals that's for sure!! I was glad to arrive at our destination! And this was the sight that greeted us!

DSCN5151 by smilinglady, on Flickr

I was SO thankful I had pre-booked those tickets!

We stopped and asked someone for directions for people who had pre-booked tickets and off we went, by-passing hundreds of people standing in line in searing heat!

To get to the Vatican Museums you have to walk around the Vatican walls from St Peter's Square, about 5 minutes.

The Vatican Museums were far, far larger than I had imagined and were utterly fascinating! But if I'm perfectly honest, I really didn't take a lot in! It was unbearably hot, with hardly any air con and the crowds were just unbelievable!

We managed to keep to the edges of the crowds of people thronging through the corridors and made our way into the many ante-rooms off the main corridors to enjoy as much as we could. We ended up buying books to take home and read so we could REALLY appreciate what we had seen!

DSCN5147 by smilinglady, on Flickr

Corridor of the Museum

DSCN5145 by smilinglady, on Flickr

DSCN5143 by smilinglady, on Flickr

DSCN5146 by smilinglady, on Flickr

Thanks very much ! Love the photos. We're on the Epicfor the 1st time in Jan.

Thanks very much ! Love the photos. We're on the Epicfor the 1st time in Jan.

You're very welcome......thanks for reading. :)

I hope you enjoy your Epic trip.

Enjoying your review. We'll be taking our first Epic cruise in January, also from Barcelona. Different itinerary, but we have been to some of the ports from your trip.

Looking forward to reading more about your ship experience. We also have a balcony cabin for the cruise. What deck were you on?

Thank you for taking the time to post.

As we continued on our way around the museums, I was most looking forward to seeing The Sistine Chapel. You can't access the Chapel without going through the Museums, so leave yourself plenty of time!

We finally arrived and there are truly no words to describe what you see in here! Now I am a Catholic and my faith means a lot to me, but you truly don't have to have a faith to appreciate the beauty of this place.

I had read and been told before visiting that silence is expected in the Chapel and no photography allowed. Well, WE followed the rules, but lots of people didn't!

Now I can COMPLETELY understand people whispering to each other.....complete strangers were whispering to us about how magical it all was.......no problem to anyone surely?

Well it was to the security guards who insisted on SHOUTING "Silencio" and

"nessuna fotografia" Now to ME, that was worse than people whispering, but hey ho! :confused:

To my absolute delight, a Priest came out whilst we were in the Chapel and said a few prayers and gave Holy Communion.........I never expected that!

Because of all the crowds, we didn't spend as much time as we would have liked in the Chapel, but at least I have fulfilled a wish of mine and actually BEEN there now! :)

As no photography was allowed, the following are taken from the book we bought as a reminder.

img087 by smilinglady, on Flickr

img086 by smilinglady, on Flickr

img085 by smilinglady, on Flickr

img084 by smilinglady, on Flickr

Enjoying your review. We'll be taking our first Epic cruise in January, also from Barcelona. Different itinerary, but we have been to some of the ports from your trip.

 

Looking forward to reading more about your ship experience. We also have a balcony cabin for the cruise. What deck were you on?

 

Thank you for taking the time to post.

Thanks for reading along with me! :)

We were on Deck 12, mid ship. It was a bit of a walk from either of the elevators, but not a problem, as it gave us some exercise! ;)

Thanks for reading along with me! :)

 

We were on Deck 12, mid ship. It was a bit of a walk from either of the elevators, but not a problem, as it gave us some exercise! ;)

No matter where we have our cabin, always do a lot of walking while on the ship. Use the stairs a lot, especially if going to a lower deck.

The Vatican Museums were far, far larger than I had imagined and were utterly fascinating! But if I'm perfectly honest, I really didn't take a lot in! It was unbearably hot, with hardly any air con and the crowds were just unbelievable!

I agree far too many people in the museum and too hot to enjoy it. We just wanted to get out after seeing the Sistene Chapel but it seemed to take ages just to get out.

So after our incredible visit to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, we came out and had some lunch.......pizza and wine......very nice!

Now, to get ourselves back to the meeting point at the Coliseum!

Mmm..........38 degrees outside........extremely humid........a lady known as Meltingmoments..........walk? local bus again? air-conditioned taxi, madam?? Absolutely no contest........best 15 Euros ever spent!! :D

We had a little wander around the outside of the Coliseum as were a little early for our coach, and took some pictures.

DSCN5135 by smilinglady, on Flickr

DSCN5136 by smilinglady, on Flickr

As we were wandering, we heard a commotion......lots of shouting and swearing (some words are instantly recognisable in ANY language, even if you DON'T speak Italian!) It seemed that a tourist had stopped to take a photo with a Gladiator and then gone to walk away!! The Gladiator was swearing and gesticulating at this poor person who clearly had NO idea that they had to PAY for that photo! :eek:

We got back on our lovely air-conditioned coach and began to make our way back to the Epic.

On the journey INTO Rome, our lovely guide had requested that we all made sure we had visited the bathroom before we got on the coach, as going back we would make no *toilet stops* due to traffic. Fine, surely not an issue. Most people can cope for an hour or so, I would think. So when my DH nudged me..........I admit, I was snoozing.......and pointed out that we were pulling into a service station, we were a little confused!!

The guide got off the coach along with the driver! They were at the back of the coach. The guide was on her phone. The driver had taken off his jacket and had rolled up his sleeves!!! :eek:

The guide got back on the coach and informed us we were broken down and she had rung for a replacement coach! It would be here in about an hour!!!

She also informed us that she had contacted the ship and reassured us that the Epic would not leave without us! Phew!! NOW I remember why I'm not too adventurous when it comes to trips and I was SO relieved that we'd booked through NCL. There would have been no consoling me if I'd been in THAT situation on a tour NOT booked with NCL.

The new coach and driver arrived and we all swapped coaches and finally arrived back at the ship at 6:30pm.......which was JUST all aboard time, so we didn't keep anyone waiting!

Boy did I need a drink when we got back to our cabin!

Tonight we ate in the Manhattan Room. We were fortunate enough to have a window seat and enjoyed the amazing view.

Service was excellent and we really enjoyed our meal. I had a salad to start, DH had the cream of broccoli soup. My main was Rosemary roasted chicken and DH had the Braised lamb shank.......all was lovely. DH indulged in Cinnamon apple pie for dessert and I managed ice-cream!

Tonight's entertainment for us was catching the end of The Rumba Kings in Headliners........very popular with the Spanish guests, and as my DH plays guitar, we enjoyed it too.

We then went to Fat Cats to watch The Beatles again. There were more people in tonight.......their reputation for a great evening was spreading!

No casino tonight........tiredness was kicking in!

But you can always manage one last glass of something chilled on that balcony! :)

No matter where we have our cabin, always do a lot of walking while on the ship. Use the stairs a lot, especially if going to a lower deck.

Yep, we're just like you! Although I have RA, I always try my best to walk. I'm better going DOWN than UP though!

I agree far too many people in the museum and too hot to enjoy it. We just wanted to get out after seeing the Sistene Chapel but it seemed to take ages just to get out.

I agree it seemed to take ages to get out, but as we'd been stood up for such a long time, I was beginning to feel some joint pain ( I have RA ) and I managed to find a chair to sit on for a while, so we let some of the crowds die down and then continued.

We had decided that we wouldn't plan anything for today and just see how we felt once on the ship. We did Florence on our last Epic trip and loved it, so didn't really want to do that again. We toyed with Pisa, but decided against it and so after sleeping in till 9am, we though we might just get off in our own time and explore Livorno. There was a shuttle into Livorno and a day pass was $15. The drop off point was the Train Station and the last shuttle back to the ship was 5:30pm.

From my research I had noted that to get BACK to the centre of Livorno from the train station we would have had to take a bus.....that wasn't happening after 2 very busy days, so we stayed on board the Epic today!

Breakfast was in the buffet....still very busy even at 9:30am!

We headed to Spice H20 and ended up spending most of the day there and having it almost to ourselves!

I enjoyed having the small pool to cool off in, but I needed support from DH in order to climb down the ladder-type steps and being only 5 feet tall, found myself standing on my tip-toes once I was actually IN!! Still.......it was cool!

DSCN5160 by smilinglady, on Flickr

An almost-empty Spice H20

Tonight we had booked La Cucina for dinner at 8:30pm. We also had Legends in Concert booked at 10:00pm so we mentioned this to our lovely waitress and she made sure we had good service that didn't last too long but wasn't rushed in any way.

Just in case you want to know what we ate!!

My starter was gorgeous......Insalata Caprese....beef tomatoes and fresh mozzarella with basil infused olive oil...light and refreshing. DH had Beef Carpaccio, which he assures me was delicious.......both plates were cleared anyway! ;)

Mains.....mine was meatballs and delicious they were too! DH had Ribeye steak.......not very Italian, but good!!

I forget what dessert DH had and I couldn't fit one in, but we certainly enjoyed our evening in La Cucina!

Then it was off to see Legends in Concert. On this sailing it was Rod Stewart, who was excellent, Sting, who was good, and Gloria Estafan.......who was also good, but I have to admit to not knowing a lot of her music, so I was a bit *meh* about her, but that's just my opinion!

Well, all I can say is, we must have been well-rested today as after Legends we went off to Spice H20 for the 80's party and spent a great couple of hours dancing our little socks off!! Just our kind of music! Nothing can beat dancing to Rick Astley's Never gonna give you up on the deck off a ship in the middle of the ocean.....perfect!

DSCN5171 by smilinglady, on Flickr

DSCN5169 by smilinglady, on Flickr

Today was going to be another relaxing day! We had a leisurely breakfast and got on a tender to go to Cannes. We did as we did last time and took Le Petit Tren around the area..........easy way to get around and see some of Cannes.

DSCN5174 by smilinglady, on Flickr

The tender

DSCN5184 by smilinglady, on Flickr

DSCN5183 by smilinglady, on Flickr

DSCN5177 by smilinglady, on Flickr

DSCN5185 by smilinglady, on Flickr

Some views from the little train.

We got back on board around 2pm as the weather seemed to be changing. It went very dark and thundery as we sat on our balcony!

This evening saw us having a drink in O'Sheehans and dinner in Taste. Once again we had great service and lovely food........between us we had soup, salad, beef tenderloin and cod.

Entertainment tonight was once again the Beatles........different each time we saw them and equally as entertaining! Loved them!

Then we went to Shakers to listen to Fernando on piano.......he did requests and lots of people got up to dance! Lovely atmosphere!

DSCN5108 by smilinglady, on Flickr

Tonight's White Hot Party was moved from Spice to the Bliss lounge as it was very windy! I certainly felt the ship rocking tonight!

After not thinking I'd get very much sleep last night with the way the ship was rocking, I was surprised to find it was 9am when I woke up! I went out onto the balcony to be greeted with cloud and not a lot of warmth! Oh well, there was packing to do anyhow! Boo!!

Today was a very short port day and we have visited Palma many times over the years but we DID intend to get off and wander so after the packing was done and the photos were bought and the gifts were purchased, we finally arrived at Palma.......and it was raining!! And chilly!!

Well there was some wine left from the wine package. so we sat on the balcony and drank it, looking over at Palma Cathedral.

DSCN5209 by smilinglady, on Flickr

DSCN5206 by smilinglady, on Flickr

Our Epic trip was fast coming to it's end! The week had gone by so very fast!

Tonight we went to see Burn the Floor, Rebellion in the Ballroom.......it was fantastic! Really high energy and excellent dancing. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

We ate at O'Sheehans tonight as we just fancied something quick and easy.

Then we headed off, once again, to see The Beatles. I can't praise these guys enough, they are incredibly talented musicians and singers and really know how to get a crowd going. Super show!

We headed to the casino for one last time and then it was back to the cabin for our final sleep on the Epic!

I woke up at 5:30am today and we were already docked in Barcelona!

Where did that week go?

We went for breakfast and came back to the cabin to shower and pack those final bits. We didn't put our suitcases out, we did easy walk-off.

We left the ship about 9:45am and stood in line for a taxi to take us to Barcelona Sants train station.

I think we waited about 15 minutes for a taxi, which was longer than on our last trip, but we were a little later off the ship this time, so that may have been why.

Our Epic trip was over but we were lucky enough to be spending 10 days in Sitges, hence our train trip. So one adventure was over........another was just beginning!

I'm glad we did the Epic again. I love the ship and I love the ports too.

We were pleased to see that (to US at least) Epic wasn't showing her age.

Everywhere was spotless, she's well cared for and we were more than happy.

Our room steward was lovely, a very quiet, gentle man, who got to know our habits very quickly and always kept our cabin spotless and our ice bucket filled up.....and our wine cooler as well!! His towel animals were cute too!

DSCN5212 by smilinglady, on Flickr

DSCN5172 by smilinglady, on Flickr

DSCN5200 by smilinglady, on Flickr

All the staff we came into contact with were just great. The bar staff in O'Sheehans in particular, always had a smile and time to chat.

The casino staff, Tristan, Belinda and Alex, looked after us fantastically.

A special mention HAS to be made for the Washy-washy guy in the garden café......Daniel.........he made my day every time we went in. He was SO happy and smiley all the time!

Well, that's my Epic tale over!

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer.

Now it's time for me to go and plan my next cruise! :D :D

Well done melting and very well written. I live near Cannes and am there very often. Also hope to plan an Epic cruise but in early Spring. And hey the heat was amazing this year.....cutting my grass was a nightmare. lost pounds each time (who needs a gym)

A question......does the Epic have a sliding roof over the pool? I know most NCL ships don't. The Jade comes heated and in Istanbul in late November it was ok. It would be good if Epic has a hat!!!

Thanks again for your review and take care. I agree by the way about Vatican officials. We went to a Service in St Peters after we came out and that was very helpful.

A bientot Melting

deeko

 

A question......does the Epic have a sliding roof over the pool? I know most NCL ships don't. The Jade comes heated and in Istanbul in late November it was ok. It would be good if Epic has a hat!!!

deeko

No the pools are open to the elements, I can't attest to if they are heated or not. My time on the EPIC was spent at the spa in the pool there.

Very nice review. Loved your photos!

Thanks for sharing :)

Happy Sailing!

Well done melting and very well written.

Thank you so much! :)

 

I live near Cannes and am there very often. Also hope to plan an Epic cruise but in early Spring. And hey the heat was amazing this year.....cutting my grass was a nightmare. lost pounds each time (who needs a gym?)

 

Lol, I agree....no gym needed! The heat really WAS amazing this year. We wouldn't necessarily CHOOSE to cruise in August, but we are both in Education and I am tied to British school holidays....for now! ;)

 

A question......does the Epic have a sliding roof over the pool? I know most NCL ships don't. The Jade comes heated and in Istanbul in late November it was ok. It would be good if Epic has a hat!!!

 

Sadly the only *hat* the Epic has is her Haven one.....I always think the Haven looks like a hat on top of the ship! So, no, I'm afraid no sliding roof!

 

Thanks again for your review and take care. I agree by the way about Vatican officials. We went to a Service in St Peters after we came out and that was very helpful.

 

A bientot Melting

 

deeko

I'm glad you enjoyed my review. thanks for reading. A bientot deeko

Thanks Sauer -Kraut.

That's very helpful. At least when there is no sliding roof the crowds aren't there. I've read some unfavourable comments about the Spa in Epic. We always take the offer of 2 for whatever it costs usually around 100 dollars each. We have had good use of the Spa in the Jade.

Thanks again for your reply

deeko

Very nice review. Loved your photos!

Thanks for sharing :)

Happy Sailing!

Thank you very much! I enjoyed sharing my photos and it's nice that they are appreciated. :)

Happy sailing to you too.

Thanks for the review. I'm glad that you say Cannes is easy to get around. It's the one port where I couldn't find an excursion to interest me, but I do want to get off the ship and see a bit of it.

Lovely to hear from you Melting!!

So a Bank Holiday and then I guess education again!!! It's almost that time again. In this part of France schools go back on Tuesday.

Pity the teachers........but great for the beaches!!!

Bon courage et bon chance

deeko

Thanks for the review. I'm glad that you say Cannes is easy to get around. It's the one port where I couldn't find an excursion to interest me, but I do want to get off the ship and see a bit of it.

Oh yes, Cannes is very walkable.....and I have joint issues! But the little train is the best.......you see so much more than you would just wandering! :)