Jodi H

On 1/18/2023 at 1:01 PM, NJLVW said:

Also, if you went to the Meet & Greet they usually have cards that have who the staff members are. Maybe you can let us know. If you did not attend one maybe you know who is Cruise Director, General Manager & Concierge. Also, which terminal in Tampa did you board? Thank you...

Terminal 3

On 1/18/2023 at 6:04 AM, Coastalbreezes said:

What about muster? Were you back to attending regular drills (as is happening on Escape now) or did you just have your card scanned upon boarding?

Back to regular muster 

Day 3

Day 2 of 11 day

On 1/18/2023 at 7:04 AM, Coastalbreezes said:

What about muster? Were you back to attending regular drills (as is happening on Escape now) or did you just have your card scanned upon boarding?

Regular muster drill outside unfortunately 

We got on the ship this morning. Embarkation from curb to bar was 20 minutes 😊 Access to our room by 1pm but of course the luggage isn't there yet but we don't care. Oh, and absolutely no fog. It's beautiful.

My hubby is 6'5". We too pulled the bed out from under the padded headboard and it made the world of difference. So did the mattress topper we requested. You will love the Epic!

I can’t speak for Yeti but I will endorse Bubba cups.

I bought ours after a fellow camper bragged that his 24 oz bubba cup would keep the same ice in it for a day outside in 80degree temps. When he opened his cup the next day and it still had ice I knew I had to get one.

We bought ours at Walmart in Newmarket, Ontario. We use them every weekend and use them for beer, water , mixed drinks, and once the canister is cold your drink will always stay cold. The sticker had a hot drink rating but I can’t remember what it is.

We plan to take them on our next cruise. They worked out great at a land based resort - we’d hand them too the bartenders and they would fill them no problem.

Well now those sound perfect!

Thanks for the help everyone!

I ageee yeti is kinda a Cadillac. If you feel compelled to do a water bottle, get a cheap one. Otherwise an empty water bottle is good enough.

Thanks! I'm happy without the Cadillac :)

Are you planning on packing the kitchen sink too?

If I can get it to fit, then sure!

I get it. I have taken a hot cup and cold cup when I have had room. But used the same cold cup for water and other cold beverages, or just water and drank the adult beverages out of their cups. For the others wondering why: Don't want to buy ridiculously priced water on the cruise and want constant access to ice water. Like to have coffee stay hot a while and enjoy on my balcony or wherever, and not sit in the buffet with the mug that results in cold coffee in 10 minutes.

Phew! Thank you:) Exactly what I will be doing. I will continue to use the plastic cups for my drinks, sweating glasses and melting ice cubes be damned. I just couldn't picture bringing 2 (but sure will be!) let alone 3 cups. I was also looking for recommendations on a handle or no for excursions but no biggie.

Thanks for reassuring me I'm not losing my mind...or we both are ;)

Not sure why you would need to bring your own mug/bottle for alcoholic and hot beverages. Those come in cups.... The reason to bring your own bottle for water would be to avoid buying bottled water on board. I use an Under Armor/Thermos double-walled bottle that does an excellent job of keeping water and ice cold for about 24 hours.

Thank you. I use the hot beverage cup for tea as I prefer a large one rather than multiple tea cups when I sit on my balcony. I put it in there and it stays hot the entire time while I enjoy it. As for one for alcoholic beverages, I hadn't brought one but someone mentioned they bring one to put 2 drinks in at a time saving trips up to the bar and keeping your drinks from watering down as quickly while sitting by the pool since they were insulated. I'm not a huge drinker, it was just a thought. I think I will bring something for water and my coffee cup.

Why would anyone pay that much money for a water bottle? Go to Walmart and buy one there. I bought mine for about $2 and I put a carabiner on the top and I clip it to my purse strap for my excursions. The MD fills it with ice & water for me every morning.

Exactly my point. I'm not seeing the advantage to one of these over a Wal-Mart one and was asking if there was something I'm missing and for opinions. Thanks.

Just bought a couple of hot/cold drink containers with a cover from the dollar store. Don't want anything that I would be upset with if it got lost. These have worked great on several cruises.

Do these keep drinks hot/cold for long periods of time?

We plan on bringing a reusable bottle on our next cruise for our cold beverages. Those who do this do you bring a couple of bottles each, one for water for excursions and one for alcoholic beverages or just use the same one for both? Do you also bring a reusable mug for hot drinks? I can't see bringing 3 dang cups each in our suitcase :'):'):')

Our first cruise we didn't bring any and for our second cruise I brought mugs for tea in the morning and after dinner but bought water bottles.

Is there a certain type bottle that's better than others? I've heard people mention Yeti and I'm not familiar with those in my small Canadian town but see I can order online. Is that the type to get? How big is reasonable for excursions? With a handle or not? What's YOUR preference? Thanks!

Excuse my ignorance but is Vibe the same as a Posh Pass? Someone mentioned there were only 40 of those available on the Epic recently and the price was $60