scendro

We are cruising out of Barcelona June 22, 2023 on NCL Epic.  NCL made our air reservations and we just received our flight times.  We are flying in from NYC and arrive at BCN day of cruise at 12:05 p.m.

Do US citizens have to go through immigration process upon arrival when departing on a cruise?   If yes, can you share your experience on how this works and the length of the process?

Also, anyone familiar with NCL shuttle service in Barcelona?  Can you give me some information on how to navigate BCN airport as an international and finding this location?

How far is BCN from the cruise terminal?

All aboard time is 4:00 pm and we arrive into BCN at 12:05 pm.  Anyone with similar flight times have experience with making the ship on time (getting luggage, going through immigration, finding shuttle?)

Any international travel experience into BCN and taking a cruise would be most appreciated! 

refund for cruise (covid positive and could not sail) we purchased the insurance 

Is anyone else having issues with getting a refund from AON?  i submitted a claim in early April and hav snot heard anything.  when i checked the status it just says “assigned” and not yet in progress.  when I contacted them by phone all I get is that they haven’t got to the claim yet and that it can take up to 6 months to process. 

31 minutes ago, thepla said:

I am pretty sure if you enter us via ship there is no need to test to fly home.

 

I'm scheduled for Jan 3, unreal deal they was paid with points and 300 obc, that was same as cruise fare for two 

 

But I'm sure we t going to cancel. I capacity was say 50 percent I think we'd go but if they are at 85 percent I'm thinking better safe than sorry.

 

There's always another cruise 

in Early December the Breakaway (out of New Orleans) was required to test every passenger the day before  disembarking because they had what the Port Authority deemed an outbreak. anyone positive had to go to hotel to quarantine unless they drove. We were on the Glory at that time - which was also out of New Orleans, and we were paranoid that we would all have to be tested too (per the New Orleans port) but luckily our ship didn’t have an outbreak.  so just know any Port can require a cruise line to test all passenger 

8 hours ago, BasicSailor said:

I'm concerned about the hard bed comment, lord my back needs a good night's sleep.

oddly we slept very well in fact we (my party of 4) all said we slept great despite the bed being so hard.  

9 hours ago, mirglip69 said:

Thanks for the great review. I am booked in room 10339 in March. Can you tell me if the layout of this room has the bed near the balcony or near the bathroom?

near the balcony.  right near the balcony (less than a few inches away from the curtain that closes the balcony window).  

5 minutes ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

Also Pig and Anchor had breakfast buffet,  and Java Blue had complimentary items. 

yes that’s correct!  

yes

7 minutes ago, drafterdw said:

Are any of the free food  venues opened for breakfast besides main dining room and buffet on Lido? 

yes!  i believe Cucina Capitan (the italian place) , Blue Iguana and Shaks Big Chicken all served breakfast complimentary!  

Just now, chengkp75 said:

Now I start to see the problem.  I am not intimately familiar with hair care appliances (being a balding male), but I suspect that both items that did not work on the ship, but worked on land, are PTC ceramic heaters.  These are semi-conductors, and most likely the wiring in the curler/straightener requires the neutral and ground to be at the same voltage, or the unit won't work (this would indicate to the unit that the wiring in the unit was broken, and a potential shock hazard).  I've found many other semi-conductor controlled devices that work fine on land, but don't work at all when on ships due to the difference in voltage between neutral and ground.  A resistance wire curler/straightener would work on the ship.

yes it was a ceramic barrel curler !!

11 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Drawing "too much electricity" would mean the curler would get even hotter than normal.  If it was drawing "too much power" it would have started to heat up, until the current exceeded the circuit breaker, which would have tripped, and the power to the outlet would be gone until the breaker was reset manually, just like the breakers in your house.  Did the plug fit tightly into the outlets, or was it loose?  If loose fitting, it could have not made connection on one prong, causing no power to flow to the curler.

the plug fit like it should it wasn’t loose 

4 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

 

Yes, please don't use a surge protector on a ship.  A brand new, perfectly operating surge protector, can fail at any time due to a fault anywhere on the ship completely outside of your control, and cause a fire.  Surge protectors not only are dangerous on ships, but are completely unnecesary.

we brought it as an extension but didn’t need it since the cabin had so many outlets . i pulled it out of the suitcase and tried it to see if i could get my curling iron to work using the surge protector extension bar but that didn’t help either .  the outlet worked fine before and after i tried to use my curling iron with and without the surge protector.  the iron just never got hot so i’m thinking it drew too much electricity and that’s why it wouldn’t heat up that there was some internal something in the outlet that prevented it from getting the electricity it needed to get hot 

almost forgot - WIFI  &  Embarkation/Disembarkation 

best wifi i’ve been had on any ship.  not as fast as cellular or wifi back home but definitely much better than what we had on the Horizon in July 21 and other ships in the past .

Embarkation-  this would’ve went much smoother but for a snafu my mother in law caused.  when doing the online health screening 48 hours prior to sailing, she inadvertent indicated she had shortness of breath (again she’s 80). Well, this locked us out of the joint reservation and did not permit any of us in our two rooms to finish the online health screening.  we called Carnival and were told to show up at the pier and we would all be screened there.  we arrived on time and sure enough, she was flagged and they (the port workers) had to do something behind the seems (not sure what) & we were sent to guest services.  to be safe my MIL had her doctor write her a fitness to sail letter with explanation that she has shortness of breath due to chronic asthma which is currently welled controlled by her medication and she also does not have covid .  Carnival never asked for the letter.  they just sent us to Guest Services and scanned her passport and let her on board.  so bizzare!  she was never actually asked any health questions at the pier.

Debarkation-

you will be thrown out of your room by 8:30 and off the ship by 9:30.  be prepared to get your butts up, dressed and off the ship 😂

we had a late flight so planned to leisurely get off the ship by 10 & that didn’t happen.  

15 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

OP, did you try anything else plugged into the outlet, after the hair curler failed? ….  If the outlet worked for something else, then my suspicion is that this is a Dyson product, which I have heard have problems with the floating ground on ships. 

the plug was fine and i unplugged my curling iron and plugged my cell phone charger into that same outlet.    i tried the curling iron using every outlet in the room and no luck- it turned on (green light came on) but never got hot or even warm.  we even tried to outsmart it thinking to plug our surge protector extension cord that we brought into an outlet and then the iron into that but nope, same thing! the brand is a Revlon- about 2 years old from Target so not a pricey one. 

Next Topic- a few dislikes 

I’m that person that LOVED the elevators on the Horizon (basically select your floor before you enter the elevator and then it tells you which elevator to go to for a direct journey)

the Mardi Gras did not have those elevators.  the elevators were often cramped and you had to wait to get one sometimes for quite a while.  and if your cruise was like ours (full of scooters) you’ll be able waiting for a while.  also the buttons on the elevators was not on the wall in front of you but on the sides.  so if you enter an elevator that has people in it you have to ask them to press a button for you 

BIGGEST Dislike!  after 9:30 the only “food” option that was free was pizza . and the line was looong.  it would be nice to have “late night snacks” at the buffet to offer some variety.  

other than that, i loved it and am looking forward to sailing on her again November 2022

10 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

The previous occupants must have been partying hard if they put their shoes in the fridge.  😉

it was Definitely ODD!!  

8 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

The previous occupants must have been partying hard if they put their shoes in the fridge.  😉

it was Definitely ODD!!  

next topic:  Overall Ship & Entertainment

I personally loved the different themed areas of the ship (french quarter, grand central etc).  this would be a great ship to do a two week cruise on because there’s is just so much to see and do.

we did not get to ride the Bolt.  we made reservations twice and both times it was cancelled due to winds.  i recommend doing the Bolt on a port day and not on a sea day so maybe you can actually ride it.   also- you have to make reservations!

Pools and Hot tubs!  so many choices and we sailed at 70% capacity and it never seemed too crowded on the decks.  we never had a problem finding a chair on any deck.  i didn’t see anyone reserving chairs either.  sure the pools were crowded during prime time (or at the sail away party- see pic below) but there were plenty of times you could use them without a crowd.

Serenity Deck-  this area was huge and had plenty of shade and sun spots!  we loved this!  so the crowd on our cruise was a little rowdy and many cheers package people hung out at the serenity during the day (bar service must’ve been great up there) so the pool area at the serenity was NOT serene.  but we just went to another area and found some quiet space.

Live Entertainment-  we enjoyed the play list production shows (we went to 2- the Broadway one and the Rock one).  the M Magician was ok.  the live bands were great.  there was a solo act (a guy) that wasn’t so great and we always thought people were doing karaoke that’s how bad it was.

We absolutely LOVED Family Fued Live-  take the time to see this one!

Casino- wow it was so nice to have a non smoking area that was truly non smoking for once.  A+++
 

Bar Service-  everyone was great.  drinks were either very strong OR i thought they were virgin.  never had any difficulty getting a drink

Overall Decor-  loved it!

next topic:  Food

overall a great experience.  we did try out most of the spots:

street eats, Chi-Bang, Marketplace, Main Dining Room, Rudy’s Sea Grill, Blue Iguana, Guys Burgers, Shak’s Big  Chicken,  Pig & Anchor,  Cucina el Capitan, and Fareinheit 555 Steakhouse

Street Eats-  these are fun and it’s a great way to get a snack or meal after a port day.  loaded fries were great and the korean beef was amazing.  pot stickers were good. 

Chi-Bang- (this was included for free on our cruise as a promotional thing). i hate to say it but it was just average.  i did the Mexican and my husband did the Asian and we shared.  we tried multiple entrees and appetizers.  

Cucina Capitan - (this also was included for free on our cruise).  we ate here for dinner twice and lunch once.  Lunch was amazing!  loved the pick your own pasta creations and mozzarella sticks were yummy.  We ate dinner here twice.  first time carbonara was amazing! loved everything about this meal.  second time everything was very watery and had little flavor.  must’ve had different chefs that night. 

Steak House-  we’ve tried the steakhouse on the other ships and this one was just as good. only downside was it was cramped even though it wasn’t full.

Markeplace Buffet-  eh, not a fan.  i should say we never ate breakfast here so only lunch and a walk through at dinner.  very slim selections and food was average.  Desserts (however) at lunch were amazing!   we also tried the shawarma station and the hotdog station and those were good.

Shaks Big Chicken-  very yummy!  loved this one.  only thing missing was mayo at the condiment station.  i’m a mayo/fry girl

Guys Burgers-  awesome as always.  the one on this ship is quite large so that’s a huge plus.

Pizza Place- yummy!  but very busy after 9:30 because nothing else is open

Panini Place-  i had a caprese and it was amazing!

Blue Iguana- just as good as i’ve had on other ships

Pig & Anchor-  eh, this one needs some work.  we tried it twice and it was just average.

Rudy’s Sea Grill-  i loved this place!  food was very very good and entrees were larger than expected.  

Main Dining Room-  we did the sea day brunch and a few dinners here.  overall very good!

overall we had a great food experience.  servers were all great.  food was always hot and never had any issues getting anything we wanted customized 

i’ve included a few photos 

We just disembarked from the Mardi Gras so i figured i’d give a quick review.

Our group consisted of my husband and I (late 40’s early 50’s) and my in-laws (in their early 80’s).

i’ll try and break this review up into chunks

Room

We stayed in Balcony Rooms 10339 & 10341.

I love the decor of the rooms and was very happy with the glass shower set up with the foot rest for shaving.  We sailed the Horizon in late July (comparable room) and i believe the bathroom on the MG was larger .

Beds- hard as a rock!  i’m thinking they might need broken in but they were much more firm than on other ships.

I noticed the Sofa in our room already appeared worn/stained which i found odd considering this ship just started sailing.

The rooms do appear more narrow especially the entry.  Bonus was the empty fridge so you can store water/pop.  

Way more outlets and phone charging spots than on the Horizon!

Ladies- your curling irons may not heat up.  mine did not (it turned on) and it worked the night before at the hotel and heats up just fine now at home.  i’m thinking there is a voltage limit.

Room steward was great!  brought me extra towels every day. we didn’t see him very much but our room was clean.

now my in-laws had a different room steward than us.  they found shoes and food in their fridge on day one & their mirror was never cleaned so….

we just disembarked from Mardi Gras (yesterday) and i agree the cabins seem more narrow. my Father in Law (who is 80) could barely open the door to their room (10339 - we were in 10341) and also noticed it seemed more narrow when entering the cabin.

i noticed the crowd on our cruise were quite rowdy… the serenity pool was never serene but instead packed with very loud cheers package guests.  while this was a disappointment it didn’t ruin our cruise as we just found another quiet spot on the ship (and there were plenty!) 

We are fresh off the Mardi Gras (disembarked yesterday) and stayed in Balcony Room 10341.

i brought my curling iron with me thinking i’d do my hair for the formal days.  it worked the night before at the hotel but would NOT heat up at all when plugged into the outlets in our room.  it did “light up” to show it was “on” but would not heat up no matter which outlet i used in our room.  i initially thought the heating coil might be bad but i brought it home anyway.  now the Carnival hair dryer worked fine.

i plugged in my curling iron today at home and sure enough it heated up just fine.  

so i wonder if there is a “voltage/watt limit” on these outlets.  

so ladies if your hair appliances don’t work on the Mardi Gras DON’T throw them out! 

i need some help understanding this policy.  i just got my email stating my future cruise credit amount and  it doesn’t add up at all! 

the cruise amount we paid cash for was $1593.34 (this does NOT including our cruise next deposits, prior cruise credit, and the travel protection which i understand we are SOL on). yet i am only being refunded $1307.47.  what am i missing??? are they refunding the dining/beverage surcharge (the gratuity on the free at sea that we paid?) 

it was when we were there July 24-Aug 1st

I believe that Curaçao was listed as a “Level 4 do not travel” country when we visited it during our July 24th Horizon cruise 

14 hours ago, Stick93 said:

I assume you would not go on a cruise if you are fearful of giving covid to your family?? 
I think people who don’t get vaccinated understand their risks and choose one way over the other.  I am vaccinated - I don’t care if you don’t get vaccinated, but I am not changing my life for those people.

Nope I still plan to cruise but will be responsible and test/isolate for 10 days after disembarking.  I am able to do this.  My kids are away at college.  I telework so it’s a non issue.