MauraBOne

We did a TA on the Epic in October 2013. On the ship for 17 days total after leaving from Rome and loved every minute of it. Smooth sailing most of the time, had sunny days and met wonderful people. After leaving Madeira, we had six full days at sea before reaching the next port, St. Thomas. What's great is that you settle into a relaxing rhythm and the ship becomes a real community. Very fond memories of that amazing trip! Go for it!

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Hi, enjoyed your last Breakaway review and your posts on Roll Call. Just signed up for Meet and Greet; hope to meet you there!

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Portland, Maine is quite walkable from the dock. Pick up a map of downtown or ask a local how to get to the "Old Port". Less than a 10 minute walk. Restored old buildings, cool shops etc, great for a couple hours walk around after your lighthouse tour. It's also known to be a city for "foodies", if that's of interest. I live in NH about an hour away. One of my favorite cities--enjoy!!

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My husband and I sailed on the Mardi Gras in August 1981, with my fourteen year old brother and 81 year old grandmother as cabin mates. We sailed from Boston just prior to drydock for refurbishing. Though the curtains, bedspreads, etc. really needed it, I too remember the beautiful polished wood and fine details. We were upgraded to a large cabin on Main Deck, thank God! Don't know how the four of us would have managed in a smaller one! Our cruise was especially memorable because we encountered a hurricane/tropical storm (Dennis) and had 24 hours of "rough seas"--all that the crew would admit to. The waiters actually poured water from the pitchers onto the tablecloth to keep the breakfast dishes and coffee cups on the table. By the time we reached Bermuda, however, all was well. We had a great time--it truly lived up to its reputation as one of the "Fun Ships", Carnivals theme at the time! My brother won the dance contest in the disco! My travel agent and her teenage daughters actually came on the cruise with us when I pointed out to her what a great deal it was. Her daughters were thrilled with my brother's company and they often came in later than we did. We took many slides on the cruise and if we can figure out how to do it, we'll scan in some photos. We had a post cruise party to share the slides and we laughed and laughed at the pictures--especially the ones of "rough seas". We also had Mardi Gras T Shirts made up with "I Survived Hurricane Dennis" on the backs. Enjoyed the walk down memory lane...

Hello,

I have been to both. I guess it depends on whether snorkeling is more your thing or if you want a wider choice of activities. Xel-ha was pleasant, but not really outstanding. I don't remember there being any underground caverns there. The lazy river was okay. They both have the swim with dolphins activity.

On the other hand, I especially enjoyed my day and night at Xcaret. We snorkeled in both man-made and natural underground caverns, which I really liked. My husband wasn't too crazy about it though. For him it felt a bit claustrophobic. Xcaret was beautifully landscaped and there were lots of birds and paths to wander around. We watched a fantastic horseback riding show while having lunch at a ringside restaurant. Very impressive.

Bring a change of clothes and stuff to shower and freshen up with, though. The best part was the evening show in the amphitheatre. It had to be one of the best shows I have ever seen. It had singers with great voices and fabulous dancers. The costumes were so colorful and amazing. The highlight was the demonstration of the Mayan Ball game played with the flaming ball!

It's a long day, but definitely worth it. I have such fond memories of that day and night at Xcaret. Great outing for a couple, children may not last through the evening if they are out in the sun and fresh air all day. In that case, I'd just do the daytime ticket. Xcaret is more Disney-fied than Xcaret, while Xel-ha is more natural. Both are worth doing, but I'd choose Xcaret first. I'd go again in a heartbeat.