graphicguy

You know…I’ve been through rough seas. Stuff coming off the walls, dishes crashing, being thrown out of bed….being scared. Knowing the only way to get through an act of God like that is via the skill of the Captain and his crew. I empathize…I really do. But, the issue is always…”we have to blame someone”. Really? These are people who have devoted their education and lives to navigating ships on the seas. And, you want to chastise them for getting you through the storm? For getting you home safely? If you must…. You know better…you have more experience….you need to tell the Captain what he “should have” done? How does that work? You say the Captain did an amazing job and in the same breath say he “blew it”! He put you at risk but got you home safely. Chastise Guest Services for not responding, yet saying they needed to be safe to. Why, because they wouldn’t answer your phone call? How exactly would you have wanted the Captain tell you how long an act of God was going to last? Man….I’m sure I’ll catch grief for this post. But, I’d be thanking the Capt and Crew, not chastising them. Shaming us because you were scared and refuse to see the good the Capt and crew did? Puleeeze! I’m out!!!!!!!!!

While I have time, let me see if I can put some thoughts down about the cruise while they’re fresh…. SHIP… I mentioned I had sailed on the EPIC when she was relatively new over a decade ago. Loved her then. Love her now. In all frankness, I don’t see where she’s had much wear. Some have reported rust and worn carpets. Didn’t see any of that, and I was ALL OVER the ship. I did spend a considerable amount of time in the Haven, but spent as much, or more, roaming the rest of the ship. In brief, she’s in great shape. This is a big ship. 4,200+ guests. 1,700-2,000 crew. It was NCL’s first “Mega-Ship”! Easy to navigate. ENTERTAINMENT…. Small pools…some kids water park features. A rock wall, that doesn’t look like it’s in use, and hasn’t been for a while. Water slides that are fun, although I don’t base a ship on its slides. Casino…exactly what you’d expect….lots of machines, good amount of table games. Shockingly little cigarette smell. Much better ventilated than the Away ships. They must have found a system that controls the smoke smell. Certainly there was no smoke that carried to other decks (like you’ll also find on the Away ships). Played table games only, and that was only Hold’Em cash games. Typical players for Hold’Em…You have the drunks, the stupid, those who try to look the part, but can’t play the part. Then, you have me. The guy who’s been playing for a while and can do well against the drunk, stupid and pretenders, but has a more difficult time against those who know what they’re doing. I have more fun playing against the latter. The former? I feel like I’m baby sitting them. I broke even. Poor odds for BlackJack. So, didn’t play. Also didn’t play any tournaments. Hold’Em tournaments offered rebuys. In brief, if you’ve got the money, you can keep rebuying to replenish your stack. But, by the time you do that, your winnings (if any) is pretty skinny. That said, we were in port A LOT and overnight so there was less time to play. Could be a blessing or a curse. In any event, I didn’t lose anything. SHOWS… Saw Burn the Floor. Don’t know how I’ve missed it over all these years. It was great and received a “Standing O”, deservedly so. Also saw VOCE…equally good and fits into NCL’s recent smaller, yet high quality shows. There were solo artists playing around the ship. All good. Atrium had the typical movies, trivia, etc. Always something happening there. I know there was a RAT PACK show I missed. Caught 2 Beatles shows (early Beatles and Sgt Peppers). In Cavern club…..Both were great. Yes, they are so good, get there early to get a seat. Seen some hand wringing about NCL entertainment changing. Kind of expected as these shows have a shelf life. Via contracts finishing, newly developed shows, etc, some of the shows are going away. Glad I was able to see most of them. But, just like Blue Man Group, Rock of Ages, etc, they all have to end sometime. Anxious to see what comes next. FOOD… Taste and Manhattan Room for MDRs. Manhattan Room has entertainment. Did not dine in either, so can’t comment. HAVEN restaurant was uniformly great, from service, to the food, to the presentation. Limited choices, but I didn’t eat there every day, either. That’s expected. Favorite free venue was Noodles. Sit at the bar where the chefs are preparing your food. That’s a show in and of itself. Udon noodles, potstickers, fried rice, etc…made and served fresh. Popular place so expect a wait. Specialty Dining….ate at… WASABI…..good sushi..enjoyed it Moderna Churrascaria…good…better than I expected. Salad bar is the star, but even the flank steak was tender and flavorful. Cagneys….always good service, always good steaks, what’s more to say LaCucina….this was the surprise to me. I had heard this was mediocre. I have been eating in authentic restaurants the entire cruise. This ain’t that. But, it’s way better than the other comparisons I read about like Olive Garden. Liked it, a lot. HAven Restaurant was really good. Surf and turf, to seafood, to prime rib….all of it uniformly as good as anything on any ship in any restaurant. O’Sheehans was the forefather of “The Local” on later ships. Hungry at 3:00 p.m. or 1:00 a.m.? This is where you go. It’s bar food…good bar food….wings, burgers, etc. Sometimes it’s also a good alternative to the Buffet or even an MDR. I even liked it for breakfast sometimes. Coming up…..ports and excursions as well as Haven……

Will take as train from ROME to CORTONA to meet up with my family for another couple of weeks. So, feeling sort of homeless right now.

Was able to check into my hotel early. I am near MRS for my flight (back to) Rome tomorrow. I go from one extreme to the other. My stay for the night….

UBER line is WAY shorter than the taxi line….

au revoir…

Many times storms come up up expectedly. Sounds like they warned of some impending rough weather. Sounds like you came through OK. Glad to hear that!

Still trying to figure out what it would take for the OP to feel better about un expectedly running into rough seas!

And….we’re docked back in Marseille! Have some traveling to do as I’m meeting family back in Italy for more festivities. So, posts might be sparse, But I promise to make more. Not quite ready to get off the ship. But, the announcements of “luggage tag colors” are a constant reminder I have to leave!!!

Have to share this while it’s still fresh Went to the shop to get some way overpriced aspirin for the painful blister. Go to the cashier and there’s a lady choosing between about a dozen $2 charms. After 5 mins of watching this, I ask the cashiers if I can just pay for the aspirin while she’s busy choosing. He says he already started ringing her up. She states she’s almost done. 5 deep at the counter and another 5 minutes. I put the aspirin on the nearest counter and decide my pain is more tolerable than that whole scene!

I will. I have quite a few!

Medium rare Prime rib and tuna? Coming right up….

I did hit the Picasso museum in Nice! WOW!

Obviously…sadly….this trip is coming to an end. To say this was a trip of a lifetime would be an understatement! In brief, it was fantastic. A few warts here and there, but still the best cruise I’ve ever taken on any ship, on any cruise line! I’ll have a complete review forthcoming! And, many more pics! Thanks for following!

4+ years ago on the Escape had a sudden gust caused our ship to list which tossed me out of bed. No warning. Water pitcher and glasses hit the floor. I think there’s YT vids of the event. Everybody has a weather story when you cruise!

True..every single word. If this stops anyone from cruising again, cruising probably isn’t “your thing”!

I assure you, any weather events are reported to NCL HQ. You were informed of impending foul weather, even that it was severe enough to miss a port. So, the obvious question, what compensation would make you feel better about it?

Thanks for all the suggestions for my blistered heel. Not healed but tolerable enough I’m headed out. I keep thinking….”when’s the next time you’ll be here…what’s a little pain…suck it up buttercup and get out there”. So, off I go. CANNES

True…leaving day after tomorrow. So, probably won’t bother. Maybe leave a comment card, however!