Daddyrob81
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Posts posted by Daddyrob81
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Good Morning All from Curaçao.
I wanted to just make a quick post on our current Epic sailing out of San Juan so far and see if I can answer any questions that y’all may have.
Embarkation in San Juan was a breeze. Have your Vax card ready to be examined a number of times before being allowed onboard. But the offsite testing before boarding that I saw referenced on other posts has been eliminated. We were on board by about 10:30 am, and no, I am not a haven guest.
Departure was 2 hours later than originally scheduled at 7, so there was no real sail away event.
For anybody inquiring Victor is the current CD.
The staff has by far been the best part of this sailing, with food right behind them. Special recognition to Ms. Janet, one of the hostesses at O’Sheehan for what I can only explain as exemplary customer service! There were a lot of new staffers who join onboard yesterday in Aruba, so we will see how this continues.
I am not a super picky eater so the food for me has been perfect. There was only one item that my traveling party didn’t care for, which was the ravioli in lobster sauce in the MDR. Le Bistro was perfect as always. MDR meals are good, hot, tasty. Buffet is the typical offerings.
Spa was great, had a 1.5 massage for the cost of 55 minutes, which was a port day special. Avoid the after massage sales pitch while you’re slightly captive in less clothing than you would be at Target.
The PAX count is approximately 1500. Makes
for quite the nice experience on the ship. Not so busy, elevators never packed.
Ok, so now the meh stuff.
You can see the age of the ship. More rusting spots, internally things just out of place, broken, etc.
The Internet works when it wants, which isn’t super frequently. Not sure if it’s the WiFi network or the ship’s other equipment but you’d be hard pressed to get internet at night. Would be nice to use my internet package.
The navigation channel was stuck with the ship in the wrong position for 12+ hours and as of last night, it’s just down now.
If you’re familiar with the studios, you’ll recall that the light in the toilet cubicle was motion sensor based and would turn on and off, in my room that was replaced with a light switch, at 6+ ft up the wall. I can reach it at 6’4 but others may not be so lucky. Corridor lights that burn out aren’t being replaced or are being replaced with white lights, so the studio corridors now look like some scene from a zombie movie.
TV in my stateroom has been constantly rebooting itself since embarkation day. Not that much time is spent in there, but at night I like to have noise while showing and tend to leave the TV on at night.
My parents first time on the epic and their balcony room is perfect.
Latitude Rewards. As Gold, and my parents as Bronze, we’ve had some different experiences. They had boxes of water in their room, bubbly, chocolate strawberries, cookies. They have been showered with love. I can’t even get an ice bucket. It’s the oddest thing. I feel like I’m sailing as a first timer with NCL. Don’t pin this on the Studio, this is my 4th studio sailing, most recently on the bliss and I had these previous positive experiences.
My stateroom is clean, Turndown is nice, but that’s about it with regards to the room. No towel animals at night.
Shows are still limited. Priscilla is still dark, which was one thing I was really hoping to see again.
if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
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Come on Doug... is there no texting and carting?
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Ok maybe not I finished the first video - sounds like uber might not be the way to go!!!!
Keep in mind that they had to sail out from Port Canaveral and fly back to MCO from Europe. It only made sense for them to park their car at the airport so it was there when they got home.
Living in Orlando, I wouldn’t recommend paying to park at MCO and take an Uber to the port. Maybe a shuttle if somebody drops you off.
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Doug,
Thanks for the live thread. 3 questions if I may.
1. How’s the internet connection?
2. Is the new Norwegian App in place or is it still the iConcierge version?
3. In Starbucks it looks like they had a version on their places you’ve been mugs on the wall. Is this true, and what’s the design on them?
Sailing right after you on the Panama Canal, can’t wait!!! :cool:
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Our next luggage tags are dark purple.
Somebody's sailing on the Bliss next. :D
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For your own safety... LOL :')
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Oh, here's one... How about the Starbucks gold card benefit of free refills on simple coffee and tea products as long as you're in the store... I'll be finding this out on the Panama Canal cruise in the upcoming weeks. :)
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...most of us from the southern states would think the prices were high.
I was thinking the same thing...
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wow diving deep into the depths for a posting 1 1/2 years old...
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The Local offers classic Pub fare in a relaxed pub atmosphere 24 hours a day. With popular dishes like Chicken Pot Pie and Fish n’ Chips to daily dinner specials like Prime Rib, The Local has all your favorite comfort foods.
Sounds pretty much like O'Sheehan to me... ;p
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The studio units on NCL are currently all the same floorpan. Shower on one side, toilet on the other. The toilet room has a door, but the shower is open to the room, with semi-frosted glass, sink is also in the room. I guess sailing alone this isn't a concern, but if you're worried about not having a "bathroom" of sorts, the studios are going to be similar to the other rooms on the Epic.
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If you like spiced rum like Capt Morgan try a Capt and Ginger.
My drink of choice even on land! :')
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I believe I still have mine from my cruise earlier this year. I’ll see what I can do about scanning them in and posting them for viewing.
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I'll be sailing on the Epic in 12519, a few doors down. I'll let you know if I hear anything in my room.
I've heard the same things about this room, but on my last sailing I was speaking with somebody staying in that room who said they didn't hear much at all. Maybe a heavy sleeper or not much traffic.
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From looking at the deck plans. Looks like the bed is closer to the sink/bathroom. The Sofa would be closer to the balcony.
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DGP1111 posted the dailies for the Tortola, St. Thomas, Nassau itinerary. This when GSC was still closed. Not sure how much they've changed, but they're relatively recent.
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The website says you need the Wide ones.
If I *may* suggest.. I purchased these on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017BVF8L6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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I did a mock booking on the NCL UK site at one time. When converting GBP to USD the price was nearly double. I'll take paying the 18% gratuity on the UBP. :p
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This is a bit random, does anybody know if during the Dry Dock they changed the hallway carpet on the Epic to the Fish Carpet?
Haven't seen any comment on it, and I always remember getting a bit disoriented when navigating around the ship a few years ago.
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The Studio units are "cozy" but aside from sleeping and cleaning up, I wasn't in mine frequently.
There is tons of storage. Put your luggage under the bed after you unpack. The toilet "room" has a motion sensor light, so if you're in there any extended period of time, the light will shut off on you. Just flail your arms around like a madman and the light will turn back on. :p
The Studio Lounge was a great way to meet people. The Solo gathering was at 6pm each night on the Epic. There's a bartender there from 5pm-7pm, and usually people arrived around then and talked about their experiences that day.
The Solo Host will usually put up a whiteboard with activities that the Solos can sign up for. Usually dinner or a show as a group, so you don't have to go alone. I did this a few times, but I tend to be a little bit more of a loner sometimes.
The Lounge also gets stocked a few times a day with snacks. Usually cereals, fruits, and pastries at breakfast. At lunch it varied from sandwiches to salads (in the small fridge) with fruits and cookies. Theres also a really nifty coffee machine you can get good coffee (or cappuccino, espresso) from FREE at any time of the day. So it was nice if I got up early, I'd run into the lounge, grab a snack and coffee, and head back to my room.
The age of the Solos varied from young to young at heart. I'm sure you'll find some like minded people and will have a very enjoyable time! :)
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You'll be able to print them out with your e-docs when they are available. Usually at 60 days from sailing.
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I personally didn't have any issue with the Epic when I sailed her in 2015.
There are crowds but I think it's to be expected anytime you've got upwards of 4100 people on a ship, and thats only guests. The only time I ever really noticed huge congregations of people was during busy times at the Buffet and around the pool on Sea Days.
I really enjoyed the Epic. You might wait a few for a drink or table, but it's not like a restaurant on land, which you could wait an hour for a table.
Aside from that, there wasn't in my opinion generally any issues. If you're sailing on 1/21, you shouldn't see HUGE crowds. We're just coming off holidays and it's right before Spring Break would begin. That's one of the major reasons I booked my Feb cruise.
If you're a chill kind of person, I'm sure you'll enjoy the Epic just fine.
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I believe the current NCL Policy on Alcohol consumption is...
21 Years or older to consume Liquor
18-20 year olds (except on Hawaiian or Alaskan Voyages) can consume Beer or Wine if their parents sign a Waiver. The waiver is not required on European Sailings.
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Might want to check out the Roll Call for the cruise itself. There were a few DnR people posting there in some of the earlier threads.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2311002
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Somewhat Live from the Epic - 3/6/22 Sailing
in Norwegian Cruise Line
Posted
We are currently standing off ship In Curaçao waiting for our excursion. Here the requirement is face masks in Inside venues, stores, restaurants. Bring your Vaccination cards as well, as we are being told those will be examined.
Yesterday was Aruba which we also were off the ship, no mask requirements.
2 of our 5 excursions have already had time changes. One family wasn’t quite happy to have booked 2 excursions on the same day only to have one of the AM tours cancelled and rebooked in the afternoon… can’t be on 2 excursions at the same time Shorex. Get it together.