An Epic Cruise with Walking Difficulties

The latest instalment of 6 tale of cruising and travelling with walking difficulties

I call my husband 6 after the 70’s TV programme The 6 million dollar man or the Bionic man

Steve Austin was rebuilt better stronger and faster after an accident resulted him being fitted with 6 million dollars worth of bionics

He hasn’t got quite that far yet but having a go

He had hip resurfacing on his right hip 2008 and left in 2010 as a result of damage from Rheumatoid arthritis and we hoped they would last several more years

However he had a large lump on his left hip for a while and it was eventually diagnosed as a pseudotumour consisting of metal ions and fluid which is now known to be a complication of metal to metal hip replacements .It can cause nasty health issues if left

It took a while to get a referral to the Orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in hip revision surgery ie taking out old artificial joint and replacing with another

We saw him last September and after further tests he agreed it needed to be sorted sooner rather than later but with the NHS waiting lists could not guarantee when would get a date for surgery

We were booked on a transatlantic cruise in April and with no word on a date and final payment due we went ahead only a few days later to get a surgery date for beginning February .

And that’s when we found out the small print on our travel insurance excludes planned surgery even though was not planned at time of booking cruise and taking out insurance

Our NCL PCC went over and beyond to help us-his superiors were initially saying would have to claim on travel insurance-please see above!

He stuck to his guns and got the transatlantic cruise changed to this 7 day cruise in late October on Epic around the Mediterranean for similar price to what already paid

Customer service like that means we will certainly book with him in future.

[Those of a sensitive disposition skip over following ]

Surgery went ahead with a 5 hour operation to remove damagedmuscle tissue and replace metal prosthesis with traditional hip joint

Xrays are interesting as there are also 3 bone screws holding things together

Recovery was long-off work 5 months and the first 3 months he had to wear a metal ,plastic and neoprine device from waist to knee called an abduction brace as risk of dislocation was so high-6 called it his chastitybelt to amusement of the surgeon.

Physiotherapist was really good and actually got him to correct some bad gait habits he had slipped into-his left ankle is also arthritic and will need surgery in the future but favouring it he was making his walking worse

As a result he was able to walk our daughter down the aisle end of August and even took to the dance floor with her at the wedding

That is a major achievement in itself as in over 31 years of marriage I have not managed to get him to dance with me without a great deal of protest!

So to say we were ready for this cruise is an understatement

PRE CRUISE TRAVEL

Bear with me when I describe getting to the ship as it is relevant for anyone with similar walking difficulties

We were flying out of London Gatwick airport and had to get there from our home in North East England-we decided to go via train .

When booking train tickets for best prices 3 months ahead we were thinking of taking along a travel wheelchair he could use as a walking aid but in the end he decided it was too much luggage as well as our 2 suitcases .He was walking with more confidence with just a walking stick/cane to give him stability in crowds and also acting as a visual warning to others-the most dangerous people to him are young children who could knock him off balance as he cant take evasive action.

We had pre booked special assistance on Virgin East coasttrains and this proved very beneficial.

We made ourselves known to passenger assistance and 10 minutes before train due a man who looked in worse physical condition than 6 came puffing and panting towards us. He suggested putting our 2 large suitcases in the guards van then it was just to get ourselves on the train. That was tricky enough as there is a large step up onto the train and a gap between platform and that step.

An easy 2 ½ hours later we arrived into London Kings Cross station.

We saw our cases unloaded onto platform so grabbed them and started trek along length of train

A couple of minutes later a man came running up to us and apologised for being late and took 6 case from him and shortcutted us through the station.

We were meeting our newly wed daughter at the station pub for lunch as she works a 10 minute walk away. He insisted on carrying our casesup the stairs although our daughter told us after there is a lift/elevator!

When you search options from Kings Cross to Gatwick airport train station it suggests tube to Victoria train station to get Gatwick express

Tube with luggage and walking difficulties not a good idea-last time we did that couldn’t find an elevator and fortunately were with friends so they helped carry cases up steps.

Instead walk over to St Pancras station literally over theroad and get a Thameslink train to Gatwick airport taking just under an hour

There are elevators both ends and an easy step onto train. It wasn’t rush hour so pretty easy

We had booked a pre flight hotel at Hilton which connects to South Terminal where we would be flying from next morning

It is still a bit of a walk from the station but fortunately the moving walkway was in operation

As Gold members we got an upgrade to an executive room with access to lounge and free drinks and snacks between 6.30-8.30

Then to bed as the alarm was set for 3.15am for a 6.40 flight

It did mean the airport was quiet and at check in they asked if we were OK to get through security ourselves and wheelchair assistance would meet us at the airport lounge to escort us to the plane

Going through security it was no surprise 6 set off the alarms with the amount of metal in him but again was disappointed as the burly man rather than attractive female frisked him down.

We had prebooked airport lounge so could get light breakfast but more to point rest in comfortable chairs.

Just before 6am a lady found us with a wheelchair and transferred us to a buggy for an early morning thrill ride through the corridors of Gatwick airport before being priority boarded so could get settled

We left London in the dark and pouring rain and 1 hour 40 minutes later arrived in warm sunny Barcelona

Ourselves and another couple were asked to wait at front of plane until the ambulift could be put in place and transfer us to terminal building.

The lady was getting a bit agitated about the wait but the hostess pointed out the plane was being refuelled so they couldn’t get the raised truck[which is best description of ambulift] into place on right hand side of airplane until it had moved away

When doors opened and we could step out onto the platform where she had a mobility scooter and walker already loaded on there .Her husband was carrying several pieces of hand luggage and I’m sure I spotted a kitchen sink

Have you ever watched British TV sitcom Benidorm?

One of the characters Madge rides round on a mobilityscooter and complains about everything.

We nicknamed this lady Madge for reasons about to become apparent.

We were driven over to the main building to a large room empty except for 2 women already sat there and told to wait for next assistance person.

We waited quite a while when a guy turned up with 2wheelchairs which were for the 2 women who had been there before us

He tried to manoeuvre both ladies at same time by pulling one wheelchair and pushing the other .It looked very awkward and was glad wasn’t sat in one of the chairs as didn’t trust him to avoid solid objects. He got themto a lift at back of hall and pushed 1 lady in but the door shut on her before could get other one in-it was like a comedy act. We nicknamed him Gormless and hoped we didn’t get him on his return.

We waited and waited and then waited some more

Madge was getting very agitated and mobi scooting up and down[mobi scooting is a new verb as in to mobi scoot /travel very fast on motorised wheelchair with no regard for pedestrians and if it’s not in the Oxford dictionary it should be]

Gormless returns with 2 wheelchairs but walks straight past us and takes a seat by the window

Madge thinks it’s time to go and mobiscoots to the lift until she realises he isn’t following

She returns and starts remonstrating to him “we want to go”-he replies “no speak English” and stares vacantly ahead

Madge in typical fashion of language barrier starts talking louder and louder as if this will help and I tried to step in by saying as she already has her scooter and he has 2 wheelchairs he probably isn’t waiting for us

Sure enough soon a slim attractive girl turns up with 1wheelchair -6 eyes were gleaming!

She loaded 6 onto the wheelchair and set off with Madge whizzing on ahead in her mobility scooter -we took a shortcut via passportcontrol and arrived baggage claim area an hour after landing

By this time the conveyer belt had stopped and only our suitcases were left on it

Madges husband went to retrieve their cases which were twice the size of ours so he had to enlist the help of our lady wheelchair assistance to find a trolley

I collected our 2 modestly sized cases and walked back over to 6 who was parked next to Madge

Madge was asking where her husband was and 6 replied “I think he’s over there talking to a younger woman”

Madge response “good”!!!

We had included NCL transfers to our NCL organised hotel so outside headed over to meeting area with reps from all cruiselines apart fromNCL!

6 saw a separate line of people holding up individual names and spotted ours

Apparently with the delay in us getting through with wheelchair assistance the shuttle bus had left but sent back private car for us.

Well with a leather seated Mercedes we weren’t complaining—unlike Madge who as we were waiting for the driver to bring his car round came out ofthe building and moaning their shuttle bus had also left without them

They had a minivan with a ramp to drive up her mobilityscooter up into the back

The comedy continued with her trying to drive it up-at one point thought she was going to go over the side -the driver eventually took over and pushed it up with Madge remonstrating loudly with him-he either didn’t or pretended not to understand her.

With great sadness we parted and had a very comfortable drive to Hotel Montblanc just off Pl Catalunya

We checked in and fortunately our rooms were ready so were able to have a shower and change clothes to something more appropriate to warm sunny weather

Being tired we found a Burger King just opposite-never mind trying local cuisine-sometimes familiar comfort food is called for!

The hotel had an enclosed courtyard with swimming pool closed for season

It was very pleasant though just whiling away the afternoon in the warmth

At the time the news was full of demonstrations about independence

5pm there was a demonstration due near the hotel but apart from hearing a police helicopter circling overhead and some crowd noise in background we wouldn’t have known anything was happening if we hadn’t turned on TV and watched live feed

Even then it showed good natured crowds waving flags and enjoying sunshine!

We decided to eat in hotel restaurant when it opened 8pm-we were only ones in there but for 13 euros for a 2 course meal with glass wine included it was good value

We retired to the bar which was filling up with NCL cruisers

One lady who we nicknamed Miss Life and Soul was calling out to passers by “how are you”

She sounded surprised when we replied

Her friend said later she doesn’t normally drink-yes we guessed that!

We actually saw her several times on the ship and was a lot more restrained!

Time for bed-cruising tomorrow!

Great start! Thanks for the humor!

Good for you.

I don't believe I've ever heard Burger King called Comfort Food before, but please, carry on...

Great so far - I’ll be following along as I’m visually impaired so interested to see how NCL looks after their guests with disabilities etc.

Assistance on the trains is fab - I use it when travelling alone with luggage as my balance isn’t great. On the journey to and from Southampton in September for my last cruise, they couldn’t do enough for me.

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Yay! I’m excited to see another review from you. Following.

Day 1 Embarking in Barcelona Sunday

A relative lie in and woken by phone call from front desk asking if our luggage was ready to be collected

NCL transfers to ship were included and asked that luggage to be collected from rooms by 9am

However bus transfer to port wasn’t till 11.45 and we wanted to be on the ship by then .I found the NCL rep in lobby busy handing out proper plasticised ship labels and making double sure they wouldn’t come off by stapling them as well

He wasn’t allowing anyone to use the paper print outs with edocs unless they had been strengthened or laminated to his satisfaction.

He was a bit perturbed when I said we would be getting our own taxi earlier.

Are you sure you know the address?

Well yes we’ve done this before.

As breakfast was included we ate and then checked out

Hailed a taxi right outside and metered fare to port was 10euros and 5 euro supplement for 2 suitcases so 15 euros total and at port by10.30am

Good tip when getting in taxi is to write down name of ship to show to driver as if you say port he may think airport and many do not speak English especially older generation.

Handing over bags it was the first security scan which of course 6 set off so first frisk down of the day.

Check in desks immediately in front of you are general and lower level latitudes

Go past these towards the back where priority boarding forPlatinum ,Haven, Casinos at sea and special assistance which have shorter line sand those at check in desks will wave you forward in front of those in general line.

We didn’t use special assistance as the Platinum line was short and 6 was feeling fresh enough not to require assistance to board

By 10.50 we were checked in and sat with boarding card 2

Priority boarding and card 1 were called 11.15 and then card2 at 11.20

Unfortunately between seating area and the escalators to board ship is a row of duty free and gift shops which causes a bottleneck as shoppers don’t leave room for queuing guests to get past .This was the dodgy bit for 6 as he risked being jostled and losing his balance-in hindsight perhaps wheelchair assistance would have been safer.

At the top of the escalator was a crew member with clipboard checking for passengers who might need assistance. This included checking whether would need help on disembarkation and so took note of cabin numbers.

After another bag scan on entrance to ship we were boarding 11.25 by the Epic theatre and by 11.30 had first Rebellious Fish in hand.

Those back at the hotel would still be awaiting their transfer!

I left 6 in the Atrium bar and headed up to deck 14 to visi tMandara Spa and sign up for Thermal Spa package. It is $20 to sign up online beforehand but we had $200 OBC and 6 doesn’t do spas!

There were 2 packages

$159 VIP cruise

$189 VIP ultimate

Asking the spa attendant the difference the Ultimate includes1 salt scrub for self administration in steam room. Err for an extra $30 I’lltake the $159. Note that whereas treatments have an 18% gratuity added there is no extra for Thermal spa price. Makes sense as does not involve personal services.

Walking back down the stairs there were people sitting onstairs or standing near the closed doors giving access to staterooms

Err they wont be ready for at least another hour-explore the ship or find a bar people!

The pool deck was deserted apart from maintenance men.

I then booked Moderno for Thursday night as 1 of the 2Platinum specialty restaurant perk .I had pre booked Cagneys online as that is now a la carte so no upfront payment

However Moderno has a cover charge of $24.95 each which would have had to pre pay and then try to claim back onboard.

Back to find 6 in Atrium befriending bar staff and noted the ship was starting to fill up.

It was 1pm so time for lunch

O Sheehans had a wait and wasn’t going to battle the madness of embarkation day at Garden café buffet so we headed to Taste and were seated by the window able to watch luggage loading[don’t ever spend a lot of money on posh suitcases] and a constant stream of taxi and coach drop offs.

The sky looked a beautiful blue-problem with many areas on ship there are no windows so can forget what it’s like outside.

Fish and chips and a glass of prosecco later[did I mention we had the UBP as a perk] and we were about to go up to the pool deck and continue to people watch.

However 1.35 they announced rooms were ready so we knew there would be queues[lines] for the lifts[elevators] so we decided to have another drink in the atrium first.

When we got to the room there were the usual Platinum vouchers, chocolate covered strawberries fizzy wine[hesitate to call it champagne] and anniversary and birthday cards to hand over to maitre d at restaurant of our choice.

Also a letter from Merci and Luis the ships group co ordinators confirming arrangements for Meet and Greet on Tuesday.

There have been reports on Cruisecritic of roll call members coming to virtual blows over who will host this event in order to get “perks”

This varies from ship to ship and can consist of absolutely nothing so only co ordinate the Meet and Greet because you enjoy it not in expectation of special treatment

We had 2 fluffy Haven style bathrobes and some mini size Bulgari toiletries apparently also supplied in Haven[we were in 9222 a regular balconycabin]

Bed next to Balcony in case you are interested.

Controversial bathroom set up didn’t bother us in the least-we have been married over 31 years.

Also did I mention that after his hip operation he was unable to weight bear for 2 months and so getting to our upstairs bathroom was out of question. So nursing skills out of retirement and bed baths-there are no secrets between us!!!

It was nearly time for muster drill and my phone was on low charge.

When you take your room card out of the slot the power goes out so experience from previous cruises had a spare hotel key to put there so could charge phone whilst out of room

Muster drill for us was in Cavern club so got there early to get a seat.

The guy in charge took his job seriously and circulated the room telling everyone to pay attention.Usually the announcements are made in several languages but fairly short

This was all in English with a lot more safety announcements relating to other day to day matters

Including not leaving unattended items on charge and cabin steward authorised to unplug them

Ooops-a few guilty faces!

Sounds like they must have had incidents of items overheating

We had arranged an informal sailaway for post muster at Spice H2O and we headed up there with our mardi gras beads to identify each other and met about 20 fellow roll callers and had several drinks.

7.45 several people went off together to eat but were still full from lunch so back to cabin to unpack.

Out for the night checked out a few night spots ie visited bars then 9.45 thought better get bite to eat to soak up the alcohol.

Caught garden café just before closing but then realised a day of over indulging with UBP was catching up with us so time for bed!

Enjoying your tale and looking forward to more!

thanks for kind comments so far

Reading with interest as I found my Epic cruise with a knee scooter difficult. Had a great aft cabin but my trips to the other end were limited. That ship needs midship elevators and easier access to the aft dining room.....or that was the case when I was on it several years ago.

Thanks for your review!

Reading with interest as I found my Epic cruise with a knee scooter difficult. Had a great aft cabin but my trips to the other end were limited. That ship needs midship elevators and easier access to the aft dining room.....or that was the case when I was on it several years ago.

 

Thanks for your review!

Yes I agree very big ship and long distance to elevators and those moving stairs down to atrium are not disabled friendly

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Day 2 Palma Mallorca Monday

We were awoken early morning with vibration sounds as docking-we were in back 1/3 area from aft so be aware the vibration carries quite far forward.

This itinerary varied slightly from previous ones and we were in port 8 till 5

We had breakfast and met in atrium 9am with our tour mates for our 4 hour private tour with s Mallorca Private Tour Guides

There were 12 of us in a minivan with driver and guide Ana

It was sunny and forecast 19 centigrade 66 fahrenheit so I was in sundress and sandals

The rest were in long sleeves and jackets-even guide Ana was wearing a jacket and said it was cold-just shows what you are used to for summer temps!

With the van full it was a tight fit-just as well no really large people in our group!

Setting off 9.30 from Palma to the mountainous village Valdermossa arriving 10am and no other tour buses there yet so we had a 1 hour walking tour with Ana giving history of area and pointing out landmarks

It is a beautiful place but not disabled friendly as uneven cobblestones and hilly-6 coped but would really have struggled a few months earlier.

We left at 11 just as the large NCL tour buses were pulling in. It is very popular with tourists during the day but we were able to experience quiet side streets in our small group.

We then headed back to Palma for a walking tour. This was easier than Valdermossa but still steps and slopes to contend with .We had 30mins free time so we sat and people watched and 6 could rest. This was the tour involving most walking even though was shortest in duration and fortunately the next day was a sea day to give him time to recover.

We were back at the ship 1.30-cost for 4 hour tour 35 euros per person. Contrast this with ships tour on large coach 65 euros Scenic Palma and Valdermossa

5 of us headed to O Sheehans for lunch and first usage of UBP for the day. We noted slow bar service same as on same ship over a year ago. Yet service at Atrium bar was very good so we spent more time there.

6 ankle was throbbing with the walking so he decided to takes ome liquid painkiller and check out service in various bars.

I headed to the Thermal spa and found an outside lounger at aft in the sunshine and fell asleep!

I was woken by sounds of cheering at 5.10 as pier runners were late back to ship.

The Latitudes party was 6.30 so went back to cabin to shower and change and to deliver meet and greet invites for the next day-it’s a big ship!

There was no sign of 6 so went on bar hunt and found him in Maltings bar-he had forgotten about party. He was sat outside the barber shop and the guy inside had been trying to persuade him to have his beard and moustache tidied up and a masculine facial.

“my wife likes me like this” was his response

Soon shown to be a lie when I picked up the price list!

Time for a sharp exit to Lattitudes party in Bliss nightclub where officers introduced themselves and free drinks and canapes. Since the widespread introduction of the UBP as a perk the quality of the drinks at these parties has improved. A couple of years ago we left our wine and beer as they tasted awful[and we’re no wine/beer snobs].We bumped into a couple of rollcallers and chatted for a while

7.30 decided to hunt down some food and headed to Garden café-unfortunately it was seafood night and I don’t like seafood.

So headed to O Sheehans again for shepherds pie and beef potroast-am I allowed to call that comfort food lol

We headed to Cavern Club to check out rock band Siglo who were very good and we tended to see them most of nights they were playing there.

Bar waiter Nur was very good .She was able to catch eye and serve 2 at once

Unfortunately the circulating bar waitress was pathetic-we recognised her from previous cruise on this ship. She has 2 speeds slow and stop. She was so bad it was hilarious. In a full bar she made no eye contact and walked past people holding up key cards to attract her attention. She would occasionally pick up empty glasses and return them to the bar and her main function seemed to be to collect the bar menu booklets to be stacked neatly!

We left as the Epic Beatles came on -they are very popular but not our thing

We returned to Atrium bar and watched Manhattan band and discussed ease or otherwise of getting round the ship.

This is our third time on Epic and still get confused

It is a long way between aft and forward elevators and if you head in the wrong direction it’s a lot more unnecessary walking

Even cabin numbers are on 1 side ship with orange carpet and odd numbers on the other with a blue carpet. However unlike the smaller ships with fish swimming forward so can tell which way is aft.These are missing so very disorientating

3 public deck areas on 5 6 and 7 and still cant remember hich are on what floor and whether front or back

As there is a lack of windows on these decks cant get a clue y looking out at sea.

We headed back to the Cavern Club for Siglos last set and mnaged to last out till 1am

Returned to cabin to find our first towel animal-the big kid in me always like these!

Day 3 at Sea Tuesday

Woke up to feel the ship rocking

Outside was choppy and mixture of clouds and sun

Today was also 6 birthday-actual age to be revealed later [although now some parts of him are younger than the original model ]

Dressing for the day in T shirt shorts with calf length white socks and boots to support his ankle I thought he was going to try out for Mr Sexy legs competition

Headed up to Garden café for breakfast and had to negotiate pool deck where pools were half emptied but still sloshing water over the sides-all in all a hazardous journey for him.

The meet and greet was set for 11am in Cavern club so headed down 10.45 and found R from roll call there with pre printed name tags

Merci the ships group co Ordinator introduced herself and we awaited arrival of fellow roll callers

First 2 women to show up were expecting a detox /beautyseminar and had to point out that wasn’t till an hours time

1 lady was quite insistent and showed us a flyer which stated 11 in Cavern club

OK but if you check freestyle daily it says an hour later-you are very welcome to stay but there wont be anyone here from the spa for another hour-this is the cruise critic private party and those refreshments and snacks are for us-she did leave !

Over 100 people had signed up on the roll call to attend and 40-50 showed up-still a good attendance as past experience people forget or decide not to attend after all.

There was a good turn out of officers and after their introductions they left and we had the rest of the hour to ourselves

6 did an ice breaker intro starting with his usual joke that whilst I may still be Fab I was no longer fortysomething-the problem with selecting a screen name under the influence of a couple of glasses of wine and not realising cant be updated lol

He then offered the prize of an NCL lanyard [purchased at great expense in shop] for the person who could guess his age on this his birthday

Clues in age in binary [111000]

Hexadecimal [38]

Dog years [8]

Answer 56

There was a second part to guess in horse years [18] but this irrelevant as if he was a horse he would have been shot long before now!

This punchline was somehow lost as Jen the shore excursions rep who had turned up too late to introduce herself with the officers interrupted to do a terrible sales pitch for signing up for cruise next certificates

I am in sales myself and was cringing!!

I then got my bossy hat on and asked the organisers of the various private tours to come forward so their fellow tourmates could identify each other -this was too big a group to do otherwise

Was a bit disconcerting that one tour organiser hadn’t turned up but others on same tour identified each other and they arranged to meet upon morning of tour and walk off together to find guide-hope it worked out!

11.55 most people were still sitting around chatting so went around warning that if they were interested in a hard sell botox presentation to sit tight-funnily enough most people got up to leave!

Whew it’s rebellious fish time in the atrium bar!

Sea was still choppy but now sunny

In the officers talk in the cruise critic meeting it was mentioned that we are presently in a large open sea area of the Mediterranean and so prone to rough seas .However as we passed between Corsica and Sardinia it should be calm seas after that.

We headed back to the cabin and found the balcony was in shade so headed to Thermal spa leaving 6 to take a nap

Read Thermal spa for finding lounger on aft terrace in the sun and falling asleep

About 4pm I retrieved 6 and we headed up to pool deck to explore

Some people attempting to sun bathe but too cool and breezy even for me

Spice H2O however was in sun and sheltered from the wind so we sat at the bar and were soon joined by others from the meet and greet that morning

There was also a wedding party there and watched the happy couple getting their photos taken against backdrop of cruise ship-wondering again why we didn’t push our daughter harder to do that for her wedding.

I dragged him off 6.45 as we had a 7.30 Cagneys reservation and this time he was going to change his clothes!

For those interested in food [sorry don’t post photos] I had Pork Belly, Filet mignon followed by apple ,nuts and ice cream

6 had Caesar salad, New York strip and ice cream

I Had given the birthday card to maitre d on arrival so they brought out a small sponge cake with happy birthday decorated on it but we were too full to eat it so we put it into our room fridge which our cabin steward cleared for us

6 thought he recognised the maitre d Albanus from a Norway cruise on the Star a few years ago when he was manager at O Sheehans [and much better service than O Sheehans on this ship]

When he came round to our table to ask how our meal was going he confirmed yes that was indeed him and after a short chat he asked our cabin number and a plate of chocolate covered strawberries appeared later-more food!!

We looked in at Howl at the Moon but was crowded and circling bar service poor

Also songs being played not to our taste

We have found Howl at the moon to be hit or miss-brilliant on some ships and not so good on others

Perhaps if they hadn’t been playing on same nights as Siglo and had alternated a few of their off nights we might have tried them out a few more times

As it was we headed to Cavern club to listen to said band Siglo and were joined by several cruise critic roll callers who produced another birthday cake for 6 from the buffet!

All in all I think he enjoyed his birthday and we headed to bed 12.30 having to be up early for a tour the next day

Day 4 Civitiveccia

We were in port 6am to 7pm but slept through vibrations when docking and woken by alarm going off 7am.

Looks a beautiful day forecast 22 centigrade 77 fahrenheit.We had a quick breakfast and met our tour mates in atrium 8am to meet guide for 8.30 on pier

Getting off the ship an NCL employee was trying to direct all guests not heading to the NCL tour coaches to a long line for port shuttle.Nope we had been specifically told to meet our guide at the pier who would be holding up sign with our names. Apparently this frequently causes problems with private tour guides trying to find their guests as they have followed port instructions and taken shuttle bus to gates of port

Private tour vans of less than 8 people have a permit to enter port and pick up their guests from ship itself

We have visited Rome several times so wanted to do something different

One of the ladies on our roll call had arranged a private tour with Papillon tours to visit the ancient Etruscan area of Tarquinia and Tuscania and a wine tasting and were soon able to fill an 8 seater van. We all agreed on same agenda-no long lunch-sightseeing priority.

Our guide Constantino or Tino as he invited us to call him turned up on dot 8.30 and we headed to our first stop the excavated tombs just outside Tarquinia .I was dressed for the forecast 22 degrees in sundress and sandals but other tourmates were dressed in jackets-it became a joke that I was always dressed in1 layer less than the rest. However out on the site there was a cool breeze so I tried to go back to the minivan to collect my sweatshirt but Tino had already left having dropped us off and collecting us an hour later. Oh well I’ll cope.

A coach load of NCL tourists had just arrived so we tried to head out to furthest tombs first to put some space between us

There are 12 tombs on site accessed by steps of varying degrees of ease of climbing. The insides of the tombs are decorated on the walls which are still quite bright. To minimise fading a button to press to illuminate the inside for a few seconds is on the side of the entrance to the tomb at the bottom.

The contents of tombs were removed and housed in museum inTarquina . Admission 8 euros for both .Tino asked if we wanted to pay extra for guide or audio guide but we declined and wandered round ourselves and read the English translations on board at outside of each tomb. There was a photo of what was decorated in each tomb on these boards.To save 6 unnecessary walking I checked out which ones had easier steps and which ones were worth looking at in person rather than just looking at the photo. After the first few even I just looked at the photos rather than trek up and down the steps

Tino had suggested an hour but 30 mins would have been ample.There was a good lookout point from area at edge of tombs which gave a goodview of the surrounding countryside.

Tino drove into centre of Tarquinia along narrow twisting streets with very little clearance for the van and dropped us off at the entrance to the museum. We are usually not museum people but this was housed in the old Cardinals palace which was very interesting architecture.

It is on 3 floors and the jewellery pots and sarcophagi iexcavated from the tombs all displayed here. We all had a good giggle at the English translations which were so awful as to be funny.

Access to ground floor rooms no problem but the top two floors were via uneven broad steps which sloped forwards and ran in a kind of spiral for 4 turns

Fortunately there was a small lift although very slow moving and claustrophobic.

We decided to use the toilets before heading back to the van which were brand new-so new in fact the workmen hadn’t connected up the water in the ladies!-fortunately one of our party had hand sanitising spray!

We then drove to the hilltop village of Tuscania which is not in the Tuscany area of Italy as pointed out by Tino. These streets were even more narrow than Tarquinia and Tino hit a wheel off one step .The van had a retractable footstep which didn’t always retract properly

A passer by gestured that the step was out when negotiating these streets or it would doubtless have been ripped off.

In the middle of the village he dropped us off to walk around the centre and an overlook with great views of surrounding countryside

Tino suggested lunch at a local Trattoria but as we had already decided we didn’t want a long lunch and suggested a snack such as a slice of pizza .Tino replied that’s not an Italian thing-Pizza is for an evening meal .He said he may be able to find a local bakery and we said that’s great.

He went to collect the van and picked us up to take us to a local church with an interesting inside. It was about to close for lunch so we had a quick peak inside.

On the outskirts of town he dropped us off outside a bakery selling pizza slices for 3 euros and locals sitting inside eating-what was that about Pizza at lunchtime not being an Italian thing?

We each got slices and sat in the indoor area with the locals and had a quick cheap meal.

Then it was back in the van for the wine tasting.

This was an extra 20 euros but proved to be well worth it

We drove to a local family owned wineyard. Husband and wife team Maurizio and Petra with 3 children the oldest son who has just started helping his dad out in the business. Maurizio is also an artist and designed the winebottle labels ,Petra is a photographer. They produce about 5000 bottles of organic wine per year white rose and red .As well as the winery the premises also has several cottages for bed and breakfast and also run summer camps

Worth checking out if you want to spend a few days in the region

www.arteagricoltura.com

We were led to a room set with 8 chairs around a large table and produced plates of bread with olive oil and local cheeses .He described how the business was set up and how the wines are produced .He then poured a very generous glass of each of their white, rose and red wines each of which were very nice. One lady in our party struggled to drink hers as they were 13 to 13.5% abv. To sober us up a bit he then provided tea and coffee and he showed us the labels he had designed for the bottles-different one for each year. We asked for some as a souvenir and he gave each of us 9 different ones-plan to display them in a frame as a memento.

We took some photos around the wineyard and Petra took a group photo of us she said she would put on Instagram-we also promised to write a review for trip advisor

Tino asked us if we wanted to visit a mountain lake but one couple had 6pm dinner reservations so we decided to head back to the ship

The tour with Papillon tours was 80 euros per person for 8 hour tour and pretty minimal walking

Ship tour Tarquinia and the Estruscans 101 euros for a 4 ½ hourtour

Back through ship security one couple with us had forgotten they had apples in their backpack and had to discard them.6 of course set off the alarms

We were still feeling the effects of the wine tasting so were joking about travelling with these troublemakers. The security guard said “you’ve had a good time then”

We would definitely cruise with this bunch again!

We dropped stuff off at the room then several of us met up at Spice H20 to begin UBP usage for day

Sailaway was 30 mins late-not sure if anyone missed the ship

We had a quick bite to eat in garden café before shower and mee tfor Escape the Big Top.We had decided to put together a team of 8 from our rollcall including some of our tour mates from today. Half of us hadn’t pre booked but we got in on standby and appointed A as our team captain.

And we won [NCL bingo t shirt each and a bingo card for the last game on last night]

We were asked not to share secrets of how to solve clues-are you kidding I still couldn’t figure out how we won even after the official explanation!

We finished off the night with a few celebratory drinks in Maltings bar then final set for Siglo In Cavern club

Great review! Thanks for taking the time.

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One of the best reviews I’ve read. Thanks!

Day 5 Livorno-Thursday 7am-7pm

We were due to meet our 5 tourmates in the atrium 8am but one was missing

E the organiser texted her and she said she had been outside with the tour guide since 7.30!

We had all signed up individually with ItalytoursEU and prepaid online. However when we checked our emails everyone had a different meeting start time varying from 7.30 to 8.30!

Getting off the ship we couldn’t see tour guide so walked past length of ship to almost port gates-still nothing

Walking back along ship we found a group of guides by the other gangplank from where we had got off. Unfortunately with the Epic the lifeboats obscure view straight down so looking over side of ship could not see both gang planks. Which usually gives clue where guides are congregating

This was not a good start but David our tour guide rang the office and said there had been a mix up and he had a van full of unhappy people .We weren’t that bad but reverse psychology always works and he made us feel as if he was looking out for us- crafty trick!

We have been to Florence and San Gimigiano area before so wanted something different-this was a trip to medieval walled city of Lucca

We set off 8.45 with David in an 8 seater minivan and 6 sat up front next to him

The rest of us were all female so at times like these men have to stick together!

We arrived Lucca 9.30.It has 10000 inhabitants and is very difficult to buy property there unless you were actually born there. We were given 3 hours free time

David gave out maps and marked out places of interest within the walled town and offered his phone number in case emergency

Actually what he said to me was “you want my number? You single?”

Quick as a flash 6 replied “she can be”

Those 2 got on very well together! In fact 6 said afterwards this was the first Italian stallion he had bonded with!

We separated into 2 groups as 3 were more interested in shopping and ourselves with mother and daughter team S and J were wanting to minimise walking and explore churches-mainly outside as most had admission fees.

Lucca is mostly flat apart from slope up to top of city walls.

We found a café bar and sat outside being served cups of coffee and to use the toilets

We thought 2.5 euros for a coffee not bad considering wha tyou would pay in likes of Rome etc but David said should expect to pay nearer 1euro and a future tip that it is cheaper to drink at the bar than in the seated area.

30 mins before meet up time with David we found a café in sight of meeting point and we had a bowl of pasta for 5 euros and panini 3euros-this did meet with Davids approval as he knew the owners.

12.30 we all piled back in the van and headed for Pisa via a scenic route near the sea. We parked up just outside Miracle square and had 1hour free time

We have been to Pisa several times but usually early morning before the crowds

At 2pm we had to run the gauntlet of the souvenir hawkers

It was still busy and must be a nightmare about this time in July/August

There was a queue of people waiting for their pre booked time to climb the tower-18 euros for the privilege and 2 Italian soldiers patrolling round the base with machine guns

After the usual touristy photos and people watching it was back to the van and back to ship 3.30 and hugs from David for all the ladies and a handshake for 6

This 7 hour tour was 79 euros pre paid with Italy toursEU and minimal walking

Difficult to find an equivalent ship tour but 7 hours Pisa and a taste of Tuscany [wine tasting] was 169 euros.

After the usual setting off alarms and frisk down getting back on ship several of us headed to atrium bar to discuss the day

I had got a 7pm reservation for Priscilla Queen of Desert[only myself-6 doesn’t do shows] so I left him in maltings bar to get a showerand see if his friend in the barbers shop could persuade him to have a up-answer is no!

I headed down to front of theatre to get a good vantage point and heard my name called E from the tour that day was sat 2ndrow dead centre so I joined her.

There are plenty of announcements about the show not being suitable for children and the easily offended but somehow people don’t believe this and end up walking out after a few minutes

I’ve seen the show before both in West end and a previous visit on Epic and love it-it got a standing ovation

It is 1 ½ hours long but fast paced

I did the usua lsystematic bar hunt looking for 6 and found him in the Cavern club listening to Sligo with R and A our intrepid team leader from Escape the big top

Time to eat-R was going to see the 10pm show so didn’t have time but A was hungry so we headed for Manhattan dining room

The service was efficient which was a nice surprise and the waiter even brought us drink refills unsolicited

We saw another cruise critic group sat nearby and chatted-they were heading to Howl at the Moon that being their favourite haunt

We predictably finished of the night 1am with Siglo in Cavern Club

One of the best reviews I’ve read. Thanks!

thank you very much

Thank you so much for this amazing review! The tour company you used, ItalytoursEU, do you have a website or other contact information for them? I couldn't find them online.

Thanks!

Re: Livorno: I think I understand, but are the guides dockside now? We were there in Jade a couple years ago and had to take shuttles out of the container-port area. Much drama for me as I do not walk well.

Not sure why NCL chooses to mount PQotD. Would think production shows on a massmarket line would be chosen to draw as few complaints/walkouts as possible. Maybe the royalties are low? Otherwise, I don't get it from a business standpoint.

Re: Livorno: I think I understand, but are the guides dockside now? We were there in Jade a couple years ago and had to take shuttles out of the container-port area. Much drama for me as I do not walk well.

 

Not sure why NCL chooses to mount PQotD. Would think production shows on a massmarket line would be chosen to draw as few complaints/walkouts as possible. Maybe the royalties are low? Otherwise, I don't get it from a business standpoint.

Private tour vehicles of less than 8 seaters have always been allowed to pick their guests up from shipside

Larger ones you have to take port shuttle to outside gates to meet them

This can cause issues with meeting your guide as staff are very keen to herd people towards shuttles and you have to be assertive if you know your guide has arranged to meet you off the gangplank

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Thank you so much for this amazing review! The tour company you used, ItalytoursEU, do you have a website or other contact information for them? I couldn't find them online.

 

Thanks!

I’ll post the link when I get home tonight

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As to my personal opinion on Priscilla

For the few who walked out most enjoyed it and as mentioned it received a standing ovation

There are written warnings in freestyle daily box office and several announcements before show starts as to what to expect so why did these people not take notice

By walking out they inconvenienced people around they watching the show and of course may have prevented someone trying to get in on standby from seeing the show

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Great review. I have a challenge walking and will be doing a Baltic cruise and Mediterranean cruise next year. I really appreciate the info!