Another EPIC Vacation

[coastalcarolinakid]

The following is my rendition of our EPIC Cruise. I will put it in order day by day. Let me know of any specific questions that I may be able to answer. Please refrain from posting until the Dis-Embarkation page is posted so they will all stay in order.

 

Enjoy.....

[coastalcarolinakid]

Our EPIC Vacation

 

Myself, wife, son (17), and daughter (11).

 

August 6, 2010

 

Travel Day

 

Our flight was great. Boarded on time and landed in Miami at 2:05 p.m. Our bags were the first out of the gate, and we were in a taxi headed to our hotel within 20 minutes from landing. We stayed at the Marriott Biscayne Bay. It is a 15 minute ride from the airport. Cab fare is 24.00 + tip, so it ended up being 32.00. Check in had a little snag, as we weren't in the system, but finally got that straight. Lobby is a little disorganized as it is being renovated, but not too bad. Room was nice, 2 double beds, two chairs, a little table, fridge, and coffee table. No free wi-fi. Why don't hotels just build in $5.00 per night and include it? We decided to walk to Bayside Market, as the front desk said it was an easy walk. About halfway there, we hailed a cab. It is probably 15 – 20 blocks. A well spent $8.

 

We were hungry, and knew we wanted to eat at Hard Rock Cafe. Kind of a hobby of my son and I. After the meal (very good), we decided to take the Princess of Miami boat tour. Cost was $96.00 for all four of us. Tour was about an hour and a half, and I think it was worth it. We saw a lot of the mansions on the private islands around Miami. Elizabeth Taylor, Gloria Estefan, Al Capone, etc. One day, I will be there! When the mini cruise was over, we decided to get a cab back to the hotel. Cab fare from Bayside Market to Marriott is $5, and all we had was a twenty dollar bill. Cabbie had no change. Ugh. My son had four dollars, so he took that. Kinda felt bad, but also felt he should have had a little change too. Oh well.

 

Great start to our vacation.

[coastalcarolinakid]

Embarkation Day

 

August 7, 2010

 

This morning started with a treat. I woke up at 6:20 to find the EPIC right outside my window. She was in the bay and beginning to turn around. I'm happy that I got to see this. Pretty cool watching this. We will get some pastries at a little cafe just outside the hotel and head to the pier around 11:00.

 

Pastries didn't work out. Went to the elevators, and what a zoo. Decided that we should go ahead and get a cab. Took about 10 minutes, and we were off to the port. The ride over was about 15 minutes, and cost 20 with tip. Porters were there waiting, took bags, and we were directed to the gate. Check in took no more than 10 minutes, and we were inside the staging area by 11:30. At 11:45 we were boarding the ship.

 

Our first stop was the spa. We took the spa tour (about 15 minutes), and then purchased the couples spa package (only 60 available per cruise). Since we didn't get our pastries, we headed to the Garden Cafe for lunch. It is buffet style with burgers, dogs, pizza, and salad on the outside area, and inside more of the same with some pasta added in. It really hit the spot.

 

We headed to the Atrium bar to get our beverage packages, then headed to check on our room. About the time we get there, there is a message over the intercom not to go to the rooms, but ours was ready and the room steward told us it was OK to go ahead. Nice guy, that Eric. Two of our four bags came while we are freshening up, so we empty them, then head to Spice H2O for the sail away party. We left the dock about 4:30 to the sounds of the DJ and the staff from the Kids Club was leading the dancing. Almost forgot. The life jacket drill was at 3:30, and went real quick. Didn't even have to bring life vests.

 

We head back to the Garden Cafe to grab a quick bite before our show. One observation here was that they closed down one side of the restaurant, and if you didn't pay attention, you would think the whole restaurant was closing. Now it's off to see Blue Man Group. We get in line at 6:30 for our 7:00 show. Seating began about 6:45, and we missed front row. It was evident that someone that works on the ship had family on board, and they rushed to reserve 15 seats on the front row. Grrrrrr. My daughter and I got second row, and my son and wife opted for the seemingly safer fourth row. All I can say about BMG is AMAZING.

 

After the show, my daughter decides to try the kids club. We drop her off and then go to Headliners for Howl at the Moon, a dueling comedic piano bar that takes audience requests. Amazingly, they know every song thrown at them. At 10:00, we go pick my daughter up and decide to get a bite to eat at O'Sheehans. Took a while to get a waiter, but once the food was ordered, it came out in about 15 minutes. I decide to play a few hands of poker while waiting for the food, and am up 10 dollars when I decide to go eat.

 

We head to the room for the night about 11:30

[coastalcarolinakid]

Day 2 - Sea Day

 

August 8, 2010

 

We slept in until about 8:00 this morning. We decided this would be a pool day. We went to eat at Garden Cafe about 9:00. We had no trouble finding a table towards the front on the ship. Omelet stations, waffles, pancakes, pastries, fruits, and much more were available. After breakfast we decide to visit the shops. We purchased a model of the EPIC, and Alec bought a straw hat. I looked at a couple watches that I will try to avoid buying. We sampled the after shaves and cologne which were out. At 11:00, we have a meet and greet with our friends from Cruise Critics and Facebook.

 

At the meet and greet, we met Captain Svedung, Sean, the hotel director, the food and beverage manager, and the cruise director. Sean said that there were 4,363 passengers and @ 1700 crew sailing on the EPIC this week We had Captain Svedung autograph our EPIC model, met a few of our cruise critic friends, then headed to Fat Cats so my son could check out a guitar. He chose a Gibson Les Paul, and it was off to the room to change into our suits.

 

We got to the pool and slide deck about 12:30. At this time, chairs are hard to come by, but I scoped some out on the top deck. We lotioned up and headed to the EPIC Plunge. The lines during the day were about 30 minutes for the plunge, and 10 minutes for the green and purple slides. Not bad, considering all the people outside today. Nothing but sunshine on the deck. We saw a group of dolphins swimming and playing in the wake of the ship. They stayed with the ship for about 10 minutes. We enjoyed all 3 slides, and I probably liked the green one best. Lunch was once again at Garden Cafe (I'm beginning to see a pattern here). We then had some pool and deck time. We headed back to the room to get cleaned up for our 6:15 dinner reservation at La Cucina.

 

La Cucina was very good. Restaurant wasn't full by any means. Appetizers were fried calamari, Caesar salad, and tomatoes and mozzarella. Entrees were cheese pizza, ribeye florentine, vegetable lasagna, and penne pasta in tomato sauce. Desert was no flour chocolate torte. All very tasty. Restaurant still not full when we left.

 

Had no plans for after dinner, so we went and had our pictures taken with the captain at 7:30. Got there right at 7:30, and only 3 couples ahead of us. Really surprised that with the ship full, there never seems to be any large lines anywhere.

 

I decided to try my luck at casino again, my son went to Fat Cats, and my wife and daughter went to ice skate. My daughter said it was ok, but she got blisters on her feet. We met back at Fat Cats at 9:00 to see Slam Allen. He is a great blues player/singer. Stayed for about 30 minutes, then went to O'Sheehans for appetizers. I had fish and chips, my son had hot buffalo wings, and my wife and daughter shared the apple crumble. Everything came out in about 10 minutes and was very good.

 

Off to bed to get ready for Costa Maya.

[coastalcarolinakid]

Day 3 - Costa Maya

 

Ordered room service delivery for 7:00 so we could just eat and head to the gangway. Muffins, fruit, juices, water and hot chocolate. It was perfect for us. Once through the gate, we headed through all the shops to the taxi stand. Raul directed us to a bench to wait for passengers so we could fill up a van. About 10 minutes later we were in the van and on our way. It's about a 30 minute ride down a gravel road to Maya Chan. We are greeted at the entrance by Zach and David. We check in and they have a palapa for us with a bed and 4 adirondack chairs. Soon after, we are introduced to Pearl and Preston. Pearl comes back with fruity drinks and fruit cups for us. They have sea kayaks, ocean lounge chairs, and snorkel equipment. We went in the water for a bit. My daughter and I got stung by some thimble jellyfish. Pearl gave my daughter some ice and vinegar. Didn't take long for the sting to go away. The bar was fully stocked, and they kept a drink in your hand. All inclusive in your price. About 12:00 they served lunch. Lunch consisted of chicken and steak tacos with several different salsa to choose from. It was truly all you can eat. We really felt like they enjoy what they do at Maya Chan. There were probably about 26 cruise passengers at Maya Chan today. We were the only cruise boat in Costa Maya. We enjoyed all the activities that were offered. Most of the group left around 3:00. I had an opportunity to talk with David and the staff while waiting for the taxi back to the port. They are a real nice group of people. If you are looking for a secluded area for water activities and beach, this is the place for you. A side note. There have been storms in the area for the past couple of weeks, so the water was a brownish color, and there was sea grass on the shoreline. They cleaned up much of the grass. There was a group that started complaining when they got there and didn't want to

stay. David got them a taxi and refunded their money. They really missed out on a great day in my opinion.

 

If I only had a word to describe Maya Chan, it would be .......

 

PARADISE.

 

We forgot we set our clocks back an hour, and panicked for a taxi. As we were waiting for the taxi, Zach asked me what time I had. I told him 4:35. He then put me at ease when it was only 3:35. We decided to head back anyway, as we wanted to get some Hard Rock t-shirts. We were back on the ship about 4:45, and headed to the room to get cleaned up. We ate in the garden cafe again, then experienced the ice bar. It was a very unique experience. We were given hooded jackets and gloves. I wore shorts and tennis shoes. It got pretty chilly, but we really enjoyed it. My wife and the kids went to the room to change, and I went to deposit some money at the casino. We met up at O'Sheehans and watched The Blind Side on the jumbotron. Turned in early for our next day's adventure.

 

We did go to the Internet cafe to send out some e-mails. Apparently, the wi-fi on some floors was not working. Guess our floor was one of those affected.

[coastalcarolinakid]

Day 4 - Roatan

 

We again ordered room service. This has turned out to be a good way to get a wake up call. We had fruits, muffins, and cereals. The ship docked at 7:20. We have now set our clocks back 2 hours. We are off the boat by 7:50, and make our way to Victor Bodden's kiosk just outside of all the shops. We are quickly checked in and taken to our van. Olin is our driver, and we will have him for the whole day. We have 9 other people in our group, so we have to wait for everyone to arrive. About 15 minutes later, our whole group is in the van and we are off. It is about a 15 minute ride to the zip canopies. We have to pay here for the package, and they only take cash. It is now that we realize we don't have much cash. We luckily have enough for the excursion and lunch. Gifts and trinkets will have to wait for Cozumel.

 

After paying, we are geared up, we climb to the first platform for the first zip line. There are 12 in all. I get brave on the first line and turn upside Down. Boy is this fun. My wife and the kids have a blast also. On about the fifth or sixth line, I turn upside down and let go of the rope. What a rush. I could do this all day, but we quickly (or so it seems) reach the 12th line. It takes about an hour to do the entire course. The guides that help you from line to line navigate them like monkeys. They are fun to watch.

 

We now get to go through the monkey cages. My daughter holds a toucan while we wait. It is at this time that I realize there must be another ship in port, because there are a bunch of people clustered in here. We are in the cage with the small monkeys for about 10 minutes. They are really cute. My daughter gets to hold one for quite a while. There are 2 monkeys that are like a little ball. They just won't let go of each other. The larger monkeys in the next cage will take unattached items. One of them got hold of a tube of lipstick and actually applied it to his mouth. They particularly like water bottles. Really a lot of fun.

 

We gather our group and head out to West Beach and are taken to Infinity Bay. You can either use the public access for free, or pay $10.00 and use a beach chair, pool, and bathrooms. We opt for the free access, and are taken to a cantina where we can order lunch and use the table and chairs the whole time. We ask if they take credit cards, since we are a little low on cash. Their credit card machine is conveniently out of order. I'm thinking it is probably permanently out of order. The beach is beautiful. We were going to rent snorkels, but opt not to. We found goggles in our beach bag, and they worked just fine. The water is crystal clear. The food here is very good, also. We are able to stay here and play for about 4 hours. We leave the beach resort at 3:15 and are back at the port around 3:45.

 

Since dinner tonight is Cirque Dreams, we go to Garden Cafe for ice cream. After showering, we order the pizza delivery to eat in the room. Dinner tonight is at 8:45.

 

We arrive about 30 minutes early for Cirque Dreams. We are let in about 15 minutes before the show. We have premium seating. There are probably 50 tables on the floor, and up top the tables go around the edge of the theater bar style. I think I would have preferred the upper seats, as it appeared the view of the gymnasts would have been better. I observed several people complaining about their seats. The performers were good, but the show in my opinion was not entertaining. None of us enjoyed the food at all. It was salad, followed by baked chicken, filet mignon with a mushroom sauce, some kind of potato, and chocolate mousse. I think NCL will eventually need to do something else here. It seemed like too many things being done at once.

 

We are tired from the long day and go to the room early tonite.

[coastalcarolinakid]

Day 5 - Sea Day

 

We used this as a catch up day. My wife and I got up around 8 and went to the spa. The tile chairs are the best. We used the hydrotherapy pool for a bit, and even the sauna. My son took my daughter to get breakfast and to the pools/slides. We all met back up at about 1 and my daughter and I did the slides some more. Dinner tonite was at Cagneys. We enjoyed it. We all had filet mignon except my daughter. They brought her pizza. My son had never had lobster, so we split the lobster tail. He said he liked it. Dessert was a sampler platter of 4 different desserts.

 

After dinner, about 6:30, we decide to go bowling. Bliss alleys were a 6 group wait, so we went to O'Sheehans. We were told to check back in about 30 minutes. After checking back, we were told another 30 minutes. I checked again, and we were going to be the 3rd group. There was a shift change, but the bowling attendant told the new attendant to put us on the next lane. She put two groups ahead of us, and I went to check why. She said we had 3 groups ahead of us. I see a pattern of 3's here. I explain that we were supposed to be two groups ago, and she said that was the other attendants list, and she had her own list. This is where I lost it. They need to have a better plan on busy nights. No reservations, no signage as to how long the wait will be, just that there always seems to be 3 groups ahead of you. Conveniently, there are 3 lanes, so I guess that if you happen to go when a group is finishing, you go right ahead. We never did bowl.

 

We headed across the hall to Howl At The Moon for about an hour before retiring to our room.

 

Tomorrow, Cozumel.

[coastalcarolinakid]

Day 6 - Cozumel

 

We decided on a 7:00 wake up call so we could get a good breakfast at the Garden cafe. After breakfast, we head to the pier to find our three reef snorkel catamaran excursion. Around 9:00 the guide comes and checks everybody in, and takes us to the boat. No catamaran, but a glass bottom dive boat. Fredy was the guide, and was very good at his job. We were all geared up and at the first reef in about 30 minutes. We snorkeled at each reef for about 30 minutes each, with drinks in between the rides to each reef. We saw many different fish, a barracuda, a moray eel, and a bunch of coral and various sea life. It was fun. On the ride back, they had snacks with soda and Corona for the adults. They had a photographer under water at the first reef, and we bought the photos. Once back to the pier, we go to the room to shower and go back on shore to shop and eat.

 

We shop and stroll down the storefronts of Cozumel for a couple of hours. Senor Frogs and Carlos and Charlies were hopping as usual. Oasis of the Seas was docked in Cozumel today along with a smaller line. We decide to go back to the ship and have some snacks and go to the spa. After the spa, we watch the boat sail away and go to find some dinner.

 

Dinner was O'Sheehans. Very good once again. We tried the milkshakes. Delicious. Had my final session in casino - ugh. My son and daughter went up to the room early. My wife and I walked around the shops and all over the ship. We also go to Spice H2O. Had a great day today.

 

Picked up our customs forms and luggage tags to fill out and turn in tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a pool day.

[coastalcarolinakid]

Day 7 - Sea Day

 

My wife and I planned on going to the spa this morning, but slept in until 9. We got up and went to Garden Cafe for breakfast. My daughter and I did the slides several times, then I did the rappelling and rock climbing wall. Rappelling was so cool. Monica, the employee from the bowling alley, was at the top hooking up the harness. We had a good conversation. She is really nice, from Mexico. She showed me how to hold the ropes, and how to work the brake. I went down like a pro. The rock wall was a lot harder tan it looks, but I took the more difficult part of the wall and made it all the way. We went and grabbed a quick lunch before heading back to the slides. My son turned in his guitar in Fat Cats. After the slides, we found a quiet part of the deck and I took a nap while my wife and daughter read.

 

My daughter went to the bungee spider on the sports deck. There were a lot of kids in there, so she climbed for about 15 minutes before we went back to the room to get ready for dinner and Second City comedy show. Second City was very funny. We all enjoyed the 45 minute show. After the show, we go to O'Sheehans for dessert. I had the hot brownie sundae, my wife had the apple crumble, and my son and daughter had the strawberry poundcake. We watched Wildfire for a bit, then head to our stateroom to pack our suitcases to put outside our room. We hope to see our bags in the morning.

[coastalcarolinakid]

Dis-Embarkation Day – Saturday, August 14, 2010

 

We put in a 6:30 wakeup call, which came on time. We got ready and packed our carry-on bags. They sent the all clear to leave the ship at 7:35. We were off the ship at 7:45, with absolutely no wait to get off. We found the baggage claim area, but couldn't find our bag color. I asked an attendant, and we had gotten off on the wrong gangplank. We were escorted to the correct holding area, found our bags, and were out in about 5 minutes. Customs was a breeze, and we were in a cab by 8:00. Unbelievable.

 

We thought the airport was going to be tight, as our flight was scheduled for 10:20. Since we were off the ship so early and easy, our flight time was no problem at all. We were checked in and cleared security in about 45 minutes. We grab some brunch and go to the terminal to await our flight home.

 

All in all, this was probably my favorite vacation of all time.

[coastalcarolinakid]

Random thoughts

 

Discovered the fix for the sink splashing.......don't turn the faucet on full blast.

 

Room layout worked fine for us. No issues with bathroom at all.

 

iPad worked well for my trip

 

Smoke in casino isn't really an issue. Hardly noticed it at all

 

Noticed some people complaining from time to time about various things. In listening, I don't think they are ever happy unless they are complaining. I make the best of most situations. Bowling was frustrating though.

 

Plenty of storage space, but bring a power strip, as there is only 1 outlet.

 

No margarita tasting was offered.

 

All in all, the best vacation ever.

[david_sobe]

Wow

Reading your review made me hungry. Both La Cucina and O"Sheehans in BOTH the same night? YUMMY!

 

What did you get a La Cucina? Did you try the vegtable lasgne or pizza?

[coastalcarolinakid]

My wife had the vegetable lasagna, and my daughter had the pizza. My wife said that it was great, a much better meal than Cagney's. Her steak was undercooked. She asked them to butterfly it and have it well done. It was red in the middle. The pizza was the cheese pizza, and my daughter really enjoyed it. I had the steak florentine, which was also very good. My son had the penne in marinara sauce. We also shared the fried calamari. All in all, probably our favorite meal of the cruise.

[david_sobe]

My wife had the vegetable lasagna, and my daughter had the pizza. My wife said that it was great, a much better meal than Cagney's. Her steak was undercooked. She asked them to butterfly it and have it well done. It was red in the middle. The pizza was the cheese pizza, and my daughter really enjoyed it. I had the steak florentine, which was also very good. My son had the penne in marinara sauce. We also shared the fried calamari. All in all, probably our favorite meal of the cruise.

Thanks for your quick answer

I am thinking of eating at La Cucina the first night of the cruise. Most good restaurants that serve high grade beef will always undercook. Remember you can always send it back to get it cooked longer but you cannot undue a well done steak. So that would be normal if someone orders a steak well done. Some very expensive steakhouses will make customers sign a waiver to agree to have it well done.

Anyway, I had not heard much about this restaurant and reading it tonight made me very hungry.

[scottyg]

Awesome review!!!

[Linda the Book Lover]

Thanks for your review. I think the DH and I will walk and try to see if there is a long wait for bowling. If we get to bowl fine if not there are so many things to do. I have a question about the ice skating---any waits or issues with skates with the exception of the blister. ouch:eek:

[iceman2a]

Great, detailed review! Thanks for taking the time to write it! Happy you enjoyed it!

[coastalcarolinakid]

They only let a certain amount of people on the "ice" at a time. My daughter was the first on, and they got there right when Monica was opening the rink.

 

My advice for bowling is to just wait at the desk, even if they tell you to go away and come back. Whomever is there when the next available lane opens up is who gets the lane. No matter how long others have been waiting.

[Linda the Book Lover]

Thanks that gives us an idea of what to expect. i know it is not real ice based on other threads. The DH really doesn't want me to do it (let's just say we are in the 60's bunch) but if I zip-line and swim with sting rays I sure can have a spin or two on plastic! LOL Plus the grand-kids will love the story and pictures.;)

[DreamzTerra]

Thank you for the awesome review. It felt really relaxed and natural, and is just the experience we're hoping for in a week and a half. ;)

[coastalcarolinakid]

Probably the MOST relaxing vacation I have EVER experienced.

[sbwmail]

...great review! Thank you!

[shakeydave]

At 10:00, we go pick my daughter up and decide to get a bite to eat at O'Sheehans. Took a while to get a waiter, but once the food was ordered, it came out in about 15 minutes. I decide to play a few hands of poker while waiting for the food, and am up 10 dollars when I decide to go eat.

 

Can you play poker at O'sheehans

[shakeydave]

Great review

 

You say you used your ipad do they have 3g on the ship or did you use roaming or wifi

 

Thanks

[coastalcarolinakid]

The casino is just down the hall from O'Sheehans.

 

I paid for the 250 minute package. In the future, I believe 100 minutes would be plenty.