Two weeks is too long ?

[UK_Cruiser]

I have now read about 3 diffferent people saying that 2 weeks was too long.

 

Hmmm concerned about this now. Oh well too late for that I suppose

[david_sobe]

Never let someone else's reviews or thoughts influence your cruise. You worked hard to get where you are and anyone would be trading places with you in a heartbeat.

Yes 14 days would be long for a cruise. But it is truly a trip of a lifetime. You have the luxury to not rush and see everything the first week. Save some things for the second week

[PaulLondon]

We don't regret doing a B2B, as I think seven days would've felt too short! But yes, we were - shall we say - ready to get off the ship by the end of the second week. Somewhere inbetween the two would've been ideal. We would've liked more variation between the two weeks, as far as the Freestyle Dailies go, but in terms of the other, fixed, entertainment, there's more than enough. Certainly, Slam Allen, Howl at the Moon, and Second City can all be seen more than once, and you'd get a somewhat different experience each time.

 

I think we just got fed up of drinking, eating, and the relentless heat and humidity as much as anything, and when that kicked in we were hoping for more NCL U, or enrichment activities, that we hadn't already done the first week.

 

That said, there are still things we never did on the ship. We didn't really make use of the spa, go to an art auction (though the 30,000 Years of Art History seminar was a relaxing way to spend 45 minutes), go ice skating, or try out the bungee trampoline...

[UK_Cruiser]

Never let someone else's reviews or thoughts influence your cruise. You worked hard to get where you are and anyone would be trading places with you in a heartbeat.

Yes 14 days would be long for a cruise. But it is truly a trip of a lifetime. You have the luxury to not rush and see everything the first week. Save some things for the second week

 

 

We did two weeks on our very first cruise on Ocean Village and yes 10 days was enough. BUT they only had 2 restaurants, 2 buffet restaurants and a handful of bars.

[UK_Cruiser]

We don't regret doing a B2B, as I think seven days would've felt too short! But yes, we were - shall we say - ready to get off the ship by the end of the second week. Somewhere inbetween the two would've been ideal. We would've liked more variation between the two weeks, as far as the Freestyle Dailies go, but in terms of the other, fixed, entertainment, there's more than enough. Certainly, Slam Allen, Howl at the Moon, and Second City can all be seen more than once, and you'd get a somewhat different experience each time.

 

I think we just got fed up of drinking, eating, and the relentless heat and humidity as much as anything, and when that kicked in we were hoping for more NCL U, or enrichment activities, that we hadn't already done the first week.

 

That said, there are still things we never did on the ship. We didn't really make use of the spa, go to an art auction (though the 30,000 Years of Art History seminar was a relaxing way to spend 45 minutes), go ice skating, or try out the bungee trampoline...

 

We are thinking that week one (western) will be party week and week two hopefully trying to relax a bit more with maybe a spa pass that week.

[PaulLondon]

We are thinking that week one (western) will be party week and week two hopefully trying to relax a bit more with maybe a spa pass that week.

 

That's kind of what we ended up doing, actually. Week 2 was far more relaxing. However, we never went for the spa pass - despite planning to - as the dollars were seriously adding up after Week 1's excesses!

[NYSoccerFamily]

Our family of five just completed a 2 week B2B on the Epic and in no way did any of us feel it was too long!

 

Don't know if the fact that we were in the courtyard villas made any difference, compared to others. We all felt pampered and special for 2 weeks. Most problems were quickly handled by our conceirge or butler--so no stress. It was very uncrowded (although even when we left the courtyard complex, we never felt it was crowded--except maybe a few elevator rides); we didn't have to wait in lines for embarkation, ports, shows; food and especially service in the Epic Club was fantastic. We didn't have to fight for comfortable, cushy chairs to sun and fall asleep in and no problem with noise by courtyard pool (as PaulLondon experienced on deck 15) so had time to really relax.

 

We had not been to any of the ports and had something unique preplanned to look forward to at every port.

 

Most of all, maybe because I'm a mom, but just not having to cook and clean up meals everyday, do laundry, grocery shop, clean the house, chase 3 kids to appointments, practices, lessons, parties, etc. made me really appreciate every moment of my time on the Epic that I could get a break from my usual routine.

 

Seriously, don't worry about it based on other's experiences. Sometimes these boards give you too many ideas of things to worry about. (I know they did for me and in the end it turned out to be needless worry). Two weeks really allows you to do things at a slow relaxed pace and still get to do everything, and the things you really like--more than once. It also gives you the time to just relax and do nothing--an important part of vacation. It allowed for nap time after early mornings (for ports or to be ready for the waterslides when they open at 9 and lines are short) and late nights.

 

Have a great time!!! :)... and don't let little things that go wrong (be realistic, some things won't be perfect), ruin your fun!

[PaulLondon]

Our family of five just completed a 2 week B2B on the Epic and in no way did any of us feel it was too long!

 

Don't know if the fact that we were in the courtyard villas made any difference, compared to others. We all felt pampered and special for 2 weeks. Most problems were quickly handled by our conceirge or butler--so no stress. It was very uncrowded (although even when we left the courtyard complex, we never felt it was crowded--except maybe a few elevator rides); we didn't have to wait in lines for embarkation, ports, shows; food and especially service in the Epic Club was fantastic. We didn't have to fight for comfortable, cushy chairs to sun and fall asleep in and no problem with noise by courtyard pool (as PaulLondon experienced on deck 15) so had time to really relax.

 

We had not been to any of the ports and had something unique preplanned to look forward to at every port.

 

Most of all, maybe because I'm a mom, but just not having to cook and clean up meals everyday, do laundry, grocery shop, clean the house, chase 3 kids to appointments, practices, lessons, parties, etc. made me really appreciate every moment of my time on the Epic that I could get a break from my usual routine.

 

Seriously, don't worry about it based on other's experiences. Sometimes these boards give you too many ideas of things to worry about.

 

Agreed - in some respects just read the negative stuff (including mine) and file it away. We were concerned about a lot of the reviews before we cruised, and for the most part none of the negatives affected us. There were other things that we didn't enjoy, which we hadn't expected, but everyone is different, and everyone enjoys different things. We're quite an active family, and part of the problem for us is that we'd done Cozumel last year, and it was the final port of call on our cruise. Consequently, we didn't really leave the ship for the final few days. Hence, we were going a little stir crazy.

 

Just try not to get too worried before you leave - problems or not, you're going to enjoy yourself on the Epic no matter what.

[UK_Cruiser]

Agreed - in some respects just read the negative stuff (including mine) and file it away. We were concerned about a lot of the reviews before we cruised, and for the most part none of the negatives affected us. There were other things that we didn't enjoy, which we hadn't expected, but everyone is different, and everyone enjoys different things. We're quite an active family, and part of the problem for us is that we'd done Cozumel last year, and it was the final port of call on our cruise. Consequently, we didn't really leave the ship for the final few days. Hence, we were going a little stir crazy.

 

Just try not to get too worried before you leave - problems or not, you're going to enjoy yourself on the Epic no matter what.

 

 

Our final port is Nassau (YAWN) we did that in May and it was so dull.

 

We will have to get off of the boat though because as you say if we dont we will be going stir crazy. I am already a bit miffed there will be no time to do anythin in Miami at the end of week 1 to be honest meaning we effectively have 4 days without a port.

 

Thurs: Cozumel

Fri: Day at Sea

Sat: Miami in port (effectively day at sea)

Sun: Day at Sea

Mon: Day at Sea

Tues: St Maarten

[PaulLondon]

Our final port is Nassau (YAWN) we did that in May and it was so dull.

 

We will have to get off of the boat though because as you say if we dont we will be going stir crazy. I am already a bit miffed there will be no time to do anythin in Miami at the end of week 1 to be honest meaning we effectively have 4 days without a port.

 

Thurs: Cozumel

Fri: Day at Sea

Sat: Miami in port (effectively day at sea)

Sun: Day at Sea

Mon: Day at Sea

Tues: St Maarten

 

You should have time to do something in Miami - the ship doesn't leave until 4.30pm, and there are excursions you can take, which will return you to the ship. If I remember correctly, there's an Everglades tour, and a Miami city tour offered.

[UK_Cruiser]

You should have time to do something in Miami - the ship doesn't leave until 4.30pm, and there are excursions you can take, which will return you to the ship. If I remember correctly, there's an Everglades tour, and a Miami city tour offered.

 

 

According to the info I have read all the excursions drop you back at the airport and not the ship.

[PaulLondon]

According to the info I have read all the excursions drop you back at the airport and not the ship.

 

You may be right, but I'm fairly sure when we were on the ship there were two versions of the tours offered at the excursions desk - one that took you to the airport, and one that brought you back to the ship.

[UK_Cruiser]

You may be right, but I'm fairly sure when we were on the ship there were two versions of the tours offered at the excursions desk - one that took you to the airport, and one that brought you back to the ship.

 

 

I hope you are right as that would be brilliant.

 

None of the excursions available through My NCL take you back to the ship. Only Miami or Fort Lauderdale airports.

[PaulLondon]

I hope you are right as that would be brilliant.

 

None of the excursions available through My NCL take you back to the ship. Only Miami or Fort Lauderdale airports.

 

Yeah, I hope I'm right too, or I'll get egg on my face! I'm currently reeling with jetlag, so my apologies in advance if I'm wrong.

 

That said, I seem to recall that the round-trip excursions weren't offered online pre-cruise either. It might have something to do with the fact that the NCL systems can't yet handle a B2B as a single cruise - they're classed as two separate cruises. Consequently, when we were on the ship the first week we couldn't book anything - shows, excursions, or make restaurant reservations - for the second week. It's kind of silly not to have that sorted, but it wasn't a massive inconvenience in the end.

 

Worst case scenario, you could probably arrange some sort of tour, or excursion yourself - you have more than enough time to get off the ship, do something, and make it back by the time it leaves. Lots of people did it during our B2B.

[orangegrove]

Our final port is Nassau (YAWN) we did that in May and it was so dull.

 

We will have to get off of the boat though because as you say if we dont we will be going stir crazy. I am already a bit miffed there will be no time to do anythin in Miami at the end of week 1 to be honest meaning we effectively have 4 days without a port.

 

Thurs: Cozumel

Fri: Day at Sea

Sat: Miami in port (effectively day at sea)

Sun: Day at Sea

Mon: Day at Sea

Tues: St Maarten

 

I would get up early and see if you can walk off at 7:30/8:00am. Grab a cab and go down to South Beach/Lincoln Rd area. Bayside is around the corner from the port (take cab) and there is a tour thingy there if you don't want to preplan. You can take a tour of the city that is both land and sea. Or go down towards the marina on Bayside and take the Thunderbird/bolt(?) can't remember name, giant yellow boat, it's a very fast speedboat and they give you a water tour of Star Island (star's homes in Miami) and a nice tour of South Miami. You just need to be back by 3p I think. Verify when you get off.

 

You can go to the Miami Sea Aquarium, I haven't been in several years, it may be a dated thing to do. We took my son when he was 6 and it looked the same when I went when I was 10! There is also the Vizcaya Museum and gardens many folks enjoy: http://www.miamidade.gov/vizcaya/plan-general.asp .

 

Hope that helps some.

 

Here is baysides website: http://www.baysidemarketplace.com/

[NYSoccerFamily]

It is not true that you can only book the B2B as 2 separate weeks. We had the choice and because it was considerably cheaper to book it as 1 14 day cruise, we did it that way. At 45 days out from the first week, I was able to book events for both weeks.

Though because we booked as 1-14 day cruise vs. 2 -7 day cruises, we only got Latitutes credit for 1 cruise, we only recieved 1 OBC instead of the 2 we would have recieved if we'd booked 2 separate and we could only reserve 1 of each show for our 2 weeks-but that was not a problem because it was easy to see any show we wanted to see again, like BMG, because there were usually plenty of empty seats for "stand by."

 

I had asked our concierge about a cruise-sponsored excursion that returned us to the boat and she said no.

[joyy7403]

We cruised the Southern Caribbean last Feb. for 12 days & loved every minute of it! This time we're cruising B2B eastern & western Caribbean. I am so looking forward to 2 weeks of seeing new places & relaxing. We will see part of the big shows the first week & the rest during the next week. I don't think that is too long on the ship, for us, that is. Enjoy!!

[PaulLondon]

It is not true that you can only book the B2B as 2 separate weeks. We had the choice and because it was considerably cheaper to book it as 1 14 day cruise, we did it that way. At 45 days out from the first week, I was able to book events for both weeks.

Though because we booked as 1-14 day cruise vs. 2 -7 day cruises, we only got Latitutes credit for 1 cruise, we only recieved 1 OBC instead of the 2 we would have recieved if we'd booked 2 separate and we could only reserve 1 of each show for our 2 weeks-but that was not a problem because it was easy to see any show we wanted to see again, like BMG, because there were usually plenty of empty seats for "stand by."

 

I had asked our concierge about a cruise-sponsored excursion that returned us to the boat and she said no.

 

Hi. Sorry - what I meant was that although we were able to book as one cruise, the onboard computer and entertainment systems read it as two. Consequently, when our excursions for week 2 weren't listed on our interactive tv system, we weren't able to check on their status until the first day of the second week. Likewise, we couldn't reserve entertainment for week 2 during week 1 - the ship simply didn't have access to our week 2 details as its systems read it as a completely different cruise.

 

However, a couple of days before the end of week 1, a form was left in our room giving us 'preferential' booking for shows, restaurants and excursions for week 2.

[Rock Chick]

I picked this up from another thread about stuff to do in Miami (I'm flying in 2 days early).

 

 

"Fun things to do - this is when I play tourist in my backyard(LOL!) - take the "Duck Tours" on this amphibious vehicle that tours Miami Beach on land then goes into the water!!!! I think its $40 for adults now. Also "Thriller Miami" its a tour of Miami Beach on a high speed racing boat (goes super fast and takes some fast turns out to sea - be careful cameras will get wet and its $30 for adults) that actually almost goes right up to where the EPIC is docked and its A LOT of fun too"

[puggo63]

Since I live in Miami this might help:

 

The yellow speed boat tour is called "Thriller Miami"

www.thrillermiami.com

 

Similar but both land and sea is called "Duck Tours" its on an amphibious truck like boat like vehicle:

www.ducktourssouthbeach.com

 

DO NOT go on the Everglades tour now for its very hot, very humid and you will be eaten up my mosquitoes and other flying insects all over and most animals are in hiding becuase of the heat.

 

Viscaya is beautiful - the building and grounds.

 

Jungle Island should be named "concrete island" and its really a rip off (you have to pay for entrance AND parking). Its across the Port of Miami on McCarthur parkway.

 

Lincold Road is MUCH BETTER at night its a very happening place - tons of restaurants and stores and bars and its excellent for people watching.

[puggo63]

Oh yes....Seaquarium is old and extremely outdated...has not changed much since I was a kid too!

Try to go to Southe Point Park in South Beach which is on the most southern tip of South Beach and where the ocean meets the inlet leading to the Port of Miami and where the EPIC leaves to sea. Its a spectacular park newly redesigned and with breathtaking views of the ocean (especially at Sunset and at night and its very safe at night - tons of tourists and locals there and its lit with color changing ultra modern lights!). There is also a steak house there in the middle of the park called Smith & Wollensky very $$$ and frankly overrated lol. You can go right on the beach from there just follow the pathways (BTW the ocean water temp is perfect now - just walk in!)...I like to call that area "Kodak Moments" lol

[Rock Chick]

Hi again Puggo.

 

I'm going to try the Thriller Miami and the Duck Tour at your recommendation.

I'll also try to get to South Point Park (I'm a Dexter fan so intend to go to South Beach) :)

 

Will the weather in late December be warm enough to participate in these activities?

 

Carol

[puggo63]

The weather last year was crazy during our "winter" - sometimes low 40's and high 30's (!!!) then suddenly 80's(!). December is usually in the 70's, breezy and no rain it's our "dry season" - almost perfect weather. You can visit the Everglades comfortably then too.

[Rock Chick]

Thanks Puggo, it sounds perfect. :)

[Ronniewales]

Since I live in Miami this might help:

 

The yellow speed boat tour is called "Thriller Miami"

www.thrillermiami.com

 

Similar but both land and sea is called "Duck Tours" its on an amphibious truck like boat like vehicle:

www.ducktourssouthbeach.com

 

DO NOT go on the Everglades tour now for its very hot, very humid and you will be eaten up my mosquitoes and other flying insects all over and most animals are in hiding becuase of the heat.

 

Viscaya is beautiful - the building and grounds.

 

Jungle Island should be named "concrete island" and its really a rip off (you have to pay for entrance AND parking). Its across the Port of Miami on McCarthur parkway.

 

Lincold Road is MUCH BETTER at night its a very happening place - tons of restaurants and stores and bars and its excellent for people watching.

 

 

We are doing a B2B in 42 days time so will the Everglades be ok by then as me and the wife did it back in 1999 so would now like to show our boys as we really enjoyed it.