Epic review, April 2nd-9th, LONG with pictures

[fatty48]

Hello Nathan,

Just popped in to say well done great review so far. We are doing the Transatlantic Barcelona To Miami in Oct.

 

Your Comments and Photos have I hope inspired my sons 16 & 12 to do the same about our adventure.

 

Thank again and keep up the good work.

 

Roger

 

Ps. Wish I could get my kids to eat snails.

[msheda]

You should get it published Nathan, people would pay good money to read it. Brilliant pictures and really good, interesting write up. Well done and keep 'em coming.:)

 

Di

 

He did get it published, it's published here :)

 

Very Enjoyable Read thus far, keep up the good work!

[nathand95]

Well Nathan, you have us hooked....always waiting for the next installment....like a mystery novel! But I have to ask...did you keep a daily journal? Hourly? Your details are incredible and the best part, well next to the photos....I really loved hearing where the ice cream was. I will have to find that. And we don't want you to ignore your studies, but...we're old and like you said, we might not last that long. (and we're leaving on the Epic in less than 2 weeks for a Trans Atlantic cruise) so hurry up, finish your homework. We're all waiting!

Kate

Shoockingly enough I did not keep a journal. I have a somewhat photographic memory and it is also still fresh in my mind. The review will definitely be finished by the time y'all leave on the TA (I am very jealous might I add;)). I probably will not have time to do an installment tonight because I am very busy, but this weekend I will have alot of time to keep this going. Thank you so much for the wonderful comment.

 

You should get it published Nathan, people would pay good money to read it. Brilliant pictures and really good, interesting write up. Well done and keep 'em coming.:)

 

Di

haha thank you! I took over 300 pictures, but I most of the them are repeats (I'm never satisfied with just 1) and alot are pictures with my friends.

 

I just love the monkey pic where the little guy is straddling a branch looking up at his homie...

When we did that excursion only one monkey came around...

Only 1!?!?!!? Wow. I guess we just got lucky. That's crazy. There had to be atleast 20 monkeys when we were there.

[nathand95]

So I guess a peanut butter and strawberry milkshake is out of the question?;)

Oh no I love strwberries! If it was a peanut butter and blueberry milkshake...*shivers*...

 

Hello Nathan,

Just popped in to say well done great review so far. We are doing the Transatlantic Barcelona To Miami in Oct.

 

Your Comments and Photos have I hope inspired my sons 16 & 12 to do the same about our adventure.

 

Thank again and keep up the good work.

 

Roger

 

Ps. Wish I could get my kids to eat snails.

Thank you so much! I hope to see reviews from TA cruisers. The Epic is the perfect ship to do a TA on. So much to do and see!

On our 2009 cruise my parents bribed my sister to eat her vegetables. One vegetable eaten+1 text should could send once we got to port. I think she only made it up to 5 text messages. Hahaha. Make sure your 16 y/o son does not miss the teen club. It is awesome! Also, the ages for the teen club are 13-17 so your other son will not be allowed in there under any circumstances. They are very strict with age limits.

[boaterette]

Very nice reivew. You seem to be a wonderful person. Your parents are no doubt very proud of you. Good luck with school. Have a happy birthday.

[nathand95]

Okay! Now that everthing has slowed with school, let's get this started again. I apologize for the delay.

 

Day5-Day at sea

Today began with me sleeping in until about 11:00. I had to meet my friends at 12:30 in the arcade so I went down to O'Sheehans for a quick bite. It was amazing as always. Then I met my friends in the arcade and we messed around in there for a few hour just talking and playing games. The arcade has really nice games, like Need for Speed,Guitar Hero,air hockey, Galaga/Pac man/Mrs. Pac Man,shooting games,and many others.

We went up to the teen club for about an hour, but noone was really doing anything. At about 3:00 we decided to go to the pools and just chill there and swim. The pools were really crowded, so we went to the next best thing,the slides. The lines were long, but it was nice jsut talking and stuff. At about 4:00 we went up to my friends' suite where an epic gummy bear fight began.

At 5:00 I left because my parents and I would be eating in Taste tonight at 6:00pm. Like our previous time in Taste we were seated immediately. I dont remember what I had for my appetizer, but I got trout for my main course. When I came onto the cruise, I rarely eat fish, but I think the count stands at having fish 3 times in less than a week.

 

The amazing trout

 

After dinner we walked aroound the ship and took a few pictures.

 

The menu of Moderno's. We did not eat here, but I think it would be a very good place to eat.

 

 

That night was laregly spent in my friends' suite or in the Teen Lounge with a stop at O'Sheehans for a midnight snack. I don't really have a good memory of this day, but tomorrow will be very detailed as it was the best day of the cruise.

 

Day 5 is now over

[nathand95]

Day 6-Cozumel, Mexico

 

Today began very early since we had to meet in the Manhattan room at 7:30. We had a very long excursion planned and we were to be one of the first people off. We met in the Manhattan room where we were given a bottle of water. Soon they began calling excursions to debark. Keep in mind this all before 8:00 and they have not made the anouncement for others to debark yet. Soon our excursion was called and we debarked with little trouble.

Once we got off, we were directed to a large ferry going over to the mainland to Playa del Carmen. I was really excited since the other times I have been to Cozumel we've stayed on the island. The ferry ride to the mainland was abotu 45 minutes, which I used to nap. I woke up just in time to see us begin pulling into Playa del Carmen.

 

Waiting to get on the ferry

 

The bottom enclosed level of the ferry

 

I spy Playa del Carmen!

 

Also, on the ferry they were selling alcohol, water, and soft drinks for a fee. I believe it was $2 for a bottle of water.

 

I'm going to take a break now because I need to upload some more photos and begin the mountain of homework I have. 6 weeks left of school!!!!!

[LaCal]

We Want More!!....We Want More!!.....:D

 

Thanks Nathan for such a wonderful view and photos of your cruise.....

 

Were leaving on the Star on 4/30 for Mexico and reading your posts has got me pumped up big time......

 

Gonna have to plan a Cruise on the Epic for sure......

 

Thanks again.........:)

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Amazing update, love the pictures:)

[skidder]

I'd love to see your pictures, but all is see the bandwidth exceeded message from photobucket :( Bummer

[BenjiRodney]

Loving the review and pictures. I have never sailed with NCl only Carnival but I booked this western itinerary on the EPIC for April 2013 can't wait.

[Scrappy cruiser]

I've loved your photos, but today I can't see them. I'd have to upgrade to the pro version of photobucket. So sad. I've been really enjoying your review.

[Medtech2]

I'd love to see your pictures, but all is see the bandwidth exceeded message from photobucket :( Bummer

I'm getting the same message all of a sudden. :(

[russianmom]

I can't see the pictures anymore either...:confused::(

[nathand95]

Oh goodness, not another picture dilemma! Let me try and get this worked on and hopefully get them back up. Sorry about that everyone!

[nathand95]

So I have uploaded more pictures than what is alloted apparently. Seems stupid they would let you upload more photos than allowed...

 

Here is the link to my photobucket account so you can view all of my photos

http://s1103.photobucket.com/albums/g462/nathandeese/

 

With that link you should be able to veiw both of my albums, but if you can't just let me know. There are about 200 pictures total in both albums. I really hope that works. I'm so sorry that the pictures won't show up anymore. In order to get them back I'd have to upgrade to photobucket pro and that is not free so it is not going to happen.

Again I'm so sorry, but now this way, be it less convienient, you can view all of my photos that didn't neccesarily make it into the review.

[peg013]

So I have uploaded more pictures than what is alloted apparently. Seems stupid they would let you upload more photos than allowed...

 

Here is the link to my photobucket account so you can view all of my photos

http://s1103.photobucket.com/albums/g462/nathandeese/

 

With that link you should be able to veiw both of my albums, but if you can't just let me know. There are about 200 pictures total in both albums. I really hope that works. I'm so sorry that the pictures won't show up anymore. In order to get them back I'd have to upgrade to photobucket pro and that is not free so it is not going to happen.

Again I'm so sorry, but now this way, be it less convienient, you can view all of my photos that didn't neccesarily make it into the review.

 

Awesome photos. The link works fine! Shows 198 photos.:) Edit...I spoke too soon, some still show as bandwidth exceeded but most don't.

[PorkChopKid]

If photobucket is anything like flickr, the choak point is based on the number of megabites uploaded, not the number of images. Have you resampled your images to 72dpi before uploading? It's time consuming but you'll probable be able to jam more images into the space. Assuming, of course, they are metering how much space your images take up. Been enjoying your review. Oh, BTW, stick with engineering rather than law. We need to grow more engineers in this country and fewer lawyers..... :)

[myrtle1010]

Hi There Nathan,

 

I'm going on my very first (but I very much doubt my last) cruise on the Epic in June.

 

Thanks for the fabulous review, pictures and commentary!

 

I'm eating all this up! Cheers, Deb

[crcruising]

Nathand95,

My family is in a very similar situation. However, this is a first cruise for us all. This is my son's junior high school graduation gift. He has chosen the Epic, and our cruise is at the end of May 2011.

[bluesea777]

I'm getting the same message all of a sudden. :(

 

I can't see the pictures anymore either...:confused::(

 

I'd love to see your pictures, but all is see the bandwidth exceeded message from photobucket :( Bummer

 

Nathan, your review is amazing! Keep it up.

 

As for the photos, I think you need to compress them before uploading.

[cate58]

My Epic cruise is 17 months away - you have made me wish it was tomorrow. Great review and pictures. You have held the attention of so many of us here - it's like I can't wait for the next episode of a serial novel.

 

BTW, engineering will provide a great foundation for whatever you do. After 15 years in engineering/technology I became a nonprofit executive, specializing in fundraising, and my engineering background has served me well. The discipline, focus, and room for intellectual curiosity of engineering provides great preparation for whatever careers you choose.

[nathand95]

Thank you guys so much for the wonderful comments.

I'm glad the picture link works well.

Let's continue this thing and hopefully get it finished up tonight, but don't hold me to that.

 

Let's see,where was I...okay, so we got off the ferry and met the tour guide,Rafael, and the other people on the tour. It was a small tour with only about 15 people or less. We then took a small 5 minute walk through the resort center of Playa del Carmen to our awaiting jeeps. One thing we were struck by right off the bat is the great condition of the jeeps. They were 2 door manual Jeep Wranglers. I would say they were 2007's give or take 1 or 2 years. They were hard top, but we were able to take off the front half of the cover and stowed it in the back.

 

Soon we were off and heading through Playa del Carmen to our first destination,Cave Tubing. We had a nice 30 minute drive to the Cave Tubing place. It was mainly on surface streets, but for abotu 10 minutes it was off-roading which was alot of fun. Once we got to the cave tubing place we used the restrooms and stowed our stuff in lockers. The only thing we brought with us was our towels,camera,and the provided helmet. We then went down some stairs into this cave, but unlike normal caves it was completely open in the top. We got about 10 minute lecture on the history of the Yucatan Peninsula and the cave system which was very informative. After that we went back out and continued further into the jungle. Along the way we were given a life vest and snorkeling mask. Then we entered the cave. It was very dark in places and had some very narrow places to walk through. I felt like Indiana Jones!

 

After taking pictures along the way, we made it to the place where we could actually get in the water. There was a Carnival excursion in front of us who was just finishing up so we explored further into the cave while we waited for them to leave. There are benches around the area where you get in where we stored our towels, clothes, etc. Soon we jumped in! Rafael told us the water was "refreshing". It was FREEZING!!!!! It had to be about 40 degrees and that's being generous. After about 5 minutes it got somewhat more bearable. We had some time to mess around in the water and got a picture near a giant statagmite, or stalagtite coming up through the water. Next, Rafael took us through a very narrow opening in the cave to another cavern. He gave us some more history about the caves and stuff. The water was so clear!! While we were going back through the opening I felt like I was in the horror movie descent...uh,where's the exit again? After about 10 minutes more we got out of the water and dried off and waited on the family with the very prissy girls to get ready. There were 2 families who knew each other. They had about 7 teenage girls who were so comical! "Dad, where's your wallet;Dad where's our camera;DADDDDDDDDDYYYYYYY". They reminded me so much of my sister.

 

After getting a Coca Lite we got back in the jeeps to head to the beach. This time we were on the highway most of the time. The total drive was about an hour. We were heading south the whole time and even went more south than Calica Mexico where a Carnival ship was in dock.

 

Once we arrived there, Rafael explained everything to us. The first thing we did wa go to the complimentary Mexican buffet. It was sooooo good! They were serving rice&beans,fish tacos, chips and salsa and guacamole. The guac was the best I've ever had! One drink was included with the price, but you could purchase other drinks from the bar. We were there for about 2.5 hours. The weather was PERFECT! It was hot, with a nice breeze. I used this time to work on my tan,but if you saw my pictures ended in a very bad sunburn! I had sunscreen on, but stil ended up like a lobster. The shower that night was so painful!!!!!

 

Before we left Rafael gave us a nice talk. He basically told us how tourism is their main industry and that we shouldn't let what's happening on the Mexican Riviera affect our time here on the East Coast. It was very nice of him to mention that, because in the caves one lady asked if those caves where used for drug trafficking...are you kidding me lady?????? After another 45 minute drive back to the ship, we dropped our jeeps off, tipped Rafael, and boarded the ferry back to Isla Cozumel. On the ferry, my friends invited me to Senor Frogs, but I was too worn out to go. Senor Frogs is very happening though and is highly recommended!

 

Once on board the ship we got ready for dinner. Tonight we had reservations at Cagney's. I was looking forward to this meal so much ever since i saw they had filet mignon. This was the best meal of the whole trip! I had the Lobster Bisque, Ceaser Salad, Filet Mignon, with Gratin Potatoes and Creamed Spinach. Everything was very good except the spinach. It was definitely lacking flavor, but i ddin't care because by the time i got to it I was so full. We also had a nice view out the back of the ship and pulling out of Cozumel and the Oasis of the Seas pulling out right behind us. Tonight, we also decided to dress up. We don't mind formal nights and like to dress up atleast one night. One thing I really liked was how they gave you black napkins if you were wearing black pants. I'm not sure if they only have black napkins, but this was just a nice touch. For dessert after having all that nice fancy food, I had chocolate ice cream. After dinner we went and took some ship pictures and I even snagged a picture with Patrick from Spongebob!

 

For the rest of that night I hung out with my friends doing the usual, arcade, suite, suite deck on 18, and O'Sheehans. It was so sad thinking that tomorrow was our last day on the ship...:(

 

End of Day 6-Cozumel,Mexico

[nathand95]

Day 7-Sea Day

Ahh the most depressing day on a cruise is upon us! This was our final day at sea, and man i'm using every single second of it!

 

Well, the plan changed. I slept in until about 11 and then went to meet my friends at the arcade. We messed around in the arcade for a bit and then went and got lunch in O'Sheehans. For that day we mainly lounged by the pool, tanned, or hung out in the teen club.

 

At about 5:00 I walked over to my parents cabin to go to dinner for our last night in Taste, but my mom had another, better, idea. She wanted to have time to pack and not worry about it later, so she decided it would be fun for my stepdad and I to go eat sushi for dinner. GREAT IDEA!!!! My stepdad and I went to the sushi bar on Deck 7 and had the best sushi ever! We were seated very promptly. The menu is very big and I had trouble deciding! Everything is a la carte priced, but it is very reasonably priced. I had the Catepillar Roll(avacodo and some other things),octopus sashimi and I think salmon sushi. The sashimi was the best I've ever had and the salmon sushi was an explosion of flavor! The catepillar was sooo good! I just cannot stress how great the sushi was! I even learned how to use chopsticks! *mark that off my bucket list* I think it total it was $22 for the 2 of us, which is a great value for the amount of food we got.

 

Afterwards we weren't completely full so we headed one deck down for a continuation of our guy's dinner and got wings at O'Sheehans. I was disapointed though. I had wings I think twice before now, but this time they hardly had any sauce on them and seemed undercooked. My stepdad ended up eating half of mine while I ate most of the fries. The fries were the best I've had though,very crunchy and golden brown. Then we returned to our rooms. My mom had finished packing me,she knew I was just going to throw things in there! Later, we went to the shops, where I got a tee-shirt,a shot glass,2 post cards and a pen. I am such an Epic nerd...in more ways than one;).

 

That night was spent with my friends all night. At 9:00 the teen deck party started and that lasted until about 11:00. It was alot of fun! Michigan girls can shake it!!!!!!:D;). I won't go into any detail, but lets just say I'm glad my parents didn't walk by ;).

 

After that we stayed by the pool until about 12, just talking. I met someone who knows one of my friends I met on the Carnival Valor last year. They go to the same school and were soccer teamates. Small world eh? Then we went to the teen club where we said goodbye to people and bye to the teen counselors. Kim and Fraggle were by far the best counselors I've ever had!

 

After that we went to the comfortable chairs by the ping pong tables on Deck 15 underneath the teen club to just sit and talk. At about 2:00am most people had left leaving only about 3 people. We walked around the ship for about an hour not wanting to leave. Soon it was only 2. Ironically it was my friend Bailey who I had met before the cruise through Facebook. First to meet, last to say goodbye. At about 3:00 we said goodbye. It was so sad. I was back in my cabin at 3:15. Then I remembered,CRAP, I forgot to fill out my S.T.Y.L.E card for my cabin steward. I haven't mentioned him much, but he was excellent. He was soo nice and always made sure my sign was correct and made the best towel animals! I filled it out and left my cabin at 3:30 to turn it into guest services.

 

Here is the worst thing I encounted during the whole cruise. I was coming out of the elevator and heard "noises" of a certain sexual nature. I thought I heard something and walked closer towards the orange elevators. I guess they heard my coming and 2 people walked out of the elevator. Uhm okay...? So I went down turned the card in and walked back up. Once I stepped out of the orange elevators I was greeted by the nastiest thing ever! That same "couple" I saw getting out of the elevator were on the stairs. The guy was receiving a certain favor below the belt. I was flabbergasted and disgusted. I just turned my head and ran past...

 

Anyways, I got back to my cabin, packed my backpack, tried to get that image out of my head, and went to sleep about 4:15. I also filled out the room service breakfast card to place outside the door, chocolate croissant,fruit loops, and coffee.

 

At 6:00 I was violenty vibrated. Crap, the ship must be pulling in. Since I was supposed to wake up at 6:30 I tried to fall back asleep but couldnt... Come on I slept less than 2 hours!!! Please let me sleep 30 more minutes-didn't happen. At 6:30 I woke up and did all that morning stuff. My breakfast arrived promptly at 7:00am. I sat on the side of my bed, with the tray on the black side table and watched the bridge cam as 3 other ships pulled into port. It was very cool seeing this. The Carnival Destiny,Carnival Liberty, and Celebrity Solstice(?) pulled in behind us. The breakfast was good. Fruit loops are fruit loops no matter where you get them. Coffee was the same as throughout the week. The croissant was good though. I'm pretty sure it was drizzled with Dark chocolate,my favorite!

 

Anyways, skipping ahead, at 7:45 I walked over to my parents to get ready to leave. We were doing self-assist so we had all 5 pieces with us. They began calling self-assist at 7:30, but we waited to disembark at 8:00. We left our cabin at 8:03 (important for later). We waited for an elevator,walked to midship casino,scanned our cards one last time and were off the ship walking towards customs. Once we reached customs there was NO line! It was a ghost town! We were able to walk right up and were met by the nicest customs agent ever. Normally they are in the "I hate my job so hurry up and dont make it worse mood". This guy was very nice and joked with us a little bit. At this point I was emotionless near tears because I was just so sad!

 

We walked across the street,almost getting hit by a cab, and waited in the cab line for about 10 minutes. We then were on our way to MIA for our 11:10 flight to ATL. It was about a 15 minute drive. Once arriving at the terminal I thought I was in a zoo. MIA is the most unorganized airport ever! We did curbside check-in which was only about 5 minutes. We were flying AA now and had to pay for 3 bags which was $60. They don't have an outdoor conveyor belt like in Atlanta so they had a GIANT mound of bags waited to go inside. Once inside we went into the security line. Quick and painless-10 minutes. Then we began the pilgrimage to our gate. We were at D3. To get there we had to walk a long ways down the D concourse, take the skyride to the other half of D concourse then walked another long way to the other end of D concourse. It was a loooong walk. We arrived at the gate at 9:13-one hour and ten minutes after LEAVING OUR CABIN! Best debarkation yet!

 

Then we waited for our flight. We got upgraded to an exit row which was nice. Flight was quick and a little bumpy, no big deal. Once we arrived in Atlanta at T-concourse we went to baggage claim which was literally 2 steps away. It took forever to get bags! We are not lucky with baggage claims! It took 30 minutes for our flight's bags to come out. Soon my stepdad's and my bag came out. Where was my mom's bag? Then it stopped and the baggage attendent said that was all. Uh oh!!!!! There were 5 other bags lost. While my stepdad dealt with that, my mom talked with a couple who was told there bag was on the next flight and would be delivered to their house by 7:00. They told us the same thing, but my mom's bag arrived safe and sound at 8:30. Oh well, atleast we have it.

 

And that concludes my review of the NCL Epic-Western itineray April 2nd-9th!!!!

I would like to thing everyone who followed me throuhgout the beginning with all my difficulties!

 

Final Thoughts

This was by far the best vacation ever. I was extremely hesitant in going after reading many bad reviews, but they were all seemingly over-exaggerated. The Epic is a one of a kind ships. She is the most innovative and modern ships afloat. Do not let the negative reviews deter you. We are not complainers, but voice our opinion when neccesary. Do not go on vacation being all uptight or you will not enjoy it at all.

 

If anyone has any questions I am more than happy to answer anything. No matter how weird, or cooky I will do my best to answer it.

 

Thanks again so much! I would say my first review was a success!!!!:D:)

 

Have a great day everyone and happy cruising!

[Sauer-kraut]

Thank you Nathan,

Great review and great perspective. I hope you managed to get all your homework done though.,..... HAHHA