Wish I could think of a catchy title-semi solo Epic 2/23/13 review

[Sue Do'nym]

The plan a solo cruise on the Epic to check out the studios and to see if I actually enjoy cruises. This would be my third cruise and the first I was able to plan and control. I selected my studio and excitedly told my family about my plans- which led to my mother deciding to book into the studios. Then realizing she did not want a confined space she upgraded to a balcony. We flew into Miami on embarkation day-I know, big no no! But it was a direct flight and we were already in the South-so not as risky as it seems! Day 1: Embarkation. 4 am wake up call was painful. To the airport-no flight issues and soon in Fort Lauderdale. Used SAS transport to Port of Miami. The driver picked us up within 20 minutes of our call from baggage claim. He also called several times to make sure we knew he was on the way. Our longest wait was for a porter at Port of Miami-maybe 30 minutes-but we were there really early-9:30 a.m. and passengers were still disembarking. Check in was a breeze and we were on board by 11:30am. Having done my research-thanks Cruise Critic! We bought our Posh passes and soda passes. We headed to Taste for a leisurely embarkation lunch. Rooms are ready was called by 12:30 and we headed off to check out our respective rooms. My room-12515-gets no love on the boards, but it worked for me. It is known as the guard shack of the studios because of the location-but I liked the location-it was near the lounge and the elevators. It was also located near my mother's balcony, another plus. There is a door that can be heard in the room opening and closing-but I am a night owl who was traveling with an early bird...so it was not an issue for me. If you are sensitive to noise-then this is not the room for you. I did not hear many loud voices in the hall way-some, but never late at night or early morning. If you are a light sleeper or sensitive to noise, then this is not the room you want to book. Instead of hitting the sail away party we sat on her balcony and ordered a bottle of wine from room service- which took well over an hour to arrive. We left beautiful Miami on a gorgeous sunny day and headed for the open water. Also, I have sea sick issues so I have found my go to formula that works for me. I take bonine and begin taking it 2 days before I get on the ship. I also find the Seabands help me. As soon as I got on the ship- I felt dizzy so bands went on and no more problems! I also carry ginger candy which I use if I start feeling the motion of the ocean despite my other preventatives. I noticed that sitting on the balcony seemed to help.

Next we headed to La Cucina for dinner. This restaurant does not get very good reviews, but the mom and I were impressed. The views are amazing and the service was excellent as it was everywhere on the epic! We received a free bottle of wine for pre booking 3 restaurants and booking 1 for dinner the first night. It was an early night after the 4 am wake up call!

[Sue Do'nym]

We hit the Garden Cafe for breakfast-something for everyone! Then to Pulse: the fitness center is nice- though crowded in the morning. Then to check out the stores- at the first store- problem for me! My bank card had been deactivated- after dealing with bank issues for two days before I left the person who had issued me an emergency card due to bank issues and to whom I had asked to place travel notifications on my card- had set the card to expire within 48 hours and failed to put my travel notices on my account. Down to guest services to deal with issue. They kindly allowed me to call the bank from the ship and was able to get it straightened out with one phone call and now I have money again. So back to the shops and then CC meet and greet- it was too big to actually meet anyone but it was nice to meet the cruise director and the staff who gave their names and direct lines if there was an issue. Back to Garden Cafe for lunch. Again I was impressed with the food on the buffet- I had the pork Panang curry and a hot dog with fries- hey that is the fun of the buffet!topped off with soft serve ice cream...more yum. Finally we headed to Posh to check out the beach club. I did not have the best first impression. The upper level is too windy and there is no shade. Next problem- only 4 clamshells and only 2 were not broken. he other perks- the tuna burger! The fruit skewers and the cold towels. Plus dedicated bartender and waiter is nice. After an afternoon of sun- we had early show Blue Man Tickets- remember the early bird? So we went for an early dinner at O Sheehan's. I had the spinach artichoke dip followed by the fish and chips. The mom had the soup and the fish and chips. We both liked our meals then we headed to BMG to get in line for our show. We arrived at 6:15 and the theater was open so we got great seats. We both enjoyed the show- it is very different. Also because we got there so early we took advantage of the bar service and ordered a blue man- not sure what was in it but it tasted like coconut ice cream and had a blue marshmallow.

After BMG the mom headed to bed and I went in search of the night life. Hit Bliss and watched some Karaoke. Then Karaoke ended and a game show was starting- I am not a fan so I went in search of music. I discovered the Mexcal duo playing in the atrium so sat in O Sheehan's and watched for a bit. Then it occurred to me I had not checked out the pool area so I walked up and walked around when it was not crowded. Then headed back to Spice H2O for a look at the adult section. Nothing happening there so they were playing a movie of aerial shots of Greece. It was cool and kind of hypnotizing. Then I headed downstairs and watched Howl at the Moon. Definitely my favorite of the entertainment options. They were really great and the crowd was very into it. Plus there was a lot of people which makes dueling piano bars more fun. I stayed til 1 am when they finished and finally went to bed.

[Sue Do'nym]

Second Sea Day-More of the same. Breakfast in Garden Cafe. I headed straight to Posh after breakfast where I fought a broken clamshell for most of the day. Tonight's dinner was Moderno. This may have been one of my favorite meals. The salad bar is good- the sides are nice, but the meat is fab. The lamb was my favorite followed by the filet mignon and the piranha?

Completely stuffed I tried to convince the mom to stay up but she was ready for bed after that experience. So I headed to my room to read my freestyle and see what was up that night. It was the night of the Fabba party which I wanted to go to but after that amazing meal...I fell asleep!

[DGP1111]

. . . My room-12515-gets no love on the boards' date=' but it worked for me. It is known as the guard shack of the studios because of the location-but I liked the location-it was near the lounge and the elevators. It was also located near my mother's balcony, another plus. [/quote']

 

I'm glad to read that location did work out for you. :)

And I can honestly promise that each and every time I went in/out those two doors, I made sure they did not slam. :D

I hope you found Domnick to be as efficient a room steward as I did.

Will look forward to reading your additional recap details.

 

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[Sue Do'nym]

Up to the Garden Cafe for a big breakfast for the day ahead. Then off the boat to meet our tour. I had signed us up for Bernard's Tour based on the Cruise Critic reviews. We were able to find the tour easily and we were in the van fairly quickly. John was our driver and he was a lot of fun and informative. We took the Tour 1 shopping and sightseeing tour. We stopped at Rima's first because some folks were late so John had to return to pick them up. Turned out customs did not clear their boat til after 9 am. Rima's is like Wings in the States, but I found a few things and spent very little money. Then to a brief stop at the iguana farm, which used to be a muddy pond with hundreds of iguanas. Bernard started taking his groups there because he thought it was cool. Then the guy who owned the place decided to make it nicer so it is under construction which has run off the iguanas. Hopefully they will finish and the iguanas will come back. Then Orient Beach and we then headed to the French side for shopping in Marigot. Typical straw market stuff- the French side seemed much poorer than the Dutch. We drove around the whole island and got to see a good bit. Our last stop was my favorite. We went to Maho and had an hour and a half to watch the planes come in. We were lucky and got to see a 737 fly in when we got there. Then after watching a few fly in right over our heads, a sudden down pour had everyone run for Sunset Bar for shelter. We ended up with great seats to watch the planes. Then back to the van where some of our group asked to be dropped off in Phillipsburg for more shopping and we opted for the cruise ship. We also got to experience the jet blast from the safety of the van. The taxi in front of us stopped and would not move. John gave the other driver a talking to about that!

Back on board to Le Bistro, where I was more intrigued by the appetizers than the mains. I had the mussels- out of this world. The escargot, amazing and the French Onion soup- meh, I then got the beef tenderloin. It was ok- but I am not a fan of ruining good meat with a heavy sauce, so French food is not my thing. The mom had the grilled asparagus and the French onion soup- she tried my mussels and liked them. She then chose the fruit de mer, which had an additional charge. For dessert she had the creme brûlée which she loved and I had the profiteroles, which were very good.

After dinner I convinced the mom to stay up for a little bit and she watched the Mexcal duo. Then she went to bed, and I went to look at the freestyle. But this time, no sleep! I went up to Spice H2O to watch the Avengers and on the way I discovered the rebellious fish...yum...then down to karaoke, but it was closed out for the evening so I headed to Howl at the Moon. This was a very different experience from the other night. The place was nearly empty which surprised me cause these guys are awesome. But it let them have more fun with the audience so still made for a great show.

[lambchoplady]

:) enjoying this review.

[Sue Do'nym]

Day 5: St. Thomas-no plans today. We had purchased the pass to take the sky tram to Paradise Point-but it was hot so as soon as we got off the boat and made it to the first stop-I decided to head back to the ship. I spent a lovely day catching up on sleep and enjoying the selection of movies the Epic had. This is one of my complaints-there are several news channels, kids channels and even sports-but if none of those things interest you-there is one channel that shows old tv shows, one channel that shows old movies and one channel that shows Inside the Actor's Studio. There is a pay movie channel with more recent offerings. I had downloaded movies on itunes before I left-but was still surprised by the limited offerings. I also ordered room service for lunch-which took 90 minutes to arrive-when they said it would be 45 minutes. It was very funny as the room service lady called periodically and each time I told her I had not received my order. Finally on the third try, the waiter knocked while I was on the phone with her! We went to Cagney's that night for dinner. I had the oysters Rockefeller- pretty good. Tried the Lobster Bisque- indedible so got the wedge. Filet mignon perfectly cooked accompanied by creamed spinach- not good, mushrooms, good and truffle fries- yum! For dessert cheese plate- quite good. The mom made the same selections except she chose the shrimp cocktail and the apple crisp. all was good but the service was less attentive than the other restaurants and the food was not quite as good. If I sail this ship again I would skip Cagney's and Le Bistro and stick with Moderno and maybe La Cucina. Back to the room early- nothing going on and the boat is a rocking so watching movie on the iPad and early bed time!

[Sue Do'nym]

I love sea days...so relaxing! Once again up and ready for the day- I hit the garden cafe for my made to order omelet and then back to Posh. snag- my card will no longer work so back to guest services where they rekeyed my card- back to Posh. Got the good clamshell, the misters worked and the cool towels were nice. We have murder mystery lunch so a midday break from Posh, which was hot and crowded so not a bad time for a break. Off to the murder mystery lunch. The food was not good- the show was cute enough... I checked out the regular pool area...I walked the pool deck to see how the other half lives...not as well as Posh! The main pool is noisy and very crowded. The sports complex area did not interest me but looked fun enough. Spice H2O- has a small pool not as bad as the main pool area Back to Posh again! To Manhattan room for dinner. It was fine, edible, the service was slow. The music was nice though loud.... Then we listened to Mexcal duo though they we putting me to sleep. Mom to bed and I went to Fat Cats to listen to Charlie and the Silky love band. They were good, just not my thing. They got most people on the very small dance floor. After one hour I was ready for my favorite Howl at the Moon- the guys were still great but the audience selection was not as much fun as other nights, but I stayed til the bitter end cause it was still my favorite of all the entertainment.

[Cruiser52888]

I love sea days...so relaxing! Once again up and ready for the day- I hit the garden cafe for my made to order omelet and then back to Posh. snag- my card will no longer work so back to guest services where they rekeyed my card- back to Posh. Got the good clamshell' date=' the misters worked and the cool towels were nice. We have murder mystery lunch so a midday break from Posh, which was hot and crowded so not a bad time for a break. Off to the murder mystery lunch. The food was not good- the show was cute enough... I checked out the regular pool area...I walked the pool deck to see how the other half lives...not as well as Posh! The main pool is noisy and very crowded. The sports complex area did not interest me but looked fun enough. Spice H2O- has a small pool not as bad as the main pool area Back to Posh again! To Manhattan room for dinner. It was fine, edible, the service was slow. The music was nice though loud.... Then we listened to Mexcal duo though they we putting me to sleep. Mom to bed and I went to Fat Cats to listen to Charlie and the Silky love band. They were good, just not my thing. They got most people on the very small dance floor. After one hour I was ready for my favorite Howl at the Moon- the guys were still great but the audience selection was not as much fun as other nights, but I stayed til the bitter end cause it was still my favorite of all the entertainment.[/quote']

 

 

What is the clamshell at Posh??

[Sue Do'nym]

Day 7: Nassau...but no...

 

Slept in...garden cafe- too crowded so no omelet :(... But tried other options at the buffet. Then off to Posh. Day was cloudy and was cold. Perfect to scare everyone away from the sun deck! Posh was completely dead which made it even more perfect than normal. Staff was so bored that when it got hot, they came around and misted the guests individually. Skipped Nassau cause we have been before and saw no need to leave the ship. We had Cirque reservations at 5:45 so lined up at 5:00 pm. We had seats on the floor but would have preferred above so as not to have to crane neck around others to see. Previous reviewers were correct about the whistle guy- too annoying! The show was good and worth the charge- the dinner was not... It an early night before disembarkation

 

Day 8- Final day and travel

 

Wake up and headed to O' Sheehan's for breakfast. Good call... On the right deck to disembark. Ordered omelet to order. Called to disembark, helped by a porter, off to wait for SAS transport. Called as instructed- then watched as 1st van drove by without glancing at passengers. Second time, tried jumping up and down and waving. Called after each incident- only response- driver was looking for you. Unless driver thought we were on the opposite side of where all the passengers were, he was not. Called again and was finally told to be across from number 7. Another half hour and we were finally picked up along with 7 others who had been left previously. FLL was more crowded than had ever seen- line up nearly to rental car section for security- no where to sit. On the plane and vacation over!

 

Things I would do again-

Soda Pass-worth it

Posh Pass-after visiting the pool deck on a crowded sea day, realized the difference it made in my vacation

Moderno, La Cucina

 

Things Worth Doing Once

Blue Man Group

Cirque Dreams

Murder Mystery Lunch

 

Things I missed out on

Solo Gatherings-traveling with my mother-she insisted on an early dinner time, which meant I missed meeting the others in the Studios.

White Hot Party/Fabba/any of the sponsored parties-usually got busy with another activity, but wished I had checked these out

Legends-some say they are great-I was not that interested, but I wish I had caught their show

Sushi, Teppanyaki and other restaurants I missed.

 

Would I cruise on the Epic again? Absolutely-just booked European Cruise on Epic. I was impressed with the service, the food in the included restaurants as well as the upcharge spots. I relied on the reviews here to plan my trip and loved reading trip reports from others, so I promised myself I would post one too!

Any other questions? I will be happy to answer.

[OCruisers]

Thanks for this and much appreciated. It's been a while since we have cruised on NCL ... much less Epic.

We are seriously considering doing Epic next year with some friends so thanks for time to give us your thoughts!

 

LuLu

~~~

[Sue Do'nym]

And thanks for planning that awesome meet and greet-it really was a neat experience!

[Sue Do'nym]

A clamshell is a round lounging bed with a half cover...I will try to post a picture of the broken one-I never got a picture of the working ones :confused:

[Cruiser52888]

A clamshell is a round lounging bed with a half cover...I will try to post a picture of the broken one-I never got a picture of the working ones :confused:

 

Nice! Thank you! How much was the Posh Club??

[Sue Do'nym]

Cost was $59 for the week-considering we had so much time at sea-it was worth it. Cushy chairs, umbrellas, dedicated waiter and bartender. Plus you could order lunch without leaving your chair...

[HowardK]

I had 12513 and liked it- it was non connecting and I had no noise problems.

I will do one again. Sorry you missed the solo gatherings- they made the trip WONDERFUL. I would encourage you to go again and attend them.

[DGP1111]

A clamshell is a round lounging bed with a half cover...I will try to post a picture of the broken one-I never got a picture of the working ones :confused:

 

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And a picture of earlier non-broken (more 'inflated') ones along the plexi-glass.

 

 

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[kmo123]

Sue,

 

I am pretty sure I met your wonderful mother at Paradise Point in St Thomas. I was up there having a drink and a very nice woman asked if she could join me. She said her daughter was not feeling well and was in a studio room. She said she recognized me from being in the studio lounge previously so she knew we were on the same ship.

 

Your mother was excellent company. She spoke very well of you.

 

Just thought you would like to know.

 

Karen

[SMSACE6]

Thanks for your review of the Epic! Cant wait for my turn.:)

[jdvmd]

Keep those comments coming! Thanks!

[kcwiak]

I am curious about the elevators...I heard the Epic only has two banks - front and back of the boat. Is that accurate (I have not looked at plans yet)? Did they get crowded? Thinking about another cruise with kids but worried we will be waiting a lot at elevators. Great review - Thanks!

[jdvmd]

I am curious about the elevators...I heard the Epic only has two banks - front and back of the boat. Is that accurate (I have not looked at plans yet)? Did they get crowded? Thinking about another cruise with kids but worried we will be waiting a lot at elevators. Great review - Thanks!

Correct. No midship elevator.

[xenagurl]

Thanks for posting OP. :)

[toledo]

Terrific review! Thanks! I especially loved the ending, where you expressed your feelings on what was worth doing and what wasn't worth doing. Also, the tip about eating breakfast at O'Sheehan's on the last day, to speed up disembarking, is great to know.

[Toola99709]

Thanks for the wonderful review. It really made me want to try this cruise.