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Epic Mediterranean 2013 - Cruisers please post

NCruiser2012

By NCruiser2012,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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NCruiser2012

NCruiser2012

Posted
Posted (edited)

We are anxiously awaiting any information about the Epic in the Mediterranean for 2013. Reviews, photos, menus, or dailies would be greatly appreciated. I know many people have cruised the Epic before. What is new this year?

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robins11

robins11

Posted
Posted
We are anxiously awaiting any information about the Epic in the Mediterranean for 2013. Reviews, photos, menus, or dailies would be greatly appreciated. I know many people have cruised the Epic before. What is new this year?

 

Hi recently back off Epic. Completed a short 4 day Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona visiting Marseille, Palma de Majorca and back to Barcelona. the ship had just arrived from Miami so this was her first Med cruise of the year. We had sailed on Epic before transatlantic in 2011 so we knew the ship and getting reorientated was easy.

Getting on and off the ship at the beginning and end of our cruise was easy as Barcelona certainly knows how to handle these large vessels.

Our cruise seemed to be near full and there were a number of large incentive groups onboard. However other than peak meal times in the buffet and the crowded pool deck during the sunny weather the ship caters for large numbers well.

Enjoyed our brief time onboard, the crew were brilliant, food good, and the two shows we went to, Blue Man Group and Legends, were superb.

My only regret was mistakingly booking a stateroom on deck 9 with an open balcony, in other words no cover. Would suit some but we enjoy our privacy. Worth double checking next time.

Marseille was a revelation, loved it. Paid 10 or 12 euro each for the NCL shuttle from the ship to the city centre return. If you are not on an official excursion this is a must. My advice is don't even think about walking or public transport. The distance from where the ship berthed to the port entrance where the public bus runs from is considerable and from there its several miles into the centre.

The shuttle bus drops you in the old port area and from there you can walk to many sights or pick up the little train or HOHO bus. Its the European City of Culture this year so lots to see and do. Lots of places to eat and watch the world go by.

Similarly with Palma, what a beautiful city with a magnificent cathedral.

NCL provide a shuttle at the same price as above or get a taxi or catch a service bus on the main road, number 1 that will take you to the centre for 2 euro.

We got a bus from the centre to Port de Soller on the north of the island and then rode a vintage tram and train back to Palma through the mountains. (The Soller Railway) Great day.

Lovely weather throughout, a wonderful short cruise.

 

John

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ms.sunburn

ms.sunburn

Posted
Posted (edited)

Thanks Robins11. I enjoyed your post!

 

I was happy to hear that I don't really have to do anything special in Marseille or Palma other than catching the ship's shuttle. I'm sure by then I'll be completely spent from the long days in Italy!

 

Looking forward to your reviews CdnCruiseFan & betterthanvegas? I, too, have cruised mostly Carnival with a sprinkling of Royal Caribbean & Princess mixed in. The Epic will be my first cruise on Norwegian. I'm not stuck on a particular cruise line. Any of the big ones, given the right price and itinerary, work for me :)

Edited by ms.sunburn
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Bob&Barb

Bob&Barb

Posted
Posted

We just returned from the Epic, disembarking this past Saturday in Barcelona. This was our first "big" ship cruise, so I am in no way an

expert on cruising, but here are my observations, in case they may be helpful. :)

 

Embarking in Barcelona was quick and easy. We arrived at the port

at 10:45 from our hotel (Hotel Montecarlo on La Rambla <--fantastic) and it took less than an hour to go through security and be greeted onboard.

BTW, there is a duty free shop after security, and no, there was

no one checking bags, or any table to pay corkage if you choose to

purchase your own wine to take on board. (This could change, and

they were definitely checking at all the other ports.)

 

The ship is beautiful and easy to find your way about. I had read

about long waits for the elevators, but it was never an issue for us.

Most of the time, it was only a minute or two before an elevator

came. Also, after reading much about chair hogs, I never saw

any. There always seemed to be lots of chairs, perhaps because

the cruise is so port intensive. It was also a beautiful week,

weather-wise, but a tiny bit chilly (low 70s).

 

The staff was GREAT. Almost everyone was cheerful, had

a smile, and kind word. We had a minisuite (12266) and

while it's a bit tight passing one another, there is plenty of storage

and a very comfy bed. The toilet area & shower area are not

big, and not private, but you know what to expect, right? :rolleyes:

 

The food was fine. Great breakfast in the buffet. We weren't

very impressed by the Teppanyaki, but it may have been the chef,

who was either new, or a fill in. He did very little in the way of

entertainment, and he had some trouble calculating the amount

of food for each person at the table -- coming up short a serving

several times. (Other tables seemed to be having fun.)

Blue Man group was excellent. The Cirque show is good, but the food

is not. Seating is tight. We also ate at Taste, O'Sheehans and Moderno.

 

The new port this year is Palma, on Mallorca. Absolutely

gorgeous island -- as beautiful as the Amalfi coast in southern Italy.

Don't stay in town. Venture out and into the mountains, and visit

Valldemossa and Soller if you have time. (Shop for pearls!)

 

I have to say that we didn't follow the general consensus and we

booked excursions through the ship. We had a couple of the very

best tours (Exclusive Amalfi Coast & Pompeii, as well as Exclusive

Pisa & Florence) and we also had the absolute worst touring experience

ever (Ultimate Rome). Norwegian does have a problem dispursing

the passengers out on ship tours. Two harried crew members

have to process hundreds of passengers and so the tours were

mostly late getting out. You spend a LOT of time waiting to get

called, if it's a popular tour.

 

My best tip would be to plan, plan, plan your days to include

only the sights most important to you, and everything else will fall beautifully into place. There's so much to enjoy on the ship,

along with this wonderfully diverse Med itinerary, you've got the whole

dream holiday here!

 

I'm a little bit tired writing this, (11 hours of flying today) but if

you have any specific questions please ask, and I'll be happy to

answer if I can.

 

~Barb

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NCruiser2012

NCruiser2012

Posted
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Posted

Thank you all for your comments. I am glad that everyone is enjoying Majorca. I must say I was a little disappointed that the Epic was not going to another port in France this year. But, it sounds like everyone is having fun in Palma and the rest of Majorca.

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Xpto

Xpto

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi,

I’m glad that you loved your cruise. I will be doing same itinerary on August with my daughters of 6 and 1. I´ve read in another forum that this year there are not Sponge Bob and the others Nickelodeon characters onboard. So the breakfast with them don´t be available.

That’s true? I hope no!

Thanks,

Edited by Xpto
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Bob&Barb

Bob&Barb

Posted
Posted

I'm not sure if you're asking me but...I'll answer anyway. ;)

 

There seemed to be very few children on board our cruise, but it's May. There weren't any characters about -- but perhaps they'll bring them out when there are a lot more children on board in the summer. (Sorry -- I didn't bring the dailies back or I could have checked about the breakfast. Our luggage was just so darn heavy I had to toss them.)

 

I will say the kid's own water park area was adorable. :) It looked very cute & inviting.

 

 

~Barb

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Riggy84

Riggy84

Posted
Posted

I'm particularly keen on info on the shuttles. Prices, drop off location, frequency, etc. Mainly for Palma, Marseille and Livorno.

I've been told you can't walk out of the port in Livorno, you have to use the shuttle or a taxi, is this still the case?

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sbsmutoni

sbsmutoni

Posted
Posted
We just returned from the Epic, disembarking this past Saturday in Barcelona. This was our first "big" ship cruise, so I am in no way an

expert on cruising, but here are my observations, in case they may be helpful. :)

 

Embarking in Barcelona was quick and easy. We arrived at the port

at 10:45 from our hotel (Hotel Montecarlo on La Rambla <--fantastic) and it took less than an hour to go through security and be greeted onboard.

BTW, there is a duty free shop after security, and no, there was

no one checking bags, or any table to pay corkage if you choose to

purchase your own wine to take on board. (This could change, and

they were definitely checking at all the other ports.)

 

The ship is beautiful and easy to find your way about. I had read

about long waits for the elevators, but it was never an issue for us.

Most of the time, it was only a minute or two before an elevator

came. Also, after reading much about chair hogs, I never saw

any. There always seemed to be lots of chairs, perhaps because

the cruise is so port intensive. It was also a beautiful week,

weather-wise, but a tiny bit chilly (low 70s).

 

The staff was GREAT. Almost everyone was cheerful, had

a smile, and kind word. We had a minisuite (12266) and

while it's a bit tight passing one another, there is plenty of storage

and a very comfy bed. The toilet area & shower area are not

big, and not private, but you know what to expect, right? :rolleyes:

 

The food was fine. Great breakfast in the buffet. We weren't

very impressed by the Teppanyaki, but it may have been the chef,

who was either new, or a fill in. He did very little in the way of

entertainment, and he had some trouble calculating the amount

of food for each person at the table -- coming up short a serving

several times. (Other tables seemed to be having fun.)

Blue Man group was excellent. The Cirque show is good, but the food

is not. Seating is tight. We also ate at Taste, O'Sheehans and Moderno.

 

The new port this year is Palma, on Mallorca. Absolutely

gorgeous island -- as beautiful as the Amalfi coast in southern Italy.

Don't stay in town. Venture out and into the mountains, and visit

Valldemossa and Soller if you have time. (Shop for pearls!)

 

I have to say that we didn't follow the general consensus and we

booked excursions through the ship. We had a couple of the very

best tours (Exclusive Amalfi Coast & Pompeii, as well as Exclusive

Pisa & Florence) and we also had the absolute worst touring experience

ever (Ultimate Rome). Norwegian does have a problem dispursing

the passengers out on ship tours. Two harried crew members

have to process hundreds of passengers and so the tours were

mostly late getting out. You spend a LOT of time waiting to get

called, if it's a popular tour.

 

My best tip would be to plan, plan, plan your days to include

only the sights most important to you, and everything else will fall beautifully into place. There's so much to enjoy on the ship,

along with this wonderfully diverse Med itinerary, you've got the whole

dream holiday here!

 

I'm a little bit tired writing this, (11 hours of flying today) but if

you have any specific questions please ask, and I'll be happy to

answer if I can.

 

~Barb

I have a quick question Barb....does the duty free shop inside the port have liquor?

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karoo

karoo

Posted
Posted

Great review-I'm on the Epic embarking from Rome in July. I've booked the Cinque Terre excursion for Livorno through the ship. All the other ports/tours I plan on DIY.

 

Did you do the tour in Palma on your own or through the ship? I would like to take the train to Soller etc, bus back, but wondering how easy it would be to do etc?

 

I'm also with you-I didn't enjoy the food in Teppanyaki at all. I went for the second time on my last cruise, only because the rest of the group wanted to go. I think I'll just say no next time and dine alone. Life's too short to eat food I don't enjoy. I do love the MDR and Le Bistro though.

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MISStheboat

MISStheboat

Posted
Posted
Hi,

I’m glad that you loved your cruise. I will be doing same itinerary on August with my daughters of 6 and 1. I´ve read in another forum that this year there are not Sponge Bob and the others Nickelodeon characters onboard. So the breakfast with them don´t be available.

That’s true? I hope no!

Thanks,

Saw Sponge Bob and Dora on the May 5th sailing

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Cloudyrain Great Review Rare

Cloudyrain

Posted
Posted
Great review-I'm on the Epic embarking from Rome in July. I've booked the Cinque Terre excursion for Livorno through the ship. All the other ports/tours I plan on DIY.

 

Did you do the tour in Palma on your own or through the ship? I would like to take the train to Soller etc, bus back, but wondering how easy it would be to do etc?

 

I'm also with you-I didn't enjoy the food in Teppanyaki at all. I went for the second time on my last cruise, only because the rest of the group wanted to go. I think I'll just say no next time and dine alone. Life's too short to eat food I don't enjoy. I do love the MDR and Le Bistro though.

 

I have been to Palma quite a few times, and have been to Soller/Port Soller. Personally, even though I know the area and feel confident in what I'm doing, I would be reluctant going to Soller on anything other than a ships tour. I know people do, but if you get the scenic train/tram there and back they don't run regularly and can get very very busy; i have never seen a stampede like it! If you do want to do it make sure you research well, and also get bus times just in case you miss the train (or can't get on).

 

If you have never been to Palma before I can recommend it highly, especially the cathedral, it's only about 6 euros entry fee. The public buses run past the port every few minutes and cost 1-2e, or a taxi is about 8e. Have a wander around tje town (some amazing streets, shops and museums and gallaries). Then you could look at Castel De Bellver - get a taxi there (8e max from the cathedral), 3e entry fee, and walk back to the port (the road up is a long winding steep hill, coming down is pretty easy straight down the hill from the exit of the castle grounds: I do it in flip flops, but it is a lot of steps and they are typical Spanish. It's worth it even if just for the view!

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Bob&Barb

Bob&Barb

Posted
Posted

Sbsmutoni ~

I asked my husband Bob and he said, yes, they had liquor in the duty free shop in Barcelona -- a small selection. Thinking back on it, there was

a long line right at the point of entering the ship, and we got sent back down to the aft to board -- I imagine that is why there was no security check, and actually, nobody to greet us. Every port, they were definitely checking bags.

 

Karoo ~

We did the Magical Mallorca & Train to Soller excursion through the ship. It left an hour late (slow processing for the excursions) so the itinerary was modified & reversed -- it was the train FROM Soller :p but it was very enjoyable and worthwhile. Yes, I think that seeing the general scramble for seats on the train and the crowds (our tour group had their own car) - I don't think I'd DIY and chance getting back to the ship late. It's a short 1/2 day in port, so not much time.

 

~Barb

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