Epic Mediterranean 2013 - Cruisers please post

[karoo]

Thanks for the feedback on Soller. I might just walk around the town now in Palma, seeing I haven't been there before. In July the weather should be nice and warm/hot so maybe a train trip is not such a good idea. I've also got two busy days before I even get to Palma. I'm doing Cinque Terre in Livorno, and a Winery tour (2 wineries) and free time in Aix of Provence in Marseille, so thanks heaps for your suggestions. You're right, it is only a half day in Palma Mallorca. Sleep in, lazy morning then I'll probably feel like walking. Any good shops-I have to find a Mother of The bride outfit before November. It's winter here, so there's not much available.

[2BACRUISER]

Looking at this itinerary for either first or third week in September this year. OH does NOT want to do formal so think NCL is our best option and he's not keen on the whole cruise idea but i just want to do something different this year and see and experience some new places & people. Very interested to read everyones comments.

 

mandy:)

[Grillfish]

Thanks for the feedback on Soller. I might just walk around the town now in Palma, seeing I haven't been there before. In July the weather should be nice and warm/hot so maybe a train trip is not such a good idea. I've also got two busy days before I even get to Palma. I'm doing Cinque Terre in Livorno, and a Winery tour (2 wineries) and free time in Aix of Provence in Marseille, so thanks heaps for your suggestions. You're right, it is only a half day in Palma Mallorca. Sleep in, lazy morning then I'll probably feel like walking. Any good shops-I have to find a Mother of The bride outfit before November. It's winter here, so there's not much available.

 

We did this a few weeks ago, from Barcelona.

 

We did the train from Soller, but it was not worth it. 50% of the time, you are in tunnels :( The bus ride around the island is fun, great little towns.

 

We did Aix and it was a nice busy town to walk around and visit shops.

 

We did Cinque, but the weather was bad, so we had to do public trains from town to town, not the boat (which would have been much better). Imagine, large group of 5 or 6 buses trying to get on public trains, it was crazy. However, the towns you visit while in Cinque are amazing. We had calamari, best ever in my life, right out of the sea :)

 

Enjoy the trip!

[Zchiliman]

If anyone would like some EPIC photos let me know... We did this cruise last year and have about 6,000. Would be happy to lend a hand with photos of the ports/ ships if yall would like:D

[NCruiser2012]

If anyone would like some EPIC photos let me know... We did this cruise last year and have about 6,000. Would be happy to lend a hand with photos of the ports/ ships if yall would like:D

 

Do you have any photos of Aix? Last year you would have not gone to Palma.

[Bob&Barb]

Millineumwoman ~ The only tour we didn't enjoy was Ultimate Rome. I understand you may have a totally different experience but for us, it was just too rushed, and we were dealing with massive crowds, due to a general audience with the Pope (Wednesdays) which brought in an extra 250,000 - 300,000 (as we were told). The crowds at the Vatican were crushing. I think the only thing I really focused on was the pink bow on top of our guides little stick, as we kept losing her in the crowds. We had to rush frantically to keep up and we saw...honestly, almost nothing at the Vatican museum, except a few tapestries, and of course, the Sistine Chapel (a solid moving mass of people). We had a few minutes at the Pantheon on our own and about 1 hr. at the Coliseum as a group.

 

It didn't help that our tour also started late, because after driving to Rome in the big bus, the guide was late meeting us. It was pretty much 'power-walk' through Rome after that. :eek: (It was also really unfortunate, but we had someone who had difficulty walking on this tour and he REALLY couldn't keep up. The guide never looked back or waited for him.)

 

Exhausted at the end, we stood in an underground bus depot for approx. an hour, waiting for our bus which was a.) lost or b.) blocked in - nobody seemed to know. We were very late getting back to the ship. I can honestly say, everyone in our group was disgruntled.

 

I did not feel that tour was worth the $. Not at all. For us, it was the worst tour - ever. Too much Rome - too little time! Are you sorry you asked?? :)

 

BTW, Exclusive Florence was wonderful. So was Exclusive Pompeii & Amalfi Coast with Guilia, our guide. She was fantastic and we had the best day of our trip. :) So some tours are definitely better than others.

____________________________________________________________

 

Re. the Cirque show - the food was mediocre as many have commented. I'm not really that fussy, but it was 2 rubbery shrimp (cold) with a piece of beef (maybe 3" x 2") also cold. I think it was served with mashed potatoes. Honestly, I tasted but didn't eat it.

Also 4 little one-bite desserts, which were good.

The show is quite entertaining, so perhaps eat before you go. :)

[mskener1]

Couldn't agree more with Bob and Barbara.

Ultimate Rome Tour for $399 was advertised as “fast paced”. I beg to differ with that categorization. This tour should have been classified MANIC. There are issues that arose during our tour that were unsafe and I think NCL should revisit this tour by sending a representative (particularly on a Wednesday when the Vatican apparently is inundated with excessive amounts of tourists) to take the tour with the goal of trying to readjust the itinerary somewhat.

 

we had a 15-minute break at the Colosseum after riding on a bus for nearly 1.5 hours to get there. The toilet lines were so long that most of the women on that tour could not use the facilities and had to wait for the next stop.

Trevi Fountain, we were given 15 minutes for a toilet break. This so-called break was in the middle of mass chaos with toilet facilities of only one stall in each eatery where literally thousands of other individuals from other tours, as well as individual tourists were all trying to accomplish the same task.

 

Pantheon we were given 35 minutes to find a toilet as well as a place to eat. The places near the Pantheon did not accommodate more than 6-8 people and it would have taken too much walking time to get to the other eateries before being able to eat with no guarantees that after wasting time walking to one of them, we’d be able to sit. None of this was possible in a 35-minute period of time.

 

Vatican-We were told at this point that the buses were no longer able to park along the Vatican wall (new Vatican rules). So we were forced to walk a significant distance before arriving at the Vatican. Again, we got a 10-minute time frame for toilet at the Vatican where the lines were again impossible.

 

Sistine Chapel-The only way to describe the walk through the Sistine Chapel was that it was very similar to being on a subway in New York during rush hour—shoulder to shoulder with people stepping all over each other.

 

Gift Shop-Everyone on that tour was exited through the Vatican Gift Shop, but not allowed to purchase anything even though we now had at least a half hour extra time because of the Basilica cancellation. Instead, the tour guide took us to St. Peter’s Square and through alleyways describing architecture that no one in the group was even remotely interested in at this point and then depositing us in a back alley gift shop. I can only assume someone was getting a commission for bringing us there instead of allowing the same amount of time to be spent at the Vatican Gift Shop where we would’ve known we were buying authentically blessed items.

 

there was no 2-hour break but a lot of little breaks (and certainly not advantageous) which added up to only 1 hour.

[Dr Lexus]

I just got off the Epic after doing the Barca route cruise, brilliant cruise and a lot of fun.

 

We didn't go to Rome on the cruise, decided to stay on the ship and explore the port a little bit instead (but mainly chill on the ship).

 

Rome in 4 or 5 hours is just bonkers in my opinion, you need I feel at least 3 days to soak in Rome, 4-5 hours is barely enough time to see and climb the Vatican properly. To me running around like a maniac sweating in the crowds isn't worth it, especially when you have free drinks, food and poolside entertainment back on the Epic.

[qnbee53]

Hi, we left out of Barcelona afer staying there 3 days. Embarking was very expedited and well organized, were on the boat within 20 minutes and had our luggage within the hr. We had a balcony stateroom. I agree with the concensus about the bathroom, while the shower was a generous size its just not an ideal setup and the sink is small and next to the bed, odd and inconvenient. Room size was ok, not great for 2 people trying to get dressed at once. I thought it was very easy to find our way around almost immediately, it's well laid out & not at all overwhelming. There was always a chair available by the pool and they had the 18+ pool area in the back as an added bonus. Thought the food was mostly good, loved Cagneys and Teppenyaki. Was not crazy about the Blue Man Group and was too tired to go see any other night time entertainment. Hubby did the waterslides but he also said some of them were not well laid out and hurt his back. Did 3 of my excursions in Italy thru an outside tour group that worked well then 2 of the ship's excursions to Palma and Marseilles. Must see the church in Palma but can easily do that without paying for the excursion. Also did Les Baux in France it was awesome, a quaint little old town up in the mountains, well worth it! It was very easy getting on and off the boat at the ports, very well organized. I would def book this ship in the future, enjoy!!!

[qnbee53]

I just got off the Epic after doing the Barca route cruise, brilliant cruise and a lot of fun.

 

We didn't go to Rome on the cruise, decided to stay on the ship and explore the port a little bit instead (but mainly chill on the ship).

 

Rome in 4 or 5 hours is just bonkers in my opinion, you need I feel at least 3 days to soak in Rome, 4-5 hours is barely enough time to see and climb the Vatican properly. To me running around like a maniac sweating in the crowds isn't worth it, especially when you have free drinks, food and poolside entertainment back on the Epic.

 

 

Totally agreee about Rome, SUPER crowded and WAY too much to see to rush thru plus the ships excursion price was up there!!

[NCruiser2012]

This post gives a small review and the dailies for 2013.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1852986

Edited May 30, 2013 by NCruiser2012

[Cloudyrain]

Thanks for the feedback on Soller. I might just walk around the town now in Palma, seeing I haven't been there before. In July the weather should be nice and warm/hot so maybe a train trip is not such a good idea. I've also got two busy days before I even get to Palma. I'm doing Cinque Terre in Livorno, and a Winery tour (2 wineries) and free time in Aix of Provence in Marseille, so thanks heaps for your suggestions. You're right, it is only a half day in Palma Mallorca. Sleep in, lazy morning then I'll probably feel like walking. Any good shops-I have to find a Mother of The bride outfit before November. It's winter here, so there's not much available.

 

Porto Pi shopping complex is about 10mins walk away from port, but the same kind of shops that you would find anywhere in the world I expect. In Palma there are loads of shops from Juame III and towards the old town. The shops range from El Corte (European Department Store) to designer shops - there is so much to choose from!

[robins11]

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.

 

Hi I noticed your comment about wanting to take the train to Soller. We were on the Epic in early May and when in Palma fulfilled an ambition to experience the Soller railway. I took a lot of advice from Trip Advisor forums and had doubts but what the heck you only live once. Here is my review I posted on that site.

 

Our ship berthed at 7am so after an early breakfast we disembarked and took a taxi from the port entrance to the main bus/rail interchange. The taxi cost 14 euro.( there is another way but more on that later). From the underground bus station we caught the 9am 210 bus to Port de Soller. This cost 3.10 euro each and took 40 minutes through picturesque scenery. The bus was half full which surprised us as it was a Saturday and market day in Soller.

We arrived at a nearly deserted Port de Soller, the sun was shining and the town, seafront, and mountains as beautiful as I imagined. Enjoyed a lovely stroll around the small harbour, had coffee in one of a huge selection of cafes. bars and restaurants.

We then took boarded a two car tram for the journey to Soller. It cost 5 euro each and took about 45 minutes. Brilliant to say the least.

Arrived in a packed Soller, as it was market day. The tram lines go right through the centre of the town through the crowded square and end at the railway station. Great experience. Stood at the back to take it all in.

Next stage of our journey was the Soller Railway itself. Bought two single tickets to Palma for 12.50 euro each and boarded a nearly empty 1230 departure. We had the entire coach to ourselves. Spent most of the journey at the open end of the carriage. Well its an experience not to be missed.

Superb. It rocks, rolls, shakes, is noisy and the wooden seats uncomfortable and who cares.

The scenery is breathtaking as it climbs out of Soller, through tunnels, over bridges, past orchards of oranges and lemons. Eventually through a long tunnel and then down the other side onto the plains and then the streets of Palma. It takes about an hour.

Fantastic experience, loved it. Unique to say the least.

To get back to the ship we discovered a bus service from outside the station that links the airport and cruise port. It cost 3 euro for the two of us, and is the No 1 bus, running regularly.

Arrived back onboard at 3pm.

A great day, excellent value for money, fantastic scenery, friendly people, and the various forms of transport efficient and in the case of the tram and railway, totally unique.

 

Hope this helps. Whatever you do Palma and the island of Majorca are really beautiful. Enjoy your cruise.

John

[meh56]

My husband and I sailed on the Epic from Marseille May 10. We wanted to spend a few days prior to cruising in Marseille so we flew into Paris and took the TGV (which leaves right from the airport) to Marseille. It was a beautiful trip. We stayed 3 nights at the Radisson Blu hotel and loved it. It is a great location with many cafe's within easy walking distance. We chose the rate that included breakfast and we very please with the selection. The first day we did the HOHO bus which had a stop about a block from the hotel. The next day we boarded the electric bus in front of the hotel and took it to the Le Petit train. We wanted to visit Notre Dame and the train takes you right to the top and you can stay as long as you like, taking a later train back to the city. Boarding in Marseille was simple as only a few people embarked there. We had a mini suite (13034) and had plenty of room for storage. The steward brought us more hangars and a lounge for the deck. We did two ship tours, Scenic Palma/ Valldemossa and Montserrat. We enjoyed both of the locations and were disappointed that the NCL tour did not offer more time in each, big negative. If we did this again we would have taken other transportation to each and spent 2 hours touring, as you can not do much in 45 min that the NCL tour offered. As other have stated we found the ship operation for the tours lacking, we either were stationed at the wrong end of the ship for departure and lack of direction to your bus. Not well organized. The ship did offer buses either at a fee or free in the ports. We were very happy with the buffet but also ate in the Manhattan Room, La Cucina, O'Sheehan's and Shanghai. We did not feel that La Cucina and Shanghai were worth the additional. Found it hard to get any information from the customer service desk. We wanted to cash euro's before we disembarked but were told to get them on shore. As we were going to disembark and need funds for taxi and food this was not an acceptable answer but they would not change the funds. We took the NCL shuttle to the Vieux Port for 8.00us per person one way and took a cab to train station. If anyone would like more information on staying and boarding in Marseille, I would be happy to help.

[chirowedoc]

Hi,

 

Our group of 9 just returned Sunday from the Epic and had an amazing time!! I tried to save as many dailies as I could for you. I will try to post them later this weekend If I can figure out how to do it. We had 2 8yo that liked the kids club, 2 teenagers that loved Entourage so much we almost never saw them and they thought going on shore excursions were ruining the fun!

 

The Haven was amazing! There was no chair hogging on either pool decks, but it was a bit cooler on our cruise still. I loved the sushi bar ,Teppanyaki and Cagney's! We never ate in the main dining room. The Buffet was a mad house and nobody seemed to be able to understand the concept of the line that was formed. Lot's of people would just cut right in front of you as you were dishing up your food.

 

The staff on board was amazing everywhere we went. There was not one person we met that provided poor service.

 

The casino was fun! The smoking problem was more from the spectators on the table games than the actual players. We played craps mostly and not one player smoked, but we always ended up with someone smoking over our shoulder. You did end up stinking a bit at the end of the night!

 

Howl at the Moon was our favorite! We went 3 times!

 

The ports are crazy with the big tours...try to arrange a private tour with your roll call. It will cost about the same and your experince will be 1000% better. We had a private tour with 9 and watched the folks with the NCL stickers marching by in groups of 60 listening to a guide on a headset that was 100 yards ahead of them. It looked miserable and it was not even hot yet! Romeinlimo.com has a great tool to be able to share a ride and they are very knowledgeable.

 

I will post when I can! I brought the kid's stuff home too.

[gatlinburg]

if our ship is supposed to DOCK at 9am, what is the earliest Flight you would book leaving from Marseille?

My husband and I sailed on the Epic from Marseille May 10. We wanted to spend a few days prior to cruising in Marseille so we flew into Paris and took the TGV (which leaves right from the airport) to Marseille. It was a beautiful trip. We stayed 3 nights at the Radisson Blu hotel and loved it. It is a great location with many cafe's within easy walking distance. We chose the rate that included breakfast and we very please with the selection. The first day we did the HOHO bus which had a stop about a block from the hotel. The next day we boarded the electric bus in front of the hotel and took it to the Le Petit train. We wanted to visit Notre Dame and the train takes you right to the top and you can stay as long as you like, taking a later train back to the city. Boarding in Marseille was simple as only a few people embarked there. We had a mini suite (13034) and had plenty of room for storage. The steward brought us more hangars and a lounge for the deck. We did two ship tours, Scenic Palma/ Valldemossa and Montserrat. We enjoyed both of the locations and were disappointed that the NCL tour did not offer more time in each, big negative. If we did this again we would have taken other transportation to each and spent 2 hours touring, as you can not do much in 45 min that the NCL tour offered. As other have stated we found the ship operation for the tours lacking, we either were stationed at the wrong end of the ship for departure and lack of direction to your bus. Not well organized. The ship did offer buses either at a fee or free in the ports. We were very happy with the buffet but also ate in the Manhattan Room, La Cucina, O'Sheehan's and Shanghai. We did not feel that La Cucina and Shanghai were worth the additional. Found it hard to get any information from the customer service desk. We wanted to cash euro's before we disembarked but were told to get them on shore. As we were going to disembark and need funds for taxi and food this was not an acceptable answer but they would not change the funds. We took the NCL shuttle to the Vieux Port for 8.00us per person one way and took a cab to train station. If anyone would like more information on staying and boarding in Marseille, I would be happy to help.