EPIC 4-Night Barcelona Roundtrip - First Solo Cruise - Photo Review!

[Riggy84]

Can you tell me more about the cruise director and his assistant? Is he the "Dan the man" i've heard about? Are they good/funny and do they interact a lot with the passengers? Do you happen to know how long they will be there?

[Xpto]

I will be in Epic later in August, so I´m very interested in your report. Thanks for doing this work!

[LittleMissMagic]

Can you tell me more about the cruise director and his assistant? Is he the "Dan the man" i've heard about? Are they good/funny and do they interact a lot with the passengers? Do you happen to know how long they will be there?

 

It is "Dan the Man." Honestly, I didn't see him at all on my 4-day cruise (or if I did, I didn't recognize him). Richard was everywhere, though. As was the little guy on the entertainment team - Fernando, I think. Richard did all of the games in the Bliss Lounge, as well as the parties. I think they used him so much because he's bi-lingual, and for my 4-day cruise, it seemed to be mainly Spanish on a weekend getaway, along with the Americans who came over on the transatlantic. There was also a large number of Germans onboard because whenever they did our announcements, it was English, Spanish, German. But Richard and other members of the entertainment staff were great at speaking in both English and Spanish. Richard is very much a people person. He's very energetic and good at getting everyone involved. There was only one situation in which he was a little uncomfortable during, but I think at that point, we all were (you'll have to read about that in my 7-day review :D).

 

The only time I saw Dan the Man was on my 7-day cruise when he came out on stage in the Epic Theater to introduce Legends in Concert. Other than that, he was just a voice in the sky for me. Maybe I didn't go to popular events or arrive soon enough.

 

I don't know about Richard and Dan specifically, but I talked to Fernando and Viviany on the entertainment staff who will both be on the ship until the transatlantic back to the US when their contracts are up. I was hearing that from bartenders and the spa workers, too, so I'm guessing that NCL is keeping most of their current staff onboard for the rest of the summer.

Edited May 20, 2013 by LittleMissMagic

[LittleMissMagic]

Day 2 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 2 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

I met up with other solo travelers in the Living Room, again. When I got there, Viviany was standing up and there looked to be some sort of debate going on.

 

Viviany decided to introduce herself tonight. She explained that she is on the entertainment staff, and this is a job that takes up ONE HOUR of her time every night. Her job is to get us together. She can only make reservations in Taste or Manhattan to dine before 6:00 PM because after that, no reservations are allowed. She can also make us reservations for specialty restaurants if we want to pay. But other than that, there was nothing she could do.

 

We had a lot of suggestions for her, but she didn't like or understand any of them. We were suggesting that we could sign up for dinner on the white board to help get groups together, and then she could just count to make the reservation. But she didn't seem to understand that and kept explaining to us that she couldn't make us reservations for after 6:00 PM.

 

Then the real truth came out. She had a group of American solo travelers from the transatlantic, and they liked to meet at 5:00 PM every night (even though it's clearly listed as 6 in the daily). "So tomorrow night, I'm going to meet with them." Is there anything I can do for you tonight? We ended up having her make a reservation for La Cucina for the next night. Which is something we really could have done ourselves.

 

She kept using the excuse that this is a 4-day cruise. "If this were a 7-day cruise, we would have time to do things later in the week. But this is just a 4-day." Basically, she was making us feel like second-class passengers to the transatlantic cruisers because we were only onboard for 4-days. Which is absolutely wrong because we all paid for a 4-day cruise which was planned by NCL, so she shouldn't have been treating us poorly for booking a cruise which she considered unimportant. Later at dinner, one of the solo travelers was explaining that it was her first cruise, and yes, it was only a 4-day, but her experience on this cruise was really going to determine if she would cruise again. Being told that her cruise wasn't as important as the others definitely isn't a good way to ensure that she cruises again.

 

If Viviany were good at her job, then she would introduce us to the American solo travelers and break the ice. But Viviany is not a people's person, and I honestly have no idea why she is on the entertainment staff. We watched her on the entertainment staff throughout the cruise and observed that she is really bad at getting people up and involved. She just stands there and doesn't engage people. Honestly, I think her only asset is shaking her booty on stage.

 

So we left the Living Room and went to the Manhattan Room. Walked right in. :rolleyes: We had lost two people and picked up two more. One lady was actually staying in a balcony stateroom, but she saw the meeting for solo travelers in the Freestyle Daily. She of course couldn't get into the lounge with a key, so she asked a cabin steward to let her in and he did.

 

After dinner, I went to see Howl at the Moon, again (forgot to tell you I did that last night, as well as a little Fat Cats). I walked into FABBA (Fabulous ABBA Party) and turned right back around. It was surprisingly crowded, and I'm not a big ABBA fan, so there was no way I could handle that.

 

Day 2 by vshingl, on Flickr

Edited May 20, 2013 by LittleMissMagic

[LittleMissMagic]

Day 3 was the sea day. I got up and did my morning run. There's no jogging track, so I had to use the treadmills in Pulse, but I never had a problem getting one early in the morning. They are, however, touchscreen. It was very difficult for me to work a touchscreen while running and I want to know whose genius idea that was. The first day, I tried to program a workout, but I couldn't figure it out. I also learned that their "run" is 4.5 mph which is actually a fast walk for me. So I just had to program the speeds in myself with the pain-in-the-butt touchscreen.

 

After breakfast, I wasted some time in my stateroom doing abs and watching TV and didn't get out on the pool deck until 10. Big mistake. The chair hogs were out and about. There was an empty chair that I tried to sit in, but a lady put her hand on it and said, "This is taken." I gave her a nod. The chairs all had towels in them, and if I didn't find a chair, I would've just moved a towel. But I found a good empty chair by itself further down the deck.

 

Day 3 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 3 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

I was desperate to get a tan before my family arrived, so I laid out all day with nothing but some SPF 20 sunscreen I bought in Marseille. Apparently in France, the more SPF, the more expensive it is. So I cheaped out and went for 20. I'd be curious to look at skin cancer statistics for France...

 

Anyway, I burned. My back especially because I couldn't reach it to apply sunscreen. But by the time I caught up with my family, it had faded into a tan - success!

[kalesco]

Thank you for your review - I will be on the 4 day cruise next year to test if cruising is for me. I'm already booked for the transatlantic to Miami in autumn 2014 so this (the 4-day not your review) will determine whether I keep the reservation :)

I will also be travelling solo and in a studio for the short cruise. I'll be 32 then and sure hope that there are a couple of solos in/near my age...

 

Looking forward to reading more!

[GUEST080219]

Great review.

 

But Viviany is not a people's person, and I honestly have no idea why she is on the entertainment staff. We watched her on the entertainment staff throughout the cruise and observed that she is really bad at getting people up and involved. She just stands there and doesn't engage people. Honestly, I think her only asset is shaking her booty on stage.

 

I am bad at remembering names but she sounds like the solo coordinator on my last Epic cruise.

As they are doing it for a long time already I expected them to have better ideas how to add value to the solo meetings.

[karoo]

Interested in your comments on Dan. We had him on our Panama Canal crossing. We all nicknamed him Missing In Action Dan as he was never sighted. I've done 13 cruises with NCL and so used to CDs getting involved in all the activities. I hope he's off come July when I board. I've met Richard before- good fun guy. I'm sure he'd make a much better CD. Looking forward to reading your 7 day review too as I'm doing the Rome embarkation as a solo traveller too.

[LittleMissMagic]

For my sea day, I had scheduled a much needed mani/pedi. Well, I forget the name of my nail tech, but she was from Jamaica. I got the basic Shellac manicure because it was already double what I normally pay at home and I'm very ticklish, so I don't like people touching my feet. Before anything, I had to fill out a form with basic info including my job (I wrote "student" but apparently should've written "UNEMPLOYED AND VERY POOR LEAVE ME ALONE"). They also wanted me to check any beauty problems I have. I checked nothing.

 

First, the Jamaican lady starts asking me when the last time I had a pedicure was. From her tone, I could tell it wasn't just for conversation. I told her that it was before I moved to Italy, so at least four months. "You know this is just nails and cuticles, right?" "Yeah, that's all I want." Later, she asked me if I scrubbed my feet. "Umm... with a washcloth in the shower." (But it was winter for all four months I was in Italy, so keeping my feet pretty wasn't a big concern of mine for the boot weather.) I could feel the judgment in her silence. "You need to scrub your feet regularly. You have dry skin." Woah, lady - I came here to be pampered, not to be reprimanded. I know you've seen nastier feet than mine. I was missing the Chinese women of my local nail salon who work quietly and efficiently. She then looks up at me and says, "You have problems with the breakouts, correct?" Uhhh... no. I didn't check a dang thing on that stupid form you gave me. I shrugged off her question with, "Well I'm young. It happens with stress sometimes, but it hasn't been a very big problem for me lately." When she was scrubbing my feet (remember, I'm ticklish), I instinctively jerked. "You have to be still during this or I could cut you."

 

By the times he moved to my fingernails, she learned that I wasn't really having it with her sorry attempts at sales pitches. She didn't bother to make any personal conversation with me. Normally, that would be fine because I don't really care if I talk to the nail tech or not. However, the fact that she only talked to me to make me feel bad about myself and suggest a sale really rubbed me the wrong way. At the end, she asked, "Are you interested in any products for your DRY SKIN?" "No thanks." Thankfully, she left me alone after that. I didn't give her any additional tip.

 

I wish cruise lines would stop trying to sell overpriced products in their spa. Most people go to the spa to be pampered - not to be bothered the entire time by sales pitches. I think that no attempt at sale should be made until the end of the appointment if even. But I think they should just give up with pushing the sales of their stupid products and either stop stocking them or stop stocking so much. If I want to buy something, I will ask. But if you tell me that I have dry skin and I need your stupid overpriced moisturizer, then I'm not going to tip you anything additional.

[Winnigirl]

Loving the report. I had the exact same treatment by the manicurist on the Jade several years ago - she was even from Jamaica too! And I thought I was the one with the driest feet ever to grace a cruise ship!

[LittleMissMagic]

That evening, I had dinner with four other solo travelers at La Cucina. It honestly isn't a restaurant I would've picked out myself, since I'd been living in Italy for over 4 months and had more than my fair share of Italian food. However, I was interested in dining in a specialty restaurant, and the cover for La Cucina ($15 - $16-something with the stupid VAT).

 

Our table was located on the right end of the restaurant and had a beautiful view. The service was outstanding. I hate to say this, but it was the first time I had gotten service comparable to that which I *usually* have on a traditional cruise with the same wait staff every night. With the main dining rooms, the staff is so rushed. But here, the number of diners is limited (and the restaurant wasn't near full), so the waiters are much more attentive.

 

Barry, one of the solo travelers, had been to La Cucina with other solos on his previous Epic cruise. He told us that when they went, they all ordered different things and shared. So we started out with two pizzas to split, then we all ordered different appetizers to pass around and share. Our waitress was super accommodating with this and provided us each a plate and brought us more of the appetizers that wouldn't serve five people.

 

Our waitress accidentally spilled an entire glass of water on one of the ladies with us which I could tell really freaked her out. She apologized profusely, and Kyle said, "Don't worry - it's just water. I'll be fine." But the waitress came back later with her manager, and they offered to provide free dry cleaning for her. She said it wasn't necessary - just water. "Well, let us do something for you - can we get you a second drink?" "Yes, that will be fine. Thank you." After they left, Kyle laughed and said she just agreed so they'd feel better - she was on the unlimited drink package!

 

Our dinner reservation was at 7:30, and we didn't leave the restaurant until after 10! It wasn't due to slow service, though - we did order an additional pizza course and spent a lot of time chatting.

[LittleMissMagic]

After dinner, I changed into white and went to check out the White Hot Party. There was a family party in the main pool area, and an adults party in Spice H20. However, there were many, many kids in Spice H20, and they weren't ID'ing anyone. This kind of bothered me because there was a LOT of drunkenness. In fact, I walked in, looked around, and said, "I'm not drunk enough for this."

 

Day 3 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

So I decided to go check out the family party (because I wasn't sure if I misread the location of the adult party, considering all of the kiddos).

 

Day 3 by vshingl, on Flickr

The family party was a little less than happening... perhaps because the kids were partying it up with their parents at the bar.

 

Day 3 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 3 by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

Day 3 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 3 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 3 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

I went back to the "adult" party.

 

Again, my first thought - "I'm not drunk enough for this." So I went to the bar, and a female bartender (whose name I have written down somewhere) asked me what I'd like to drink. I couldn't read the menu from where I was and didn't want to spit out a typical favorite, so I asked her, "What's your favorite drink?" "I like the Long Island Ice Teas - they're very strong." Good. "Sounds good!" I'd actually never had a long island iced tea before because I'm not a big fan of iced tea. But I didn't really know that the drink is completely different. :o

 

After I got my drink, the wobble came on. I always have to shake it on the wobble, no matter my sobriety, so I went down to the dance floor. And then I stayed for a little bit. It had been a few songs, and I was about to call it a night. As I was leaving Spice H20, I passed an off-duty bartender who apparently recognized me (though I wasn't quite sure who he was). He was with all of his bartender buddies who were pretty drunk, and they started yelling, "She's with us! You're one of us!" So they made me go back in with them. The iced tea apparently did nothing for me because once again, I found myself saying, "I am not drunk enough for this," as the off-duty bartenders danced around me.

 

So I slipped away and went back to the bar. The same bartender brought me a mojito, and I eventually took my drink back down to the dance floor. That's when I decided that I'd never be drunk enough for this. There was this older couple doing some weird Native American-looking tribal dance in the pool area. Imagine Sandra Bullock breaking it down "to the windowwwww.... to the walllll... to the sweat goin' down my....." in The Proposal. That was them. And then beside me, I realized that a mother was GRINDING ON HER SON who looked to be about 14 or 15 years old. I wasn't sure at the time whether or not I would rather the young boy be her son or not, but I later confirmed that he was indeed at least like a son to her when I saw the family together again the next day. Everywhere I looked, there was more absurdness going on. Then the bartenders found me again, "Where did you go?" "Uhh, I had to get another drink!" I then stood still as they danced around me and waited for them to get the hint that I was going to be absolutely no fun. Once they backed off a little, I snuck out and went to bed.

 

Day 3 by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

On the 4th day, we were in Palma. However, it was the same situation with the $12 shuttle to the city center. There was also an advisory in the Freestyle Daily about crime in Palma, and I decided that I just didn't feel like messing with it. I'd rather stay on the ship and make it another sea day.

 

I discovered the bridge viewing room on the 13th deck forward - really cool!

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

(Pssst... you're not supposed to take photos through the glass, but I took this photo before I read the sign, and I think it's far enough away that you can't see anything important through the window, anyway.)

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

I took this photo because the Disney Magic is docked in St. Maarten. The Disney Magic was the first cruise ship I ever sailed on!

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

I went through the studio lounge. Unsurprisingly, no one was there.

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

There is a little fridge with complimentary snacks -

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

[mdwcruises]

These pictures are so beautiful!

[Demonyte]

Really nice review. I'm also very interested because I'm currently thinking about leaving solo in a couple of weeks for last minute cruise on Epic just because of the studio cabins (even though I didn't like her too much, but my another choice - Jade from Venice - is couple of hundred euros more expensive when going solo).

[dcipjr]

Your photos are excellent -- the exposure on the nighttime deck photos was top-notch. You have a good eye!

[LittleMissMagic]

Your photos are excellent -- the exposure on the nighttime deck photos was top-notch. You have a good eye!

 

Thank you! I've only recently begun taking long exposures, but the nighttime photos have turned out to be some of my favorites. I've been using a gorillapod or just placing the camera on a trash can or the like, but I want to invest in a quality travel tripod.

[LittleMissMagic]

On port days, it's very easy to find a pool chair.

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Though if you look at the photo above, you can see that some people are still practicing the art of chair hogging.

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

I saw the Thomson Dream a good bit in the Med.

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

[Cupcrazy]

Victoria, Thanks for the wonderful review. I have followed along on your previous ones and am happy to now follow this one. I have yet to do a Med cruise and after reading this review you have given me some good tips for when I do. Looking forward to the rest of it and for your review of the family vaca. Once again, your pictures are great!

[LittleMissMagic]

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Day 4 by vshingl, on Flickr

[canehdn]

Hey "LittleMissMagic" ... thanks so much for sharing your wonderfully detailed review. Enjoyed reading and loved your photographs. You provided so many on board photos, I feel like I just got a personal tour. You did a great job :)

 

Cdn in KS

[LittleMissMagic]

I wasn't as sad to leave the ship as I normally am on the last day of a cruise because I knew I was coming back. I was really excited that I would be seeing my family very soon.

 

For dinner, I went to the Manhattan Room with our singles group. We requested a table by the window, and they gladly accommodated (again, no wait!). The view off the back of the ship is absolutely amazing. It made me very excited for our aft balcony on the next Epic cruise. But I honestly think of all of the restaurants on the ship, the best view probably goes to the "free" restaurant, the Manhattan Room. You just can't beat that. They have wonderful tables for two right against the window - so romantic. I thought seriously about making that the "date night" restaurant on the next cruise.

 

After dinner, I finished packing my things to place in the hallway. I had sat down to watch some television in the studio and was considering just going to bed, but I had told my solos group that I'd meet them at Fat Cats for the Beatles Tribute Band to give them my email. We had a group picture taken after the Manhattan Room, and someone was going to email it to me, but I haven't received it yet.

 

There were some children in Fat Cats, and I wondered if the venue had an age limit because I don't recall ever seeing kids in Headliners. Lots of last night drunkenness and kiddos whose parents kept them up past 1am. Not surprising. I felt bad for the kids because they were sleeping on the couches while their parents talked and danced away.