Stacey's semi live Epic Blog!( A solo Female perspective)

[LadyPacis]

Very entertaining review so far! And congrats on the Spa Pass, that was my favorite area of the ship!

[N747KT]

Great Review! Having traveled on Epic in 2011, I can see in my mind everything you are describing, as well as Posh. I had passes that cruise too. I'm going again in March.. ( Is it March yet?) Thank you enjoy!

[sunbird21]

I lounged on my subbed for awhile,as the Haven butlers conducted tours and others got settled in.

 

 

 

I went up to the bar for a second drink,and inquired about food. One of the bartenders said yes,they do serve food up there...didn't ask if I was a Haven guest or just a lowly posh pass holder LOL. I slipped her a $10, saying I would be up there a lot this week. Her name is Rowena, and she seemed appreciative. I ordered the infamous tuna burger and ate at the bar, talking to two different men at various times( both about 60-ish) one invited me to some private Haven party tomorrow night, I said I would see....it sounds interesting but don't want to give ppl the wrong impression....

 

After each of the guys left, I chatted with Rowena,who said this was her first time on the Epic...she was on the Sky before. She was quite friendly, and gave me a drink to go before I headed down to check out my cabin( they made the announcement that rooms were ready at about 1- I waited until about 2 since I did have the exact same room, I wasn't in a hurry to see what it looked like).

 

So,at 2, drink in hand, I made my way to my studio cabin on deck 11. Sure enough,it felt very familiar,and I found several surprise awaiting me! I had some credit from my mom and sister and niece for my bday,as well as the OBC I received from NCL thanks to the price drop after I booked.

 

Also, there as a bottle of champagne chilling in ice! I was surprised to see this,since I knew I was getting two bottles of wine,but not champagne! I figured it was another gift from one of my relatives,but they later denied it when I called before leaving port...so thanks, NCL!

 

There was also a plate of chocolate covered starwberries(part of the initial promotion) a welcome back letter from Latitudes, a ship pin, and an invitation to a private party in Haven Monday night....of course,the night I booked Cirque! If I can change Cirque , I will go to the Haven party...must be a returning guest thing. I'm impressed...Carnival used to have that after you cruised once,and I went the next two cruises with them,and then they did away with it until you've cruised ten times with them.

 

I switched out to a beach bag and headed back up to Posh. On way way up the stairs, I passed an older couple,an the quite inebriated woman stopped me and said, " there's no one up there."

 

"Ok," I replied. "that's why I'm going up there."

 

"well,that guy you were talking to,he isn't there," she said.

 

Umm...ok....I talked to two different guys,neither of whom would have been in my age range for a romantic connection,just being friendly,and honestly,I am not sure I'd have recognized them at that point. I told her a succinct version of this, and she patted me on the shoulder,saying "you be a good girl on this trip."

 

Yeah...I'm going to have to avoid this woman.

 

Anyway,once back on Posh, Rowena greeted me,offering me another drink. Hey,this early tipping thing works!

 

I claimed a subbed, read for awhile,and talked to a nearby couple...wondering my watchdog saw that???

 

Finally,as I was making one last call on my cell,the muster drill horn blasted,and thus began the cattle call as 4100 ppl used the stairs to get to their stations.

 

Thankfully,once I made it to the theater and they quoted ppl down,they made their five minute statement, and we were free. It was interesting to see the rows of pp, waiting for the elevators rather than daring to climb the stairs. Oh, you wait,grasshoppers. You wait.

 

 

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[sunbird21]

So I did my workout up seven flights to deck 15, made my way to Spice H2O at the back. I didn't see anyone wearing the Marci GRAS beads, so I stood by the bar, and within a few minutes, about 5 or 6 people appeared. We chatted,compared pre cruise hotels,had a couple of drinks. A few more came by,nowhere near the number that signed up,but that was ok...this was the informal meet and greet after all, and I know how it is with ppl once they get on board. There was some other type of meeting going on,as I saw a lot of ppl wearing leis.

 

Unfortunately,b/c the solo group meeting was at five, I had to take off early. I flew down several flights to the lounge,and found that we had a new solo director, Chandra. One of the guys at the meet and greet was doing a back to back on this ship,and he said that she was a new director from the one they had last week,so who knows if they rotate them more frequently in the Caribbean? Anyway, Chandra seemed pretty lively,although she did say up front that the dinner would be set every big around 530-6, and would be in Taste every night after tonight( which was Manahattan). We were welcome to arrange our own dinners for later times or different venues,but that was the solo dinner,set in stone.

 

Ok....thinking I'm not going to be doing as many solo dinners this cruise...considering two of the port days we barely even get back to the ship by five!

 

Anyway, I did join that night,and we went to Manhattan with a group of about 16. We had to separate into two tables, and I sat at the smaller table with five others and Chandra. At my table was a girl about my age range,the B2B guy, another guy, and a woman who I later learned was primarily French speaking.

The dinner was fine,it was lobster night,so the special was surf and turf. Although we started at six, the dinner ended at 8:30. Not complaining, as most MDR dinners on other ships are a long experience,just want to give everyone a heads up. I did think the food was perfectly fine.

 

After dinner, I headed back to my cabin, and felt pretty tired- I didn't want to go to any shows that night,but didn't want to go to bed, so I went to the spa to get some use out of my spa pass. Sure enough,it was the perfect spot,and I spent the next 90 minutes on my beloved heated loungers and in the jacuzzi.once they closed, I went back to my room,unpacked, and called it a night!

 

I know, not an exciting first day, but there's more to come...:)

 

 

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[N747KT]

Sounds like a great day.. looking forward to reading more!

[sprint180]

OH, this sounds so enjoyable. Wish I was there.

[sunbird21]

Day 2- first sea day!

 

I woke up around eight, and headed to O'Sheehans for breakfast. I had remembered the breakfast being pretty good in May, and certainly less crowded than the buffet. Unfortunately, the meal was a little less quality this time..the bakery basket was fine,but part way through the omelet, I did notice some egg funniness in the middle. Now, I could have sent it back,I'm sure,but I decided to just forget it and move on to other things.

 

I went up to Posh and found the same sunbed I was on the day before. Only one other person was up there! I laid around for about 30 minutes but it was still windy and chilly,so I gave up and decided to get use out of my spa pass instead. Much better choice...I relaxed on the wonderful heated lou gets and read for a couple of hours until it was time to get ready for the formal meet and greet at eleven. I went back to my cabin and straightened it up,since the steward hadnt made it there yet, and my cabin was on the cabin crawl.

 

I went downstairs at 10:45, figuring I should be early. A couple of people and one of the guest services directors were there, so I introduced myself. The GSD had pastries,coffe and juice out already as well as name tags and a sign up sheet....cool!

 

People began pouring in, along with the officers. There had been some confusion on the boards right before I left about the timing of the martini tasting,as this was one of the activities people wanted to go to as a group. The rumor was that there were two, and if so, I was going to schedule our group to go on the second one,as the first one,that day, was during a football game,which apparently was a major event for half of the ship....anyway, I approached the restaurant director about the time,who in turn brought the bar director over,who assured me that there were two tastings,one today at three,and the other on thursday(the final sea day) at three.

 

So I said hi to a few of the roll call members I had met the night before, and walked around introducing myself for a few minutes before the officers lined up in front of the stage. I said a quick little hi(not great at public speaking) announced the new martini tasting time and where to meet for the cabin crawl, and then let the officers do their thing. They were very pleasant,gave everyone a card wi their extensions for concerns,and begged to be notified of something prior to leaving the ship,in order to handle something rather than leaving a post full of complaints on the boards. They did say they do read them frequently,so I'm guessing they've seen the numerous negative postings on the Epic recently!

 

That being said, the things I may post that may be negative are just to give MY perspective and experience of the event...as I am typing this on Friday,there have been a few minor things,but nothing serious enough to warrant any uproar...just my view. For the most part,the cruise has gone very well!

 

Back to Sunday...

 

After the officers speech and Q and A session, I continued to walk around and mingle until it was just before 12, and I could see people were getting restless. All in all, I was impressed with the turnout...55 people signed up, and it appeared that we had well over forty show up!

 

I then started to call people to gather by the entrance to Bliss for the cabin crawl. I had met the other members who were hosting cabins except for the one. Who was showing the inside cabin,so I relied on another member,who tried to call for her(she had the teacher voice). No such luck. So,we were without an inside cabin,though I think most people had them anyway,so they took the change well. About 25 of us then headed up the stairs to deck ten( I did hear some grumbling,but the elevators were a madhouse at that point...)

 

We went to the balcony cabin first,which was a midship size with the bed by the bathroom layout. Everyone rotated in through the cabin and balcony,and then to the hall before we shuttled up one more deck to my studio. I didnt bother to go in,just opened the door and moved to the end of the hall. Another member offered her studio cabin at the other end,so it moved the crowd through quickly. We stopped at the studio lunge and had more room to breathe before we toon the elevators to deck 17 to see the 2 bedroom Haven suite! It was very nice,and the owners of said suite even walked us through the courtyard and the Epic club,allowing us pictures in there. balcony

 

studio lounge

 

epic courtyard

 

 

Then it was time to separate! I went back up to Posh,where thankfully it was warmer. There still weren't many people on this deck,maybe about 20. I spent the next few hours up here,although I did go down to deck 15 to grab lunch from the buffet at one point. I tried the pasta from the pasta station, and it was pretty good! Afterwards, I tried the meringue dance classic the deck,which was fine until they had us partner up.luckily, the woman next to me was pretty good natured about partnering with a stranger,and we had fun.

 

 

 

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[sunbird21]

More Haven pics....

 

 

the infamous pillow menu

 

 

 

 

 

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[iskijay]

I am also a solo female traveller and these posts are a delight to read, thank you for taking the time each day!

Live blogging gives such a clearer picture of the cruise than reflections at the end of a trip!

[swymnwymn1]

I am dying to read the rest of your blog/review! We sail next weekend on the Epic and your play by play is really nice to read! Thanks for sharing.

[southt00]

Hi Stacie:

 

Can you confirm if the Viva Vino package is available and any details you can find?

 

Thanks!

[scopewest]

Loving your review, have a wonderful cruise!

[TryingCruising]

Thanks for sharing! I'm really enjoying your review as we're debating a last minute March cruise on the Epic. Can't wait to read more!

[sunbird21]

Hi all...sorry for the delay...I have most of it written,just posting from the word program on iPad takes time,and being back at work seems to suck up a lot of that, so.....continue on!

 

Day 2 continued

 

It started to get cloudy and cool again in the early afternoon,so I went inside and wandered around. I ended up at the martini tasting by myself,even though I was doing the second one with the roll call group! I sat with a couple of guys from New Jersey, and we chatted through our FIVE samples...very strong! A crowd next to us was definitely getting a little wild,and they had a guy in their group who was walking around massaging all of the girls in his group,so we kept teasing him to work the room:)

 

At the end of the tasting, the bartender announced that on Thursday,there would be SEVEN martini samples. Well that should make for an interesting event!

 

I was starving at this point,and didn't have much time before my Cirque dinner.i walked through O'Sheehans and saw that they had a buffet line of wings,nachos,and chili going as they set up as a location for the football fans.i managed to swipe a plate of nachos and wings and unceremoniously chowed through it on the elevator up to my room. I know the other passengers claimed they were hungry as eh saw it,but I was on limited time...and yes,somewhat inebriated!

 

In my room, I found that they had delivered the two bottles of wine that were part of the promotion package from my booking,as well as a plate of mini appetizers from the hotel director! I was shocked, as I had NO IDEA where it had come from. I had read a recent blog by a woman who hosted the meet and greet on her NCL ship,and received similar treats,so I wonder if her theory was true? Anyway,since my nachos and wings were gone by the time I reached my room,these treats disappeared before I was able to photograph them..lout trust me,they were definitely palatible!

 

I changed and got myself looming presentable enough for Cirque,and made my way to the Spiegel tent on deck 6. As I showed my card,I was led to a table p front with three other couples,right by the stage. Since I was in meet people mode,I introduced myself and said hi to my table mates. Granted,they were all older couples,but still,they looked at me a bit oddly and said hi,the proceeded to talk amongst themselves for the rest of the show. At one point,one of me asked me if I was seeing the show by myself( no, I'm here with my invisible friend) and I clarified I I was a solo cruiser. More odd looks,then we didn't converse the rest of the time I was there.

 

 

Other than that bit,the show was FANTASTIC, and the seat that I had was definitely ideal. The food,as said before,is nothing spectacular...I had the beef and shrimp,it was fine. For dessert,they give you a plate of mini samples of treats.

 

I left the show,feeling a little out of place,and tired,some went back to my cabin for a bit. I had missed the solo gathering due to cirque,so hadn't really met a lot of people through there. I decided to head back to the spa and spend another lazy evening relaxing and reading until they closed. Afterwards, I headed to Spice,where they had the Latin fiesta going,and hung out for a bit. There weren't a lot of people there,mostly younger couples and a few older people sitting to the sides. After awhile. I headed back to my cabin and crashed!

 

 

 

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[sunbird21]

Btw thanks for all of the compliments! I appreciate knowing that people are reading,especially fellow solo travelers!

I like to write,so glad to have a chance to do so:)

 

To South...li don't know what the viva vino package is,but they do have an unlimited wine/beer package...I did the ultimate beverage package,including all cocktails under $8.50(though I didn't really run into any limits).

 

Stacey

 

 

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[sunbird21]

Day 3- Sea Day!

Today,my big plan was to do Nothing but enjoy my Posh and spa passes!

 

I started out early again,fearing that chair hogs would even appear at Posh,so I ventured up to the Garden Cafe for breakfast. as I said before, I had not really used the buffet that much during my previous cruise, so I wanted to give it a fair chance. Sure enough, after walking around, I found multiple food sources- omelette stations, meat stations, pastries, waffles, and pancake counters...and there were four locations for each. I think I waited behind 2-3 people max at any point, and it was 8:30am.

 

After securing my food, I wandered around until I found the staircase at the back of the GC leading down to La Cucina,the Italian restaurant. As stated on many reviews,this is basically empty,and there are several tables smack against the window for a forward or side view of the bow of the ship. Very quiet and peaceful, and there were bins by the stairs to leave your dishes when you were done.

 

Once I was fed, I immediately found my new favorite pathway to Posh...outside the buffet,taking the "private" Haven elevator up to deck 18! To my surprise,there were about two people on the deck here,despite the main sun decks starting to fill up. I found what was now my favorite sunbed(second to right of elevator) and settled in. One extra great thing about Posh, if I haven't encouraged enough people already, is that they have a rack of towels to use,so you don't have to bring the one from your room. You can also take it with you in you decide to go to Spice,main pool deck,etc, so you don't even have to go to the ridiculous towel rental desk on deck 15 across from Waves( they will give you a towel but charge a $25 deposit)

 

I spent the next few hours reading and having a couple of mimosas.

 

Later in the morning, one of the mother/daughter duos from the meet and greet(hencefore to be known as the Seahawk M/D, to differentiate from Embarkation M/D) settled in on chairs behind me. The mother was a Seahawk fan,hence the handle:) we chatted on/off, along with another couple who was sitting nearby, and another woman next to them. Around 12-1 ish,deity the crowds below,I wanted to try the slides. Seahawk M and the woman sitting next to her,C, decided to go too. Seahawk D came back from trying out the $10 shops inside,and joined in, claiming that the crowds and lines for the $10 shops were getting pretty aggressive.

 

The four of us walked down to the slides,and it took a minute to figure out where to go to get in line for e Epic Plunge, the orange and yellow bowl slide. We then found the line at the base of the slide,where you have to collect your inner tube, and then climb the stairs to the top. It was about a 15 minute wait to get the tubes, but once we had them and climbed the stairs, there were only a couple of people ahead of us. I will say,the longest partof climbing the stairs is walking around everyone deciding to stand in the middle of the staircases and landings and wave to everyone on the slide.

 

Anyway, I was the third one in our group to go down, and after speeding down the first twist, I was in the bowl! It's actually somewhat relaxing if you aren't wondering what comes next, as you circle slowly around this part. After the third lap,the water pulls you into the next ramp,and down you go!

 

Of course,we had to try the purple and green slides next,and there was practically no line for either of these. Both slides are dark,and the purple is milder. The green one has you flat on your back,scraping a layer of skin off as you go speeding in the dark before plunging underneath about 6" of water at the end. As I choked on the unexpected water,I was fearful that my top may have malfunctioned, so this was my first question as I opened my eyes and caught my breath. SM reassured me at all was well, and added, " thats why all of these people are here,to watch for that!" I stood up and found about three rows of sun loungers parked not 2 feet from the slides exit,all facing it. I'll bet this slide does provide some entertainment for them,but I'm glad I wasn't on the menu today!

 

The four of us headed back to Posh,stopping at the outdoor buffet to grab food first. Upstairs,the next couple of hours passed similar to the morning until the comments increased re: my blushing skin. Despite the sunblock,I was developing a nice sunburn( which eventually will turn into a tan). So,even though I was quite comfy on Posh, I decided to vacate and head to the spa, as I had several more sun days planned and didn't want to burn too severely.

 

I have to say,both of these locations are at the opposite ends of the ship, but I developed a pattern of crossing on the pool deck and taking stairs one deck down to the spa. It was a completely different environment here during the day, still very tranquil and quiet,several people napping,and the temp was perfect. I spent the next couple of hours on the tile lounger,blogging this and reading... If only I had reliable wifi to update!

 

 

 

As the afternoon faded away, I left the spa and walked back across the ship to my cabin. One of the other solo women had left me a message,wanting to go to a specialty restaurant,but all were booked until 9 that night. I had the mysterious VIP party to get ready for,so I did,and stopped by the solo meeting for a few before heading up to the Haven. In the studio lounge, I ran into a few other people that I invited to go out to dinner with me at Le Bistro the following night

 

Once I went upstairs to the Haven, I entered the Epic Club and encountered another uncomfortable experience. The waitstaff was perfectly pleasant,and we're bringing around champagne,wine,and appetizers frequently. However,the crowd was a very different sort. I sat at a table with higher chairs,figuring it was more approachable being by myself. I sat here for quite awhile,even as some other couples gave me odd glances and sat at the other end. After about 15 minutes, I was beginning to realize that the Haven is not the environment where you are going to find solo people, or where you will find people friendly towards solos. No one was rude,there was just an uncomfortable vibe.

 

I was about to call it quits and leave,when the captain and staff walked around,saying hi to everyone. There were no formal speeches or anything,just mingling. One of the sales employees came over and talked to me for a few minutes,and was really nice, which made me feel a bit more at ease. Then,another mother/daughter duo(third one so far) sat by me, and I finally had some people willing to chat for a bit!

 

At seven, the "party" ended,and I went back downstairs,ending up at OSheehans for dinner. Luckily,it was better than breakfast the other day, and my wings and pot pie were just as tasty as they were in May.

 

Afterwards, I wandered by Headliners,where the second city was underway,so I snuck inside and watched for a little bit. They had four or five people acting out little skits...it was cute,not hilarious but entertaining enough. I ran into a couple from the meet and greet,so sat near them and had a drink.

 

Once the skit was done, I was feeling pretty tired from the sun,and knew I wanted to get up early the next day for St. Maarten, so I headed back to my cabin,found a towel rabbit and more ice for my yet unused champagne, and another plate of chocolate covered strawberries!

 

 

 

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[sunbird21]

Some other pics from the second sea day.....

 

La Cucina in the morning...great breakfast getaway!

 

 

View from La Cucina

 

Posh at its most crowded....

 

 

"My" sunbed...

 

And...the rest of the sun decks....

 

 

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[N747KT]

Sounds like a great day! I'm Looking forward to reading more.

[sunbird21]

Day 4- Happy Birthday!

 

Ok,a little tidbit I held back...

 

Today was my birthday,which was the original reason I chose to take this cruise. While it may seem odd to cruise solo on your bday, I wanted NOT to be at home in snowy Connecticut, and I'm kind of in a transitional phase of my life right now, so I didn't want to dwell on it too much. So, yes, that's how I ended up here:)

 

Anyway, I woke up early,found my skin to be a bit sore...uh-oh! I got ready for my day in St Maarten. We were due to dock at 8, but as in Europe, the announcer came on at 730 declaring us free to flee the vessel. I wasn't in that big of a hurry,so I went to Osheehans, deciding to give them another chance while I waited for the majority of the crowds to leave. Just as I sat down, one of the roll call members walked by and I invited him to join me,so we had a quick breakfast together,comparing cruise stories thus far. He was actually on a RTW trip,which is something I would like to do one day. I did depart before he did,however,as he only planned to look around the immediate Phillipsburg area,while I was beach bound.

 

I made my way down to deck 4 and easily disembarked. The epic was pulled up alongside a RCCL ship and an MSC ship. As soon as I walked onto the pier, I noticed that I was a LONG way from New England...the sun was HOT for nine am!

 

I didn't plan any excursions here,as I just wanted to lounge on a pretty beach with food and amenities. After much research, I decided to try Orient Beach,as it had most of what I wanted to do. I knew it was supposed to be crowded,but I decided to give it a try anyway. I saw the taxi ads by the main terminal building, and followed them to another stand that divided the crowds based on which beach you wanted to go to. At least I didn't have to worry about a solo supplement here- they pack ppl to a van and its $7 each.

 

The ride room about 25 minutes,and we drove through some rural areas before the driver stooped behind one local beach shack( I don't know what the proper name is,so well just go with that). As we got out,ppl asked where to find is or that,and arranged for the driver to send someone at various times to pick them up and transport them to different areas on the island.

 

I didn't care about that...I wanted to visit the French town of Marigot, but figured I could find my own taxi when I was ready to go. The driver handed us of to a girl named Giselle,who worked at that beach shack,and she of course tried to sell the $7 chair/umbrella/rum punch combo that is prevalent on this beach. Others turned her down in favor of exploring other offers. I took her up on it as I knew this was e standard,and figured one part of the beach was as good as any. A group of women behind me must have had the same idea as well,and we all paid.

 

My beach shack...Goodtime Charlie's

 

 

I asked Giselle where I could find a beach massage,as this was going to be one of my treats to myself. I was amazed when she said she has someone that she could send right to my chair! She led the other women and myself to a group of chairs in the first row by the waterline. Sure enough,either direction you looked you saw rows of chairs in front of identical beach shacks, so I was glad not to waste time looking for others.just as I was settling into my chair, giselle brought over a couple of women,who asked where and how long I wanted a massage!

 

One of the other women wanted a massage too, so the masseuses led us to two loungers in front of the beach shack. I asked the cost and got a rate of $60 for 30 minutes for a full body massage with aloe. As soon as I lied down,theme masseuse had me take off my bikini top(don't worry, I was face down) and gasped at the amt of burned skin I had( it really wasn't that bad....) she proceeded to pour on the aloe and kneaded it into my back.

 

I did converse with the woman getting the other massage a bit,and once she heard it was my birthday, she tried to negotiate an extra drink from them( they worked at the beach shack) to my amazement,a guy came down and told us to come up and get a free drink when we were done! The masseuses joked about it being my birthday and told him to give me a "special" massage,to which I frantically put an end to that! They all laughed,but during later conversation the masseuse admitted that there are beach shacks that do offer up the naughty massages....go figure.

 

After the massage,my masseuse had trouble tying my bikini top back on, so that consumed several minutes of me wrapped in a towel going up to the shack while she tried to fix it.

 

Once that was settled, I went back to my lounger and conversed with my new seatmates(?) it turned out they were on the RCCL ship with a singles cruise group. They proceeded to tell me various stories of the adventures of the singles in their group. Apparently, it tends to be a large amt of ppl who basically just go on all of the cruises together,and there's a lot of trying out different couples nightly.....it was funny to listen to,but now I'm dead certain it's not something I would try.

 

At one point,two of the women started talking in detail about their ex husbands, so I slowly slipped myself out of the conversation and tried reading my Kindle. Unfortunately,they were on either side of my lounger,and i couldn't think of a discreet way to offer to change loungers. I would have moved it close rot the water as the third woman did,but my skin was really baking at this point,so I wanted to be under at umbrella. Finally, I gave up and immersed myself in the beautiful powder blue,crystal waves.

 

 

 

After swimming a bit, I went up to my beach shack in search of the included rum punch. Giselle kept asking me what I wanted,and when I said the rum punch,she would say, oh yeah,and do something else before asking again. I was about to walk away when she finally produced it...and it was strong!

 

Once I finished my drink, I wanted to walk the beach a bit,so I did. Growing hungry, I wandered to a bar,Pedro's,that advertised wifi and settled in with an appetizer plate and a guava berry colada.

 

 

 

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[sunbird21]

As I was eating, one of the servers came and sat by me,and we had an interesting chat. Turns out he has never been to the US, so I was filling him in on the area I was from,and he in turn told me about life on the island.

 

 

 

Now that I had two strong drinks in me, I'm not sure what prompted me to do it, but I had noticed a watersports rental place next door. Once the server left,and I had finished the guava berry colada(very good!) I walked over,and before I knew it, I handed over my credit card and was agreeing to strap myself to a balloon and fly over the water.

 

Ah,parasailing. I had wanted to try it at different points,but for one reason or another,I never did. Maybe the liquor would help? Amazingly the rental guy didn't seem to notice that I had had a couple,and he directed me to a boat about 500 yards in the ocean. Just as I was preparing to swim out there, a jet ski showed up,and the driver told me to hop on,and we flew over the waves to the parasail boat. I love jet skiing, so this was a bonus!

 

On the boat was a father and daughter(lots of parents and adult children this trip) who were also doing this for the first time. They were on the MSC ship,so we compared ships,and I faked modesty about how awesome the Epic was in comparison:)

 

They went up first,and I enjoyed speeding along in the boat. The other boat operator said that he would go up in tandem with me,so that relaxed me a bit more. When the other two were finished,and giving me a thumbs up, the operator and I strapped ourselves to the chute and waited for lift off.

 

 

Slowly,I noticed myself being pulled to a standing position,and then we glided up! It was a very smooth lift, and I was amazed how gentle and peaceful the experience was! We were up to about 300 ft,but I felt completely secure,and loved every minute of it! The operator took pictures on a little digital camera he had,and pointed out reefs and a sea turtle below.

 

 

 

 

Before I knew it, we were being lowered back to the boat,and I was on the jet ski back to shore. I was exhilarated that I had finally parasailed,and bounced back to my lounger,where I found the three women now silently sunning,and wondering where I was. I filled them in,and we talked for a bit before one of the beach shack girls came over,saying that the wonder wanted to talk to me.

uh oh...I worried that I had been a chair hog being away from the linger for so long,until I remembered that I had paid for the lounger,and wondered why they would care. Luckily,once I got to the shack, the owner,who was they guy from earlier during the massage, only wanted to "chat" and ask if I was single,etc. after a bit of talk,and assuring him that I did NOT do long distance relationships,he have me an additional free drink for my birthday. Score!

 

 

 

As I went back to my lounger, I realized that I was completely continent here on the beach,and decided to skip going into Marigot. I chatted with the other women for a bit,swam and read,until Giselle came by and let us know that there was a taxi availble( one of the women had requested one for us to go back at 330). So,we gathered our things and left. Surpringsly, the father/daughter from the MSC were in our cab,so we said hi,although I later felt bad for them as my RCCL pals were loudly sharing some of the singles cruise stories during the ride,and they looked quite uncomfortable.

 

Once we were back in Philipsburg,we exited the cab,and the skies opened up. Seriously?!?! We walked into the main terminal,did some quick souvenir shopping,and headed to a bar that one of them recommended,Sharkeys,which was within 100 ft of the ships. The RCCL girls managed to meet several others from their group,and before I knew it,they announced it was my birthday,and I had several shots/drinks being sent my way.

 

We partied and laughed as a few of them pointed out people in "cruise wear" walking back to the ships...I had never noticed before,but there were some odd color/pattern combos going on in people's wardrobes. It may have been the alcohol,I fully confess.

 

Finally,at 5:25, I didn't want o risk it anymore, and said goodbye to the RCCL crew and headed back for the Epic. All aboard was 5:30' but luckily I wasn't alone,as there was still a mass of people making their way towards all three ships. I made it back on board without fuss, and wandered through the studio lounge where e solo meeting was underway( now, I'm sorry,but this right here is an example of bad timing for this event. They had e meeting before we even had to be back on board! Totally not well planned)

 

In any case, I mingled,received several happy birthdays, and said happy birthday to another older guy whose bday it was as well. Since I had received soo many drinks,I bought him one from the studio bar. He had asked for a bourbon soft,but I mixed it up and got just a bourbon. He scowled when I handed him the drink....I would have usually said oh we'll,but I did have the UBP,so I got him the correct drink,and someone else helped themselves to the bourbon. No good deed!

 

I was hanging out in the lounge with two of e girls coming to dinner with me later,and a couple other people after the main group went to dinner. Just then, another older guy walked in, and on hearing that it was my bday,asked my age. When I revealed it,he made a nasty comment that normally I would have overlooked,but again, those damn seven drinks at Sharkeys left me a little sensitive, so I returned to my cabin,a little upset for a bit.

 

I ended up getting ready for dinner,and took the bottle of champagne that had been waiting for days with me. I met up with two mother/daughter duos (Seahawk and Embarkation) and the two solo girls at Le Bistro. We had an awesome time, and the food at

Le Bistro is by far my favorite on the ship. I even attempted to try escargots...they tasted like mushrooms,not bad,but not sure I would eat them again. I had the coq au vin,which is the softest chicken I've ever eaten,and had the chocolate Napoleon for dessert.

 

Of course,at dessert,the servers came out and sang(yikes) and gave me a slice of strawberry cassata cake. Another roll call member,who had been dining in the restaurant,came over and said hi and happy birthday.

 

Once dinner was done, I thanked everyone for showing,and we went our separate ways,as people were attending different shows. I went up to the spa to relax for a bit,and found myself dozing. As I left, I decided to stop by Headliners and watch Howl at the Moon for a bit.like always,it was hysterical, as the dueling piano players argued over who was stuck playing the "lame" songs and who got to play Katy Perry(claiming that they sang better than the impersonator in Legends..ooohhh..hope that doesn't get out!)

 

I didn't stay until the end,only about 45 minutes before I realized it was long past bedtime. The sun and alcohol had done a number on me and I needed sleep!

 

 

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[sunbird21]

More pics from St Maarten...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[sunbird21]

Day 5-St Thomas

 

Ugh....two days of sun and alcohol=not feeling well when I woke up in the morning. I actually considered canceling my excursion in St Thomas,and called the shore excursion desk to see if there was a snowballs chance in hell of being able to. Unfortunately,the only way to do that(and get a refund) was to have a note from the ships doctor. Figuring that a visit there would be at least as expensive as the excursion, I decided to tough it out, but would forgo the rum punch today.

 

It took all of my energy to get ready and crawl into the studio lounge,where I made myself some weak tea and ate a box of Cheerios,figuring the bland meal would settle some of my hangover nausea. The other birthday celebretant came in,and commented on my peaked appearance. Yay,this was going to be a good day @@

 

I made it off of the ship and noticed the the temperature increased by 15 degrees. It was HOT!!!

Since I was on a ship excursion, I looked for the tour guides,and found several NCL staff holding bright pink signs. Soon I found mine, the Champagne Catamaran and Sail, and the crowd was directed to a pavilion inside the port gate. I turned my phone back on,since it was covered in St Thomas,and many others had the same idea. I checked and found bday messages from relatives and friends,and txt back while waiting. I also heard rumors of a huge snowstorm back home...

 

A few minutes later, a couple of drivers herded us onto the open air buses,and we began the bone rattling,stomach turning drive on the opposite side of the road,up narrow,windy roads to the dock about 20 minutes away. Ok,yes, I had my own biases going into this,but the roads ARE narrow...there's about an inch between passing cars at some points!

 

We arrived at the dock and were divided into two groups and led onto separate catamarans. I found a somewhat shaded spot on the top dock and settled in as the crew,Megan,Ryan, and Theresa gave instructions on safety,amenities on the boat,and the plan for the day. Then, we were off! I was starting to feel a little better at this point,still not 100%,but better. The ride out to St John was smooth,and it felt like I was in a movie,gliding on the royal blue water against the lush green islands. Ryan pointed out different small islands,including one owned by Johnny Depp,to which he added, "Ladies, you cannot swim to this island from St John!"

 

He also told us how expensive it was to live on St Thomas,since everything is imported. He compared a $18 carton of eggs to. $2 jug of rum,citing that was the reason everyone on the island was thin..." we can't afford food,so we drink all day!"

 

As we drew closer to Honeymoon Beach on St John, we got a snorkel briefing from Megan,and collected our equipment. I should add,there was this one guy,considerably older than I, who started conversing with me. I was okay with it until his remarks became quite innuendo suggestive. At one point, he offered to apply sunscreen to my back....Um, no thank you! I discreetly tried to move to a different part of the boat,claiming I wanted to take pictures.

 

Then we arrived at the beach,which was AMAZING,very picturesque and secluded. I grabbed my snorkel equipment and tried to find a different part of the boat to jump off than the sunscreen applicant. Unfortunately, I ended up behind a couple that included a woman who probably should not have chosen a snorkel excursion. She was freaking out climbing down the ladder,putting on her mask,and jumping in the water. I could tell the crew was apprehensive about her,as they kept offering her noodles and to inflate her vest more. As she flailed in the water,screaming that she couldn't see through her mask,Theresa jumped in the water to bring her back to the boat. Her husband grabbed her and assured Theresa that she would be fine with him. I entered the water during this debacle and swam far,far away from them.

 

 

Snorkeling time! I didn't see much other than sea grass at first, and then about halfway towards the beach, I started seeing fish. Shortly after, a guy started calling out that a turtle was nearby,so I swam over. I managed to see several turtles and stingrays before I ended up on the beach relaxing for a bit. Unfortunately, I was spotted,and after the guy tried to make a few more remarks, I ended up swimming back in the water to snorkel some more.

 

We had about an hour or so to snorkel,swim and spend time on the beach before the crew called us back to the boat. As I climbed back on board,the crew pointed out a barracuda at the side of the boat. Trying to avoid the barracuda ON the boat, I went to the inside part and remained in the shade for the ride back.

 

 

 

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[sunbird21]

As the crew was serving rum punch(which I skipped,my stomach having finally calmed down) cheese,bread and fruit, I noticed that I was sitting near the freak out couple. The woman had a makeshift bandage on her ankle. Prior to our arrival in St John,the crew had warned us to stay away from two types of coral/fish or we would be injured.

 

Guess who swam up and brushed her leg near the black coral???

 

Anyway,I observed the crew hovering over her,offering to transport her directly to the ship so that the ships doctor could stitch her leg. She refused,saying she wanted to go to "a real hospital." I'm interested to know if the ship is going to wait for her to return before we leave St Thomas,or if the couple would transport themselves to Nassau. Since it was already after noon,and the Epic was leaving at 4, I was leery that they would get to a hospital ER and back to the ship in time.

 

Well,it did provide some entertainment for the ride back,at least.

 

 

Once we arrived back at the pier,we disembarked and were herded back onto an open air bus for the ride back to the port. Upon reaching the port,I was practically ready to go back to the ship,as the heat was getting to me and I was starting to feel ill again. However, I did walk around a bit and buy a few little items before surrendering and venturing back to the ship. I was quite impressed,as the NCL staff was handing out cool towels and spraying people with misted water as we embarked the gangway.

 

 

Needless to say, I returned to my cabin for a while to rest. I woke up just before sail away,so I went up to Posh long enough to watch us maneuver out of a VERY tight spot between a Carnival ship,a Princess ship, and the NCL Pearl.

 

 

 

I returned to my cabin after this and pretty much stayed here the rest of the evening. I ended up ordering room service pizza,and received a HUGE box that sadly, I couldn't finish,but was pretty good.

 

Otherwise,it was a quiet evening,but it was much needed,as I didn't want to be feeling that bad again during the cruise!

 

 

 

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[sjn911]

Just loving your stories...you are young and beautiful and witty...from a fellow solo traveler who did 2 young young cruises..yeah..I remember when it was enough already dodging the Barracudas but..you handle it well and well... it is a kind of affirmation to you yet sure you don't need it..you are most enjoyable and thank you for this and belated Happy Birthday...have a middle milestone this October and see a possibility plan here..want to try something different than Carnival for that..currently tempted by last minute deals but trying to wait to October..thanks for the fun and the solo view on a big big ship and all the good tips..ohh the spa..YES!!!

[caissonqueen]

I love your review so far. It is always nice to have a solo perspective on cruising. Good job on avoiding the old pervs. When it happens, it can ruin a fun experience. I do not blame you for cruising on your birthday. I try to cruise every year on or near my birthday. :D