MITSUGIRLYS EPIC CRUISE--2nd time around-1st from Port Canaveral

[perfect match]

Kim, I keep forgetting to tell you that we booked Hilton Rose Hall through Resort For A Day on our Oasis cruise based on your recommendation. I really enjoyed our day there. DH not as much, but only because of the broken clavicle he suffered 2 weeks before we sailed, and the surgery he had to repair that broken collarbone 1 week before we sailed. He also had caught that cold we both ended up with by the time we went to Rose Hall, so he was not at his best that day, and wasn't able to do much when we were there. Now that he is feeling better, he said he wants a do-over the next time we are in Jamaica. I think that do-over is a great idea! :D The resort is beautiful, the resort staff was wonderful, and I would be happy to go back there. Your report ws, as usual, right on the mark. Thak you for the for a great review of Rose Hall, and for all the other reviews you have done.

[mitsugirly]

Kim, I keep forgetting to tell you that we booked Hilton Rose Hall through Resort For A Day on our Oasis cruise based on your recommendation. I really enjoyed our day there. DH not as much, but only because of the broken clavicle he suffered 2 weeks before we sailed, and the surgery he had to repair that broken collarbone 1 week before we sailed. He also had caught that cold we both ended up with by the time we went to Rose Hall, so he was not at his best that day, and wasn't able to do much when we were there. Now that he is feeling better, he said he wants a do-over the next time we are in Jamaica. I think that do-over is a great idea! :D The resort is beautiful, the resort staff was wonderful, and I would be happy to go back there. Your report ws, as usual, right on the mark. Thak you for the for a great review of Rose Hall, and for all the other reviews you have done.

 

So glad you enjoyed your day there Nancy. Aww, too bad the hubby wasn't up to par after that terrible break and surgery. I don't know if I would be able to continue on a vacation after something like that. It's hard to keep me tied down...especially if I was at a beautiful resort with water and slides. :D

 

It's really a lovely place, but I have heard that the price has increased drastically. I assume you still feel it's worth the price if you plan on returning. :)

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

Kim ~ people up here love their Timmie's, it's always crowded especially the drive thru'!

I guess I'll know you booked Oct 14th Escape when I see you on the roll call.;)It's quite a busy one.

 

Have a great week. Has winter begun there? We got 2-3 inches of the heavy wet snow overnight.:(

 

~ Jo ~ :) aka Happily Retired!

[Cafedumonde]

Thank you kim for the amazing review. Your reviews have inspired us to try ncl and we are taking our first cruise with ncl on the Epic this saturday. You really should publish and make money off of this. It probably sounds corny, but you have such a great writing voice.

Edited December 12, 2016 by Cafedumonde

[SenatorsFan]

Hi Kim, I finally have a chance to come and thank you again for another wonderful review! I'm so glad you had the opportunity to scuba. Those pictures were just incredible! :) I thought your usual snorkel pictures were always good, but wow, these are at a whole other level. :D

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas with your family and I'll be looking forward to your next review in 2017. :)

Heather

[mitsugirly]

HI all!

 

Kim ~ people up here love their Timmie's, it's always crowded especially the drive thru'!

I guess I'll know you booked Oct 14th Escape when I see you on the roll call.It's quite a busy one.

 

Have a great week. Has winter begun there? We got 2-3 inches of the heavy wet snow overnight.

 

~ Jo ~ aka Happily Retired!

 

I did manage to get my other cruise cancelled. So that's a start. I'll probably know a little more after the holidays. I'm trying to work on my next cruise and plan it. So, we'll see.

 

Yep, winter has finally begun here and we got snow today. The roads were bad, but cleared mid-afternoon. I'm not looking forward to winter and would just rather hibernate. :p Our snow was wet too.

 

Thank you kim for the amazing review. Your reviews have inspired us to try ncl and we are taking our first cruise with ncl on the Epic this saturday. You really should publish and make money off of this. It probably sounds corny, but you have such a great writing voice.

 

Aww, thanks so much for you kind words. I really appreciate it. I hope you are having a great time on the Epic and she's treating you well, along with good weather.

 

I really have no idea how I would go about publishing or making money off writing reviews. That would be kinda awesome. I might just put more into it instead of rushing through them. lol :p

[mitsugirly]

Hi Kim, I finally have a chance to come and thank you again for another wonderful review! I'm so glad you had the opportunity to scuba. Those pictures were just incredible! I thought your usual snorkel pictures were always good, but wow, these are at a whole other level.

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas with your family and I'll be looking forward to your next review in 2017.

Heather

 

 

Howdee Heather. Thanks for the thanks. :D I'm happy we got to scuba this time too. I can't wait to do it again. Really? You thought the scuba pictures were better than the normal snorkeling? Hmm, never really thought about it. I wonder if they seemed better because there was more usual coral and stuff to see. Or, maybe just because we were so out there that the visibility was better than shore snorkeling, which sometimes gets things stirred up with the sand and water moving.

 

I wish you and Kim a very Merry Christmas as well and I'm currently working on finding places to go in port on my next cruise. (Already researching and planning, but yet to book the cruise <---that's so me).

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

Kim ~ we got more snow today & it was wet too!;) Is the cruise you're working on Conquest? Hope so as I'll have that review to check out before I go on that ship in October after Escape.

 

Have a nice evening. I'd like to hibernate too, lucky bears!!

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[tropicaledrink]

Another great review! We are boarding the Carnival Magic on Saturday and I literally can't wait. We did the Dream when she was a fairly new ship, but the Magic has several items the Dream didn't have. We have yet to sail the Breeze.

 

If I remember right, you prefer to fly Southwest. You could fly in to Jacksonville and rent a car? I think it's about 2 hours of driving though :/ You could also rent a car from Orlando and drive yourself. But a lot of times, the car rental place will give you a ride to the ship once you drop the car off. My parents flew in to Orlando and booked the shuttle through Carnival. It was pricey, but they seemed to like it. We have always driven, so I'm not much help.

 

I'm opposite of you. I much prefer 3 ports on a 7 day. And I prefer 2 Sea Days coming back. I would have avoided this cruise because of the port day before debarking. I enjoy the ports, but I also very much enjoy the time on the ship. :)

 

Annnnnnnd.....the type of stuff you mentioned in relation to the "Freestyle" is why I have yet to try NCL. RCI is probably next on our list!

Edited December 14, 2016 by tropicaledrink

[luvcruises1105]

Just wanted to say Thank you so much for your Review of your trip on The Epic! My husband and I are going on the Epic in 30 days! Jan 2017! We have only cruised Carnival and wanted to try something different! I have to say I am a little let down about some of the service issues you had. This will be our first cruise on a Mega Ship! I have to say I am a bit nervous about the crowds and all of a Big Ship! Like you though I feel optimistic about the experience, we don't know until we try it if we will like it!

Thanks again, loved all your photos of the ship and places you visited! Beautiful!

Pamela:)

[mitsugirly]

HI all!

 

Kim ~ we got more snow today & it was wet too!;) Is the cruise you're working on Conquest? Hope so as I'll have that review to check out before I go on that ship in October after Escape.

 

Have a nice evening. I'd like to hibernate too, lucky bears!!

 

~ Jo ~ :)

 

Yes, looking at the Conquest. :)

 

Another great review! We are boarding the Carnival Magic on Saturday and I literally can't wait. We did the Dream when she was a fairly new ship, but the Magic has several items the Dream didn't have. We have yet to sail the Breeze.

 

If I remember right, you prefer to fly Southwest. You could fly in to Jacksonville and rent a car? I think it's about 2 hours of driving though :/ You could also rent a car from Orlando and drive yourself. But a lot of times, the car rental place will give you a ride to the ship once you drop the car off. My parents flew in to Orlando and booked the shuttle through Carnival. It was pricey, but they seemed to like it. We have always driven, so I'm not much help.

 

I'm opposite of you. I much prefer 3 ports on a 7 day. And I prefer 2 Sea Days coming back. I would have avoided this cruise because of the port day before debarking. I enjoy the ports, but I also very much enjoy the time on the ship. :)

 

Annnnnnnd.....the type of stuff you mentioned in relation to the "Freestyle" is why I have yet to try NCL. RCI is probably next on our list!

 

 

Thanks for the comments. I would love to go on the Magic. Hopefully some day it will happen. I hope you have a wonderful cruise!

 

Driving + me = not good. I get anxiety when I'm driving on the freeway and it places I don't know. So, that wouldn't be good for me. I would much rather leave the driving to someone else.

 

Freestyle is the reason that I didn't try Carnival for so long. No way do I want to be told what time I have to eat and who I have to sit with. Yuck. That's so "80's" and I'll never go back to that again. I'm just glad I found that Carnival did have an Anytime Dining, otherwise I would have never got to try them. :D

[mitsugirly]

Just wanted to say Thank you so much for your Review of your trip on The Epic! My husband and I are going on the Epic in 30 days! Jan 2017! We have only cruised Carnival and wanted to try something different! I have to say I am a little let down about some of the service issues you had. This will be our first cruise on a Mega Ship! I have to say I am a bit nervous about the crowds and all of a Big Ship! Like you though I feel optimistic about the experience, we don't know until we try it if we will like it!

Thanks again, loved all your photos of the ship and places you visited! Beautiful!

Pamela:)

 

Hi Pamela and thanks for the comments. I hope you have a wonderful time on the Epic. I just love her. But, also this was the first cruise out of PC for her and also the first cruise coming back to the US...so I'm sure that had a lot to do with it. I had heard that the staff was just worn out after the TA cruise. Hopefully you'll have a different experience.

 

I love the mega ships, but yet love the small ships as well. It's a love-hate relationship. :p

[tropicaledrink]

Yes, looking at the Conquest. :)

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the comments. I would love to go on the Magic. Hopefully some day it will happen. I hope you have a wonderful cruise!

 

Driving + me = not good. I get anxiety when I'm driving on the freeway and it places I don't know. So, that wouldn't be good for me. I would much rather leave the driving to someone else.

 

Freestyle is the reason that I didn't try Carnival for so long. No way do I want to be told what time I have to eat and who I have to sit with. Yuck. That's so "80's" and I'll never go back to that again. I'm just glad I found that Carnival did have an Anytime Dining, otherwise I would have never got to try them. :D

 

I understand on the set dining. I think I only had 2 cruises before Anytime dining was introduced. Since then, we've only done set dining once, and it's when the whole family cruised and the parents didn't want to try ATD :rolleyes:. We finally convinced them to give it a shot on the Magic! :D ATD is my definite preference!

[Canadian Tyler]

Thanks for another great review! Enjoyed seeing the before-and-after pictures and the underwater pics were great.

Sorry to hear about your problems with the shuttle at Port Canaveral. I almost booked goportcanaveral then read some bad reviews so went with Cortrans and it was great. It's probably our favourite port to cruise out of...thankfully we haven't encountered a pre-boarding that large before!

 

When's the next cruise?

 

I saw this shirt at Old Navy and it reminded me of Sakari. Meant to post it on your last review but forgot!

[perfect match]

So glad you enjoyed your day there Nancy. Aww, too bad the hubby wasn't up to par after that terrible break and surgery. I don't know if I would be able to continue on a vacation after something like that. It's hard to keep me tied down...especially if I was at a beautiful resort with water and slides. :D

 

It's really a lovely place, but I have heard that the price has increased drastically. I assume you still feel it's worth the price if you plan on returning. :)

 

I did think Rose Hall was a bit expensive at $117/each, but when I factored in the cost of transportation, food, drinks, and access to a resort that to me felt like a day in paradise, it was worth the expense. I'm not sure I would still feel that way if I was bringing a large group, but for the 2 of us it was manageable. We just planned for it in our budget. Besides, it was the only excursion in our original plan that Barry was able to do after his injury. His Segway, zipline and snorkeling were not going to happen once he got hurt, especially since his accident involved a fall off a Segway due to the fact that he didn't see the large branch sticking out into our path. The moral to that story - no distracted Segway riding! He was too busy looking around to watch where he was going. By the time he saw the branch, it was too late to avoid it. He has promised me that if I let him ride a Segway again he will watch where he is going! We'll see.........

 

As for doing Rose Hall again, yes, if we port in Falmouth again. Most of the things I wanted to do there were more than an hour away. We only had about a 20 minute ride to Rose Hall. I would much rather spend my time in port enjoying a beautiful resort than riding on a bus. Besides, Barry said he wants to go back so he can experience the resort again when he's feeling better.

 

I think I need to go to Old Navy and look for that mermaid shirt! I don't think a mermaid tail would look nearly as cute on me as it does on Sakari so I don't have one, but I'd like that shirt! :D

 

Speaking of Sakari, how is her Seal Team going? I think you mentioned that she had another pool session since you've been back from your cruise.

[Blondie008]

Scuba Certification:

Now that they have the classroom part online, I think all you do is take the tests online. I am not sure. When I did it you had to sit in classroom for 8 hours x 2 days, then take tests.

The pool work is very important, you will practice every skill over and over until you do it to the satisfaction of your instructor. Your 4 open water dives, done over 2 days you will do all those skills again, but in the ocean so it is important that you got them under control first in the pool. I recommend you do this at home, before your vacation. Then all you have to do is the referral dives.

 

So on your vacation, if you are only doing the referral dives, it only takes 2 days - doing 2 dives each day. Then you are certified and can go dive. It is sort of like a drivers license.... when you get your license it does not mean you have learned everything you need to know, it just means you are ready to go out and do it. It is at that point you really start to learn to dive, and how to handle safety and every underwater condition, while you are enjoying the fabulous underwater world.

 

robin

 

 

Thanks - I have my OW all booked :D I already did 3 hours of pool work and two ocean dives last visit - but of course its been a year - Ive covered 2 maybe 3 sections of the online class work but I know I need to get more done - anyway, all being well (and hoping I don't fail miserably) I should come home PADI certified by the end of January - cannot wait! :D

[mitsugirly]

Thanks for another great review! Enjoyed seeing the before-and-after pictures and the underwater pics were great.

Sorry to hear about your problems with the shuttle at Port Canaveral. I almost booked goportcanaveral then read some bad reviews so went with Cortrans and it was great. It's probably our favourite port to cruise out of...thankfully we haven't encountered a pre-boarding that large before!

 

When's the next cruise?

 

I saw this shirt at Old Navy and it reminded me of Sakari. Meant to post it on your last review but forgot!

 

Thanks for your comments and glad you enjoyed the review and pictures.

 

Glad you didn't book with goportcanaveral and I really wish I would have read up on them prior to booking. I'll know next time!

 

The next cruise will have to be during Sakari's Spring Break next year. It seems so far away, but yet I'm sure it will be here in no time.

 

LOVE the Old Navy shirt, BUT only one problem....she IS a Mermaid. :D

 

She has quite a collection of Mermaid shirts, but these are her favorites...Notice the one that says "I'm ACTUALLY a Mermaid"

 

 

 

 

I did think Rose Hall was a bit expensive at $117/each, but when I factored in the cost of transportation, food, drinks, and access to a resort that to me felt like a day in paradise, it was worth the expense. I'm not sure I would still feel that way if I was bringing a large group, but for the 2 of us it was manageable. We just planned for it in our budget. Besides, it was the only excursion in our original plan that Barry was able to do after his injury. His Segway, zipline and snorkeling were not going to happen once he got hurt, especially since his accident involved a fall off a Segway due to the fact that he didn't see the large branch sticking out into our path. The moral to that story - no distracted Segway riding! He was too busy looking around to watch where he was going. By the time he saw the branch, it was too late to avoid it. He has promised me that if I let him ride a Segway again he will watch where he is going! We'll see.........

 

As for doing Rose Hall again, yes, if we port in Falmouth again. Most of the things I wanted to do there were more than an hour away. We only had about a 20 minute ride to Rose Hall. I would much rather spend my time in port enjoying a beautiful resort than riding on a bus. Besides, Barry said he wants to go back so he can experience the resort again when he's feeling better.

 

I think I need to go to Old Navy and look for that mermaid shirt! I don't think a mermaid tail would look nearly as cute on me as it does on Sakari so I don't have one, but I'd like that shirt! :D

 

Speaking of Sakari, how is her Seal Team going? I think you mentioned that she had another pool session since you've been back from your cruise.

 

Good point. For everything factored into the price, I guess it makes it still worth it if you don't have a huge group like I sometimes do.

 

Seal Team is going good...her scuba dive last friday was the "Environmental Specialist" and she managed to get in the deep end most of the time with no issues. She said one ear was ok and the other off and on and she would feel it pop "coming up". So that must mean that something is equalizing going down. Maybe she just doesn't know it. That's how I am. I didn't pop my ears once when we went scuba diving and didn't even realize it until almost the end that they were popping on their own every time I swallowed.

 

 

 

 

Check this out...she has been so fascinated with her instructor laying on the bottom and blowing rings that she was practicing and she managed to do it too.

 

 

[julie3fan]

I found a cute room that Sakari would like. I especially like the boat in the ceiling!

[Blondie008]

 

 

.

 

Seal Team is going good...her scuba dive last friday was the "Environmental Specialist" and she managed to get in the deep end most of the time with no issues. She said one ear was ok and the other off and on and she would feel it pop "coming up". So that must mean that something is equalizing going down. Maybe she just doesn't know it. That's how I am. I didn't pop my ears once when we went scuba diving and didn't even realize it until almost the end that they were popping on their own every time I swallowed.

 

 

 

 

Check this out...she has been so fascinated with her instructor laying on the bottom and blowing rings that she was practicing and she managed to do it too.

 

 

 

 

Fantastic!

 

Children can often be our teachers. I would never ever even snorkel - I was too frightened - not sure what of - but it just never appealed to me. I was in Egypt in the red sea many years ago, and a lovely wee girl who was then 8 years old - took me by the hand - and walked me out to my first coral. She said to me - "Okay, we are not going to swim - we are just going to put our mask and snorkel on - stand right here, and have a peak at whats below" - SHe was EIGHT!! Within half an hour she had me fully geared up and swimming with her for miles in beautiful crystal seas - it was incredible.

 

That's brilliant you have a dive club Sakari can continue to learn with. I have a dive club here - but brrrrrrrrrrrrr too chilly to go diving in the Solway of Scotland - or the Irish Sea - nah - I will wait for the warmth of the Caribbean.. I must learn to do those rings!

 

Through the eyes of a child - there is nothing quite like it ..

[CTSandy]

Kim,

Enjoyed your review and pictures (as always!) - thanks so much for sharing with us all. Going back and looking over your comments and pictures as I may be doing Epic in February. Great to have those inside tips:) BTW, this old and fat body is NOT going to be crawling through those rocks on Tortola!

Sandy

[mitsugirly]

I found a cute room that Sakari would like. I especially like the boat in the ceiling!

 

Well that is super cute (including the "book" as the door jam). Sakari looked at it and her eyes got really big. :D

 

Fantastic!

 

Children can often be our teachers. I would never ever even snorkel - I was too frightened - not sure what of - but it just never appealed to me. I was in Egypt in the red sea many years ago, and a lovely wee girl who was then 8 years old - took me by the hand - and walked me out to my first coral. She said to me - "Okay, we are not going to swim - we are just going to put our mask and snorkel on - stand right here, and have a peak at whats below" - SHe was EIGHT!! Within half an hour she had me fully geared up and swimming with her for miles in beautiful crystal seas - it was incredible.

 

That's brilliant you have a dive club Sakari can continue to learn with. I have a dive club here - but brrrrrrrrrrrrr too chilly to go diving in the Solway of Scotland - or the Irish Sea - nah - I will wait for the warmth of the Caribbean.. I must learn to do those rings!

 

Through the eyes of a child - there is nothing quite like it ..

 

Aww, thanks for sharing your snorkeling story with me. Children are just fearless sometimes and can be great emotional support just when you don't expect it. :)

 

 

Kim,

Enjoyed your review and pictures (as always!) - thanks so much for sharing with us all. Going back and looking over your comments and pictures as I may be doing Epic in February. Great to have those inside tips:) BTW, this old and fat body is NOT going to be crawling through those rocks on Tortola!

Sandy

 

Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed the review. The Baths was definitely interesting. :p

[perfect match]

I'm glad Sakari's Seal Team is going well, and that she seems to be doing better at clearing her ears. I think she was already clearing her ears in some of the pictures you have posted of her diving down to pick things up from the bottom without even realizing she was doing it. I'm sure she will be fine in the long run as far as her ears go.

 

I love Sakari's mermaid shirts, especially the one that says she actually is a mermaid. I can see why it is her favorite. :D

 

Is the Conquest cruise you are thinking of booking going to the ABC islands? If so, I am selfishly hoping you book it since I'm sure you will do a review on it that I will enjoy reading. :cool: The only cruise we have booked right now is our Panama Canal cruise, but I have already warned DH that the next cruise I will be booking will be to the ABC's.

[mitsugirly]

I'm glad Sakari's Seal Team is going well, and that she seems to be doing better at clearing her ears. I think she was already clearing her ears in some of the pictures you have posted of her diving down to pick things up from the bottom without even realizing she was doing it. I'm sure she will be fine in the long run as far as her ears go.

 

I love Sakari's mermaid shirts, especially the one that says she actually is a mermaid. I can see why it is her favorite. :D

 

Is the Conquest cruise you are thinking of booking going to the ABC islands? If so, I am selfishly hoping you book it since I'm sure you will do a review on it that I will enjoy reading. :cool: The only cruise we have booked right now is our Panama Canal cruise, but I have already warned DH that the next cruise I will be booking will be to the ABC's.

 

It's goes to the A/C islands :p without the B :(

 

AND....we booked. We will be going to Aruba, Curacao, Grand Turk and La Romana. Three new ports for us and I'm super excited.

[crusin fools]

when will you be going to those islands?

[tulch]

Dear NCL (because we know you audit these boards):

 

There is a wonderful young mermaid who cruises often, frequently with NCL. Her experiences (documented by her Mom) are enjoyed by many - and more importantly to you, influence many on CC who travel with children.

 

I strongly suggest you consider asking Sakari to provide a kids' review and perspective of her experiences on NCL ships. She tries everything and will provide you with honest and forthright opinions and suggestions.

 

Sakari can be your "secret" reviewer (like a mystery shopper); or, perhaps a not-secret "Kids Ambassador." I am sure that NCL can come up with a gratis compensation for Sakari (maybe free fare for her; or non-suite VIP status for her family).

 

...And wouldn't it be fun to compare Sakari's personal review with Mom's?!