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

[buffyangel2000]

Great review, going on the Epic next year and reading this is getting me really excited for next year.

[mitsugirly]

Oh wow, I'll definitely use sports mode now when I give other people my camera to take photos! I don't need the camera until September, so I will wait until the summer to buy it (in case Olympus releases a new version before then!), but you totally sold me on this camera. Thanks again!! :)

 

No problem. :)

 

Great review, going on the Epic next year and reading this is getting me really excited for next year.

 

Glad you are enjoying it and getting excited. Have a fun cruise next year on her. :)

[Luvmypups]

Loved your review and tagging along with you and your family as always!!

 

I know how much you like photography and trying new things with your camera. I was curious if you have read The Dougout's review- Dawn Live Review 11/27? He posted some neat pictures that I thought you would like, if you have a chance to read it. Here is one of them:

[mitsugirly]

Loved your review and tagging along with you and your family as always!!

 

I know how much you like photography and trying new things with your camera. I was curious if you have read The Dougout's review- Dawn Live Review 11/27? He posted some neat pictures that I thought you would like, if you have a chance to read it. Here is one of them:

 

 

Thanks for tagging along and glad you enjoyed the review.

 

No, I have never heard of The Dougout. I'll have to look him up. Thanks for the info. :)

[mitsugirly]

Well about 30 pages into the review and I finally found the first "neat" photo you were talking about. :eek:

 

The 360 camera to do those kind of pictures is a little over $300. Or...you can just do it in photoshop. I have never seen this thing called "Tiny Planets" before, but it does have my attention.

 

So...I figured why not give it a try. Now the key to doing these is using a pano picture. I really don't have a lot of pano pics and the ones that I do have are not quite what you need to do these. But...I figured why not give it a shot. And "shot" I did. LOL

 

Don't laugh...it's my first try. (If only these 2 people were not in my picture)

 

 

 

 

I guess I'll have to keep trying. :D

[Anthomaniac]

Thanks for all the comments and glad you enjoyed the review. Happy cruising and you take care as well. :)

 

Mitsugirly, I have the same wine and beer issue. Have you tried fruit wines, like plum, raspberry or pomegranate? I have fallen in LOVE with them!

 

Mel

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Forums mobile app

[sweetjem]

Hello great Review thanks, we are cruising feb and we are taking our 2 grandchildren for the first time for them 8 and 11 we are diamond with another cruise line but only 4 on NCL but never a room w

Like this we have a balcony family one have you seen the drop down beds and if so Hohn are they and will the couch fit only one ? Also this bathroom set up is terrible are they any room not like this and is there space under beds for suitcases and how much hanging room for closes and is there a fridge in the room and how about Room service? Thanks so much it looked great did the kids have fun afraid to leave them well we are in casino guess no gambleing for us this time

[ighten]

Just caught up with this.. Thx for the review.

 

I think your final thoughts section kind of matches ours when we sailed on her the second time.

 

Anyway have a great next cruise

[mitsugirly]

Mitsugirly, I have the same wine and beer issue. Have you tried fruit wines, like plum, raspberry or pomegranate? I have fallen in LOVE with them!

 

Mel

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Forums mobile app

 

I have no idea what I've tried at this point. Pretty much things on the wine list there on the ship, my TA once sent a bottle to our room that was decent and then I've tried the Moscato before. None of them really jump out at me screaming "buy some more, that was yummy". :p

 

Hello great Review thanks, we are cruising feb and we are taking our 2 grandchildren for the first time for them 8 and 11 we are diamond with another cruise line but only 4 on NCL but never a room w

Like this we have a balcony family one have you seen the drop down beds and if so Hohn are they and will the couch fit only one ? Also this bathroom set up is terrible are they any room not like this and is there space under beds for suitcases and how much hanging room for closes and is there a fridge in the room and how about Room service? Thanks so much it looked great did the kids have fun afraid to leave them well we are in casino guess no gambleing for us this time

 

We have had plenty of rooms with the drop down beds. Just not here on the Epic. I would imagine they are all the same. They drop down with room for 1 person to sleep. Yes, the couch only fits 1 person.

 

All the bathrooms in the balconies are like that on the ship (and even the interiors/studios). It's just the type of ship they built. There is a curtain that pulls across for privacy.

 

Plenty of space under the beds, in the closets and storage just about everywhere you can think of including under the couch and above the beds. Storage is usually not an issue on NCL ships.

 

Room service is room service...just like any other ship. You order, they bring. :D We never eat room service, so not sure what it's like. I prefer hot foods.

 

Why are you afraid to leave them at the kids club? I don't understand. It is a wonderful program with planned activities and the kids have so much fun.

[mitsugirly]

Just caught up with this.. Thx for the review.

 

I think your final thoughts section kind of matches ours when we sailed on her the second time.

 

Anyway have a great next cruise

 

Thanks for your comment and happy cruising to you as well. :)

[acpalmer]

I agree about the kid's clubs, Kim. I can hardly get my kids to leave them when we cruise!

[perfect match]

Thought of you and Sakari while watching Nightline earlier. The middle segment of the show was on NC Mermania, a Mermaid convention held in Greensboro, NC. Some 300 mermaids and mermen were in attendance.You can probably find the Nightline segment on the ABC website. The specific episode aired 12:37-1:07 AM Thurs Feb 16, so early this morning. You will also find a lot of info if you Google NC Mermania. :cool:

 

Is Sakari still doing PADI Seal? If I remember correctly, you are cruising again some time in April, about the same time we will be in Vegas. Any scuba adventures planned for any of you? I will have to be sure to look for your review when we get home. We are now doing Southern Caribbean this coming October on Koningsdam, our first time on HAL. We stop in Amber Cove, DR, San Juan, PR, Bonaire, Curacao, and Aruba. I think you're going to some of the same places, so I will be anxious to see what you did!

[mitsugirly]

Thought of you and Sakari while watching Nightline earlier. The middle segment of the show was on NC Mermania, a Mermaid convention held in Greensboro, NC. Some 300 mermaids and mermen were in attendance.You can probably find the Nightline segment on the ABC website. The specific episode aired 12:37-1:07 AM Thurs Feb 16, so early this morning. You will also find a lot of info if you Google NC Mermania. :cool:

 

Is Sakari still doing PADI Seal? If I remember correctly, you are cruising again some time in April, about the same time we will be in Vegas. Any scuba adventures planned for any of you? I will have to be sure to look for your review when we get home. We are now doing Southern Caribbean this coming October on Koningsdam, our first time on HAL. We stop in Amber Cove, DR, San Juan, PR, Bonaire, Curacao, and Aruba. I think you're going to some of the same places, so I will be anxious to see what you did!

 

She has watched some of those shows before and she youtubes them a lot. She loves some of the tails those people have and of course wants one (before they look like scales with the sequins...but of course they are either hand made or cost around $5,000 :eek:).

 

Yes, she's still doing the scuba diving. She had her class last night and it was the "photography" diving class. She had so much fun and got to use her new Olympus Tough camera under water. I do have to admit, she needs some focusing practice. LOL We will work on that.

 

Yes, we will be going in April for Spring Break and it can't come soon enough. School is killing me at the moment. We will have 3 new ports and we are super excited (Aruba, Curacao, and DR). We decided we would do the diving in Curacao. I can't wait!

[tgirl25]

Well about 30 pages into the review and I finally found the first "neat" photo you were talking about. :eek:

 

The 360 camera to do those kind of pictures is a little over $300. Or...you can just do it in photoshop. I have never seen this thing called "Tiny Planets" before, but it does have my attention.

 

So...I figured why not give it a try. Now the key to doing these is using a pano picture. I really don't have a lot of pano pics and the ones that I do have are not quite what you need to do these. But...I figured why not give it a shot. And "shot" I did. LOL

 

Don't laugh...it's my first try. (If only these 2 people were not in my picture)

 

 

 

 

I guess I'll have to keep trying. :D

 

If you photoshop the people out of your photo 1st it might turn out better.

 

I wanted to thank you again. I just got off from Epic 2/11 and had a much better understanding of the ship when I arrived on 2/4 then I might have without it.

 

Embarkation for me was fine, shuttle picked me up at my hotel about 10a, to the port approx 11:15a and dropping of people for Magic 1st(was on her in Dec 2015, great ship). However a bus had backed up into another bus and busted out their front window so there was alot of mess and cleanup going on so getting over to Epic at the complete opposing end of the port took 45-60mins along with the wait wait wait of everyone trying to drop people off. Off the shuttle about 12-12:15ish. Tipped the driver, found a porter, dropped my bag with another tip and took off for the escilator.

 

Security had a line but only took about 10-15mins to clear, then I was on deck 12 so had to go all the way to the end. Good walk but there were no lines over there for the higher decks. Got right up there, turned in my paperwork and had my keycard and was told, "Oh you are Silver, you can go right on". Walked straight on and was on the boat about 20mins from arriving. SO.... They seem to have figured out embarkation at least.

 

I had a great cruise, loved the solo cabins and meet ups for dinners and shows. Was nice to just be able to go and not have to sign up for much until it was time to go. Glow party was great but white didn't really show up well, however neon colors looked crazy! Danced for hours even though I am a bit fluffy too.

 

Going ashore seemed organized and had no problems getting off when I wanted without to much of wait, but then we skipped GSC because they had no power and well we also had a death on board so needed to get it investigated and off the ship. Poor lady. So had a stop at Nassau instead(didn't get off the ship).

 

Thank you so much for your review of the Baths!! I was going to do it but your review changed my mind. Am a bit claustrophobic as well as a bit fluffy so that would not have worked at all! I did the Zipline Canopy Tour and it was beautiful. So thank you for saving me from that.

 

St Thomas, just did the Gondola to Paradise point and got my Bushwacker. Was good.

 

Debarkation was a MESS, were delayed and then had to have the authorities on board to check out that room. I was on a tour for the Kennedy Space center since my flight was not till 7:20p. Well now, our guide got hit by an older woman who was mad because we were cutting and yelled and screamed at her. It was pretty nuts and still took an hour for all of us to get through customs and on the bus. The space center is great but you really do need at least a full day to be able to see/do everything.

 

Sorry for adding my own mini review here, but you helped so much in my planning between both of your Epic reviews that this seemed like the best place since I didn't plan a long review like you do. Keep them up, can't wait to read your next one.

[jenseib]

.

 

Yes, we will be going in April for Spring Break and it can't come soon enough. School is killing me at the moment. We will have 3 new ports and we are super excited (Aruba, Curacao, and DR). We decided we would do the diving in Curacao. I can't wait!

 

 

Oh I can't wait to read what you do. I have a cruise this summer and Aruba and Curacao are 2 of the ports we are visiting and I have never been to either. I have barely started researching yet either.

[perfect match]

She has watched some of those shows before and she youtubes them a lot. She loves some of the tails those people have and of course wants one (before they look like scales with the sequins...but of course they are either hand made or cost around $5,000 :eek:).

 

Yes, she's still doing the scuba diving. She had her class last night and it was the "photography" diving class. She had so much fun and got to use her new Olympus Tough camera under water. I do have to admit, she needs some focusing practice. LOL We will work on that.

 

Yes, we will be going in April for Spring Break and it can't come soon enough. School is killing me at the moment. We will have 3 new ports and we are super excited (Aruba, Curacao, and DR). We decided we would do the diving in Curacao. I can't wait!

 

I figured Sakari would already know about the other mermaids out there. No much gets by that girl, does it? Glad to hear she's still diving, and she got to try out her camera underwater, too!

 

 

You're on a Carnival ship for your spring break cruise, aren't you? I want to be sure I know where to find you once you get started on your review. :cool:

[sunlitmists57]

"Moderno Cucka...whatever that name is that no one can pronounce"....

 

 

 

Chew-ska-ria:D

[mitsugirly]

If you photoshop the people out of your photo 1st it might turn out better.

 

I wanted to thank you again. I just got off from Epic 2/11 and had a much better understanding of the ship when I arrived on 2/4 then I might have without it.

 

Embarkation for me was fine, shuttle picked me up at my hotel about 10a, to the port approx 11:15a and dropping of people for Magic 1st(was on her in Dec 2015, great ship). However a bus had backed up into another bus and busted out their front window so there was alot of mess and cleanup going on so getting over to Epic at the complete opposing end of the port took 45-60mins along with the wait wait wait of everyone trying to drop people off. Off the shuttle about 12-12:15ish. Tipped the driver, found a porter, dropped my bag with another tip and took off for the escilator.

 

Security had a line but only took about 10-15mins to clear, then I was on deck 12 so had to go all the way to the end. Good walk but there were no lines over there for the higher decks. Got right up there, turned in my paperwork and had my keycard and was told, "Oh you are Silver, you can go right on". Walked straight on and was on the boat about 20mins from arriving. SO.... They seem to have figured out embarkation at least.

 

I had a great cruise, loved the solo cabins and meet ups for dinners and shows. Was nice to just be able to go and not have to sign up for much until it was time to go. Glow party was great but white didn't really show up well, however neon colors looked crazy! Danced for hours even though I am a bit fluffy too.

 

Going ashore seemed organized and had no problems getting off when I wanted without to much of wait, but then we skipped GSC because they had no power and well we also had a death on board so needed to get it investigated and off the ship. Poor lady. So had a stop at Nassau instead(didn't get off the ship).

 

Thank you so much for your review of the Baths!! I was going to do it but your review changed my mind. Am a bit claustrophobic as well as a bit fluffy so that would not have worked at all! I did the Zipline Canopy Tour and it was beautiful. So thank you for saving me from that.

 

St Thomas, just did the Gondola to Paradise point and got my Bushwacker. Was good.

 

Debarkation was a MESS, were delayed and then had to have the authorities on board to check out that room. I was on a tour for the Kennedy Space center since my flight was not till 7:20p. Well now, our guide got hit by an older woman who was mad because we were cutting and yelled and screamed at her. It was pretty nuts and still took an hour for all of us to get through customs and on the bus. The space center is great but you really do need at least a full day to be able to see/do everything.

 

Sorry for adding my own mini review here, but you helped so much in my planning between both of your Epic reviews that this seemed like the best place since I didn't plan a long review like you do. Keep them up, can't wait to read your next one.

 

Thanks for your mini-review. Even though there were bumps in the road, it sounds like you have a wonderful cruise. :)

 

Oh I can't wait to read what you do. I have a cruise this summer and Aruba and Curacao are 2 of the ports we are visiting and I have never been to either. I have barely started researching yet either.

 

Nice. What ship will you be going on ?

[mitsugirly]

I figured Sakari would already know about the other mermaids out there. No much gets by that girl, does it? Glad to hear she's still diving, and she got to try out her camera underwater, too!

 

 

You're on a Carnival ship for your spring break cruise, aren't you? I want to be sure I know where to find you once you get started on your review.

 

Of course, you can't get anything past her...especially regarding mermaids. :p

 

Yes, we will be on the Conquest this time around. ;)

 

Chew-ska-ria

 

Thanks :p

[macandlucy]

Absolutely love your reviews; they are both very informative and helpful, and always very fun to read. Thank you so much for all the effort you put into them.

Just wanted to share something for your little girl and her plane ears, hoping it might be helpful :) I also have problems with my ears on the plane, especially on decent, and a few years ago discovered that eating sour stuff, really sour, like Sour Patch Kids, helps a lot. Because they are so sour, all the salivation causes even more swallowing than gum. Pop three or four in right when the plane speeds up for take off, and maybe a few more until you reach some height. Then for decent, begin eating them the second you feel the plane descending, and pretty much all the way down. Since I started doing that I haven't had a single problem with ear pain or really full ears.

[shadowmeboy]

Here's a hint for you (and I use this function A LOT)...if I'm walking and snapping pictures or if I'm on a bus or in a taxi and taking pictures along the way, in order to get pictures that are not blurred, put the camera on the "sports" mode. Obviously sports means movement and it will capture the pictures even if you or the subject is moving. :D I have a lot of success with this setting.

 

I love the sports setting on my camera and it allowed for fabulous pictures when we were in Alaska. We were in motion a lot, so I enjoyed getting clear pictures in a snap.

 

 

I just finished your review and it made me thankful we switched from an eastern Caribbean itinerary to a western for our first Caribbean trip. I feel I would have been slightly disappointed by starting in the east. I have been using your past pictures and reviews to narrow down where we want to go.

 

 

I appreciate the effort and time it takes to put one of these full reviews up.

[mitsugirly]

Absolutely love your reviews; they are both very informative and helpful, and always very fun to read. Thank you so much for all the effort you put into them.

Just wanted to share something for your little girl and her plane ears, hoping it might be helpful :) I also have problems with my ears on the plane, especially on decent, and a few years ago discovered that eating sour stuff, really sour, like Sour Patch Kids, helps a lot. Because they are so sour, all the salivation causes even more swallowing than gum. Pop three or four in right when the plane speeds up for take off, and maybe a few more until you reach some height. Then for decent, begin eating them the second you feel the plane descending, and pretty much all the way down. Since I started doing that I haven't had a single problem with ear pain or really full ears.

 

Thank you so much. I appreciate the comment and glad you enjoy the reviews.

 

 

Great idea with the sour candy!!! It totally makes sense! I'm definitely going to try this next time instead of the gum. She has absolutely no problem going up. It's only coming down (so I guess we have some luck in that at least). Thanks for this hint. I'm willing to try anything.

 

 

I love the sports setting on my camera and it allowed for fabulous pictures when we were in Alaska. We were in motion a lot, so I enjoyed getting clear pictures in a snap.

 

I just finished your review and it made me thankful we switched from an eastern Caribbean itinerary to a western for our first Caribbean trip. I feel I would have been slightly disappointed by starting in the east. I have been using your past pictures and reviews to narrow down where we want to go.

 

 

I appreciate the effort and time it takes to put one of these full reviews up.

 

Don't cha just love the sports setting? It's amazing!

 

We love the western Caribbean. We have done it more than anything because of it. There's just so many places to go...different each time, and I still want to go back more. :D

 

Thanks so much for the comments. I really appreciate it.

[dianecook313@yahoo.com]

Hi, I got Diet Pepsi from this one early in the cruise. Then I found the drink man filling it with regular Pepsi later in the cruise. He took me to one in the Spa area that still had Diet in it.

 

 

Glad to see this! Loving your review so far!

[mitsugirly]

Glad to see this! Loving your review so far!

 

Thanks. Glad you're liking it. :)

[cdncruzer]

I really enjoy reading your reviews. They always offer very insightful and practical views/advice, gorgeous photos...and I hope I can repay the favour. (I haven't read this whole review yet, so I apologize if this has already been mentioned.)

 

Re: your dtr's ear pain

 

My friend had some ear issues on our last flight and got this advice from a helpful stewardess. It's called "hot cups" Basically, hot paper towels are inserted into styrofoam cups. On descent, hold the cups tightly against both ears. Looks funny, but it worked! Worth a try if you haven't already.

 

 

 

 

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