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Heavenly Anniversary Cruise - Epic July 2-July 9 - part 1

Linda the Book Lover
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Linda the Book Lover

Linda the Book Lover

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Overall Impression:

This is our second time on the Epic, the first was in 2011. Some things have changed and some had a wonderful familiarity to our first sailing on her. We had a fabulous but tiring week since this cruise was port intensive. The crew on this ship was fabulous and friendly everywhere we went. I also wish to give a round of applause to the Haven team who made our anniversary memorable. A perfect cruise and anniversary!

Air Travel to and From:

We had three planes from California to Barcelona and back. United flights going to Barcelona we had Economy Plus and also the upgraded seating on Air Canada. There was a tad more leg room but nothing to write home about as far as seat space. I purchased a snack on first leg and we had a pretzel medley small free snack package on the second leg of United. Air France was dinner and breakfast. Air France was very nicely done. The plane crew walked around throughout the flight with water. Returning home we opted not to upgrade since we figured we would sleep at home. We had bulkhead seats on Air France which gave us more room to stretch and economy on United. Two nice meals on Air France and once again the same free pretzel medley small package they hand out on United. We do not have plans to return to Europe but if we did it would be with better seats and two legs versus three. Yes, I realize that the Air France leg was longer hence the nice meals.

Pre-Cruise Hotel Stay - Barcelona:

We elected to stay in the NCL Hotel of choice HC Montblanc which included breakfast. The price was right and the hotel was located in the Gothic District. I read on Trip Advisor to request a room on the sixth floor or higher as these rooms had already completed the renovation phase the hotel was completing. When we arrived they gave us a room on the 5th floor and I requested a change to the 6th which they gave us. Reminder – do not forget to bring international power plug adapters. We realized we forgot ours as we unpacked our cords. The hotel does not carry them but there is a store (small supermarket) down the street. We went there often to purchase water and other items. They even waved at us when we passed the store as we walked around the gothic area the two days we stayed in Barcelona. The breakfast is buffet and for us the choices available were not our favorites but it was food. I have to admit to being a Best Western free breakfast buffet fan of the waffles. We did not eat any other meals at the hotel as we felt there are so many places to eat all within walking distance of the hotel. The room was a surprise as it was two twin beds pushed together with nothing to keep them together as we found out when the two mattresses split apart sending my husband into the hole! The room was clean and fine for two nights. We decided to skip the shuttle and took a taxi to the dock since we wanted to get to the ship earlier than the shuttle time

Barcelona Day Tours:

We chose this tour company based on Cruise Critic reviews and TripAdvisor. We walked a quick five minutes to the pick-up point which we walked to the day before to ensure we would have no issues finding it. The tour company provided a map in the confirmation email and it was easy to follow. This was a wonderful tour and worth every penny. Marta was our guide and Jose our driver. We spent an excellent day with both of them around Barcelona and Montserrat. Marta was very knowledgeable and she shared much about her time living in Barcelona. My favorite part of the tour was the trip to Monserrat and viewing the Black Madonna. When I was young I read the story and wanted to see her and at long last after 50-plus years I finally had the opportunity. Gaudi’s architecture is beautiful throughout Barcelona and many times my breath was taken away by looking at his many works. We enjoyed Park Guell and Sagrada Familia especially the seating area which was built to be as we call it now ergonomically correct. We all took a breather there on the benches. Pictures do not do these places justice. Marta was wonderful with all of us and very clear in her instructions at each site. This was by far a very special day spent in Barcelona. I highly recumbent booking this tour company

Barcelona food and shopping:

It is always about the food and drink on any trip we enjoy. We went to two restaurants we would recommend which are both in the Gothic District. The first one is El Viejo Pop, located at Via Laietana 57 and H3, located 45 Via Laietana. Both restaurants are down the street from the hotel. The menus have many appetizing choices which we tried a variety of them. Both have full bars and we tried some of the local beers and drinks. We walked around and decided on these two restaurants after looking at many choices. Plenty of restaurants to choose from close to the hotel. We loved El Viejo Pop so much we ate there twice. Be ready with an almost empty stomach at H3 as the portions are huge. What we loved was the casual no rushed dining at both of theses places.

The Haven:

We stayed in 17005, forward facing Courtyard Cabin. The cabin had ample space and storage for the two of us. Our air conditioner was not cooling enough and this was fixed right away which we appreciated. The balcony is enclosed with one portion of the top window with the ability to open. We have not sailed forward for years (we love aft) so this was a nice treat. We had two chairs, one table and a chaise lounge which became my go to spot with an adult beverage. We did notice that with age (upper 60’s and early 70’s) the tub/shower combo was a little challenge to step in and out of everyday where it was easier when we were more agile. Our Concierge was David, Assistant Concierge, Lyster, Butler Joha, Room Steward, Michael. We didn’t ask for much but anything we requested was taken care of with a smile and right away. Posh was as fabulous as the last time with Andy and Oswald taking excellent care of us. I must say that Posh was pretty empty the entire week unlike the Epic Caribbean cruise. I know the question you wish to have the answer to – “the pool area": We did not go into the pool area. We did notice many children in the pool and jacuzzi but keep in mind it is the summer season and families travel together. All of the children we came across were polite and well behaved but as we said we never went into the pool area. The Haven Restaurant was good with Jennifer greeting us each day with her wonderful smile. I know the menu never changes but since we ate lunch out everyday during the tours it was nice to come back to a quiet dinner area. We had breakfast in our cabin very morning except the sea day, Palma de Mallorca port and our last day on the ship. The Haven was special and gave us a wonderfully quiet place to relax after a long day. For us it was worth the money.

Platinum Behind the Scenes Tour:

We enjoyed the tour and seeing the hidden from customers side of the Epic. I admit to be fascinated by the washers and the automatic ironing and folding linen machine. We sent down a bag of laundry the next day and they came back beautiful. Some items I prefer to wash at home so we only sent down pants and shirts except my husband who put in one pair of boxers. Why only one pair I have no idea.

Speciality Restaurants and Shows:

We ate at Le Bistro with the Platinum offer so we could enjoy a bottle of wine. The dinner was so-so so I did not finish it but my DH ate his. They offered to fix something else which I declined. We drank the wine and enjoyed dessert. We decided to not go there again and canceled our other reservation. Cagney’s was also a disappointment for us this trip. My wine was poured into a huge wine glass and later the wine waiter said it was so the wine could breathe. I am no expert but I never aerate or decant my Chardonnays. I left most the wine there in the giant glass. (UBP) I admit we also did not like looking down on customers eating in one of the main dining rooms. It made me uncomfortable. We canceled our second night at Cagney’s as well. I am not saying the speciality restaurants are not good but on this ship, we decided to pass on other nights. Personally I could have lived off of turkey and cheddar sandwiches brought to the suite in the afternoon and Posh Bar onion rings.

 

Cirque lived up to our expectations. The meal was good and the show was excellent. We should have booked a second night even though it would have been the same show.

 

Burn the Floor was good. We really enjoyed the dancing. There was something with the sound system as the singers had a few squelchers during their numbers. We did not attend other shows as we went back to our cabin with an adult beverage or enjoyed wine in our cabin.

Tours:

Italy - We booked all three Italy ports through ItalyTours.eu. The tours are as advertised with excellent well versed guides and drivers. I cannot say enough how happy we chose them based on reviews form CC and TripAdvisor. I will say that if you have an issue with walking some portions of the tour may be a little difficult. The walking areas are cobblestones and very uneven in both the street areas and sidewalks. There are very few handrails which I used when they were available. Some areas are steep walking which could be taxing if you have issues with walking inclines. My DH and I walk everyday around two plus miles but about three weeks before the trip I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. We went out and purchased special Brooks sneakers at the Good Feet Store since arches did not help and off we went. We both kept up just fine but I needed ibuprofen at lunch time for the swelling. My Apple Watch clocked anywhere from 3.8 – 5.7 miles per day. What great tours!

Pompeii, Sorrento & the Amalfi Coast – The Amalfi Coast is stunning.

Rome & Vatican – We heard bells ringing and then my DH said, look up there is that the Pope?

Florence and Pisa

France – We chose Cannes Shore Excursion Monaco and Eze half-day through Viator. Liven up was the vendor Viator used and Moman was fabulous. We enjoyed Eze and once again a walking tip it is all up hill on cobblestones. We did not go into the garden at 6 Euros but did enjoy walking throughout. I was enchanted by the little shops. We next went to Fragonard Parfumeur and since I love soaps and fragrance I did a bit of shopping there after the tour. The Prince was in residence! Monaco was wonderful and when Moman drove us down the race track which is really a public street explaining how the race is set up we all felt the excitement based on the whoas and ahhs.

Spain – Palma de Mallorca – We did this port on our own. Needless to say we had just about run out of steam but enjoyed ourselves. Gelato was on the menu and I ate mine like it was the last treat on earth. Excellent!

Final Take:

This is our cruise in a nutshell. Overall it was the best anniversary ever in my book. We enjoyed every port and the ship. We have no plans to do this again especially so port intensive. I missed my spa days and we both missed doing nothing some days. I have a Grandma, daughter, granddaughter cruise coming up. Meanwhile we will decide where NCL will take us next. I tried loading the pictures which would have made this two parts but had an issue transferring from photobucket. I have been able to transfer pictures before so I have no idea why I could not this time. So no part 2 - I gave up.

Edited by Linda the Book Lover
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Linda the Book Lover

Linda the Book Lover

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size of font easy to read now-thanks

 

we are doing this cruise in October-no Haven just regular balcony

 

interested to hear your take on Hotel Montblanc as we took the NCL flight/transfer package and that is the hotel they have us in night before cruise

 

The hotel we clean but try to get a room on the 6th floor or higher. It was very quiet the entire time except for one night after 10pm there was a boys soccer team playing Marco Polo in the pool. I called the front desk since the pool closes at 9pm and they went down to the pool and I am guessing told them the pool hours. The hotel is within walking distance to many sights including shopping and dining. It is fine for pre or post cruise. The only issue we had was the two twin beds pushed together. The beds are made separately as well but with a king headboard. We thought that was crazy.

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fabnfortysomething Great Review Rare

fabnfortysomething

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The hotel we clean but try to get a room on the 6th floor or higher. It was very quiet the entire time except for one night after 10pm there was a boys soccer team playing Marco Polo in the pool. I called the front desk since the pool closes at 9pm and they went down to the pool and I am guessing told them the pool hours. The hotel is within walking distance to many sights including shopping and dining. It is fine for pre or post cruise. The only issue we had was the two twin beds pushed together. The beds are made separately as well but with a king headboard. We thought that was crazy.

 

have made a note to request 6 floor or above on registration

 

it does sound weird about the beds-very common in Europe for 2 twin beds pushed together to create a king size but they are usually clamped together!

my husband had hip surgery in February so definitely don't want him falling through a hole!

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Linda the Book Lover

Linda the Book Lover

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I see you had the (UBP) were you charged a VAT tax for drinks at the end of the cruise, and if so what was the %.

 

We did not have any VAT charges on our onboard account for any items purchased on the ship. We only purchased photos as everything else was a perk including pre-paid service charges. We never had drinks that went over the included UBP.

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