alysonofagun Posted November 5, 2017 #1 Share Posted November 5, 2017 (edited) Been ummming and ahhhhing over whether to attempt a live blog or not and came to the conclusion, what’s the worst that could happen if I give it a go?! So, here goes... Feel it is only appropriate to start with a little about me... I am in my early 30s, from Manchester (thats the one in the north of England, not the imposter that always comes up in flight searches), and with a history of a solo cruise, a solo-but-not-really-solo cruise with a sort of b2b with a properly solo cruise*, all in Studios, I find myself back aboard the Epic (for the 3rd time), travelling with my lovely man in an Aft Balcony cabin on this adventure across the seas. This was my countdown pic - we actually moved cabins to deck 12 a few weeks ago, so that’s no longer our room but I’ve been too busy to update my artwork... I’m going to be writing as I speak, so if anything gets lost in translation then hopefully a fellow Mancunian (Amanda - I am looking at you) will be along to clear things up. And for any of American/Canadian/International readers wanting to read this in my accent, I can suggest YouTubing “Coronation Street” for a wonderful (and entirely accurate) little look at local lifestyles to give you an idea of how I sound. Anyway, back to it... I ended up on the Epic last year after being unceremoniously dumped by a rather idiotic chap (his loss > my gain - but more on this later). Having travelled extensively across the world for work on my own, the prospect of solo cruising did not worry me, so after a little thought, a long phone call with a travel agent (how very 2002 of me) and a LOT of egging on by pals at work, my decision was “f*** it and f*** him” and I found myself booked into a studio, with a just few weeks to sailing my way around the Med. My train of thought was something along the lines of “hopefully I’ll find nice people and have fun, and if not I’ll sunbathe and drink myself into a daily stupor. Simple!” As this is an intro to a “Live From” and not a long meander down memory lane looking back on that trip, I shall keep it brief - taking that cruise was the BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE. Met some truly wonderful people (herewith referred to as the Cruise Fam), met a few nutters and... met my OH. Yes! You read that right! Ours is a truly Epic love story... *swoon*... If you weren’t interested before, if the title of my thread hadn’t sold it already, I can bet you’re hooked now... move over Mills and Boon..! Long story short, I binned off dinner with the Cruise Fam and the rest of the solos on our last night, for a proper, dressed up date in Cagney’s with a dashing chap from Florida. Little did I know, or expect that, that meal (and/or my dress, of course) would result in me flying across the Atlantic to see him with a broken ankle (but that’s a whole other story), a million miles flown back and forth since, a solo-but-not-really-solo New Year adventure cruising around the Caribbean, and a happily ever after for the both of us (unless his snoring finally does me in and I end up pushing him overboard in his sleep). Date night chocolate cake... So, now you have the important background to me (and him, and us), I shall continue with the booking of this cruise... We decided on a TA for little other reason than two weeks of relaxation and to see what they’re like. Originally we looked at the Getaway, but the dates of this one worked better, it looked like we’d be sailing on a nice and warm route (important for me, as I live in the rain capital of the UK, less so for him being based in the sunshine state) and we got a jolly good deal on the price and extras (we booked before the UK introduced its All Inclusive policy). As I write this intro, NCL are not my favourite people, having changed our one (ok it’s 1 of 2, but I don’t count the other - Malaga - given that I used to live 40 minutes down the road) port of call from the Caribbean to the Azores and ultimately changing the entire course of our TA, and not even acknowledging messages, let alone responding to them... buuuuut.... Much has been said on the topic and many names have been called, so I won’t go into the ins and outs of the change that we shouldn’t moan about because it is in our T&Cs that Norwegian can change your booked trip to whatever they want to with no recourse whatsover. All I will say is that I and many of my fellow European travellers (and some of those from over the pond) have not been happy with the prospect of a cold two weeks at sea and this cruise has a lot of making up to do to us. I’m not entirely sure how this live from hoohaaar will work out. I can’t promise you daily posts, lots of reviews of onboard activities, or even 2 weeks of close to semi coherent writing, but I’ll give it a go, and if there’s one thing I am 100000% sure of - there will be alcohol and there will be LOTS of it. There will also be plenty OOTDs, food porn and lots of snapchat filters - because you’re never too old for dog ears or a crown of flowers - and if you have any questions about the ship, ask away and I’ll do my best to answer for you if I can... LET’S CRUISE!!!! *My solo-but-not-really-solo cruise with a kind of b2b with a properly solo cruise probably needs explaining. After returning from my week of Mediterranean Madness, I and a select few others (including said dashing chap from FL) promptly booked ourselves in to studios on the Epic for NYE, gatecrashing the tame and quiet week that a member of the Cruise Fam already had planned. Me being me decided that all the way to the US of A was a long way to go for a week in winter, so I also booked myself on to the Escape for the week after, going back to being all by myself again. In the meantime, Florida Man and I kind of became a “thing”, so we confused a lot of people (not least the lovely waiter that serenaded us following our final night fake-gagement in Le Bistro) by appearing to be a couple yet staying in separate studio cabins. Confusion aside, the week was as equally epic as the first adventure, whereas my following week on the Escape was marred by a cruise cold of gargantuan proportions, daily sea sickness, and a general lack of likeminded fools to have the silliest of shenanigans with. Escape, if you’re reading this... I will be back! If only for the pineappley coconutty goodness that the mojito bar introduced me to. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Edited November 5, 2017 by alysonofagun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alysonofagun Posted November 5, 2017 Author #2 Share Posted November 5, 2017 (edited) Some more piccies to liven things up... Solos taking over the Ice Bar on my first Epic adventure What kind of nutter flies to Florida with a broken ankle to see a man she met on a cruise? This kind of nutter! Oh yes! Cruise Fam NYE Shenanigans Killing a cold with a margarita on the Escape Sent from my iPhone using Forums Edited November 5, 2017 by alysonofagun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alysonofagun Posted November 5, 2017 Author #3 Share Posted November 5, 2017 So, due to using air miles rather than real money (£20 taxes on Friday night compared I £300 fare Saturday morning) my holiday started Friday night with a short but delayed flight from Manchester to Heathrow and an overnight stay in the Ibis Styles Heathrow hotel. For anyone looking for a cheap and easy airport stay I would really recommend this hotel. I landed at T5 and caught a free public bus (rather than the paid for Airport Hoppa) and it dropped me off literally outside the hotel within 10 minutes. Never stayed at a Styles before, it’s definitely a step up from a regular Ibis, maybe on a par with Premier Inn without the super comfy beds. Whilst I was snoozing away a stressful week, the boy was making his way across the Atlantic, ready to start his return journey by sea. He flew Delta from Atlanta and for the benefit of the forum, when asked how his flight was, he answered “good”. So that’s nice and informative for you. Early Saturday morning I returned to Heathrow to meet the boy off his flight from Atlanta. Aren’t airport hellos the best..?? I paid an extra £20 for late check out so we kept the hotel room for the entire day, snoozefest ahoy... With 4 cases in tow (I can travel light when I want to, but I love to dress up every night on a cruise) we decided to Uber it back to Heathrow for our flight to Barcelona late Saturday afternoon. I had spent days dreaming of the money I would spend in T5, yes Harrods I’m looking at you, only to check in online and realise we were flying from T3... cue many many many many crying-your-eyes-out-emojis and broken dreams of a new Longchamp bag... On the bright side, at least I realised before we got to the airport. As it so happens, the shopping in T3 is pretty darn good and it’s amazing how many last minute items you realise you absolutely must buy in a short space of time. Regardless of the near 100kg of luggage you have with you already.... We arrived into BCN quite late so just took a cab to our AirBnB, popped out for some food and crashed... This morning we went for a wander to see the Sagrada Familia and thencabbed it to the port around 12:30... only to be met with a check in queue of epic proportions, so what else is there to do in such situations? Dr***********s!!! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CazV Posted November 5, 2017 #4 Share Posted November 5, 2017 Have a great trip! Love your Mills & Boon story :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
live2dive45 Posted November 5, 2017 #5 Share Posted November 5, 2017 Have a great trip. I'll keep an eye on this thread as I have 2 friends from just outside Liverpool that are on this cruise with you. They will be spending a week with us in the Tampa Bay area when they arrive. Funny but we met them on the Epic Transatlantic 4 years ago. Enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileygirl_68 Posted November 5, 2017 #6 Share Posted November 5, 2017 Ah sweet joy reading this! It’s an honour and a privilege to be part of the Cruise Fam, cannot wait to hear about your shenanigans ...do us proud, it won’t be the same unless there’s at least a clog tale to recount!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alysonofagun Posted November 5, 2017 Author #7 Share Posted November 5, 2017 So, moral of the story is, if you want to remember checking in, don’t drink copious amounts of beer on an empty stomach. We’re on board and we’re ready to drink this ship dry.... who’s joining me??!! IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171105/0e2e52f1b05dd03ee0f0776f2da2acbc.jpg[/img] Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLcruisergrl Posted November 5, 2017 #8 Share Posted November 5, 2017 Have a great trip! I’m looking forward to your review as you bring the Epic over to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alysonofagun Posted November 5, 2017 Author #9 Share Posted November 5, 2017 ...because my picture above failed and I can’t figure out how to edit it... Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfone Posted November 5, 2017 #10 Share Posted November 5, 2017 We will be on Epic Nov. 18th, Our 1st on this ship. I'm eager to hear how you like the aft cabin, we are on an aft balcony one deck below you on 11. i know you'll have a fantastic trip. Have fun.:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notaworryintheworld Posted November 5, 2017 #11 Share Posted November 5, 2017 Can’t wait to read all about it! If you can, will you send pictures of the menus from Cagneys, la cucina, and le bistro? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alysonofagun Posted November 5, 2017 Author #12 Share Posted November 5, 2017 Can’t wait to read all about it! If you can, will you send pictures of the menus from Cagneys, la cucina, and le bistro? Sent from my iPhone using Forums On it... and if I forget, remind me [emoji23] Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamilycruise Posted November 5, 2017 #13 Share Posted November 5, 2017 Have an amazing time! Can't wait to read more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victorious8 Posted November 6, 2017 #14 Share Posted November 6, 2017 Excited to read this! Hope you meet Al from Liverpool, he was my first friend on my Escape adventure Summer '16. I LOVE reading about love stories that work out on cruise ships. I've kept in touch with a few suitors post cruises but I've never been willing to take that next leap/step. Cheers to you two, hope you have a wonderful time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobTheGob Posted November 6, 2017 #15 Share Posted November 6, 2017 We will be on Epic Nov. 18th, Our 1st on this ship. I'm eager to hear how you like the aft cabin, we are on an aft balcony one deck below you on 11. i know you'll have a fantastic trip. Have fun.:cool: We're in an aft balcony on deck 8 (we wanted the big balcony that you get with the end cabins) on the 18th and 25th. So - we'll be watching for updates, as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnrich Posted November 6, 2017 #16 Share Posted November 6, 2017 We're in an aft balcony on deck 8 (we wanted the big balcony that you get with the end cabins) on the 18th and 25th. So - we'll be watching for updates, as well! We’re in an aft balcony cabin on Deck 9 for the 18th. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnrich Posted November 6, 2017 #17 Share Posted November 6, 2017 Enjoying the review! Looking forward to reading more of your adventures. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DominicAUS Posted November 6, 2017 #18 Share Posted November 6, 2017 Loving this already. Cute couple :-). I’m doing a TA in November (next year) have fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goofymom3 Posted November 6, 2017 #19 Share Posted November 6, 2017 On the epic in three weeks for my first weeklong cruise ever.....keep it coming. And seriously nice catch on the man....handsome! What a nice trip souvenir..:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruise-kat Posted November 6, 2017 #20 Share Posted November 6, 2017 Looking forward to more....I'll be sailing solo for the first time on Epic in May. It makes me happy to hear how many people love the solo cruises as I'm a little nervous to do this. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01tom Posted November 6, 2017 #21 Share Posted November 6, 2017 We just came off the Epic on Sunday after a great cruise. Would loved to have been joining you across the pond! Have a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew.mueller Posted November 6, 2017 #22 Share Posted November 6, 2017 We will be on Epic Nov. 18th, Our 1st on this ship. I'm eager to hear how you like the aft cabin, we are on an aft balcony one deck below you on 11. i know you'll have a fantastic trip. Have fun.:cool: You'll be next to my parents (they are in 11315 or 17 I believe) We are in 11311. 12 days...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobTheGob Posted November 6, 2017 #23 Share Posted November 6, 2017 We’re in an aft balcony cabin on Deck 9 for the 18th. I'm looking forward to using the "secret stairs" to view the sides of the ship. On previous cruises - it was sometimes a long walk to see the opposite side of the ship! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpleally Posted November 6, 2017 #24 Share Posted November 6, 2017 So, moral of the story is, if you want to remember checking in, don’t drink copious amounts of beer on an empty stomach. We’re on board and we’re ready to drink this ship dry.... who’s joining me??!! IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171105/0e2e52f1b05dd03ee0f0776f2da2acbc.jpg[/img] Sent from my iPhone using Forums We have friends on this ship, two couples. One asked us to go but we just got back from Spain (drank lots of that beer) Also, a future friend, she is traveling with three ladies. She will be on my Feb cruise and I'll meet her then Can't wait to read about this cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenniferandwhatnot Posted November 6, 2017 #25 Share Posted November 6, 2017 YES!!!!! I love that you are ready to drink it up! Following along... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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