MSC girl jumps ship: A B2B solo trip review of the NCL Epic!

Hello everybody!

I'm Priscila from Brazil and I just returned yesterday from the most enjoyable 2-week vacation on the NCL Epic. I spend a lot of time reading your helpful insights on these boards so I would love to share my experience in the hopes to pay it forward.

BACKGROUND

I cruised with MSC twice and was quite happy with it but decided I would have more fun as a solo if I tried NCL. I wasn't wrong!

I read this boards ad nauseam in preparation as I was very anxious about going alone and all comments/reviews I read helped managing my expectations and optimise my time on the ship.

I had every intention of writing a day-to-day account but at some point the days blurred together (in a fun sort of way ;p) so instead I'll break this down in sections so it still makes sense.

DISCLAIMER:

I travelled alone but I met the most wonderful people that made my vacation really special. From the roll call to dancing like there was no tomorrow and 3 AM chicken wings, the lovely solos I met truly were the heart of my 2-weeks and I thank you all for that! Consider yourselves hugged and hope to see you soon :*

I didn't ask their permission to mention their names or publish pic's they were on, so I'll write this from my point-of-view only.

ITNERARY:

I traveled from Brussels to Barcelona on Saturday, 17/6, to do 2 weeks of the following route:

Barcelona

Sea day

Napels

Civitavechia (Rome)

Livorno (Florence)

Cannes

Palma de Mallorca

I should warn you that I haven't left the ship at all - not even once :D

I live in Belgium and can go back to those places at any time. Besides, I've already been to Rome, Cannes and Mallorca, so my goal was to relax and avoid an alarm clock at all costs.

I aim to include all things I wish I knew before and didn't as well as some MSC x NCL comperisons when appropriate.

So here it is the star of this report:

Looking forward to this! I'm going on the Epic in 2 weeks!

This should be a great read! Epic is (6th cruise and 3rd TA coming up) my favorite ship! But, I've done the opposite. I've cancelled two 2018 cruises (another TA on Epic) to take a b2b on Meraviglia next spring. MSC hooked me with their status match, but the bottom line here is $$. Further, we will have the exact two itineraries we've been seeking at a price we can afford. We are not singles-celebrating the 45th anniversary on those cruises. Even a ship like Meraviglia will never replace Epic, but I'm looking forward to the adventure.

Can't wait to read your comparison.

Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk

Following along - thanks for your input :)

PRE-CRUISE NIGHT

Saturday, 17/6

I stayed one night at the Cuatro Naciones hotel in Las Ramblas. It was a simple 2-star hotel with adequate breakfast for EUR 70. It was walking distance from Plaça Catalunya and advertised as a 15 minute ride from port.

The staff was welcoming and helpful, and made no fuss about me checking in one hour earlier then I was supposed to.

I walked around Las Ramblas to enjoy the sunshine as we don't have such a thing in Belgium. I had already researched that there was a nice mall close by overlooking the water, so I went to check out Centro Commercial Cartagena and stocked up on last minute essentials. The scenery along the way was stunning yet crowded with fellow tourists.

I enjoyed a nice afternoon and evening in Barcelona but was more then ready for my cruise! Off to bed I went daydreaming about the fun times ahead.

EMBARKATION

Sunday, 18/6

The first big difference about MSC and NCL was the roll call activity! I wasn't even on the ship yet but already had met great people and met an embarkation buddy!

Me and my new friend shared a taxi from Las Ramblas to the Cruise port, which was EUR 25 on the meter plus a tip we gave to the nice driver. We arrived at 12:30 and could see a line forming outside the building. Before I even had a chance to think 'oh-oh', we noticed that the line moved pretty quick and soon I was in front of a check in person. Trouble was, the person doing the check in was a fellow Brazilian and we started talking and talking so I'm afraid it took wait longer then it was supposed to take, oooops. I can only apologise to the people who were waiting ;p

The whole thing took less then 10 minutes and soon were boarding the ship and dancing along the welcome party at the door.

Finally, yay!

Here is to you with a Mango Meltdown 🍹or a Martini 🍸

Kathrin 😎

THE FIRST MEAL

What do you do when you board a ship? You have lunch ;p

If there is one thing I learned from the multiples reviews I read on the NCL board over the years, is that you avoid the buffet like the pest for first lunch and, instead, go to the main dining room for a sit-down, peaceful lunch.

Taste restaurant was open and offered a lovely table, where I felt like vacation really started:

I ordered some fried chicken and a delicious caramel cheesecake.

Service was super fast and friendly, way faster then MSC. I was still undecided at that point if this is a good thing or not, we'll see.

Overall, a great way to start the cruise.

I second your good impression about the Quatro Naciones Hotel in Las Ramblas. We were there for two nights following our Mediteranian cruise on Crystal Symphony, and we are very happy with the location. Most of all, we are happy with the very helpful owners /staff!

Sent from my SM-G610F using Tapatalk

Thanks for your review. I really like the photos so far.

We have been on the Epic twice and really love her. We had decided to cruise on her for the 3rd time this summer but when I checked prices we decided to try something new so we booked MSC Meraviglia instead.

Following! Really interested in what you thought of the ship's public areas.

Following. I am a solo cruiser myself and love hearing other peoples solo experiences. Look forward to reading the rest of yours.

NCL is my favorite line for solo cruising, but I have not been on the Epic yet.

How is the food on NCL vs MSC?

Nice photos! Following along.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Forums mobile app

Looking forward to this! I'm going on the Epic in 2 weeks!

You're going to have so much fun!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

This should be a great read! Epic is (6th cruise and 3rd TA coming up) my favorite ship! But, I've done the opposite. I've cancelled two 2018 cruises (another TA on Epic) to take a b2b on Meraviglia next spring. MSC hooked me with their status match, but the bottom line here is $$. Further, we will have the exact two itineraries we've been seeking at a price we can afford. We are not singles-celebrating the 45th anniversary on those cruises. Even a ship like Meraviglia will never replace Epic, but I'm looking forward to the adventure.

Can't wait to read your comparison.

 

Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk

I'll be in MSC Meraviglia on September 30th!

Both companies have their merits but MSC has my heart!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Here is to you with a Mango Meltdown [emoji484]or a Martini [emoji483]

 

Kathrin [emoji41]

Tchin-tchin my friend!

Miss you [emoji8]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Following! Really interested in what you thought of the ship's public areas.

I will cover that, thanks for following!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Following. I am a solo cruiser myself and love hearing other peoples solo experiences. Look forward to reading the rest of yours.

 

 

 

NCL is my favorite line for solo cruising, but I have not been on the Epic yet.

Thanks for reading, I hope you'll find it useful!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

How is the food on NCL vs MSC?

I will cover that, thanks for reading it!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Nice photos! Following along.

 

 

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Forums mobile app

Thank you!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Following along - thanks for your input :)

Thank you!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Today was my first day back at work and it was horrible.

Getting used to afternoon naps was a bad idea!!! Anyway, let's get back to the report:

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Décor, public spaces

MSC wins this round, hands down. (In my humble opinion)

There is something about the Glitz and glamour of MSC that makes you feel a million bucks although you probably paid $600 per person (or less), lol

I missed that grand feeling on NCL, that delight of walking around and going 'wow' on every corner. specially in the Atrium.

I did have my 'wow' moment when meeting this big boy:

Spoiler alert: My second and last (sadly) 'wow' moment was at the Spa, later on in the report.

Don't get me wrong, the ship was very pleasant and functional and I would happilly hop on it again. It just didn't impress me much, glamour-wise.

STUDIO LIFE

11550, 11538

Initially, I only booked one week - the B2B idea came later, which meant I had to change rooms for the second week.

Both rooms were cute and comfortable, with one excellent feature: they were besides vending machine areas, meaning I only had a neighbour on one side of my room.

Never heard anybody entering the vending machine space, which guaranteed me some peace and quiet. If you look at the deck plans, it shows only a big blank space. It is not a crew area but the vending machine for drinks.

I was very pleased with both rooms, although 11550 was slightly better due to the positioning in the hallway, half way from the key card entrance door on one side and half way from the Studio lounge on the other side.

I also really enjoyed all the different Towel animals, although one of them looked a bit weird, you'll know which one, haha!

Is this a crab?

I have absolutely no idea what is this, lol

Any ideas?

Another angle:

STUDIO LOUNGE

A.K.A. Paradise

The Lounge was one of my favourite places in the ship. It meant easy access to peace and quiet with the additional benefit of serving breakfast in the morning! A simple breakfast of cereal and a plate of Danish, but still it was really handy SPECIALLY on disembarkation day.

(Start of rant) I did see some adults smuggling children inside the lounge which frankly, I didn't appreciate. Thankfully, they quickly left when they notice actual solo's approaching. (rant over)

The lounge had lot's of cool features I had no clue about.

First of all, it also has the changing mood lights, just like the Studio rooms, which I thought was pretty cool!

It also had a collection of books and board games on the shelves for our use. I didn't really use it but it was a nice thing to have as a plan B

The star of the lounge was, without a doubt the awesome coffee machine! Now, I saw tea bags there but I never quite figured out where the hot water options was, lol, if someone knows, please enlighten me!

And the cookies!

The mystery towel creation is a snail.

STUDIO LOUNGE (cont.)

There is also a small fridge with Yoghurts and flavoured dairy drinks which I enjoyed on several occasions, yum!

My designated spot for a coffee and a cookie after a tiring morning by the pool:

Solo message board: