OhJinkies

Thanks - as long as I can make it to Giovanni's by 12:30, I'm good with that! What deck do you actually enter the ship? I know there's an escalator to Deck 5, just below Giovanni's.

There is a wine bar called "Trellis Bar" in front of Chops Grille in Central Park. They also have a small "Bites" menu.

My boarding time isn't until noon, but I had made a lunch reservation at Giovanni's for 12:30. Concerned about getting hung up in a long line for security. So I'm going to plan to get there closer to 11 AM and hope that they'll at least let me get through security if I show them my lunch reservation.

I believe that the "Wizard of Oz" show includes a 16-piece show band, so it's possible that the band is going to be doing their own show. Maybe the show isn't ready, though?

I have watched countless videos of the Icon and there does seem to be a pretty large area on Deck 16 (Chill Island) with covered seating. I'm also a fan of shade, so I pay attention to these things. I'm cruising on the Icon on May 18, so I'll be able to get a first-hand take on this, though!

I live in Orlando and nearly every day I get a news alert on my phone about a shooting somewhere in the vicinity. But most of these shootings are domestic-related, or late at night when there is probably some shady stuff going down anyways... but now you know in case you want to steer clear!

The Expressway Authority changed the name to the Beach Line, to promote the proximity of Cocoa Beach, etc. I will always call it the Bee Line, though!!

Yes, though I have had trouble finding it locally. That’s why I’m ordering it on auto-delivery through Amazon.

You must be a local… I still call it the Beeline, as well!

I enjoy Splenda‘s brand of Stevia, but I order it in liquid form. It dissolves so much faster!

I had hoped to book a Central Park view balcony, but my TA discovered that I would have to pay the price for three passengers. I was already planning on paying double, but not that much! My TA ended up booking me in an ocean view balcony instead. I’ll be traveling on the eastern itinerary in May.

Thank you, Sthrngary - I don't believe this would work for us, so you saved me from bidding on a suite!

I'm cruising with a friend in February in a large balcony room on the Epic. The bed is described as "two lower beds that convert to a queen," which is great since we'd prefer to have separate beds (and I use a CPAP machine). I was considering bidding on an upgrade to a suite, if the minimums aren't too bad. But all of the Haven Suites information I can find describes the main bed as simply a "queen bed." Does anyone have any experience/knowledge with the beds in the Haven rooms? Will they separate? Thanks!

UPDATE: I got my reservations in this morning. I also reviewed my Platinum benefits, and I found out I have two additional specialty dining options, so YAY!! I now have four speciality dining reservations. Thanks for the heads-up, BirdTravels!!

Thanks - I hope you're right. My planner shows 126 days to go!

Hmmmm.... I'm Platinum, so I'm going to check that out! If not... looks like that's the same as my final payment due date, which is this Saturday! So I'll get up early to book. Thanks!

If you're looking for modern, cutting-edge entertainment, NCL is probably not going to meet your expectations. I've read some interesting things about the entertainment offered by Virgin Voyages. Not really my thing, but if you're looking for modern and edgy, you may want to check them out.

Can I reserve dining in advance for my FAS Specialty restaurants? I thought I had to wait until boarding before reserving. I'm about 120 days out from my Epic cruise.

Thanks! I think I've seen 88 Keys before, but it was a few years ago.

If you've recently returned from a five-day itinerary from Port Canaveral on the Freedom, I'd love to hear about what shows (Playlist Productions or other shows) are taking place in the Main Show Lounge, and what nights/times are they presenting shows. It's tough when there are no printed "Fun Times" to share, and the app tells me nothing. Just trying to plan out my cruise (not until September) a bit!! TIA!!