unitedgirl

Hi there, I am a little late to the party so not sure if you are still replying!

I heard that this ship has wristbands as well as key cards? Is that correct (I heard they were for Aurea guests but is this for adults as well as kids?) 

How was the anytime dining with Aurea. We sailed on the magnifica last year and although we had anytime dining the maitre 'd kind of coerced us into agreeing a set time every night, this was fine I supppose as our waiters were lovely and we got excellent service but we are travelling with firends and their two daughters this time so may need to be more flexible.

Thank you!

If the forecast for your cruise looks ok, I would go for it, I think due to the weather we are experiencing they have made other maintenance issues on the ship the priority over the vibe issues, I am sure all will be in order once we get into Miami and they can get all the teething problems sorted (not that there are many!)

In any case we just got a refund on our passes, they were very obliging, we figured that on the off chance we get a few days warm weather before Sunday the ships isn't full so there will be plenty of sunbathing spots anyway. We spent the refunded monies on spa passes for the remainder of the cruise.

We saw the show last night, there is some swearing in it which doesn't bother me in the slightest but depends on the parents. It is a really great show and the serving staff get involved so great fun, the food was also good.

Regarding the seats, some of the banquette seating is ok but some have pillars in front, think I would choose to be closer to the stage next time.

Have to say, all the shows I have seen so far have been excellent. Tonight we have the 'After midnight ' show which was postponed due to the strong movement of the ship earlier in the cruise, although today it is pretty rocky so who knows!

We saw the show last night, there is some swearing in it which doesn't bother me in the slightest but depends on the parents. It is a really great show and the serving staff get involved so great fun, the food was also good.

Regarding the seats, some of the banquette seating is ok but some have pillars in front, think I would choose to be closer to the stage next time.

I was on board pretty early and there was already a line at guest services but one of the staff opened a special desk for Vibe passes and it seemed there were still plenty available.

As for amenities, we haven't been able to use the area as the weather has been so bad but managed to brave an hour there yesterday and there were still workmen working on showers etc, the bar was closed and the one present staff member was reluctant to unlock the matresses.

The entry door system was broken so anyone could just wander in which was ok with the bad weather but if there is no control over who goes in, what is the point of paying to get a pass.

For info, there is a hot tub (not heated at present) a rainfall shower, a couple of beds in a rainfall kind of booth which will be nice in hot weather, a bar with stools and a number of sun-beds.

In my opinion the Posh beach club on the Epic is better located as you can still see the pool deck below and it is closer to the garden cafe etc. Vibe on the Escape is a bit out of the way, which I guess is a matter of opinion.

I heard some people say they had asked for refunds on this cruise but I am ever hopeful we may eventually get at least a couple of days sunshine!!

Impressive

Think we may have to get pretty close to land due to the high winds, not sure the medevac helicopters will fly in these conditions. We diverted back towards Madeira on the Epic TA last year and the weather was fine but we still had to get pretty close.

Our thoughts are with the person and their family.

Excellent!

Thanks for the tips, counting down the days!

We did a 4-day on the Sky last year and they did a laundry special, think it was the second day.

We had our first ever cruise on the Sky last November, a 4-day bahamas cruise out of Miami.

We had a fabulous time, the atmosphere was fantastic, the crew were super friendly as was the Captain who chatted to us for ages and seemed genuinely interested, the entertainment was excellent, couldn't fault anything (apart from having to leave at the end!)

We were so impressed with NCL we lodged a deposit during the cruise for a future cruise and we are headed off on the NCL Epic next week on a 14-day transatlantic from Barcelona.

I have been following the Epic's route for the last few weeks and it is due to dock at 5am on the Sunday, we are also on the Transatlantic cruise.

We live in southern Spain and are flying up on the Friday, we plan to get to the port by around 10am or maybe earlier.

Our only experience of cruising is a 5 day on the Norwegian Sky from Miami last year, we got to the port at about 11am and were in quite a late boarding group and that is a small ship in comparison.

Maybe post on the rollcall for the cruise as there are a few people on there who have done the cruise before.

Have a great time, I really can't wait and am driving my husband crazy!