spenecer

It was decent but made with ginger ale. It would have been a lot better with ginger beer.

This One’s for You, Review with two thumbs Oliver wants his mum to know that he isn’t working in a grocery store so that why this awful photo is included. Otherwise, we aren’t supposed to include photos of the performances. Maybe I will get away with it because the Epic’s GM is changing today. The three singers in the Elton John Tribute group can really sing. They have great pipes. Their act could use a little work, especially when compared to the Epic Beatles from the night before. The transitions from song to song are rough and could use a rewrite. Oliver has excellent showmanship and they should probably use that to their advantage. The show was also very short at only 35 minutes.

Day 3 Speed- 8 Mbps Down / 2.4 Mbps Up The Freestyle Daily was once again delivered to the outside of our cabin and when the app updated (between drinks #7 and #8), I couldn’t figure out how to save it as PDF. After a good night’s rest, here it is. Freestyle Daily 3.pdf

I went to Headliners Comedy club (sans daughter) where the comedian did anagrams! I love words. Now, I’m on the pool deck with the recovered seasick girl listening to music that I completely don’t recognize but she can sing the lyrics. I feel old but I have a martini to console me.

Day 2, Drink #9 - Raspberry French

Day 2, Drink #8 - Midori Martini

Mandara Spa Massage Review Yesterday, Mandara Spa held a raffle for spa services (must be present to win!) and as a consolation prize, all the (losing) attendees present were offered the chance to purchase the Manager’s Special for $149 (but now, book later). The Manager’s Special consisted of a 75 minute Swedish massage with hot oils, hot stones, foot massage and hand massage. As I almost never have time to get a massage during my normal work week nor do I have a good masseuse, I decided to take the discount and experience a cruise massage. As I’ve had a lot of bodywork done in the past and I have severely tight muscles in my shoulders and neck, I wasn’t expecting much from a cruise ship massage. I now have very soft skin but my neck and shoulder muscles are still tight. This is about what I expected. It was relaxing (I feel asleep twice!) but my muscle problems are too severe. My recommendation is to go the raffle on the first day and get in on the Manager’s Special. The massage is nice but even nicer is not paying full price.

Day 2, Drink #7 - Cosmopolitan This post is short because the martini glass doesn’t fit in the cup holder in the Epic Theatre without tilting and the ship is swaying a lot so I’m typing this entry with only one thumb and holding the drink with the other hand. My daughter claims she is too young for Elton John so I’m seeing This One’s for You alone.

My daughter spent the day seasick but seems to be recovering now the pharmaceuticals are kicking in.

Ginger ale by itself didn’t do much but the drugs dispensed by Guest Services worked.

I did a quick pass through Spice H2O on my way to a massage at Mandara Spa. The wind is currently blowing the smoke from the stacks sideways and Spice H20 is 50% (?) occupied.

I’m not sure these qualify as green apples (my daughter claims no) but she loves green apples so this was an easy choice to make. I went to the buffet. I got them to cut up an apple! My day daughter ate the apple (almost ecstatically).

Day 2, Drink #6 The Matador at Maltings Whiskey Bar I’m not seasick, but the Matador has fresh ginger in it. (And by association, I’m all for ginger right now)

I think it could have used a lot more rum but it was tasty and I was happy to try to recommendation.

Day 2 I bought the wrong kind of motion sickness patches. I put ‘Motion Sickness Patch’ into the Amazon search and it returned some homeopathic patches which contain datura flower, ginger extract and menthol. The Caribbean Sea is fairly rough today with waves coming crosswise against the Epic. I can feel the ship rocking side to side. So, admitting my abject purchasing failure, I went to Guest Services and begged some motion sickness pills. They were FREE! For all the complaints about NCL charging for everything, the motion sickness pills were free. My daughter has taken one. Cross your fingers for chemistry.

Day 2 Drink #4 - Strawberry Daiquiri This was from the Wave Pool Bar on Sea Day. I did not time the wait because the bartender was too fast in serving me.

Day 2 After getting my drink, I headed down to the Cavern Club on Deck 6 for the Cruise Critic Meet & Greet. Nonad, the current GM, says his contract ends tomorrow and he is getting off. He will be replaced by Amir (sp? and not shown). This full sailing has 4400 people. All the staterooms are full. The ship left San Juan 30 minutes late yesterday to wait for a plane from Charlotte which had 70 passengers but a few people will be getting on the ship tomorrow. So NCL really does wait if they arrange your air travel.

Day 2 Drink #4 - A Dark and Stormy We found the ‘secret’ or quiet deck up on 18 yesterday and used it to watch the Sailaway. This made the Epic horn rooting very loud as we were right under the horn. There are waiters roaming Deck 18 and he brought us drinks.

Day 2, Drink #2 - Vanilla Bean Frappe (for the girl) Day 2, Drink #3 - Another Venti Caramel Macchiato

Belated Review of La Cucina My daughter has asked me to not live blog while we are eating so I am only recording my drinks (if I get them, hah, we know I am going to get them). I am back at the gym after my Starbucks run but this time I’m cheating. Instead of an elliptical machine for a full body workout, I’m on a recumbent bike so that I can write this post. I decided to use one of our Specialty Dining credits at La Cucina because my daughter loves Italian. We entered by through the Garden Cafe on Deck 15 and then down the stairs because we weren’t sure if we could enter via the wheelchair access on Deck 14. La Cucina is at the front of the Epic and all the tables for two are set at the front of the ship against the windows. This provided an excellent view of the lights of San Juan fading into the night as the Epic sailed out into the Caribbean. It was not very busy when we arrived. Samir, our waiter, was very attentive (he said to call him John if we didn’t like the service). Everything arrived hot (or cold) as necessary. I don’t feel like we waited overly long for anything but the meal was still very long affair. We had 7:30 reservations and finished around 9:15. I did order three drinks from the bar; we also ordered appetizers, pasta, mains and dessert. My daughter can be a foodie. We made the mistake of taking our children to fine dining when they were young and now their tastes far outweigh their early earning potential. They don’t like MacDonald’s (weep with me for a lost fast food generation). So, I asked her opinion and this is what she said, ”The food was good but I wouldn’t pay these prices at a restaurant on land for this quantity.” There you have it. Out of the mouth of babes. The food was flavorful, correctly seasoned and served at the right temperature. Our bills were also $70 each before the Specialty Dining credit. Sometimes food isn’t about how much food you get but about the experience. I would recommend La Cucina to anyone who would like a well-presented, leisurely and tasty meal while the Epic sails out of the port of the day. Enjoy the experience (and don’t Live Blog or my daughter will scold you).

Day 2 Drink #1 - Caramel Macchiato with Whip Cream There hundreds of drink possibilities on the Epic and I intend to try as many as possible. So, this will be the only repeat drink on this cruise but I’m not sure I can start the day without my Starbucks. The thing about addiction is that you can’t control it. There are lots of people up by 6:30, including smokers in the smoking area. I’m allergic to cigarette smoke and it was blowing back toward the Gym where I pretended to work off 100 calories before heading for Starbucks. So, I walked into the cigarette smoke across Deck 15 for my addiction while the smokers had their addiction. By the time I reached the foreward stairs to head down to deck five, I was hacking like a dying mule. Thanks to COVID, everyone in the Atrium stared at me like I’m a plague-carrier. There you go, no control whatsoever.

Day 2 Speed - 6.8 Mbps Down / 0.9 Mbps Up I woke up this morning and thought #%&$ I am still drunk from yesterday. Then, I realized it was the ship moving up and down. In a less-inebriated state, I realized how to save the PDFs of the Freestyle Daily, so here Day 2 again. PDF document.pdf

On my iPhone, the Speedtest.net website reports Emerging Markets Communications. I have been using the app and didn’t realize that the service was listed above my iPhone model.

Epic Beatles in the Epic Theatre Review If you love the boys from Liverpool, then you will love the Epic Beatles in the Epic Theatre. The show on the first night is a ‘review’ of 8-10 of the greatest hits from Liverpool’s finest. There are two costume changes and a smattering of set adjustments. The back video screen is also used to excellent effect to bring out the feel of each Beatles era. The music playing and the mimicry of Ringo, George, Paul and John are both well done. If you don’t like the Beatles, then you should claim seasickness like my daughter and head back to your cabin. At the end of the show, just under an hour in length, ‘John’ let’s you know that this is just a taste of the shows they will be putting on in the Cavern club and that each show will focus on a different era.

With Sailaway, I did not look at Spice H2O this evening but from what I’ve seen on the internet, the pool in Spice H2O gets covered in the evening to become a dance floor or stage or maybe just to keep the black soot from the smokestacks out of the water.