queenschick9b

Same reason - NCL have the best price for solo travelers and loved their studio room/lounge on the Breakaway.

I like RCCL when I am traveling with others (the Oasis and Allure especially), but when I travel solo. - probably 75% of the time my choice is NCL no contest. In addition to the studios which I hated the first time I went on Epic and now I love thanks to some advice I got on here, their restaurants are a friendlier configuration too - OSheehans, Ocean Blue, Wasabi, and more all have bars were you can eat which I enjoy if I want company while dining.

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Thanks so much - this was very helpful!

I'm doing the Escape and I'm torn about doing the meal plan. I don't think I can use it at FR and Bayamo the way I used to use as a base with an upcharge at Ocean Blue on the Breakaway, and since I have the two free meals. I'm thinking of doing the rest without the package and just charging to my cabin.

Dial 7 and Carmel Limo are two large New York City based companies that provide service in the Metropolitan New York area. They provide excellent service and there rates are reasonable.

I love Carmel, I have used them to get to the Manhattan cruise port from Queens and Long Island. I've used Uber as well, but Carmel always arrived early and the cars are much nicer for not that much more money.

Just the addition of Cagney's is a huge plus for me.

I have what might be basic question and I searched, but this was the closest conversationto what I wanted to ask. This winter is my first cruise as a platinum. For the two free meals, do I just book the restaurant and then on the ship tell them I want to use my plat perk that night? I'm thinking of doing Moderno and Le Bistro, but I think when I make the reservation online they are going to ask me to pay then and I wasn't sure how this works. Thanks in advance for any advice on this!

I read the article and liked it, but I also know who Michael Ian Black is for context (he had posted the link on his Twitter).

My bosses judge me for going on cruises. It just isn’t their thing. I just say, for me I enjoy it for a few reasons - easy/safe traveling by myself, extremely relaxing and budget wise it really is the best you get for you money. They can still judge but they don’t get to choose how I spend my time off.

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This is a general question. Would you leave anything valuable on your chair while in the pool? Something like a phone or tablet etc? Maybe it is a good idea to bring an old fashioned paperback just to be safe.

I cruise by myself, so I usually take anything of value with me and leave a magazine and my beach bag if I go to the rest room or grab an ice cream cone etc. if I go in the pool I leave it, but try to find a seat where I can watch my bag on my chair and usually wrap the straps around while the stuff is deep in the bag so it hard for someone to just grab it.

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On my last NCL sailing I found it very peculiar what was and wasn't included. For example: Vodka. Titos, Absolut and Kettle One - included. Grey Goose and Belvedere - FIVE DOLLAR UP CHARGE. That makes absolutely no sense. Sure, by the bottle, Grey Goose and Belvedere are slightly more expensive than Kettle One. So maybe $1 up-charge...I guess? But $5? That was a head scratcher.

 

 

 

I was also very annoyed that NOTHING was served straight. I like to sip on whiskey, but was told that was not allowed. They let me get away with it if I agreed to ONE ice cube placed in the glass. Bizarre.

That happened to me on the sky and I said that in a post here that asked about shots on the ship and I don’t think people believed me. This was in January, I wanted Jameson straight (wanted to put it in my tea, my throat was killing me from all the air conditioning) and they would only give it me over ice. Even when I said I was mixing it with the tea.

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My parents had a mini suite on the Epic while I had a studio and the shower area was nice and huge. They were on the 12th floor and it was a very nice room toward front right near elevator.

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When I went this winter they would not give you straight shots. I wanted a Jameson and they would only serve it on the rocks.

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I've never felt cramped or claustrophobic in a studio cabin. It's not like you are sleeping in a closet. Are they small? Sure. But, they are well designed for one person with plenty of room and storage. Great showers, too.

 

 

If you are like most people you will be spending a minimal amount of time in the cabin anyway since there is so much to see and do on the Epic. Studios are a great bargain and feature for solo travelers.

Yeah, I think it has to do with your personal discomfort levels. I don't like any seat on an airplane because I feel closed in. While the studio isn't "cramped", it felt very "closed in" *to me* the first time. That was also the first time I traveled alone and I really didn't feel safe leaving the cabin to wander the ship by myself at 3 am so that added to the "trapped" feeling I felt at the time. It's also another reason why I picked 12515 -- the middle of the epic studios felt very far from the entrances back into the regular hallway (they are much shorter hallways on the Bway).

This was my 3rd time staying in the studio - 1 time on Breakway and 2x on epic. I will say that the first time I did feel horribly cramped and woke up super panicked, but advice i got here really helped. I leave the bridge view station on, so during the day it was like a window and the morning it was like a natural sunrise. I also learned to be neater - you can't be messy/cluttered in a tiny room and they really do give you a million places to store things. They can't see you, but they can see there is a light or like a shadow. I honestly always kept my blinds open.

I wanted to make a seperate thread on this room because I just finished a cruise in the room. I booked it because it was close to the mini-suite my parents were in and didn't have a connecting door (which I had the first time I sailed the Epic and I felt like I could hear the tv in the next room the whole trip). About a week before I went I looked for cruise room reviews and everyone was saying how loud the doors were (its between the doors to the studio lounge and the doors the main hallway.)

I just wanted to let people know since then they have change the mechanisms on the doors and they don't slam any more. I think I heard one close 1 time over the course of 7 days. I would highly recommend the room because it was so close to the elevators and the lounge, so the location, to me, was great. I will say that often times the door to the hallway didn't close all the way - that didn't bother me, but if that is one of the reasons you are booking the studio - it is probably just something good to know.

Happy to answer any questions about the cabin.

Sailed on her twice last year and loved it. Everything was great except both times final disembarkation was very slow and disorganized, but it is a lot of people.

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We were on same cruise in the Aft penthouse on the 11th floor, room 11308. We also had Ramona as our butler. She was just great. We had breakfast on our balcony ( what a balcony) three times. She would bring us the usual snakes plus extra that we asked for. I have to say Anoop was just great. He made all our excursions for us. We wanted to eat in Ocean Blue on night and told no openings. So we asked Anoop and he got us in. He also got us in the Cirque Dream Jungle show on short notice for 6 people.

Your right the room was amazing mans the balcony was great.

Never meet one band crew member,

All were very helpful and friendly.

Had a great time, can't wait to go again. And yes the Haven was fantastic

 

 

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I was on this cruise too (and I noticed it on my December Breakaway cruise as well), the restaurants I was in or walked by were never full, but I kept seeing people turned away. This was especially weird to me because I ate late 8:00 and it never filled up while I was dining. I ate at Ocean Blue twice, both at 8 p.m., the 2nd time people got turned away and there were definitely empty tables the entire time I was there.

hate to ask the newbie question but i will as this is the 1st time ive read a post that had the word bill in it.

 

do you show your key card when you sit down or when you are finished? i'm guessing when finished otherwise theres no need to bring a bill because they would know it's all free if you had the SDP plan.

 

regarding free venues i have to admit it would be weird to eat then just leave but i'm sure ill get used to it. hope i dont start doing it at home then.

Last week on the Breakaway they asked for my card at the end of the meal to "prepare my check". They always knew I was SDP because I actually did 5 meals and had only bought 4, so the hostess the first night wanted to make sure I knew it wasn't covered and that was while I was still at the desk - I told her I was aware :)

For my SDP meals, the bills were 0 each night (because I also had UBP) except one night where I had a cappuccino. The funny part was they didn't give me the 0.00 bill that night, just the one for the coffee, so I just tipped the extra on that bill instead.

I just got back from Breakaway and I did add a little extra each time even though I paid for my SDP and paid the 18% charge. I just felt weird not leaving anything when they brought me out the 0.00 bill.

I do the same in the spa. Not an extra 20% on either of these, but just a little something for the person who assisted.

I saw the same thing, the first day they said it was open to all and I even heard one of the pool attendants state that. And unlike other ships they did enforce - they would blow the whistle if kids went in and asked them to leave.

Did you try leaving a new rolled napkin with utensils inside next to your plate? I completely understand your dislike of leaving your stuff for a drink--very aggravating!

What I ended up doing was tell the waiter that seemed to be "patrolling" the area that I was coming right back and wasn't finished. Then I would grab two glasses of whatever I was drinking so I would only have to get up once. Why are those cups on every line I have ever sailed so tiny :)

It was really nice the day I left for NY in winter - was 50 degrees, but then it got cloudy and rainy and very windy. We got in late or had a customs issues at port canerval so we didn't get until late and couldn't make the private island because it was rainy/windy so I ended up only getting out in Nassau. I had a great time but in winter I would definitely go from Florida - honestly if NCL left from San Juan I would do that because I had 2 coldish trips in winter from Miami ;)

It isn't Les Getrex anymore it was Charlie love. They let someone play guitar with them last night.

If I could go back I would have replaced Moderno with a second time at cagneys no questions.

I found the casino a little smokey, but found it was just in that area and it didn't bother me as much on other floors where last time it bothered me on 8 and 6 as well when I walked through.

You don't need to pre-arrange at all and in future I would not use the cruise line. It is set $7 each way and they are at the dock in a line and are waiting there when you are ready to go back. The only thing I noticed is they kind of wait until they fill up (similar to when you do the open air taxi in st. Thomas.)

I got there really early - 9:30 and I am gold so there was literally nobody in front of me on that line once I got through security (which opened around 10) and got group 1. I didn't even try for vibe because there is the same type chair all the way at the front of deck 16 and I was doing the spa.

Just got back from the ship and just wanted to leave a hopefully helpful review!

Overall I had an amazing time and I love the Breakaway.

Sailaway -

I was very lucky both times when I went out of NY - Christmas and last week that I had beautiful clear days. This time I watched the sailaway from the aft of the 8th floor instead of the pool deck. It was perfect because you can get the whole city and then just walk around and get the Statue of Liberty. It was also so nice and quiet.

Dining- I did the dining package and I regret doing 4 meals because I ended up eat at specialities 5 times and should have gotten the 5 meal plan- Ocean Blue (x2), Tepenyaki, Moderno and Cagneys. Did one night at O'Sheenans and one night at Taste.

Both my meals at Ocean Blue were great- I did the stone crabs and the Dover sole, which was amazing and the next time the lobster bisque and the snapper. The second time I went they sat me at the waterfront and it was beautiful...[ATTACH]392130[/ATTACH]

Moderno I would pass. It was okay but as many other have said (and I should have listened to) all the places at home are better.

Cagneys had the oyster appetizer and the 20 oz porterhouse. It was cooked exactly as I requested and was great.

Tepenyaki (which I am sure I am spelling wrong) was a lot of fun. Had the lobster and filet and again my steak was rare as requested and I loved the drink there. I think it was the wasabi? It was the one with the lychee in it. Highly recommend.

O'Sheenans I had the fish and chips and the nachos. I don't like cheese sauce, so I would personally skip the nachos next time, plus I wasn't into the bacon on them - yet I still ate them all.

Taste was okay, nothing super exciting the specialities were definitely the way to go.

For lunches I did uptown grill, wasabi, and O'Sheenans. I felt the burgers at uptown and O'Sheenans were both the same, just with different options. I paid attention because I know people are upset about uptown, but there was a good alternative.

Bermuda- the first day I did scenic St. George and it was just the right amount of sightseeing. It was early when I got back so I went to snorkel park at the dock. It was $5 and I stayed for a couple of hours and I really enjoyed it. It was not crowded (probably because of the time) and I liked the calm water. (my new phone lock screen)

That night I had booked the excursion through the ship for Harbor Nights and swizzle cruise. It was extremely windy so the excursion got canceled. Since I was traveling solo I didn't feel like going into Hamilton at night by myself so I just hung out on the ship.

The next day I had the Horseshoe Bay beach transfer - it was not as crowded at I thought it would be (I took the early trip). My original plan was to stay longer and take a different minibus back for the $7. Because of the wind they weren't renting umbrellas and since I am a ghostly shade that meant that 3 hours was more than long enough. I was glad I brought a rash guard so that I could have a little more protection.

The last day I did the rising sun cat. Good snorkeling, great friendly crew lots of stuff - kayaks, paddle boards, noodles. I would highly recommend. Plus it is perfect since we are only in port until 2:30 and it gets you back around 12:30.

Around the ship-

I had been on the ship in December and loved the thermal spa. I was wavering this time, but a week before I splurged and did the pass. While I love the energy of the pool usually it really is too many people for a small, small area. There is lots is shade, but the only quiet shady place is the waterfront. I ended up using the spa to get away from the crowds and it was excellent.

Entertainment -

Love rock of ages, fat cats and howl at the moon. Did really well on the video poker machine and actually left ahead.

Cabin-

Stayed in the studios and loved it. If you go back in my history I sailed on the epic in the studio in 2011, which was when it was still pretty new. That time I had found it pretty claustrophobic, but I decided to try it again. I loved it it was so cozy and I would definitely do it again. I want to thank this board for the tip that I think made it better. At night I left it on the view from the bridge channel and that kept the room from being pitch black, and also kind of helped wake me up as it got lighter in the am. It was a great tip and it did make it feel like a little window.

I love the studios you get to meet people and then you can decide how much you want to do with the group- there is no pressure but it is fun to have people to meet up with at the deck parties, etc.

I had an amazing time and cannot think of anything I didn't enjoy! I wish there was a better pool area or that H2O had some shade. If there were umbrellas there it would have been perfect. I loved the water feature.

Just for fun, here is a nice shot of the breakaway from the ferry.

Please feel free to ask me any questions!

Service... as in someone bringing it to you? Aren't all those beverages readily avail at the dispensers?

Yes but I cruise solo so I am either leaving my food and then the staff remove it or i have a bag or other belonging with me that i then have to leave unattended as it isn't easy to carry, a bag, a plate and a drink all at once. it is something I personally like but I am not saying other people need to care about it or that it is a huge issue. I just got back from the breakaway and had an amazing time!

My tiny difference is that NCL drink service in buffet (including non alcoholic beverages - ice tea, water, lemonade) is non-existent. I think the entertainment on the Epic is better than RCL except for their newest ships (it will definitely be better than Freedom, majesty and independence)

I am one of those who thinks besides the dining differences they are more a like than different. I just did Adventure last month and am going on Breakaway next. Both to me are good products.

How many days out are you? Are you in a suite? On my last two cruises it showed 100 days out but since I was not in a suite it showed it to me as sold out. As soon as it hot midnight day 90 it showed up as being able to purchase.

The UBP never specifies what liquor is included. I t specifies an amount, 15 bucks. I am sure when it went from 11 to 15, you demanded to pay anything over 11 because that was your contract:roll eyes:

 

Prices change all the time everywhere. It is what it is. The drink prices are high but thats life.

 

As far as the espresso martini, if it was in the higher price range, all you would have to do is request it be made with a lower price vodka and you'd be good to go.

I was wondering that with the dark and stormy. If I got it with a different rum that is part of the package would it then be included?