mking8288

@PistolPete13. Inside cabin prices dropped 2 to 3 weeks before sailing, low as $549 to $599 with Free At Sea, $649 highest & solo supplement ... Booking code LatDblx promo points still valid (total of 3 points per night or 45 Latitudes points) and don't recall now - possibke to use 2 CruiseNext Certificates) And, NCLH shareholder $250 OBC, submit at least 15 days prior to sailing. You do the math, isn't that a steal since you travel solo & happy with Insides. One-way air isn't expensive and you can fly back in the afternoon if disembarkation from Barcelona ... or, extend time in Spain. Insides Sailaway actually dropped to $499 within the final few days since NCL wanted to fill the remaining cabins. If you are flexible, these deals can be found again.

I know, this is on the Google Pixel 7 Pro now, will fire up the Lenovo Chromebook later tonight & see how that go. Yeah, better than the Getaway in January or Joy last September, they didn't do any upgrade & sure isn't Starlink. Haven't checked w friends that just got off the Sun's TA earlier this week, which apparently had no upgrade either but said to be okay generally. Go figures 🤔🤔🤔

Hi, Dan - YVR and others are correct, AFAIK, any of the extra treats, aside from the strawberries, aren't for being Sapphires. Enjoy them, depending on the GM and his secretary, you might get other surprises but don't expect any. EMC's WiFi on the Atlantic side is fine & usable for me. DW wanted to upgrade using OBC and it's a fair trade-off for 14 days. Regards from onboard the Epic, brings a subtle reminder of the Gem, odd & strange, but true with the oldest mega ship in the NCL fleet - Henry

Hello from the North Atlantic, Bermuda bound to your PC crossing on the Sun. EMC's satellite WiFi onboard is usable good, it's dinner time so that too busy with data traffic. I made sure VPN is turned off.

Cloudy afternoon, on the windy side out in this angled secret large balcony. There's room out there for at least 2 loungers, or a table plus an extra chair for breakfast 😁😁😁 We can get really creative next ... Mini refrigerator emptied out so we can store our own stuffs, including ice in the bucket, and coffee/hot water maker with the set-up, and 3 cups. 🫢 Key numbers - speed at 19.2 knots, 328 nm to Heritage Wharf at Dockyard at 4:45 pm ship/Bermuda time. New brand of coffee pods in stock now.

Photos from the CC Meet & Greet this morning at Cagney's - thank you, John for putting the time & effort to arrange this. Kudo to the officers for coming by and taking questions & also talked about the future direction of the Prima class ships. That's Amir Tikvesa, the GM with the microphone - he was on the Gem before coming to the Epic. John chatting with fellow CC'er & several brief announcements about LCR, 4 pm on sea days, cabin crawl and slot pull for those interested, with help from others volunteering to help.

First set of speedtest results - unlimited basic plan, on a sea day sitting in the buffet over coffee & fresh fruits

Lunch at Taste, there was a 30 to 45 minutes wait and given a pager. Luckily, being Sapphire might've help, we got seated in about 20 minutes, or less. Bay scallops were butterly good. Portions are larger than dinner, served near ideal temperature & tasty but not salty, credits to the executive chef & gallery team.

Photo of Cagney's with the private function sign for the well attended M&G organized by John. Clay doing his live'ish Epic report & I got the chance to chat and share a little insider's tip.

Mrs wanted her unlimited WiFi upgrade, non-streaming for 14 days, done & going to be offset by non-refundable OBC. We should stay "live" for most of the cruise - $220 to be posted as a charge, no other discount or savings can be applied. My 300 minutes remain available after hers got converted with partial credit. Seas are calm now at about 1 meter or 3 to 4 ft. waves - view from ship's AFT. Bridge is sending commands to the engine room to run it, full speed ahead.

Epic's Bridge Viewing Room, Deck 13 Fwd Starboard - similar to and larger than the one on the Gem, open on sea days. While I don't have my 2 meters/70 cm portable at sea, there's an app for VHF to monitor marine radio traffic on Ch.16 when there's action.

M&G - senior officer's name and title, etc. 3,825 pax onboard & 1,600+ crew on this sailing.

Enjoy these photos

Thanks. GM was asked about the sailing time. Leaving at 8:10 pm for a scheduled 7:30 pm departure isn't late, they were monitoring river current & also need to slot the time for the pilot boat. We are probably going to push the engine room to go as fast & safely as possible to be on time for Bermuda, seas should be better ahead later. 6 to 9 ft. wave is fine.

Let's say, apparently usable speed with this free access to CruiseCritic site, pix uploaded very slowly on the Pixel 4a. Going to convert our 300 or 600 minutes to unlimited later, but going to check out things with the iPad mini 5 first and head to the CC Meet & Greet shortly, 11 am at Cagney's. Sitting near the AFT elevators on Deck 7 ... comfortable leather chairs but on the low side, foam paddings can be firmer. Ships 5-6-7 public deck space has its unique layout and is different, getting used to it ... more comments & thoughts about it later. Plus how we are managing 3 to a angled large family balcony.

Posting over "free" a WiFi onboard, not using minutes on this account.

Good morning, we did get 6 of them, a bit smaller but DW and sister ate them before I take that picture late night. It was fine. Seas a bit choppy, about 460+ nm to Dockyard, breakfast at Taste now. More post later

Thanks ... mark the GPS coordinates, still on my LTE cellular home signal at 11:25 pm EDT, skipping the need to upgrade to unlimited WiFi for at least Day 1 for sure. That saved, non-refundable OBC available for use will paid for some of that water cartons, etc. Posting this on my backup Google Pixel 4a 5G on Mint (Band 12, eSim) & Google Fi Wireless - signal should fade anytime soon 😞

Moving the clock ahead or + 1 hour (less sleep) still has a usable LTE signal. Will be back online later ... or in the morning. Requested ice, done. Coffee maker in the morning. Flow waters delivered ...

Time-lapsed photos @ 8:25 pm ... we are on the move, backing out now. Looks like we will rock & roll for a few hours overnight, not unexpected, but should be fine getting to Bermuda. Let this TA get underway 🎊

A picture is worth a thousand words. Ropes still tied up at the pier, yet to be released.

All abroad, it's about 7:35 pm. Dinner on the Hudson at Taste MDR done, a view of the West Side Hwy & skyline ... on our balcony, should be under way. Our dinner was pretty good, took about 90 minutes for 5 course selections, petite servings but just right for us. There is 2 lines, one for those with reservations, at separate host/ess stations, just not always easy to figure out if the line is long. The rotating dinner menus - tonight's Chicken Piccata was good. These menu items pretty much unchanged from that used on the Getaway this January.

Lines on Day 1 at Guest Services, Shorex, Restaurant Reservation Desk, and CruiseNext, where we signed up for Dine With Officers and the complimentary BTS tour, skipping the wine tasting. Paid BTS tour available too, stops at the Bridge and Engine Control Room, for a fee, of course. Safety isn't a problem with paid tour, huh, just for your wallet & convenience.

Rooms are just about ready, a sneak peek of our slightly larger than average balcony on Deck 13 Fwd/Mid near the stairs & elevators. Doubled the size of those on the BA and Getaway, or Escape. Trailers lined up to load provisioning onto the ship, and still lots of luggage to be taken onboard. Plus, a bonus view of Pier 88's rather full parking lot and the Intrepid Museum.

Oops. 😆 LOL. Those darn AI auto-correct & predictive spelling, good catch & fixed in time. Changed just in time. P.S desktop view of Epic's shipcam is quite sharp on our monitor, looking across the street from the pier and can see pax outside with luggage.