jordans mom

We arrived in St Maarten on time -got up in time to watch us pulling into port. Not a particularly pretty port – container operation on one side and the other side cruise docks and smaller marina docks.

We had booked a catamaran excursion through Celebrity. The excursion rep met us right at the ship dock and we all left on time – short walk through the “shopping village” to the marina dock where the catamaran was – also happened to be the dock where the ferry to the town was .

Turned out that there was small storm the evening before so it was a little choppy – but we were able to get to a spot to snorkel – water was a bit murky – but you could see plenty - member of the crew ‘fed’ the local fish and that allowed many to see some of the fish closer to the catamaran – there was plenty to see as the underwater rock formations and some sunken items had plenty of urchins and small fish to look at. We were also take to a small beach for a swim and some refreshments – was tough swimming in as it was still somewhat choppy – all in all – the crew and the cat were great and very attentive to everyone on board – the rum drinks and the sandwiches were enjoyable. Celebrity engaged a solid vendor for this catamaran service and I am glad we chose them through the ship.

Spent some time walking through the ‘shopping village” before reboarding the ship – lots of little shops – but since I am not the shopper I once was –did not buy anything except a shaved ice treat. I think there was a starbucks there and a couple of signs saying free wifi , but we headed back as we were exhausted from the boatride and wanted to take a nap before dinner.

I did not get into town – but one of our group did – went to a local beach and said it was an easy ferry ride and they rented a chair and spent the morning there enjoying the beach. Overall – everyone we ran into on St Maarten were very professional and helpful – next time I would take some time to see more of the island on land – the cat ride was really enjoyable and I would do it again – but somehow missed the local flavor by not getting into town.

PORTS

Original itinerary was short day in San Juan, then St Kitts and St Maarten. A combination of prop problems and a first night medical emergency changed the itinerary – so we dropped St Kitts and spent a full day in San Juan . That worked out great for us as we had never been to SJ and the extra time meant a whole day exploring!

San Juan

We got into port and did not book any excursion – we walked to the ferry (50c/@way and abt a 10 min walk) and took it over to the other side of the harbor to tour the Bacardi factory. Once you get to the other side it is a 5 min walk to cabs and then about a 10 min cab ride ($5 @) to the Bacardi location. The tour is about $12/pp and includes a guided tour and a rum cocktail at the end.

We had a blast – but were kind of disappointed that it was all just museum ( many brewery/distillery tours stateside actually allow you to walk over the actual production space through glass enclosed walkways) – so it was a nice side trip;

we took the ferry back and started to wait for the free Old San Juan trolley – but it was REALLY HOT and no trolley in site so we walked over to a sidelined van and they took our group up the hill for $10 – so up we went to the castle and then walked up the hill to the fort (ps. Next time I would go all the way to the top first – the hill is a killer when it is hot and you are tired….just sayin).

On our way to the fort – it was so hot we needed to stop for something to cool off and take an edge off our appetites – just before the fort was a cute place by the fort – CINEMABAR San Juan 1950? – we had a light lunch and a couple of drinks in a nicely decorated and A/C space – staff was great and food was tasty – and off we went = re-energized up to the fort!

The Fort was the highlight of our day - great views from there and they have done a decent job of maintaining it – hope that the Park Service can put some more into it in the coming years – but it was a great example of a new world Spanish style fort…worth the time!

NEXT UP – ST MAARTEN!

We are booked on our first Celebrity cruise in January but all these negative comments are really affecting the excitement we were feeling at looking forward to it. I'm trying to focus on all the positive things! We are just thankful to be healthy enough and blessed enough to be able to take a cruise.

So - again - we have particular expectations - particularly w/r/t to Entertainment/Fitness/Spa and only reasonable expectations w/r/t to food ( mass market cruises are not for foodies) - -

so just go with your instincts and look forward to your cruise! You selected it for a reason - you will definitely find things you love/hate - enjoy time with whomever you are sailing with and know that some things will meet /exceed your expectations - others not so much (like all things) .....

The ship itself is nicely laid out - we enjoy more intimate and varied spaces for evening entertainment....but it flows nicely overall...

Thanks to all the OP who added their thoughts. !!!!

As I have come to learn, and why there is so much to choose from on the high seas - is that all of us have particular interests and needs when it comes to a cruise vacation!

We have sailed to many destinations other than the Caribbean on these ships and they all have their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses.

(DISCLAIMER insert - as with entertainment - we are foodies and I am an avid cook at home - we love new foods and amazing presentations when we go out - we love meat and potatoes - but we are not a eat and potatoes clan, so==>)

I will say one thing they ALL (meaning mass market cruises (NCL, Disney, Carnival, Celebrity,...) have had in common (in my humble experience) -

is that the food experience in general is no better than a decent restaurant back home on a busy holiday. Don't go on a cruise if you are expecting amazing meals (dont get me wrong its great not to cook and clean up!!! ;) )

If you are looking for special and intimate dining you will have to spend the extra $$ on the specialty eats (and that is not always a given - even within the same cruise company - quality and experience varies from ship to ship even though the menus read the same!) .

The larger/newer NCL ships have spaces called HAVEN , which have their own restaurant/nightclub space that is not open to the rest of the ship. It is not the use of other restaurant space for suites - but a totally separate eating and libations getaway.

So that is why I compare it to Blu on the Silhouette - as Blu is the eating space for AQUA class - but is simply that, eating - there is no dedicated club space and the HAVEN restaurant probably sits as many as Blu did - it is just that it was laid out in a different way with more sections and more upholstered areas - intimate spaces and lots of windows (about 3/4 of the space and all of the bar/club room).

It may not be an entirely fair comparision - however, for only a small amount more over what we paid for AQUA class - we purchased HAVEN cabin suite space and the amenities -

So I guess the only point I want to make is - that for the small "difference" we paid up for HAVEN on the Epic - the differences were stark as to the lack of anything close on the Silhouette.....and we suspected/knew this to be the case going in -but were amazed how "little" you got on Celebrity for the price point difference.....

Silhouette's specialty eats were equal to the quality in terms of service/food and selection we have found on other ships - so if you are into specialty spots - Silhouette did not disappoint us. The most unique experience was in Qsine for sure! I will not spoil it for those of you considering it - because the experience is as enjoyable as the actual food and service!!! If you have a chance to consider Qsine - go for it!

I will put in my rec for Tuscan as well - we had the best fish dish of the vacation in Tuscan. I am VERY picky about my fish and am always careful when I order to make sure the waitstaff tells the kitchen how I expect the fish to come out or I will turn it back - they prepared it perfectly!

I will finish later on some of my other thoughts!

More on SPA, POOL DECKS,

SPA

The Spa on Silhouette was just OK – the space is laid out on two levels. Treatment rooms are below the main level of the spa and is where the Relaxation room is located. On the Main Spa level you have locker rooms and the room with about 9-10 heated ceramic loungers – this room is flanked by a sauna room and a steam room – these rooms are coed – however , the locker room does have a sauna in it as well.

We were in Aqua class so had a standing pass to the spa general rooms. Couple of thoughts: while the basics were there – there was no “wow” factor. Also – there are no therapy pools. So I took advantage of the spaces every day and popped for a massage. Here again , I have to say I have been spoiled by the large NCL spa offerings and the NCL spa footprint is probably 3-4x the space and the décor was more modern and “yoga-ish” than on the Silhouette. Now the issues – spa towels were not kept repleneshied; EVERY day I went to get a locker – it was empty of the robe and towel and I had to haul myself back out front and get someone to get a set for me (really? – like when a locker key is turned back in they can’t send anyone back to reset the locker?); in the womens locker room – the showers constantly flooded the common space….also – every day I ended up asking for water for the sauna – one day I waited for over 10 minutes (then just wrapped it up) - - and this may just be ignorance – but every day someone would come into the hot ceramic lounge area with their dirty sneakers and regular gym clothes and sit on the loungers – not laying down a towel – spa personnel saw this and said nothing – (BLECCCH) so I got in the habit of wiping them down before I laid down a clean towel. I was told a spa pass for the week was about $100 or $25/day – way overpriced for the general spa rooms relative to the competition. Massage was done well – no complaints there.

POOL DECKS

I have to disclose that we only set up each day inside the solarium pool deck – I am no longer a “sun” worshipper – so this space was laid out very well, was quiet and a extremely comfortable place to park – the pool itself was just right for us and the hot tubs were easy in easy out – sat about 5-6 adults. The pool in the solarium is over 16 – so no children or families parked in there. Also – the Spa Café is there and serves a spa-style breakfast and lunch. Always found something to enjoy there – especially the frozen yogurt machine – I would take a coffee cup, put in some froyo and top it with some of the yummy poached fruit they served there every day. I wandered to the main pool area from time to time – people seemed to be enjoying the main pools and of course it was always “lively” out there ….

First time on Celebrity – long time cruiser (mostly NCL + Disney )

So I will share a few thoughts on our Dec 7 sailing on the Celebrity Silhouette. Overall – as with any ship there were pluses and minuses. However, I will not be honest if I did not say it is unlikely I would sail on Celebrity again.

Generally – I found the cruise filled my most basic expectation of relaxing, visiting a few new places and enjoying some time/meals with friends who now live far away from us. Other than that – was not a place where I would spend my next cruise$$$.

As a heads up – YES, the Silhouette had a prop out – top speed I saw when checking was about 17 or 18 knots – and YES they missed a port. Part of missing a port was said to be due to a need to respond to a medical emergency. Even without the emergency, it was unlikely they would make all ports and still do their R/T. More on Ports later.

EMBARKATION

I have to say that everything with Embarkation went quickly and smoothly. No complaints here - they have this process down in FLL. We did get some alerts in the mail prior to sailing “assigning” us a check in time – we ignored it and things were fine. We were in our rooms in less than an hour from leaving our hotel room.

CABIN

We have always been balcony cruisers, however, over the past 5 years on NCL we have been sailing in suites and when the Haven suites came up on the newer NCL ships – we have booked those. We chose the Aqua Class balcony room on Celebrity for a couple of reasons. (a) when we compared the suite amenities on Celebrity compared to the suite amenities on NCL , we saw we would be paying more for way less in terms of amenities and privileges – so the cost benefit tilted toward sticking with a balcony room – and as I am a big spa user, and knew I would purchase the week pass anyway – we went for Aqua. Aqua comes with special restaurant , BLU which on description appealed to us (more on that later) as when we sail NCL, the Haven has its own restaurant space which we look forward to as an option (getting away from the madding crowds,…)

We were assigned 1523, which turned out to be a nice cabin, located close to the swing bridge and also a passageway that led directly into the spa. It was also close enough to the fore elevators to be convenient, but set back enough from the stairs/elevators/crew work room to be quiet and less congested. The storage was more than adequate (but we are now pretty efficient cruise packers – down to 1 regular size suitcase each). Bed/piilows setup was very comfortable, some of the upholstery was looking worn. Bathroom was adequate, but no line that you could hang your wet suits on to dry – so drying swimsuits was a constant problem. Air circulation in the cabin was very problematic (and we are not generally sensitive to that) – it may be that we like it on the cooler side when we sleep, but I ended up having to slide open the balcony doors for a short while every night to get some air in the cabin moving.

Housekeeping in the cabin was simply adequate. At times I asked for things and would have to ask 2-3 times, no big deal as a rule except I gave up asking for our replacement pool/beach towels after 3 days….also, may of the bath towels were dingy on some days and several times we got frayed towels – so this is an overall QA problem with the ships hotel housekeeping decisions and not necessarily the room steward per se. I also asked the first day for someone to “sweep” the debris off the balcony and wipe down the table – never happened – finally just took a towel and did it myself after 3 days of asking. And a little nit – this housekeeper was not big on towel animals – we got a cute one on Night 2 and that was it….now, this is not a spoiler, but on every journey I kind of look forward to seeing what will appear in the middle of our bed – kind of brightens my day – alas, not this time. One of the things I missed on Celebrity vs NCL – outside every NCL cabin is a dial so you can tell your steward if you want the cabin serviced, or DND, …….

ENTERTAINMENT

SO – here was the big problem for us and probably the largest single reason we would never spend $$ on a Celebrity venue anytime soon. As background – a large part of a good cruise experience for us is the entertainment at night- both the large shows and the small venues found around the ship. The Silhouette theater shows were a major disappointment for us. (as background, we are avid theater goers locally and often in NYC and so our expectations are high I guess). The costumes and choreography were closer to specialty high school production, major show vocal talent was “ok/not great”. Some of the specialty performers were interesting to watch ( aerial, jugglers) but they could nto make up for the shortcomings in the rest of the shows. Talent in smaller music venues also left something on the table. In some cases, it may the space they were in – for others (Casy and the King ) , it would not matter where you put them – it was not going to be an enjoyable music interlude wherever you put them. The Soul House group probably was the strongest musically, unfortunately they were often in the Grand Foyer – so there is not a lot of sitting space there to sit, listen/watch them and have a libation.

Which leads me to another comparison to NCL/DISNEY – on those lines, every ship had intimate spaces (on a mass market cruise line – that would be about 50 seats) and had musicians that played to the “tempo” of the room makeup that night – in other words, if you wanted a piano man – you went to that venue (on NCL it was typically a ‘martini’ bar) and could enjoy the music, libation and in the intimacy of the space – often ran into some of the same people and struck up some cruise friendships!

NOW the one bright entertainment spot for us was probably the SIN CITY show – this is not for everyone as it is definitely an adult comedy show with some burlesque thrown in – but the comedians were professional caliber and played to their audience – unfortunately the shtick is the same every night – nothing gets changed up night to night – so if you see it one night – you have seen it for all nights.

EATING

As with other mass market cruise ships – there is no real foodie experience to be had on Celebrity (or NCL or Disney…). The general quality of the food was fine – not great in general with the exception of a few specialty spots. I will say that Silhouette had one of the best logistical layouts for the buffet style cafeteria – instead of long straight lines centered around the interior of the room – they had “pods” laid out in between counters that largely bisected the room – so it never felt overwhelmingly busy at any one place when getting a bite to eat. Having said that – we never really ate any main meals here – just dropped by from time to time to graze between major meals on occasion – so it may well be crazy during peak meal times.

Specialty spots were done very well as a rule – we did Tuscan Grille, Qsine, SpaCafe, Gelateria. The meals in Qsine and Tuscan Grille were above average. Tuscan did a great job with the service and food prep and presentation, Tuscan is also sitting full aft on the ship with windows across the entire space – we got there early and were able to watch the sunset as we started our meal – so that started off the experience with high marks to begin with. Tuscan is well designed and the décor and table spacing allows for a nice quiet meal. Qsine was a unique combination of ordering, selection and presentation – it would take a whole separate review to convey the Qsine experience – but I highly recommend it as it is not something you find at that level in most places - and the food is prepared extremely well .

BLU was the Aqua class eating space. We ate there for breakfast a couple of times and dinner twice – my general comment was : ehhhh – ok. Wait staff was exceptional – the menu choices are kind of boring and the presentation is definitely mass market. Prep quality was acceptable – did not send anything back, but not particularly exciting – in other words, I would not pay to have that particular amenity again – or if it was my neighborhood space, I would not highly recommend it to friends and family. Décor of the space was boring. One wall of windows – with tables stacked 4- 5 deep perpendicular to the span of windows with about 18 inches between – no intimate space here (again, as a comparison, at the NCL HAVEN restaurant – the space was divided up into more intimate spaces – on the EPIC the window span arced around from over the pool deck below to the full aft section of the ship – also there was a very ‘funky/hip” decorated bar space with lots of small intimate, high design chairs/curtains to sit and have a libation before going into eat right at the entrance to the dining area)

WILL FINISH REVIEW LATER THIS WEEKEND[/i- - More on SPA, POOL DECKS, PORTS, DISEMBARKATION……

HI:

We are on the 12/7 cruise. Are you really missing a port?

Thank you.

Hi Vettprincess - we are on the 12/7 run.

I was hearing some of the same info on SJ

However, If the OP is correct - we are not due to get into SJ until late Tuesday - which would be a bit over 48 hours of sailing at her top speed - so I would think unless they are delayed - I would expect that from FLL => SJ appears doable?

:)

So there is some information flying around that the Silhouette is experiencing some propulsion problems.

As a result - no San Juan ?

Can anyone share any updates?

(and yes - I am on her next week and was looking forward to visiting)

think we will look for that trolley - head straight to the fort and walk back (assuming its reasonably safe to do that at around 6pm) - looks like the ship soves off at 9 pm - so we need to plan on making it back between 8/8:30...

We are travelling with friends and we like to play cards. Are there any card rooms on the Silhouette?:):o

So - we have never been to SJ/PR before - we will be there the first week in December - and it is in port on a Tuesday.

I would expect the Forts to be closed by the time we get off the ship - I am not really a shopper.

So, any suggestions are welcome.

THANKS!

:):)

jordans mom -

 

Hello and welcome to Celebrity. Here is a thread with some additional thoughts and perspectives in comparing & contrasting NCL and Celebrity, specifically suites. My specific experiences are detailed in Post #16 of the thread.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2091034

 

Specific comments to your questions I have included in your post in red font.

 

 

Walter

thanks ! this has been helpful....ONE MORE ITEM.,,,IF i MAY

On the EPIC the spa had some therapy pools? Does the Silhouette spa have therapy pools?

So long time cruiser on NCL , some Disney under out belts.

Long story short: friends want to cruise on their anniversary and the Silhouette meets the date and itinerary.

So we are used to the NCL and DISNEY suite perks.

Can anyone who has experience on NCL and Celebrity give me some advice...

SPA: looks like they call it the Persian Garden - so, if I go Aqua Class it is included - if I go Concierge, there would be a charge for the week? If so, what might that charge be?

BEVERAGE PACKAGE: this looks completely different from NCL - first all people in the room MUST take the package - that does not appear to be the case on Celebrity?

EMBARKATION/DISEMBARKATION: I get weirded out waiting in long lines, so spending $$ on a Cabin category that gets me out of a couple hour line is worth every penny - if we are looking at Concierge or Aqua - looks like we get priority lines on and off the ship? What about at ports?

DINING: we really are happy with the NCL dining flexibility - I cannot understand the process to get that kind of flexibility on a Celebrity ship - specifically the Sihouette?

I am sure there are other things that I need to consider - but I would really love some help on these!!!!:D

thanks for those who posted....

What I can put together is that for more $$ on RCL you get fewer suite perks....I got used to (spoiled) with the Lavazza machines they put in the suite rooms....and the priority boarding, seats, head of line for port disembarkations.....I prefer to pay extra as I get stressed with lines and the shuffling and piling on......that lets me have one less set of stresses to deal with.....

I also like the option of dining anywhere I want, when I want - it seems that the RCL system while changing - is still not there....

In the suite dining area - you can have guests but you have to pay for them on RCL they have a strict NO GUESTS policy in the BLU area?

Maybe its just the RCL - I was looking at the Celebrity line (RCL brand) and they have suite perks that more closely match NCL.......weird

So, some friends are asking us to sign up for a cruise on the Independence this December.

We are long time NCL cruisers - but NCL does not have an itinerary they would like to go on for their anniversary - so we are looking at RCL.

Heres the thing - I know no one who has sailed on RCL so while I have read reviews on CC, like all other things they tend to be the usual pros/cons.

I would appreciate any information from cruisers who have had NCL cruise experience to compare their RCL experience.

As an example - we are hooked on the perks you get on NCL suites and those just don't seem the same on RCL when you read the suite information. Also - we love the NCL flexible dining and while RCL is beginning to implement that option - looks like the Independence won't have that this year.

SO! any thoughts and experiences comparing NCL vs RCL would help us make a decision!

Special thanks to Mysticks1 on the Celebrity Cruises forum for this idea. I would like to begin to assemble one for NCL

To the moderators, I would appreciate if we could make this a "sticky" at the top of the page for all to see.

Twice a month - I will try to post a PDF for all the ships and cabin information compiled here.

Please, refrain from posting cabin questions here so this can purely be an informative thread, especially for those that are first time cruisers or seasoned cruisers looking for a great cabin.

The template is as follows:

Ship -

Deck -

Stateroom # -

Stateroom Category –

Starboard or Port Side -

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) –

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? -

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. –

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? -

Was wind a problem? -

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? -

Any specific problems with this cabin? -

Any other comments? -

as best I can tell....

wonder why this is such a programming issue for them - this BOARD forum software is widely used? I can only guess it is a function they prefer to phase out - not sure why....

I sent an email to the Community help site. They responded today saying they are working hard to fix this problem.

 

I am so sad. I can't get into my posts and threads. I have a trivia thread that I haven't gotten into for weeks. This is no fun.:(

 

I don't understand why some folks are having no problems.

SPA

As I mentioned – the Haven had some small spa facility – but the allure of the largest thermal spa at sea was too much for me to bypass – and it did not disappoint. I did not personally use any of the spa services but others in my family did – more on that later.

The thermal spa is fabulous! And I rarely use that word.

I spent at least 2 hours every day in there – so I definitely feel I got value for my money.

First, the fact that it has its own open balcony facing the aft of the ship and “windows” from the sauna was a big giant plus for me. The herbal steam room was outstanding as well. If you go to online pictures – you will see a large central “pool” with whirlpool sections and waterfall-style cascades – when I tell you that at the times I was there – most times I had that pool to myself, I am not kidding – during the week there was also only 2 times I had another person in the sauna or steamroom with me.

The locker rooms and space itself is kept immaculately clean – however, like the other areas of the ship – is showing some wear and tear – but not to the degree I experienced elsewhere on the ship. The heated stone lounges were my favorite, and probably where I would run into the most traffic (getting a lounge chair on outside balcony was a bit tougher too). The pools, sauna and steamroom were all kept at perfect temperatures. Lighting and sound control in the room is set to provide total relaxation.

All in all – this space gets an A+.

My sister went for a massage and was happy – my son went for a men’s grooming package and was so ectastic about his facial, shave and trims – that the guy who did the work was considered to be his cruise hero…lol…funny coming from my jock son…..:D

Was the issue with service in the spa suite from the steward? If so, what issues was your sister having.

Yes, it was the servicing of the cabin itself. The steward was not servicing the cabin at night (yes the dial was set to turn cabin down) - after calling housekeeping - the problem was not addressed - she had to go to Guest Services and speak directly to the Hotel Director - interestingly enough - while she was down there, she was standing next to someone who came down shortly after her and was having the same issue - 2 cabins down as it turned out......

What was your cabin number?

We were in Cabin 17114

:mad:The ability to search within a forum has disappeared from the site?:mad:

I went over to the CC main help threads and see this has been gone for a couple of weeks at least?!!

The website search function is basically useless when you simply want to narrow down a topic in a specific forum...

Whats going on CC?:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Thought I would share some thoughts on our February EPIC sailing.

We all enjoyed the EPIC - for multiple reasons - I am not sure I would go out of my way to sail on her again - but if she were doing a route that I was interested in - I would not avoid her either.

This was our first time on the EPIC, we have been on other NCL ships (Platinum level Latitudes) so have some experience on NCL's smaller ships.

I was not so sure about sailing on such a big ship – but it fit the families multiple interests – largely because of the childrens program and water park. It was also a long time since we had left out of a Florida port – and while we had planned this to include my uncle (85), he unfortunately had an acute medical crisis and had to go into surgery a week before sailing ( and I thank heaven that he did not have to be at sea when his emergency arose!) – we missed him but we carried on.

Now to share some thoughts!

CABIN: we stayed in a 2 BR villa in the Haven ; while very nice, the footprint was much smaller than we were used to on other NCL ships we had sailed staying in a comparable cabin level, esp the balcony space. I would say the balcony space was close to 1/3 smaller. It was initially disappointing, but it turned out with so many family members on board – we actually used the room and balcony a lot less than on other cruises…..

The 2 br worked out great as our son was able to rise and rest on his own schedule, had his own bathroom, tv and closet space.

Cabin was nicely appointed ala NCL style – but showing its age, some worn spots, nicked up edges on the furniture and the balcony furniture and deck itself was showing some wear and tear.

The afternoon cabin snacks delivered to the room were kind of boring compared to other NCL trips. Plenty of closet and storage space.

Loved that the shower and tub had a water view – and actually, from the bed you could look down the bath space and see the water every morning when we woke up – so that was a pleasant surprise.

(as an aside – my sister did have repetitive cabin servicing problems the first 2 days – she was in the Deck 14 spa suites – I finally told her to let the Hotel Director know – once she did, service improved and NCL sent them apologies, a nice bottle of wine and chocolate strawberries)

HAVEN: the common space in the HAVEN is probably some of the most underutilized space on the ship – although there is a pool and 2 outside whirlpools, exercise equip, a small sauna and steam room – I have to admit to using the pool deck and spa facility there very little. Again – we were so busy with family – I have to admit largely using it to escape for down time – but other than that – I could not resist the draw of the biggest thermal spa at sea (more on that later) !

The Haven restaurant is available to eat all your meals at, and we were able to arrange a family dinner there (by paying a slight upcharge for those not staying in the Haven) one night.

I enjoyed their breakfast offerings far more than lunch and dinner – both were fine offerings – but it is the same menu every night, so again – we headed out to other eateries on the ship over the course of the week. The lounge makes the best drinks on the ship by far!

The Haven concierge, Ryan, was always very responsive and helpful.

Again, the common areas in the Haven are also showing their age here and there (but this was true all over the ship)

FOOD: In general – I was ok with the food available - lets face it - you don't sail NCL for a foodie experience;

I mostly grabbed the odd bite at the Garden Buffet (in and out) – so while the offerings looked extensive – I never ate a full meal there – what I did eat was hit or miss.

We all met the first night at TASTE – I don’t remember what I ate , I was too tired– but it was lobster night and everyone else ordered the lobster entrée and seemed to be happy enough, I was too tired to care what I ate, so I am sure it was fine – I ate it all (lol).

I did take my young nephews to O’Sheehans for lunch (to give their parents a break) – now I would say the pub food there is mediocre at best – not sure why they cannot seem to improve as this is a constant comment I have seen on other CC reviews – however, I was not taking them there to eat – I was taking them there to indulge them in GIANT Ice cream sundaes! And they did a great job at the desserts there – esp those ice cream sundares – there is a slight charge for the giant ones – but the kids loved it!

I enjoyed the specialty restaurants far more than anywhere else. We tried Moderno, Le Bistro and La Cucina.

My husband and son went to the sushi spot and my sister and family did the Teppanyaki and all enjoyed the food and service.

in particular, the EPIC’s Moderno is laid out well for ship space – salad bar had an awesome assortment of cheeses, cured meats, fish, greens, breads….the flow of the meat service was steady and accommodating – if one of us was looking for a particular cut – they would bring it over instead of having to wait until it came around – the side dishes were set at the table family style and kept full (there were 10 of us) thoughout our main meal sitting. Servers knew what they were doing at Moderno so that enhance the experience – if you are a meat lover – you cannot miss MODERNO –

as a side note , Moderno shares space with Cagneys – so the kitchen is also shared space – while I did not eat at Cagney’s myself this trip – others in my family did and said the beef was top notch.

We had a weird experience with our Le Bistro reservation. We booked a reservation at Le Bistro as we loved their menu on other ships! We decided to book it for Valentines Night, well we get there , open the menu and <<shazaaam>> - where did my Le Bistro favorite foods go? Turns out that they had ‘special V-Day” menu that night and no regular menu! Add to that – NOTHING and I mean NOTHING on the V-Day menu appealed to me at all – then I got to the bottom and the upcharge for that night was $59/pp? really, for that menu? Well, I was not interested in their special menu and wine picks – so we asked to be accommodated for the following evening – it was awkward, but we made it happen. Now, as we were walking out – the 2 of us should have at least ‘imagined’ there might be special menu at LB that night – but there was not a string of communication to us – not when we reserved pre-boarding, or when we arrived at the ship – and honestly – I cannot recall seeing any special notation in the Dailies nor having received any special note in the cabin. I only mention the lack of communication on the EPIC as on other NCL ships – they were very particular at letting passengers know of special evets/changes to menus at these venues…..not sure what fell through the cracks on this sailing – but, off we went and ate up at the HAVEN…..

When we did get to LB the following night - the regular LB menu was up again and we dined merrily away (the service was unusually slow - that was a bit of a disappointment - so we took our desert as a carryout and brought it to our cabin for later)

I will continue my review at a later date, plan to comment on: Entertainment, Ports, Spa, Common Areas, Shopping, Casino, Crew……

and heres my 2cents on overpacking as I have been steadily improving over the last 3 years (ask my husband - my bags stay well under the weight limits these days!)

I make a slip of paper for each day I am traveling - then lay out each item I am likely to use each day including travel days - helps me search out multiuse tops and bottoms from my closet - so that same cute jacket I use on Night 1 - I can use with something else on Nite 3 and 5 and no one really notices (not my husband and who else will remember anyway - not my kids either...lol) So I have gotten over the "dress to impress" uniquely every nite and then when I have my daily slips covered! I PACK IT AND FORGET IT!

Dont know where in CO you are coming from - but the temps here are "early winter"come this weekend; growing up and living in NY area - and a diehard NCL cruiser - the theater in NYC is very casual these days - as are the restaurants in the midtown area - so unless you want to get all dressed up - business casual is fine and the plus side is you can build on lighter outfits you can use at night on the cruise by layering with sweaters while in NYC - remember the days the sun is shining this time of year - the temp during the day can be quite fall like and the minute the sun goes down you will need a winter coat...so think layering and you will be fine