Austinettecruiser

I agree that you only want to send out non delicate clothes. The clothes have a “funky” smell when they are returned. I do request cold water wash and perm press dry. I also send colored clothes together. One bag with whites in the other as I do believe they are all washed together.  I wash anything I need on longer cruises myself because I also do not put them in the dryer. It is a nice service though that we do appreciate especially for husbands play clothes, underwear and jeans.

We sailed on the Epic 2/17/2018. Here is my review:

 

We were a group of 14 friends on this cruise. I planned the trip for our group, seven of them who had never cruised before. I chose the ship because we had never sailed one of the mega-ships before and wanted to try something new. The itinerary was one my husband and I had done a couple of times in the past.

 

We all chose to fly in the day before and used Go Port Canaveral for shuttle service and hotel accommodations. We stayed at the Best Western in Titusville, were picked up about 9:30 am, had a 45-minute shuttle ride, and were on the ship before 11:30. Although there were a lot of people at the port, embarkation was pretty smooth.

 

We got a cocktail and ate lunch at Taste instead of going to the buffet; it was relaxing and not crowded at all. After exploring a bit, our cabins were ready before 2:00 pm. Luggage showed up shortly afterwards. We Stayed in cabin 12096, which was a large balcony. The location was great, not too far from the elevator, so it was easy to get places. I did find the cabin to be very narrow. The sofa is near the balcony in this cabin and the bed is near the sink, so if one of us was brushing our teeth, we had to move out of the way so the other could pass by to get to or from the toilet or shower. The Large balcony was nice, having two chairs, a table, and a lounger. Our roomsteward was attentive, and the room was always in great shape.

 

Our group split up on the ship, so we didn’t all eat together. Usually four of us stayed together, and since we all had the dining package we ate at Cagney’s, Moderno, Teppanyaki, and La Cucina, along with Taste and Manhattan for dinners. They were all very good, but we liked Cagney’s The least; it just wasn’t as good as what we’d had on other ships. In fact, we had it booked for two nights, but we changed the second one to La Cucina. Ithink Moderno was our favorite; everything was delicious! The food in the main dining rooms was really just as good as the specialty dining rooms. We had all of our breakfasts at the Garden Café. The food was good there as well. For Lunch, we usually just grabbed a burger or sandwich at the Spice H2O grill.

 

Speaking of Spice, it was our favorite place on the ship! It’s the adults-only space with a small pool, two hot tubs, quite a few loungers (but they fill up fast!), tables and chairs, and a bar and grill.Interestingly, even though it’s a deck above the main pool area, it was not as windy up there as main pool area. There are waiters that come around to take drink orders and service is very speedy. We had the unlimited drink package,and they allow you to get two drinks at once, nice if you’re somewhere where service is not as speedy!

 

We really just had a laid, back, relaxing cruise this time.We only saw a couple of shows; Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was hysterical.We really enjoyed that one! As far as Burn the Floor, I read such good reviews about it that I was really looking forward to it. As it turned out, we really didn't care for it; in fact, my friend said, “If I had paid for those tickets,I would ask for my money back!” The comedian-magician was very good. The music around the ship was good; we stopped and listened as we passed through.

 

We had a good turn-out at our Cruise Critic Meet &Greet, about 50 of the 65 who signed up, came to it. We met many of the officers, one of which was Manoel, the restaurant manager. He was especially friendly and accommodating to our group throughout the week. A group of about 15 of us went to the casino for a slot pull after our M&G. We didn’t win any money but had a lot of fun!

 

Our ports were Great Stirrip Cay, where I definitely recommend spending the $39.00 for the clamshell with two loungers if the sun bothers you at all. The weather was great, the food was good, the lines for the bars were very long…this is where the two drinks/card comes in handy! In Ochos Rios, we took a private tour with Courtney Taylor…highly recommend him as he'll tailor your tour to your wants. In Grand Cayman we shared a pool cabana with cruise critic friends at Royal Palms, which was a short taxi ride from the port. They have a nice, heated pool with a swim-up bar and of course, the beach which was beautiful with warm water. At our final stop in Cozumel, we just got off the ship for a while and did some shopping.

 

All in all, we had a great cruise! The staff and food on the Epic were fantastic! I did find it to feel crowded at times, especially when trying to get an elevator. I’m not sure I’d sail a mega-ship again as we prefer the smaller, jewel-class ships. We do continue to love NCL and believe them to provide a great cruise…in fact, I’ve booked two more, one on the Dawn, and one on the Gem!

 

If I can answer any questions, let me know!

~Joanne

Do you know if the walls are magnetic in the staterooms? I have things I hang in the wall and if not magnetic, I will bring stick on hooks. Thank you.

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We sailed Sunshine for a Journey's cruise. The ship is really showing its age. Our room smelled like Hamburgers the whole cruise. The comedy club is so tiny. We have not cruised the Vista. We will do that after the Horizon. However, we have never had a bad cruise on Carnival. The staff is always so pleasant. If you have a bad cruise, it is your own fault.

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I see that Leigh is hopping around to fill in on various ships. I am so hoping they plan to put him on the Horizon as Cruise Director. He has so much energy and seems to genuinely care about all of us crazy guests and whether we are enjoying ourselves. John, please put in a good word for him. Thanks.

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Can you tell me if you can request a table for 4 in the MDR or do they seat you at a large table that happens to have four seats available?

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What is a vibe/post pass?

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So sorry that I could not tell if you had Leigh as your cruise director. When we were on the Breeze, back to back cruise, he was such an inspiration. He was so energetic. Such a great guy. I hope he gets to be the CD on the Horizon.

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We did make it to Costa Maya. Still no explanation but I guess it doesn't matter now. The reason I was searching on Cruise Critic was because I have seen others post in the past and information shared regarding what goes on.

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Good to know that we will be leaving soon. I am still wondering why nothing has been said on the Magic.

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They told my husband before nine this evening that there had been a medical emergency but it had been resolved. He was told this by the Service desk. No formal announcement has been made. I am getting anxious.

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Sorry, I believe I misspelled Roatan.

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What is going on with the Magic and Breeze. We are on the Magic ship and still waiting to leave. We were supposed to leave at 5:30 but are still here at 10:00. I guess we won't make it to Costa Maya tomorrow.

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I feel Carnival does ok with the entertainment. I love to read so if I can't find something to do or see, I will just find a quiet spot to read. The only thing that does frustrate me about the shows in the theater is that they have the same show on most Carnival ships and they continue to show them forever without change. We take a cruise about 4 times a year with them on different ships, and it seems like the shows are all the same, just different performers.

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I do take the time to chat with them. They are always professional but when we see them up and down the halls, we can see how many more rooms they have than before. Yes, the job they have on a cruise ship is better than what they would have at home, just being away from their family, must be super hard on them. We do pay the gratuities as expected. We also give additional tips at the end of the cruise. I still feel best giving them an additional amount when I make extra requests that Carnival no longer offers.

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It is nice to know that Carnival finally is getting new shows. We travel Carnival frequently and are sick of seeing the same she was in different ships. In my opinion, none of the ships should have the same shows. I do enjoy Marcus Allen, however, would love to see him perform a longer show. He is really good.

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I expect room service twice a day as usual. I also would like ice delivered to my room every day. I hate that the stewards are working so hard. It is unfair that Carnival gives them so much work. We always give our room steward money the first day for the extra work that we ask for. I think it is unfair that we feel like we have to pay extra for services previously offered. The price of the cruises has not gone down. We do love cruising Carnival as we do feel we get the most for the dollar, however, we will not hesitate to seek other cruise lines.

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I must say I am very surprised that you feel so strongly about your dislike of the Magic. We were on the inaugural cruise out of Galveston on that very ship. After that very impressive cruise, we cruised four or five more times on her. The staff was always exceptional. We especially liked that they still had the Show Band. We never had a problem with the food or any of the staff. I am sorry that you feel like you feel that Royal Caribbean is so much better. We have sailed on them also but we continue to feel,that Carnival does such a great job,that we are staying loyal to them. They are the Fun Ships after all. We like the relaxed atmosphere. Royal Caribbean is nice but most of the passengers are stuffy and uptight. The staff was great and so was the food, however, Carnival keeps calling us back. You might want to give them another chance. I don't think you will regret it.

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Who was the Cruise Director on your cruise?

Does anyone know who the Cruise Director will be on the Miracle to Hawaii on the 15th of October?

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People should quit complaining about noise and bring a white noise machine or white noise App for their IPhone . Makes all the difference.

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I agree that the cabin stewards are worked to death. Used to be that there were two to three working together to get their section of rooms done. Now it seems like there is only one head steward for each section. They are all expected to take on additional rooms once they put the once a day option into play. I like having our room serviced twice a day. We always give extra money to our room steward. They certainly deserve it. I believe with the price of fuel going down, Carnival would be giving extra attention to their customers instead of less. I also am getting tired of having to go to the bar to get my own drinks. What happened Carnival, to the waiters? We are Platinum cruisers with Carnival, however, if they continue to cut services and work their employees so hard, we may have to consider other cruise lines.

We got off the Sunshine this morning after the 13 day cruise. Carnival took steps immediately to prevent the virus from spreading. They even treated people without charge. People were complaining that they hated having to wash their hands so much. I imagine those are the people that brought the virus to the ship in the first place. Most people were quarantined to their rooms for 24 hours after treatment and they were reimbursed for the time that they were quarantined. I commend Carnival for all they did to prevent the further spread of the virus as there were a lot of elderly people on this cruise.

Cushing 985, since you spent almost two weeks on the Sunshine, can you tell me how many "Formal Nights" there? We are leaving on the Sunshine for a 13 day cruise so I was wondering how/what,to pack. Than you.

Walmart sells a white noise machine for $20. It has been a lifesaver for us when we cruise, stay at hotels and when our neighbors leave their barking dog outside at night. The machine is small and easy to pack.

Sunshine?