rindanonna

Had never heard of this hotel. We normally stay at the Intercontinental. Does anyone have any insight, suggestions? The introductory rate is reasonable. We sail December 10. Thanks

In reply to the buying for a group: do you want everyones charge posted to your unmarked t?? Everyone buying a pass will have to present their key card in order for it to be activated to open the Vibe that will activate theLindadoor. or. If all key cards are not available at the time you are signing up you may be moved aside so others can proceed with the process.

About the Vibe entrance: when you stand in front of the door there is a totally unmarked beige box to the left. You would never think to open it. But when you do there is a slot to slip your card into to activate the door Linda

When you register with NCL on line you are asked what boarding time do you want. The earliest is 9:30. We stayed Downtown at the Intercontinental took a cab, got to th terminal at 9. We were ushered into the pre security screening area. At precisely 9;30 screening started. You will have be in group one. Look for the stand alone tall sign to the right and sit as close to it as possible. At 11am priority boarding began. If you are in group one and try to sneak on with the priority group, you will be sent back, walking the walk of shame!! Now comes the tricky part. Once group one is allowed on be prepared to be run over. I am not kidding. Everyone wants the passes. You will enter the ship on deck 7. Guest services is on deck 6. Walk straight ahead to the first set of stairs you see down to 6. ,Guest services will be right there. MAKE SURE you get in the correct line. There will be three lines. Get in the line under the sign that says."ONBOARD CREDIT" very important to be in right line or you are wasting valuable time. Guest services staff will walk along the line and ask if they can help. Tell her you want Vibe passes and if you are one of the first 80 she will give you a laminated card with a number on it. We got #48 &49 and we were one of the first ones on the shil. It's tricky to find the Vibe but you'll figure it out. Once there the best lounge chairs are to the left just in front of the big misting machine which will come on ever few minutes which is very cooling. Each morning you can get there early, secure you space, go get something to eat. The staff arrives at 8 but you can get in earlier. Bar opens 9. Best bartenders ever. Rudy and ariel are occasionally others. Hope this helps, worked.for us and was worth every penny. Met some great folks, had a ball . Good luck!!!

Cost for week? How difficult to get? Amenities? Purchase at guest services? How late is the bar open there? We loved it on the Epic and hope to get passes for our December 12 cruise.

While we were on the Epic a month ago smoking was allowed but you had to ask the bar staff for ash tray and the staff would point to what corner you could sit and smoke. As a non-smoker I appreciated this. In my opinion the Posh passes were the best money spent the whole cruise. It is a relatively small space (36 loungers and bar stools) and that is great because you all get to know each other after the first day. Bar staff up there are awesome. Bar closes about 5pm but you can still stay and enjoy the view of the ship at night.

We have sailed Epic before 2 years ago so knew what to expect so far as the ship layout, etc. We are young seniors and were without children, of course. We booked this week knowing there would most likely be a lot of kids on board. Husband has forced leave this week so rather than just sit at home we said "let's do it!". We were BLOWN AWAY by the number of young children that were on board along with as many strollers! Fortunately we were able to get POSH passes, what a gift! We could still look down at the mayhem at the pool deck and hear the band, but could enjoy "adult" time. FYI: RUN, RUN to guest services when you board if you are intent on these passes. We boarded with group two and were sold the last two passes! There are only 36 loungers/beds so passes go quickly. What I did not know is the POSH bar closes at dark, so after that you have to go elsewhere for a drink. Fabulous bartenders there. Shout out to Roe, Wish, Priscilla, Jellta from Jim and Linda. If they were working a different bar after POSH closed and saw you, poof, your usual drinks would magically appear.

Limited lunch menu there but it is really good food, try the swordfish burger. Food comes from the Haven.

Second at sea day at night there was a medevac. With winds at 35 plus in the dark a Coast Guard chopper hovered over the bow, lowered a basket, and then a Coast guardsman. Then after about 30 minutes both were raised up and into the chopper. Quite an amazing event to witness. God bless our service men and women for what they do!

If you do slots the wild banana machines over by the Casino Services desk were hot! Smoke did not bother us while in the casino but the next morning we both woke with raspy voices.

We upsold to an aft for $90 on deck 13, corner 13287. While the view was great we were just not in the cabin enough to sit out to enjoy. Plus there is an enormous amount of walking when in an aft. Not sure I would do it again. Would feed that money in the slots next time instead.

FYI: if you deposit world points OBC pre cruise just be aware it is not refundable. We had way more OBC than we needed so a couple of times we withdrew $100 at the casino. The charge for that is 10% or a mere $3. Better than leaving it on the table, that's for sure. Final bill we owe Norwegian $3.

We prepaid the UBP and are so glad we did. Did we spend as much as it cost? Doubt it, but were probably close. It was just so psychologically liberating to order whatever you wanted whenever you wanted without having to think about that dreaded final bill. The bartenders are thoroughly knowledgeable about the package. At the martini bar I ordered the lavender martini and he was quick to note it was not in the plan but suggested one similar (watermelon martini, yummy).

Food: it is all good everywhere. We are not big eaters and are easily satiated so we eat until comfortably full. Breakfast at o"Sheehans was the best. They will make whatever you want, not just what is on the limited menu. Hot and fresh. We ate Italian, Steak an Japanese..all excellent. Just a word of caution at Japanese: if you are on low sodium be aware they cook with a HUGE amount of soy sauce. Our legs were like tree trunks the next day. Buffet on at sea days is a mad house. I was amazed at how many people piled on mounds of food as if it was their last meal or that they couldn't go back for more! Just saying.

My only real negative has nothing to do with Norwegian. In the evenings there were packs of rude, obnoxious preteens roaming out of control in the venues. Actually witnessed a group interrupt the piano player mid song for his signature as part of a scavenger hunt. Also at one of the bars a young man came up and started to tap his soda card over and over to get the bartenders attention. He got a lecture from me on rudeness and waiting until he was recognized by staff. Don't think he was expecting that.

Cleanliness: amazing!! These are hard working people and it shows.

Staff: Across the board happy, smiling, friendly. Christmas morning as I walked down the corridor from our cabin I dropped handfuls of candy on the cabin stewards carts. Big smiles and thank you.

We will sail Norwegian again, probably Breakaway or Getaway next.

Linda:)

Does Epic have a web cam and where can I go to find it? We are on the 12/21 sailing and would love to watch her as she sails in and out of ports. Thanks!

I am a novice at gambling but do enjoy the lower denomination slots. Never mind I don't have a clue what I am doing but spinning that wheel. Anybody have favorites on Epic?

Which port are you interested in?

St Maarten, St Thomas and Nassau. St Thomas will be Christmas Day so curious how congested it will be

How can I find out how many other ships will be in port the same day as us? We are on the Epic 12/21 E. Caribbean sailing. Thanks.

We bring different colored highliters to note on the dailies what event/activities he and she want to go to the next day.