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Observations from our first NCL cruise, on the Epic, western Med, 7/1 - 7/8/18


NickinNY
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We were on the Epic western Med cruise from Barcelona (BCN) departing on July 1, 2018. We're a family of four (am43, af42, g13, g11), and were traveling with friends (am42, af43, g13). None of us had cruised on NCLbefore, although it was my family's 5th overall cruise (3x Disney, 1x Royal),and our friends' 8th overall cruise.

 

We booked this cruise primarily because of the itinerary, and the Epic being among the larger ships(from all lines) cruising this itinerary, within our price range. We also wanted to try NCL so we could decide which of NCL, Royal, and Disney we wanted to start to build up some loyalty status on.

 

We were in a family mini suite(#12262).

 

PRE-CRUISE

 

It was our first time in Europe as a family. Our kids have done their fair share of traveling, but within two or three time zones of where we live. So, we planned on building in a few days in BCN before the cruise for the jetlag to wear off. When we found out our friends were moving to BCN, the whole thing fell into place.

 

We live in Rochester, NY. I travel a lot for work. So I was able to use my accumulated miles on United to fly from Toronto (YYZ) (about a 3:30 drive from our house) to BCN, paying only a small amount per ticket (~$100) to use my miles. Based on the fares for our tickets when I checked right before we left, this saved us upwards of $7,000.

 

TIP: Even though I was able to use my miles, I’m United platinum and we were flyingAir Canada (AC) to Zurich (ZRH), and then SWISS to BCN - the same in reverse on the way home. United, AC, and SWISS are all in the Star Alliance (SA) - in which I am Gold. Like most airports (and certainly all large airports) there are SAGold-designated check in lanes at YYZ’s AC desks. I don’t remember seeing a SA Gold lane for security, but security in Canada is extremely relaxed compared to security in the States. And, while you are able to access the SA Gold-designated airport lounges when flying internationally without extra charge, you are only allowed to bring in one additional guest/family member with you. If you have more than one, there's a per person charge to bring them into the club. Finally, as SA Gold wewere allowed to board with group 2. As United Platinum I'd have been in Group 1 if we were on United flights. In other words, the privileges I would have received as United platinum on United flights were slightly different since we were on AC and SWISS. Not a big deal, but just a head’s up.

 

TIP: Parking at YYZ is expensive. I found a deal through Parking Panda (app, website) for $10/day that included "valet" service from the lot to the terminal and back. It worked fine. There are less-expensive off-airport parking options, but this had a nice combination of price and features (valet service being chief among them).

 

AC’s YYZ-ZRH service is very nice. The setup in economy is 3-4-3 for most rows. Two meal services (maybe technically one meal and one snack), and don’t forget wine and beer is gratis on international flights. My wife had requested a GF meal, and they came through on that without a problem. The in-seat entertainment system on our plane was great. Huge array of options including movies, games, TV shows, podcasts, etc. And there was a USB port in the entertainment system.

 

 

TIP: So you could charge one thing in the normal plug under the seat, and another thing through the USB port in the entertainment system, at the same time. It was very nice to have my phone and my iPad both remain charged the whole flight.

 

We went through passport control in ZRH on the way to our connection, which was cool because we got the stamp. One of the bummers about this trip was that, transiting through the EU and then on the ship, we were in a bunch of countries for the first time, but didn’t get passport stamps. The kids were a little bummed about this. The parents, too, TBH. ZRH felt like IAD a little bit going from the international terminal to the other (EU zone?) terminal. It’s a clean airport, very modern. I liked it.

 

Where Air Canada felt like United or Delta or American in terms of quality and service standards, SWISS felt like Southwest or maybe Allegiant. Not quite Spirit, but sub-JetBlue for sure. Gate agents were brusque and dead-eyed, generally disinterested in being helpful much less friendly. Cabin crew went through the motions with ill-concealed ennui and a hint of contempt for passengers. And both of our SWISS flights (ZRH-BCN & BCN-ZRH) were delayed, which isn’t necessarily the airline’s fault, but just sort of added to the charm. Luckily it’s a pretty short hop from ZRH to BCN. More luckily it’s a stunningly beautiful route, the alps, the Mediterranean Sea, and all.

 

Upon arrival in BCN we caught up with our luggage, and made our way outside to find a taxi. We kept expecting to have to clear customs (first time EU newbies, remember), and were a little stunned when we were suddenly outside the airport, with nary a customs agent in sight.

 

I’ll talk about Barcelona at the end, but for now suffice it to say we loved that city. It was great being able to see it with quasi-locals as guides. But it’s far more than just a beautiful Mediterranean metropolis with cool architecture (although it’s definitely both of those things). Anyway, we had four days between landing and embarkation, and that gave us enough time to enjoy the city and work through the worst part of our jetlag.

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Part 2

 

EMBARKATION

 

 

The BCN cruise port feels like a typical cruise port, at least the ones that I've seen. It's big, industrial, a little imposing, couple of big boats hanging around.

 

We had taken taxis from our friends' flat, and my family got to the port first. our driver ended up dropping us off at the wrong terminal, but it was a 5 minute walk to the NCL terminal Honestly, after four days walking up and down the hills of Barcelona in the heat, that was nothing.

 

When you walk up to the processing area (and we got there about noon) outside the terminal there is a taxi line drop-off/pick-up area in a big lot, an area with temporary tents set up where the porters are doing their thing, and then a snake line to get into the terminal to then go through security. There was a super long line from the taxi stand with what looked like a guy directing people from the head of the line to the porters' area. Since we had come from a different area than the taxi stand line, we weren't sure if we were supposed to go get in the line by the taxi stand. But a porter came up to us and started doing the thing with the bag tags, so, no line. I honestly don't know if we cut the taxi stand line or not - but if we did, then it was not intentional and I apologize to anyone we cut in front of.

 

TIP: Have your taxi drop you off on the side of the building and then walk up to the porters' area from around the corner. With all due respect to the people waiting in the taxi stand line, the porters don't care if you wait in that line or not.

 

From there it's passports, security/metal detectors, then the check-in desk with the paperwork and the room keys and the stateroom charge deposits or credit card swipe. That was a little chaotic, but not moreso than any other cruise check-in I've ever done (except the time we were able to check in for a Disney cruise at the concierge/suite check in desk in Port Canaveral).

 

Then it's the cheesy group photo in front of the picture of the ship, an escalator, through the terminal, up the gang plank and onto the ship.

 

There's nothing quite like stepping onto your cruise ship for the first time, right? I can't even remember what deck we boarded onto. It might have been 5, or maybe 6. Doesn't matter. You're so pumped, you're disoriented, trying to stuff your passport back into the backpack you're carrying. There's one voice in your head screaming "BUFFET TIME!" While another voice is shouting "THE BAR! WHERE'S THE DAMN BAR?!" And you're trying to help your daughter get her key card into the pouch on the lanyard before she loses the thing . And your wife is saying "Did you want to go to guest services and change that dinner reservation?" And the crew member greeters are all "Can I help you?" Doing their best to act like they're beyond thrilled to see you even though they just got rid of the last horde of goobers a couple hours ago. But you don't really know what you want help with more than any other thing at that moment and you also kind of want to look like you know what's up, plus you're a guy so asking for directions is anathema to your psyche in the first place so you just ignore them and cram into an elevator and hope no one sees that you're sweating. It's a great moment in life.

 

But what I don't want to lose sight of is that, overall, the embarkation process was very easy. It was reasonably well organized, definitely well-staffed, and it moved fluidly. No complaints about the process at all. Just keep your eyes and ears open, and use your head. Understand the steps that you'll have to go through, and remember that you'll have a whole week on the ship. If this part of the process takes 5 or 10 minutes you'll still have more than enough time for the Mr. Sexy Legs competition.

 

THE SHIP

 

Aesthetically the Epic is a lot prettier inside than it is from the outside, in my humble. And it's a good size. We were on Royal's Allure of the Seas last summer and that ship is massive. The Epic is big enough to feel like an adventure, but you can still get from one end to the other, plus up or down 10 decks in a reasonable amount of time. Sure there are choke points that got jammed up during peak times, but that's been the case on every ship I've been on. It's not shabby by any means, but it's not sparkling clean perfection like the Disney ships, and it doesn't feel as new as the Allure did. But I couldn't complain about the condition of the ship at all.

 

TIP: They only want you to access deck five via the escalators from deck six, midship. They have the main stairs blocked going from six to five (unless they're using the lower decks in port). Once you know this it's not really a problem. The escalators are located right in the middle of the casino just past O'Sheehans. So, if you're at sea, you will have to go through the smoke in the casino to get to five. But that's not a deal breaker to me (and I don't smoke). It's a little strange only in the sense that a lot goes on on 5, but it is what it is.

 

Stateroom

 

As mentioned before we were in a family mini suite on deck 12, aft. It was right by the main stairwell, and two decks directly below the spa. It was a great location. Easy access to everything (we used the changing rooms in the spa as backup for toilet and showers) above us. Not too far from the action below and fore of us.

 

I know people are generally split on the staterooms on the Epic. We loved ours. Three sleeping surfaces (including the pullman). Enough space to move around when all three were engaged. No you can't walk two-abreast through the room, but let's be reasonable here. It is a stateroom on a cruise ship. As noted in may reviews TONS of storage. The split bathroom thing wasn't an issue for us, although I admit part of that was our relative proximity to the spa and the bathrooms there. The sink was the only issue. It's just too damn small.

 

TIP: When turning on the shower, make sure you turn the handle all the way around. Our caught about halfway through. We thought it was all the way around, but it wasn't. This meant that the cold water wasn't coming through. But we thought the shower was broken. So we called and they sent a nice maintenance guy up who was like "Uh, it's working just fine. You just have to turn it all the way on." We felt stupid.

 

As compared to our room on the Allure, and the Disney ships, we thought this was the best room we've had.

 

We barely saw our room attendant guy. No complaints at all there, just didn't interact with him much.

 

Safety drill was normal.

 

We had a 3-meal specialty dining package, and for our first night we ate at Cagney's. It was fine. Nothing special. Decent value at the a la carte price. Our waitress just couldn't wrap her head around the idea that we wanted to order our starters and then take a few more minutes to decide on our mains. She was kind of pushy and rushed. I wouldn't eat at Cagney's again, especially if I was paying the a la carte price.

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Following along as well. We leave on a similar plan in 3 days [emoji7] so reading about others travels gets me excited! We are from just south of Rochester and love being able to fly out of many different airports, all within 4 hours of home.

 

 

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Part 3

 

SEA DAY

 

After the cruise we were split on whether we liked having the one sea day on the itinerary be the first full day. On one hand it was nice to be able to explore the ship, and have a relaxing vacation day. On the other hand having it on day one meant that the rest of the itinerary was back-to-back ports, and again we chose this trip because we wanted to explore each port/city, so the rest of the trip would be very busy.

 

I should also note that my perspective on this itinerary is from the Barcelona embark/disembark angle. Those of you who embark/disembark in Civitavecchia may have a very different perception of this cruise.

 

As I mentioned before, the Epic is a good size. Easy to get around, easy to get your bearings. The layout is intuitive and user-friendly for the most part. For you adults, Spice H2O is a nice area. I know, the name makes it sound like a night club. But during the day it's lovely. You get the men of a certain type with the dress shirts un-tucked, the too-short shorts that are en vogue these days, smoking cigars, drinking vodka tonics at 10am, and trying to prove they have more money than all the other guys like them. But they're more amusing than annoying. But there are snacks in Spice H2O, and a bar, and plenty of loungers, albeit in a stadium seating setup. The pool is not really big enough to be called a pool - but that's been true of every pool I've seen on a cruise ship. The big screen is a little dated, with some dead pixels here and there. But from distance the picture is pretty good. You access the sports deck near the bar, so it's not like there's a doorman keeping kids out of there, which probably keeps the party from getting out of hand. They were playing the big World Cup matches on the big screen, and letting kids watch as well, so that cut down on the "adults only" facet of Spice H2O.

 

TIP: As you're walking toward the buffet on 15, there are two elevator tubes. The one on the left (as you're walking toward the buffet) goes to the Haven. The one on the right goes to the quiet area. And anyone - even us non-Haven mortals - can access it. You don't even need a key card. If the pool deck is bananas, or full, or you just want a break, go check the quiet deck out. I heard, but didn't see, that you can get bar servers up there, too (although it wouldn't be the end of the world to go down to 15, get another round, and then go back up). There are bathrooms up there, and plenty of loungers wrapping around the front of the ship. It seems like most people don't know about this, and part of me wants to keep it that way because it helps it stay quiet. So maybe forget I just told you about it??

 

TIP: On our cruise anyway, the left side of the buffet (as you're looking at it when you walk up to it on 15) was usually far less crowded than the right side. And the food repeats from one side to the other.

 

TIP: There are restrooms on 15 just outside the buffet, the men's behind the towel stand and the women's behind Waves bar. They are pretty big, and best of all the outside wall of the bathroom is a window to the outside of the ship. If you were the only one in there, you could just leave the door to your stall open and enjoy a lovely vista while doing your business. Of course you'd run the risk of offering a less-than lovely vista to someone else coming into the bathroom...

 

TIP: During breakfast and lunch, there is supplemental seating for the buffet downstairs in La Cucina. You walk around the buffet to the fore-most part of the seating area, and then there is an internal stairwell down to La Cucina. The couple times we went down there it was much quieter and less-crazy than the buffet, even at peak meal times.

 

We spent a little time in the casino. Played some blackjack, even ended up entering the blackjack tournament. We found a really good dealer - fun, kept it moving. Ended up down a little, which is a win in the context of my lifetime casino career.

 

The shopping on the ship was okay. Not a huge variety of shops. Typical things for sale. Typical prices for a ship.

 

The fitness center is massive. Tons of options, plenty of each major machine type, really nice facility.

 

Did a walk through of the spa. It looked like a spa.

 

UBP. My wife and I did this big analysis of the a la carte drink prices, versus the unlimited beverage package. We ultimately decided that we'd be off the ship so much that we would struggle to hit the per-drink value of the UBP. Our friends just said to heck with it, and got the UBP. You read all the same reviews I have that talk about the bartenders turning a cold shoulder to people on the UBP and whatever. I didn't notice that at all. But, when we bought drinks a la carte, what we did notice was that if you took the time to chat with the bartender for a minute, or just smile, or be friendly, they were as likely as not to even ask for your key card. Now if you walk up there and set your key card on the bar, sure they'll take it and swipe it.

 

TIP: But if you keep your key card in your pocket, be friendly, and order your drink...maybe half the time they wouldn't charge you at all.

 

The other thing our friends realized was that they could order two drinks at a time with the UBP. So, and I know this was a flagrant violation of international maritime law punishible by death or at least a good keelhaul, they ended up getting most of our drinks for us. We wouldn't be obvious about it, at the bar, or with a waitress. But they'd go up to a bar, order two drinks, and then walk away with them. Then we'd meet up with them around the corner or whatever and they'd give us one of the drinks. So:

 

TIP: We said if we ever do a NCL cruise again, the way to do it is one couple would get the UBP, and the other wouldn't. But the couple that didn't would just pay the couple that did half of the UBP charge. Then everyone gets to benefit from the UBP at half the price. I know you're not supposed to do this. I'm sure I've angered the Norwegian Gods just by typing those words. But NCL should tighten it up with their own barkeeps if they're that touchy about it. If you choose the UBP as a free bonus it doesn't really matter. But, if you're paying for the UBP, I don't see a reason why all of the adults in your party should pay the full amount. Or why any of the adults should, for that matter.

 

The iConcierge app stinks. Two complaints with it. First, the activities list doesn't sync up with the time of day. So every time you open it, you have to start at the top of the list, with the activities that happened first thing that morning, even if it's 8pm. That's a minor gripe. The other thing is that the texting feature is A) too expensive at $10/device, and 2) doesn't push notifications so you only know if you get a text if you have the app open. I realize it's NCL's prerogative to profit from as many different things as possible. But charging me to allow me to communicate more efficiently with the other members of my party so that, oh I don't know, we can arrange to go do something that NCL might profit from ("Let's all meet at the shops and buy expensive watches!") is ridiculous. First time on NCL, we paid for it. Wish we hadn't.

 

Moderno

 

We spent our 2nd (of 3) specialty dining credit at Moderno. Where Cagney's was blah, Moderno was fantastic. At the a la carte price it would be a spectacular value. The servers were fun and engaging. They didn't rush us at all. If you've been to one of the Brazilian churrascaria places in the world you know the drill: the salad bar is a trap. They want you to fill up on the high margin stuff so that you don't eat as much of the low margin stuff. It's a dirty trick. Get those cheese rolls out of my way; there's unlimited bacon wrapped filet on SWORDS! But actually the salad bar here was really good. One in our party doesn't eat red meat and she raved about the choices at the salad bar. The pineapple was also a big hit with our group. We ended up returning to Moderno later in the cruise for our final specialty dining package meal.

 

The Epic handled a sea day really well. By that I mean we didn't feel like sardines packed in despite the fact that everyone was on board. And they had tons of activities, and a fun vibe all day.

Edited by NickinNY
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Part 4

 

My wife wants me to point out that she wasn't trying to game the system with the a la carte drinks. But the bartenders would hand her her drink, then turn and walk away without asking for her key card. I mean, what are you supposed to do? At that point, if you call them back and say "hey you forgot to charge me" then you're the jerk, right?

 

PORTS/SHORE EXCURSIONS

 

NAPOLI

 

We had a Napoli tour/Pompeii half-day guided tour booked. They picked us up right outside the terminal. We didn't book any of our ShoreEx through NCL. The prices were just too high in general, for the same excursions booked privately. I booked this tour through Viator, and everything worked perfectly. Our tour guide was a lovely young lady, born and raised in Napoli. We got a nice tour of the high points of the city, and then drove to Pompeii where we met up with a larger group for that part of the tour. It was hot. And zero cloud cover. Pompeii was very interesting, but the heat started to wilt the children before too long, and the adults not long after. The area right outside the gates to Pompeii is a tourist trap. Garish and gross. We were advised to forgo eating there, and wait until we got back to Napoli, before boarding the ship. Apparently it's just accepted that pizza is the thing to eat there because our guide just started recommending pizza places. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

 

Unfortunately one of our party had fallen ill overnight, with what they ultimately decided was food poisoning. As far as we could piece together, the only thing he'd eaten that none of the rest of us had eaten was oysters at Cagney's (apparently he has a delayed digestion thing, so the time frame still worked). He had a pretty rough night, and would have been in no shape to come ashore with us, even if the ship hadn't quarantined him to his stateroom (they were calling him every two hours to "check on him" which he thought really meant "make sure he wasn't out and about infecting other passengers.") His loss, in more ways than one, because we did indeed find a wonderful little restaurant about a block and a half from the cruise port, in a tiny little alley way. And we did find the best pizza the rest of us had ever eaten. Crust, garlic, oregano, and "marinara" sauce. Perfection. You'll notice cheese wasn't one of the ingredients. Didn't matter.

 

It was very easy to walk back into the cruise port and re-board the ship in Naples.

 

ROME

 

We're big Segway tour fans. In the first place, they're really fun to ride. If you've never been on one, there's a short but steep learning curve. Once you get it, it's a blast, and they are very intuitive. We booked tours in Rome and Florence through Italy Segway Tours. Two-hour tours for about 50 euro per person.

 

Some Segway tour companies set age and weight minimums on riders. Our youngest daughter is 11 and weighs about 85 lbs. She can maneuver a Segway on all surfaces and grades with no problem. So, if a particular company has an age or size minimum that's older or bigger than her we just fudge it.

 

Civitavecchia is about 1:15 by car to the middle of Rome. Given we had a 9:30 tour, we chose to book a private car service from the port to the tour address. This was great because the driver met us right outside the terminal, and delivered us right to the address. No taxis, trains, etc. But traffic was brutal and we ended up getting there about 15 minutes late, and then we all had to use a restroom, so we didn't get started until about 10:10.

 

But it worked out that the seven of us were our own group, so we still got the full tour and had a BLAST. We had Tony as our guide and he was great. The tour took us past all the big highlights of Rome. I HIGHLY recommend this tour, and would also recommend Italy Segway Tours to anyone.

 

We found another little place for lunch (not as good as the place we found in Napoli. We all agreed the sauce on my pasta tasted exactly like Chef Boyardee), then walked past the Trevi Fountain, then to the train station to return to Civitavecchia, then a taxi from the train station to the cruise port. Train was 5 euro per adult, taxi guy charged us 5 euro per person - which was a ripoff - but we figured 10 euro combined for the train and taxi was a good deal - and a heck of a lot cheaper than the private car service had been.

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Part 5

 

PORT/SHORE EXCURSIONS con't

 

FIRENZE

 

This stop was my only regret of the whole trip. Our friends had already been to Florence, so they opted to stay on the ship. It was our third-straight early day as we had another 9:30 Segway tour through Italy Segway Tours. So we had another private car service with an 8am pickup. Remember the debate about the sea day being the first full day? This is where the other side of that debate comes into play. The car ride from Livorno to Firenze is even longer than the ride from Civitavecchia to Rome.

 

By the time we got to the tour company's place in town the kids were already about to mutiny. We had a nice lady for a guide, and the tour focused around the four major churches in town, the original town square, and the Uffizi gallery, plus a stop for gelato. It would have been a great tour. But it was stinkin' hot. And it was extremely crowded. All the advantages of a Segway over walking are lost on narrow streets that are jam packed with people. I was constantly afraid I would run over some kid's foot or something. Even our guide kept commenting that she had never seen it that busy.

 

Everyone says Florence is wonderful. Honestly I don't feel like I have a reasonable feel for the city, despite the tour.

 

By the time the tour was over we were in the mood to just beat it over to the train station (via taxi) and train back to Livorno (9 euro per adult). We ended up grabbing lunch in what was probably the Italian version of Sbarro, in the train station. But we wanted to eat one last time on Italian soil. Then a taxi guy charged us 35 euro to get back to the cruise terminal. Absolute robbery. I tried to negotiate with him but the rest of my family threatened to revolt if I didn't just get in the taxi, so away we went.

 

CANNES

 

Thankfully our Segway tour in Cannes wasn't until 11:45. So we were able to have a relaxing morning. This was big for all of us. It also meant we didn't have to try to get on an early tender*. The Segway tour address is about a 2 minute walk from the city end of the pier. This tour was okay. It started out by going along the promenade that fronts the long beach in front of the swanky hotels. This part of the tour was focused on the film festival and all the celebrities and whatever. I couldn't care less about that stuff. But it was still a spectacular place to Segway (or walk) if you like views of the Mediterranean.

 

The second half of the tour was outstanding. You get up and out of the main tourist area a bit, up a big hill to where you get a stunning view of the bay. Then you go back down this little tiny, winding street, lined with shops and restaurants on either side, so that you only have a couple feet of space to either side of you. It's absolutely magical.

 

After the tour we walked back up to that street, and had lunch in one of the restaurants on it. Then we walked the main shopping road that's one block off the main traffic road along the beach, doing our best to hit every French pastry and bakery we could before returning to the ship on foot.

 

Cannes was lovely. And expensive. But also lovely.

 

*TENDERING was made out by some to be this big process, and if you don't make a reservation you'll never get ashore. That's a load of crap. If you need to be off the ship early, then make a tender reservation as soon as you can (I think you can do this on the iConcierge app, as well as in person at the ShoreEx or customer service desk on deck 5, mid). The boats they use to tender off the Epic are the lifeboats. They can each hold a decent number of people, but each boat does have a limit. Again, if you need to get off early, reserve a spot early.

 

The process is pretty well organized. They call tender numbers and you go check in outside Manhattan. Then you proceed through the dining room where they've set up a winding corridor through the tables. This is to keep you moving so you don't get bored or, I guess, anxious.

 

Since we didn't have to be off early, we didn't reserve a spot. They said that it was open tendering after 11am, although on our cruise that didn't start until after 11. But, after we had breakfast we walked down to customer service and they put us in the next tender group available - which just happened to be the next group that got called. From the time we checked in outside Manhattan to the time we stepped on the tender boat was probably 15 minutes. Then it's about a 10 minute ride into the pier.

 

TIP: If you're prone to seasickness, try to be the last one to board the tender. That will minimize the time you're sitting in the tender as it's bobbing up and down on the sea.

 

PALMA/MALLORCA

 

In my ignorance, I didn't expect the main town to be so big and developed. Another late arrival was welcomed as we had another leisurely morning. The kids asked if they could remain on the ship and we agreed. So the four adults got off, and then took a taxi to a town on the coast just past the airport where we rented Vespas for a few hours. We booked this through Viator. We passed other scooter rental places that were much closer to the port. The downside to the location we rented from was that it was the better part of a half hour in the taxi from the port, which cuts down on the time you have to tool around. But the upside to it was that we were away from the port, so we were forced to get out of our comfort zone a bit.

 

We just cruised down the coast for a while, stopped a public beach for a quick dip, found a place for a Coke and some pan con tomate and jamon, and then cruised back. It was lovely.

 

I think we paid 41 euro per scooter for an 8-hour rental, plus some nominal charge for a second helmet (we rode two to a scooter). The rental lady said that technically you have to have an international drivers license to operate the scooters there, and the cops were within their rights to pull us over and check to see if we had one. And that there were fines - and possibly worse (she said) - if we didn't. We passed several police and didn't get pulled over. But, forewarned is forearmed.

 

I thought Mallorca was beautiful. It's a couple-hour ferry ride from Barcelona. That being said, the kids wouldn't have enjoyed riding on a scooter with us.

Edited by NickinNY
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Part 6

 

ODDS AND ENDS/WRAP UP

 

MDRs

We ate dinner at Manhattan once and Taste once. And I had breakfast in Taste twice. They were both fine. One of our observations about this cruise was that, compared to our prior cruises, we didn't get a chance to get to know a service team in the dining rooms. Part of that was the specialty dining package, which meant we only at in the MDRs twice. But that's been something we've enjoyed on prior cruises. I don't know if you can request the same service team every night in the MDRs. The menus were fine. Actually Taste was a more interesting menu than Manhattan to me. The music they had at Manhattan the night we were there (singer, bass, piano, drum?) was very nice. We were seated to the side of them, which meant the speakers weren't pointed right at us, which meant we could hear the music and still were able to carry on a conversation without having to yell at each other.

 

BUFFET

Good variety, usually well-prepared and hot. They have themed nights for their dinner service. The grill night was basically the Moderno menu. The free beverages include coffee, tea, water, flavored water, juice. There's a bar in the buffet. The seating inside and on the sides was typically full during peak times. There seemed to be more seating in front, and outside.

 

CIRQUE DREAMS

This was one of my favorite shows I've ever seen on a cruise. The dinner was fine. It's a set menu (you can request vegetarian before hand if you need), a salad, then a surf and turf-y main, then a dessert trio. They seat the whole room, then serve the whole room, and then the show starts once dinner is over. While you're eating the performers come out one or two at a time in these elaborate costumes and you can take pictures with them. We were seated on the floor, in the middle of which is a circular stage that's maybe 6 feet across. Think of that as the hub, and then the tables on the floor are the spokes around it. From where I was sitting, there might have been 8 feet to the edge of the stage. Maybe less than that. If you have the seating on the second floor the only downside is you're not as close. But it's seating in the round, and you're right overhead. I bet it's a pretty cool perspective from up there. There are booths at the back of the floor level, the view from which must be fine, but you're probably 25 feet away from the action and the close tables are between you and the acts.

 

The acts are fun. Feats of strength, juggling, balancing, contortionism, and the craziest roller skating act you've ever seen. It's a great show, and I highly recommend it.

 

BURN THE FLOOR

They do several different shows throughout the trip. The one we saw was sort of a history of dance kind of thing. It was brutally dumb. The dancing was okay. Honestly, the best part was the guitar player who could pull off a mean Carlos Santana impression.

 

PRISCILLA

I didn't see this, but my wife and kids did. They loved it.

 

VOX FORTURA

These guys were great. At least one of us saw every one of their performances. If they're on your cruise go see them - you won't be disappointed.

 

GAME SHOWS

These were pretty typical, but lots of fun. I *might* have won Mr. Muscle Legs in the Mr. Sexy Legs competition, which absolutely says more about the guys I was competing with than it does about me.

 

GLOW PARTY

Part wannabe rave, part junior high formal dance, I have to say I enjoyed myself. Andre and his team do a great job, and the Glow Party was no exception.

 

PHOTOS

We got the cheapest package that also allows you to get the digital copies of all the pictures they took of your party. And they actually did a great job taking pictures. These aren't ever a deal, but whatever - you're on vacation!

 

BOWLING

One of my daughters and I tried this. It was really cool to be able to say you bowled on a cruise ship. It's $7/person/game. You must bring your own socks.

 

DRESS CODE AT MANHATTAN

It definitely says men must wear pants/can't wear shorts. And I was impressed that they were turning people away if they had shorts on.

 

WATER

This is my biggest gripe of the whole cruise. At every bar you can ask for a GLASS of water and it's free. In the restaurants (like O'Sheehans) the servers will fill up a water bottle for you, for free. But at a bar, if you ask for a water, or a bottle of water, you get a bottle for $7 I think. On port days, they sell bottles of water as you're leaving the ship for $5.50 for a 12oz bottle, and I think $7 for the 16oz (not sure on the prices/sizes, but you get the picture). Look, I absolutely understand that it's NCL's prerogative to charge for everything. But someone's going to decide they can't, or don't want to, pay for water and get dehydrated (because you're cruising the Mediterranean in the summer, duh) and sick. If they're willing to treat water as a loss leader in some places, it should be everywhere. How about give us two bottles of water free in the stateroom every day, but raise the prices on the alcoholic drinks by $0.05 per drink everywhere/all the time? I bet that would offset the cost of providing free water. Again, it's their right to charge us, I'm just saying "do the right thing." And also "don't be greedy just because you can."

 

UPGRADE

We bid the absolute lowest amount they allowed on whatever the available Haven room was, and didn't get it. I didn't lose any sleep over it.

 

 

WRAPPING UP

There really isn't anything major that we didn't like about this cruise, and several things we liked a lot. As I said now that we've been on Disney, Royal and NCL we talked about which line we want to sort of commit to to build up some loyalty status on. We've chosen Royal Caribbean. Again, not that NCL was bad. But to us Royal was just a little bit better in enough different areas, and they both cruise more or less the same places (including all the places we want to go), for more or less the same price. And, the ability to get status match at Platinum on Celebrity and Azamara is big for us - maybe the biggest loyalty perk offered.

 

If someone asked if I would recommend NCL, or the Epic? Yes. If a bunch of my friends said they were all going on a NCL cruise I'd happily go with them. But if someone asked me which cruise line I would recommend, I'd say I prefer Royal, all things considered.

 

Thanks for reading, I hope this is helpful to anyone considering this cruise. I'm happy to answer any other questions.

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Couple more things I forgot:

 

KIDS CLUBS

We had two 13YOs and an 11YO (all girls) in our group. We signed them all up for their respective clubs. None of them ever went in. I think that's a good sign that they felt they had plenty to do throughout the rest of the ship. Registration was quick and easy.

 

POOL DECK LOUNGERS

From the reviews I read it sounded like the chair game was in full effect on this ship. I'm not one to lay out by the pool, but I always saw open loungers every time I was on 15.

 

BARCELONA

Again, with our friends as guides, we got a great overview of the city during the four days we were there. Our friends live in the back side of the city, just over the hill from the main part of town. The view from their flat is astounding, and they live a 1 -10 minute walk to buses, or the subway, depending on which line you need.

 

Barcelona was incredible. Our friends told us the vibe is very much "do what makes you happy." While this could have led to more of a bohemian attitude than I would enjoy, it works in Barcelona.

 

We did a lot of different things, saw a lot of places, and ate a lot of food. Two highlights were 1) our friends set up a ham tasting at a local jamoneria - yeah, that's a real place. It was incredible. If nothing else, the guy helping us was so knowledgeable and passionate about ham. But it was also delicious and informative.

 

The second highlight was a tour and flamenco concert in the Casa Batllo - one of the great Gaudi's masterpieces in the city. First we had a tour of the house, with a personal audio/visual device with information in our native language. Then, on the rooftop, there were flamenco guitar players, and flamenco dancer(s), under these string lights, and with a couple bars (you get two drink coupons with paid reservation). It was at dusk and the sun setting overhead and the rooftops of Barcelona surrounding us....it was one of those moments that you stop and say "how the heck did I get here?!" It was amazing.

 

La Rambla, and the entire Gotic quarter was neat, albeit touristy. Montjuic was cool. But I will really remember the food. Apparently local businesses must give each employee a 15 euro allowance for lunch (which lasts from approximately 2-4) each day. The restaurants, in turn, offer a menu del dia, which is a 2-3 course lunch - including a glass of beer or wine - for under 15 euros. And we're not talking little tiny portions. You could find some tremendous values. More often than not the wine or beer was cheaper than a bottle of agua - con or sin gas.

 

We loved the city, and hope to return soon.

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thanks for a very objective and informative review. Enjoy the rest of your cruising days. Interesting about the the girls and kids club. Our grand daughters always enjoyed time with us and never was particularly interested in the kids club. Our great grand daughter on the other hand loves the kids club but she was much younger when she did her 3 cruises. NOw, at 11 I am not sure she would.

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Thanks for the review. We're doing this cruise June 2019, but we are boarding in Rome.

 

What company did you book the Canne Segway tour through? We're looking for something easy going for that day.

 

I tried searching through the dailies, but I got a headache since they are all upside down and when I try to rotate my tablet rotates the images. lol. So I have a request or question...

 

Could you repost them right side up, or let me know what night the Glow/White party was?

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Thanks for the review. We're doing this cruise June 2019, but we are boarding in Rome.

 

What company did you book the Canne Segway tour through? We're looking for something easy going for that day.

 

I tried searching through the dailies, but I got a headache since they are all upside down and when I try to rotate my tablet rotates the images. lol. So I have a request or question...

 

Could you repost them right side up, or let me know what night the Glow/White party was?

 

Cannes Segway Tour:

https://www.getyourguide.com/cannes-l15/cannes-two-hour-segway-tour-t64236/

 

The glow party was Friday night.

 

So, Sunday was embarkation for Barcelona

Monday was sea day

Tuesday was Naples

Wednesday was Rome

Thursday was Florence

Friday was Cannes/Glow Party

Saturday was Palma Mallorca

Sunday disembarkation/Barcelona

 

Sorry, that's how the pictures loaded. I don't know how to turn them around.

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Cannes Segway Tour:

 

https://www.getyourguide.com/cannes-l15/cannes-two-hour-segway-tour-t64236/

 

 

 

The glow party was Friday night.

 

 

 

So, Sunday was embarkation for Barcelona

 

Monday was sea day

 

Tuesday was Naples

 

Wednesday was Rome

 

Thursday was Florence

 

Friday was Cannes/Glow Party

 

Saturday was Palma Mallorca

 

Sunday disembarkation/Barcelona

 

 

 

Sorry, that's how the pictures loaded. I don't know how to turn them around.

 

 

 

Thank you! Much appreciated.

 

 

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