sdmike's review & daily diary of Epic's inaugural western Caribbean cruise

[dawnmariex]

I didn't get that information on the ship, but I have all the dailies. Anyone know if it was posted anywhere? I'm sure I could find out if I know where to look. I know it was pretty full because the week I left I started doing room searches on-line to see what was still available, and there wasn't much! There were no rooms bigger than what I had (BA) and not a lot of BA's either.

 

Would LOVE the dailies! Were you going to post those too? Thanks again!

 

Dawn:)

[sdmike]

Hi Mike!

We leave on Saturday for the Western Caribbean and this has made me sooooo excited! By far you have given me the best information about this cruise than from any other source (and believe me, as an addict I have looked everywhere)! Sorry you did not make it to Costa Maya~seems we will be first to dock there next week~ bummer for you, but more exciting now for us. Looking forward to the pics. I hope you can post before Friday! You have done so much so I'm not pressuring you! PS...thanks also for the real laugh out loud moments! There were a bunch! Again, thanks and take care!

 

Dawnmarie - please let me know if you have any questions. We heard great things about Maya Chan in Costa Maya, and it was unfortunate that we were unable to spend the day there. However, there's a ton that I DIDN'T post here about the ship, simply because I was trying to keep a diary of my days rather than document everything about the ship. For example, I didn't mention that everyone gets a "pool towel" in their room for use at the pool and on-shore beaches. You can swap it for dry/clean ones by the pool or with your steward, but if you lose it it'll cost you $25. We actually ended up with MORE than we started with somehow. Go figure. Anyway, ask away, and enjoy your trip!!! I wish I was going back to Roatan with you!!

[fatcattravel]

Really enjoyed your review. Going on the Eastern but now I want to plan to go on the Western!

[Adkmom]

Thank you so much for your great review. We loved Roatan also on our last long cruise and we have a Victor Bodden trip planned because my Daughter loves monkeys she will be so excited to hear how interactive it is. We have a group of 10 and I am happy to hear we will be able to find seating together without trouble.

 

A few questions if you don't mind.

1. do you know if the hot tubs are open late. Our last cruise on the Sky they were open till about 11 but on the Dawn the closed really early. We love hot tubing it after dinner.

 

2. Any sign of a smoothie pass/ teen passport?

 

3. Will my 12 year old be able to do anything in the teen area with my 14 year old or is it always just teens. She is kind of upset she turns 13 in Dec. and feels she will be too old for the kids club stuff.

 

4. Is there a good place to meet at the West end Beach on Roatan my group is splitting up that day and we want to meet up at the beach.

 

5. Was the lower bed/couch really hard as reviews say?

 

Looking forward to photos and dailies.

[familyof4cruising]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write your review.

 

Glad to know that Mayan Chan refunded your money due to weather. They have been so helpful so far and nice to see they are very honest.

 

Will look into your Roatan excursion.

 

THANKS!

[Kim in Florida]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to share!

[momo24]

Mike thank you for a wonderful review. We are also on the 14 floor so I was very interested in how much you loved being there. We are in 14034 it is on the tip of the first bump out. I hope that we will still be covered like you were. Thanks again for a great review.:D

[ColinIllinois]

Very enjoyable read, I felt like I was back on the ship. One question though: I didn't even know there was a public area on Deck 18. How do you get up there? The elevators that are right outside of the Garden Cafe by the sun deck?

[lusitanica]

What additional information do you need about embarkation and debarkation?

 

No, you've posted it already. Thanx.

 

 

I didn't get that information on the ship

 

The number of passengers is a key question for the "review", but "daily diary" is fine without that.

[sdmike]

See my responses below:

 

 

A few questions if you don't mind.

1. do you know if the hot tubs are open late. Our last cruise on the Sky they were open till about 11 but on the Dawn the closed really early. We love hot tubing it after dinner.

The pools were open until 10pm at night when they covered them with a net, so the tubs were at least open until then. I don't think they covered the tubs, so it's likely they were usable after 10. We never used the tubs late, so I'm not sure if there's an official closure time or not.

 

2. Any sign of a smoothie pass/ teen passport?

 

No, I saw some kids with a soda pass, but I didn't see any smoothies on the ship at all.

 

3. Will my 12 year old be able to do anything in the teen area with my 14 year old or is it always just teens. She is kind of upset she turns 13 in Dec. and feels she will be too old for the kids club stuff.

That's a good question. It's for teens 13 to 17, so having a 12 year old around 17 year olds might be considered too much of a stretch. Worth asking though. You fill out paperwork when you register them, but I don't remember there being a field for birthdate. ;) What your daughter should know is that the Recess room is about 5x the size of the teen club and has PS3 game stations, etc. too. You should all tour both of them.

 

4. Is there a good place to meet at the West end Beach on Roatan my group is splitting up that day and we want to meet up at the beach.

 

Yep! There were a lot of NCL'ers at the beach at Infinity Bay resort. It would be relatively easy to find them there, as there is a narrow entrance to the beach area with a covered eating/lounge area next to it. It would be easy to meet there, or on the small beach right there.

 

5. Was the lower bed/couch really hard as reviews say?

 

yes. it was perfect for a light person (my 9 year old and 13 year old had no issues with it), but it might be a bit firm for my personal taste. I can tell you though, as tired as I was most nights I could have slept on a bed of nails. :D

Looking forward to photos and dailies.

 

I won't have the dailies scanned in time, but let me know if you have any questions about certain days, times or events. I can look them up.

 

[DocJohnB]

Mike,

 

Thanks for a fantastic and thorough review. Almost felt like I was peeking over you shoulder the entire cruise.

 

Have a question though.

 

you don’t need pants in Taste

 

Really? :D:D:D:D

 

Course now, I have been on cruises where some guys were accused of having no taste in pants . . . . . just saying. :p

[CaptData]

Great review. I like your attitude about the missed port and not blaming NCL. Can't wait for pics.

[CaptainChoppers]

Great Review! DH and I are taking the Western Caribbean cruise on the Epic 11/27/10. One question: We plan on taking our portable DVD player with us and would like to know if we will be able to hook it up to the TV in the room. We are in a Deluxe Balcony Cabin. Thanks!:)

[sdmike]

Mike thank you for a wonderful review. We are also on the 14 floor so I was very interested in how much you loved being there. We are in 14034 it is on the tip of the first bump out. I hope that we will still be covered like you were. Thanks again for a great review.:D

 

I must have passed that room about 100 times. :) Not only will you covered, but you'll have a bigger balcony too! Score! :)

[sdmike]

lol John. Maybe that's why I was getting funny looks in Taste! :D

[sdmike]

Great Review! DH and I are taking the Western Caribbean cruise on the Epic 11/27/10. One question: We plan on taking our portable DVD player with us and would like to know if we will be able to hook it up to the TV in the room. We are in a Deluxe Balcony Cabin. Thanks!:)

 

I didn't dig deep, but there were no exposed plugs that I saw. The TV is mounted on a protrusion that provides a shelf behind the TV and hides any wiring. Maybe someone on a future cruise can dig deeper, but I didn't notice any.

[momo24]

I must have passed that room about 100 times. :) Not only will you covered, but you'll have a bigger balcony too! Score! :)

Thank you really looking forward to going now. Sept 11 here I come.:D:D:D

[ColinIllinois]

Mike,

 

Thanks for a fantastic and thorough review. Almost felt like I was peeking over you shoulder the entire cruise.

 

Have a question though.

 

 

 

Really? :D:D:D:D

 

Course now, I have been on cruises where some guys were accused of having no taste in pants . . . . . just saying. :p

 

 

Some people don't realize since it is a ship restaurant they should wear DOCKers.

 

(Apologies for that groaner) :D

[sdmike]

Sara - please re-read what I posted. I wasn't offended by the sexual references, and not only am I not homophobic, I have a lot of openly gay friends. I even coached a women's soccer team in the "Gay Games" many years ago in Vancouver. :) My goal of that section of my review was to point out 1) some might be uncomfortable with the content for them and/or their children (as a couple in our group was), and 2) I wondered why it was necessary to put certain things in a family show that have a higher chance of offending some. Also note that I enjoyed the show, and the part I found unfunny was the fluff around the skill acts, not anything to do with the gay references. :) And no, I was not uncomfortable with the raunchy song, and would not have been offended by any gay references in a similar song. I'm just not wired that way. I was less comfortable with a couple of teens necking on the deck in public. :eek:

 

Anyway, I wasn't offended by your post. I just wanted to make sure you know where I was coming from. :)

Edited August 1, 2010 by sdmike

[scottyg]

Hi Scott. I'll have some pictures to show the distances, but it's quite close. When you get off the ship you walk only about 100 feet to where their welcome center is. Another 100 feet and you're at the transportation kiosks, and right around the corner is the parking lot with all the vans. In fact, all of the vans are parked in a big parking lot right next to the ship... you just need to loop around to the left to get over to them. it's a much shorter walk than the long pier at Cozumel.

 

Mike...basically, you rock out!!! Thanks for your comments & have a great day..I look fwd. to your pics!!

[Mr. Luckytoo]

Sdmike,

 

What a review! I have to admit you did a great, great job. Funny parts and a wonderful read.

 

Glad you enjoyed you cruise and that you had wonderful time.

[peach 79]

Thank you for providing such a great review!!!

[scottyg]

Cozumel (Thursday, July 30)

 

Another beautiful Caribbean day greeted us in Cozumel when we arrived around 8am. It was partly cloudy and a little bit cooler than it had been in Roatan. My brother and family had a SNUBA grip scheduled, but we were free for the day. We had not planned anything since we thought after beach days in Costa Maya (didn’t happen) and Roatan (best ever) we wouldn’t want to spend another day on the beach. Besides, we live 5 miles from the beaches in San Diego. So after our normal routine of breakfast and mingling we decided to head off for a walk around Cozumel. The Epic docked at the downtown pier, which is the one furthest to the North. Off the bow of the ship, a couple of miles away, was the Oasis. Sitting in front of her was a Vision class ship (forget which one), and the Oasis made her look like a bathtub toy. You could stand on the upper pool deck of the smaller ship and still look up at several decks of cabin balconies on the Oasis! I was hoping we’d get a closer view of the Oasis when we departed Cozumel, but we left before her and never saw her again. I took some pictures and will post them when I get a chance.

 

Well, the first thing that I checked is on the use of US Dollars in Cozumel, having read the message threads about some new Mexican law impacting the use of US$ in Mexico. Well, I’m happy to report that EVERY place we saw in Cozumel not only accepted US$, but all had all their tags and signage in US$. They took US$, gave change in US$, and charged credit cards in US$. It’s NOT an issue using US Dollars in Cozumel at all. We might as well have been in Miami.

 

So, with that behind us we walked down the long pier into the mall at the entrance of the pier. There were some interesting shops with t-shirts for about $5 each, but we wanted to head off into town away from the stores where we were a “captive audience” at the port. If you head left out of the port mall and along the main drive the first place you’ll hit of interest is Carlos and Charlies, with Senor Frogs right next door (and upstairs). We were with my mother and father so we didn’t stop at C&C’s for the typical ceremonial “drinking of the yard long frozen drink”, but I can tell you that the people in there were having a helluva time. We continued to stroll down the main drag checking out the shops, and eventually tired of all the hawking (SIR! Get your lovely wife a bracelet? SIR! Come in and see my leather. I will make you a great deal!), and settled into a large store next door to the McDonalds. There we found $6 t-shirts of high quality, $5 baseball caps, and anything else we needed to commemorate our visit to Cozumel and provide gifts for friends watching our house/dog/fish. Local booze is cheap (big bottles of Kahlua for $9), but we found that most alcohol is cheaper on the ship. We picked up two different brands of vanilla in two of the shops, both manufactured by the Orlando factory. Orlando claims to be the only “natural” vanilla mass-produced in Mexico. 99% of the vanilla you buy is synthetic. Any clear or dark brown vanilla is synthetic, including all the vanilla you buy in US grocery stores. Natural vanilla is amber colored, which comes from soaking the bean in alcohol (like rum). Anyway, one of the Orlando brands is Reyna, and the other is sold at Los Cinco Soles (5 Suns), who have a shop at the mall at the port. The 500ml bottles are around $5 - $6, to give you an idea. Read up on vanilla before buying because there’s a lot of junk out there, not all of it good. Make sure to avoid any product that contains Coumarin. In fact, make sure the label says the product is Coumarin free.

 

After visiting Cozumel we hung out on our balcony and read for a while, and socialized with our travel mates through our connecting balconies. We had dinner at Taste again (you don’t need pants in Taste and it has the same menu at Manhattan) and the Curry was great. I hear the tilapia and salmon was good as well. Of course we finished off with cheesecake and key lime pie, and a couple cups of coffee to keep our motors running. Oh, I forgot to mention our departure from Cozumel. I had noticed that the water was shallow (and beautiful blue) in front of the ship, so I knew some kind of maneuver was going to be required to get out. It turns out that we end up doing a 270 degree backwards spin to head back out into the channel. The captain pushes her away from the dock with bow and stern thrusters, then spins the ship counter clockwise (her nose coming within 50 feet of the dock) until she’s facing back out to sea. It was strange to sit on the balcony and feel the ship essentially doing a slow donut. I kept hoping that the Oasis would be departing at the same time so we could drag race with her alongside us, but alas she was still in port as we pulled away.

 

After the dinner we didn’t do much. As always the kids went off and had a great time with my son watching my daughter in the pool until they closed it at 10pm. My oldest son was exhausted and stayed in for the evening, but my 13 year old stayed out until curfew again. He’s having the time of his life, and I’m really enjoying his freedom. Half of our group was asleep by 10, and I was deep into sleep when my son got back at 1am. I think it was at dinner tonight that we discovered a few things about the trip. First, my daughter estimated that by this night she had exceeded 20 soft serve cones for the trip. I bet it was more than 30. There are two soft serve stations in the Garden Café, and they’re open from noon until 10pm (and sometimes later if they are slow to clean up). I’ve never seen so many ice cream cones running around in my life. Lol. The other thing we discovered was mentioned by my mom in the elevator when we were going somewhere…we cannot find one thing wrong with this cruise. Yep. I agree. The rooms are find, we LOVE the ship, the ports have been fun, and the food and entertainment great. Let me repeat… we cannot find one thing wrong with this cruise. Wow!

 

This was the night that we started to prepare for our departure. We picked up luggage tags down in the Atrium area, and had instructions and Customs forms delivered to our room. Bags need to be out Friday night (Saturday morning) by 1am, and they want you out of your rooms by 9am. You can have lunch and hang in the common areas until around 10am, which is what we plan on doing because our flight is mid-afternoon. You need one Customs form per family. I filled out or tags and form in preparation for tomorrow night (sob!) just to stay ahead of the game.

 

I have one more question, oh wise and wonderful Mike from SD!!! Regarding Cozumel, are there vans / taxi's there that can take you to Chankanaab Park?

I have an electric scooter...it's small, but was wondering if if van taxi can travel the distance from Cozumel to Chankanaab?

Again, thnk you in advance.

Scott & Hope in Miami

Edited August 1, 2010 by scottyg

[tiyana4]

Mike,

 

So glad you and your family had such a great time on the Epic. Thanks for providing such a thorough and enjoyable review! We are definitely looking forward to sailing the Epic in the future.

[Aldeya]

Great review and you seem like a genuinely nice guy. However, I dont know how to say something without the risk of offending you but is important enough to point out.

 

Imagine for a moment if the raunchy song was about someone gay? I bet you would have been uncomfortable and freaked out since a gay character and a gay joke offended you. It is just inconsistent and is a shame that just a gay character in a play was not funny but a raunchy song was.

 

Just something to think about next time someone says, they are not homophobic BUT

gay jokes and gay characters are out of line in a play.

 

Please take no offense. I am not attacking you but just trying to get you and others to to honestly think about themselves and others.

 

Straight macho men totally comfortable with their sexuality can find gay jokes and gay characters funny in addition to a raunchy straight song.

 

Thanks again for the great review. Just could not resist this chance to show how homophobia still exists today.[/quote]

 

 

 

Here we go again. Political correctness at its finest. Sara, we DO "honestly think about themselves and others".

 

But can we just enjoy a review without comments like this? Geez.....

Edited August 1, 2010 by Aldeya