Back from Western Med on Epic (4/29/2012 to 5/6/2012)

[feeloftheocean]

We're just back from the Western Med cruise on the Epic (first 7 day cruise of the season).

I'm not much of a writer, so no long review here. However if anybody has specific questions, I can answer while it's still fresh in my memory!

 

Cabin:

We had family balcony (B2) #13041 which is a regular cabin with a bigger than average balcony due to the curvature of the ship. We could fit 2 chairs and 2 lounging chairs on it. Great!

We liked the bathroom design, as we were travelling with our young kids (5 and 6), so privacy is not too much of an issue there. However the room is too small for 4 people, even 2 adults + 2 kids. The 4th bed which pulls out of the ceiling blocks a lot of space, prevents the big closet from opening fully, and we hurt our heads/backs on it more than once. Also it makes the access to the balcony difficult.

Regardless of the size, I do not recommend this cabin because it's facing a big, heavy door that the crew uses day and night for everything from cleaning to room service. If you pick this cabin, you will hear that door banging all night, in the early morning and especially on the last night of the cruise, when luggage is being picked up. It's too bad that no real effort is done to make this door quieter, it's not like I got a discount for picking a noisy cabin (I didn't know about the loud door BTW).

 

Ship:

* lots of activities but not in the classic cruise sense. Mostly entertainment, especially music.

* lots of people onboard, but it didn't feel crowded (maybe it's a matter of personal comfort level with crowds)

* great giant screen in the atrium where movies are played, and where kids play the wii

* food is nothing special (we only ate at free restaurants): Manhattan room is good, nice atmosphere; Garden buffet is... well a buffet; O'Sheehan's is convenient junk food, nothing more.

 

Spa:

We spent lots of money at the spa, and were happy to do so. It was never crowded when we went, it's really secluded from the rest of the ship (no onlookers like on other ships) and has a great view. Keep in mind that on this itinerary you have 1 day at sea and 5 days in port, and if excursions are not a priority for you, the spa is a good alternative, especially when the weather is not good enough to be outside.

 

Kid's club: they were great, very nice people, the kids didn't want to leave, and were always asking to go back. They had tons of fun, and had a fabulous view with huge windows to the outside (not sure they cared:)).

Just remember that the kid's club (called Recess) is free only when the ship is in motion and before 10:30pm (which is not much time on this itinerary). Otherwise it's $6 an hour for the first kid, and $4/hr additional for the second one.

 

Again, I can try to answer any specific questions.

Overall a great cruise!

[Ilikebigboats]

Welcome back!

Glad you had a great time. Sorry to hear about the noisy room, did you complain to anyone about it?

Please tell me about the ports, did you do organized tours or did you "wing it"?

Any must do's either in port or on the ship?

And last but not least, how was the weather and what clothing do you recommend?

Sorry about so many questions! :p

Thanks for the review!

[feeloftheocean]

Regarding the noisy room, you always hope that it will get better, but I think we should have complained right away. Not sure if that would have changed anything though...

 

We only did the Pompei excavation tour and the Pisa tour, both NCL tours. There were good tours, with good buses, nice knowledgeable guides. We think that NCL tours are too expensive but this was OK. It may sound crazy but we did not go to Rome: with two young kids, we just didn't see any tour that would be doable with them (even the Rome on your own tour, which still includes about 3-4hr of bus). They did go to Pompei with us, but after 30 min, even this very "cool" ruin wasn't interesting to them anymore :) (that was expected I guess!)

In Cannes, you can get off the ship, walk 5 minutes and be on a beautiful beach right away. You can reserve a chair + umbrella for 12 euros for the whole day and just relax (with the ship right in front of you since you tender there) or go visit the town.

We did not get off the ship in Marseilles, but there's a $20 shuttle (per person) that will take you from the ship to downtown. I think that's expensive, but that's your only easy choice.

 

Must do on ship: Blue Man Group, slides (the toilet bowl!), spa (if you like that)... nothing really special I guess, but it's a great ship all around! (we didn't try everything though).

 

Clothing: for us it was windy windy windy most of the time and low 60's It got better in Italy (warmer and less windy), but everywhere else, especially in the evening , being outside meant wearing a light jacket, and it was mostly kids that would venture in the pools then. On the night of the White Hot Party, which is held in the Spice H2O zone at the back of the ship (open air), the party had to be relocated inside to the Spice Club because of the wind and the dropping temperatures.

 

Finally, and it's been noted elsewhere on Cruise Critic, because this is a cruise that goes only to European Union ports and starts in Spain, an 8% (Spanish VAT) tax is added to bar tabs (on top of the automatic 15% gratuity) and I think 18% to Spa services(!!!). In the stores on the ship, NCL "gives" you an 18% discount to offset the VAT.

 

Welcome back!

Glad you had a great time. Sorry to hear about the noisy room, did you complain to anyone about it?

Please tell me about the ports, did you do organized tours or did you "wing it"?

Any must do's either in port or on the ship?

And last but not least, how wa

s the weather and what clothing do you recommend?

Sorry about so many questions! :p

Thanks for the review!

[henrid]

Thanks for your review! Much appreciated. We embark June 13 in Rome on the Epic. Do you recall the name of the beach you went to in Cannes? I've heard they have public and private beaches -do you know which your beach was? Also, were there decent places to eat lunch near the beach in Cannes?

 

I am disappointed to hear about the 8% Spain VAT -especially for those of us who board in Rome! To us, Italy is where the cruise starts :)

 

Did you notice or hear of any issues with people embarking/disembarking in Rome?

[feeloftheocean]

Here's the web site for the "private" beach" http://www.midiplage.com/. Note that this is not the only one, but it was very pleasant. Although it's "private", anybody can stroll through it (near the water) but that wasn't a lot of people when we were there.

This is the quieter side of Cannes (to the left when you exit the port), but you're still only 5 mins away from the busier area where most of the cruisers went to. Restaurants can be found on both sides, but there were less busy on our side of the port (which I guess is West). Our beach had a restaurant at which we ate and it was pretty good. Also everything was on the same bill: the chairs, umbrellas, drinks and the lunch. Convenient!

Note if you go during the busy months, you need to call and reserve chairs ahead of time (the owner advised us to do that for July and August especially).

 

As far as Rome disembarkation/embarkation, the only thing I remember is that some people wouldn't leave the ship and they kept calling them on the PA to tell to get off! (This was around ~9-10am)

 

 

Thanks for your review! Much appreciated. We embark June 13 in Rome on the Epic. Do you recall the name of the beach you went to in Cannes? I've heard they have public and private beaches -do you know which your beach was? Also, were there decent places to eat lunch near the beach in Cannes?

 

I am disappointed to hear about the 8% Spain VAT -especially for those of us who board in Rome! To us, Italy is where the cruise starts :)

 

Did you notice or hear of any issues with people embarking/disembarking in Rome?

[Cruzinbabe06]

Thanks for your review.

 

Do you remember which night was Lobster night? Was there a formal night?

Want to try 3 of the specialty restaurants but don't want to miss a good meal in the free dining room.

 

Thanks in advance

[Sauer-kraut]

Thanks for your review.

 

Do you remember which night was Lobster night? Was there a formal night?

Want to try 3 of the specialty restaurants but don't want to miss a good meal in the free dining room.

 

Thanks in advance

 

There are no formal nights on NCL, they have a "dress up or not night". Many people don't bother or they have something else to dress up for on a different night.

 

Can't help with the Lobster questions.

[feeloftheocean]

I did see a few people dressed up (suit for men) but didn't see any tuxedos on that "dress up or not night", which is the second night (day at sea). Maybe there were some really dressed up people in the specialty restaurants or up in the Haven, I don't know.

As far as the lobster, I had read it was available as a fee item in some of the specialty restaurants. I didn't see it in the MDR.

 

 

There are no formal nights on NCL, they have a "dress up or not night". Many people don't bother or they have something else to dress up for on a different night.

 

Can't help with the Lobster questions.

[lynnquenby]

Other than the ' main entrainment' can you tell me who the other acts were? Who was in Fat Cats??

[barbierahrah]

Could you please share -- I'm assuming -- is there an ATM on board for obtaining euros before going ashore? Thank you for your hints and insight -- much appreciated. We sail on the 23rd!!

[Single Cruiser]

Other than the ' main entrainment' can you tell me who the other acts were? Who was in Fat Cats??

 

Lynne

 

If you look here http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1629355

I posted the onboard dailies showing the nightly ents.

 

In summary:

 

The Epic theatre shows Legends in Concert and the Blue Man Group so two nights you will probably find yourself in the theatre.

 

In Headliners they have a lot of the other acts such as:

 

Brenda Cochrane (singer)

Lost Locos Ole (great comedy act)

Spanish Ballet

This is often followed on 4 nights a week by howl at the moon (duelling pianos/request sing along) which is normally from 10PM - 1AM

 

The Spiegel Tent shows Cirque Dreams dinner and show.

 

The other early evening events are held in Spice or if poor weather Bliss. These events include FABBA (Abba tribute), Beatles/60s show/welcome onboard show etc..

 

In Bliss early night is Adult Karaoke then it becomes a normal nightclub.

 

Fat Cats is the blues-style home for Slam Allen who performs unique sets several nights a week.

 

In the Atrium there is usually a band such as "twice as nice" or a duo which some people dance on the dance floor to.

 

For a quieter performance there is usually a pianist/singer in Shakers bar.

 

Other ents:

 

o'Sheehans shows the sports TV and as the bowling lanes

Ice Bar

Late night white hot party in Spice H2O

Acts in Manattan room and Taste whilst you dine..

[feeloftheocean]

A few things to add:

 

If you really want to see the Spanish Ballet, you have to reserve AND be early . It takes place in Headliners and it's a small venue (with some pillars to block your view in the back). My experience was with the earlier show, it may be easier with the later show.

 

The Blue Man Group early show on the first day was far from full, so it's a pretty good time to choose if you want to show up at the last minute.

 

You can have pictures taken with the Blue Man Group guys, the Legends performers and probably at others shows. If you're interested in doing so, try to exit the theater before most people do.

 

 

Lynne

 

If you look here http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1629355

I posted the onboard dailies showing the nightly ents.

 

In summary:

 

The Epic theatre shows Legends in Concert and the Blue Man Group so two nights you will probably find yourself in the theatre.

 

In Headliners they have a lot of the other acts such as:

 

Brenda Cochrane (singer)

Lost Locos Ole (great comedy act)

Spanish Ballet

This is often followed on 4 nights a week by howl at the moon (duelling pianos/request sing along) which is normally from 10PM - 1AM

 

The Spiegel Tent shows Cirque Dreams dinner and show.

 

The other early evening events are held in Spice or if poor weather Bliss. These events include FABBA (Abba tribute), Beatles/60s show/welcome onboard show etc..

 

In Bliss early night is Adult Karaoke then it becomes a normal nightclub.

 

Fat Cats is the blues-style home for Slam Allen who performs unique sets several nights a week.

 

In the Atrium there is usually a band such as "twice as nice" or a duo which some people dance on the dance floor to.

 

For a quieter performance there is usually a pianist/singer in Shakers bar.

 

Other ents:

 

o'Sheehans shows the sports TV and as the bowling lanes

Ice Bar

Late night white hot party in Spice H2O

Acts in Manattan room and Taste whilst you dine..

[Luanne]

I do have a question...for the people who board in Rome, I see there is no muster drill on Wed before the sailaway. Do we just go the make-up drill the next day?

[Single Cruiser]

I do have a question...for the people who board in Rome, I see there is no muster drill on Wed before the sailaway. Do we just go the make-up drill the next day?

 

No your drill is at 4PM in the theatre http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=33666051&postcount=2

 

New regs say you must attend before it sets sail!

[Luanne]

Thanks Craig. I guess I missed that on the Wednesday Daily :o. But did see it Thursday.:)

[vivavegas]

Welcome Back! Nice review! Sorry to hear about your noisey room. :)

[Cruzinbabe06]

Thank you;)

 

I won't bring my formal wear.

[conandrob240]

Can you tell me if the comedy act is suitable for a 13 yr old boy?

[feeloftheocean]

Sorry I can't answer, I didn't see it.

 

Can you tell me if the comedy act is suitable for a 13 yr old boy?

[AttilaTheFun]

Just got off Epic yesterday and lobster was served in the free Mai dining rooms on embarkation night. A bit overcooked, but not bad.

 

I didn't go to Los Locos Ole, but my parents said it was vulgar and they walked out. There were jokes about sticking wigs down pants and showing their underwear or something.

[Cruzinbabe06]

Just got off Epic yesterday and lobster was served in the free Mai dining rooms on embarkation night. A bit overcooked, but not bad.

 

I didn't go to Los Locos Ole, but my parents said it was vulgar and they walked out. There were jokes about sticking wigs down pants and showing their underwear or something.

 

 

Thank you. I'm always looking forward to Lobster night. When I think about it, the only time I eat lobster is on a cruise.:eek:

 

I'm reading that Los Locos Ole is a new act. Is there a fee to see this comedy show?

 

Can you go into details what you did in the ports? Did you do full tours every day? It's so port intensive, and we have tours booked for each day, however, I'm wondering will it be an overload.

 

Thanks in advance

[AttilaTheFun]

Thank you. I'm always looking forward to Lobster night. When I think about it, the only time I eat lobster is on a cruise.:eek:

 

I'm reading that Los Locos Ole is a new act. Is there a fee to see this comedy show?

 

Can you go into details what you did in the ports? Did you do full tours every day? It's so port intensive, and we have tours booked for each day, however, I'm wondering will it be an overload.

 

Thanks in advance

 

No fees for any of the shows except Cirque Dreams, which is a performance with dinner and runs $25 for standard seats or $35 for premium seats. You can book Blue Man Group, Legends, Los Locos Oles, and Spanish Ballet ahead of time on MyNCL or at the entertainment desk, but we found that the shows were not completely full, so you could probably show up ~15 minutes ahead of time and get in, but you may not have as good of a seat. Any shows in Headliners (vs. Epic Theater) you may want to book ahead and/or show up earlier for because as others have posted, it's a smaller venue and there are columns that block sight lines.

 

I'll be posting a full review in a few days and cover what we did in each port. My biggest piece of advice is that it's very exhausting, so don't try to cram too much into each day - give yourself time for a gelato break and people-watching if you can!

[Single Cruiser]

Can you tell me if the comedy act is suitable for a 13 yr old boy?

 

If American no, if European yes. Sorry to put it bluntly but I think American kids are more sheltered to some of the gags then many kids in Europe. I thought it was a great laugh, not at all vulgar, ok so one of the guys has a bra on for example..

 

The costa jokes were a bit black and could see how some would be offended!

[conandrob240]

Well, we are American but I would have no issue with a guy putting on a bra, showing his underwear or putting a wig down his pants. Mild bad language is fine too. My concern would be excessive profanity, nudity or heavy sexual talk.

[meduza]

Just got off Epic yesterday and lobster was served in the free Mai dining rooms on embarkation night. A bit overcooked, but not bad.

 

I didn't go to Los Locos Ole, but my parents said it was vulgar and they walked out. There were jokes about sticking wigs down pants and showing their underwear or something.

 

I think Los Locos Ole is funny , but not for 13 years old, more for adults. This guys playing guitars amazing !!