Epic, Rome - Rome May 30 - Jun 6

[Victress2007]

Put your walking shoes on!

 

Boarding in Rome was a cinch. We got there early, about 1115 because our driver was at our hotel an hour early.

 

We were out shopping for wine but managed to catch him just as he was leaving the hotel. We had everything packed and ready to go so it just took a few minutes to check out of the hotel. We picked up 2 other Roll Call people at different hotels (Thanks Paul for arranging this) and were on our way.

 

We were about the first Rome passengers on board, no wine screening, so we were really glad we picked up wine that morning. Our stateroom was ready and our luggage arrived at about 1:30.

 

We had been eating wonderful pasta and pizza for 3 days in Rome so we opted for a hamburger in O'Sheehans for lunch and even the mediocre iced tea tasted wonderful after no tea for days (I drink it unsweetened so it's hard to find - at least the iced part) - it was great! I had wanted to explore Civitivecchia but after 3 days on our feet in Rome it was nice to have a relaxed day wandering the ship. I cruise for the ports, not the ship, but we totally enjoyed the Epic. We ate dinner in Moderno (again, after 3 days of pasta and pizza) Wonderful! We've eaten at churrascarias before and know what to expect.

 

Livorno: We did this on our own in the morning and a tour group at 2 pm. We took the shuttle to the train station in Livorno. This is operated by NCL, I think it was a 6 euro round trip per person. Easy once you know about it. You pay in dollars and it is charged to your room. It also goes to the local shopping mall, we didn't go there. It runs every 1/2 hour. The train to Pisa was late- by 1.5 hours. The second train was late - by 1/2 an hour. We got on the train to Florence - which was on time and stopped in Pisa. Our train left a lot of people waiting for that Pisa train.

 

We walked to and from the tower to the train station in Pisa - about a 20 minute easy walk. There is a map in front of the train station that shows you where to go. Once we got back to Livorno there is a park across the street and we found a nice bench to sit on while we waited for the shuttle to pick us up. We have been to Pisa a couple times, so just took a few pictures, stopped for pizza and internet and did a little shopping. I really like Pisa and have already been to Florence a couple times too.

 

 

 

 

 

In the afternoon we did a ship wine tour to a 500 year old farm. This trip is great for someone who wants to see a little of the countryside and anyone who is into photography. This farm is about as picturesque as it gets. It was about an hour trip and we thoroughly enjoyed it even though it was a LOT of people. We bought some wine and olive oil. The ship took it as we boarded but some people walked right by them with their purchases.

 

 

 

We were ready for dinner late that night and ate at Taste. It's busier than Manhattan but the food was good. I think we ate at O'Sheehans for breakfast that day as we did most days. They don't have a lot of variety but it is quick and hot and they had iced tea for me. We ate one day in the main dining room and once in the buffet for breakfast. All fine - the buffet was just too busy for me.

 

Cannes coming up soon!

 

Vic

[Victress2007]

Ok, this was my least favorite day of the cruise - but it wasn't anyone's fault. Things happen. Cannes is the only tender port. Fine. There are a ton of people who want to see all the sights. Fine. Most of the sights aren't that far away, good so far. But, you see, there is traffic. Tons and TONS of traffic. The later in the day it gets, the worse the traffic is.

 

We signed up for Monaco and Monte Carlo. We had an 8:15 tender time in the main theater. The first tour time was 8. As we got to the theater a few minutes after 8 the Nice and Monte Carlo tour was leaving. There is only one entrance to the theater - it was crazy. We fought our way through the crowd and sat down. A very nice lady was encouraging people to come in to the theater and sit down to wait for their tour. People were ignoring her completely and standing in the hallways. She kept encouraging and gradually got more pointed - finally most (but not all) came in and sat down.

 

We finally got called about 8:30 - a couple hundred people stood up for the tour. Yikes! The divided us into buses and we didn't all meet up again so that was ok.

 

We were on bus 18. Our bus broke down about 10 minutes out of the port. We waited almost an hour before another bus picked us up. Unfortunately our bus didn't have the good manners to break down in front of a nice cafe - it broke down in a banking area that had no cafes or markets or restaurants to be seen. Bad bus! I did wander a little and found a very small patisserie where I got an eclair (after all this is France!) and a coke light (no snarky remarks please). When we got back to the crowd I directed several people to the shop - so at least one business had a little boom. :)

 

This was the building we broke down in front of - The Venetian maybe?

 

So the second bus came, but it had just dropped some people in Nice and had to get back to them, so it took us to Nice to meet up with the 3rd bus. Did I mention traffic? This cost us some more time and we drove down the main street in Nice. The 3rd bus took us to Monaco. We all trooped up to the aquarium and the tour guide told us to meet up in about an hour and 1/2. She did do a tour for anyone who wanted to stay with her - we wandered.

 

 

 

We met back up after a walk and a quick bite to eat. I think we split a ham and cheese sandwich - the most prevalent choice. We saw the church and walked through the gardens.

 

 

Once we got back down to the parking garage we had a little surprise - a 4th bus! It was a very nice bus, a little roomier than #3 so that was ok. We went to Monte Carlo and were set free and told to meet back in and hour an 20 mins. We all walked up to the Casino area and split up. We went in to the American Casino and dropped about 5 euro each in the slot machines - just to say we had.

 

We browsed a few shops and met back up at 3:45. We had gotten special permission to stay an hour later than most because of our bus issues. Did I mention traffic? We were 20 miles or so away from the port. We got back just about 6:15. 10 hours after the start of our trip. We had a total of less than 3 hours touring Monaco and Monte Carlo. My recommendation for this area is to TAKE A TRAIN! If I ever go back it will be by train and I will probably head inland - not to Nice or Monte Carlo. I am not a crowd person.

 

 

When we got back to our stateroom (on the last tender of the day) we had a nice letter from NCL who acknowledged the problems of the tour and gave us 50% of our money back.

 

That night we were supposed to see Los Locos Ole. We didn't, we went to the hot tub and had a couple drinks then to the Chinese Specialty restaurant because we wanted seafood. Once again it was wonderful.

 

Vic

[Victress2007]

I know many people choose to stay aboard the Epic and enjoy her for this port. It ended up being one of my favorites.

 

We joined a private wine tour from Provence Wine Tours. I was going to bite the bullet and do a private one on our own, but they allowed us to join up with one already booked. We met on the Pier at 9 am, they promised to have us back by 3. We approached a likely looking foursome and indeed they were our group. The tour operators got there about 5 mins late, hmmm.

 

Two other people had joined us to make a group of 8, but they ended up going with the second operator so it was just the 6 of us and the guide. Boy, did she know her stuff! We've been on several wine tours in several areas and most of the time the guide is just a driver to the vineyards, but this woman was a pro. I am lousy at names so I can't remember hers, but she was great.

 

 

She took us to the first vineyard in the Bandol region. This area is best know for its Rose Wine. I'm going to let the pictures do the talking on this day. We bought 3 bottles here.

 

 

We stopped at a second vineyard outside of Cassis. This one is best know for whites. We bought 1 bottle here.

 

 

Then it was time for lunch. We went to Cassis - what a beautiful little village. I highly recommend this beach town if you don't know what to do from Marseilles. You can get here by train, I think she said about 20 mins out. Lovely beaches and very little traffic! Of course it was Saturday, compared to Friday in Monte Carlo - but it was a real relief! We split up from the other 4 for browsing and lunch, we had crepes at a small cafe - the town is full of restaurants, shopping for Provence stuff and wine.

 

 

 

After lunch she took us up to Pont Du Cretes. WOW!

 

She got us back to the pier at 3 pm. So, if you're looking for a Wine tour out of Provence it isn't any easier to remember. Provence Wine Tour dot com as they say.

 

Back to the ship for an early departure. This was Saturday so I think we hit Manhattan for dinner and tried the Howl at the Moon show. I know others rave about it, but I thought it was just ok. They were playing a lot of different music for a piano bar - I like more of the sing along classics I guess.

 

Vic

[Victress2007]

I've mixed up some of our shipboard activities (jet lag, blame it on jet lag). And while I'm at it, Phil - not Paul - thanks for the driver to Civitavecchia.

 

First day in Rome the lifeboat drill was at 1630 and split into language groups. English speakers had the theater - about 1/2 full. Very clear and simple.

 

After the wine tour in Livorno we hit the hot tub and Taste.

 

Friday night we got in the the Beatles Celebration show at the last minute. We LOVED this show. The whole audience was rocking - from 70 to 7. Everyone was singing along - absolutely GREAT.

 

Vic

[willysgrandma]

I am enjoying your review since this is one of the first for Rome to Rome, which we are doing in Oct. Looking forward to your Barcelona and Naples reivews.

 

We booked a private tour of Barcelona because NCL offered virtuallyh nothing unless you were disembarking. I'd like to know what you did an what time you were allowed off the ship.

 

Also, can you tell u about the VAT issue on this cruise? i know that for those embarking from Barcelona, there were some high VAT costs for onboard purchases. Was it any different embarking in Rome instead?

 

We have a private tour in Cannes. Were those with private tours permitted on early tenders or did they have to wait for the NCL tours to get off first?

[vivavegas]

I'm thoroughly enjoying your review! Thanks so much for taking the time to write your review! Loving your photos too!:)

[Victress2007]

I didn't know much about Barcelona when I started planning this cruise. We also were there on a Sunday when a lot of the town is closed.

 

We got a note about debarkation in the room, it had stickers with it, with a picture of the coliseum and "Happy Sailing". You were supposed to wear this so staff wouldn't hound you about what to do and where to go. It wasn't a big deal in the morning, we just walked off about 830 or so. I had a dark shirt on so people pretty much noticed the sticker on my shirt, my husband was wearing white, so it didn't stand out quite so much.

 

We did the hop on - hop off bus tour. We got a round trip shuttle ticket - I think 7 euro for the 2 of us. Hold on to your tickets, I couldn't find them at first when we got back on the bus and almost had to pay again.

 

This shuttle went right to the monument of Columbus. We walked across the street to look at the monument and there was a shop and ticket office for the bus. The ticket office on the street was crazy, but the one under the monument was empty. So, we hopped on and started listening to the tour. We ended up doing both the red and blue line tours. We went first to the Sagrada Familia as most people do. I am not a fan of modern art - but this is spectacular. Be sure to go all the way around the cathedral even if you don't go in. One side is the crucifixion story the other is the birth of Christ. It is laid out very plainly, in very large figures, quite amazing to see. The styles of the two sides are quite strikingly different. We did go inside and it was again something new and unique.

 

 

 

 

After the Cathedral we went to the Parc Guell on the bus and walked around there a bit. I hadn't even heard about this (Not being a Gaudi fan) but it was a beautiful park. We then continued on the bus all the way back around to the rambles, found a restaurant and split a pizza, and continued all the way down to the monument. We didn't really have the day planned other than the church and the bus helped us decide where to stop. It wasn't the most expensive way to travel, but it wasn't the cheapest either. Everything was closed except on Las Ramblas itself, we started one street over and it was all closed.

 

 

There was plenty of shopping along the street next to the Sagrada Familia, the way up to the parc and on Las Ramblas.

 

 

Street performers were out in force, this guy's costume was great.

 

We got back on board about 4:40, right after the lifeboat drill was announced, the staff was everywhere directing people, and I was glad I had left the silly sticker on my shirt. Once they noticed it, they'd just nod and say something nice, otherwise they want to see your card and direct you to the correct station. The staff was very helpful all day directing people around, which of course we didn't really need. No big deal.

 

I took around 300 pictures in Barcelona, mostly in the Sagrada Familia, it really is spectacular.

 

Vic

[Victress2007]

We hit the Ice Bar early that evening, keep your hood up and wear slacks and it's not too bad.

 

 

We ate at the Manhattan Room Sunday night. It was lobster night, served with red snapper. We did ask for another tail and they brought us each 2, they were very good - not perfect - but very good.

 

We went up on a VERY windy, blustery H2O to see the Beatles again. John almost lost his wig a couple of times, but they kept playing and the few people that were there enjoyed themselves.

 

It was a great full moon that night.

 

 

We had a mini suite on deck 8, very nicely placed to be near everything below us. The lifeboats were right below us but didn't interfere with our view.

 

We enjoyed the slot machines a little every night, I was almost out of my allotted cash when I hit it big on Monday morning while waiting for my husband. We ended up a little ahead for the week. We're not big gamblers and played the 20 line penny machines for most of the week.

 

My husband used the gym a couple times, including the sea day. I walked almost the whole hour he was there, it was full moon night again and I was looking for a good spot to take pictures of the sunset and moonrise which were going to happen within 20 minutes of each other.

 

 

We hit the water slides - lots of fun. We had lunch at the buffet - brats on pretzel bread buns - yum! It was more crowded on board after we left Barcelona, at first I thought it was just because we were spending time on the ship for once, but now I think there were a lot more kids that week. Since we didn't spend a huge amount of time at the buffet or on the pool deck it wasn't that noticeable but things were busier after Barcelona. Only one time were we told at Manhattan that we would have to wait for dinner, but since it was already 9 we just went down to Taste.

 

 

The sunset was fine but the moonrise was a little harder to find, we ended up eating a late dinner in the buffet - all dressed up for dress up or not night. We had wonderful, freshly carved prime rib and some great scalloped potatoes, but we wish we hadn't gotten dressed up. Because I wanted those pictures it threw our schedule off.

 

 

The moon was a little delayed by some clouds on the horizon. I would have been better off watching it from the balcony.

 

Vic

[willysgrandma]

Beautiful pictures - this is making me look forward to Barcelona. We've booked a private tour with another couple.

[Victress2007]

Ok, final day, we're headed to Capri. We met another couple at O'Sheehans at 7:45. The right to the Hydrofoil ticket counter. The ticket counter is on the street side of the building, not the port side, it makes sense if you're not coming from the port, and let's face it, most people are not! If you get seasick at all - strongly consider it before boarding the hydrofoil. It is not a smooth ride, especially if the seas are a little choppy, which they were for us. 2 out of the four of us had problems, along with at least 1/2 of the others on board. The Epic makes you forget you are at sea most of the time. The Hydrofoil does not.

 

 

We got to Capri where we had scheduled a private boat tour with Gianni of Capri boat tours. He was great and if we weren't so rocky from the trip over it would have been better. My husband bought some dramamine for everyone but it got to all of us so we cut the tour short. Gianni was wonderful, the scenery was beautiful, we even got into the very "refreshing" water for a few minutes - but we can only take so much of choppy water. It did calm down later in the day - thank goodness!

 

 

We did a little shopping at took the ferry to Sorrento, much smoother. We had a nice lunch in Sorrento and walked the town for a couple hours, then it was time to head back to the ferry. The ferry to Naples was cancelled for mechanical reasons, so we had to go back to Capri and then to Naples. Luckily we had plenty of time. We arrived back to Naples at a little after 6 pm and got back on Epic before last call. The last two ferries were much smoother, but we still spent a lot of time traveling that day.

 

 

 

This highlights the biggest drawback of the entire cruise. The ship was wonderful, the entertainment great. We're not traditional cruisers and don't really enjoy the traditional entertainment (although we did miss having a good comedian). We enjoyed the different club type entertainment.

 

We saw Blue Man Group - not really our thing, Legends - ok but the show needs better pacing, Howl at the Moon, Beatles (twice), and totally enjoyed the cruise. We may book an eastern Caribbean cruise on Epic because we enjoyed it so much.

 

BUT - from every port you had to travel somewhere else to see things. Traffic or water ensured that the travel took a long time. I don't think I will do another Med cruise, if I go back to the region it will be on land so I can go where I really want and stay as long as I want. It will cost more - but I think it will be a better experience.

 

Vic

[Victress2007]

Tuesday night we had to pick up the wine we had checked. We missed the notice they sent, so went looking for our wine after dinner. We almost missed the pickup, but found it at the bar across from the customer service desk on deck 5.

 

And now for debarking. We were taking a train to Venice for a few more days in Italy. This was as easy as going on an excursion. We did walk off with our own luggage, so maybe that made it easier.

 

We also got up and were ready to walk off at 7 am. When they announced we could go we were ready. We were the first ones off the ship and on the port shuttle - the shuttle was free. It took us out of the port, we got our bags - 1 medium, 1 carry on and 1 personal bag per person. They did piggyback - so we hooked them all up for the walk.

 

It was well marked and the pavement was even, so it was an easy walk, even dragging all that luggage. We passed the first, busy ticket area and found another right before the station. I hadn't booked ahead because I wasn't sure what time we could be off the ship. We got the regional train at 8:10 and the train to Venice at 9:40 (first class because we wanted to be comfortable). We were among the first on the train out of Civi. There were 7 ship scheduled in port that day, 6 had already arrived. By the time the train pulled out it was very crowded. After the next two stops it was pack to the brim. If you have a lot of luggage like we did you need to get on early and find a corner for your luggage.

 

Once we hit the station for the Vatican the train thinned out.

 

The Rome termini is not really well marked for connecting trains, we followed the signs to track 2, but the doors were closed and there were no directions on how to get to it. We couldn't find anyone who spoke english and the couple of staff we found wouldn't even try. I finally found a cleaner who gave me hand directions. We barely caught the train, and had to get on at the very back, which was a pain because we had to go the whole length of the train to 1st class, dragging the luggage down crowded aisles while the train was moving. BUT - we made it! We had seen others looking for the track and I didn't see them on the train. Whew!

 

I'm sure I went into too much detail here about everything except what people want to know. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

Vic

[Victress2007]

I am enjoying your review since this is one of the first for Rome to Rome, which we are doing in Oct. Looking forward to your Barcelona and Naples reivews.

 

We booked a private tour of Barcelona because NCL offered virtuallyh nothing unless you were disembarking. I'd like to know what you did an what time you were allowed off the ship.

 

Also, can you tell u about the VAT issue on this cruise? i know that for those embarking from Barcelona, there were some high VAT costs for onboard purchases. Was it any different embarking in Rome instead?

 

We have a private tour in Cannes. Were those with private tours permitted on early tenders or did they have to wait for the NCL tours to get off first?

 

 

We didn't make any major purchases on board, but I did hear the cruise director say they refund the vat. I'm not sure about that at all. There was an 8% VAT on all drink purchases - so no difference for embarking in Rome.

 

I really don't know about the Tenders in Cannes because we did a tour. I didn't see anything in the Daily about tenders except - don't be late getting back!

 

Vic

[scottishwee35]

We hit the Ice Bar early that evening, keep your hood up and wear slacks and it's not too bad.

 

 

We ate at the Manhattan Room Sunday night. It was lobster night, served with red snapper. We did ask for another tail and they brought us each 2, they were very good - not perfect - but very good.

 

We went up on a VERY windy, blustery H2O to see the Beatles again. John almost lost his wig a couple of times, but they kept playing and the few people that were there enjoyed themselves.

 

It was a great full moon that night.

 

 

We had a mini suite on deck 8, very nicely placed to be near everything below us. The lifeboats were right below us but didn't interfere with our view.

 

We enjoyed the slot machines a little every night, I was almost out of my allotted cash when I hit it big on Monday morning while waiting for my husband. We ended up a little ahead for the week. We're not big gamblers and played the 20 line penny machines for most of the week.

 

My husband used the gym a couple times, including the sea day. I walked almost the whole hour he was there, it was full moon night again and I was looking for a good spot to take pictures of the sunset and moonrise which were going to happen within 20 minutes of each other.

 

 

We hit the water slides - lots of fun. We had lunch at the buffet - brats on pretzel bread buns - yum! It was more crowded on board after we left Barcelona, at first I thought it was just because we were spending time on the ship for once, but now I think there were a lot more kids that week. Since we didn't spend a huge amount of time at the buffet or on the pool deck it wasn't that noticeable but things were busier after Barcelona. Only one time were we told at Manhattan that we would have to wait for dinner, but since it was already 9 we just went down to Taste.

 

 

The sunset was fine but the moonrise was a little harder to find, we ended up eating a late dinner in the buffet - all dressed up for dress up or not night. We had wonderful, freshly carved prime rib and some great scalloped potatoes, but we wish we hadn't gotten dressed up. Because I wanted those pictures it threw our schedule off.

 

 

The moon was a little delayed by some clouds on the horizon. I would have been better off watching it from the balcony.

 

Vic

 

Beautiful photos, love sunset photos

 

Scottishwee35

[RobynFL]

Your pics are great! Glad you had a good time. Do you recall if you were able to pay for the hop on hop off bus in Barcelona with a credit card at the ticket counter or bus stop?

[Victress2007]

Your pics are great! Glad you had a good time. Do you recall if you were able to pay for the hop on hop off bus in Barcelona with a credit card at the ticket counter or bus stop?

 

We bought them under the monument and yes, we think we used a credit card. I'm not sure about at the ticket counter. There was someone at every single bus stop selling tickets. It was a pretty good system.

 

Vic

[PathfinderEss]

Your pictures are awesome.

[GateGuardian]

Nice review! how was the weather and was there a lot of chair hogs on deck?

[Victress2007]

The weather was cool for a great deal of the cruise. We had a little rain in Barcelona. There was still a lot of activity on the pool deck - but I really can't comment on the chair hogs, we just didn't spend much time there.

 

Vic

 

Thanks for all the nice comments about my pictures!

[spacepotatoes]

Thanks for the review! Your pictures are beautiful.