NCL Epic Western Mediterranean

[daq57]

We are thinking of booking a cruise from Barcelonia on the Epic. Has anyone taken this cruise? Any suggestions on what to do in Cannes or Marseilles? Did you like this itinerary? Was the ship too big? Is there any deck we should avoid when looking for a cabin. We would like a baloney cabin for only 2 people? Any help would be appreciated!

[em-sk]

We are thinking of booking a cruise from Barcelonia on the Epic. Has anyone taken this cruise? Any suggestions on what to do in Cannes or Marseilles? Did you like this itinerary? Was the ship too big? Is there any deck we should avoid when looking for a cabin. We would like a baloney cabin for only 2 people? Any help would be appreciated!

 

Cannes is a tender port (where they take you to right into the centre of town) by small boat (tender). Nice place though small, when I did it some people ended up taking the train into Monoco for half the day and then spent the afternoon in Cannes. There is a public beach right next to where the tender docks. The private pay beachs are a short walk away.

 

As for Marselles the ship docks in an industrial harbour, for safety reasons you can't walk off the ship on your own but have to in one of the tours. I did one of the ship tours.

[4774Papa]

There is a lot to see in the South of France. Cannes can be seen in half a day, but if you haven't been to Monaco, take a tour or excursion to Monaco. The trip to Monaco along the coast is worth the trip alone. Another option is Nice. Another option that we saw (we had been to Nice and Monaco before) was the small stone village of St. Paul de Vence.

 

For Marseilles, don't stay in Marseilles, there is not much to see there. Take an excursion to Avignon, Les Baux-de-Provence, or Aix en Provence. We did an excursion that included Avignon and Aix.

 

Check out some of these cities:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monaco

 

http://www.bing.com/places/search?q=Nice%2c+France&upgid=23303&qpvt=nice&FORM=ATRCCN

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Paul,_Alpes-Maritimes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baux

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avignon

 

http://www.bing.com/search?q=aix+en+provence&form=HPDTDF&pc=HPDTDF&src=IE-SearchBox

[Aqua37]

We'll be doing the same itinerary in August but embarking from Rome. In both Cannes and Marseilles we took the ship's excursions since we're not familiar with the south of France, plus the fact that in Cannes the ship will be tendering and so it will be better to be taken care of by the ship. From Cannes we're taking a half-day excursion to see Nice and the whereabouts; in Marseilles we're going to Avignon and the lovely French countryside. I'm looking forward to both excursions!

 

In Naples, Livorno and Barcelona we organised a private tour since we'll be 3 families, and so we have transport organised from the ship. I found some reliable companies online.

[AttilaTheFun]

I have a link in my signature to a full review with pictures. I also highlight what we did in each port, if you're interested. We liked the itinerary, but it was very tiring as we tried to cram in a lot of sightseeing. The ship didn't feel too big at all.

[em-sk]

We'll be doing the same itinerary in August but embarking from Rome. In both Cannes and Marseilles we took the ship's excursions since we're not familiar with the south of France, plus the fact that in Cannes the ship will be tendering and so it will be better to be taken care of by the ship. From Cannes we're taking a half-day excursion to see Nice and the whereabouts; in Marseilles we're going to Avignon and the lovely French countryside. I'm looking forward to both excursions!

 

In Naples, Livorno and Barcelona we organised a private tour since we'll be 3 families, and so we have transport organised from the ship. I found some reliable companies online.

 

When I did the trip earlier in the summer in Cannes the tender system was well organized and simple. If you were on a ship excursion they make all of the arrangements. If you were walking off on your own, you could pre-book the tender you wanted to be on either at the box office or in the booking system on the TV. I think after the morning rush to get off the ship they opened it up to passengers that did not reserve a tender time.

 

I also did Avignon, well worth the bus ride out.

[daq57]

Thanks for the great info on this cruise. We had been on NCL Sky for a short cruise to the Bahamas and we were not very impressed with the cruise line at all. I guess it didn't help that it rained the whole time we were on the cruise! Dumb luck, I guess. We have only had experience on Princess, but that was in early 2000. I was hoping that the Epic being a bigger & newer ship it would be better than our last experience.

Seems like this ship may be better. Thanks again for your replies!

[Jolimont]

I started a long review of this ship and itinerary and ports: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1671016

 

Go, you will love it!

[daq57]

Yay, booked the cruise for Sept 30th! Really looking forward to the trip. Thanks for all the pointers!

[redrobin5]

We did this cruise in June. We LOVED the boat. I'm sure there are things that could have been better, but nothing that bothered us. We had an aft balcony and never felt like we walked too far to get anywhere. We did a private tour in Cannes that was fabulous.

[daq57]

Now that we booked the cruise. We have cabin 10021 B6, forward on the ship. I have read that some balconies do not have glass in front so you don't have a clear view. How would I tell? Is this true? We did not want a cabin close to the elevators so it would be quiet we booked a cabin far away. Hope we won't mind the walk. Did anyone do the Cinque Terre tour? If so, how long do you really have to walk around vs bus time? I find all the info on these excursions just don't tell you how long after your jouney from the port you will actually have in each destination. Any advice would be appreciated!!

[4774Papa]

Now that we booked the cruise. We have cabin 10021 B6, forward on the ship. I have read that some balconies do not have glass in front so you don't have a clear view. How would I tell? Is this true? We did not want a cabin close to the elevators so it would be quiet we booked a cabin far away. Hope we won't mind the walk. Did anyone do the Cinque Terre tour? If so, how long do you really have to walk around vs bus time? I find all the info on these excursions just don't tell you how long after your jouney from the port you will actually have in each destination. Any advice would be appreciated!!

Don't know about your cabin, but for Livorno, consider the Pisa and Lucca tour. Lucca is great and if you haven't seen the leaning tower, its good to see.

[housepeepers]

We have been in cabin 11021 twice and your balcony would be right below our balcony and yes, you will have glass. Enjoy your trip; the Med is a wonderful place to visit ( we did it on the Gem 3 years ago).

[lil2queenie]

HI, does any one have any information on Epic stateroom 10184

[meltingmoments]

HI, does any one have any information on Epic stateroom 10184

 

There is a thread entitled *can someone tell me if my balcony is covered?* It has tons of info on cabins......sorry I'm not computer-savvy enough to just add a link, but if you type that in, you'll get there!! Hope that helps :)

[fairview0926]

my husband and I are taking this cruise on Sept 16,, which companies did you use for the private tours? thanks

[MaiEpicCruise]

Now that we booked the cruise. We have cabin 10021 B6, forward on the ship. I have read that some balconies do not have glass in front so you don't have a clear view. How would I tell? Is this true? We did not want a cabin close to the elevators so it would be quiet we booked a cabin far away. Hope we won't mind the walk. Did anyone do the Cinque Terre tour? If so, how long do you really have to walk around vs bus time? I find all the info on these excursions just don't tell you how long after your jouney from the port you will actually have in each destination. Any advice would be appreciated!!

 

DAQ57 -

How was the 10021 balcony room for you? I am booking this in June 2013 and wanted to see how it worked out for you!

[daq57]

The view from this cabin was good and had glass. You will be fine with the view.