Epic Med Adventure in the Haven! 10/7/12 cruise, with pics!

[susieqtype]

I have so enjoyed reading your review and drooling over your lovely pictures. Thank you for taking the time to do this. We were also on this trip and I must buckle down and write something myself as I know how much I like reading what others write.

 

We went on the train to Rome and were chatting to an Italian lady on the way back who said that Livorno was only a couple of hours by train from Rome - I think if we went on this itinerary again, we might look at arranging to spend a day, a night and part of the next day in Rome and catch up with the ship in Livorno.

 

Susie

[OnTheGoMom921]

I joined this same cruise in Rome and NCL will not be doing the multi port embarkation again. I spoke to Guest Services and they said it was too difficult to manage. I had noticed it wasn't shown for 2013 and they confirmed it on the ship.

 

I knew one day in Rome would not be enough which is why I specifically jumped on a Rome embarkation. Flights were cheaper for me to Rome than Barcelona. (And always see if Aer Lingus flies where you need to go - we paid only $754 per person for our air to Rome from JFK). We arrived 3 days early and were able to see everything we wanted to.

 

It was a one hour ride from Rome to Civitavecchia. We took a private car but could have shared a shuttle for as little as 30 euro per person.

 

Cube Chick I second your thoughts on taking your passport off the ship. We did private excursions and knew if we were late getting back and missed the ship we weren't getting to the next port without them, so we always take our passports and a credit card.

 

Love your pics and didn't we have fantastic weather? No rain except the sea day!

 

Thanks for the info!! I will check out Aer Lingus as well.

[Cubechick]

I joined this same cruise in Rome and NCL will not be doing the multi port embarkation again. I spoke to Guest Services and they said it was too difficult to manage. I had noticed it wasn't shown for 2013 and they confirmed it on the ship.

 

I knew one day in Rome would not be enough which is why I specifically jumped on a Rome embarkation. Flights were cheaper for me to Rome than Barcelona. (And always see if Aer Lingus flies where you need to go - we paid only $754 per person for our air to Rome from JFK). We arrived 3 days early and were able to see everything we wanted to.

 

It was a one hour ride from Rome to Civitavecchia. We took a private car but could have shared a shuttle for as little as 30 euro per person.

 

Cube Chick I second your thoughts on taking your passport off the ship. We did private excursions and knew if we were late getting back and missed the ship we weren't getting to the next port without them, so we always take our passports and a credit card.

 

Love your pics and didn't we have fantastic weather? No rain except the sea day!

 

I thought the multi-port embarkation must have been a logistical nightmare! I'm not surprised to see you report they won't be doing it in the future.

 

Aer Lingus was good to us too. $800 pp from Boston to Barcelona.

 

For my leg of the trip, we only had sprinkles in Naples and some showers overnight. Our sea day was gorgeous. ;)

[rocklinmom]

Cubechick, what a great review! I am planning this same cruise for 2014 so please keep it coming. Love your details and tips!

[Cubechick]

Cubechick, what a great review! I am planning this same cruise for 2014 so please keep it coming. Love your details and tips!

 

Glad you're enjoying it! I'll be posting more when I get home from work! :)

[ShellDil]

I joined this same cruise in Rome and NCL will not be doing the multi port embarkation again. I spoke to Guest Services and they said it was too difficult to manage. I had noticed it wasn't shown for 2013 and they confirmed it on the ship.

 

As of June 2013 there still is the multi port embarkation - we're sailing out of Rome on June 16th. There are also people boarding in Barcelona and I believe Marseille. I can't imagine how they keep the passengers straight though!

 

I'm thoroughly enjoying your review and your pictures are fantastic! I'm looking forward to reading the rest.

[boopsahoy]

As of June 2013 there still is the multi port embarkation - we're sailing out of Rome on June 16th. There are also people boarding in Barcelona and I believe Marseille. I can't imagine how they keep the passengers straight though!

 

I'm thoroughly enjoying your review and your pictures are fantastic! I'm looking forward to reading the rest.

 

Great review and wonderful pictures!

[Cubechick]

Day Five…Livorno

 

When DH and I decided to book this cruise, the first excursion I booked was for this port. It was a stop in Pisa followed by lunch and a wine tasting at a Tuscan vineyard. The reason I was so anxious to do this was a friend of mine had done this excursion a few years ago and it was his pictures from this excursion that made me want to do this cruise!

 

Although this was another long day in the making (7 ½ hours), I assured DH that this day would be far more relaxing than our previous day in Rome.

 

After another buffet breakfast, we headed to the Manhattan Room for our 8:30 meeting. It seemed like almost everyone in the room stood when our tour was called! We were greeted at the bus by our guide for the day, Laila (who spoke the best English of all of our guides). It was a 30-minute ride to Pisa. However, it was probably a ½ mile walk from the parking area where the busses parked to the famous Leaning Tower. Laila was a smart cookie who took us in the “back way”. When the other tours went straight, we banged a left and walked along the medieval wall surrounding the town.

 

 

We took a right through an archway and once on the street, there was the tower on our right.

 

Before heading to the tower, Laila took us to our meeting spot, a restaurant called The Wall, where we could use the bathroom, get a complimentary bottle of water, and use the free wifi.

 

When we first arrived at Pisa, it was a bit overcast, but by the time we went to the tower, the clouds had burned off and we were greeted by gorgeous blue skies.

 

 

Laila walked with us to the tower, and then spent about 30 minutes explaining the history of the tower and the town of Pisa before turning us loose. We had an hour to walk around, shop, etc before meeting back at The Wall. I have to say the Pisa was surprisingly lovely. The square with the basilica and the tower is very pretty and the surrounding town looked very pleasant. I would have liked to have had some more time to wander around.

 

 

We met back at The Wall, taking advantage of the free wifi while we waited for the rest of our group to arrive. Then it was the walk back to the busses. Tip! One member of our group wanted to take a cab back to the bus. When they said, "I only have American money, is that okay?" the answer was a resounding "No!". So make sure you either buy Euros before you leave home or at the very least hit up an ATM when you arrive at the airport. This person was directed to a currency exchange booth and I shudder to think what exchange rate they were given!

 

Just an observation before we leave Pisa. This was the only place where we saw people selling things on the streets. Two favorite items being carted around were trays of sunglasses and Leaning Tower of Pisa umbrellas. Lots and lots of umbrella salesmen. A couple of women broke up the tedium by trying to tempt you into buying scarves. There were also quite a few folks selling various items all lined up on blankets where the busses were parked. I couldn’t quite figure out why someone on tour would want to buy a suitcase, but I guess you never know! Laila suggested you just give these folks a wide berth.

 

It was a 45-minute bus ride through pretty country before we reached the Fattoria Vineyard.

 

 

Two busses arrived at once, but they took our groups to different areas, making you feel (nearly) that you were the only ones there. After a talk on their wine making process, we were lead to the wine cellar for lunch and the wine tasting.

 

 

The wines selected for tasting were a red, a white, and their dessert wine. Additionally, there were bottles of a different red and white wine on the table for consumption while you dined. There was also a bag of bread on the table that Laila had proudly told us was unique to Tuscany in that they didn’t use salt. Sorry, Laila, but there’s a reason they put salt in bread when they bake it! The food was served family style and the first course was a delicious vegetarian pasta. DH and I both wished we’d realized that this was really the main course. Expecting it to be like our lunch in Rome where the pasta course was followed by the main meal, we didn’t take very much. The second course in this instance was antipasti of parma ham, sheep’s milk cheese, and a second sausage that I think we were told was a sopressata. The first two were delicious the third was interesting; a bit gamey and greasy for my taste. Here the unsalted bread came in handy along with their own olive oil that was on the table. Dessert was biscotti from a local bakery (best biscotti I’ve ever eaten!) and espresso.

 

It was really a delicious and relaxing afternoon. Good food, good wine and good conversation. I’m really glad that we did this excursion and would recommend it in a heartbeat! We had about 20 minutes to wander around after lunch (and purchase some wine if you wanted...and a lot of people did!).

 

 

It was about an hour back to the ship and our day in Livorno was done. We were back on the ship with plenty of time to relax before dinner. Dinner would be at Le Bistro and I wish I could say that it was awesome, but it was just fine. The atmosphere is lovely and the escargots were great, but the rest of the meal was just average. It wasn’t a bad meal, but I do feel that you should expect better quality from a surcharge restaurant.

 

After dinner it was hot tub time again! What a great way to unwind after a long day!

[david_sobe]

Bravo!

More more more!

[willysgrandma]

I am enjoying the review and the gorgeous pictures!

[ttnc4me]

Thanks for taking the time to post such a great review. I love the pictures and can't wait for more!

[beetle9]

thanks for review the pics are great:)

[Cubechick]

Hmmm...it wouldn't let me quote everyone, but I want to say thank you for the kind feedback. I'm glad you're all enjoying my report!

 

I expect to finish up tonight, so be sure to check in!

[autumnquest]

Hey girl! Great review! I am loving the pictures and can't wait to see the rest. It's making me kind of wish we'd decided to go to the Mediterranean for our trip this December instead of the islands. Maybe next year.

[Cubechick]

Hey girl! Great review! I am loving the pictures and can't wait to see the rest. It's making me kind of wish we'd decided to go to the Mediterranean for our trip this December instead of the islands. Maybe next year.

 

You and Larry would love it!

[Cubechick]

Days Six and Seven…French Riviera

 

Okay, I'm cheating posting two days at once...but we didn't really leave the ship in Marseilles, so there isn't enough there for its own post!

 

Well we’ve finally left Italy and are now on the French Riviera. Cannes was the port of call today and DH and I had no real plans. We awoke for the first time in four days without the alarm clock going off. Bliss! After a leisurely breakfast at the Epic Club (eggs benny for both of us), we met Adrian for a quickie escort to the tender. Down the service elevator and through some never-before-seen passageways and we’re on the tender. I’d read that the Epic experienced some growing pains when she first hit this tender port. However what we saw ran like clockwork (granted, we did leave the ship after the rush). They had eight lifeboats going initially and even at the end of the day still had six in the water. The ride to the port is very short and we were in Cannes before we knew it.

 

Our plan was to just walk around Cannes (and we’ve been blessed with another beautiful day to do it!). We walk to “old town” and the church and museum that perch at the top of the hill. Here we are granted a bird’s eye view of Cannes. Lovely!

 

 

Tip! This is very easy to get to! Walk to the street from the tender and cross (there will be a Radisson right in front of you). Turn left. Continue a very short distance down the street you will see a set of stairs on your right. Walk up the stairs and at the top turn left and you will see another, much longer set of stairs on your right across the street. Climb those stairs, and once at the top, you’ve made it! Turn right and just walk as the road circles the museum and the 16th century church.

 

 

After snapping our pics we went back down and walked up and down the harbor, checking out the small public beach immediately to the left of the pier, the yachts, and generally all of the things Cannes has to offer.

 

 

Really, it’s just a beautiful day to walk around and be near the water.

 

 

 

We decided to go ahead and have lunch on the ship (Epic Club again...but I have to say the steak we had here was the best we had all week). And would spend the rest of the afternoon vegging out. Joha showed up around 5:00 with another platter of sandwiches, effectively deciding our dinner plans. ☺

 

Later that evening we went to walk around and check out the White Hot Party. On the way out we noticed a letter in our door informing us that they’d be doing some “technical” maintenance on our room tomorrow for about five hours! DH and I were upset as we were treating Marseille like a sea day and planned on spending plenty of time in our suite. Then I calmed down, certain that Adrian would take care of things for us, and went off to find the party.

 

Officially the White Hot Party was at Spice H2O, but we found several “angels” (members of the cruise director’s staff in white t-shirts and wearing wings made of feathers) dancing on the dance floor by the pool bar. We hung out for a while enjoying the atmosphere and another lovely night.

 

Our last full day brought us sunshine again (how lucky were we?). After a cappuccino on the balcony we went to the Epic Club for breakfast. We saw Adrian at the concierge lounge and showed him the letter. He immediately took the letter and said, “Don’t worry about this.” He told us to enjoy our "sea day" and we would!

 

I should mention that we originally had planned to take a tour to Aix-en-Provence. It was only a 4 hour tour that would have had us back to the ship in time for lunch. But after the three super long days in Italy, and seeing that the meeting time for the Provence tour was a hideous 7:30 in the morning, we cancelled the tour. We had only booked the tour because Aix-en-Provence looked like a pretty region and we thought we should do something while in Marseilles. We were much happier with our choice to do nothing!

 

After breakfast we wandered around the ship, just checking things out then spent some quality time with the balcony. Lunch would be the buffet as DH loves the Indian fare served at Norwegian’s buffets and he had to get his final fix. After lunch we got off of the ship long enough to buy a magnet (there were a few stalls of vendors set up at the pier). I felt like I cheated a bit since I didn’t actually go into Marseilles, but I have the magnet nevertheless!

 

We promised each other that we'd begin packing (BOO!) by 3:00 so that awful chore would be mostly done by the time sail away began. We were really looking forward to sailing away from Marseilles for the sole reason that there would be sun! All of our other departures had been at 7:00 pm, just after the sun set. We cracked open a bottle of champagne and stood on our balcony as we slowly pulled away from France.

 

 

The champagne perked us up so we decided to go have a cocktail at the outside Haven bar. I wished we’d gone here earlier! The bartender, Jonathon was so nice and friendly…he was also extremely happy as he was leaving the ship with us to go home! He was going to be on leave for four months and was thrilled that he was going to be able to spend the holidays with his family and friends.

 

Our last dinner would be in the Epic Club, then it was time to wander around and trade in the casino chips for cash (unfortunately not a big winner this trip!).

 

Eventually we found ourselves in O’Sheehans for an after-dinner pint of Newcastle. Here we encountered another bartender giddy at the thought of going home the next day! Everyone looks forward to vacation, but given their schedules, I’m sure cruise ship crews look forward to their vacations more than just about anyone!

[Cruiser Bruiser]

I'm glad to read you had a wonderful vacation and cruise aboard the Epic. This itinerary has made the short-list for my taking my three nieces on a European adventure in 2014--but we would fly into Paris and take the TGV to Marseille. (I cannot wait for NCL to post the Summer 2014 schedule!) And thanks for all of the wonderful pictures, too! Cheers.:p

[familyof4cruising]

Gorgeous pictures! Thanks for the review.

[susieqtype]

Your review was lovely to read, and I so enjoyed looking at your photos. Thank you so much for taking the time to put it together :)

[Seanote]

Thanks for the review and the great pictures!

[coka]

Hi Aimee! Another great review with fabulous pictures. I love the one with Epic's silhouette behind all the sailboat masts. I hope you submit it in the latitude photo contest! I am curious...are you glad you saw everything via ship or would you do it via land next time?

 

coka

[Cubechick]

Thank you again everyone! Here's the final installment!

 

Epilogue…

 

Awakened in Barcelona before dawn. Our flight wasn’t until 10:50 am, but DH wanted to be at the airport a good three hours in advance. By 7:00 we’d had our last breakfast and Adrian was escorting us from the ship. :(

 

We really had a wonderful week on the Epic! All of the crew were just great! Our only complaint would be that the cruise was just too darn short!

 

The rest of this report really just tips on leaving Barcelona and some random observations. First, know what terminal you need to go to. Being used to being able to tell a driver what airline you’re going to when flying in the US, I didn’t know the terminal and told the driver Aer Lingus. That of course meant he took us to Terminal One when we needed to be at Terminal Two. We finally figured this out after asking a gentleman at the information booth. We were told that we needed to go downstairs and catch a shuttle to Terminal Two.

 

The signage wasn’t the best, but we got to the base of the escalator and the shuttle was right there. Now we arrive at T2 and have no idea where to go! Excepting Ryanair, none of the airlines have signs up. After another wait at an information booth we were given the direction to walk in to find Aer Lingus. DH finally figured out, after studying the monitor, that Aer Lingus would be at windows 85-87. The windows were empty, but other passengers began lining up so we figured we were in the right spot. Around 8:00 am employees arrived at the ticket windows and began deploying Aer Lingus signage. Cool. We’re in the right spot! Then the oddest bit happened where they were finally all set up, computers booted and they sat at their windows looking at us, while we stood looking back. At first we thought that maybe they opened the ticket window 2 ½ hours before the flight, but 8:20 came and went. Finally, about 14 minutes later we were waived forward and checked in. :confused:

 

We were told that our gate was M5. This in fact wasn’t a gate, but a waiting area with several gates. Seeing that we had to pass immigration at this point, DH and I hastily bought water at the shop outside the gates. We needn’t have worried; there was another shop, plus a Duty Free once past immigration. DH went to see which gate was ours and the monitor said we’d find out in 60 minutes. Turns out that they don’t determine the gate until the plane coming in lands (we weren’t the only ones a bit confused by this).

 

Finally, it’s time to board and we have our uneventful flight to Dublin. This is where things get weird. We get off the plane and have to clear security and they steal the water we bought in Barcelona (did this on the flight to Barcelona as well…still don’t understand clearing security again). However, our next step is to clear US Customs (I’d read that this was the case so I was somewhat prepared). We picked up and filled out the US Customs declaration and then were directed to a seating area where other people from our Barcelona flight were waiting. We were told we needed to wait to claim our luggage. Now this was odd (but cool). After just a few minutes we were waived to an agent and our passports scanned. My boarding pass was then scanned and up on the screen pops a picture of my suitcase on a conveyer belt. I was asked if this was my bag, which I confirmed and then a box was checked indicating it could be loaded onto our next flight. As I said, cool.

 

So we’re waived on toward the gate…where we have to go through security yet again! Are you kidding me??? We’ve now had to go through security three times for one trip despite the fact that at no time did we have a chance to leave the secure areas of the airport. This time however they don’t take our liquids (they would have had a bunch of very angry people if they did as we were surrounded by people with their Duty Free purchases)!

 

Finally we board and make our way home, ending our Epic adventure.

 

So that’s the end of my Epic review. Thank you for sticking with me. See you in April after we cruise the Breakaway!

[Cubechick]

Hi Aimee! Another great review with fabulous pictures. I love the one with Epic's silhouette behind all the sailboat masts. I hope you submit it in the latitude photo contest! I am curious...are you glad you saw everything via ship or would you do it via land next time?

 

coka

 

Hey Coka, DH took that picture and he's especially proud of it! I'll be sure to tell him you singled it out!

 

That's a tough question. On one hand, you could never see this many places by land so efficiently in such a short period of time by land. On the other you only get to see such a tiny bit!

 

I would definitely love to do a 12-day that would take us to other ports (and give us more sea days!).

 

But I would love to go back to Italy on land and spend a good two weeks roaming around! I think our three-ports in Italy gave me a good idea of where I'd like to spend more time.

[BubMunkeyBles]

Nice review. The security stuff is pretty normal because the UK has different visa standards than Spain and most the rest of Europe. It can definitely be a pain sometimes though. It also has to do with airport design sometimes.

[Cruzinbabe06]

This isn't the most timely of reviews with the Epic heading to Miami on Sunday, but hopefully it'll be useful for both future Med and Epic cruisers alike! So without further ado...

 

I’ve always wanted to do a Med cruise, but didn’t think it would happen. The costs of the cruise coupled with sky-high airfare were prohibitive. Starting last year however, the cruise prices started going down a bit so I started paying attention. By booking on the shoulder season, airfare was nearly half of what it would have been during the summer. Suddenly this cruise was in reach. I would have preferred a nice 12-day cruise but vacation time didn’t allow. The Epic 7-day fit the bill perfectly.

 

I’d say my enthusiasm, as the trip approached, was a solid 9 (a one-point deduction ‘cause I knew we’d be beat when we returned). The trip went up to about a 20 on the “Yay” scale, when two days before the cruise the upsell fairy called our name! I almost couldn’t believe my ears. In 10 years and 21 cruises with NCL, this is only the second time we’ve received the magic phone call. I could barely string a coherent sentence together as I responded to the fairy’s offer. Poof, (and some extra $$) and we moved from a balcony to the last available suite on our sailing, a Deluxe Owner’s Suite. I shot DH a quick text giving him the good news. He thought I was kidding. I assured him I wasn’t; I believe joking about upsells to a DOS may be punishable by death. ☺ We were barely able to concentrate on final packing that night (we would fly to Barcelona the following evening), as all we were doing was Google searches on cabin 17004!

 

Aer Lingus would whisk us across the pond on the red-eye. We left Boston at 6:25 Friday night and arrived in Barcelona at 10:10 Saturday morning. I’d arranged for a private half-day tour with Barcelona Day Tours. The driver picked us up at the airport, showed us the highlights of Barcelona and dropped us at our hotel four hours later. It was a perfect way to see some of the city while in a fog of travel exhaustion!

 

 

I used points to book us a room at the Renaissance Barcelona. This turned out to be an excellent choice. The hotel has recently been refurbished with nice rooms and a great location. Just a couple of blocks northeast of Placa de Catalunya, it would have been a great base if we had a few days to explore. As it was, the hotel more than met our needs for one night.

 

You can imagine we were very anxious to board the ship the next morning. I believe we held out getting a cab (20 Euro to the pier) until nearly 10:30 am. With no line for security we were checked in and lead to the VIP lounge by 11:15. The lounge is very small given the large number of suites on the Epic. We managed to get two of the remaining seats and proceeded to wait for Adrian Bica, the concierge, to escort us to the ship. I had read that once you’re through security there is a liquor store where you can purchase wine and spirits for your cruise (true). However I also noticed a desk set up before the gangway for bag inspection and corkage payments. The desk was unmanned when we walked by, but it makes me guess that NCL is wising up to the number of folks bringing alcohol on board. I’ll be curious to read future reports from Barcelona.

 

Adrian escorted us all to the Epic Lounge where he told us we could leave our bags while he gave us a tour of the Haven (he said staterooms would be ready around 12:30). DH and I had sailed in the Haven on the Epic’s Maiden crossing, so we were just going to stay put. Adrian realized this and called to see of our cabin was ready. It was, and our butler, Joha, arrived quickly to give us an escort. All I can say is wow, what a spectacular room!

 

 

The size is impressive enough, but the VIEW. Stunning forward views through the magnificent bathroom.

 

 

Gorgeous forward and side views through the panoramic windows of the bedroom.

 

 

A very large side balcony completed your viewing pleasure. Some of the other forward facing DOS have solariums instead of balconies and the DOS that are in the aft of the Haven face the pool area offering little privacy. We felt doubly blessed that we’d lucked out with one of the best rooms on the ship.

 

After we’d finished exploring our home away from home for the week, we ventured to the Epic Club for the first of many lunches (the breakfast and lunch menus at the Epic Club are identical to what Cagney’s offers its suite guests on other ships). After a very enjoyable meal, we wandered around the ship, taking pictures of Barcelona and just enjoying the beautiful day. As we walked by the pool bar I found myself looking at a familiar face. Armando of Sexy Alligator fame! Armando the bartender, if you don’t know, gives some of the best martini clinics we’ve ever attended and has a penchant for creating his own martinis, the Sexy Alligator being one of them. Unfortunately, Armando wasn’t handling martini clinics this cruise. I hope NCL puts him back in that role soon!

 

 

The muster drill was held at 4:00 (for us this was in Bliss). Muster drills seem to go on forever, but a drill held in four languages seems to go on for an eternity! Following the drill, a sail away party was held at Posh (the invitation was in our suite along with an invitation to the Captain’s cocktail party the following night). They offered fruit punch, sparkling wine, mimosas and appetizers along with a great view. Sponge Bob and Patrick were on hand on the pool deck to get the sail away party started for the kids (big and small).

 

 

After a pleasant dinner in the Epic Club, DH heard the call of the casino and spent some quality time with the craps table. The table was hot and that made for a happy DH. DH was even happier because the Epic had two (American) football games broadcast for your entertainment. Our game (Patriots vs Broncos) didn’t start until 10:30 though (darn time difference!). We made it until about half time before throwing in the towel and going to bed. (The Patriots would win making it a great first day on the Epic!)

 

Oh my god! That's me in your picture. With the shirt that's white on the top with blue stripes. LOL! Too cool!

 

I had my first of many drinks and was ready to get my cruise started. The sailaway party was so much fun!