Norwegian Epic next week

[technium]

Hi All

 

I have only just found this site but we are due on our first cruise on Sunday on the Norwegian Epic. There will by myself and wife and my parents.

 

Im abit worried to be honest as Im not entirely sure what to expect and abit concerned about leaving the ship at the different ports.

 

We fly to Barcelona on Sunday morning and we set sail from Barcelona Port at I think 6pm so need to make my way from the airport to the port. How is the best way to do this, I assume taxi is the best way but are all Taxis safe to take?

 

We have a tour booked for Roma so im fairly ok with that but still abit concerned about arriving in countries where I dont speak the language.

 

I understand the ship has pretty much everything and looking from pictures it seems great but its all the 'off the ship' activities that concern me.

 

Does anyone have any tips or advice.

 

I can see theres a roll call for my ship and also another forum page for the 'Epic" but it wont let me post in that area for some reason.

 

thanks in advance.

 

Colin

[FreestyleNovice]

Hi All

 

I have only just found this site but we are due on our first cruise on Sunday on the Norwegian Epic. There will by myself and wife and my parents.

 

Im abit worried to be honest as Im not entirely sure what to expect and abit concerned about leaving the ship at the different ports.

 

We fly to Barcelona on Sunday morning and we set sail from Barcelona Port at I think 6pm so need to make my way from the airport to the port. How is the best way to do this, I assume taxi is the best way but are all Taxis safe to take?

 

We have a tour booked for Roma so im fairly ok with that but still abit concerned about arriving in countries where I dont speak the language.

 

I understand the ship has pretty much everything and looking from pictures it seems great but its all the 'off the ship' activities that concern me.

 

Does anyone have any tips or advice.

 

I can see theres a roll call for my ship and also another forum page for the 'Epic" but it wont let me post in that area for some reason.

 

thanks in advance.

 

Colin

 

Welcome to the CC boards! You've found the way to the most informative and most of the time friendliest board on NCL on the interwebs. :D

 

Here is your roll call -> http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1973658

Other CC members on your sailing where you can connect with, to share tours, transfers, set up a meet and greet, etc. Usually one or more members take up the meet and greet and will make arrangements. Joining a roll call or posting there doesn't obligate to anything, some members just want to share a tour to get a lower per person price and others will make new long life friends and share dining tables every evening. It's up to yourself. :)

 

From BCN to port cabs are perfect, a prebooked transfer might give you ease of mind. Ask your fellow roll call members what they've arranged. Budget friendly is the Aero bus at some 6 Euro-ish to Pl. Catalunya, with a stroll down the Ramblas and a 2/3 Euro-ish fare for the blue port bus from the end of the Ramblas to the port terminal. Again see your roll call or the ports board for specific threads about that.

 

Epic is a great ship, always take the contact details of the local port agent with your when you go a shore. You can find it on the frontpage of the small daily newspaper ("the daily") you will receive from your room steward each evening turn down service. That way you can contact the agent if things go wrong.

 

But no worries, most, if not all tour operators speak English as they cater to large groups of cruise passengers each week. Most operators will also meet their passengers directly outside the port. Can't go wrong on that.

 

Ask the crew on board any questions you might have, there are new cruisers each time, week in, week out. I.E. don't hesitate to ask if items are included in your fare or aren't, or what's the extra charge to your onboard account will be. Don't forget it's your vacation!

 

Have a wonderful time on Epic! And browse around CC for some tips and tricks, I would recommend Spice H2O for the sunny days, don't forget to order some (or all :D) of the free appetizers in the afternoon (30 min. delivery time) when you're soaking up the sun!

[hartwickds]

Hi All

 

I have only just found this site but we are due on our first cruise on Sunday on the Norwegian Epic. There will by myself and wife and my parents.

 

Im abit worried to be honest as Im not entirely sure what to expect and abit concerned about leaving the ship at the different ports.

 

We fly to Barcelona on Sunday morning and we set sail from Barcelona Port at I think 6pm so need to make my way from the airport to the port. How is the best way to do this, I assume taxi is the best way but are all Taxis safe to take?

 

We have a tour booked for Roma so im fairly ok with that but still abit concerned about arriving in countries where I dont speak the language.

 

 

 

I understand the ship has pretty much everything and looking from pictures it seems great but its all the 'off the ship' activities that concern me.

 

Does anyone have any tips or advice.

 

I can see theres a roll call for my ship and also another forum page for the 'Epic" but it wont let me post in that area for some reason.

 

thanks in advance.

 

Colin

 

Colin Ill be on the same cruise... Arriving on Sunday from Paris... I decided to go ahead with the trip.... Terrorists want everyone to be scared and cancel their travel plans... I am going to recommend remaining vigilant... Staying away from large gatherings, etc. I'm not sure why you cant post on the roll call, but I think you may need to be registered. If you are net familiar with Rick Steves I would recommend his website http://www.ricksteves.com or http://www.frommers.com.... Look under Barcelona and there should. Be info on how to get from the airport..

 

Safe travels Dave

[technium]

Thank you

 

I think ive put a message on the roll call forum.

 

So a taxi is ok from airport, we have a few hours to get from Airport to the ship so it shouldnt be a panic.

 

Do we tip our room cleaners and if so how much. I know we had the option to pre pay tips but my dad didnt think this was a good idea and for us to tip ourselves? not sure that was the right decision but as they arranged the cruise for us I didnt want to interfere too much.

 

We have free food and drink (we dont drink alcohol) included so is all the free food buffet style or are some of the resteraunts on board free aswell?

 

thanks again

 

Colin

[hartwickds]

Thank you

 

I think ive put a message on the roll call forum.

 

So a taxi is ok from airport, we have a few hours to get from Airport to the ship so it shouldnt be a panic.

 

Do we tip our room cleaners and if so how much. I know we had the option to pre pay tips but my dad didnt think this was a good idea and for us to tip ourselves? not sure that was the right decision but as they arranged the cruise for us I didnt want to interfere too much.

 

We have free food and drink (we dont drink alcohol) included so is all the free food buffet style or are some of the resteraunts on board free aswell?

 

 

 

 

thanks again

 

Colin

 

 

I believe you have to check in no later than 4:00pm, which is 2 hours before the scheduled departure. As far as tipping goes, they will add $13.50 per person per day to your onboard account if you do not prepay the tips/ service charge. This will cover service to all on board. There will be on need to tip an additional amount, though some people will tip additional amounts for those that they feel provided outstanding service.

 

As far as food, there are two main dining rooms which you can sit down in and have dinner, plus a buffet, and a pub (OSheehans) which has pub fair. There is also a Chinese restaurant which is included. There are also several pay restaurants such as Cagneys and le Bistrot which cost additional from $20- $35 per person.

 

If you go to http://www.ncl.com and read about the epic it will tell you everything which is and is not included.

[technium]

Thankyou, I think we had the option to have the set amount of $13 per day for tipping but my dad chose not to do that option so he said when we board the ship we need to go somewhere to tell them we will tip ourselves??

 

Thanks for the info on the food, I was worried I was going to be stuck with cold meat and salad or sausage rolls and sandwiches everyday on our free dining plan.

[bnorris10]

Thankyou, I think we had the option to have the set amount of $13 per day for tipping but my dad chose not to do that option so he said when we board the ship we need to go somewhere to tell them we will tip ourselves??

 

Thanks for the info on the food, I was worried I was going to be stuck with cold meat and salad or sausage rolls and sandwiches everyday on our free dining plan.

 

This is automatic and they will put it on your account each day

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2189394

[technium]

Not sure what my dad is on about then. Dont get my wrong I dont mind the tipping aspect, I goto Florida every year and that is a big part of the holiday but as my parents have organised this for us I dont want to rock the boat (excuse the pun).

 

Ahwell I will just see what happens when we get there. I take it I can just pay with Debit or Credit Card at the end of the cruise rather than keeping cash to pay it?

 

thanks again.

[Georgina1505]

Thankyou, I think we had the option to have the set amount of $13 per day for tipping but my dad chose not to do that option so he said when we board the ship we need to go somewhere to tell them we will tip ourselves??

 

Thanks for the info on the food, I was worried I was going to be stuck with cold meat and salad or sausage rolls and sandwiches everyday on our free dining plan.

 

Hi,

I'm sailing on Epic in December first time with NCL and I've pre-paid the tips - they will automatically add them to your onboard account and I think unless you have a pretty valid reason there hard to get removed.

 

https://www.ncl.com/faq#service-charge

 

I think for the small amount they charge its worth the money for how hard the staff work and know that everything is taken care of instead of trying to tip everyone who serves you.

 

I will also leave some additional tips as a minimum for our stateroom attendant.

 

Hope you have a great trip! :)

[technium]

Thankyou Georgina

 

I think youre right its just convincing my dad that its the best way to go.

 

Enjoy your trip too!

[KeithJenner]

Unless you are actually travelling with your Dad (so he can interfere when you are there), you don't need to convince him of anything. Just go along and enjoy your cruise without making things difficult for yourself. The service charge will be added to your account every day and you can just sit back and enjoy yourself. There really is no need to create work for yourself.

 

With regard to your time off the ship, don't worry about things like language differences. I barely speak a word of any foreign languages and have no problem travelling throughout Europe. The countries you will be visiting are especially easy. If you do go on organised tours then the guide will speak English. If you venture out on your own you will have no problem finding people who speak English.

 

The one place I find that Engliah is rarely spoken in by taxi drivers in Barcelona, but even then you should have no problem with things like "Cruise Port", "Norwegian Epic" and "Airport".

 

Most importantly, just go any enjoy yourself. Your cruise is a really easy way to see a bit of Europe and you will find things go really easily, so don't worry about things going wrong or being difficult and just go and have fun.

[KeithJenner]

Sorry, I just noticed you said your parents would be with you.

 

I always say that it's best to just leave the service charge along and don't worry about having to tip separately. This isn't for any strong opinions about tipping, but just because I really don't see any reason to create the work for yourself.

 

If you have a separate room from your parents and are paying your own expenses then I'd really suggest leaving it alone. That way you can just stay sitting by the pool whilst he is busy sorting that all out. If your Dad is paying then it is up to him, but I'd let him do it.

[technium]

Thanks Keith

 

I am looking forward to it, just a few worries thats all.

 

I think I will wait and see what happens. Both rooms myself and Wife and Parents are booked under my dads name as they organised the cruise for us and we just paid them the money back.

 

Im not going to worry about the tips then, whatever will be will be. but thanks for the info on Taxi. We apparently arrive at 10 and need to be on board by 4pm so plenty of time to get from A to B.

 

thanks again

[KeithJenner]

With regard to food, you will eat very well onboard. The two main dining rooms are pretty good and I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the buffet. I always enjoy a snack at o'Sheehans and the Chinese restaurant is very good, in my opinion.

 

It is worth considering having one meal in one of the speciality restaurants, but it is by no means essential. We like to eat at them occasionally. The details are on the NCL website.

 

If you haven't done it already then you may want to consider the entertainment options. On the Epic, some of these require reservations to guarantee your place.

[technium]

thanks Keith

 

We are planning on doing a Signature restaurant while on board but also wanted to make sure the 'free' food wasnt just sausage rolls and sandwiches so knowing theres a few proper meal options helps too.

 

Where do we sign up to the entertainment. all I can find on Norwegian site is about checking in (which ive already done) and nothing else.

 

thanks

[KeithJenner]

Have you registered with myncl? I assume you have if you've checked in, but it was so long ago that I did it that I can't really remember if you need to have registered.

 

If not then just follow the link at the top right on the main NCL page to register or login. Once there you should see the option to book entertainment and meals.

 

If you don't book anything before you get there then you should still be OK as long as you book things fairly soon after boarding.

 

If you don't have reservations for things then it isn't the end of the world. They have a standby line for the theatre shows and there is lots of other things going on anyway. The only one which may be a problem is if you wanted to go to the cirque show, as they tend not to have many no shows (because there is a fee for the food).

[technium]

Thanks Keith

 

Ive just checked out the site and although I have checked in, I never had an account created for the other stuff. I have created the account and I can now see the excursion offers aswell as dining and entertainment.

 

Thanks for all your help.

 

Colin

[bnorris10]

 

Ahwell I will just see what happens when we get there. I take it I can just pay with Debit or Credit Card at the end of the cruise rather than keeping cash to pay it?

 

thanks again.

 

When you get there you will give them your card I suggest using a credit card because they will put funds on hold I believe it's $300 per cabin anything that goes over that will automatically be charged to your card at the end of the cruise unless you go put cash on your account - I would not use a debit card because it sometimes can put funds on hold and takes a while to get them back

[technium]

ok great, does that mean I dont have to settle up then as they already have my details so would do this automatically?

 

thanks

[KeithJenner]

ok great, does that mean I dont have to settle up then as they already have my details so would do this automatically?

 

thanks

 

 

Yes. You give them your credit card details at the start and they just automatically charge it at the end.

 

On your TV in your room you will be able to see the transactions on your account, so it's worth just checking it every now and then so you can deal with any issues. You don't want any surprises on the last day.

[bnorris10]

ok great, does that mean I dont have to settle up then as they already have my details so would do this automatically?

 

thanks

 

correct

[technium]

Great thanks all, really appreciate all this advice.

 

Colin

[technium]

Two last questions -

 

Tipping extra - we have Euros for our trip can we tip in euros for our server etc or does it have to be Dollars?

 

Plug Sockets - Are these USA type plug sockets? just so I know what adaptor to take?

 

thanks

[Biglove1954]

Good for you...we cannot be swayed by terrorist or they win. Enjoy your trip!!!!!

[bnorris10]

Two last questions -

 

Tipping extra - we have Euros for our trip can we tip in euros for our server etc or does it have to be Dollars?

 

Plug Sockets - Are these USA type plug sockets? just so I know what adaptor to take?

 

thanks

You can tip them Euro's, USD or casino chips they can redeem all of them

 

They have both US and EU