MSC girl jumps ship: A B2B solo trip review of the NCL Epic!

[CoffeeGoddess]

 

Those are the best! I would have happily eaten a couple of baskets of them for dinner one night if they were available outside of Moderno.

[Bra_BE2014]

Yum! Good to know Le Bistro, our favorite on Epic, is still giving the quality. For La Cucina, the bread, risotto, and another pasta dish were the best of three different visits. We both enjoyed the panna cotta which appears to have disappeared from the menu. Some suggest getting the steak. Thanks for the time you're giving to the review.

 

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Oh, shame about the panda cotta, I would have ordered it!

[Bra_BE2014]

Massive hug right back at ya! I'm still on a post-cruise come down and haven't got around to writing a review yet!

 

Writing a review helps with the post-cruise depression!

:*

[Bra_BE2014]

Agree completely!

 

You're from Brazil, live in Belgium, and write (and obviously speak) English like a native speaker! Truly impressive!

 

I know Belgium has several official languages. Just out of curiosity, which language do you speak during your work/everyday life at home in Belgium?

 

Thank you for taking time to post your review.

 

Thanks! ***blushing furiously***

Well, Belgium is a complicated place, lol. I live in the Flemish part, so I speak Dutch. I work in Brussels, which is mostly a French speaking region, but the corporate language at my office is English.

 

Belgium is a lovely country, albeit grey and rainy, but more then worth a visit!

[Bra_BE2014]

SPECIALTY DINING (cont.)

Week 2

 

The dynamics of the second week were a bit different because the solo dos preferred to eat earlier. We split in two groups, one that went for dinner around 8 PM and the usual group meeting at 6 PM and going directly to eat.

I then decided to alternate between eating early and meeting the 8 PM group one day and the other day I met the 6 PM group and ate late!

I booked Cirque dreams for the last night, Saturday, to make my last evening memorable. The only availability was 8:30 PM, so that gave me a chance to say goodbye first during the last Solo meeting.

CAGNEY'S

Very enjoyable. I went at 5:30 PM and got a lovely window table, which gave me the chance to experience sail away while enjoying my dinner!

I started with the Pork belly, which wins the award of second best dish of the trip, behind Le Bistro's Scallops:

 

 

For entree, I chose the Prime rib.

My only criticism is that the piece of meat was so big, that it went cold before I had the chance to finish it. And cold meat is not as delicious as warm, but it was still good.

 

 

 

My dessert was Brownie with salted caramel and vanilla ice cream, yum!

 

 

 

[Bra_BE2014]

Le Bistro

Round 2

I just had to repeat Le Bistro, it was so good the first time!

The temptation to order the scallops again was big, but I resisted. This time I picked the Mussels. They were okay but not great. They were tiny, little mussels and some were closed.

 

I then had the Coq au vin, which was way nicer then I expected and tender!

 

 

 

To wrap up, I tried the famous creme brûlée. Wow, it tasted even better then it looks:

 

 

[Bra_BE2014]

Cirque Dreams Epicurean

 

A fantastic way to finish my cruise. I booked Premium seats it was worth every penny. I got sneaked in by the backstage door by the solo-friendly cruise staff, which gave me the chance to chose my seat in the empty restaurant, cool!

 

I picked the seat directly in front of the little stage where the performers make their exit/entrance. Some time, I even feared they would drop on my lap or something, my table was just so close to the action:

 

 

 

One thing I didn't know is that the performers walk around to allow the audience to take pictures, and I took advantage of the opportunity!

 

 

 

 

 

[Bra_BE2014]

CIRQUE DREAMS (cont.)

 

The Menu:

 

 

 

The salad starter was so-so. The prosciutto was very dry, not pleasant to eat. And I do love prosciutto!

 

 

 

The surf and turf was delicious, really at par with the meat I ate in Cagney's. It was tender and flavoursome, although I would have prefer it a bit more pink on the inside.

 

 

 

Dessert was nice but not wow. My favourite was the Créme caramel

 

 

 

Before the show starts, they advise that it is a 45 minute service maximum for the food, so you do have to gulp down you food. I didn't manage to finish my steak because of the timing, which was a pity, it was delicious. But they were already shoving the dessert in front of me half way through my main course, I had no choice but to let them take my plate away as otherwise, there would be no room at the table.

 

The show itself started slow and got better and better. Now, there is one act from a very hot guy in a bathtub that surprised me. How did that end up in a family show, I don't know, lol, I had to sip my water through it, lol

 

Be warned that there is audience participation on many occasions and I noticed that they were taking people sitting in the back of the ground floor.

[Bra_BE2014]

UBP (NCL) vs Allegrissimo (MSC)

MSC wins, easily. I chose to have the UBP included as my free-at-sea promotion. I enjoyed many cocktails, Prosseco's and soft drinks. One of my solo friends donated me 2 bottles of water from her 'Premium All-inclusive' fare, thanks again :hearteyes:

 

MSC wins because their package includes bottle water, specialty coffees and has a decent range of wines and spirits included. But most importantly, MSC wins because you can drink to your heart's content even WITHOUT buying the package, since the drinks are cheap.

 

NCL drinks are outrageously expensive, shockingly so. Thanks to all the reviews I read before sailing, I already knew this, so I had a little budget separate to enjoy things that were not included, like this delicious Chocolate Martini from Shakers, the Martini bar:

 

 

 

 

 

From the included selection, my favourites were the Mango Meltdown (Shout out to Kathrin!) and the mud slide.

TIP: The atrium bar puts more juju in the frozen drinks

 

 

 

[Bra_BE2014]

UP NEXT: MDR's and Spa

[TrinaLC]

I had the best mussels of my life in Brussels, so not surprised you were disappointed ...

 

Keep 'em coming!

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

Loving your review. I will be on her for me short 3 nighter in March. I've been to Nassau ans private island several times, will get off for short times but planning to soak up time on ship. I have drink package and specialty. You recommend skipping Italian and doing the dinner show then? How much extra from your dinning credit was it? I planned to try Cagneys and Let Bistro and Italian but seriously rethinking with your review.

 

 

Also thinking about thermal spa passes so looking forward to your spa review.

 

Anything not to miss on ship? Like I said only 3 days for me.

[nanagirl]

Thanks for your review, I'm really enjoying it!! We will be on the Epic in October. I hope they get some better looking tomatoes by then...the ones you had at Cirque were embarrassing. They looked mushy and pale.

[Bra_BE2014]

I had the best mussels of my life in Brussels, so not surprised you were disappointed ...

 

Keep 'em coming!

 

 

Belgium has awesome mussels, and tradition says they are particularly good in the months containing an 'r'.

Just look at it:

 

 

 

 

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[Bra_BE2014]

Loving your review. I will be on her for me short 3 nighter in March. I've been to Nassau ans private island several times, will get off for short times but planning to soak up time on ship. I have drink package and specialty. You recommend skipping Italian and doing the dinner show then? How much extra from your dinning credit was it? I planned to try Cagneys and Let Bistro and Italian but seriously rethinking with your review.

 

 

Also thinking about thermal spa passes so looking forward to your spa review.

 

Anything not to miss on ship? Like I said only 3 days for me.

 

 

 

If you don't mind salt, you'll be fine at the Italian restaurant.

Personally, I thought the items offered were not special enough to be charged - I hd better food for free at Shangai's.

 

I 100% recommend the Spa and enjoying the Atrium's games like 'The perfect couple'.

Also 'Priscila' and 'Burn the floor' are a must!

 

 

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[Bra_BE2014]

Thanks for your review, I'm really enjoying it!! We will be on the Epic in October. I hope they get some better looking tomatoes by then...the ones you had at Cirque were embarrassing. They looked mushy and pale.

 

 

 

I hate raw tomatoes and didn't touch mine [emoji12]

All the rest was delicious!

 

 

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[Bra_BE2014]

MDR's

Taste and The Manhattan room

 

NCL and it's Freestyle concept win this round.

I very much enjoy MSC's concept of a long, 6 course meal. However, I enjoyed even more to be able to sit by myself and enjoy a faster service in the NCL's dining rooms.

I had some very tasty meals for lunch and dinner, but I think Taste restaurant shines the most for breakfast. It was more then worth getting up early and crawling to have a nice breakfast after a heavy night of partying. I would always go prepared with my swimsuit underneath so after breakfast I'd go directly to the Spa to start rising back from the ashes for the new day, lol

My favourite breakfast items were the bagel, French toast and mellon plate.

 

 

 

 

Half eaten, sorry :D

 

 

 

Sometimes I indulged myself in a pre-breakfast of cookies and Latte Macchiato in the studio lounge, yum!

 

 

[Bra_BE2014]

MDR's Lunch and Dinner selections

 

I didn't keep track of when I had what where, but it was all hot and delicious. I must admit I prefer Taste over the Manhattan room, because the second was always very noisy.

 

Taste had a quieter, more adult atmosphere, in my opinion.

Here are some of the dishes I enjoyed on the MDR's:

 

 

Carpaccio

 

 

Meatloaf with barbecue sauce

 

 

Tiramisu

 

 

Salmon Tartare

 

 

Chicken Curry

 

 

Warm lava cake

 

Now, my opinion on the lava cake is a bit controversial. I was highly disappointed in it for the single fact that there was no lava whatsoever n that cake.

Did it taste delicious? Sure! Was it a lava cake? No. at all. Would I still order it? Of course!!!!

[Bra_BE2014]

Mandara Spa

 

Tough call to compare between MSC and NCL. I'd say NCL's facilities are better but MSC prices were WAY better, which meant I could actually enjoy several treatments. NCL prices were prohibitive and tis was the first time on a cruise that I didn't have a massage. I just couldn't justify + EUR 100 to have a 60 min treatment.

Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed the Thermal area. I pre-booked online for EUR 130 each week and I used it every single day. The jets on the thermal pool were so strong and effective that I didn't miss for long not having had a massage!

The Spa staff was very nice and helpful, a pleasure to talk to. Most importantly, the Spa was never full. At it's busiest, I think I saw around 10 people enjoying the thermal area at the same time, mainly the heated lounges. Sadly, there was some chair hogging going on so sometimes you had to wait to be able to use them, but I always managed to relax and have fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hot tub was always empty, so I felt obliged to spend lots of time in it, lol

 

 

One of the Spa's best features is the 'balcony'. Sea days were particularly soothing, watching the water tail behind...

 

 

 

[Bra_BE2014]

Mandara Spa (cont.)

 

Last year on the MSC Fantasia, I paid EUR 299 for access to their thermal area plus the following treatments:

 

Anyway, I can have plenty of massages on the MSC Meraviglia in October, with the added benefit that it also has thermal pool and heated lounges. I'm curious to see how it will compare.

 

Now, a word of warning about the Spa: I don't know what's in the water, if it's minerals, chlorine or both, but it was really tough on my hair and skin. Just regular shampoo and conditioning weren't enough, I actually had to purchase a special hair mask from Elemis at the Spa because I could barely comb my hair after a session at the pool.

 

It was totally worth it, though :halo:

[Bra_BE2014]

NEXT UP: night life, parties and theater

[Blondie008]

Hey - review is great! Thank you for feeding our addiction ;p

 

The Epic SPA is awesome - Since our last Epic cruise we have cruised twice in Aquaclass on Celebrity ships - The Persian Gardens access which comes with Aquaclass - ugh - what a major let down. We had been in an Epic Spa Mini for 14 nights - V Celebrity TA cruise also 14 nights .. It just cannot touch Epic. We also did the Jade and had SPA access for her too - its nice - but small (however still better than Celebrity!). We recently did the Getaway 16 nights in a spa cabin - and have to say yes, it does measure up to Epic. Loved it.

Next up for our next three cruises are all Epic. One of the cruises we couldn't get a spa cabin so need to be aiming for that spa pass before they sell out. Fingers Xd we get it!

 

Re La Cucina - I have come to the conclusion speciality restaurants range not only from ship to ship, but from crew to crew. On Epic and Jade we thought La Cucina was a waste of time and money. On Getaway - we dined there FIVE times - It was so good. Moderno on Epic for us was awesome, and on Jade a "never return"..

Le Bistro on Epic we had dreadful service - Le Bistro on Getaway was awesome..

I think its all so random. The Occu Bucco on Getaway - hmnom - and the Risotto Appetiser - (almost as good as my own!).

Cagneys on Epic was better than Cagneys on Getaway .. go figure..

Who knows - worth trying them all. I think next trip we will use our Platinum meals as a test for Le Bistro and La Cucina - see how we go. Will probably buy a 6 night package on top of those platinum meals although have to add we thought some of the MDR food we had was awesome - with service from Taste/Savor being superb -

Experiences seems to vary from crew to crew, ship to ship.

Thanks for the awesome review and pics. Epic has been refurbished since our last trip - Looking very much like Getaway now - can see the corporate identity running through. Love it all! We will miss the Waterfront from Getaway though - that was a real winner for us. Liked it very much. But - will be nice to "go home" to BigBoy Epic :)

[Bra_BE2014]

Hey - review is great! Thank you for feeding our addiction ;p

 

The Epic SPA is awesome - Since our last Epic cruise we have cruised twice in Aquaclass on Celebrity ships - The Persian Gardens access which comes with Aquaclass - ugh - what a major let down. We had been in an Epic Spa Mini for 14 nights - V Celebrity TA cruise also 14 nights .. It just cannot touch Epic. We also did the Jade and had SPA access for her too - its nice - but small (however still better than Celebrity!). We recently did the Getaway 16 nights in a spa cabin - and have to say yes, it does measure up to Epic. Loved it.

Next up for our next three cruises are all Epic. One of the cruises we couldn't get a spa cabin so need to be aiming for that spa pass before they sell out. Fingers Xd we get it!

 

Re La Cucina - I have come to the conclusion speciality restaurants range not only from ship to ship, but from crew to crew. On Epic and Jade we thought La Cucina was a waste of time and money. On Getaway - we dined there FIVE times - It was so good. Moderno on Epic for us was awesome, and on Jade a "never return"..

Le Bistro on Epic we had dreadful service - Le Bistro on Getaway was awesome..

I think its all so random. The Occu Bucco on Getaway - hmnom - and the Risotto Appetiser - (almost as good as my own!).

Cagneys on Epic was better than Cagneys on Getaway .. go figure..

Who knows - worth trying them all. I think next trip we will use our Platinum meals as a test for Le Bistro and La Cucina - see how we go. Will probably buy a 6 night package on top of those platinum meals although have to add we thought some of the MDR food we had was awesome - with service from Taste/Savor being superb -

Experiences seems to vary from crew to crew, ship to ship.

Thanks for the awesome review and pics. Epic has been refurbished since our last trip - Looking very much like Getaway now - can see the corporate identity running through. Love it all! We will miss the Waterfront from Getaway though - that was a real winner for us. Liked it very much. But - will be nice to "go home" to BigBoy Epic :)

 

Hi, I'm so glad you're enjoying the review! sorry I'm a bit slow to progress, but It's almost done, lol

I'm more then willing to give La Cecina another shot, it really is not fair to judge it by only just one experience.

If all goes well, I'll return to the Epic next year.

 

Happy cruising :*

[Bra_BE2014]

Before I forget, let me share about the middle point of the B2B:

 

The Turn-around day experience

transition day

On the Friday of my first week, I came back to my cabin and saw this beautiful plate of chocolate covered strawberries!

 

 

 

Why? I wondered, this is my first NCL cruise and I've done nothing to earn them, lol.

After a second look, I noticed an invitation near the plate:

 

 

 

 

I thought it was really cool of them to reach out to the b2b'ers, made me feel special to have coffee with an officer ;p

 

On the day of the meeting there were around 10 people invited and the Hotel Director gave us a talk about what to expect on the upcoming Sunday. They offered us a round of coffee while Nelson assured us we had nothing to worry about BUT we needed to watch out that a special exercise was taking place that Sunday: every five year the ships are required to do a drill where directly after disembarkation they have to move away from port for around 1,5h, do some manoeuvring and dock again for the new passengers to embark.

 

The exercise was scheduled from 10 AM to 11:30 AM which meant people wanting to see Barcelona for the day had to do so before pr after the exercise, or you were trapped on the ship.

 

I can only imagine people's faces at the port around 11 AM, being their ship was not docked, hihihihihihih!

 

They also gave us a sticker 'Still on vacation - In transit' to wear at port should we wish to get out of the ship and come back during the embarkation of the new passengers. I stayed on the ship enjoying the piece and quiet so I didn't need to use it!

 

The best news he gave was that people changing rooms (like me) didn't need to pack - the room steward would come by with a trolley and remove the items in hangers for us and put them in their proper place on the new cabin. I then dutifully hanged everything I had, lol, I tell you, travelling with carry on only was really handy.

 

I did have a few hiccups with my new card not working at times and did around 5 trips to guest services that Sunday to have the card fixed, which wasn't super fun. but well, all things considered, it could have been way worse.

[Rhea98]

 

I did have a few hiccups with my new card not working at times and did around 5 trips to guest services that Sunday to have the card fixed, which wasn't super fun. but well, all things considered, it could have been way worse.

 

I almost can't believe this because we had the exact situation (including the visits to GS) on our b2b in Barcelona 2 yrs ago. They eventually changed the locks, but security was very stubborn about doing so.

Those badges they gave us for re-embarking got us back on board very quickly.

 

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