Epic review Mediterranean from Barcelona

[jchristi]

It's been a couple weeks, but I wanted to give a quick review of our wonderful Epic cruise Aug 27-Sept 3. DH and I travelled without the kids. We are mid-40's and fairly seasoned travelers. We have been on more cruises than we can count, most being Disney with a few on some of the other lines (Carnival, RCCL, and Holland America). Haven't cruised NCL for many, many years.

 

Pre and post cruise:

We flew into Barcelona two days before the trip, intending to do some sightseeing. Unfortunately we had some flight delays and rescheduling which made us arrive 6 hours later than planned without our luggage. So, our sightseeing time ended up being consumed with "try to get our luggage here" time. We had to return to the airport the morning of embarkation to stake out the baggage carousels, but thankfully our luggage arrived! We spent the night at the lovely Hotel Duquesa de Cardona and enjoyed it very much. The room was lovely, the breakfast yummy and the location appeared to be on point, IF we had the chance to enjoy it! Moral of the story, ALWAYS fly in at least 24 hours ahead of your cruise, ALWAYS carry essentials on (I had a change of clothes and personal items, hubby had only the pair of his underwear I threw in with my clothes) and ALWAYS have trip insurance. If our luggage had not arrived, we were planning to go shopping before boarding the ship and our insurance would have reimbursed us. Upon disembarkation, we spent one night at the Hotel Europark. We were there by 9am and checked in. They stored our luggage and we did the Hop On Hop Off bus for most of the day. We had prepurchased tickets for the Sagrada Familia so we hopped off there and also at Playa Catalunya to walk down Las Ramblas. The hotel was fine. It didn't have as much character and charm as the Duquesa, but it was very nice, clean and much more inexpensive.

 

Embarkation:

There was a long line outside the terminal building but it moved quickly. We had lunch at O'Sheehans. Our room was a family balcony (14019) which we had bid on to upgrade from the inside we had booked. For a total of $300, we were happy with our choice. It was very quiet and having the balcony was lovely. The bathroom situation was fine for us as an old married couple, but I could see how it could be an issue for those traveling with friends. The perk we had chosen was the 250 minutes internet but chose to pay the $85 to upgrade to unlimited which we had to wait in line for at the internet desk. We were also happy with this choice as we were able to keep in touch with our kids at home easily.

 

Entertainment:

We found that the ship compared favorably to our experiences on other lines. We enjoyed the Beatles, and the Legends Live show, but our absolute favorite was Howl at the Moon dueling pianos. They are so talented and the show was hilarious. The magician was just ok. We found Priscilla to be overhyped. I wanted more humor and less social message. I would not take my kids to this show, not because of the content, but I really don't see the need to drop the F bomb on a cruise ship show. Your mileage may vary. We did not see Burn the Floor.

 

Food:

The only specialty meal we had was the Cirque show. My husband said his steak there was the best meal of the trip. The show was wonderful, so glad we went. Otherwise, we had dinner twice in Taste, three times in Manhattan, and once in Shanghai's. The atmosphere and service in Manhattan was the best. We had breakfast in the Garden Cafe every morning and were usually in port for lunch. The food was good, not great. I have no complaints but nothing was amazing. My favorite dish was probably the ceviche appetizer. We ordered a few mixed drinks before realizing that they were consistently low on the alcohol content. After that we stuck to beer and wine.

 

Ports:

In Naples and Livorno we used Italy tours. The Naples tour went to Pompeii, Sorrento and then to a panoramic view of the Amalfi coast. There were 15 on our tour which I feel is still too many. One lady was over 20 minutes late to a meeting point. This was frustrating as we were in lovely Sorrento and I would have enjoyed lingering a little longer rather than waiting on her....Pompeii was very interesting. It was hot and not for those with mobility concerns. We had lunch in Sorrento and loved the view of Amalfi. I would like to go farther along the coast next time. In Livorno, we went to Tuscany with two other couples and our guide Davide. This was our favorite day. We visited the cities of Siena and San Gimignano and stopped for a wine tasting. The countryside was breathtaking and the cities had so much character.

 

In Civitavecchia, Cannes and Palma de Mallorca, we used public transportation and did our own thing. This is my personal favorite way to travel. We took the train from Civi to Rome and had a pre arranged tour of the Colosseum. We then walked along the Roman Forum before visiting to the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. We had a wonderful lunch along the way before taking the train back. Our train tickets were 12 euro each, MUCH cheaper than any tour and much more enjoyable for us. In Cannes we also took the train, to Nice and then to Antibes. We visited the flower market in Nice and walked along the promenade by the beach. Antibes is a beautiful little city. We had lunch here and walked around the shops and beach before returning for a stroll about Cannes. Finally in Palma, we took the bus to Playa Illetas . It was so nice to have a beach day after all of the touring and walking we had done. The beach was beautiful and we were able to get drinks at one of the several beachfront bars. Bus fare was 3 euro each round trip.

 

Conclusion: We very much enjoyed this cruise. The weather was picture perfect. A little hot, but we live in Georgia so it was no hotter than we were used to at home. The ship was very nice. It was in good condition and we found the staff to be consistently pleasant and the service good. We enjoyed the Spice H2O area a few times, as well as the uncrowded sun deck on Deck 18. We rode all three slides at the request of our kids and honestly found them to be pretty tame despite their appearance. We agreed that our kids would have enjoyed this cruise. Maybe one day we will take them :D.

 

Feel free to ask questions and Happy Cruising!

[eynsteinp]

Thank you for the review. I'm very glad you enjoyed your cruise. I was wondering , was the internet very slow? On the Escape about a year ago, the internet was so slow it was not usable at times. We are leaving on the Epic in December. Thanks.

[gottacruisemore]

Thanks so much for the review! I leave for Rome in a few days.

[jchristi]

Thank you for the review. I'm very glad you enjoyed your cruise. I was wondering , was the internet very slow? On the Escape about a year ago, the internet was so slow it was not usable at times. We are leaving on the Epic in December. Thanks.

 

No, it wasn't slow but we frequently had to reconnect which was a pain.

[ollienbertsmum]

It was nice to read your review. I will sail at the end of October and I am starting to get excited. It was interesting to hear what you had to say.

 

I have to say that the most disappointing part for me to read is that the shows are still Priscilla/Burn the Floor. I went to see Priscilla on our last cruise which was last year. It was, for me, just about OK. I have loved other ship shows e.g after seeing Hairspray on a ship, I went to see the full show. I wish that I was looking forward to a show.

[vav]

Thanks for the review - doing the same cruise in a month - and also leaving kids home!

 

A few Q's if you don't mind: What time did you book your Colosseum tour? How did you get to Civit train station from ship...and back? And how long do you figure it took from getting off the ship to standing in front of the Colosseum (assuming you went straight there)?

 

Thanks!

[jchristi]

Thanks for the review - doing the same cruise in a month - and also leaving kids home!

 

A few Q's if you don't mind: What time did you book your Colosseum tour? How did you get to Civit train station from ship...and back? And how long do you figure it took from getting off the ship to standing in front of the Colosseum (assuming you went straight there)?

 

Thanks!

 

I SO understand the need to plan the logistics. The Civi to Rome day was the one I was most worried about! We were off of the ship in Civi by 6:45, standing in the line for the port bus. I had thought we might walk from the pier, having read conflicting reports on whether or not it was allowed. Believe me, there was almost a bouncer mentality for everyone leaving the ship. You either got into a waiting car for a private tour or you boarded the port bus. No option to walk. We arrived at the central location for the port buses and started the walk to the train station, knowing that the city buses would not start operation until 8 am. Just outside the bus stop area, we were offered a taxi ride to the train station for 5 euro each. Not wanting to stress about time, and knowing we would do a lot of walking in Rome, we felt it money well spent. We bought the 12 euro BIRG tickets and took the 7:18 train to Roma Ostiense. There, we followed the signs for the Metro and took it two stops to the Colosseum stop. We were there by 8:45 and had booked a 10 am express tour of the Colosseum with Dark Rome. We were a whole hour early! This was fine as there was a coffee shop very close and we were able to eat some breakfast and use their free wifi. The express tour of the Colosseum was perfect at 1.5 hours. Other tours lasted 3 hours and we agreed that would have been too long as it was hot and we really wanted to see more things. We walked through the Roman Forum after our tour and then Google mapped the walk to the Pantheon. It wasn't a bad walk and the Pantheon is free entry. Next we walked to the Trevi Fountain having a delicious lunch and shopping along the way. From the Trevi, we took another 30 minute stroll to the Termini station. I'm pretty sure we took the 3:46 train back to Civi, where we shared a cab with three other people back to the ship, again for 5 euro each.

 

We met another couple the next day who had managed to DIY both the Colosseum and the Vatican but said they almost didn't make it back to the ship in time. I hated having to choose one or the other, but really wanted to get a feel for Rome, not just the tourist sites.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[vav]

I SO understand the need to plan the logistics. The Civi to Rome day was the one I was most worried about! We were off of the ship in Civi by 6:45, standing in the line for the port bus. I had thought we might walk from the pier, having read conflicting reports on whether or not it was allowed. Believe me, there was almost a bouncer mentality for everyone leaving the ship. You either got into a waiting car for a private tour or you boarded the port bus. No option to walk..

 

Thanks so much for the detailed response!! We have been thinking about walking from the ship but reading above are you saying you cannot walk or it doesn't make sense to walk. Easy to take port shuttle? I am worried about waiting in line for the shuttle when we could be walking towards station.

 

Also docking at 6am do you recall what time the ship was cleared for passengers to get off? If you got off at 6:45 and made the 7:18 that is quick to the station!

 

We were lucky to get underground and third level tickets for coliseum but timing is tight.

 

Thanks again!

[ollienbertsmum]

I am impressed with the OPs planning and day in Rome. We have visited Rome a few times but never managed to make use of the Epic's 6 am docking time. The OP has done the sort of route I have done a few times, walking through Rome is so interesting, there is so much to see along the route. Getting back to Termini at about 3:30 pm gets you onto a train with plenty of time to get back to the ship before sailaway.

 

Reading through what you can do if you get on the 7.18 am train, although the breakfast was probably enjoyable, I suggest adding another photo op to the route!

 

If you get on this early train I think that there is time to get off at St Peter's Station and walking to St Peter's Square, enjoying this area for a little while and taking a few photos. You could then carry on walking through the square and getting a taxi to take you to the Colosseum before 10 am. Staying on the train is fine, but I always find it frustratingly slow to get between the Rome stations.

 

On this cruise I am planning to go to Tarquinia, but on another cruise in the future with friends who want an overview of Rome, I think St Peter's Square (taxi) Colosseum, Piazza Navona/Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and either a taxi or a walk back to Termini via a visit to Santa Maria Maggiore - with all the photo ops and stops for ice cream in between is a good diy route. Seeing how early you can get started when you are on the Epic makes for a good day trip to Rome.

 

The stop off at St Peter's could be part of flexible planning. If you find you are on an early train, make use of that extra time - but if getting to the train station takes longer than the OP took, then stay on and get to Ostiense in time.

 

I hope this is helpful for others planning their day in Rome.

[pe4all]

Enjoyed reading your review, as we were on the same cruise as you! You were far more adventurous than us, going off on your own in Rome. Did you notice the delay we had in leaving Cannes, as they could not get the tenders docked back on the Epic due to the wind/rough water?

We loved the cruise, the ports, the crew, and the entertainment (we actually enjoyed Priscilla very much.) We look forward to planning another European cruise for next year, if possible.

[jchristi]

Thanks so much for the detailed response!! We have been thinking about walking from the ship but reading above are you saying you cannot walk or it doesn't make sense to walk. Easy to take port shuttle? I am worried about waiting in line for the shuttle when we could be walking towards station.

 

Also docking at 6am do you recall what time the ship was cleared for passengers to get off? If you got off at 6:45 and made the 7:18 that is quick to the station!

 

We were lucky to get underground and third level tickets for coliseum but timing is tight.

 

Thanks again!

 

Our goal was to be ready to disembark at at 6:30, and I am fairly certain that was when the ship was cleared. As we walked off of the ship, one shuttle (possibly the first) was pulling out so we were almost at the front of the line for the next one, but the line did build quickly behind us. They are full size charter buses and carry a lot of people.

 

Please report back if you were allowed to walk. There were several men, who appeared to be port employees and a few NCL people practically forming a human barrier at the front of the line for the buses. It felt kind of tense to me, and NO ONE went past them unless they got into a car that was waiting. I do think that our early arrival is why we were offered a taxi to the train station. The taxis waiting were all offering tours of Rome and I think that the driver that offered us a trip to the station realized he had time to take us and still return in time to pick up a more profitable fare. One thing to note is that he insisted on exact change so we were digging for coins to avoid overpaying!

[kokopelli-az]

In Naples and Livorno we used Italy tours.

 

What is the exact name of this tour company? There are several with similar sounding names.

[ollienbertsmum]

we actually enjoyed Priscilla very much.) .

 

I enjoyed Priscilla last year, I am just disappointed that 19 months later it is still the same show. :(

[jchristi]

In Naples and Livorno we used Italy tours.

 

What is the exact name of this tour company? There are several with similar sounding names.

 

Italytours.eu

[jchristi]

Enjoyed reading your review, as we were on the same cruise as you! You were far more adventurous than us, going off on your own in Rome. Did you notice the delay we had in leaving Cannes, as they could not get the tenders docked back on the Epic due to the wind/rough water?

We loved the cruise, the ports, the crew, and the entertainment (we actually enjoyed Priscilla very much.) We look forward to planning another European cruise for next year, if possible.

 

No, we didn't notice, but the water did get much rougher in the afternoon. I really want to go again also! This was one of our favorite trips. I'm in the midst of planning a girls trip with friends on the Epic from Port Canaveral in March. It will be fun to be on her again!

[CH_ca]

 

....Our room was a family balcony (14019) which we had bid on to upgrade from the inside we had booked. For a total of $300, we were happy with our choice. It was very quiet and having the balcony was lovely...

 

Hi jchristi! Very informative review! These may have asked many times on other posts already, so I hope you wont't mind answering:

 

1. Did you book a guarantee inside at first?

 

2. Did they email you about the upgrade or did you ask them about the possibility?

 

3. Was it a basic balcony cabin bid and they ended up assigning you a family balcony?

 

4. Was $300 (US?) the minimum bid they requested?

 

I also have lots of questions about the DIY tours but maybe will ask later when I do more homework fist.

Thanks!

[jchristi]

Hi jchristi! Very informative review! These may have asked many times on other posts already, so I hope you wont't mind answering:

 

1. Did you book a guarantee inside at first?

 

2. Did they email you about the upgrade or did you ask them about the possibility?

 

3. Was it a basic balcony cabin bid and they ended up assigning you a family balcony?

 

4. Was $300 (US?) the minimum bid they requested?

 

 

I also have lots of questions about the DIY tours but maybe will ask later when I do more homework fist.

Thanks!

 

We booked an inside category IE room number 10057 at first, then had the upgrade banner when I logged into myncl a few months before cruising. We bid $150 pp for a balcony and $190 pp for a mini suite. Both were barely into the "fair' range. There was no minimum bid requested for either.

[Soonertrvlgrl]

Thank you so much for the review - very helpful! This will be my 3rd cruise. Previously, as a newbie, I have only booked excursions. After meeting experienced cruisers on my last trip, I learned a lot and am going to try some independent ventures on this next one (leaving Oct 8).

 

Am curious about your trip to Nice. I was planning to take the hop on, hop off bus so I could visit some sites not listed on the excursions. However, I wasn't sure how to get to Nice from the cruise ship. You mentioned taking the train. Could you please fill me in on that? I know I can buy the hop on, hop off tickets on line in advance, but what about the train ticket? And how far is the train station from the port? I am a solo traveler and mobile, but would like to save my walking energy for Nice, i.e., if it's long hike to the train station, are taxis or buses available?

 

Thank you for any input you have!

[Rosieoney]

Hi I notice you said you paid $85 to upgrade to unlimited wifi above the perk you chose of 250. Is that something I can do in advance or do you have to do it on the ship. I think this would be well worth it. THANKS

[efinand]

Thank you so much for the review - very helpful! This will be my 3rd cruise. Previously, as a newbie, I have only booked excursions. After meeting experienced cruisers on my last trip, I learned a lot and am going to try some independent ventures on this next one (leaving Oct 8).

 

Am curious about your trip to Nice. I was planning to take the hop on, hop off bus so I could visit some sites not listed on the excursions. However, I wasn't sure how to get to Nice from the cruise ship. You mentioned taking the train. Could you please fill me in on that? I know I can buy the hop on, hop off tickets on line in advance, but what about the train ticket? And how far is the train station from the port? I am a solo traveler and mobile, but would like to save my walking energy for Nice, i.e., if it's long hike to the train station, are taxis or buses available?

 

Thank you for any input you have!

 

I am not OP, but this is from another post somewhere: "From the tender pier, which is located adjacentto the old port next to a parking lot, it is about 1 mile (not kilometer) tothe station. It is a fun walk because you can actually walk through the bestparts of the city and see a lot of Cannes. But,it does take nearly a half hour for most folks to make the walk. Taxis are notplentiful at the tender area and most would probably not want to take such ashort fare to the train station.

The train from Cannes toNice runs several times an hour. It takes between 25 and 48 minutes, dependingon the number of stops, and it costs 7 euros. No need to book ahead of time.These are commuter trains and the tickets are sold at the station."

[Clarea]

Thanks for the feedback.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed your review.

Keith

[dogwalfal]

How hard was it to get the bus to the beach in Palma? That's what I want to do.

 

 

It's been a couple weeks, but I wanted to give a quick review of our wonderful Epic cruise Aug 27-Sept 3. DH and I travelled without the kids. We are mid-40's and fairly seasoned travelers. We have been on more cruises than we can count, most being Disney with a few on some of the other lines (Carnival, RCCL, and Holland America). Haven't cruised NCL for many, many years.

 

Pre and post cruise:

We flew into Barcelona two days before the trip, intending to do some sightseeing. Unfortunately we had some flight delays and rescheduling which made us arrive 6 hours later than planned without our luggage. So, our sightseeing time ended up being consumed with "try to get our luggage here" time. We had to return to the airport the morning of embarkation to stake out the baggage carousels, but thankfully our luggage arrived! We spent the night at the lovely Hotel Duquesa de Cardona and enjoyed it very much. The room was lovely, the breakfast yummy and the location appeared to be on point, IF we had the chance to enjoy it! Moral of the story, ALWAYS fly in at least 24 hours ahead of your cruise, ALWAYS carry essentials on (I had a change of clothes and personal items, hubby had only the pair of his underwear I threw in with my clothes) and ALWAYS have trip insurance. If our luggage had not arrived, we were planning to go shopping before boarding the ship and our insurance would have reimbursed us. Upon disembarkation, we spent one night at the Hotel Europark. We were there by 9am and checked in. They stored our luggage and we did the Hop On Hop Off bus for most of the day. We had prepurchased tickets for the Sagrada Familia so we hopped off there and also at Playa Catalunya to walk down Las Ramblas. The hotel was fine. It didn't have as much character and charm as the Duquesa, but it was very nice, clean and much more inexpensive.

 

Embarkation:

There was a long line outside the terminal building but it moved quickly. We had lunch at O'Sheehans. Our room was a family balcony (14019) which we had bid on to upgrade from the inside we had booked. For a total of $300, we were happy with our choice. It was very quiet and having the balcony was lovely. The bathroom situation was fine for us as an old married couple, but I could see how it could be an issue for those traveling with friends. The perk we had chosen was the 250 minutes internet but chose to pay the $85 to upgrade to unlimited which we had to wait in line for at the internet desk. We were also happy with this choice as we were able to keep in touch with our kids at home easily.

 

Entertainment:

We found that the ship compared favorably to our experiences on other lines. We enjoyed the Beatles, and the Legends Live show, but our absolute favorite was Howl at the Moon dueling pianos. They are so talented and the show was hilarious. The magician was just ok. We found Priscilla to be overhyped. I wanted more humor and less social message. I would not take my kids to this show, not because of the content, but I really don't see the need to drop the F bomb on a cruise ship show. Your mileage may vary. We did not see Burn the Floor.

 

Food:

The only specialty meal we had was the Cirque show. My husband said his steak there was the best meal of the trip. The show was wonderful, so glad we went. Otherwise, we had dinner twice in Taste, three times in Manhattan, and once in Shanghai's. The atmosphere and service in Manhattan was the best. We had breakfast in the Garden Cafe every morning and were usually in port for lunch. The food was good, not great. I have no complaints but nothing was amazing. My favorite dish was probably the ceviche appetizer. We ordered a few mixed drinks before realizing that they were consistently low on the alcohol content. After that we stuck to beer and wine.

 

Ports:

In Naples and Livorno we used Italy tours. The Naples tour went to Pompeii, Sorrento and then to a panoramic view of the Amalfi coast. There were 15 on our tour which I feel is still too many. One lady was over 20 minutes late to a meeting point. This was frustrating as we were in lovely Sorrento and I would have enjoyed lingering a little longer rather than waiting on her....Pompeii was very interesting. It was hot and not for those with mobility concerns. We had lunch in Sorrento and loved the view of Amalfi. I would like to go farther along the coast next time. In Livorno, we went to Tuscany with two other couples and our guide Davide. This was our favorite day. We visited the cities of Siena and San Gimignano and stopped for a wine tasting. The countryside was breathtaking and the cities had so much character.

 

In Civitavecchia, Cannes and Palma de Mallorca, we used public transportation and did our own thing. This is my personal favorite way to travel. We took the train from Civi to Rome and had a pre arranged tour of the Colosseum. We then walked along the Roman Forum before visiting to the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. We had a wonderful lunch along the way before taking the train back. Our train tickets were 12 euro each, MUCH cheaper than any tour and much more enjoyable for us. In Cannes we also took the train, to Nice and then to Antibes. We visited the flower market in Nice and walked along the promenade by the beach. Antibes is a beautiful little city. We had lunch here and walked around the shops and beach before returning for a stroll about Cannes. Finally in Palma, we took the bus to Playa Illetas . It was so nice to have a beach day after all of the touring and walking we had done. The beach was beautiful and we were able to get drinks at one of the several beachfront bars. Bus fare was 3 euro each round trip.

 

Conclusion: We very much enjoyed this cruise. The weather was picture perfect. A little hot, but we live in Georgia so it was no hotter than we were used to at home. The ship was very nice. It was in good condition and we found the staff to be consistently pleasant and the service good. We enjoyed the Spice H2O area a few times, as well as the uncrowded sun deck on Deck 18. We rode all three slides at the request of our kids and honestly found them to be pretty tame despite their appearance. We agreed that our kids would have enjoyed this cruise. Maybe one day we will take them :D.

 

Feel free to ask questions and Happy Cruising!