Cruising with a cheapskate: Review of NCL Epic 3/31-4/7 2018

[Tutontow]

I can't wait to read about your cruise. I will say when we worked we always enjoyed coming home but couldn't wait for our next vacation. Going back to work always stunk and I always like my job. Retirement is wonderful. Rest up and give us every detail of your cruise.

[drewsmom123]

Day 1

So I mentioned an issue at the hotel, I am happy to say that they corrected the problem. There was an issue with 3rd party site prices that go with the shuttle package. The district manager credited by credit card before we were even on board. Which was good because DH was ready to blame my “obsession” with using the internet instead of calling someone and he is always adding up those extra expenses that I didn’t tell him about. I would recommend staying at the Days Inn Cocoa Cruiseport. The hotel was great and the shuttle was on time for both legs of our trip. They informed us of exactly where we needed to be after the cruise, it was great.

Traffic on Good Friday was a nightmare (not our worst of the trip). Our 10 hour drive took 14. I thought I was prepared for it to be slow, but I really wasn’t, it was a lot of stop and go. We drove past a couple of accidents, and watched one happen right if front of us (it was minor, but a headache for those involved). We were very lucky and reminded ourselves regularly that it could be worse.

There was a Disney and a Carnival boarding at the same time as the Epic, so if we had driven to the port I think traffic would have been very heavy finding a parking place, however, our shuttle took us right to the “door”. There was a protest going on at the port. Some people had a huge, ugly blow up monster rat. They were protesting Disney wages. We gave our bags to a porter, watched him place them on the racks, then got in line. About this time someone on the FB page posted that their luggage never made it onto the plane and they were on their way to Walmart. He posted yesterday (Sunday after we returned) that they airlines was still working on it.

We were at the terminal and in line very early. I had joined a FB page for this cruise and the members decided to have a code word so we would recognize each other. It was a lot of fun putting faces to online profiles. So while we were in line, DH says “I think the woman in front of us is on your FB page.” So I said Banana Sandwich and friendships were formed. All week we exchanged drink recommendations and discussed the fun stuff we had done. It was great to have friendly faces around. They were from Michigan and their sons were hilarious- we spent regular elevator time with them. We were allowed to enter the terminal around 9:45 and we were checked in with key cards in hand by 10. We met some really nice people while waiting. The husband mentioned that he couldn’t wait to eat, and I shared our snacks with them. DH won’t buy snacks when we are on the road so I always carry something in my backpack. Everytime we saw them during the week they asked for a snack. I know that it isn’t likely that the Epic will be going back to Port Canaveral, however, if it does, I would suggest showing up really early or last thing. It was very crowded. There wasn’t enough room for everyone to sit down and this cause lots of people to be pretty grouchy.

[drewsmom123]

DH's cruise shorts.

 

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[drewsmom123]

We were onboard with first drinks in hand by 11, it was great. We had lunch at the Great Outdoors- burgers, dogs, grilled chicken, then explored deck 15. Favorite drinks for the day were- me-Miami Vice, DH-rum punch. The drinks were surprisingly strong and I was feeling great by noon. My school friend arrived onboard around 1:00, they had to wait in really long lines to board. We decided to sneak down to our room to see if it was ready. Our steward was in the room next door so we asked if we could change and leave our backpacks. He said that our room was ready so that was fine. I had packed everything we would need to hang by the pool in our backpack so we changed and headed upstairs.

[drewsmom123]

First drinks. First lunch. The Carnival and a Disney ship leaving the same day.

 

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[ElaineKeagy]

Enjoying this already and looking forward to the rest of your week.

 

So sorry about your Good Friday drive. Exactly the same as mine on Good Friday in 2016. The only thing you could do differently another time is leave TN at 1 am.

I’ll wait patiently to hear about your drive back last Saturday. Hope it was a little better, but if I had to wager, it was as bad or worse?!!

 

 

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[drewsmom123]

Room 12290- inside cabin, approximately 4 rooms from the elevator and 4 from the back of the ship. I think it was the smallest cabin we have ever been in, there is about 1 ½ feet on both sides of the bed, so just enough to scoot around, however, my side ended at the countertop so that space was about 6 inches (usually just climbed in and out of bed from the end). However, it was everything we needed. The bed was comfy and big, the ac worked great (there is a control on the wall and we adjust it back and forth a couple of times), and there was lots of storage. I would suggest unpacking, I usually just work out of my suitcase, but there just wasn’t room for that, so I emptied it and stored it under the bed. The closet was huge, there were bins on the door that worked like shelving in addition to the shelving around the safe. You have to close the closet door all the way for the light to go out, this took me a while to figure out for some reason, also kept me awake the first night. There was a lot of floor space in the closet that was great for shoes, backpacks, souvenir bags. There are only 2 outlets and they are hiding under the cabinet. I had done my research and new about the bathroom situation, it didn’t bother me, but if you were rooming with a friend instead of a significant other I could see how that would not be ideal. There were several towel hooks and as well as a curtain that you could use to seperate the bathroom from the rest of the room. There was a very room medicine cabinet behind the mirror. We had our Latitudes perk wine and our Expedia perk sparkling wine - however, the chocolate strawberries were a no show. We went to customer service twice and they were going to fix the problem. However, after the second time, when we returned to our room I noticed that DH had left our notification indicator by the door on “Do not Disturb” so I’m sure someone else go to eat those.

I downloaded the iConcierge app before boarding and checked to make sure our Expedia perk of $25 onboard credit was there. It was along with a great surprise of $75 onboard credit. I don’t know where is came from and we waited all week to spend it just make sure it stayed there.

[drewsmom123]

Room 12290

Deck 15

Spice H2O

 

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[MaryBethV]

Enjoying your review!!!

[drewsmom123]

Enjoying your review!!!

[emoji1]

 

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[musicalianne]

The DH and I love to cruise!! He is one of the cheapest men on the planet and I love to experience everything without regard to price. I tell you this so that you will know why I am adding yet another review to the CC database. I spend hours searching the boards to make sure we are getting the best experience for our dollar and I hope to write a review that will appeal to others out there in my situation. It will be long and very detailed.

 

 

I will begin at the very beginning of this process and hope to give advice on all aspects of this trip. It will not be live during the cruise (because we do not pay for ship wifi, we’re cheap, remember) however, I hope to finish it shortly after we return.

 

 

 

For this trip, we kinda decided last minute what we wanted to do. This will be our 8th cruise, 2nd on NCL, 1 on RC, 6 on Carnival. I wanted to do the Panama Canal, but DH “couldn’t” (he is self-employed, I just rolled my eyes) be gone for 10 days, so we decided we would try a BIG ship.

 

 

 

I started looking at about 60 days out- we had a specific week we needed to go (spring break-I’m a school teacher) and settled on when and where at around 45 days out. We researched other big ships and decided on the Epic due to it porting in Orlando (9-hour drive for us). I booked through Expedia and got an extra $25 OBC, a bottle of wine, and chocolate covered strawberries, more than NCL perks.

 

 

 

We did book the UBP, a first for us. We aren’t heavy drinkers and have always been able to bring our own soda on board. With the soda, we carried on and the worry of a “we confiscated something from your luggage” letter (I know shame on me), we have always made do. However, NCL doesn’t allow you to bring soda (therefore no mixers) so we thought we would give it a try. Now, remember, I told you that DH is a cheapskate, so in the decision to go with the UBP he had to figure out how many drinks we had to have per day to come out ahead. I just went with $1000 for 7 nights (that is pp with all taxes, port fees, UBP gratuities) - I will definitely come out ahead- all I can eat, drink, sleep (with maid service), play, and be entertained for a little more than $150 a day. I would spend more than that on 1 day at Dollywood (the local theme park) and still have to make my own bed. :)

 

 

 

We have always booked the cheapest inside rooms available. Almost always this involves the cruise line picking your room, which has never been a problem. Actually, on our last Carnival cruise, we were given a porthole room that was the 2nd from the front of the ship- it was huge. So true to form I booked an inside- they pick the room. We will be in 12290, category ID.

 

I have researched NCL inside cabins and that specific room. I do not have high expectations. I know that it will be miniscule, dirty, noisy, smelly, and I will be embarrassed by having to shower in front of my DH of 27 years. Those are the adjectives I found in other reviews, but we’ll see. :o

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are now at 33 days out. I joined a FB page for the cruise as well as the CC roll call. I know when and where our CC meet and greet is. I have reserved spots at the shows in which booking is available pre-cruise. I made reservations in one of the MDRs every night, we will probably end up canceling most of those, but I have them ready if I need them. DH doesn’t like to stop everything to get dressed up, but I think that is part of the fun so he has to make me happy a couple of nights. I have printed off all our paperwork- at which time I discovered DH didn’t have any Latitudes points, so I had to remedy that. I also made sure to print off all reservations as well as any perks that we should be getting. (y)

 

 

 

 

 

I have started planning what we will do at each port. Right now the plan is: GSC- up early so we can be in the sun and fun as long as we want (free drinks with UBP will be nice) free lunch- need to book tender early

 

Ocho Rios- I have contacted Peat Townsend tours and will probably be doing their tubing and Blue Hole tour $60, Peat told us to bring as many friends as we wanted so I hope to collect some people to join us- everything is more fun with friends. We will take snacks and go back to the ship for lunch (cheap remember- in 7 cruises DH has only bought 1 meal off the ship and we shared that one) need to book tender early

 

Grand Cayman- snorkeling at Eden Rock dive center- a short walk from ship $14, take snacks, do some shopping in town, we’ve been here before and will try to visit a different section of town than before, back to the ship for lunch. Need to book tender

 

 

Cozumel- we visited there on our last cruise- we rented a moped from a street vendor ($25) and spent the day on the back side of the island. There are some great bars with hammocks and fresh fruit drinks- no credit cards. It is beautiful. We may only get off in Cozumel for a little shopping trip. I like port days on the ship. Not worried about tender- we’ll play it by ear.

 

 

 

That is probably enough for you to digest today. I will add some more in a few days, just in case anyone decides to read on.

 

 

 

Enjoying the read and great info! Thanks!

 

 

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[drewsmom123]

Enjoying the read and great info! Thanks!

 

 

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[emoji1]

 

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[happyscmom]

I love this review and can't wait to read more!

[drewsmom123]

After changing, picking up our towels, and a trip to the bar - the UBP thing is great, just hand them your key and they bring back whatever goody you ask for- we headed to the Spice H2O hot tub. You could get 2 drinks at time, which came in handy on Sea Days because the wait time could be awhile. Nothing to get upset over, just more than walking up and getting what you want right away. So we were often double fisting it. I saw people tipping extra every drink and I saw those who didn't. I really didn't notice that one got more attention than another. I did think that there was a shortage of roaming waiters so tipping might be an advantage to get them to come back more often, but we didn't have trouble with that either. There was always one around soon after we “needed” them. We didn't tip extra because we felt like the 20% gratuities we paid on our “free” perk was sufficient (I know cheapskate, I warned you about that earlier). DH was determined to try everything so he regularly had some weird beer- one was called Lil’ Sumpin and he really like Red Stripe- and a mixed drink. I used my Yeti type cup (Walmart version of course) so I could have a free hand.

[drewsmom123]

Sail Away.

 

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[drewsmom123]

We had the hot tub and most of Spice to ourselves until the Sail Away party started at 4:15. They had chicken wings and wraps at the buffet in Spice so we had a snack. One of our favorite parts of cruises is Sail Away- from port and from stops. There was a dance party with fun music and we got company in the hot tub. The Disney ship followed us out. The hot tub was not extremely hot, a little better that luke warm.

A few drinks later, we headed to the Garden Cafe (American Fare) for dinner. Then a little exploring. The climbing wall looked like a lot of fun and we thought about trying it, but never did, I suffer with some vertigo issues so it probably wasn’t a good idea anyway. Deck 7 has the bowling alley. 3 lanes, $7, bring your socks. There was always someone bowling, it looked like fun.

[drewsmom123]

American Fare dinner

Climbing wall

Bowling Alley

Chandelier in Taste

 

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[drewsmom123]

The coolest bathroom ever. By the pool bar on deck 15.

 

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[drewsmom123]

What a way to start a vacation!!! Take always from Day 1 - don't travel on Good Friday, get to the terminal early, ask the bar tenders for recommendations, talk to people, UBP is a great idea- especially for the cheapskate- no worrying about price or how many. We went out to dinner last night and I really wanted to hand them my room key. We were in bed by 9. Apparently the UBP doesn't make us party animals.

[Rasvar]

What a way to start a vacation!!! Take always from Day 1 - don't travel on Good Friday, get to the terminal early, ask the bar tenders for recommendations, talk to people, UBP is a great idea- especially for the cheapskate- no worrying about price or how many. We went out to dinner last night and I really wanted to hand them my room key. We were in bed by 9. Apparently the UBP doesn't make us party animals.

 

After that trek the day before, I'm not surprised. Long traffic filled drives always hit me hard the next day. Looks like it was nice an easy on the ship, though.

[drewsmom123]

I intended to get up and see the Easter sun rise, and since we were in bed early I didn’t think I needed an alarm. I missed the it by about 30 minutes. I felt bad that I didn’t make more of an effort, I guess the UBP was having an effect already. We stopped by the pool bar for Mudslides and Bloody Marys and then to the Great Outdoors buffet for breakfast (omelettes,bacon,sausage, fruit), got some island pictures, put on swim suits and packed our bag (sunscreen, towels, Doodles, water bottle, “Yeti”) and headed to the tender line on deck 4 by 9:30 (they had taken everyone with excursions already). We waited about 10 minutes for the tender to arrive. We were some of the first people on board so we waited about 15 minutes for it to fill up and then we were on our way. We met two sisters who were traveling in solo cabins on the trip over. I love meeting people and learning about their situations. On our first couple of cruises we mostly kept to ourselves, but the last 2 we have been determined to meet as many people as we can. We could see another ship at another island off in the distance- I think it was Royal Caribbean at Co Co Cay

[drewsmom123]

Mudslide was definitely a favorite

RC at Co Co Cay

GSC from the ship

 

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[drewsmom123]

The ride over to the island was short and beautiful. There were crew there to greet us. They had lots of sand wheelchairs along with nice healthy fellas for pushing. We just wandered off and to started toward the right. First, was a trip to the bar (I got a Miami Vice and a Strawberry daiquiri- DH margaritas) . No line yet. Then we staked our territory. We chose a great spot far to the right (facing the water), in the 2nd row. There were plenty chairs- many were empty all day. Then we took a walk around the island, DH then packed up our bag and carried it with us so no one could steal anything (because ½ used bottles of sunscreen and Doodles are hot items on the Cruise Black Market, this trait of his annoys me, but he has never had anything stolen). The beach is really nice. There were planned activities going on- dance parties, snorkeling (you can bring your own gear), yoga on the beach, tug-of-war, volleyball, obstacle course, and beach sports. There were very nice floats for rent- family sized and individual. The cabanas were very nice, it was a 3 sided covered area with fans, tv, fridge, towels, fruit bowl, floats, and a bartender. I could never convince DH that we should spend hundreds of dollars to go to a private island in the Caribbean and sit in the shade about a football fields distance from the ocean so we can be waited on and get to use a float.

We located the buffet and the taco stand, visited a couple more bars- line was getting longer.

While wandering around we found a great picture spot- it even had a sign but I don’t remember exactly what it said. I recognized a fellow FBer so I said Banana Sandwich. It was PJ Morrissey of Cruieseveryday.com, he organized our CC Meet and Greet. His father took our picture for us, it was very nice meeting them- thanks for everything guys!!

[drewsmom123]

Beach fun

 

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[drewsmom123]

At the picture spot.

 

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