Live from the first 2019 West Med Epic, any requests?

[NutsAboutGolf]

I boarded on 5/12 from Barcelona and will disembark tomorrow.  I'll try to post the dailies and do a mini review.  

[gatorchinsky]

46 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

I boarded on 5/12 from Barcelona and will disembark tomorrow.  I'll try to post the dailies and do a mini review.  

 

I hope you had a great time!  I would be very interested to see the dailies and hear all about your trip.  We are doing this cruise, embarking from Rome, in June.

[Sinppu]

Also looking forward to this 😊

[debgreg]

We will be on late June so interested to know how you found the ship, not so much the ports as we have them several times before, thanks

[GratefulRIC]

Please say hello to Glenn at the Waves pool bar and insist you want a straw in your frozen drink. 😎

[ksmcali]

I would love to see the dailies and a review.  We’re sailing from Barcelona later in the summer and the dailies would be a huge benefit in planning.  Enjoy the last night of your cruise!

[mapleleaves]

looking forward to your review and your activities in each port.  Thx !

[ML24]

I have 2 questions:

 

What time were were you able to board last Sunday?

What night was seafood night in the MDRs?

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

[cidymom]

We're boarding in Rome in August.  Would love to hear about your experiences on the Epic and in the ports as this will be our first cruise in the Med.  Any info you would like to share that you think would be helpful to other cruisers would be greatly appreciated!  Some of my questions: (1) how was the entertainment (2) were you able to get in to see the shows (3) was it overcrowded in certain venues (4) how was it disembarking in Barcelona in the morning.  Thanks.

[NutsAboutGolf]

On 5/18/2019 at 12:39 PM, debgreg said:

We will be on late June so interested to know how you found the ship, not so much the ports as we have them several times before, thanks

I wasnt thrilled with the bathroom layout but I knew that going in so it didn’t ruin my cruise.  Waiting wasn’t as bad as I thought yet there were some odd opening/closing times that didn’t seem to make sense.

 

On 5/18/2019 at 3:21 PM, GratefulRIC said:

Please say hello to Glenn at the Waves pool bar and insist you want a straw in your frozen drink. 😎

Didn’t get the chance

 

23 hours ago, mapleleaves said:

looking forward to your review and your activities in each port.  Thx !

For all but Spain including Barcelona, I used Italy tours; mostly positive reviews 

 

17 hours ago, ML24 said:

I have 2 questions:

 

What time were were you able to board last Sunday?

What night was seafood night in the MDRs?

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

My body clock was messed up and I showed up to the port at 150pm which appeared to be a peak time as it was nearly 90mins from the time I arrived, located a porter with a stapler (my bad) to staple on my tags, then wait in the long line.  Had I know I would have arrived sooner.  I don’t know the seafood night, only had dinner at taste once.  When I post the dailies I’ll see if they list it.  I can say that $19.99 laundry special was Wednesday.

 

17 hours ago, cidymom said:

We're boarding in Rome in August.  Would love to hear about your experiences on the Epic and in the ports as this will be our first cruise in the Med.  Any info you would like to share that you think would be helpful to other cruisers would be greatly appreciated!  Some of my questions: (1) how was the entertainment (2) were you able to get in to see the shows (3) was it overcrowded in certain venues (4) how was it disembarking in Barcelona in the morning.  Thanks.

I enjoyed the entertainment; i had the Cirque dinner, saw the illusionist, howl at the moon, the late comedian on the first night, white party and the glow party.

 

with getting into the shows, you could stand in the back and there are always people leaving early, often 5mins as soon as the show starts.

 

most shows you could just show up at the last minute (unless you want standby) and get a seat yet if you don’t mind standing until someone leaves, that’s your best option.

 

i disembarked today at 850pm (left the room at 820am and had breakfast at taste) wasn’t any line to get off and there’s no customs.  Was in the taxi line for less than 5mins.

 

 

mini review to come and I’ll try to post the dailies but it will be a few days 

[NutsAboutGolf]

On 5/18/2019 at 12:39 PM, debgreg said:

We will be on late June so interested to know how you found the ship, not so much the ports as we have them several times before, thanks

I wasnt thrilled with the bathroom layout but I knew that going in so it didn’t ruin my cruise.  Waiting wasn’t as bad as I thought yet there were some odd opening/closing times that didn’t seem to make sense.

 

On 5/18/2019 at 3:21 PM, GratefulRIC said:

Please say hello to Glenn at the Waves pool bar and insist you want a straw in your frozen drink. 😎

Didn’t get the chance

 

23 hours ago, mapleleaves said:

looking forward to your review and your activities in each port.  Thx !

For all but Spain including Barcelona, I used Italy tours; mostly positive reviews 

 

17 hours ago, ML24 said:

I have 2 questions:

 

What time were were you able to board last Sunday?

What night was seafood night in the MDRs?

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

My body clock was messed up and I showed up to the port at 150pm which appeared to be a peak time as it was nearly 90mins from the time I arrived, located a porter with a stapler (my bad) to staple on my tags, then wait in the long line.  Had I know I would have arrived sooner.  I don’t know the seafood night, only had dinner at taste once.  When I post the dailies I’ll see if they list it.  I can say that $19.99 laundry special was Wednesday.

 

17 hours ago, cidymom said:

We're boarding in Rome in August.  Would love to hear about your experiences on the Epic and in the ports as this will be our first cruise in the Med.  Any info you would like to share that you think would be helpful to other cruisers would be greatly appreciated!  Some of my questions: (1) how was the entertainment (2) were you able to get in to see the shows (3) was it overcrowded in certain venues (4) how was it disembarking in Barcelona in the morning.  Thanks.

I enjoyed the entertainment; i had the Cirque dinner, saw the illusionist, howl at the moon, the late comedian on the first night, white party and the glow party.

 

with getting into the shows, you could stand in the back and there are always people leaving early, often 5mins as soon as the show starts.

 

most shows you could just show up at the last minute (unless you want standby) and get a seat yet if you don’t mind standing until someone leaves, that’s your best option.

 

i disembarked today at 850pm (left the room at 820am and had breakfast at taste) wasn’t any line to get off and there’s no customs.  Was in the taxi line for less than 5mins.

 

 

mini review to come and I’ll try to post the dailies but it will be a few days 

[loupana]

We are on the Epic after our land tour of Spain on June 16th. I too would love to see the dailies, I'm interested in the entertainment options and times.

 

How was the Tendering process in Cannes?

 

Did you notice any issues the evening before Civitavecchia and the day docked there, regarding the passengers that were disembarking or embarking?

 

Looking forward to a review, thank you.

[Yinster]

The reason why there was a long line for check in on Sunday was because everyone who came from the transatlantic had to go through immigration first before they allow those embarking in Barcelona to do so. This meant all the crew and guests who arrived from the States. Hence longer queues than usual for most of the day 

 

We also had problems with the tenders in Cannes. So that was a later time for most people to be in port. 

 

Having sailed in the ship three years ago just after the last dry dock the Epic is feeling her age. We had a few problems in our cabin. All fixed and some money refunded. She's due to be dry dock again next year for six months.

[NutsAboutGolf]

Need to clarify with the shows; if there was a standby line of course you couldn’t just show up and get in.  Yet on every shoe I went to that was full, you could walk in, stand in the back and there were people leaving within 5mins.  The key is, wait for 2+ to leave and if you’re in the back you can see.  If it’s just one then odds are they’re going to the restroom.

 

 

[NutsAboutGolf]

Took this of the epic leaving Barcelona today at 7:02pm, she’s the tallest ship a little off to the right 

[debgreg]

Thanks hope you enjoyed it :)

 

[GiuseppeB]

I'm board this Sunday !!!, would love to get the dailies?  Sounds like you enjoyed the trip.

[debwebwall]

We just booked this for May 17, 2020 - looking forward to our reviews, suggestions, etc. Thank you!

[Sunkissed Mommy]

I'd love to know which night the laundry package was offered and of course the Dailies.

[z4oslo]

23 minutes ago, Sunkissed Mommy said:

I'd love to know which night the laundry package was offered and of course the Dailies.

 

Was never offered, to me at least. Was waiting for it as I had already spent a week in Barcelona before i got on the ship.

 

On the flip side, I had animal towles every night exept the first night.

Edited May 20, 2019 by z4oslo
added info

[mapleleaves]

36 minutes ago, Sunkissed Mommy said:

I'd love to know which night the laundry package was offered and of course the Dailies.

 

this was answered in reply #11  ....... WED $19.99

[am0985]

Some menus would be good if possible! We embark this Sunday 26th! 

Edited May 21, 2019 by am0985

[badaja]

Do you know what time the “easy walk off” started for disembarking in Barcelona? I’m on this trip next month and want to schedule a time for a car to the airport for an early flight.  Can’t wait!

[NutsAboutGolf]

Today is my FIRST day back at work after missing six business days, I will upload the dailies when I can (unless another reviewer beats me to it) but I think it'll be Thurs or Friday because I have some work down time.  I wrote my style of mini-review on the plane.

 

I’m going to do this mini review a bit differently, I’m just going to list my top tips for the Epic and review of the ports.

Some tips with the Epic:

1.       Anyone can access Deck 18 (when its open), to get there go on Deck 15 by the Buffet/Garden Café there are stairs on the Starboard side and a glass elevator near those stairs.

2.       All the way to the front on deck 13 is the bridge viewing room, I highly recommend visiting.

3.       You can book the Pascillia show and Burn the floor show along with dinner reservations before your cruise starts, try the mobile app or online, if no luck try calling reservations.  I was told by the Taste hostess they don’t accept reservations, perhaps the Manhattan room, Shanghai or the even o'Sheehan allows them to be made in advance.

4.       With the shows, I found you could simply walk into any (free) venue, keep an eye out for 2+ people to leave (1 person leaving may only be grabbing a drink or visiting the rest room) and take their seats.  While this isn’t exactly guaranteed,  I saw this first hand for several shows and band performances.

5.       This generally goes for most cruises, if you want a table by the window, politely ask and mention that you’re willing to wait.  If you have an actual reservation, consider arriving 15mins early to request the window table and perhaps you’ll get one without waiting very long.  For me, every time I visited Taste, whether breakfast/lunch/dinner I was able to get one without waiting.  I waited about 15mins at both Shanghai(no reservation) and Moderno (reservation, arrived 10mins early).

6.       For Breakfast and lunch, the Le Bistro (French Restaurant) allows you to bring your buffet food in it to eat.  There is both busing staff and drink service to take drink orders.  It’s a lot quieter, the décor makes it a much better atmosphere and as far as I know there isn’t anyone enforcing any kind of dress code.  Get your buffet food, walk all the way to the “back” of the buffet and you’ll see stairs that go down to the French restaurant.  They do have a self-serve water, ice, coffee and juice machines.  On the sea day they even had a mini buffet with pizza.

7.       One of the top complaints with the ship is the incredibly slow elevators.  Get into the right mindset that every time you want an elevator it will take a few minutes and that when the door opens it could be too full to get in especially during peak times.  There are too few elevators for the number of passengers and Haven guests get priority.  Practice patience or do what I did, take the stairs every time.

8.       At Teppanyaki, the menu lists most two meat combinations but there are some combinations that aren’t listed and are allow such as steak and scallops.

9.       Shanghai/Noodle bar and Teppanyaki /Sushi offer Sake (filtered or unfiltered) which is included is covered by the UDP.  It’s delivered cold but you can order the filtered hot (don’t order the unfiltered hot).

10.   Ordering drinks from bars can be slow; quickest place to get a drink on the ship quickly was any bar on deck 7 (unless there’s an event going on at the bar).  If you have the UDP which is displayed on your card you shouldn’t advertise it in advance.  On the other end of the spectrum, if you plan on tipping extra with cash, advertise the cash.

 

I used Italy tours for all four of my booked tours; I did the hop off hop on (HOHO) bus on my own for Palma De Malloria and Post cruise Barcelona.

 

Pompeii, Sorrento & Positano:  Highly recommend this tour, as is.

Rome/Vatican City:  Coliseum, various Rome highlights and Vatican City, while I recommend this if you want to see two places in one day, I may suggest an entirely different option that may not even exist that’s affordable.  Both locations are extremely congested with the Vatican basically to sardine level.  For whatever reason, all tours seem to go to the Coliseum first, then they may or may not go to the Rome highlights then Vatican City.  If you want to go to the Vatican, I highly recommend you research it to ensure you know about the Museum, the 16^th Chapel which doesn’t allow photography, etc.  I would attempt to find a touring company who would go to the Vatican as soon as possible, see everything I wanted to see in the Vatican then go to Coliseum and I honestly don’t think you even need to go inside the Coliseum.

 

Pisa and Florence:  Highly recommend this tour as is, first, buy your climb the pisa tickets in advance to ensure you can climb it during your time slot.  During your Florence free time I recommend two places, the roof top deck and the wine tasting place.

 

French Rivera: Nice, stop for photos for Nice, Monaco City and the Monte Carlos Casino.  I highly recommend this tour yet we made a group decision to go to the Monte Carlos Casino where we had drinks so we didn’t get to see the last locations.  The casino area I could access requires you pay 17 euros to get in but you get a 10 euro free play or 10 euro drink voucher.  I was hoping they had one-euro chips so I could buy about 30 to give out as gifts to my friends, family and coworkers but the lowest they had (at the time?) was five-euro chips.  The gift shop sold worthless souvenir chips for eight euros.

 

Palma De Malloria:  HOHO/Hop on hop off City Tour bus was great yet not their wifi; with multiple buses, even when nearly empty I only had the wifi work once.  I highly recommend the Sky Bar at Hotel Almudains for photos of the Cathedral which is open early and therefore fairly dead.  Order a sangria or perhaps you could run up, snap photos and leave.  HOHO does drop you off there and I recommend you go early and leave early.

 

Barcelona Post Cruise:  Same as last time, HOHO/Hop on hop off City Tour bus was great but not their wifi which I never got to work even over two days.  If you’re into taking photos from the highest point, I highly recommend the Tibidabo amusement park.  I got off the HOHO, walked about 15mins up the street, through the park then you have to pay to take the incline cable car up.  From there is the chapel which requires you pay 3 euros for the elevator.  Once you’re done and go down the cable car, I highly recommend Mirablau which overlooks the city with breathtaking views.  I just had the tapas and it was phenomenal.

[gatorchinsky]

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Palma De Malloria:  HOHO/Hop on hop off City Tour bus was great yet not their wifi; with multiple buses, even when nearly empty I only had the wifi work once.  I highly recommend the Sky Bar at Hotel Almudains for photos of the Cathedral which is open early and therefore fairly dead.  Order a sangria or perhaps you could run up, snap photos and leave.  HOHO does drop you off there and I recommend you go early and leave early.

 

Barcelona Post Cruise:  Same as last time, HOHO/Hop on hop off City Tour bus was great but not their wifi which I never got to work even over two days.  If you’re into taking photos from the highest point, I highly recommend the Tibidabo amusement park.  I got off the HOHO, walked about 15mins up the street, through the park then you have to pay to take the incline cable car up.  From there is the chapel which requires you pay 3 euros for the elevator.  Once you’re done and go down the cable car, I highly recommend Mirablau which overlooks the city with breathtaking views.  I just had the tapas and it was phenomenal.

 

We were planning on just doing the HOHO buses for Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona so it’s nice to hear that you enjoyed it (except for the WiFi).

 

How long were your days?  Were the bus stops right by the ports?

 

Thanks😀