Epic - LIVE from Puerto Rico- 3/13/22

[Starflyr3]

Hello!

 

I will try to do day by day updates.

My husband, myself, and our 2 younger children (10 and 13) are boarding Epic this Sunday!  We took the kids out of school 2 days early so that we could spend some time in San Juan.

 

3/10:
We flew American, nonstop.  That trip was the longest trip I’ve been on since we got married!  Luckily, I have learned to splurge for business class when kids are along.

 

 

It was an A321s, which is, IMO, a wierd plane.  There are NO screens, just a place you can put your phone or tablet and connect to entertainment.They did, at least feed us and gave me a couple screwdrivers.  That helped when we hit some significant turbulence.

 

food options were this charcuterie plate, or an omelette.

 

I had set up a taxi service, but we managed to miss each other at the baggage claim, so about 30 minutes later, we connected and were on our way to our hotel in Condado.

[Starflyr3]

We are staying at the Tryst Beachfront Hotel.  It isn’t really a family resort, but we were able to rent a 2 bedroom penthouse for WAY cheaper.

 

It’s right on Condado beach, off of Ashford avenue.

 

this is the room:

 

 

That staircase goes up to a loft, but nothing is up there.  

 

it has a full kitchen, with some bowls/utensils.

 

and this was the initial view from the balcony 

that night, I had a reservation at Wicked Lily, the restaurant in/outside the hotel. Food was good, but wierd for my kids.

 

my som ended up going back to the room to eat spaghetti-os.

 

his loss, IMO.  It was delicious!  Lobster guacamole, beetroot salad. Custom drinks, etc.

 

this was my grilled octopus with hummus

 

 

and a lava cake with matcha cream center, with guava ice cream, on a bed of toasted coconuts.

 

 

By the end of the night, we were knackered.

[Starflyr3]

3/11:  

 

we were supposed to go to the Arecibo observatory today, but that ended up not happening.  A taxi from here to there is $200 one way!

 

Instead, we wandered down Ashford Ave.   the kids wanted “normal” food, so we went to Subway, the follies that up with Ben and Jerry’s

 

by the time we got back to the hotel, it was close to time to do our Inspire proctored testing, which was easy and everything was negative.

 

you do have to have chrome to be able to see the certificates.

 

we looked for some restaurantsc but the ones we really were interested in were on a street that had some sort of sewage backup.  So, instead, we went to a Chinese/sushi place just down the street.

 

Nagoya sushi and tiki bar

 

I had a Drink called a “Rainbow”, which tasted like a variety of Jolly Ranchers.” The kids demolished fried rice and gyoza,  we also ordered a rainbow roll, a Kobe roll, and a spider claw roll, which was delicious.

 

I highly recommend it.

[odie1024]

Have fun, we were on Feb. 6th and 13th, it goes by so fast.

 

[eileeshb]

Enjoy yourselves, I used Uber when I was there last week and that worked well for getting around.

Water mains outages seem to be an ongoing issue around San Juan. A lot of properties have a water tank on-site that can be filled by tankers when the mains supply fails. 
 

there’s also a couple of companies that have electric scooters available for rent, you just download the relevant app and scan the code on the scooter you want to rent. They’re all over the place parked on sidewalks. 
 

 

[AKR2011]

Great start! Wishing your family a wonderful cruise ❤⚓

[Starflyr3]

Thanks y’all 🙂

 

3/12:

 

I had set up a tour through Tours by Locals.  Our guide, Hector, picked us up at the hotel at about 9:45. The original plan was to go to the natural watersides on El Yunque,  and then to Luquillo beach.  It was raining cats and dogs, so we had to make adjustments.

 

He drove us to Playa Jayobucoa first.  The waves there were impressive, but there was also an area that had a rocky breakwater, so it was calm between the rocks and the beach.

 

You can kind of see the rocks in the picture.  They’re over on the very right.  It was quite a walk.

 

 

it’s a partially black sand beach, which was a bit different than our usual experiences

 

We saw a pelican sitting on the rocks and hunting.  He dove VERY close to us multiple times, and apparently had a very good meal.

 

After the beach, we drove down to Patillas, and he took us to his favorite restaurant, Musafá’s. (No, not Mufasa, like Simba’s dad.  Musafá.)

 

It is right on the water, there was a steel drum band, and I felt like I was really in the Caribbean.  
 

Hector recommended the Mofongo, which is smashed plantains with meat on top.  I got the mofongo de mariscos, so it had all types of seafood.  I don’t just mean like shrimp.  It had octopus, an entire lobster tail, fish, shrimp, squid….  It was delicious, but ENORMOUS.  I think it could have fed my entire family and still have leftovers.  Their piña colada also was AMAZING.

 

 

after we finished lunch, he drove us up to El Charcol Azul, which is a big natural calm area in one of the mountain rivers.  It wasn’t blue, though, because of all the rain.  It was also VERY COLD.  My kids and I got in fully, but my husband only waded.  
 

 

 

My son and I braved a crazy climb over to a rock that is used for jumping in. I was convinced I was going to slip and break something.  (We had to climb up rocks, over a very fast part of the river, and then shimmy along an almost cliff, hanging on to exposed tree roots.). All the rocks were very slippery, even in water socks.

 

I was slightly less graceful than my son, and the local boy who showed us how to get over there and not die.

 

here is my son trying to help me get the last bit over.  But we made it!

 

 

my daughter declined; she was so cold she was turning a bit blue.

 

 

The tour was supposed to be 6 hours, but ended up being about 8.

 

oh, and pro tip, if you do go up in the mountains, wear bug spray.  My husband got eaten alive by midges (aka no-see-ums).  He was bitten over 60 times.

 

By the time we got back to San Juan around 6, we were knackered, and ended up ordering pizza to the hotel (they dont have room service).

 

We board Epic tomorrow!

 

 

edited for spelling

Edited March 13, 2022 by Starflyr3

[vacation44]

Thank you for taking the time to share your vacation with us.  Looking forward to reading about the cruise.   Have an wonderful sailing.

[morrisretired]

Thanks for sharing the beginning of your vacation in San Juan, P. R. Hope you all have a great cruise! 

[Starflyr3]

eta:  no idea what’s up with the messed up videos above.  I can’t remove them for some reason.

 

Ok!

 

we made it on the ship!

 

We are traveling with a child under 12, and the port crew were a bit confused.  They held us up at tried to tell us that she needed a pcr test at the pier.

 

she is fully vaccinated and had a negative antigen test <48 hours ago.  Luckily, I speak Spanish, so I was able to discuss with 2 regular people and a supervisor.  Also, I had been keeping up with NCL policy changes.

 

thank goodness for CC!

 

we are currently in the Haven restaurant having our traditional boarding lunch:  French dip and a rebellious fish!

 

 

I did a quick video tour of our room (17033) because I haven’t been able to find a video tour of the refurbished suite anywhere.  However, I can’t get it to upload.  I’ll work on that.

 

I don’t get the hatred for doors.  There is still only a huge curtain between the DOS master bedroom and the bathroom.

 

oh well.

 

it’s a beautiful suite, though, and we were able to get a cot, so my kids won’t kill each other 😉

 

Entourage is open, but SA is still closed.  My son is pretty excited to get to go.

it seems pretty empty on the ship in general.  I mean, there are still available chairs on the pool deck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by Starflyr3

[Starflyr3]

There are between 1600 and 1800 passengers onboard.  Entourage is open, but splash academy isn’t, except for “stay and play”.

 

Luckily, my 10 yo is an experienced cruiser.  She spent most of the day at the arcade (we have the arcade package)

 

We went to Moderno for dinner, and it was DESERTED.  I think there were 5 or 6 tables, total.  We had almost undivided attention, which was both good and bad.

 

My husband and I went to Bliss afterwards; we had enough time there alone to be able to talk to the bartender, Alberto, while I had my first Zacapa 23, neat.  He absolutely refused to make a mixed drink with it.

 

There was a topic about the availability of cots onboard; they ARE available. The sofa is no longer a split bed.  Our butler, June, wasn’t sure, but she was able to get one. (Yay!)

 

 

[Bowmanvilletravel]

@Starflyr3can you let me know at the end of the cruise if you thought the arcade package was worth it? I am on the Epic on the 2nd and have kids so debating on purchasing it 

[Starflyr3]

59 minutes ago, Bowmanvilletravel said:

@Starflyr3can you let me know at the end of the cruise if you thought the arcade package was worth it? I am on the Epic on the 2nd and have kids so debating on purchasing it 

Considering that the first time they found the arcade, they spent $900 combined (granted, on the Dawn), it is 100% worth it for us, especially now that they’re old enough to have some freedom.

 

Especially since splash academy isn’t open for my younger one.

 

 

[haleymiller07]

Thank you for taking the time to give your live review.  I leave on Sunday (3/20) and this is definitely getting me more excited.  

[gravitar]

3 hours ago, haleymiller07 said:

Thank you for taking the time to give your live review.  I leave on Sunday (3/20) and this is definitely getting me more excited.  

See you there!

[Starflyr3]

3/14:  Sea Day

 

We took the day to chill and relax.  I tried several drinks, including something called “sunshine lemonade”, which was really good.

 

breakfast in the Haven was great, as usual.  I am very happy that the salmon is back (not a fan of salmon mousse).

 

We barely saw my son today; he was out and about (entourage, etc) all day.  He found another kids from his school on board, so that was cool.

 

My daughter spent a large amount of the day in the arcade.  Both the kids had lunch in the garden cafe.  
 

DH and I had lunch in the outside part of the Haven restaurant.  I was expecting the courtyard menu, but it was the regular Haven menu (later, someone came around with the courtyard menu, but we were already eating by then).

 

After lunch, I tried to order some of the drinks off of the big list someone put together last fall, but none of them were available in the Haven, (I guess?  That’s what he said, but I find it a bit hard to believe they don’t have the apple juice available for an apple blossom martin, which is what the bartender told me.  Not the same bartender as the one who made up the sunshine lemonade).

 

I went and played some games with my daughter after lunch, while my son and DH got haircuts at the barber shop.  They liked the haircuts (and they look good, too$

 

then, 3/4 of us went to the garden cafe for dinner, by my daughters request.  My son wasn’t back, despite letting him know at *least* an hour in advance that he needed to come back to the room.

 

Im not a huge fan of the buffet, honestly, except for soft serve ice cream.

 

My son has apparently discovered how to order food through the butler.  We’ve had a chat about not being a nuisance and being polite.  🙄

 

Apparently, now, crew is allowed to go ashore in a rotation - every other week. 
 

Oh, also, the BTS tour and cocktail parties are cancelled (obviously), but the Latitudes desk is giving people OBC in compensation for losing their cancelled perks.  We’re platinum, so it is $25 each.  You have to go by the desk to claim it.

 

Lastly, apparently, Zambooka is still not happening, but Priscilla is back on Friday and Saturday!!!!!!!!!

 

woohoo!!!!!!!

 

 

Epic officers:

Captain: Idar Hoyal

GM: Nelson Martins

CD: Victor Stevenson

Guest services: Veronica Manabat

I guess the rest of my pictures were blurry.  Let me know if there is any other specific names you want to know.

 

we’re going to take my daughter to the stay and play at splash academy to see how that goes….

…. yeah, there were 3 SA staff, 1 other kid, his grandma, me, and my 10 yo.

 

she is KIlLER at UNO, by the way.

 

 

 

Aruba tomorrow!

 

[Starflyr3]

3/15: Aruba:

 

we did the de palm island excursion.  This place has snorkeling, snuba, banana boat rides, water slides, all included drinks and food (drinks not so good, tbh)

 

 

there are cabana rentals and “premium” seating, but you can’t get that through ncl.  By the time we got to the island, we were told they were all rented for at least a week.  So…call in advance, if you are interested in that.

 

The snorkeling was great - all kinds of fish - blue tangs, parrotfish, angel fish, etc.  even up close!   I also saw a barracuda, which was cool.

 

my daughter likes the turtles, the kids water park, the beach, and the flamingos.

 

 

my son ran off with friends from

entourage and we barely saw him for the entire time we were there. He went on the banana boat ride, played basketball, and did the slides SO many times… We made him put on sunscreen a couple times, but he came back absolutely toasted.  He also has bruises on his back from doing the drop slide so many times.

 

DH even went to the slides!  He is not a heights or water person, so I was impressed.

 

I learned how to salsa, as they ran a class after lunch.

 

 

 We also got pictures with flamingoes.  Idk why the one with my daughter is upside down.  (???)

 

 

the excursion was… just… long.  By the time it was time to go, we were DONE.

 

oh, and DH took his supposedly water resistant phone (iPhone 11 pro, but 2 years old and dropped a few times) wading with DD and it is *fried*.  There is obvious water damage, with condensation behind the camera lenses, and it won’t turn on at all.  He’s due for an upgrade, but is pretty upset about losing pictures, etc).

 

DH and I went to Le Bistro for dinner, which was delicious.  We tried the veuve  clicot, which was fine, and had moscato for our “free” bottle of wine.   It’s a brand called “ménage a tois”, which was hilarious at the time.  I finished up with a glass of ice wine, which I LOVE.  (You have to like drinking honey, basically)

 

 

I had the escargot 

 

he had lump crab wrapped in salmon

the duck

 

 

the beef

 

 

I forgot to take pictures of dessert; he had strawberry ice cream, I had a meringue thing floating in vanilla sauce.

 

The kids went to the garden cafe again for dinner.  My son decided to stay in the room because he felt bad - sunburned and bruises, as they decided it would be a good idea to do teen WWE in the pool.

 

DH, DD and I then went to the Fred Moore magic show in the theater.  DH and I both were called on to participate, which was fun.  I think we sat TOO close, though, because we were able to see exactly how he was doing all the tricks.  

 

We were all exhausted by then, and wanted to go to bed.

 

However, here is the main issue with the DOS that faces the pool deck:  the music does t stop until 11:15/11:30.  My kids were having crying meltdowns because they couldn’t go to sleep, it was that loud.  
 

my son ended up sleeping in the closet with 2 sets of noise cancelling ear things (AirPods pro + Bose headphones).  Not my favorite place for him, since there are ZERO doors between the closet and the master bedroom.

 

DH and I watched Venom: let there be carnage as softly as possible.  My daughter just listened to

music on her headphones, and we were finally able to go to sleep around midnight.

 

Anybody have tips for sound proofing the room agains that obnoxiously loud pool music?????

 

hopefully, Curaçao will be better.  Our excursion doesn’t start until 1, and it’s the Hato caves and ostrich farm.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Starflyr3

[MomDawn]

Thanks for sharing!

[Starflyr3]

3/16:  curaçao.

 

Today was nice.  Our excursion didn’t start until 1, so we had time to let the kids sleep in and have an unhurried breakfast and lunch.

 

food pics from breakfast and lunch , for those who enjoy them:

 

avocado toast:

Cobb salad:

seafood fritto misto:

 

crudité:

 

My son was still super sunburned from Aruba, so he decided to stay in (specifically in OUR bed all day 🙄😂)

 

So, it was just the 3 of us on the tour.

 

Masks are still required on busses in Curaçao, which made a surprising number of people grumble.  I wasn’t fussed. 
 

We went to the ostrich farm first.  We saw all kinds of animals - Guinea pigs, peacocks, Vietnamese potbelly pigs, goats, turtles, even a nile crocodile!

 

we all had a chance to feed the ostriches, which was cool.

 

 

 

Then it was off to the Hato caves.  These are on the north shore of the island.  They were used as a shelter for escaped slaves.  Some tiny fruit bats live there, and, weirdly, the farther you go in, the hotter it gets.  Also, there are 49 steps to climb that are steep and uneven to get to the entrance.

 

 

 

Then we headed back to the boat. 
 

my son was feeling better, so he fled to Entourage, and my daughter refused to come to dinner with us, preferring instead to go get food at the garden cafe.

 

DH and I ate in the Haven restaurant for dinner.

 

Shrimp Louie:

lobster deviled eggs:

pork belly:

beet salad

 

surf and turf

 

And of course, I ordered the Delmonico steak, which I had no idea was 16 ounces!!!!!!

 

it was good, don’t get me wrong, but….. 

 

 

after al this food, we went to Headliners to see Fred Moore’s second magic show.  (My daughter really liked the one in the main theater).

 

it was great.

 

the pool party music was 80s night, which was fine, song-wise. But every one of them sounded like the lead vocalist from from Max Rebbo’s band in Jabba’s palace.  (She doesnt LOOK  like the lead vocalist.)

 

That’s it for now!

 

 

 

[Starflyr3]

3/17: Bonaire:

We did not get off the ship today.  The time in pet was very short, and our excursion was cancelled.

 

I spent the morning in the Thermal Suite, which was very nice.  It did get somewhat crowded, though it was never hard to find a heated bench.

 

DH and I went to the haven restaurant for lunch, and I was finally able to get my apple blossom martini, which was very good.

 

My son felt better in the afternoon and headed out to entourage. My daughter went back to the arcade (again).

 

We all met up in the Atrium for the family cupcake decorating party. they sent a personalized invitation.

 

 

everyone showed up.  Apparently, there are 62 kids under the age of 13 onboard. 

we played Uno Flip! While we waited 

 

 

The General Manager, Nelson Martins, personally spoke to each child, to invite them up to the cupcake tables.

 

it was a little crazy!  However, my daughter *finally* found a couple other girls her age to pal around with on this cruise.

 

 

 

 

she and her new friends ran off and played for a few hours.  DH and I headed to dinner in the Haven, only for me to receive a panicked call from my son.

 

if y’all recall, he had gotten a pretty bad sunburn in Aruba.  Well, he’s at the itchy stage, and was literally scratching his skin off, crying.  I had used everything I brought - aloe, lidocaine, ibuprofen, Benadryl, hydrocortisone… none of it helped.  
 

soooo… off to the medical center we went.  Now,$200+ later, he has Silvadene cream and is wrapped up like a Mummy.  Hopefully that means next time we tell him to put sunscreen (or a sun shirt) on, he’ll listen.

 

Jane had brought my food to the room, so I did get to eat some.  It was stressful, so by that time. I was just exhausted.

 

I watched a snake video with my daughter, then made it most of the way through Eternals before I passed out..

 

St Lucia tomorrow, and my birthday!  I have a spa day set up, so yay!

 

 

[Starflyr3]

Ok, sorry about a few day delay.  The internet got really spotty, even with the upgrade.  It wouldn’t load CC!

 

3/18:  St Lucia:

 

again, we stayed on the ship.  It was my birthday, so I set up a massage, facial, and mani/pedi.  I always regret doing it on the ships - it’s SO MUCH CHEAPER other places, and unfortunately, better quality, IMO.

 

Jane decorated our room beautifully, and brought not 1 but 2 cakes!

 

 

My kids went and played with their newfound friends most of the day.

 

we went to Teppanyaki for dinner, which was absolutely DELICIOUS.

 

 

 

then, we got ready, and went to see Priscilla, Queen of the Desert!

 

 

it was AMAZING.  SO amazing, dahling!

🤩

 

definitely recommend if drag queens and men in thongs and codpieces don’t offend you.
 

Definitely too adult for the kids, though.  😏

 

all in all, it was a great birthday!

[Starflyr3]

3/19:  St Kitts

 

We had planned the Nevis Sailaway, but my son is the only one besides me that enjoys snorkeling, and he was still super sunburned (starting to peel, but still hurt), so we cancelled that, too.

 

instead, we played all the games onboard.

pingpong

 

mini golf (couldn’t get pictures, it was SO windy, and the balls are like ball pit balls)

 

 chess:  my kids got some help from this crew member (I’m terrible with names)

 

 

Air hockey, pool, and arcade basketball:

 

 

finally, after dinner, my husband, daughter and I went bowling.  That was funny!  

 

 

we had dinner at Wasabi, which was good, but $$$.  Then we finished packing, put our bags out, waited another 1.5 hours for the pool music to stop, and went to bed.

 

I purchased a transfer from NCL to SJU, which meant we had to be off by 7:15.

 

unfortunately, the airport won’t check bags until 4 hours before your flight, so we get to sit on the floor for 4 hours with all our stuff.  Yay.

 

[Starflyr3]

Summary:

 

We had a great time, despite no pre-prepared plans working out.  

 

The room:

While it was a beautiful room, I *wish* I hadn’t upgraded out of a 2 bedroom suite.  The DOS had almost 0 privacy, which is fine for a couple, but really awkward for a family with kids.  (Let’s just say we may have gotten a few texts when the kids were temporarily locked out, despite having age appropriate discussions with them about it in advance.)  The balcony was well-nigh unusable in the evenings because of the constant, very loud music coming from the pool deck.

 

my son ended up sleeping in the closet because of that pool music, which made things a bit awkward at night, since the closet has no door or curtain separating it from the master bathroom, and the master bedroom is only separated from the bathroom by curtains.  The shower is not exactly fully frosted glass, either.

 

The ship: 

It’s ok, but it is confusing to get around, and they really need to consider using doors instead of curtains.  I doubt we will do Epic again.

 

The staff:

The staff were amazing, nice, helpful, hard working.  However, many were also very obviously tired and wanted to go home.  Many of them had been scheduled to go home, but kept getting involuntary contract extensions.  I saw one bartender break down in tears in the lobby when they extended her contract another week for the 5th time.  
 

Several staff also seemed to need more training - the bowling attendant didn’t know what bumpers were or how to operate them, the casino players club told us we couldn’t sign up for CAS on the cruise (I KNOW that’s not true), and also, the casino staff didn’t know what to do with our kids’ pre-purchased arcade pass (they didn’t know it was possible to do that, I guess?). They called us down to the casino, but when I got there, they had no idea what I was there for.  Very frustrating (we had to sign a waiver about the arcade passes, which we discovered later, on yet another trip down to the casino).

 

kids in the ship:

they were NOT prepared for the “large” number of kids <13 on the ship (62).  That is a huge difference from every other spring break cruise we have taken. Most of the time, there have been >1000 kids on the ship, so they need to ramp up and fast.  I think SA is reopening in June (?). Kids were kind of at a loss if they weren’t Entourage age.  I saw kids sitting in the Casino watching their parents gamble, kids sitting at adult bars, whining, and parents about to pull their hair out, in general.

 

Im really glad my daughter is an experienced cruiser and not any younger than she is.  We were able to do a FEW things without kids, but nothing like when splash academy was operational.

 

the food:

 

Amazing.  I can’t think of a cruise we’ve taken where the food has been consistently this good.

 

entertainment: 

Overall, it was good.  Priscilla was amazing.  Fred Moore (more Fred!) was really good.  We didn’t go to most of the other shows.  However, I HATED the pool deck singers SO MUCH.  

 

The Haven:

 

the Haven was nice, but I prefer the ones on other ships.  It was TOO big, honestly, and the courtyard felt less like the Haven than an additional pool (minus the ear splitting music).  It was hard to get a drink unless you went in to the “outside haven restaurant” and I could not, for the life of me, figure out how to get access to the courtyard snack menu (we asked).

 

I do wish my son had listened to us in Aruba about sunscreen and swim shirts, as his burn put a damper on the rest of the excursions, but I don’t mind enjoying the ship, too.

 

I think we’ll stick with breakaway and breakaway+ and prima classes for now, with kids.

we have Breakaway out of NOLA scheduled next spring break 🙂

[Bowmanvilletravel]

Hi @Starflyr3Thanks for the review...we are on the Epic on the 2nd with kids as well...two QQ:

1. When you said you would stick with breakaway, etc with the kids is that because of the lack of extra activities on the boat?

2. You said you upgraded the wifi...did you upgrade to the streaming or regular internet?

 

Thanks so much!!

[rjm11]

thank you for this review! we are on this same cruise next year- with kids around the same ages. It was really helpful to read!