Semi/Live: an "Epic" TA, 15 nights NY to Barcelona 04/22/23 - 05/07/23

[mking8288]

Hasn't posted MDR rotating fleet-wide menu - this was tonight's - the Red Snapper, Asian style as the entree (not shown) was very good. 

 

 

Taste MDR will be open in the morning for breakfast, 8 am to 10 am, modified hours - Manhattan will not.  Buffet & Outdoors (if not raining) will be serving breakfast too, along with OSH until 11 am.  

 

Lines have been long but generally moving - going to try to be flexible and hopefully smoothly & better run on Day 5 🫣

Edited April 26, 2023 by mking8288

[YVRteacher]

15 hours ago, mking8288 said:

BTS tour - started on time around 8:20 with about 25, lead by 1 CN team member and 2 security officers in the rear.  No photography allowed. 

 

First stop, walk down to Deck 3 forward to see laundry area. Walk up 1 to Deck 4 to exercise on I-95 to see quickly the  provisioning area, supplies for 20+ days freshly loaded as it is a TA crossing. Then walk up to Deck 5 AFT to walk thru the gallery area, stopping to see 2 stations and the main section where orders are assembled & picked up by the servers, etc.  We had a taste or sample of the chocolate strawberries or sweet treats. Exited the tour via the Taste MDR service doors into the dining area, passed the long lines of folks outside waiting to get seated for breakfast ... it was only 9 am.  A fellow Latitudes members commented that this is the shortest one ever ... indeed, set a new record, for our convenience. It was busy below deck, except when we walked briskly passed the empty crew mess hall in I-95 and didn't miss a beat 🤔

 

 

It's a good thing 🫢 that DW got her extra beauty sleep instead before going to a leisure breakfast.  I'll manage with the light & simple breakfast, like the morning, quick ... 😳 and it will be lunch soon enough.

 

Amazing, huh. 🙊

That kinda sucks.  They should have done a better BTS tour.

[AtSeaAlways]

5 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

That kinda sucks.  They should have done a better BTS tour.

I try to never complain about free stuff on a cruise.  So far I'm a fan.  This is a happy ship- well managed.  In Hotel Director Speak the "Software" is well cared for.  The ship is reminding me of the old Norway a bit- the bolted on cabins on top foreward, the aft pool and bar. 

 

There should be no mystery left on the  exhaust situation aft- barring a four foot stack extension, the funnels are too short.  Early this morning the plume was down to about deck 14.

 

There was a decent snack buffet set up 16 aft yesterday - we missed one treat - scones + jam appeared outside by the main pool at 230.  If you are hungry late afternoon this is the ship for you.

 

The crush for early sit down dining is uncanny - it must be the older passenger mix.  And the gambling seems less frenetic.  There are lots of empty seats in the casino which serves as the lobby.   It is thankfully not smoky at all unlike newer upgraded ships not to name any names.

 

FREESTYLE DAILY.pdf

[dexddd]

The interior pictures seem to show a very nice, clean ship.

 

BTS also seemed a bit early but I know from past they have several time slots.  That was a bit brief.

[mking8288]

"an going to rock with you" (theme music for the day) with a little more rolling outside, waves slightly higher along with sea swell, but this is the Atlantic - expected for a crossing, as a tanker past us on starboard going west. 

 

 

 

 

Line for breakfast at 9:15 am was short seated quickly - oops, no banana available, apparently part of that 50 crates left behind on Pier 88 not loaded onto the ship. 

 

Today's breakfast daily special selections

 

Last night's Red Snapper in the MDR, as good as the Rainbow Trout in Cagney's that DW had ... 

 

Satellite WiFi & internet access remained fairly consistent & usable thus far, tailored expectations met. 

 

Tonight - Moderno booked ... grilled pineapple is a must, and the cheese bread.  Going to be a light lunch first. 

 

[mking8288]

Deck 7 port side closed this morning, starboard side open - it's a 1/4 mile jogging & walking track. Unlike the *Away /.plus ships, no bumping by others 

 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by mking8288

[www3traveler]

WOW!!  Assistant Manager of Photography!!  Interesting!!

[mking8288]

8 hours ago, www3traveler said:

WOW!!  Assistant Manager of Photography!!  Interesting!!

He is / was pretty good conversing with us as a whole, had an outgoing and very sociable personality.  I would be more disappointed with someone from the spa or art gallery, 😂  Less interesting than head of housekeeping or chief medical officer for the ship, sure.  

 

He was on the Escape last year when it ran into the sandbar leaving the DR and on one of the smaller ships held in Hing Kong in the early COVID days but was able to make way to Singapore to fly home 

Edited April 26, 2023 by mking8288

[disneylover89]

On 4/22/2023 at 9:35 AM, mking8288 said:

No pets to worry but got our system up for the indoor, house plants - self watering while we are away.

 

Using one of our local car service here, crossing now to the Bronx for a longer but quicker ride over to Pier 88, going to be there early, as like 10 am or less than 30 minutes, curbside to curbside. Some sort of road closure on east side of Manhattan, taking this toll route ($7 extra).

 

 

 

Hello neighbor, know this area well!! Sounds like you are having a wonderful time, enjoy!!

[www3traveler]

1 hour ago, mking8288 said:

He is / was pretty good conversing with us as a whole, had an outgoing and very sociable personality.  I would be more disappointed with someone from the spa or art gallery, 😂  Less interesting than head of housekeeping or chief medical officer for the ship, sure.  

 

He was on the Escape last year when it ran into the sandbar leaving the DR and on one of the smaller ships held in Hing Kong in the early COVID days but was able to make way to Singapore to fly home 

I had a 3rd Officer (Communications Officer, newly promoted) doing his 1st Dinner once on the Jewel.  Others at the table were very disappointed and very rude to him.  I still think about that dinner once in awhile and wonder where he is now and what is position would be.

 

I hope the rest of your cruise goes well.

 

Do you and your wife have any desire to sail out of Seattle, WA on an Alaskan cruise.  I would love to show you around Seattle (one of my very favorite places).

[bedfordmom]

5 hours ago, AtSeaAlways said:

I try to never complain about free stuff on a cruise.  So far I'm a fan.  This is a happy ship- well managed.  In Hotel Director Speak the "Software" is well cared for.  The ship is reminding me of the old Norway a bit- the bolted on cabins on top foreward, the aft pool and bar. 

 

There should be no mystery left on the  exhaust situation aft- barring a four foot stack extension, the funnels are too short.  Early this morning the plume was down to about deck 14.

 

There was a decent snack buffet set up 16 aft yesterday - we missed one treat - scones + jam appeared outside by the main pool at 230.  If you are hungry late afternoon this is the ship for you.

 

The crush for early sit down dining is uncanny - it must be the older passenger mix.  And the gambling seems less frenetic.  There are lots of empty seats in the casino which serves as the lobby.   It is thankfully not smoky at all unlike newer upgraded ships not to name any names.

 

FREESTYLE DAILY.pdf 1.73 MB · 5 downloads

On the Getaway they had teatime treats on one side of the buffet 3:30-5pm every day. They were my favorite foods, quiche, scones etc  but the timing wasn't great if we were doing an early dinner. 

[mking8288]

8 hours ago, www3traveler said:

... love to show you around Seattle (one of my very favorite places).

Wow, how kind to extend an offer to show us around town.  Thank you in advance.  

 

We're last in Seattle in 2008 and also Vancouver in 2012, pre-Alaska cruise and of course, couldn't possibly see it all.  Victoria is lovely when we drove & took our Hertz over via ferry.

 

We will definitely go back again, maybe a coastal re-positioning that end or originate there in the early Spring, as the beautiful scenery is different since our last one was in the Fall. 

 

I am going to get pix of the bridge & senior officers when I get around, it's now on giant TV monitor as I know you help upload those. 

 

Regards 🤗

[smillerholmes]

18 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Latitudes Sapphire Rewards - as printed. 

 

Day 4 - Bundled Laundry Service, one full bag for all at $29 

I know they are seriously behind on laundry here on the Sun. Utensils were being wrapped in paper napkins, so it will be interesting to see how long it takes that laundry special to show up. Keep up the good work. Enjoying the thoroughness of your review!

[www3traveler]

3 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Wow, how kind to extend an offer to show us around town.  Thank you in advance.  

 

We're last in Seattle in 2008 and also Vancouver in 2012, pre-Alaska cruise and of course, couldn't possibly see it all.  Victoria is lovely when we drove & took our Hertz over via ferry.

 

We will definitely go back again, maybe a coastal re-positioning that end or originate there in the early Spring, as the beautiful scenery is different since our last one was in the Fall. 

 

I am going to get pix of the bridge & senior officers when I get around, it's now on giant TV monitor as I know you help upload those. 

 

Regards 🤗

Keep in mind that re-positioning cruise end in Vancouver, British Columbia and you have to get from there to Seattle by a different means (PSVA Act-someday Congress needs to change that law but probably not in my lifetime).

[mking8288]

During the day, Deck 7 near the elevators have comfortable sofa & lounge chairs to sit around, read & play cards, etc.   The cushions and foam paddings seem low or flat, worn ? or are they the newly redesigned ones - difficult to tell.  Looks like ship is well stocked with assorted Coke products in cans, for now. 

 

A preview of Moderno's choices for tonight as we walked by the Wine Event.

 

Lunch in Taste - today's favorite entree is this mouth-watering pork chops & french fries, yummy good.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

I was earlier, and now (again) only connected to Epic's free inTRAnet only when FB messengers group chat notifications came thru & able to read them, just like WhatsApp in read only mode & no pix. Even SMS alerts that I subscribed to in NYC came thru - odds & a nice gift. Posting this one successfully with pix too 🤫 It's like that iMessage open secret but this is on my flagship Androids, the 2022 Google Pixel 7 Pro. 

 

Upgraded DW's free 300 minutes for free ($220 worth of non-refundable OBC from being NCLH stockholders) and we're been lucky thus far, not having issues online.  My 300 minutes still available & only used some, going to meter it's use on full sea days as we aren't going to need the extra next week once we get to ports in Spain. 

 

There's a light drizzle outside but the sun is peeking just behind the clouds.  Air temperature is about 60, barometer is steady & holding (that's good) small white caps and just a little sea swell.  Ship's speed around 18 knots and about 1,160 nm to Ponta Delgada. 

[mking8288]

This afternoon, exhaust & blue tinted smoke from the ship's stacks are clearly visible as we look AFT, blowing away from the ship.

 

 

 

A little bit foggy & misty at the moment, stepping back inside - afternoon nap 😁   Afternoon cookies, hidden in a corner of the buffet @ 2:30 pm ( a fellow ship passenger whispered in the elevator earlier ) - high tea, British style, I think not.

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by mking8288

[AtSeaAlways]

3 hours ago, bedfordmom said:

On the Getaway they had teatime treats on one side of the buffet 3:30-5pm every day. They were my favorite foods, quiche, scones etc  but the timing wasn't great if we were doing an early dinner. 

You are right - on closer examination there were several items related to teatime.  The scones were good.   It is raining now and one idea is an early dinner up on 15 to avoid the lines and beepers down on 5/6/7.  

[bluesea777]

9 hours ago, mking8288 said:

"an going to rock with you" (theme music for the day) with a little more rolling outside, waves slightly higher along with sea swell, but this is the Atlantic - expected for a crossing, as a tanker past us on starboard going west. 

 

 

 

 

 

Not a tanker, but a vehicles carrier, aka car box.

 

🙃

[mking8288]

Current complimentary list of wine choices for the Latitudes Platinum dining on the Epic ... Beringer is sweet. 

 

[mking8288]

On the way over Moderno for dinner, bars are busy to quite busy but there isn't a long line or wait. 

 

It's actually packed full after dinner around 8 to 8:30 pm ish.

 

 

[mking8288]

Moderno, the menu including dessert. 

 

Service is good, food is good, some of the meat a little on the dry side and there seemed to be fewer varieties of meat cuts to choose from, again.  Ditto on the salad bar options, but we still managed to come up with a colorful plate sampler. Bacon-wrapped chicken & grilled pineapple is a must, for this 2 hour AYCE dinner. 

 

Both the coconut flan and tapioca pudding are good.  

 

Across the way is Cagney's - their line was long, probably booked solid for the evening. 

 

 

[mking8288]

10 hours ago, disneylover89 said:

Hello neighbor, know this area well!! Sounds like you are having a wonderful time, enjoy!!

Indeed, we are and thanks.  Fellow ex/current shareholders at CVG, perhaps ??  We are in the sixth corp ...  It's among the best kept secrets around here.  Take care & best regards. 

[mking8288]

9 hours ago, smillerholmes said:

Utensils were being wrapped in paper napkins, so it will be interesting to see how long it takes that laundry special to show up ,,, 

Our friends were shocked & surprised when I WhatsApp them onboard of your disrupted journey, they - of course - felt blessed that it didn't happened in the mid Atlantic during their crossing, recognizing it is horrible for this to happen to any of us. 

 

We are sending our 1st bag of complimentary Platinum laundry tomorrow - using one of those Amazon shipping bag as a liner, sturdy & will stretch a bit inside those thin paper bag, to stuff it full & it's eco-friendly as those can be recycled ... sail & sustain.  

 

As long as they can provide fresh towels & linens daily, I guess paper napkins will be acceptable in the interim, until everything resume full & regular operations onboard.  Go with the flow, sense of humor and make the best out of it all.  PC crossing & re-po is on our bucket list in the near future, following ... Thanks for posting onboard, we are know the time & energy needed to set aside time from our "busy" at sea schedule to do these things. Regards 

[mking8288]

Good late evening (11:45 pm ship time - 2 hours ahead of NY, changing & moving the clock by 1 hour again tonight as we enter a new time zone) from the middle of the Atlantic, gentle rocking of the sea with a little sea swell and moderate waves, nothing serious - had much rougher crossing doing Bermuda, Caribbean & even Bahamas runs out of NY.  

 

Within the past 20 minutes or so, ship's PA system called out a Code, which I could quite make out & turn up the TV's volume fast enough, as it was repeated 3 times ... almost certain it wasn't an unannounced late night drill, since many passengers are likely in their cabin & asleep, including the other 2 behind me as I'm catching up email on the Chromebook.  

 

10 minutes ago, this time, I heard it - Stretcher Team on duty, respond/report to Deck 5 ... oops, that's not good.  That was likely Code Alpha earlier (for medical emergency) ... hope it's nothing serious & onboard medical team can promptly intervene.  Epic's Medical Center is located on Deck 10 Mid, also designated and used by the crew as I passed by a sign while walking down I-95 during the brief BTS tour.  If there's anything worthy of reporting, while respecting privacy, will post & update here.  

 

We are still about 2 days out from Ponta Delgada or 1,000 nm distance-wise, almost certain to be too far from any USCG or equivalent long-range heli-rescue. Up until this evening, it has been uneventful as far as hearing of any coded calls or announcements, and just 1 pier runner that wasn't really serious late and of possibly being left behind in Bermuda 2 days ago.  

 

Forecast tomorrow is cloudy, about 64 degree and more of the same on Friday.  Saturday is port day, chance of rain and 62 degree - a light weatherproof hooded jacket should do it. Shorex plan - good question, as some of you know ... we play by ears & feel, going to wait & see and wing it.  

 

Getting late, almost 1 am under the new time zone - going to sign off for now.  Got notes, impressions and observations that've been jotted down, will find them to share & post them here, FWIW.