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

[mking8288]

Specialty Dining - those are typical highlights onboard a given cruise - we held reservations at Cagney's, Moderno, and La Cucina on different nights, all done pre-cruise and onboard using the NCL App ourselves - there was no concierge pre-cruise assistance offered nor any sort of special welcome abroad letter whatsoever.  Perhaps, can't possibly for the CruiseNext team onboard to even try to give any kind of semi-priority assistance whatsoever, with hundreds of Platinum & Sapphire, plus Diamond & Ambassadors onboard this TA.  

Cagney's dinner didn't disappoint and we considered it an excellent evening, with attentive services and entrees cooked to our desired ways.  Portion sizes, as shown, and we finished them all - nothing wasted or left to help feed the marine life afterward.  Desserts were good, portions with less calories so there was no point in asking the waiter to possibly wrap them to go, if allowed (answer on the Getaway this January, was a flat "no" - sorry, new NCL policy)

Moderno, it seemed the choice of assorted meats available were "streamlined" again for simplicity - sides were as before, but fewer varieties at the salad bar, maybe 2 or 3, 4 fewer items than before - either that, or, say this old man is losing his mind & becoming forgetful, okay - whatever.  It was a good meal.  Just like Cagney's - we still give a little extra, cash, as direct tipping to our server - despite already paid or charged with the package or voucher ...

Our La Cucina dinner on the Getaway recently was less than memorable, this time - it was better.  Access was thru the Garden Cafe & down the stairs to Deck 14 below, kind of odd set-up but there is a direct entrance from Deck 14, perhaps mainly for the accessible.  We walked up one deck from Deck 13, easy without waiting for the busy elevators, one or two of them seemed to be mostly in override or "priority / bypass mode" at busy times - skipping floors going up and down ... leaving just 3 elevators on each side, Fwd and Aft, usable & accessible to everyone.  Nice forward view, it's like dining in an Observatory Restaurant for the evening and as much as 270 degree wrap-around views.  It was a good meal, pizza was above average & better than the ones in the Epic buffet, which we also liked as an afternoon snack.  Beef tenderloin was cooked perfectly and tender, without needing an upcharge.  

 

Between Cagney's and La Cucina, a single set of rules seemed to apply, whether it's for using the FAS Dining Vouchers or credits and when using the Platinum - regardless of what was printed & given - follow the "instructions" as set forth by the server at your table, at the time of ordering.  My rules are very simple, we are going to order what we feel like having & eating this evening - and, if it is NOT covered by whatever, put it on the slip and charge it to the Onboard Account - simple & be done with, end of further lecture or briefing.  

 

We used a combination of our Platinum/Sapphire vouchers and dining certificates/coupons each night for the 3 of us, leaving 2 available - and was going to press to give Le Bistro another chance, paying for the 3rd person by ordering a la carte from the menu.  Well, to make a long story short - somehow, I ended up with 2 unused coupons and DW had none - and, impossible to book anything else as "everything" was booked & filled up - dropped the idea and just let the voucher go "wasted" - not worth the trouble to call the F&B Manager off the CC Meet & Greet Card list to resolve or fix it.

 

Okay, my own fault for not double checking to see if the meals were properly "charged off or against" our account, what was I supposed to do ... And, I'm not going to stand in a long line down to reach Guest Services to speak to someone about it.  And, one more thing, when I called from the room to the onboard Restaurant Reservation extension - it just ring, ring and ring - nobody answered & there was no voice mail option for a call back.  

 

I could've gone to the Sushi counter, order 4 items x 2 times and ... right, creative solution ... and put them in a gallon ziplock bag, self-help to go solution - use up the paid for free voucher allowances.  Better luck, next time.  

 

Those floating NCL outsourced photographers were hardly doing any business on this cruise as they only roam in the specialty restaurants, and discontinued going to the MDR to see if anyone like to get their lovely pictures taken ... hmmm, for $25 or $30 each - minus applicable discounts, if any.  Most of the time, they get waived off - not a romantic candlelight dining - DW not feeling kind & generous either, besides, we have dozens of photos taken in Le Bistro & Cagney's over the decades, enough with inflationary pricing - maybe ??  Compared to our Getaway cruise, far fewer portrait pictures taken in assorted locations on the ship - the unique demographics of the TA crowd onboard could partially explain it.  I wondered now, if they made their sales target for the cruise.  
 

Edited May 15, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

One of the key cruising strategy that has worked reasonably well for us over the past decade, giving us an edge, is to maximize our leverage before we board the ship ... for NYC, that is as soon we are inside Pier 88/90 at MCT, connecting to the ship's WiFi inTRAnet first (that's free & not dependent upon or using one's Free Air Sea minutes or allowances)   MCT has added free, unsecured, public WiFi inside the building within the last year, not available pre-Covid then, as cellular reception inside has been a known problem for years - worst when one is further out toward the Hudson River.  Once connected to NCL_Epic, the SSiD for the ship's WiFi, we went to the Dining section and started looking for available time slots to book our remaining Specialty Dining reservations ... as more than 2/3 of them were withheld and only 25% to 33% were released pre-cruise, at 125 and 120 days, etc. to pre-book and for Haven via their concierge services.  

Pro-tips:  between cellular signals & 5G/4G LTE data access and Pier 88's free WiFi, this is the last chance to do any and all APP update, security patches, and adjust iPhone/smartphone settings, to optimize the devices before sailing - you do NOT want to do this at sea with much slower satellite WiFi, whether it's EMC or hopefully, later on - when Starlink goes "live".  This isn't the time to learn and figure out what is Airplane Mode, WiFi calling, Data Saver, VPN, etc. or other technical jargons.  

This TA cruise is for 15 nights (days) and with FAS, pax #1 and pax #2 each gets 300 "free" airtime minutes to access & use the satellite WiFi, combined - that's 600 minutes or 10 hours worth - excluding port days, that's not much to ration or allocate for the other sea days ... maybe 75 minutes per day - and, if you forgot to log out completely after being connected - those minutes will be gone in a blink.  Pre-cruise, NCL calculated and offered the option to upgrade to basic, unlimited (non-streaming) WiFi for about $225 for the duration of the cruise or 15 days, which is based on a daily rate of $25 instead of $30 per day.  Downside to do this, one cannot apply non-refundable OBC to "pay" for it as that is only allowed onboard the ship.  The price is about $225 (rounded to nearest dollar, not going to deal with nickels & dimes or loose change, LOL)

 

Onboard, the price is the same on Day 1 - but, since we're scheduled to not set sail until 7:30 pm and still inside the harbor on the Hudson River, there is really no good reasons to pay for Day 1 over slower WiFi on the Epic when we (most of us) have access to 5G LTE that's much faster & superior, and ours with integrated VPN protection  Separately, the NCL App offered the standalone Phone & Messenger within the App, for a flat rate of $10 (9.95 USD) per device for the duration of the cruise, among "mainly" registered App users onboard only - not intended for going outside or beyond the ship's inTRAnet or onboard hardware server(s).  Since ours are Android-based, the semi-secret loophole about using iPhone's iMessage option to send SMS or stay in touch isn't really practical, except for fun and to explore - it was our understanding that among Epic users onboard this TA, that the Phone & Messenger exclusive to onboard use, worked reasonably well ... not perfect but acceptable.  For a large group and circles of extended families & friends that might be roaming all over the ship ... and, refused to use old fashion "sticky pads" and free in-room Voicemail, this isn't a bad idea, $20 for 2 devices, $30 for 3 devices, etc. etc. 

 

The Epic actually left Pier 88 about 45 minutes late, around 8:15 pm instead of 7:30 pm as scheduled - we had already finished early dinner in Taste (5:30 to 7 pm) and returned to our balcony stateroom, and went up to our large angled balcony - overlooking the gangways and terminal ... watching last minute activities below, with some forklift moving crates & carts around, as if they're still loading provisions - it was, afterall, 15 nights at sea and not expecting supplies to be taken onboard at most of the islands en route.  We had a solid signal from our balcony & inside the cabin, except for a few, known, dead spots in coverage when we're past SOL & heading toward VZ Bridge from our starboard side.  Moving at a good speed in the Lower Bay, we started heading out to sea in about an hour (or less) but mostly continued to pick up land tower's cellular signal, ship was sailing closer to the NJ shorelines than the past - signals will sometimes fade briefly, dropping to LTE and even 3G/H+ briefly.  Finally, nearly 2 hours after actually leaving Pier 88, cellular signal gone as ship's course / heading were dialed easterly for Dockyard, Bermuda - almost 10:30 pm then.  
 

After the ship's clock turned 00:01 - after midnight, it was Day 2, a full Sea Day and time to check out the WiFi upgrade and see if we can save $25 by starting from Day 2 as we were expected to be at Dockyard on Day 3 - by mid-morning - and it would not make sense to wait unless I rather wait until Day 4, and see about skipping onboard WiFi for the first 3 days ... assuming NCL will continue to offer & sell the unlimited upgrade options or packages.  The other plan would be to skip unlimited access, and stick with our allocated free 600 minutes combined - and not be posting mostly "live" from the ship, relying on just roaming cellular signals from the ports .  

 

It turned out, the plan to save $30 by waiting until Day 2 failed - because, the "system" adjusted the daily rates to $30 instead of $25 for longer cruises, thus, effectively kept the net cost for the upgrade to almost the same as getting the upgrade on Day 1 - oh, well ... at least, we're able to use part of our non-refundable OBC to offset it - not paying extra cash out of pocket.   Once that's done - the other remaining 300 minutes on the 2nd bank of WiFi minutes remain separate and usable, not merged or gone - thus, it was "possible" to use 2 devices to connect at the same time, until those "limited" minutes are used up and gone. 

 

Didn't mention this while "live" at sea - there were problems with the technical sign-in and sign-out protocols, when you believed you have properly signed out & stopped the meter or clock from running - it apparently sometimes failed to do so and your "limited" minutes counting toward a zero count without you knowing or realizing, and there's no "alert" or easy way to check it.  That happened to us, and I realize something wasn't right by late evening - gone down to the iCafe to see the young manager on duty, he checked & agreed, issued a one-time courtesy credit of 200 minutes (deducted or subtracted about 20 minutes based on that line's usage pattern & activity, data traffic, etc.) and made things whole for the time being.  Well, a day later - it happened again - as we're switching among 4 or 5 devices in the evening - probably "wasted" 120+ minutes that we could've kept and hold on to ... we're en route between Dockyard and Ponta Delgada by then, not worth the trouble to pursue further - just have to limit all 3 of us to sharing that single unlimited basic WiFi access for the rest of the cruise.  Once we get to subsequent ports, we'll all have access to cellular data at superior speed anyway.  This - served as a Yellow Caution Flag - things happened, be careful about it.  

 

A series of technical checks, benchmarking tests were done in the afternoon & early evening of the onboard WiFi hardware - showing that the inTRAnet was / is doing just fine and more than sufficient to handle bursted or turbo-like data speed ... and the upload & download "bottlenecks" are mostly restrictions further upstream - WiFi 6 and WiFi 5 signals looked perfectly fine - if I can microwaved beam land Fios signal into the server - things would be flying at jet speed.  

 

I've seen and know others have reported sparodic issues, slowdown and poor connectivity in general with onboard WiFi ... consider ourselves lucky that it's not a problem for us (YMMV, of course) based on what we took along - even DW's Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus were not being "choked" and SIL's iPhone XR didn't have any issues watching live Youtube video streaming on her cellular signal.  

Once en route, we probably had 98% connectivity between NY and Bermuda.  Between Bermuda and our next stop, Ponta Delgada - there was a brief period of zero coverage for almost everyone, during the late night and early morning hours, subsequently restored.  A posted alert/sign at the iCafe Center off the atrium lobby reminded all users that due to "local interference" - inconsistent and unreliable WiFi access can be expected and beyond anyone's control, and, to be patience ... Between PD, Funchal and Cadiz-Ibizia, I would put connectivity at 95% with brief but shorter period of no coverage, it's the nature of the beasts or limitation on medium-orbiting satellites overhead.  

 

Within visual range of nearest islands (Azores & Spain) with signs of and cellular signals, it was often a matter of minutes before we can "connect" and start using LTE signals from "roaming" towers - things were all good until we sail away from that port stop.  When we left Palma, our last stop before reaching Barcelona - we kept our land signals for almost 3 hours.

 

 

(to be continued - tomorrow) Latitudes Reception - Duty Free & Gift Shops - Shorex and Ports - CruiseNext, Behind The Scene Tour and Dine With Officer(s) etc.

Edited May 15, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Approaching the end of this final chapter on review, reflections, recap and impressions of our TA cruise - perhaps, just a paragraph or two after this, to sum it up ... leaving it otherwise, aside from comments & questions from CC folks, and if clarifications are needed or appropriate.  

 

Latitudes Reception - Duty Free & Gift Shops - Shorex - CruiseNext, Behind The Scene Tour and Dine With Officer(s)  - perks including Laundry, Housekeeping / Special Requests, Refund of Port Charges/Fees, Pier Transfers, Comment Cards & Vacation Heros, and ahead - the Post-Cruise Surveys.

The Epic's unique and sometimes one-sided, indoor public space are on Decks 5-6-7, although we're cruised on its newer related siblings, including the BA, GA, Escape and the newer Joy with the Observation Lounge (forward) - still took us 2 or 3 days to get comfortable with the layout and how to best get around.  There are no guest cabins on Deck 5, it's just public space or crews-only off-limits space (that's mostly in the AFT section - ship's gallery or kitchen & prep area - directly behind the "smaller" Taste MDR at mid-ship.  Atrium is MIDship with Guest Services, CruiseNext, and ShoreEx on port side, Starbucks in the middle/starboard side, plus the Card Room & Library.  The atrium is smaller compared to the *Away ships, forward of this area is a large space used for Photography, which is grossly under-utilized and, IMHO, wasted.  Opposite & Portside is Le Bristro for evening dinners and as extra gathering space during the day ... folks playing Mah Jong in there, whether it's a sea day and even on port days.  

Kudo to the clever French design to have folks coming from decks from Deck 6 and higher MID or AFT, to have to probably use the Down Escalators "inside" and passing thru the centralized Casino & Gaming area to get to Taste MDR for dinner & breakfast in the morning, then, repeat if they wanted to go up to higher decks afterward.  The alternative is to walk all the way to the Fwd or front elevators - O'Sheehan's is Deck 6 Fwd, connected and passing thru the Casino.  Take an easy guess on how to commonly get to the Manhattan MDR and/or Shanghai Restaurant/Noodles Bar - Deck 6 ... the Casino corridor is your I-95 onboard this ship.  

 

Afterall, to avoid crowds, we decided to cut thru using Deck 7 but stick to Portside - Ice Bar, Sushi & to get to Cagney's or Moderno as those are AFT ... passing by the Men's Barber Shop.  The atrium lobby opens visually from Deck 7 down to Deck 5, with the spiral staircase to Deck 6, and a section of Taste MDR in the middle below on Deck 5.  A good portion of Deck 7's midship space is used for Duty-Free & Gift Shops and related sales - and, for this TA sailing, apparently not very busy, if they're hoping to be busy & doing lots of sales - didn't happened.  Prices were marked and cigarette prices turned out to be cheaper by a good percentage of what we saw at both BCN and LIS airport's duty-free shops (not competitve at all vs. on-board ship prices)  Gift ship's choice of merchandise was fair to poor, very limited - many of the inexpensive items like magnets, keychains, cups & mugs, pins, foldable tote bags, etc. not seen.  There wasn't even any seious attempts to "pump" up the $15 and 2 for $25 Sales a la Flea Market themed with bargains.  If the sales "people" working on this sailing were commission-based, I don't believe they did well or earned a good semi-monthly paycheck. 

 

Scored - asked for and re-confirming that Latitudes Platinum & higher, get 2 free bags of Laundry on this 15 nights cruise, and not just 1 bag (like on the Getaway's 12 nighters) - no coupons or vouchers, just write on the slip and outside on the thin-paper laundry bag.  This is not clearly documented on NCL's website.  We did 4 fully rolled, stuff bags - worth $116 ($29 per bag as priced for everyone's "Stuff A Laundry Bag Special" offered 3 times) or over $400 if itemized by pieces counted using the unit pricing.  Stuffing tips - we used those recyclable Amazon shipping bags (sized to fit) as they stretch & do not break easily ... perfect !  We also used 2 "borrowed" pillow cases as inner liners before stuffing the thin paper bags.  I do wonder - how many do not know, especially those not on CruiseCritic or aware of these from other social media platforms & online sites. 

 

This ship's CruiseNext Team onboard isn't among the best group around lately, as we've been cruising NCL for 20+ years ... not too friendly at times, a more friendly hello when extending the welcome and smiles can go a long way, we feel.  Signed up for the complimentary Behind The Scene tour (paid one is longer at $129, no thanks) and given a printed sheet, stating that photography will not be allowed in certain areas during the tour for security & safety reasons - fine, NCL rules ought to be respected.  Nope, the CN team person that gave our tour went above & beyond at the onset, after checking that everyone was in compliance with shoes, etc. informed the group of about 20+ seasoned Latitudes Platinum/higher passengers that no photography or videos allowed on his watch, his tour, his rules ... oops, WTH.  Am I going to make a big deal out of this, NOT nor does it warrant going over his head afterward - just to write a Dear GM note to drop in the box for some junior person to read & file it with a canned response.  

Fair enough, if fellow CC'ers are planning to take part in a BTS tour, compliments of NCL's Latitude rewards - consider not bringing your smartphone along, or put it away.  Perhaps, this is consistent with things being done a little differently and those working onboard the Epic feeling overwhelmed and tasked with doing more with less - I recalled recently someone here on CC said, go straight to the HD or GM's secretary and s/he will be your special hero to book dining and show reservations, really.  NOT, when I got confirmation of being "selected" for Dine With Officer ... the ship's Asst. Manager for Photography - signed by the GM "Ari" secretary - to please RSVP by calling 00 or Guest Services, in person if desired (and ... join the crowd and stand in a long line, like the rest)   Aside from getting the printed Latitudes mini-booket in the stateroom, there wasn't a form letter to welcome us back - I get that, to sail and sustain, fewer paper to recycle & process onboard, manpower to distribute with all the cabins - hundreds of Latitudes members.  

 

Welcome-back Latitudes-CruiseNext Epic Reception:  notices dully given in the Freestyle Dailies, as invitation (??) that for the given (next) day ahead - Deck 8 and 9 to attend the event in the Bliss Lounge.  Next, it was Deck 10 and 11's turn ...  Finally, Deck 12, 13 and 14 (with much fewer cabins) together.  Well, suffice to say, should've just skipped it like the last time - not much of a reception - servers walking around with choice of a few alcoholic drink or wine, and, literally - plain crackers & cheese cubes, nothing fancy - not what it used to be or even less economical to host than 2022.  The captain & his senior team, including the GM and the rest did show up, said their hello plus a few words, and staffed the entrance corridor for a little while as some of the folks began to leave to go to their evening dinners or whatever.   Without much special incentives and extra onboard offers to buy more CruiseNext, a token effort was made to promote - the subtle message being, come see us but you are better off waiting until you leave & get home to plan and choose carefully on when & where to sail next on NCL - no "deals" under their belts to make it attractive.  

 

Dine With Officer was enjoyable, ours held in the larger Manhattan MDR - almost directly in the middle with dolby surrounded sound from all corners, aimed "partially" at our long table that was set to seat up to 10, minus 1 chair (8 guests plus 1 host only)  No group photo taken with most of us managing to hear some of the conversations & chats on the opposite end of the table, while dinner & dance music were taking place - I preferred the setup with the Getaway last March, where we've in a semi-private corner away from others with 2 officers chatting with 7 or 8 of us then, and a signed group photo taken by one of the ship's photographer, handed out to each of us at no charge. Times are changing, surely.  

Refunds and credits - we're disappointed that the Epic had to skip the planned stop at Cadiz, Spain due to weather, wind - currents - waves, etc. for safety reasons ... almost ready to enter the inner harbor, with cellular signals beginning to come alive & messages/emails updating, the ship turned and headed away from the harbor channel and out to sea again that beautiful morning ... ship wasn't really rocking badly, not at all or maybe slightly, 7 ft. to 11 ft. waves and sea swell at most - easily managed with a 140,000+ tonnage ship.  Contingency plans kicked in, a 2 page B&W Freestyle Daily inserts printed promptly by midday & circulated, casinos quickly enabled the machines & gaming tables opened again - time to generously and cheerfully accept all donations and contributions, no bets too small to take and good luck winning that lottery jacket of $1 million plus.  

 

  Over the PA system, it was announced - if you can hear it over the noises everywhere - that all NCL booked shorex are cancelled and payments automactically refunded, without the need to go to the atrium to stretch the lines again ... by the next afternoon or was it the day later - REFUNDABLE credits issued for the cancelled/missed port ... almost $18 USD p/p given back.  A nice surprise, we'll cheerfully take it for now - NCL will find a way to keep that money anyway, or that they just haven't figure out the means to do it.  It is a good symbolic will on their part.  

 

  This TA has multiple port stops and I don't think everyone has been to all the ports before, not like it's heading to GSC or Nassau again on the milky run - maybe, we can laugh at the next Diamonds International once we get ashore, knowing that deals are available with free "gifts" just for stopping by, LOL.  Nope, we only saw free port maps given out at one of the port stops - nothing, nada, zero sheets given for the rest of the TA.  Okay, it's better for being eco-friendly and green'ish - fewer toners and papers used, reduced labor costs to distribute them & reclaim the waste and trash generated.  

 

TA Ports - Ponta Delgada is a nice port, easy to walk off and the town is literally across the street, except it was odd to not see any taxi & private island-based guides working outside.  Google Maps to the rescue ... we managed to do things as planned, and didn't want to go far anyway.  
Funchal was next, we're docked almost at the end of the long pier / terminal - no free shuttle buses except for a free, long march of 15+ minutes, more like 20 to 25 minutes to exit the port area to get on the main avenue or road along the waterfront.  NCL chartered & sponsored tours, buses, etc. were waiting just outside the fenced area ... some had to walk a little further, not bad.  The rest, sorry, simply out-of-luck ... you get what you didn't want to pay for.  Overpriced bus shuttled tours.  Well, at least the yellow Hop On Hop Off buses were selling passes last minute, and seemed to have adequate buses running on the routes - the red Hop On Hop Off buses were doing their part too, right next to the yellow buses.  Taxis were hard to find at / near the port area - not permitted to come in or to drop pax off, has to be outside the gate or secured area.  Forget Uber - what's that, LOL.  

 

Motril - it was announced or noted that we will be docked at the far end of town, as a result - NCL will be providing free shuttle to downtown area, at no costs.  That worked for everyone, including us - it's a deal. Some folks decided to walk, but, it is a fairly long walk for sure - farther distance to cover than Funchal and not easy for older folks not in the best of physical endurance & health to attempt.  Just outside the port area, maybe a good 15 minutes walk under the sun & moderate heat during our stop, is the public bus stop - with some taxis seen later on.  Uber and water taxi services said to be available ... nope, didn't see any, launch my Uber App - "not available in the area" - maybe, it's a conspired monopoly with ships in town, just a wild guess - nothing to proof or reject otherwise.  

 

Ibiza and Palma were our last 2 Spain port stops before reaching Barcelona for disembarkation.  Shuttle services available and almost certainly needed, unless you are prepared, willing and able to do that 20 minutes walk to exit the secured port / terminal area.  Unlike before, it wasn't free - just $15 p/p for each port, signed up ahead at Guest Services or CruiseNext ... or just get it and give them your name & stateroom # once on the pier, and join the line to wait for the next bus coming along.  It can't be all that bad, right - sort of.  Well, it turns out - this $15 charge wasn't deductible from that $50 per port's shorex credit for the 1st pax, "sorry, it is not covered" was the response I got (and, others.)  Alright, not a big deal - not going to spend & waste time to deal with small change - haha, they refunded money against the missed port, now you don't see it anymore if you go ashore. Funny thing is, humors can go a long way when you are on vacation and chilling out - just "Let it Go, Let it Go ..."  

 

Later on, joking with someone else onboard - hey, maybe we can demand our Latitudes discount of 10%, 15% or is it 20% based on our tier level - am I going to march down to Guest Services, CruiseNext/Latitudes to speak to someone about it, or submit a ticket to "Dear GM" about this deal ... NOT, I got better things to do than to waste or spend, probably, 30+ minutes to "fight" this service - shuttle arrangement for a fee, for our convenience.  Singing ... "Let It Go, Let it Go"  Wait, the Beatles show was twice cancelled with one of the performer out of commission, not feeling well - it's supposed to be finally ON and I'm just going to sing "Let It Be" if I make it down to the Epic Theater (finally, they realized you cannot possibly jam 1,500 guests into the smaller lounges or venues on the last evening, even if you do more than 2 or 3 sessions, back-to-back)   By then, tired & exhausted from 15 days at sea, packing finally done and luggaged tagged, after making the trip in person the day before to personally pick up Yellow (Priority) tags - as they no longer distribute them via the room steward/attendant as they used to do pre-Coivd - done with running around.  Last dinner onboard the Epic on a Saturday evening as we sailed toward mainland Spain, catch up with emails, news, and CC gossips online - time to just call it a night & skip the Beatles - didn't matter it's "Let it Be" or "Let it Go" with everything else. 

 

Amazing, we keep our cellular signal being on starboard side of the ship, sailing south around Palma before turning northwest - for almost 3 hours after leaving port.  Spoke briefly with our steward, Benzi, outside in the hallway as he's on the lookout for others placing their luggage for pick-up, which are then quickly & immediately taken into the service area - behind the "white space" or doors opposite us - where the crew stairs and service elevators are located, for sorting & transfer down to the staging & loading area, for pre-dawn transport into the cruise terminal.  He has been with NCL since 2004 and seen the changes, deal with it and do missed being able to go ashore midday when given time-off, to take a break from otherwise working with a single day off for up to 8 months.  We shared a few laughs about the old days and the smaller ships then, and our recollection of docking at St. George & Hamilton - as I slipped him our last appreciation for attending to our needs & requests, etc.  Indeed, a long day for the crew plus a long & busy day tomorrow once we docked, scheduled for 5 am but almost certain to be earlier than scheduled.  

 

Oddly enough, there wasn't a consistent effort to push everyone to fill out those Vacation Hero Cards during the cruise, nor did we see those small "Comments Card" once seen daily in the MDR - some of the leadership teams on different ships do seem to value them, not the Epic, for whatever reasons unknown to us/me.  The ship sailed with a full crew when it left NY, with some reporting and coming onboard, some joined the ship in Dockyard, as we could tell from seeing them wearing the black N95 style masks while working.  There're a small # of passengers disembarking the ship with luggage during our scheduled port stops, perhaps they are already home or closer to home when the ship reached Motril or Palma, and don't want to continue to Barcelona, just to turn around & reverse back to get home ... not something that's allowed when ships called elsewhere (closed loops in the US)  

 

Disembarktion went well, smooth & efficiently once the ship was cleared and multiple gangways ready - unlike NY, with just one gangway used (typically, 2 gangways in NY with mega NCL ships at Pier 88)  Port operations by the local contracted staff were organized and managed.  We went to MDR for breakfast at 6:45 with our luggage, finished, used the restrooms and headed for the gangway to disembark, off the ship and thru Spain's passport check, collected our waiting luggage inside and ready to leave by 7:45 am - without really, any sort of priority escort or disembarkation assistance, no pushing or rushing, and with ease - a nice way to end this TA cruise, our first across the Atlantic - and, without ever getting motion sickness or seasick.   

 

 

[dexddd]

Did we do a good job keeping the plants watered while you were gone?

[mking8288]

16 hours ago, dexddd said:

Did we do a good job keeping the plants watered while you were gone?

Yes 😁 I suppose ... house plants stayin' alive by the simple set-up while we're away. 

 

SIL that traveled with us, however, came down with symptoms last Friday (we flew home last Tuesday) & home tested positive.  DW and I are fine, re-tested ourselves yesterday with negative results. Where she picked it up is a mystery, had little or nothing to do with the cruise or else we all would ... 

 

Just saying ... she was boosted again last Fall so not a big deal. 

[dexddd]

Plants look great.  Nice they could Sustain while you Sailed.  You should be proud of your grow operation.

[mking8288]

On 4/23/2023 at 11:34 AM, AtSeaAlways said:

There was an impressive turnout of officers + snack at our CC Meet and Mingle.  They stayed the whole time and must still like us 🙂  ... on other lines they do not show up.  Points to NCL.  This is a quirky ship but so far so good.   The Epic is headed to Europe ...

Indeed, we had a very good turnout at the M&G and thanks to John (and, Evelyn) @ MkeCruzn for keeping the roll call and putting things together.  I was surprised that Ari, the GM stayed for a while & answered more questions than others ... with the smart answers.  Clay's report using limited WiFi on the ship's included "free" minutes, which I referenced at the start, has lots of excellent & wonderful pictures and stories as they continued their travel thru Europe, Iceland, etc. - ideas for us to think ahead & plan.  

 

Sorting thru our collection of photos, some taken on a secondary Google Pixel 4a 5G smartphone, and, on DW's Samsung Galaxy's ... adding them here as I see fit, can be useful to future CC'ers considering a TA to go across with similar ports scheduled.  

 

I trust your trip heading home post-cruise was good, and, thanks for contributing and posting, sharing yours on this together, sincerely welcomed & appreciated.  

 

Two more pix from the M&G (wasn't posted earlier) - previously, NCL Group Events were more generous with their refreshments, namely with cookies & even freshly (chopped) fruit salad mix, but this was still good - and they kept it stocked as additional CC'er arrived.  

 

Agreed 100% that when co-mingled with others coming from other social media sites, attendance dropped and many no-shows (FWIW, on the few M&G that I've organized over the years) despite frequent claims of hundreds signing up.  

 

I found it interesting, however, this time - the attendance sheet we signed didn't asked for our CC screen name or ID/handle and/or our stateroom # at all - that was "gathered" in January on our Getaway M&G, perhaps different ships do things their way, or this being the new trend ???  Dunno, we shall see in future M&G when going to another NCL cruise.  

 

 

Edited May 20, 2023 by mking8288

[dexddd]

Is there adult beverage service at home or has Miami stopped it there too?

[mking8288]

A few other post-cruise addendum for this/future cruises, tips & tricks that we've planned, used and had as backup, etc.

 

Our air travel - booked this trip with a post-cruise stay in Barcelona, before flying back and using NCL Air, even if that was available, isn't necessary a smart or wise option, and would be very pricey and choice of flight time, connections and ticketing - for 3 of us, beyond our direct control.  JFK being a major gateway & hub on the Northeast, with numerous airlines & options to/from BCN, also LIS and FRT, meant that we've able to compare & shop for the best deals & options - which we did, despite nearly a last minute booking for a TA, at just about 70+ days out.  

 

We ended up choosing TAP-Portugal, with a 1-stop connection at LISbon Airport, TAP's hub & gateway with a 4 hour layover ... which turned out to be good & worked fine for us (3 hours would be great, 1.5 or 2 hours - while "permitted" & compliant with carrier/EU's MCT rules, would be just too tight with almost zero margins for delays & security/passport control issues with long lines, etc.) as boarding began 1 hour + before LIS's departure for the U.S. and extra screenings & checks began when we headed from the main/central terminal toward the "international" zone with automated passport & x-ray screening, all part of the TSA requirements implemented overseas for USA bound non-stop flights.  Luggage inspected & questions asked, weighted or at least visually examined for apparent compliance with size & weight - we read, checked & knew what to expect; and, it worked for us.  

 

Luggage - our 3 checked bags coming home were within 1 lb (each) of not going over the 44 lbs limits for Coach or Economy (Plus) class set by TP & enforced at the pre-boarding area, before we can take the shuttle bus on the tarmac to transfer to the parking field for the widebody A330-neo.  Backup plan was to "wear" some of the heaviest items, gadgets & electronics, etc. by putting them in pouches & into oversized vests/outer jacket pockets - trimming at least 6 to 7 lbs in cabin/personal bag allowance or limits (total permitted 22 lbs or 10 kg plus 2 lbs / 1 kg for a purse, laptop, small daypack, etc.) 

 

  ****  Many airlines in Europe, not just LCC (low cost carriers) and even for regional flights - have specific & often strict limits on cabin-size luggage, both in size and weight, some are just 15 lbs or about 7 kg max - unless flying in Business/First or paying extra before reporting to the gate, TP's excess luggage charge on LIS-JFK was / is equivalent of $150 USD, ouch ... no idea what Ryanair is charging (on our no-fly list to avoid at all costs) or Southwest do here in the US, we know folks "like" them & do fly with them, LOL.  

 

This Cocoon Grid-IT organizer (med-size) was about 5.5 lbs, not including a larger charger for the Chromebook (not shown, that's another 2.5 lbs) & wireless/BT mouse, and the portable luggage scale. - total of 8 to 9 lbs, easily.  iPad mini slipped into its backside pouch.  Plus, 2 noise-cancelling earbuds and 1 wireless BT earbud for music & relaxation (TAP-Air Portugal did provide disposable earbuds for their IFE ... best to bring your own, for optimal listening ... especially when you are sitting inside near the engines 😁 )

 

 

We put newer tracking technology to work, Apple's Airtags - 3 of them, we put ours inside the checked luggage when we dropped it off outside Pier 88 before embarking from NY and when we're at BCN checking in and handed off the 3 bags to TP's counter agent, weighted & tagged.  It turned out, another friend that we knew & on the cruise, nearly lost his checked bag flying home to EWR (N.J.) - also using TP but it was located & forwarded/delivered by the airline's courier services in NY.  Not a fan of Apple's ecosystem but the little gadget does worked fine & offered peace-of-mind.  It's the newest generation of LoJack - here in the USA, law enforcement are suggesting and advising that folks put one in their car/suv/vehicle with risk of being stolen ... #cough #cough - Hyundai & Kia owners apparently doing them already.  

 

 

Trip/travel insurance - shopped & used InsureMyTrip to compare and purchased our own bundled policy instead of using NCL's - better & more coverage than NCL, including our independent post-cruise hotels & return flight home, ground transfer in NY, etc.  Thankfully, we didn't have to submit any claims or use the services, but it was there and saved us about $100 easily.  

Edited May 20, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Local Maps for PD - picked up a good set of map/guide produced locally with sponsorship - for Ponta Delgada, which is part of São Miguel Island, the capital of the Azores archipelago of Portugal - useful for those planning to go back and explore, do things on your own, or just walk around the cruise terminal - it's mostly flat & easy in comfortable shoes, along the waterfront.  NCL Shorex did not distribute any maps onboard, or perhaps, they ran low & only gave them out selectively.  Great restaurants, cafe & good food, inexpensive and friendly shops - it's where off-duty crew members go ashore to buy their below deck essentials, and where I picked up this useful 220v to 110v "switched" outlet adapter, not easily found elsewhere online, not even on Amazon's US portal, and not at 2.50 Euros.  Going to pick up some extra adapters, next time when we called at PD, haha.  

 

 

 

 

Looking for free WiFi - #18 on either maps (zoomable on an iPad, tablet or PC monitor/laptop display) is where crew members get their data connections to chat for free) - it's the closest one we know of, there are other "free" hotspots, if your home carrier or ISP doesn't include roaming option ... Good luck, it's unsecured & best to have a VPN, depending on what you need or want to do once connected online.  

 

 

Bonus tips - if you plan to buy or bring anything back to the ship, this is "the" port to do it - security & x-ray screening is done inside the cruise terminal, before going up to the gangway(s) back to your ship.  Ship security will just swipe your guest card card - facial recognition used here.  

 

No further explanation will be given here to avoid uproars or chatters, etc. - be discrete & reasonable with your purchases ashore, whether you are going eastbound or westbound from here.  Learned this from our friends that've done a # of TA thru these ports in recent years.  Portugal wine, locally made are inexpensive and great here, I heard but since we don't drink much, if any - not important to us ... but, we enjoyed our cold beverages on the balcony, minus a mandatory 20% add-on 😆😉😁

Edited May 20, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Completed our NCL post-cruise survey earlier this week, found it interesting on the questions asked while skipping other areas entirely, the first has to do with the American Diner, available for an upcharge - perhaps, with sufficient feedback ... NCL will move it along, but probably bring another venue with a different upcharge ... we're on the NCL ships just a few years ago as they're replacing signage & launching this "new" dining concept then.  Has not been popular or well received by some of us, not going to miss it when gone either.  

 

 

 

Other questions asked - the Free At Sea package options and internet/WiFi package & pricing, etc. - unlike previous surveys, did not reference CruiseCritic at all.   Nor, did it ask about the pier check-in, embarkation day or disembarkation ... perhaps, this was tailored to the TA crossing, zooming in specific subsets.  At the end of this shortened survey, it leave zero space or comment section for non-specific feedbacks & comments, nor a write-in on recognizing one or more crew member(s) in going above & beyond, in being Vacation Heros.  Should be interesting months ahead to be on the lookout for changes forthcoming.  

 

 

These Vacation "Hero" cards were available at Guest Services, but otherwise, not widely available nor distributed or placed in all the guest's staterooms or cabins, making it easier to fill one out & nominate a crew member onboard.  Of course, post-cruise, it can be submitted via email to NCL ... 

 

Overall speaking, it was difficult for us to feel that one or more crew members onboard the Epic earned our personal "Hero" designations on this 15 nights TA, they all worked hard, long hours and did their best to please - our room steward/attendant was probably the closest to being one, also 2 or 3 MDR servers.  

 

Perhaps, more changes being considered ahead - coming from NCL, and hoping for the better, as it also briefly touched upon comments about onboard "entertainment" ... that's been sliding off on a slope lately and not in the right direction.  The post-cruise survey is just filtering feedbacks and comments specific & tailored to what NCL is fishing for, not exactly "listening" to what "we" have to say about some of the changes instituted from the top, out of Miami HQ.  

 

Perhaps, NCL is leaving those tasks to the "Inner Circle" panel to help flush things out as their virtual focus group.  

 

 

 

[mking8288]

12 hours ago, dexddd said:

Is there adult beverage service at home or has Miami stopped it there too?

Of course, we always have a stash of them on a shelf, just in case - for our own benefits & convenience.  The bargain wine are good too as we sometimes need some in the kitchen to whip up things & marinate ...  Or, perhaps, how about an Irish coffee 😆

 

Edited May 21, 2023 by mking8288

[smillerholmes]

So thorough and detailed.  I know how time consuming this is so thanks for that.  I love TA's, but have yet to do the Spring route.  I always end up on the November/December side coming back to the US.  This is officially on my "To Do" list.

[mking8288]

@smillerholmes Having done a good # of these over the years, becoming an easier routine to do and yes, does take a bit of time and uploading, satellite and/or port data connections "usable" & faster do help make a big difference - wish I have more edit time (beyond that 20 minutes window on a given post, sometimes while the shuttle bus is bouncing up & down, haha)   Yeah, got a shorter one ahead, not too far & then, a westbound one coming up at a very good price for us - fewer ports and mainly to check out the newest design & layout, etc. - that should be interesting.  Crossing expected to be much choppier on the northern but similar Atlantic routing.  

 

Pleasantly surprised that satellite WiFi worked quite well for us, friends on the Sun coming across had more issues.  DW's Google Fi incurred only about $35 in non-covered 5G/4G "roaming" data charges for her high speed GB usage, not bad at all - she wasn't always "tethering" off my enabled MiFi hotspot.  

[dexddd]

I 'heard' last week of leaving an iPhone in spouse car to track them.  Sounds like the tags would work too.

 

Learning of this, I'm checking every day that DW hasn't done that to me.  I'm suspecting she is suspecting me of going to a TA to book a cruise.

[dexddd]

11 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Of course, we always have a stash of them on a shelf, just in case - for our own benefits & convenience.  The bargain wine are good too as we sometimes need some in the kitchen to whip up things & marinate ...  Or, perhaps, how about an Irish coffee 😆

 

I think if you could smuggle those on cruises out of England and opening your cabin as a Speakeasy you could easily pay for your trip.

[msjackie]

Loved reading through your review. Loved all the port pictures, food and menu's etc. Thank you, appreciate it! We will be on the Epic in August. Were booked for next April, but it was cancelled. I didn't want to wait til then anyways  🙂

[jsn55]

Wonder if you might remember ... I'm looking for a bar/lounge on Epic to organize an informal gathering for an hour or so.  Something big enough and centrally-located ... no idea how many people will want to come by.  Lots of solos on our Roll Call, and it would be nice to get to know each other.  

 

NCL is giving our M&G organizer a hard time about the date and time, so I wanted to set up something after we sail out of Barcelona.  

[mapleleaves]

15 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

Wonder if you might remember ... I'm looking for a bar/lounge on Epic to organize an informal gathering for an hour or so.  Something big enough and centrally-located ... no idea how many people will want to come by.  Lots of solos on our Roll Call, and it would be nice to get to know each other.  

 

NCL is giving our M&G organizer a hard time about the date and time, so I wanted to set up something after we sail out of Barcelona.  

There is a solo lounge on the Epic.  Its only accessible by people with solo cabins, so you'll need to have someone in a solo to be the name behind the gathering.

[mking8288]

@jsn55 Unless both Cagney's and Moderno are unavailable with other group functions already booked (fees charged or otherwise)  - how about asking them if LeBistro, Deck 5 Mid/Fwd just ahead of the atrium lobby (they're using it for mahjong & card game playing on sea days, as overflow for the smaller Card Room/Library ... which I think can be opened up ?? or combined together, as they managed to fit like, easily 16 to 20 tables in that space with 4 chairs plus.  Also, look at the space next door, the 2 Biscayne rooms. 

 

In the morning, I didn't see anything going inside Spiegel Ten or Headliners Club across the hallway, Deck 6.  Aft - you have the Cavern Club & across, next to the casino ... Shanghai Restaurants, it's NEVER open for lunch, it's actually quite spacious inside - should easily fit 75+ depending on how they re-configure the tables & chairs.  Deck 14 Fwd is La Cucina, access also via Deck 15' s Garden Cafe/buffet, sometimes used for overflow at breakfast & lunch, especially when weather prompted everyone to come & stay inside.  

 

Miami's Special Events did acknowledge the M&G request and aren't being ??  Or, they are passing the bucks to the onboard team for the ship ?

[MkeCruzn]

Just read your great review. We enjoyed cruising with you and your group. Hope to see you again. We just finished 14 nights on the Star from Reykjavik to Southampton. Definitely not as good as the Epic. I can’t wait to fill out the post-cruise survey (and hoping they care). 
Oh, and thanks for the M&M shout out!

Edited September 25, 2023 by MkeCruzn
More details

[jsn55]

8 hours ago, mking8288 said:

@jsn55 Unless both Cagney's and Moderno are unavailable with other group functions already booked (fees charged or otherwise)  - how about asking them if LeBistro, Deck 5 Mid/Fwd just ahead of the atrium lobby (they're using it for mahjong & card game playing on sea days, as overflow for the smaller Card Room/Library ... which I think can be opened up ?? or combined together, as they managed to fit like, easily 16 to 20 tables in that space with 4 chairs plus.  Also, look at the space next door, the 2 Biscayne rooms. 

 

In the morning, I didn't see anything going inside Spiegel Ten or Headliners Club across the hallway, Deck 6.  Aft - you have the Cavern Club & across, next to the casino ... Shanghai Restaurants, it's NEVER open for lunch, it's actually quite spacious inside - should easily fit 75+ depending on how they re-configure the tables & chairs.  Deck 14 Fwd is La Cucina, access also via Deck 15' s Garden Cafe/buffet, sometimes used for overflow at breakfast & lunch, especially when weather prompted everyone to come & stay inside.  

 

Miami's Special Events did acknowledge the M&G request and aren't being ??  Or, they are passing the bucks to the onboard team for the ship ?

Thanks so much.  I'm just looking for a bar/lounge where we might meet for drinks after we sail out of Barcelona.  Nothing 'organized' ... no idea if 3 pax would show up or 30.  Last time I heard, Epic has scheduled the CC M&G very late in the cruise, so I thought it might be fun to get to know one another at the beginning of our trip.  

Edited September 26, 2023 by jsn55

[mking8288]

@jsn55  Got it .. then, Deck 7 mid, Shaker's Bar and/or Malting's Bar might be a good alternate to meet for 5 to 10, 15, and even 20 - some folks can sit while others stand and move around, mingle ... that's the area above the casino, far fewer foot traffic in the morning  on sea days for us ... could be different during/immediately after sailaway. Go further back, by the "Barber Shop" near the Cigar Lounge, are more chairs & sofa, it's a quiet place with solo folks reading, lounging & just relaxing.  From there, depending on time of day, the group can using the "foyer" area just outside Cagney's & Moderno (AFT) unless it's dinner time - even, if that space is reserved for another private function or have something else going on, that area is good for a "small" gathering.  

 

Avoid Deck 5 Fwd/Mid otherwise as that's Guest Service and Union/Grand Central Station for everyone to wait & meet - Deck 6 is typically crowded and access to Taste via escalator one deck on #5 Mid.  Good luck on the M&G and wish you all a great cruise. Best regards 👌