mella2007
Established Member
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2007
- Posts
- 1,094
Have just arrived home in Australia from a long trip in Europe...of which the highlight was the much anticipated cruise on the EPIC leaving Rome on the 10th July for 7 nights.
This was our first ever cruise (Husband and I...mid 30's) and my first ever review, so please don't attack me if there's something I didn't like that you did, or don't like the review. Each to their own with experiences and opinions!
First, I'd like to outline some basics on what we did on board and then further posts in the coming days will be daily info with some pictures and other in depth information.
I am really hoping that people that haven't cruised before, people trying NCL for the first time and even people that are not USA based will get a lot out of it....and that's no disrespect to any American friends....but as cruise ships in general are very US centric, there are some differences that people from other countries may either not be used to or find different from their home country which may provide useful.
Basically we LOVED LOVED LOVED it! Had a brilliant time....the ship and crew were terrific and there was plenty to do for all ages. We have definitely found our new love in life and are booking again for July next year with NCL. Interesting we chatted with many people on board that have sailed on RCCL and said it's better. I honestly don't understand the differences they meant, as dining at the same time every night has no appeal to me whatsoever. Is it the activities? the food? Well we were happy with all that!
ROOM: We were on Deck 11 forward in a Balcony room (11064). Honestly we thought the room was fine. A little tight squeeze to move past each other in front of the bed/tv (our bed was balcony end) but that was ok! Bathroom was good, balcony and view stunning, short walk to the lifts, and no noise whatsover. We would be happy in this room again. Pillows and linen comfortable and clean. Room always spotless. Useful coffee maker. Bar fridge which you can ask to be emptied out. Heaps of storage, lighting ok. Shower pressure excellent.
We pre paid and pre booked for everything in advance. Our OBC they had to give us money back especially after we won Deal or no Deal.
We booked shows and dinner in advance also. Was really no need to. With the exception of Blue Man and Circque, there were plenty of walk ins available in all restaurants at various times and also for the other shows.
PORTS: We got off in Livorno (NCL Tour to Pisa), Palma (NCL Tour of Majorca and Valdemossa), Barcelona (Private driver/guide for 5 hours booked with Barcelona Day Excursions), Naples (Shuttle to Sorrento via Cruising Excursions).
DINING ON BOARD THAT WE TRIED: Cagney's (twice) which we loved, La Cucina (just ok), Moderno (fantastic), Le Bistro (disappointing food and service), Taste, O'Sheehans, Great Outdoors, Garden Buffet
WHAT WE DID: Renewed our wedding vows on board via booking through NCL group events. As we were the only couple on board that had booked it, we had the bridge room to ourselves, 2 Officers, fantastic guest coordinator and the whole thing was just spectacular (flowers, cake, champagne, dinner, certificate, and lots more!).
We played Trivia quite a few times, won Deal or no Deal!, watched some dance classes, went to the Ice Bar, Bowling, Shopped on board, went to an Art Auction, used the Internet package, used Room service, went to the Day Spa for a couple of things, watched live music, Saw Legends, Blue Man Group, Howl at the Moon, used the waterpark, Casino every night, Lotto draws, and lots of other stuff.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND SOME USEFUL INFO (I hope!)
*The casinos are VERY quiet during Med cruises. Numerous crew we spoke with said it's like this during every summer season in Europe, as Europeans don't like to gamble. So for those of you that like to gamble or don't like to smoke, rest assured there was plenty of room and the air was clean!
*There doesn't feel like there are 4000 people on board even on the one sea day. The ship is well laid out and there are plenty of activities and areas to relax or have fun depending on your interest.
*They do enforce the dress code. We didn't eat in The Manhattan room, but we saw plenty of people getting turned who were wearing nice dress shorts. When they stipulate pants and shirt for men they do enforce it!
*As a lot of the Med cruises have various ports where people embark/disembark (ours had the option of Rome, Marseille, Palma and Barcelona) things are very well organised. You would never even realise unless you saw luggage outside someone's door. Cudo's to the crew and NCL for such an easy process.
Also a lot of things don't change over until Barcelona each week as that is the main port for this cruise. So things like Tax refunds, certain sales at the shops, Laundry, Welcome to NCL talks, Port talks and a few other things do not tick over until Barcelona comes around again. I didn't even notice until I saw the Freestyle for Barcelona day and then I realised (and the crew mentioned it to me also).
*Laundry: They offer laundry bag once. Fantastic value at $24.95. We actually had a couple of items that wouldn't fit (and we tried!) so I was prepared to have them laundered separately, but our Room Steward told us not to worry and he would fit them in (which he did).
*Tipping: For those of you that don't live in the USA or are not used to tipping, I would highly recommend to bring some US dollars on board in case you wish to. Of course you have already pre paid your tips, but knowing I am going on an American cruise line does make me aware that sometimes it is just plain polite to tip extra should the service be extra special. Australia normally find it hard to give you US $1 bills during currency exchange, so if you have trouble the banks normally have them (Commonwealth for me). We brought 100 $1 bills with us plus some extra. There is also a couple of ATM machines on board which we used for the casino.
We tipped our Room Steward an extra $50, a couple of wait staff, Room service and anything delivered to the room.
*A lot of the crew on Epic at the moment will be going to the Breakaway in Feb. A lot of their contracts finish in September and October and are very excited to be going onto a new ship, but also the fact that a lot of crew have friends and family in New York (even a lot of foreigners), so to see the excitement for them was really nice.
*Where possible (for us Aussies anyway) booking with NCL is not the most cost effective option even if you buy one of the cruise certificates on board. We booked via an online agency in the USA when the dollar was better and got a terrific deal, way lower than the NCL price even with OBC! I would definitely do this again if our dollar was higher (unfortunately at the moment it's not).
*I find 90% of other travellers happy and considerate. But the other 10% were just plain rude. Many crew I interacted with stated the same (especially on EU cruises when you get so many nationalities on board) that some cultures are just the rudest people you could possibly encounter....closing doors on lifts quickly so you can't get in, giving you dirty looks if you happened to smile their way, allowing their children to press every button in the lift, pushing into you as they walk past, rudely pushing ahead in lines. So for those of you that haven't travelled much or haven't been on a cruise...yes there will always be rude people no matter where you are or what you do. My room steward told me clients of his would not speak to him, but rudely point at him and yell at him to "come here" while pointing. I don't care what your culture teaches you, but there are a few nationalities that need some manners and NO service so they can see what a disgrace their behaviour is.
*Spa Passes: Only 13 people brought a Spa Pass (and the area was completely empty all week!) as the Spa lady told me. She said on Port Intensive cruises they never sell out, especially the EU cruises. They were advertised daily in specials and the Freestyle.
*Pool Area: No problems with getting a chair at any time of time. Again, no problems! Only thing I think NCL needs to police better is kids running when it's wet as I could see quite a few slips happening.
*Chef Dinner: This was advertised when the Freestyle came out for Barcelona (which was Day 5 into my cruise) and was available for Palma night and Naples night. They were obviously booked already by the time I boarded in Rome, as I had not heard about them for the first 5 days in any Freestyle.
Cost was $89 from memory (need to check Freestyle)
*Having photos taken is fun by the ship's photographers. But if you're one to pick on yourself in photos, then do go to some effort if you want nice shots...hair and make up done makes a difference especially with the close ups!
*Internet on board was very quick. I'm guessing the sateillite wasn't too far from a main signal. Mind you, the 100 mins I purchased was gone by Day 5, and this was even taking into account I had internet available when we docked or left the ports.
*Do fill out a hero card if someone has given you great service. These go a long in terms of promotion and extra incentives. If there aren't any in your room just go down to Guest Services or ask your Room Steward to get you one or more!
*There is food to suit every budget and taste! The quality of the food I thought was excellent mostly with only one major let down (Le Bistro...more on that later) and just the general smell and ambience of the Garden Buffet...that place depressed me and we tried to avoid it as much as possible!
*There are quite a few parties on board including White Hot Party, FABBA Party, Traffic Light Party, and Dress up or Not night. We did venture down to White Hot where about 20 people had turned up....quite a non event!!
And everyone kept pretty casual on this cruise...we got nicely dressed every night...me in a dress, hubby in pants and funky top/shirt...but that's just how we normally dress here at home when going out.
*If venturing out in Port, a photocopy of your passport and NCL Room card is enough ID for Med ports. AND WATCH YOUR BAGS, DON'T TAKE ONE IF YOU DON'T NEED TOO!!
Two ladies we spoke to on 2 separate occasions had their bags pick pocketed (Palma and Barcelona) As the crew said, and even as we saw on our travels....scammers in Europe target American and Chinese tourists mostly due to carrying backpacks, camera bags etc etc. It screams tourist.
We watched the scammers from afar in Rome, Barcelona and Palma...and actually warned a few travellers words like "Mate, watch your stuff there are scammers around" People look at you like you're idiots!! We are only trying to help. Being from a Euro background we don't look like tourists, but want to help others less informed that these things happen on a daily bases. Please take as less off port as possible...don't use a bag if you don't need to.
I have travelled Europe 4 times now and never had a problem...because nothing is visible on me and Hubby doesn't carry a thing in his pockets either.
This was our first ever cruise (Husband and I...mid 30's) and my first ever review, so please don't attack me if there's something I didn't like that you did, or don't like the review. Each to their own with experiences and opinions!
First, I'd like to outline some basics on what we did on board and then further posts in the coming days will be daily info with some pictures and other in depth information.
I am really hoping that people that haven't cruised before, people trying NCL for the first time and even people that are not USA based will get a lot out of it....and that's no disrespect to any American friends....but as cruise ships in general are very US centric, there are some differences that people from other countries may either not be used to or find different from their home country which may provide useful.
Basically we LOVED LOVED LOVED it! Had a brilliant time....the ship and crew were terrific and there was plenty to do for all ages. We have definitely found our new love in life and are booking again for July next year with NCL. Interesting we chatted with many people on board that have sailed on RCCL and said it's better. I honestly don't understand the differences they meant, as dining at the same time every night has no appeal to me whatsoever. Is it the activities? the food? Well we were happy with all that!
ROOM: We were on Deck 11 forward in a Balcony room (11064). Honestly we thought the room was fine. A little tight squeeze to move past each other in front of the bed/tv (our bed was balcony end) but that was ok! Bathroom was good, balcony and view stunning, short walk to the lifts, and no noise whatsover. We would be happy in this room again. Pillows and linen comfortable and clean. Room always spotless. Useful coffee maker. Bar fridge which you can ask to be emptied out. Heaps of storage, lighting ok. Shower pressure excellent.
We pre paid and pre booked for everything in advance. Our OBC they had to give us money back especially after we won Deal or no Deal.
We booked shows and dinner in advance also. Was really no need to. With the exception of Blue Man and Circque, there were plenty of walk ins available in all restaurants at various times and also for the other shows.
PORTS: We got off in Livorno (NCL Tour to Pisa), Palma (NCL Tour of Majorca and Valdemossa), Barcelona (Private driver/guide for 5 hours booked with Barcelona Day Excursions), Naples (Shuttle to Sorrento via Cruising Excursions).
DINING ON BOARD THAT WE TRIED: Cagney's (twice) which we loved, La Cucina (just ok), Moderno (fantastic), Le Bistro (disappointing food and service), Taste, O'Sheehans, Great Outdoors, Garden Buffet
WHAT WE DID: Renewed our wedding vows on board via booking through NCL group events. As we were the only couple on board that had booked it, we had the bridge room to ourselves, 2 Officers, fantastic guest coordinator and the whole thing was just spectacular (flowers, cake, champagne, dinner, certificate, and lots more!).
We played Trivia quite a few times, won Deal or no Deal!, watched some dance classes, went to the Ice Bar, Bowling, Shopped on board, went to an Art Auction, used the Internet package, used Room service, went to the Day Spa for a couple of things, watched live music, Saw Legends, Blue Man Group, Howl at the Moon, used the waterpark, Casino every night, Lotto draws, and lots of other stuff.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND SOME USEFUL INFO (I hope!)
*The casinos are VERY quiet during Med cruises. Numerous crew we spoke with said it's like this during every summer season in Europe, as Europeans don't like to gamble. So for those of you that like to gamble or don't like to smoke, rest assured there was plenty of room and the air was clean!
*There doesn't feel like there are 4000 people on board even on the one sea day. The ship is well laid out and there are plenty of activities and areas to relax or have fun depending on your interest.
*They do enforce the dress code. We didn't eat in The Manhattan room, but we saw plenty of people getting turned who were wearing nice dress shorts. When they stipulate pants and shirt for men they do enforce it!
*As a lot of the Med cruises have various ports where people embark/disembark (ours had the option of Rome, Marseille, Palma and Barcelona) things are very well organised. You would never even realise unless you saw luggage outside someone's door. Cudo's to the crew and NCL for such an easy process.
Also a lot of things don't change over until Barcelona each week as that is the main port for this cruise. So things like Tax refunds, certain sales at the shops, Laundry, Welcome to NCL talks, Port talks and a few other things do not tick over until Barcelona comes around again. I didn't even notice until I saw the Freestyle for Barcelona day and then I realised (and the crew mentioned it to me also).
*Laundry: They offer laundry bag once. Fantastic value at $24.95. We actually had a couple of items that wouldn't fit (and we tried!) so I was prepared to have them laundered separately, but our Room Steward told us not to worry and he would fit them in (which he did).
*Tipping: For those of you that don't live in the USA or are not used to tipping, I would highly recommend to bring some US dollars on board in case you wish to. Of course you have already pre paid your tips, but knowing I am going on an American cruise line does make me aware that sometimes it is just plain polite to tip extra should the service be extra special. Australia normally find it hard to give you US $1 bills during currency exchange, so if you have trouble the banks normally have them (Commonwealth for me). We brought 100 $1 bills with us plus some extra. There is also a couple of ATM machines on board which we used for the casino.
We tipped our Room Steward an extra $50, a couple of wait staff, Room service and anything delivered to the room.
*A lot of the crew on Epic at the moment will be going to the Breakaway in Feb. A lot of their contracts finish in September and October and are very excited to be going onto a new ship, but also the fact that a lot of crew have friends and family in New York (even a lot of foreigners), so to see the excitement for them was really nice.
*Where possible (for us Aussies anyway) booking with NCL is not the most cost effective option even if you buy one of the cruise certificates on board. We booked via an online agency in the USA when the dollar was better and got a terrific deal, way lower than the NCL price even with OBC! I would definitely do this again if our dollar was higher (unfortunately at the moment it's not).
*I find 90% of other travellers happy and considerate. But the other 10% were just plain rude. Many crew I interacted with stated the same (especially on EU cruises when you get so many nationalities on board) that some cultures are just the rudest people you could possibly encounter....closing doors on lifts quickly so you can't get in, giving you dirty looks if you happened to smile their way, allowing their children to press every button in the lift, pushing into you as they walk past, rudely pushing ahead in lines. So for those of you that haven't travelled much or haven't been on a cruise...yes there will always be rude people no matter where you are or what you do. My room steward told me clients of his would not speak to him, but rudely point at him and yell at him to "come here" while pointing. I don't care what your culture teaches you, but there are a few nationalities that need some manners and NO service so they can see what a disgrace their behaviour is.
*Spa Passes: Only 13 people brought a Spa Pass (and the area was completely empty all week!) as the Spa lady told me. She said on Port Intensive cruises they never sell out, especially the EU cruises. They were advertised daily in specials and the Freestyle.
*Pool Area: No problems with getting a chair at any time of time. Again, no problems! Only thing I think NCL needs to police better is kids running when it's wet as I could see quite a few slips happening.
*Chef Dinner: This was advertised when the Freestyle came out for Barcelona (which was Day 5 into my cruise) and was available for Palma night and Naples night. They were obviously booked already by the time I boarded in Rome, as I had not heard about them for the first 5 days in any Freestyle.
Cost was $89 from memory (need to check Freestyle)
*Having photos taken is fun by the ship's photographers. But if you're one to pick on yourself in photos, then do go to some effort if you want nice shots...hair and make up done makes a difference especially with the close ups!
*Internet on board was very quick. I'm guessing the sateillite wasn't too far from a main signal. Mind you, the 100 mins I purchased was gone by Day 5, and this was even taking into account I had internet available when we docked or left the ports.
*Do fill out a hero card if someone has given you great service. These go a long in terms of promotion and extra incentives. If there aren't any in your room just go down to Guest Services or ask your Room Steward to get you one or more!
*There is food to suit every budget and taste! The quality of the food I thought was excellent mostly with only one major let down (Le Bistro...more on that later) and just the general smell and ambience of the Garden Buffet...that place depressed me and we tried to avoid it as much as possible!
*There are quite a few parties on board including White Hot Party, FABBA Party, Traffic Light Party, and Dress up or Not night. We did venture down to White Hot where about 20 people had turned up....quite a non event!!
And everyone kept pretty casual on this cruise...we got nicely dressed every night...me in a dress, hubby in pants and funky top/shirt...but that's just how we normally dress here at home when going out.
*If venturing out in Port, a photocopy of your passport and NCL Room card is enough ID for Med ports. AND WATCH YOUR BAGS, DON'T TAKE ONE IF YOU DON'T NEED TOO!!
Two ladies we spoke to on 2 separate occasions had their bags pick pocketed (Palma and Barcelona) As the crew said, and even as we saw on our travels....scammers in Europe target American and Chinese tourists mostly due to carrying backpacks, camera bags etc etc. It screams tourist.
We watched the scammers from afar in Rome, Barcelona and Palma...and actually warned a few travellers words like "Mate, watch your stuff there are scammers around" People look at you like you're idiots!! We are only trying to help. Being from a Euro background we don't look like tourists, but want to help others less informed that these things happen on a daily bases. Please take as less off port as possible...don't use a bag if you don't need to.
I have travelled Europe 4 times now and never had a problem...because nothing is visible on me and Hubby doesn't carry a thing in his pockets either.