Mediterranean Bliss
Norwegian Epic Cruise Review to Europe - Western Mediterranean
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 50
7 Night Western Mediterranean (Barcelona Roundtrip)
Sail date: September 02, 2018
Ship: Norwegian Epic
Cabin type: Inside
Cabin number: 11222
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
Definitely enjoyed it. The long stops in port make it easy to do your own thing. We never felt rushed or like we were cutting it close getting back to the boat.Embarkation
Super smooth, check-in was quick and our boarding group was called within 30-40 min. We were a little concerned when we read that the luggage could be delivered as late at 8 pm we had a reservation for Le Bistro at 730 and had only packed swim suits in the carry on- thankfully luggage was delivered well before we needed it.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Food and drink in general was great. We felt that the specialty restaurants were a little too pricey on-top of the cruise fare. Really liked not having a set dinner time and the choice of multiple complimentary places to eat. Though since Taste and Manhattan room serve the same menus- the choice there is atmosphere. Both had their pros and cons. Taste if you were seated too close to the piano was not great it's open to the floor above and the noise from the casino really carried down. We found the Manhattan Room way too cold, and the show was very very loud- we were sitting not next to but pretty close to the performance area- not sure if it's less loud further away.
We had the UBP which as a free at Sea promotion was definitely worth it, the non-promotional rate would not be worth it- you'd have to have more than 8-9 drinks a day per person to make the UBP at full price cheaper than paying per drink.
Onboard Activities
We didn't partake of many of the onboard activities. Not sure if it was just unfortunate timing- but it seemed like every time we went by the atrium when something was going on- it felt like it was really just a sales pitch disguised as a trivia game.
The pools were nice but could definitly be bigger given the size of the ship. The pool in the adult section made a horribly loud suction noise when it was 'over full' this happen when approx 6 adults were in it- even though the pool could probably hold 10-12 comfortably hanging out on the perimeter. So it was hard to relax- all you could really do was jump in to cool off and then go back to sun bathing.
Entertainment
We Loved Howl at the Moon- went to it each night it was on, it's a bit variable based on the requests obviously but the musicians do a great job. As well Jim (Acoustic guitar) was always great for a relaxing drink or two at Maltings. We went to Priscilla which i thought was well done we had some good laughs, I was surprised at how inappropriate it was I had expected it to be made more family friendly since there were performances earlier in the evening but it really wasn't- they were however very clear about that when it was starting.
Service and Staff
Waiting time for drinks in the main dining rooms was longer than we would have preferred and we did have one not great experience with a waiter who messed up my order and was quite confrontational when I said that I hadn't ordered the item that was brought to me. When i restated what I had ordered- was flat out told it wasn't on the menu.... only to prove him wrong when I pointed to it on the menu. Otherwise service was great.
Ship Quality
I had read reviews where people complained about the running track..... and thought they were being a bit silly.... and then I saw the track and I agree it's not good. If you picture going for a run around the boat with stunning views of the ocean/port- don't even bother going to the track. it doesn't go all the way around the boat and there is no view- you might as well just use the treadmills in the gym. I was disappointed that there was no deck where you could walk all around the ship to see the full 360 view.
Cabin / Stateroom
Ports of call
We sailed out of Barcelona and spent 5 days after disembarking there and loved it. We would definitely consider going back and spending more time there. We kept things really chill and did just a little bit of touristing each day so we didn't see nearly as much as we could have. Stayed in EL Poblenou area which was fabulous- quick walk to the beach, easy bus ride down to the tourist areas- would definitely recommend it especially if you aren't packing your days full of touristing. Casa Batllo was probably our highlight activity in Barcelona- did an evening tour followed by a concert on the roof top- so cool.
Thumbs Up
7
We didn't stay in Naples- instead we went to Pompeii on our own. Definitely cheaper than doing the excursion from the boat, but you have to be comfy navigating foreign public transit on your own. Be prepared to walk a lot in Pompeii our feet were pretty unhappy when we got back to the boat- it was also really hot when we were there, but it was till a cool experience.
We stayed in Civitavechhia and did not make the trek into Rome. we enjoyed wandering around the town and along the beach.
Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy
Did the San Gimignano and San Donato farm excursion through NCL. Loved it! It was a smaller tour only 12 of us were in the group- I suspect this is partially due to cost and I imagine many folks would have chosen to do the wine tour which included Pisa and similar price point. We chose this one specifically hoping it would be a bit smaller and less touristy.
Beautiful drive through the country side up to the town of San Gimignano. We had about 2hrs to wander around this cute little town- which was perfect- grabbed a snack, enjoyed the scenery did some shopping. Then it was on to San Donato farm- we had a fabulous buffet lunch there. All the food is from the local area if not produced at San Donato, so tasty. Wine was quite enjoyable- I would have preferred a structured wine tasting (our group was reluctant to end lunch we were having such a good time eating, drinking and chatting- it's possible a formal tasting was scrapped due to time constraints)- we were able to try any of their wines if we wanted.
Cannes was nice- we enjoyed just walking around, window shopping, had a nice lunch. The view from the grounds of the Musee de la Castre was fabulous- we walked all they way up there- you can take 'The Little Train' if you don't want to do all the walking- though I think you only get a quick 10min stop for pictures- not enough time to do the Musee (which we didn't do anyways- but we heard the view from the very top of the musee was worth the entrance fee)
Palma De Mallorca, Balearic Islands
Did the scenic views and beach break excursion. It was ok- others on the excursion said the beach was way nicer in Cannes.