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I forgot to write in my post.. anyone have advice for a first time cruiser? What to be sure to pack, sights to see in any of the listed places (no museums please, FI refuses), tricks to getting to see the best on-board entertainment, etc.
Or, if anyone else has cruised with Norwegian Cruise Line. Our boat is called the Epic. It's apparently pretty new, but any other NCL cruisers, feel free to tell me about your experiences. =]
I was on the Epic for a tour on Sept 25, 2010, and then on a 7 night cruise Nov 27-Dec 3. It was actually my FMIL and I, in a balcony and we had a wonderful time.
We bowled a game, we saw the Blue Man Group, we watched Legends in Concert, and sat in for Howl at the Moon. We did not do Cirque Dreams & Dinner, as all reviews that I had read/heard was that the food was not great, and the theatre was too small and not really any good seats. I did peak in at the Theatre and it is small.
We did not do any of the specialty (pay for) venues, as there was enough free food around not to warrent it. We did eat at O'Shehans multiple times, even if it is was just for dessert.
I went down the waterslides many times, had a great time on them, as well as just relaxing in the hot tub for hours.
In my 15 cruises to date, the Epic was honestly my favorite. Much better than the cruise the week before on the at the time brand new Oasis of the Seas.
@clover32512: Thanks for your review! If you don't mind me asking, where would you recommend we eat on board (if you remember). We primarily plan on doing the included food, although I think we'll have to go to the Ice Bar.
Are any beverages included? How brutal are the drinks prices?
I worked on the Epic.... and also cruised as a guest. Besides working for NCL for two years.
Drinks arent cheap. I think you can get a drink package for a reasonable price but what really kills you are the 10 dollars martinis etc.
Since my husband was working when I cruised I ate at the buffet a lot. Because NCL has Freestyle cruising, I think their buffets are the best. SO MUCH and most of it is pretty good. Also check out the sushi restaurant if you like sushi. It is pretty cheap.
My favorite restaurant on ANY NCL ship is the Teppenyaki. It is 25 bucks... maybe a little more on the Epic and it is SO WORTH IT! It is such an expereince and the food is to DIE for. Cover anything in garlic/butter/soy sauce and I am sold!
Have fun!
also, I worked on the Jade and went on a tour to Pompeii... BEST experience of ANY TOUR anywhere I have ever worked. It was pouring and I was soaked and it was still AWSOME!
NCL is great! We were on the Gem for our HM and we absolutely loved it. I've never met nicer people who genuinely want to make sure that you have an amazing experience.
As for advice, monitor your on board account daily. It can get out of control FAST. We didn't want to put a credit card down so we made a cash deposit of $500 on our room. We didn't run out until the day before we got home so we deposited an extra $100 and didn't even spend it all. I think having that budget in place made us much more conscious of our spending.
Try to see atleast a few shows and eat at different places. The MDR left something to be desired but the food was up to my expectations (I knew going into it that the free food wouldn't be sensational). Cagneys steakhouse was to die for! The food was amazing. I was underwhelmed by some of the shows but others were good. We played BINGO a lot which is not normally something we do but on sea days, you need stuff to pass the time. We didn't win a penny so we probably won't play again on future cruises (I probably sound totally lame now, lol. I promise you, there were people of all ages!). The casino is useless. It's one of the only places where you can smoke inside and it was absolutely disgusting. We only allowed ourselves to spend $20 each and we lost it all in like 5 minutes. I would have much rather spent that at the bar.
We stayed in a mini suite and it was awesome! Very spacious and our balcony was great. I'm not sure that I could ever stay in anything smaller again. We had lots of storage and all of the "must have" tricks that they suggest on cruise forums that I spent tons of money on we're totally useless.
Definitely pack warm clothes. It was pretty cold when we were at sea and I was so happy I brought some sweatshirts. Pack a hat or something for when you're on the outside decks. My hair was a disaster from the wind. I stupidly forgot an alligator hair clip at home so I had to buy some cheapy glow in the dark one from the gift shop for $12.
We were actually just talking about booking an anniversary cruise tonight. We're undecided on whether or not we're going to go NCL again or try another cruise line but I really have nothing but great things to say about them. I'm sure you'll have a great time!
I definitely recommend cruisecritic.com for cruise tips--it was a lifesaver on our first cruise!
I would say book shows if your ship allows you to do so in advance, and book the later dinner--you want time to get ready! Take lots of batteries for your camera. I would take seasickness remedies of all sorts, and just don't open them, and if you don't need them just return them to the drug store when you get home.
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For our honeymoon, we decided to go to London for 3-4 days and then go on a mediterranean cruise for 7 days. Well, bees, we finally booked the cruise portion! Here's our itinerary! I've never been on a cruise before, and FI has never been outside of the country, so we'll have quite a few 'firsts' together. =)
Sunday: Barcelona
06:00 PM
Monday:At Sea
Tuesday: Naples/pompeii
07:00 AM- 07:00 PM
Wednesday: Civitavecchia (rome)
07:00 AM- 07:00 PM
Thursday: Livorno (florence/pisa)
07:00 AM-07:00 PM
Friday: Nice (villefranche)
08:00 AM-07:00 PM
Saturday: Marseille, France
07:00 AM- 04:00 PM
Sunday:Barcelona
05:00 AM
EDIT: Made more readable.