Live from NCL Epic - 6/3/18 Barcelona - Mediterranean

Jan115 · June 6, 2018

Another beautiful sunny day, and today we’re in the port of Civitavecchia. Ship excursions to Rome were canceled due to a transportation strike, so the ship supplied shuttles to the bus station, from where it was a 20 min walk to the train station. Too much walking for us. We’ve done the main attractions in Rome, and decided to stay on board for a nice relaxing day.?

Shari2 · June 6, 2018

Only thing is that we have to be in good shape to climb the hills...LOL I'd better get to working on that...LOL

Looks like we posted at the same time. This is a reply to your last post.

Love the picture at the port of Civitavecchia. Sorry about the strike...I have heard it takes about an hour to get from the port into Rome? Nice that the ship had shuttles to the bus, but that 20 minute walk to the train station would be a lot for me, too. So good that you have already seen most of the main attractions in Rome... a good day to stay on board and relax.

Edited June 6, 2018 by Shari2

zebra · June 6, 2018

If I can say anything about European cruises/trips, is that one needs to be able to walk and climb. So many hills and lots of uneven cobblestone streets. One thing is for sure if one cannot manage to do the above rather take a vacation elsewhere. Europe is OLD and Europeans are used to walking everywhere ..... including their seniors.

AndiD · June 6, 2018

Love your pictures, Jan, but I am still fixated on whatever could be the weird bathroom setup in the cabin......before my imagination gets the better of me, can you please explain? And I'm thinking this is unique to the Epic, am I right....whatever it is?

zebra · June 7, 2018

Yeah Jan, I'm with Andi ....... just as curious!

Jan115 · June 7, 2018

Andi and Jackie,

I’ve got a photo but ship’s Wi-fi isn’t letting me load it. But if you can picture it ... step into the cabin, and you have two rounded “pods”, one on each side of the door; the one on the left contains the toilet, the one on the right has the shower. Each pod has a frosted glass door. A curtain can be drawn to separate the pods from the rest of the cabin. Of course, it doesn’t do much when one person is using the commode and the across the way in the shower. Step in another two feet, and the sink is on the right. Taking up too much space across from the sink is the overly large rounded love seat. On the right, after the sink, are a closet, a long counter, TV, and another closet - with the bed across just before you get to the balcony. We have a huge balcony due to being located on an angled bump out, but NCL only provides two chairs that don’t recline and a teeny, tiny table, too small for much of anything. No foot rests, either. Again, I’ll post photos when I can.

The good thing about this cabin is the storage and closet space. There is plenty of it, nicely laid out. The electrical outlets are in the back of a low positioned cabinet, so a power strip of some sort is helpful to have.

Epic was NCL’s first mega ship. There were so many complaints about it, that they did not repeat the design.

zebra · June 7, 2018

Thanks for the great explanation Jan - it sure does sound a little crazy. Looking forward to seeing the pics. Enjoy the rest of your cruise!!!!

Jan115 · June 7, 2018

Today we are in Livorno, and had a pre-booked private taxi to Florence. All I can say is what a beautiful city, and I love it more than Rome in some ways. Our goal was to see the Academia Museum and the famous statue of David. We reserved tickets in advance, which is highly recommended, because the lines can get pretty long, though if you wait until afternoon, it’s much less crowded. We spent all of our time in the area around Academia, had lunch at a cafe, people watched, stopped for gelato, and bought gifts for the grandkids.

I am a little jealous to see the much prettier Viking Star docked in port with us. In fact, I’m hoping our next cruise will be Viking Ocean!

Pictures to come!

Edited June 7, 2018 by Jan115

zebra · June 7, 2018

Yes isn't Florence wonderful!!! I was absolutely blown away with the statue of David .... so moving, the tears rolled down my face looking at this masterpiece marble sculpture by Michelangelo. So realistic, bulging veins, muscle groups OMG what a brilliant artist he was..... Did you check out the stores on Ponte Vecchio - I bought a gorgeous leather bag there.

Jan115 · June 8, 2018

Bon Jour, CruiseCrazies! We are in Cannes, France, today. Cannes is a tender port and a hopping off point for Monaco and Nice, but I am enjoying a leisurely morning on my balcony and then going into Cannes to check out the town. We’re pretty exhausted after our day in Florence, and figure we’ll do Monaco the next time around. It’s a bit cloudy today, with a high predicted of 72, which is fine by me.

Last night, we managed to get a seat in The Cavern, the place where the Epic Beatles perform their show, made to look like the club in Liverpool where the Fab Four got their start. It’s a small venue with limited seating, standing room only, but it’s a fun show. John looks like the real thing, and though the rest of the guys are sporting some pretty bad wigs, they did a great job with the music and the likenesses. Otherwise, they rocked the place! Because the place is so small, I would think that NCL would have them do at least one show in the theatre, since they’re so popular. One for the suggestion box!