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| The drainage around the showers on the outside deck is appalling. You needed wellies to get around the deck! So much was closed or broken. I went back to bed since it was gone 7am only to be woken at 9am by a phone call. Then I received a text from my dad saying our arrival time was now down as 2.15pm. This would make things very awkward after the revised schedule. There was a luggage drop at 2.30pm in Taste so what would happen to that? I got another hour's sleep then stayed up. The bed turned out to be quite comfortable in the end even though my feet were hanging over the end. I'm only 5'8" and by curling up I kept my feet on the mattress. I decided to ask what was happening at Reception. Again we'd had announcements in public spaces and not the rooms. Really fed up with that. As I made my way around I noticed a lot of maintenance work going on. |
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| The bloke at Reception insisted we would arrive at 5.30pm and wouldn't have it we wouldn't. I told him we had passed Selsey and were heading for the pilot station but all he did was patronise. It is absolutely ridiculous those on the bridge KNOW these things but aren't relaying the information down. I went for a late breakfast in O'Sheehans. I took a chance ordering a cheese and tomato omelette. No cruise line ever gets it right when I have just cheese but I don't eat sausages, bacon and that stuff. The waitress asked if I wanted something on the side so I said hash browns. I was given a large glass of orange juice instead of the tiddly things holding a mouthful and the food was cooked to perfection! I usually have hash browns on RCCL ships but this was something else. I have only done three NCL cruises but have never had awful food. |
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| As I was eating, I received two texts letting me know the pilot boat was about to mate with us. Once I'd finished, I headed back to reception to show him. "Oh I'm so glad I've seen you again," he began, smiling at me. "We were told about the time change not long after I'd spoken to you. We're now arriving at 3pm. You should come and work for us." My ship nut cred was restored!!! I was also asked by a chap who'd been in front of me in the queue yesterday about taxis and getting to the station. Someone appreciates my local knowledge. I then took a stroll on the Promenade deck, such as it was, now water had stopped dripping on my head like at 5am. People criticise the awful one on Celebrity, expecially Solstice class, and with good reason. This is MUCH worse. On Gem and Jade the builder's plate had been along here so I hoped for similar only to be disappointed as I walked from one dead end to the other. The crew doors looked very much like passenger ones as well. I then crossed to the port side before I went back up two decks to my cabin, only it was partially closed off due to maintenance work. Nice seeing the Isle of Wight though from the limited viewing point. |
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| I went back to the cabin and Silas, the cruise director, actually made the arrival announcement IN the rooms - yay!!! Hope for them yet. But still nothing about when we had to leave them or what to do with the luggage. I'd spoken to Jonny, asking if I could leave it there until we'd docked then come back for it and he was okay about it. Most people did that anyway. |
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| The sight of Fawley Power station was my cue to head up and try and get a good spot. Still the sun deck was closed due to them working on the Villas. I bumped into Aad and Nicoline as I reached the bottom of the steps who told me they would be taken to the airport. Their phone and TV was still not working either. |
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| I was finally excited because the nightmare that was this cruise would soon be over and I'd be home. This review doesn't get across just what a frustrating and ridiculous time we had. Lady Madeleine had been waiting for us as we neared Cowes ready to attach herself. As we headed up, Sarah escorted from QEII Terminal. The sight of Black Watch docked up ahead in Mayflower was wonderful. A few boats came out to welcome us. As we neared Netley I phoned my mum to tell her we'd be about five-ten minutes. My dad was on Hythe pier. An elderly Swedish man told me off for speaking loudly to my mum. I explained she's deaf. His answer was she has volume control. I said she still can't hear. He was generally friendly, as were a couple of Belgians I met as we entered the Upper Swinging Ground, one of whom used to work in the port of Antwerp and worked up to pilot boats. But someone staying on for the jolly wouldn't believe me they weren't listed to sail. They'd told him everything was just a few hours late. |
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| As we made our way back towards City Terminal, it was pointed out to me how the first vessel below was unloading sand while the other was loading it. No one could understand the logic. Meanwhile passengers both on Black Watch and waiting in Mayflower were watching our vast bulk, maybe in amazement since they'll have never seen anything like Epic. |
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| The first ropes were on by 2.40pm so it was nearer their 3pm than VTS's 2.15pm. But that didn't matter. We had arrived!!!! I went aft as they were doing the ropes to catch Lady M. I'd never got a decent shot of her from onboard, often because I never realised she was there. |
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| I returned to the cabin to pack anything I'd missed and collect my case and bag. Jonny had said they would deliver the accounts but none were there. |
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| There was a queue at Reception for the bill. The bloke usually there said it come off the credit card but many wanted paper copies to check they hadn't been charged for things they shouldn't. Two tossers went in front of me even after some women tried and the bloke told her I was next. They got around it by being further along and sliding across. I got my copy then went to wait. They had two gangways which was excellent, even though it was a free for all. One unexpected thing was when Silas announced boarding card AND passport. Since when was a passport needed to get off a ship in the UK???? I'm sure we didn't need one for Gem or Jade. Now where the hell did I put it? The latest "Grrrrr!" to add to a multitude that day alone. |
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| I joined the queue and amazingly it was a very smooth procedure - the ONLY thing which worked properly, although some reviews I've read disagree. This happened on Arcadia last month and was horrific in comparison. It was an old-fashioned gangway, since we came off lower down. I had help near the bottom with my case from a crew member then made my way to the exit. |
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| I had intended to go to the front of the terminal for pics, the way I do upon arrival to board, but my feet were knackered after the standing in Rotterdam all those hours as well as walking around Epic. So I made my was to Dock Gate 8 to meet my dad, spotting a couple taking photos of the ship so went over. It was their first cruise and when I mentioned going to Mayflower Park, they wanted to come along so we left together. In the Park, many people thought my dad had just got off when it was me. I was also very pleased to see a familiar face in Barry from Worthing. |
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| The original plan was pics from Mayflower Park then catch the ferry back across the water but my feet packed up as my dad bought us an ice cream so I struggled to Town Quay to get a taxi. Epic didn't sail on her jolly until 1pm the following day. So that was that and I was home! I really liked the ship itself. She's a huge departure from the usual NCL type. I heard the design was originally offered to MSC who rejected it. NCL and MSC are virtually interchangable from the outside now anyway. The cabins were a bit naff and cramped, despite the storage space. Perhaps cruise lines should return to treating passengers as just that instead of money-making machines and trying to squeeze in as many as they can. Epic is unfairly compared to Oasis when really it ought to be the Freedom class, since they're a similar size. There is no comparison between NCL and Royal Caribbean, no matter what the ship. RCI are more activity-led whereas NCL is more entertainment. Despite her size she still had the same NCL feel I got on Gem and Jade and think, once her teething troubles are over, she will be a success. I would certainly go on her again if the deal was right. Thank goodness there'll be just one. To see photos of her in Rotterdam, click here. Or my dad's pictures of our late arrival into sunny Southampton, click here. |
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