Cruise – Urban Suburban Mommy

Gone cruising: A review of Norwegian Epic

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Bon Voyage .

Over the years my family and I have cruised multiple cruise lines including Royal Caribbean, Disney, Celebrity, Costa, and Princess just to name of few. Never being one afraid to try something new, for our past summer vacation I wanted to experience a new cruise line for our European Trip. The only requirements were that the ship had to leave from Rome and that it was child friendly.

We selected the Norwegian Epic as its itinerary was perfectly suited for the time frame that we were travelling and from my experience as a travel agent, I knew that Norwegian Cruise Lines had an excellent children’s program.

As of today the Norwegian Epic is the 7th largest cruise ship in the world at 155,873 tonnes, 19 decks and carries 4,010 passengers. This type of mega ship has many of the bells and whistles that most contemporary cruise lines offer including water slides, rock wall, multiple restaurants, full service spa, casinos, theatres and kids clubs.

I want to share my overall impressions of the ship and its amenities.

First impressions of the ship is that it’s big.

We had sailed other larger ships in the past (mostly notable the Oasis of the Seas which once held the title of the largest ship) so we were not overwhelmed or surprised. Upon boarding we found the ship very easy to navigate, just a few unexpected hallways that lead to a dead end that resulted in some back tracking, but I think that’s part of the fun of exploring a new ship.

In October 2015 this ship underwent a dry dock which resulted in many upgrades and refurbishments to the dining areas and Kids Aqua Park. We tend to cruise on newer ships, so we really liked the feel of the freshness of the whole ship.

Since the Norwegian Epic has so many specialty restaurants we upgraded to the dining plan which allowed us to enjoy some fabulous meals at Moderno Churrascaria (Brazilian Steakhouse), La Cucina (Italian), Cagney’s Steakhouse, and Tappanyaki (Japanese Hibachi).

Even when we ate at the main restaurants we were never disappointed in the quality or quantity of the food provided. Even the main buffet provided great selections for the whole family. The only meal which we found did not meet the rest of the ship’s standards was when we dinned and watched the Cirque Dreams show – however the show itself was so entertaining that the food was not the main focus.

The Kids Club was definitely a big bonus to this trip. The kids just LOVED it and would ask to go all the time. On occasion they also preferred to dine with the other kids as well. Each day the kids club had a new theme, like “Heroes or Villains?” and “Pirate Adventures.” They enjoyed pajama parties, made wacky tacky, participated in sports action and made friends with children from all over the world.

The Epic ship has some of the most interesting staterooms at sea.

The most notable difference is the split bath. Although convenient with families, it does cause some challenges when there are multiple people in the cabin at the same time. For example, if someone is using the sink, you have to climb over the bed to get past them. Another challenge that we faced was since we had a connecting stateroom, the connecting door was placed where the closet would have been so we did find that storage for 4 people was insufficient.

Here is a walk through of our Cabin:

The ship sailed a fabulous itinerary which included Livorno (where we spent the day at Cinque Terre), Cannes, Provence, Barcelona, Naples/Pompeii and one day at sea. Each port was anywhere between 9 to 12 hours which provided us with plenty of time to get off and explore without feeling too rushed.

In summary, I give this ship cabin a 6/10 taking points off for the layout. For overall value, itinerary and amenities I would give it a 8/10. Norwegian Cruise line provided an extremely memorable experience and a cruse line that we would cruise with again.

Clara Power is a mother to 2 well traveled kids, Andrew and Lauren. She is a Personal Travel Advisor at her own travel agency, Clara Power TPI, which is in association with Travel Professionals International. As an active traveler having visited over 35 countries and almost every continent, (still working on Antarctica), Clara is no stranger in understanding the unique wants and needs of families travelling together making her your expert choice for creating those special family vacation experiences. Her agency is also recognized as an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner due to her extensive knowledge and superior service.

Do not hesitate to call her today to learn about what she can do to help you plan a seamless and enjoyable vacation!
cpower@tpi.ca
clarapower.ca
ClaraPowerTPI

More great travel info on Epic Traveller.

Summer vs. Winter Cruising for Families

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Bon Voyage .

Summer is a great time for getaways as well as for researching and booking winter travel. We enjoyed speaking with cruise & travel expert Cynthia Joaquin so much that we decided to do a follow-up interview to discuss the differences between summer and winter cruising.

Courtesy of Royal Carribean

1.How is cruising in the summer months different than cruising in winter months?

It really depends on where you want to go. Certain destinations, such as Alaska or Canada/New England are only available in the summer time. On the other hand, Caribbean cruises are available year round. Also, whenever children are out of school, prices always go up and crowds get bigger.

2. What type of destinations do you recommend for summer cruising?

Some great options to keep in mind for the summer, if you are trying to keep costs down would be to cruise out of New York or New Jersey. You can drive to the port and park there for a small parking fee instead of paying for flights. Royal Caribbean’s brand new Anthem of the Seas is sailing out of New Jersey all summer this year.

3. What are your top destinations for cruising in winter months and what are the benefits?

In winter, I of course suggest warm destinations – Mexico, Caribbean, Bahamas, etc. When the ships pull certain itineraries in the winter you have more options sailing to the hot areas. Crowds tend to be smaller and pricing lower.

4. How is cruising different according to season?

Services on board are the same. However, your cruise itineraries and shore excursions differ depending on the time of year/temperature.

5. Any booking/travelers tips for cruising?

Certain destinations will have concerns with weather in terms of hurricane season/rainy season, but that never seems to slow down vacationers on cruises. The cruise lines have great technology to monitor the weather and avoid storms and skip/replace ports of call if they feel safety may be a concern. When you look at a place such as Alaska that is not available year round, summer tends to be their rainiest season but most popular.

When travelling in winter, we will stress more than ever the importance of arriving at your embarkation city the day before, to avoid any stresses with snow and possible flight delays/cancellations. And above all else we always recommend travel insurance. You just never know what can happen and we always want to protect our clients and their vacation.

Cruising in general is an amazing experience whether summer or winter. The ships continue to get bigger and better and cruising is only getting more popular so I’m sure the best is still yet to come.

Cynthia Joaquin is a franchise owner/manager of Expedia CruiseShipCenters which is a global leader in the marketing and sales of cruise vacations. Expedia CruiseShipCenters also provides resort and other land
vacation options, including air, car, hotel and travel insurance. Allowing the company to serve all travel needs.

www.cruiseshipcenters.com/CynthiaJoaquin

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Let’s get cruising

Posted on March 21, 2016 by urbansuburbanmommy Posted in Bon Voyage .

I have to admit I have had this negative thing about “cruises” in my head. I’ll get sea sick, I feel stranded, my kids will go stir crazy. You get the picture. But so many of our friends have had absolutely delightful experiences while cruising with their families. In fact, many of them swear by it and are frequent cruisers.

After watching some of the Disney cruise ship commercials, I am definitely intrigued – and perhaps could be swayed. I thought it would be best to talk to an expert about this travel option. I spoke with Cynthia Joaquin, franchise owner/manager of Expedia CruiseShipCenters about the benefits and highlights of taking a cruise with the family.

1. Why are cruises a great option for travel for families?

Cruises offer something for everyone. The kids can access great activities (rock climbing, kids clubs, slides, etc) and parents can use the gym, spa, adults only areas. You will never be bored and the food and facilities are fantastic!

2. What are your top 3 recommended destinations for families and why?

It depends on if we are looking at a cruise of land destination. For cruises, the Caribbean is a great first-time cruise. It gets you enjoying the ship, has a few ports to stop at and you don’t feel rushed. For land, Punta Cana has been very popular. There are great resorts for families that include water parks. Mayan Riviera is always a popular one as well, they have great highly reviewed hotels and many with great kids clubs, which helps the parents have a relaxing time.

3. How are cruises different from land only trips, and what are the benefits?

The entertainment, food and activities on a ship can’t be beat. And you also get to stop at different places where you can also enjoy some great beach time. It really gives you the best of both worlds. You also get to see different places while your hotel follows you along. With a land vacation you are tied to one resort. You don’t have the variety of food at many of the resorts and if you are not a huge beach person (like myself) you can get very bored very quickly. To me as long as my kids are happy then I am happy. I find that happens easier while on a cruise ship that is geared towards children.

4. What do you say to families who have never tried cruising (like myself)?

You have to try it. Once you try it it’s very hard to go back to a land vacation. It truly is an amazing vacation experience if you are on the right ship. And that is part of my job – to speak with my clients, figure out their likes and dislikes, what they want out of their vacation and then put them on the best ship and itinerary that will give them an unforgettable experience. I haven’t had an unhappy cruise client yet.

Cynthia Joaquin is a franchise owner/manager of Expedia CruiseShipCenters which is a global leader in the marketing and sales of cruise vacations. Expedia CruiseShipCenters also provides resort and other land vacation options, including air, car, hotel and travel insurance. Allowing the company to serve all travel needs.

www.cruiseshipcenters.com/CynthiaJoaquin

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