Caribbean Cruise
We flew to Miami with Virgin Atlantic via London Heathrow. We stayed 1 night pre cruise at the Winter Haven Hotel on Ocean Drive South Beach. This is a beautiful modern art deco style hotel, located at the end of Ocean Drive, so it’s not too noisy and it is just 15 minutes from the Port of Miami.
Epic is truly amazing ship with excellent facilities on board. Every day we had arranged to do something on board. There is an Ice Bar, which was cool drinking from ice glasses at sea! 2 Bowling allies, a sports court, an aqua park for children. I loved the quite zone on deck with sun loungers to get away from the busy kids pool area.
The entertainment was excellent; I loved the Blue Man Group which was really entertaining. We saw the Legends in concert and my highlight was the Cirque Dreams Dinner in the Spiegel Tent. This is an intimate dinner with outstanding performers and was a lot of fun. Spice H20 is where the pool floor rises and becomes a dance floor. It can transform into a nightclub under the stars! There is also the option to watch movies under the stars & you can’t forget a visit to the casino. You can pre book your entertainment online up to 45 days before your sailing date.
There are a huge range of restaurants, up to 20 to select from. I don’t think we got to eat in all restaurants in the 7 days. My favourites weres Teppenyaki, Cagneys Steakhouse & Moderno Churrascaria which is a Brazilian restaurant. When we got on-board we booked our restaurants for each night immediately so we wouldn’t be disappointed.
Epic is very family friendly with an Aqua Park with 3 multi storey slides including Epic Plunge, a 200 foot tube and bowl slide. There is a children’s club; recess & a teen club called Entourage. This will keep all ages busy with various activities. They have walkie talkies for parents & children, so you can keep in contact with them all the time. They have Nickelodeon at Sea where you can meet Dora the Explorer and Sponge Bob Square Pants & full sports complex with rock climbing walls.
Epic has the biggest spa at sea with hydrotherapy pools, jacuzzi, relaxation area, sauna. We did purchase a spa pass that was valid for the 7 days, we did use it every day and it was well worth the money and you also have access to the adult only area. We also used the gym which had excellent facilities, one of the best I’ve seen at sea including many classes you can sign up to do on first come first served basis. It also has a full spa with private treatment rooms so you can pamper yourself. Pure Bliss!
The ports of call were St Marteen, St Thomas & Nassau. My favourite was St Marteen, it really gave me that Caribbean feel with crystal blue waters & beautiful golden sand beaches. It’s a shopping mecca for electronics and jewellery with the island being both tax & duty free. We also went to the famous Maho beach, the beach is at the end of the runway so you can see planes landing & taking off. It was a super experience and yes you can be blown over from them taking off!
Epic has the options of outside, inside or balcony cabins. We stayed in a balcony cabin which was beautiful. It was very modern with plenty of storage & amenities. It was great being able to sit out on balcony and relax. There are also suites on board including the Haven area which are private suites with their own private pool area, restaurant, bar & sun deck. They also have single cabins on board so an excellent way to meet other people. Epic is suitable for couples, families, singles, spa break. It does have the WOW factor and has so much to do on board, you won’t be disappointed. Please call me for more details on Epic or any cruise you might be thinking about going on.