Our First Post-Pandemic Cruise…
OliverNot only is this NCL Epic’s first post-pandemic cruise, it is also my first ever cruise! I was rather excited and a little nervous (I don’t really like boats) when Norwegian invited me to join this special 4-night trip from Barcelona to Sardinia and back but saw it as a great opportunity to see how cruises will operate in todays climate.
Norwegian’s ships are huge and their unique luxury ‘cruise within a cruise’ concept called ‘The Haven’ ensures they appeal to both the luxury and value markets at the same time.
I was intrigued how a ship that can normally carry over 4,000 passengers would deal with covid protocols whilst ensuring the guest experience isn’t compromised. It was good to hear quite early on most public cruises will only be running at around 60% capacity for now.
Here are my quick first impressions after 24 hours onboard:
The Embarkation Process
Everyone onboard any of NCL’s cruises are required to be double vaccinated (current policy up to the end of 2021). This offered me peace of mind, but as an extra level of safety every passenger has to be tested before stepping onboard.
At Barcelona, there was a special testing tent set up opposite the terminal building. We had pre-registered and had a QR code to show on our mobile. There was no queue and we swiftly were registered, shown to a booth for a quick swab test before being offered a drink in the waiting area.
This all worked well for us, we were boarding later in the day and were given a specific time slot to arrive at the terminal so they could spread out passengers.
Our negative result came through in no more than 10 minutes and then off we went to check in. This was really quick with plenty of very happy to be back at work Norwegian staff to guide us through.
Photos were taken at check in and we were given our personalised credit card sized ID detailing our drinks plan and barcode for scanning at restaurants etc.
We were onboard in no more than 45 minutes from being dropped off, pretty impressed so far!
Stepping onboard
Our cabin was on deck 13 and there were plenty of staff at every turn to guide us there.
My first impressions were how much space there was, and with only 60% capacity it was re-assuring to see social distancing, hand washing and plenty of help everywhere should we need it.
The Cabin
Our balcony cabin has a large, comfortable bed, sofa and decent sized balcony for an entry level cabin of this standard of ship.
There’s plenty of storage space and whilst it isn’t huge, for the price of a regular 7-night cruise around the Med, I feel it offers great value for money and its really homely with plush carpets and classic dark wood finishing.
The shower is pretty spacious and I don’t have cabin fever at all which was another of my concerns.
Restaurant experience
NCL invented the ‘Freestyle’ cruising concept so you don’t need to book for the regular restaurants included in all fares and the dress codes causal. We upgraded 2 nights out of 4 to Speciality Dining which do need reservations and I suggest making these in advance if you can. These are more a la carte options however the dress code is still fairly casual.
We ate in the Manhattan Restaurant which is one of the standard eateries. There was a short queue to get in but this was just to keep passengers spaced out. You could have the menu with a QR if you prefer and all the staff wore masks (and are tested every few days). You are asked to sanitise your hands on entry to all of the restaurants onboard.
It was a really nice meal with plenty of choice, very friendly and helpful staff and a nice, enjoyable more luxurious experience than I expected. The mint chocolate mouse desert was a perfect end to my first day at sea!
There are lots of restaurants to choose from, I’m not a massive fan of buffets so it was nice to have an a la carte option included without having to upgrade every night.
Accross the ship they have made provisions to spread guests out, they call this ‘Physical Distancing’, not social distancing.
Conclusion so far
A lot of work has gone into spacing out passengers whether that be in dinning areas, bars or in the theatre. They are taking it very seriously whilst not compromising on the overall experience.
I wouldn’t normally choose a cruise for my own holiday, however as I hear from many first-timers once you’ve experienced it for yourself you get hooked.
I also was nervous about motion sickness which I suffer from a lot but the sheer size of the ship, and mid-ship position of our cabin means were are pretty stable. Of course we are also in calm waters in the Med too.
The size of the ship isn’t that apparent because you tend to stick to specific decks, where your cabin is and then the main restaurants. It’s easy to get around via the lifts and there isn’t that much walking to do to be honest.
Being a larger ship does mean there is a huge selection of places to drink, eat and enjoy many activities such as a climbing wall, water slides and pool.
I’m now looking forward to our excursion around Cagliari on Sardinia and learning more about The Haven, the luxury ship within a ship, stay tuned!
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