Epic Dining

While sailing the Norwegian Epic I had the opportunity to dine in several of the dining venues, with mixed results.

Taste is the more casual of the two main dining rooms.  I had lunch and dinner here with mixed experiences.  I found the staff to be friendly here, but they were hit and miss on the service.  Some servers were very good and on top of things, others would forget to bring things you had asked for.  I did eat with someone who had special dietary requirements and found that the head waitress (or whatever their title is) did try to meet that request.  But I didn't find they were as aggressive about it as they could have been.

Manhattan Room

Manhattan Room is the formal main dining room.  I ate one dinner here.  The staff was very good and quite attentive.

I believe both main dining rooms had the same menu everyday with base items on it.  Then everyday they would have a few special items offered that were local to the region we were in.

Cagney's Steak House has a $25 up charge and from what I can tell offers better choices and cuts of meat as well as also offering Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail.  The food and the service here were better then the main dining rooms, but it was also pretty quite in the restaurant.  I think this is a good choice for the steak lovers out there.  There was also a Moderno Churrascaria a Brazilian meatfest! One of those places where they bring around different types of meat.  I did not eat here, but I heard good things from those who did.

Shanghai's Chinese Restaurant was a disappointment at $15.  I would compare this to a better Chinese restaurant you can find in many places throughout the US.  Except that it had the worst fried rice I've ever had, it was sticky and flavorless.

Teppanyaki at $25 this was similar to going to any other Hibachi place in the US and for a similar price.  But, like every other Hibachi place it was fun experience with good food.  And they had really good green martini's.  I wish I remember the name of it, but I had too many!

O'Sheehans Neighborhood Bar and Grill offers breakfast and then regular food for the rest of the day.  This is a nice spot for a quicker breakfast (without going through a buffet).  They offered a quick breakfast or you could get breakfast to order.  In the afternoon and evening they had a Irish Pub menu - burgers, fish and chips, meatloaf, chicken pot pie...  This was a nice casual place to eat, but after 2 or 3 meals the menu got boring.

The Garden Cafe on the pool deck was, in my experience, above average compared to other shipboard buffets for lunch and dinner.  I rarely encountered a line here, and found a wide variety of food options.  But they had the BEST pretzel breadsticks, I miss those!

I covered the Spiegel Tent Cirque Dreams in a previous post.  I believe they had just changed the menu there and I thought the food was good, but you really go to see Cirque Dreams and not for the food.

Sorry, but I did not get to eat at the French restaurant, the Italian restaurant, noodle place or the sushi place.

Photo of the Week: Egypt

Sunrise over the Nile Rive, Luxor, Egypt

Guest Post: Las Vegas, NV

This is a guest post from a Shane at NationalRVParks.com about affordable Las Vegas!

  A trip to Las Vegas can be a great travel bargain.  It is a city where one can get a lot for a little as my recent trip with my family can attest.  This city is a favorite destination of ours because it is easy to travel upscale for wholesale.  Affordable opulence is how I refer to these visits to our desert mecca. Aria at Night  In September of 2011, my family of four left Providence and flew non-stop to Las Vegas on Southwest Airlines for the price of one ticket which was less than $300.  Three tickets were gratis because of frequent flyer points garnered from a easy to accumulate Southwest credit card rewards program. Our hotel of choice for this trip was Aria Resort and Casino a property of the MGMMirage corporation.  This hotel is only 2 years old and it is centrally located on the famous Las Vegas Strip.  The cost of each room was a paltry $79 per night.  This price was secured by an internet offer received when I joined their player's club. The Aria hotel houses over three thousand rooms and suites.  It is a visually stunning property. It looms majestically over the south strip.  It is part of a collection of properties called City Center. City Center includes the Cosmopolitan Hotel, The Vdara Hotel, and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, along with private condos and an upscale shopping district called Crystals.  Our room was furnished with an over sized King bed with a view overlooking the strip.  The room also included two televisions,  draperies, central lighting, all controlled by an easy to use remote controlled room unit. We just pressed a button and the television tuned in to one of a hundred channels, the lights rose and dimmed, and the draperies opened and closed all at will.  All for $79 per night.  This is why we love Vegas.  The pools, yes there are four pools on this property, are spacious and are meticulously maintained by an attentive staff.  The Las Vegas sun is extremely hot so, needless to say, a lot of sunscreen was applied.  We continually waded into the crystal clear water which provided ample relief from the sweltering sun.  There is also a fitness center which we visited daily. It had all the latest workout equipment and a personal trainer at your disposal. Our daily routine consisted of a sumptuous breakfast at Aria's sterling buffet.  This is a buffet where for $13 one can dive into a true gourmet experience. It included a cook-to-order omelet station, home made pastries, every breakfast meat you can imagine, even rib-eye steaks along with too many other items to describe adequately. Every choice was fresh and plentiful.  Our servers were attentive and prompt.  Coffee, espresso, latte, and juices were always delivered with a smile. After waddling out of the buffet, it was pool time. It was best to get there early to ensure a prime spot near our favorite pool's edge.  It was easier to take a dip when it got too hot.  The morning was better for us because of the crowd and the heat.  Next, we were off to the fitness center to burn off a few of the morning's massive caloric intake. Did I mention that the fitness center supplied headphones, fluffy towels, an array of fruit, and the most refreshing lemon infused ice-cold water I've ever tasted! Remember this was for $79 per night :). After an afternoon shower in a bathroom that was spa-like, it was off to explore the various hotels on the strip which are a show in themselves. Every hotel is a different sensory experience.  The Bellagio has its fountains, the Mirage has its volcano, the MGM its lions, Treasure Island has its pirate show.  We also visited the Venetian Hotel and Casino complex.  This is the largest hotel in the world with over 7000 rooms and suites. Nothing in Vegas is understated or subtle, but that is its allure for us.  Each evening was occupied by trying to decide in which gourmet chef's restaurant to dine. Emeril Lagasse, Thomas Keller, Mario Batali, Kerry Simon, Bobby Flay, Marc LoRusso, just to name a few, own and operate restaurants in this city which has become a foodie's paradise.  We  particularly enjoyed  a restaurant called Botero located in Steve Wynn's property, Encore.  We came to know Chef Marc LoRusso because of our frequent visits and he always takes care of us. Let me mention that this chef is a James Beard award winner and his dishes are inventive and delectable . We dined there for a combination of my wife's birthday and  our anniversary.  The frozen chocolate ganache candy bar and marshmallow filled doughnuts for dessert were absolutely "life altering".    A lounge show at the Palms on a Monday night at 10:30 is always a must for us. Tickets for a group of world class musicians  called Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns, a group voted the "best band in Las Vegas" numerous times, are only $7.  Another great Las Vegas bargain.  These guys jam every Monday night. They get together to play tunes that speak to them, because most of them are musicians for headline strip entertainers like Celine Dion, Barry Manilow, Tom Jones, Bette Midler, and others.  Monday nights are their time to kick back and do their own thing.. The result is musical magic.  My family always has a great time in Las Vegas and you can too. Just be flexible with your travel dates, and join the player's club at the different properties.  You can go upscale for wholesale too! Bio: My name is Shane McCormick. I am the owner of NationalRVParks.com. I'm in my late 20's and I enjoy travel. I write about my various travel experiences.  I offer tips and hints about my travel destinations.  Shane http://www.NationalRVParks.com https://twitter.com/#!/NationalRVParks       Shane recently interviewed me for his own blog, if you want to find out more about me:http://nationalrvparks.com/interview-with-christine-maier-of-the-traveling-giraffe/

Photos on the Norwegian Epic

The Norwegian Epic is the first ship I sailed on that uses facial recognition for photographs and; Wow, what a difference it makes!

When you board the ship they take your photo, like they do for most ships these days.  After that whenever you take a photo the photo software uses facial recognition to identify you in photos.  And it does a great job at it!

The photo area of the ship has triangular pillars with a binder for each cabin, photos are placed in your binder.  No more searching through walls of people in the same photo setting as you.

Ok, there was a wall of photos where they weren't able to identify someone, but it was a small wall and I know that every photo I took ended up in my binder.

They do also scan room cards when going to the professional photographers, which I'm sure does help the process, but the mobile photographers did not do this.  That is what made this so amazing.

In addition to the binders they also have computer screens where you can view and order your photos.  If there is a bad photo, you can say that it's not you and it magically goes away.  You just have to be careful that you don't do that to a good photo, I'm not sure if there is a way to get it back. You can also order prints through the computers.

From what I hear the Disney Dream may have similar technology, I hope it does.  It's really fantastic and makes the photo buying experience soooo much better on cruise ships!

Photo of the Week: New York

Lake George, New York

Clothing Recommendation

How does pick pocket proof pants sound?  FABULOUS!  There is a new company called Clothing Arts that has created pick pocket proof pants and shorts!

I have not tried these pants, though I did see them in person, they look pretty cool and it's a great concept. The pockets have zippers and buttons on them, making it a complete pain in the butt for a pick pocketer to steal from you!  All without bothering to wear a money belt. They also used a good quality fabric that will allow you to wash out stains and also keep the pants looking good when you wear them everyday for a month on a trip, or longer.

Like I said, I haven't tried these; but, I think for anyone who is traveling a lot, visiting big cities, and is afraid to lose their passport these pants/shorts are worth considering.

My biggest problem with these pants?  They don't have woman's, yet.  When asked about that the company replied, "we're a small company."  To me that means that they would like to design them, but that they haven't had time and resources yet.  I'm hopeful!

No, I'm not getting paid for this, I just like to help support a promising new company.

I was interviewed!

This week I did an interview for another blogger.  If you're interested in learning a little bit more about me and why I travel, then please check it out.

http://nationalrvparks.com/interview-with-christine-maier-of-the-traveling-giraffe/

NCL Epic Passengers

This recent cruise being my first cruise traveling by myself I found that I met so many more people then I had expected.  And, WOW, they were interesting!

The first woman I met on the cruise ship who really stuck out was staying in a Spa Cabin.  You might wonder how I knew this?  Well, I took a tour of the spa and she was on my tour.  She kept loudly saying to the person travling with her, "with this band we can come in here any time, the other passengers aren't allowed in here."  She was referring to a small black band that identified her as a spa cabin passenger.  FYI, any passenger can buy this band for sea days or the duration of the trip.

While on an excursion I met a gentleman who was traveling by himself, I would say he was about 40 years old, he was staying in a Villa, by himself.  I'm told that the villas start at $10,000 on this cruise.  Incase you are wondering what he does for a living that he can afford a villa, he owns some bars in New Orleans.  He was a nice guy once he got talking, but getting him to talk took some time.  I suspect he's a closet wacko with good social skills when he wants to use them.

Then there was the man who told a story about how he had to deposit over $10,000 cash to a bank.  Whenever you deposit $10,000 cash into a bank you had to fill out a federal form regarding the transaciton.  This man didn't think anyone actually read the form so he wrote how he was using the money to buy drugs from Columbia.  Apparently they do read the forms and he was visited by the DEA. 

I met two girls who were traveling by themselves, it turns out that they were sorority sisters, just from different colleges.  In a strange twist, one of the girls works across the street from me.

Then there was Mr. and Mrs. Polo, they actually looked like a lovely couple.  But they were both wearing Polo shirts, the kind with big giant polo players on them.  Being alone, I made up great stories about how they worked for Ralph Lauren and Polo. Maybe I should have talked to them, maybe they could have given me some Polo clothing.

One thing I did notice as a general theme was that many of the passengers (except for the Europeans) seemed like they were Europe rookies.  They were extra paranoid about safety.  I guess I was like that when I first went to Europe, wearing my money pouch under my pants everywhere I went. First timers are fun, they see things so much differently, it's nice to be reminded on where you came from.

It was an interesting cruise and it reminded me of why I love to travel, all the great and intersting people you meet.

Photo of the Week: Spain

Barcelona, Spain.  Sailing out of the port.

Blog Recommendations

Today I thought I would recommend some Frequent Flyer Blogs.  These are all blogs by frequent flyers on how to rack up frequent flyer miles and how to use those miles.  What have learned from these blogs?

First and most important is that you can earn miles with a different airline then you're actually flying because of partnerships and alliances. Example - You have miles with American Airlines but now you're going to fly British Airways, enter your AA # when booking and your miles will be credited to your American account.

Going with the previous point, you do not need to fly to keep your frequent flyer account active.  These programs generally only require positive activity in your FF account to keep it active.  You can earn these miles in many different ways, the easiest is to go to their shipping porthole before making a purchase through another website, normally for the same price you would have paid if you just pulled up the site on your own.

You don't have to be a frequent flyer to get lots of miles, there are a lot of different ways to earn miles that don't involve flying or spending money.

While the difference in price in flying Economy vs Business/First Class is steep, it's quite marginal when using miles.  If you've ever dreamed of flying Business/First Class you can hope for an upgrade (unlikely), or use miles.

Mommy Points - http://boardingarea.com/blogs/mommypoints/

Frugal Travel Guy - http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/

The Points Guy - http://thepointsguy.com/

Unroad Warrior - http://boardingarea.com/blogs/unroadwarrior/

View From the Wing - http://boardingarea.com/blogs/viewfromthewing/

Anything that I didn't mention at http://boardingarea.com 

Good Luck!