![]() My neighbour on the flight to Barcelona was, serendipitously, 75-year-old Alfie, who was headed for his fifth Epic voyage. My conversion to Epic appreciator began before even stepping on board. (Buffets are attended by staff instead of being self serve.) And while loyal to the poolside Garden Cafe breakfast buffet for the sheer generosity of the bacon portions, sometimes the crisp linen beckons at the art-deco style Manhattan Room, one of the two main restaurants. Play the gastronomic field between the specialty restaurants – I’m seduced by truffle fries at the American-style Cagney’s Steakhouse and tender meats at Argentine-influenced Maderno Churrascaria. Italy has its own understandable rules, but on-board life is 100 per cent flexible and freestyle. These days more than ever, the ship has become the destination. “You won’t have that same health security just walking down a street wherever you live,” says Eamonn Ferrin, vice-president of international business for NCL. All guests and crew are fully vaccinated. No cruise is completely Covid-proof, yet one could argue it’s one of the safest holiday experiences on offer. “Are you sure that’s not a gangplank to Covid?” asks a friend bluntly when mentioning I’d be cruising with 2499 other passengers. ![]() When bookings opened last year for Epic’s stablemate Norwegian Prima, the first of NCL’s swank new Prima class of ship launching in August, sales records weren’t just smashed on the first day, but doubled previous records. See also: Planning a cruise? Here's the latest Covid updates you need to knowĪnd trust me, cruisers are hungry. See also: Breathtaking new cruises to take in 2022 The seven-night round-trip from Barcelona is the ship’s first sailing in 500 days, and it’s reigniting my appetite for travel. Second, I’m on a cruise, on board Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic, visiting a harem of Mediterranean supermodel cities, including vivacious Palma, sleepy Sardinia, elegant Florence, sultry Rome and edgy Naples. ![]() After months of lockdown in Europe, it’s an almost overwhelming, colour-saturated cinematic experience. Sure, many are wearing masks (compulsory indoors), and the scent of sanitiser mingles with the perfume of chic Spaniards but there’s a heightened sense of people enjoying life. ![]() But two things are decidedly odd.įirst, it feels like 2019, not 2021. Eddies of people swirl in the ancient streets, a saxophonist plays by a 500-year-old church and the air is buzzing with energy. Standing in the middle of Palma’s old town in Mallorca, I’m cradling a lemon pie, waiting to devour its soft spires of cream and pastry as delicate as a butterfly’s wing. ![]()
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