I had a wonderful cruise to the Mediterranean on the Norwegian Epic. I've always wanted to take this cruise. I was able to land a great deal for a solo cabin back in Jan 2017. The cruise was $300 - $400 cheaper than the normal cost for an October cruise. I hurried up and secured my time off and placed my $50 deposit down. The icing on the cake was that the cruise left Barcelona on my birthday.

I arrived to Barcelona a day earlier. I didn't have much time to view the city. I made sure to see the Sagrada Familia at night. Very different than seeing it in the daytime. The embarkation was a breeze. Since I'm a Latitudes Rewards member, I could have gone to their line to check in, but I forgot to inquire about it. I didn't see it until after I had already checked in. This line is at the far left end of the check in section in Barcelona. I went to the regular check-in lines and it took no more than 20 mins if that. Get there early. Make sure you have your documents already printed out and your Norwegian luggage tags with your cabin number already on the items.

I usually don't tour the ships ahead of time. I feel that I watch so many of the videos online, that I have a good sense of where everything was. I really just wanted to eat something and then go on the waterslides which I did. If you want to do any water activity, keep your swimwear in your backpack or piece of luggage that you keep with you. Read more