June 20th - A little history

June 20, 2010

The team that gave you the Epicmadhatters website will be blogging together here.

As I get ready to head to the airport in 24 hours it is time to start another cruise blog. Since you are here you knopw this time I will not be doing it on the cruise message board. I will also be adding some updates for my friends on face book.

The Epic sails for NYC on the 24th from Southampton. It is a cruise many times I thought would never happen. A number of us who first started planning to take this cruise in March 2008 before we knew when this cruise would take place will be adding to the blog. I don’t thing any of us knew how long and bumpy the wait would be.

We watched each of the announcements from NCL and the anticipation grew as the first vision of the Epic rolled out. Then came the near cancellation of the ships construction in Sept 2008. The dark days until mid Dec 2008 when NCL reached agreement with STX for delivery of just one F3 in May 2010.

March 2009 NCL announced bookings would open in May 2009 for the Epic. No dates for the TA but NCL promised some time in the summer of 2009. August 2009 they started a waitlist for date and itinerary unknown. Finally Sept 14th NCL announced the date and itinerary with waitlist passengers able to book first. AC aft facing suite booked. Sept 15 with an A3 only $300 pp more I moved my booking to the courtyard gaining more the 200 square feet and a second bedroom and bathroom before they fixed the pricing. The wait was on.

Well I failed engine, 4 fires later, it is 24 hours before I head to the airport and start this adventure. One more major hurdle to clear. Will the courtyard be ready. One member of the group has already been called and told their Owners Suite will not be ready. The current 2 night by invitation cruise the courtyard area is closed as they continue to work.. Those booked in the courtyard for tomorrows 1 nighter to Southampton have been moved. They can move me anywhere. A free cruise would not be a bad thing.

That brings us to the beginning of this blog from the Epic transatlantic. Stay tuned for updates here or on face book.