Norwegian Epic

Well, Sylvia and I are back from our 2 night sailing on the Norwegian Epic. There are some very nice things about the ship and some real problems, as I see it. Let's start with the good...

The food was surprisingly good....there are 21 restaurants on board, 11 that you must pay for, but our first night we ate in the Manhattan Room, which is one of the main dining rooms, and the food was excellent, as was the service. We also ate in the Chinese restaurant, Shanghai, and again the food and service was excellent. Breakfast and lunch are available all over the ship and serve nice breakfast food, hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, etc. The kids daycare area, Recess, is really nicely done. One of the features of the Epic are the single cabins, called Studios, that has its own private lounge area. These are going to be very popular with single travelers...the cabins are quite nice, and are only accessible to those staying in the Studios. The Courtyard Villa and suites are gorgeous. Again these are only accessible to those staying in the Courtyard part of the ship, and it has it's own pool, restaurant, and butlers. These are spacious and beautifully decorated and will be great for families traveling together. The spa is very nice as is the gym. The Ice Bar is small but fun, and the entertainment (we saw Blue Man Group) was fabulous.

Now for the problems...the biggest one being the design, or rather no design, of the "bathrooms" in ALL the cabins. When you walk into the balcony staterooms, there is a toilet"pod" on one side, enclosed only with a frosted glass door, that you can see through, and hear everything. On the other side is the shower "pod" with the same frosted glass door. If you are not traveling with someone you are really really comfortable with, going to the bathroom could be an embarrassing experience. We spoke with some other passengers that asked their room mate to leave the cabin so they could use the toilet privately. Same problem with the shower. There is a curtain that you can pull across that separates the area from the cabin, but does nothing for noise and really doesn't give you any privacy. And when you get out of the shower, you are standing in front of your cabin door, so potentially your traveling companion could come into the cabin and you'd just be standing there soaking wet...also, the sink is inside the cabin, and in the case of the balcony cabins it is just across from the couch or bed, leaving no room for anyone to pass if you are using the sink. Also, the faucet on the sink is very tall and curved, making it impossible to lean forward to wash your face or brush your teeth...you have to stand straight up, and the water splashed all over the place, making a big mess. ALL cabins have a similar "bathroom" layout, although the suites and penthouse toilets and shower "pods" have opaque glass instead of frosted glass enclosures, and the "bathroom" areas are separated from the bedroom areas. Also, the toilet "pods" are quite small, and larger people will have trouble using them...

Next big design problem...there are no pools on board. There are 3 "plunge" type pools that might hold up to 3o people standing up...2 in the main pool area, 1 at the rear of the ship in a semi-private area. These "pools" are 4.5 feet deep and are not suitable for any type of swimming. And there is no kids pool. There are a couple of hot tubs, and a huge water slide, but I can't figure out where teenagers are supposed to go to swim, never mind small children, although there is a cute area for small children to play in fountains. There are "misters" and fountains around the pool area, but that doesn't make up for the lack of any swimming. There is also only one bar on the pool deck and when the ship is full I can see that being a real service problem. The line to check out and return towels was very long, and the ship was only 1/2 full.

I felt very crowded throughout the ship. On decks 5 & 6 where the restaurants, shops and casino are located, you can only walk through the center hallway, and it really was crowded, especially when you have to walk through all the gaming machines the casino has placed right through the middle of the walkway.

All in all, the bathrooms are going to be a huge problem. We will have to be very careful who travels together in these cabins. And I don't understand how they could build a ship with no pools that can actually be used for swimming. There were so many nice things about the ship, but the topic of conversation we heard from everyone was only about the toilets....We will have to be very careful which cabins we will sell to our clients, and will stick to the suites, penthouses, Courtyard villas and Studios. We are very glad we went on board to see these things for ourselves, and our consultants will all get the opportunity to visit for themselves soon.

Wrap Up for Paws Up

Well, I am missing Montana already. The Resort at Paws Up is truly an amazing vacation location. Sunday morning we got to watch staff do a test run for a new ballooning adventure, and although they never left the ground, it was a beautiful sight. On Monday morning, I had breakfast delivered to the house, right on time, and set up for me on the kitchen table. Delicious as usual. My transfer to the Missoula airport was around 9 AM...the airport is really a throw back in time, small yet efficient, and full of mounted animals....bears, mountain lions,etc. Pretty cool. The most difficult part of this vacation is the amount of time it takes to travel to and from Ft. Lauderdale and Missoula...10-12 hours of travel. I'll have to find better connections for the next time I go out there, and there will be a next time! Paws Up has a great winter program that looks like a lot of fun, and I love the snow, so maybe then? Make sure to contact me with any questions if you'd like to go either by yourself, with friends or family. The tented camps are a great value and as elegant as the homes...although the homes can accommodate more people at a time. I am presenting what I've learned to all our staff at today's lunch meeting, so all of us here at Post Haste will be able to help you get to Paws Up.

Last day at Paws Up

Sunday was my last full day here, and we had a nature hike scheduled for 10 AM. Paulette (my new friend from ProTravel in Beverly Hills) and I got to the Wilderness Center after another great breakfast and met our guide, Dean. We went by van and were dropped off at a trail head about a mile from the center. We hadn't been walking for very long when I heard a branch snap, we stopped, and I saw a big black bear, and then another smaller, cinnamon bear....we were able to watch them run off for a few seconds and were thrilled with the sighting! The wildflowers along the trail were gorgeous and in full bloom. The weather was perfect for a hike, warm and sunny. We walked the trail though woods and fields, and at another brief stop, I looked down and saw some "poop"...I asked Dean what he thought left it, and he said, Mountain Lion...I'm counting that as an animal sighting! We then saw a mother turkey and her brood of chicks, and a coyote not too far from them. After 2 hours we were almost done with our hike, and as we waited for the van to pick us up, a bald eagle flew above us. All in all a very successful nature hike! I spent the rest of the afternoon reading a book and getting my last bit of relaxation of my vacation. Monday is a long travel day and it's back to work first thing Tuesday morning. I am very pleased with everything at Paws Up. From the electric vehicles available for visitors to use, to the no plastic bottles policy, to the extremely attentive staff, this resort will be highly recommended by me for a long time to come. Make sure to take the opportunity to visit this most beautiful "Last Best Place".

More Paws Up

Today was a Chamber of Commerce day...the bluest skies I've seen in a long time, temp around 75 degrees, cool wind. I got a book and sat on the deck in my bathing suit, got some sun, then hit the hot tub for a bit...my legs still were sore from my horseback riding day...then I did the most wonderful thing...I had a hot stone massage, in a tent, looking out at snow capped mountains. First of all, I've never had a hot stone massage, and I must say, it's the best massage I've ever had. And with the fresh mountain air...amazing. My legs no longer are sore and I've finally realized that I'm in Montana. What a beautiful awe inspiring country...I feel not only refreshed, but ready for my next adventure here at Paws Up...a little wine, great company from all across the country and even the time change isn't bothering me any more. For dinner tonight I'm trying the Bison...all the food here is amazing. Tomorrow, we are taking a 2 h our guided hike throughout the countryside. I'm really looking forward to it. See you then!

Paws Up Day 2

I really enjoyed the horseback ride yesterday, even though I had a problem with a saddle that didn't fit and my butt is really sore today! We had a great bar-b-Que dinner with the owner, Nadine, last night, with a jazz band, kids playing outside and really good company. Local residents also joined the dinner and it was interesting to hear how much they appreciated the local support Paws Up provides, from artists to farmers. The fireplaces were roaring, since the weather has gone from hot to cold to rain to sun 7 or 8 times during the day. I love it. I fell asleep so fast and as always was up with the sun, which here is 5 AM...oh, it doesn't get dark until 10 PM so my internal clock is a little screwed up. Today I am going to relax this morning, read a book and wait for my 1 PM massage...what a perfect was to spend the day. I'm sure I'll find time to walk around and look for animals. Yesterday I saw a skunk, a fox, a coyote, plenty of deer and ground squirrels. I'm still looking to see elk. Maybe today. The staff here is so accommodating, your really want for nothing. I'm looking forward to great meals again today. And who knows what tonight will bring. There's always something to do...or in my case, since I choose to...nothing. Check out my Facebook page for lot's of images.

Paws Up Day 1

My first night at Paws Up was so cozy...it's about 30 minutes from the airport in Missoula, and a beautiful drive. The mountains are awesome! They've had a lot of rain up here lately so everything is very green. Once I got to the resort, I checked in at the beautifully rustic main office, then was brought to the house I'll be staying at for the next 3 days. This is a huge 3 bedroom, 3 bath ranch style house, (think Ponderosa) with huge private bedrooms, bathrooms en suite, a massive fireplace in the living area and a fully stocked kitchen. The bathrooms have tubs and showers and great etched glass. Cocktails were in the bar, Trough, and on the deck overlooking the fields going off into the distance, where the horses were grazing. Dinner was magnificent. Brown butter for the bread, a watermelon, tomato, olive salad...( I never thought of that combination before and it was delicious) and the best elk I've ever had. A subtle red wine, and nice light desert put me completely ready to get into bed after my 10 hours of travel, even though it doesn't get dark here until after 10 pm. The bed is dreamy, soft, comfortable, warm, all those superlatives that describe my first great nights sleep. Today, we start with a site inspection that will take all morning. Then my horseback ride. I'll continue later tonight.....

The Resort at Paws Up-Montana

I've been waiting to to to Montana all my life. The Northwest is one of the few places I haven't been, so going to The Resort at Paws Up is really exciting for me. First, getting away from the heat for a few days will be marvelous, and I understand it's been in the 40's at night, 70's during the day. And I'll get some good horse time for the first time in over 6 months...and riding inn the mountains will be breathtaking, I'm sure. I will keep up this blog over the next 4 days and give detailed descriptions about the property, food, activities and surroundings. I'm sure there will be lot's of good things to say about Paws Up. Until tomorrow