Cruise
NCL2 Day 3: At sea
We started the day, as usual, by chatting with fellow passengers at breakfast in the buffet. One of the unexpected pleasures so far is the breakfast singing coffee trio. They serve coffee while singing coffee-themed songs, such as “Coffee Queen” (to the tune of “Dancing Queen”). Fun. Breakfast continued right into a light lunch. We … Continue reading
NCL2 Day 2: At sea
Our initial impression that this cruise will be very sedate compared to Carnival was confirmed on Day 2. The passengers are mostly older – even older than we are – and seem to be content drinking in the bars, reading and playing cards. But everyone is friendly. We met a couple from California at lunch … Continue reading
NCL2 Day 1: Embarkation, Tampa FL
As usual, we left the packing to the last minute, completing it early Thursday morning, just before we were driven to Tampa by our friend Paul. We were scheduled to board the Norwegian Jade between 12:30 and 1 pm and left, we thought, so that we would arrive by noon. But traffic was heavier than … Continue reading
My second Norwegian Cruise Line trip (NCL2)
I was on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship many years ago, with Jett and her son. It went from Boston to Bermuda and back again. A short trip, if I recall – probably 5 days. Not very exciting and not a great ship – very old. But many people speak highly of Norwegian and when … Continue reading
Carnival Venezia wrapup
We have been back a few days now, so it is a good time to summarize the cruise. Highlights: Lowlights: The highlights greatly outweighed the lowlights. It was a very good cruise.
Carnival Venezia Day 8: Disembarkation
We set the alarm for 7am, got up, got packed and went to breakfast. Everything was going fine… until we realized that Marlene had left the bottom portion of her dentures on the table, wrapped in a napkin, at the late night buffet. I went to the buffet and spoke to the manager. No dentures, … Continue reading
Carnival Venezia Day 7: At sea
A final day at sea. We had breakfast in the buffet and lunch at La Strada Grill – a small BBQ place outside on Deck 5. Pretty good jerk chicken and pulled pork. We happened across the “World Works Here” show in the theater. This was basically a celebration of the diversity of the crew … Continue reading
Carnival Venezia Day 6: Cozumel, Mexico
I rose early and went up to Deck 10 to do some blogging. I left text messages for Marlene telling her where I was and what I was doing. But she didn’t get them and was pretty miffed that I would walk off without communicating. A minor tempest that soon blew over. We had breakfast … Continue reading
Carnival Venezia Day 5: Belize
Belize is a great place for snorkeling, scuba diving and jungle excursions. But the city is a third-world mess and all of those activities involve expensive excursions and a 30-minute ferry shuttle ride to shore. We were not interested in doing any of those things so we stayed on the ship. We had some minimal … Continue reading
Carnival Venezia Day 4: Roatan, Honduras
I like Roatan. It is a pretty, laid-back island with some nice beaches. But we had no interest in an excursion of any kind, so we, after the usual breakfast, got off the ship and wandered about the cruise port area a bit. We shopped but bought nothing. We reboarded in time for lunch then … Continue reading