Welcome aboard, mateys! If you have been reading my last few posts, you know that we are on a Caribbean cruise enjoying perfect weather and mild seas.
Now, in an effort to be transparent, I will tell you our Norwegian cruise is not exactly the Love Boat as I have been advertising.
It might actually be the last stop before the nursing home. Sort of depressing, right?
Well, if you are interested, let me know and I’ll go into details, but for now, I’ll leave that part there.
Onward to our trip so far.
Our first stop outside Jacksonville, Florida, was Grand Bahama and we opted to spend a just a little time in the port and then back on the boat.
The next day was 100% on the sea. So all in all, we’ve spent a good deal of time on the boat and this is a sample of how we have been spending our sea days.
And what we think!
Theater Shows
We have been able to catch three shows in the ship’s main theater (which is quite large). And we walked out of two of them.
Let’s just say this cruise line’s entertainment is less than first class.
The comedian was funny.
The dancing/singing western show was trashy with bad singing and worse dancing.
The magician was slow and boring.
Shopping
While we were out to sea, all the duty-free shops opened and people were gobbling up perfume and bags and booze. We just strolled around.
We did not see anything we couldn’t live without. Or in the least would want to own.
Holiday Décor
This seems crazy to me. I was sure the ship would be decorated aft to stern (are those the right terms?) with Christmas everywhere.
Boy, was I wrong. Not a pine branch in sight; not a carol playing. Hmmm.
By day 2, trees and garland started appearing. By day 3, it started to look a little more festive.
Someone might have been sleeping on the job.
So while it’s not as Christmasy as I would have thought, it’s cheerful.
Now, while we are enjoying 80+ degree days here, back home, not everyone is as giddy about December as we are.
My sister Susie in Colorado Springs and Jan & Ted in Indiana, both sent pics of their first storms of the season.
Indiana:
Colorado:
I hear even our beloved Anthem got super cold!
As I type this, I am sitting out on our ship balcony listening to the waves crash against the ship and the warm breeze blowing through my hair.
Which. By the way. My hair! It is constantly full of knots and rats from wind and unsuitable hair conditioner.
PRO TIP: If you sail Norwegian and have ratty hair, bring a nice conditioner with you. I wish I would have.
Scavenger Hunt
I have no idea what this hunt is about, but someone has hidden (like Easter eggs) little rubber ducks around the ship. We have found two. I wonder what we are going to win.
Or if I’m just coming home with two rubber ducks.
Fruit & Vegetable Carving Presentation
Live in front of an audience, a ship’s chef showed step by step how he makes adorable creatures – from a cantaloupe bunny to an eggplant penguin to adorable citrus fish perched on a pineapple.
He is an amazing artist.
Hub and I are motivated to buy a super paring knife like he has.
Um, sure. If I tried to carve anything out of a lemon, I’d just be serving lemonade.
Pool Time
Honestly spending time at the ship’s pool is not quite up to par with what we are used to at home. But the people watching!
The poolside musicians have been good with a nice selection of music geared toward the ship’s demographic. It was cute when folks got up in their bathing suits and started dancing because they just couldn’t resist the music.
Dining
Nobody goes on a cruise and stays hungry. There is always food to be found somewhere.
But to be honest, we haven’t found anything that knocked our socks off.
I know we are both picky about food, but I have a feeling other discerning diners might be a bit disappointed with the offerings as well.
Wrap Up
Thank you for taking time to see what we have been up to this week.
I hope you are enjoying this festive season and I want to hear what you are doing.
God bless for a wonderful weekend.