If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium Part 1

A Norwegian Transatlantic Cruise to Europe from New York City

This transatlantic cruise sailed late April 2019. This is part one which involves the ship and the crossing. In light of the ongoing Corona Virus Pandemic, obviously all ships are forbidden to sail. When it's safe to cruise, I wouldn't hesitate to do a trip like this again. In fact, I was booked on a transatlantic trip from New York City to Barcelona with stops in Portugal and Spain which was canceled due to the virus. So travel with me across the Atlantic and on to Europe, from the safety of our homes. And here's hoping we can travel again, soon.

The Norwegian Pearl

I love cruising, so when I saw that Norwegian was offering a 13-day sailing, leaving from my home port of New York City and ending up in Amsterdam with prices starting under $500 per person, I leapt at the chance and booked the trip. Ports of call included: Ireland, France, England, Belgium, and finally disembarking in Amsterdam. As many meals per day as you desired, entertainment every night, free gym and a plethora of activities to take part in, it was cheaper per day to sail to Europe than stay home!

Having traveled with Norwegian previously, I was part of their “Latitudes Rewards” program and with that privilege come perks: room upgrades, free dining in specialty restaurants, deals on WiFi, discounts in the ship’s spa and in my case, even open bar for the entire trip. Trust me, that saves you a wine bucket full of money.

So, I asked my travel mate, Bud, if he was game and we jumped into a cab and headed to the cruise port in New York City located at 55^th Street and the Hudson River. Now, how convenient is that?

THE SHIP

The Norwegian Pearl was built in 2005 but completely refurbished in 2017 which made the ship feel brand new. All 1,179 staterooms had an upgrade which included new carpeting, new televisions, new furniture, new beds, and USB outlets where guests can charge their electronic devices.

Throughout the ship, over 2,220 pieces of artwork were installed, including a stunning Chihuly sculpture sitting proudly in the main atrium. 

Chihuly Glass Sculpture on the Pearl

When it comes to food, there are so many venues to choose from; 8 complementary restaurants plus room service, 6 specialty restaurants with additional fees plus 15 bars and lounges.

What makes Norwegian stand out from the other cruise lines?

Their biggest claim to fame is their “Free-Style” cruising. On many other lines you must sign up for a certain time to dine and you are given a specific table to sit at in the evening and on designated nights you must dress up in formal attire. On Norwegian, dress is casual, you can dine any time you like and sit anywhere you prefer. The last thing I wanted to lug around on this long trip was a business suit and a tuxedo. But if one desires, you’re more than welcome to dress up.

Balcony Cabin - Norwegian Pearl

Bathroom - The Pearl

Is Norwegian Gay Friendly?

Absolutely! Every night, a Freestyle Daily pamphlet appears in your cabin with a list of everything available to do on the ship for the next day. For years, Friends of Dorothy, was listed and indicated where and when people could meet. But this trip something simple but very powerful happened. Friends of Dorothy was gone and LGBTQ+ Informal Get Together showed up instead. In my mind, this is a true indicator that we, as gay travelers, have been welcomed openly and with respect. This was my 6^th cruise with Norwegian and not once have I felt slighted or experienced any sort of homophobia from either the staff or other cruisers. In fact, on this trip, a 72-year-old gay couple appeared onboard holding hands and dressed in matching baby doll sailor suits with full make-up and wigs. Now, even my jaw dropped but with a smile. And they maintained baby doll characters for the entire trip, changing costumes every day. Many befriended the couple and even the Captain requested a photo with them. As one straight traveler shared with me, “I observed people treating them with respect rather than ridicule. Totally refreshing.”

The Baby Dolls

The Activities and Entertainment

They have bingo, slot machine and black jack tournaments. There are art classes, you can learn bridge, or take dance lessons. Audience participation games are numerous including a Deal Or No Deal show based on the television version where you could win $5,000.00 or a cruise for two. There were cooking classes and lectures about upcoming ports of call. And for those who love their libations, there were wine tastings, martini tastings, beer tastings, scotch tastings, and tequila tastings. 

Casino - The Pearl

The first couple of days, most people explore the ship and all it has to offer. I hit the gym at least once a day. They had scores of physical programs you could participate in from Pilates and body sculpting to classes in nutritional education and weight loss. One of my favorite onboard activities was the bowling alley. Not having played since a teenager, it was a bit daunting to lace up the shoes and pick up the ball while others were watching and the ship swayed side to side but I did pretty well. It was like riding a bike, it all came back to me.

The Pearl's Bowling Alley

Every night a different movie is viewed on the main atrium’s ginormous screen and simultaneously on your cabin’s television. We also explored the many different bars and lounges to pick the one or two that we would probably frequent the most. For me, I like the less crowded, more secluded spots. Plus, you often get to know your bartender and they you, for the trip.

They also have multiple cabaret performers as well as bands that rotate from one lounge to another throughout the day and into the evening. And there’s the Mandara Spa where you can receive just about any type of pampering you can imagine.

There’s a very quiet library to escape the crowds. Around the 5^th day at sea I had a hankering to write and with an article due while I was traveling, the library was the perfect spot to create while occasionally looking out to sea and spotting a humpback whale or two.

The Stardust - Main Stage Theatre

The Casino opens once you are one mile out at sea. Previously I’ve won up to $700 with slots but not this trip. And every evening there was a complementary show in the theatre. The specialty acts were superb on this crossing. There was a magician, a husband and wife adagio act who defied gravity but my favorite was Izabella Zebrowska, a Polish violinist. Her first show was totally classical and breathtaking. But Bud turned to me and said, “Wouldn’t it be great if she also included some pop and showtunes?” Well, her second show later in the week was geared around the West End’s hit musicals and famous movie scores.

Dining

I’ve never been disappointed with the food on Norwegian cruises. I do have to admit, I’m not a huge fan of buffets...buffets anywhere. I end up piling on too much of too many different types of food and the stomach isn’t crazy about that. Besides, I love to be served when I dine out. And because there are so many sit-down restaurants onboard, you have plenty of options to choose from. But the food the buffets displayed were always well presented and looked delicious.

On warm days it was wonderful to have breakfast in The Great Outdoors which is a bar and restaurant area at the back of the ship. 

The Great Outdoors eating area in the back of the ship

The two main dining rooms are Indigo and the Summer Palace. Indigo is the smaller of the two and offers a more intimate dining experience. The Summer Palace is very large and its décor is inspired by the great summer palaces of Russia. I found it fascinating that the Summer Palace has scores of life-size paintings of the Royal family, clearly done just before they were executed. An odd choice in my mind for a restaurant, but most were beautifully done. Both restaurants are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and they share the same menu for each particular day. A typical evening meal may consist of a starter of bouillabaisse soup, followed by garlic roasted leg of lamb and for dessert, a warm peach tartlet. The menus change every day and if you’re really hungry, you can order as much of anything as you like.

Staircase down to Summer Palace Main Restaurant

Of the 6 specialty restaurants, we ate at Cagney’s Steakhouse and the French café, Le Bistro. For an entré at Cagney’s I ordered the grilled ribeye with their green peppercorn sauce. The steak was superior, as good as some that I’ve had at renowned steak houses in NYC.

Cagney's - The Pearl

And in Le Bistro, I ordered the pan-seared jumbo bay scallops with a sherry vinegar glaze and cauliflower mousseline, which was perfectly cooked, and Bud ordered a glorious Napoleon of Portobello mushrooms and vegetable puff pastry with goat cheese, red pepper, sweet potato, and a beurre blanc. It was almost too pretty to eat.

Le Bistro's Vegetarian Napoleon

Often, we would see the earlier of two shows in the theatre which was at 7:00 pm. Traditionally they last one hour, so from there we’d go to our favorite bar, have some martinis and then head on down to the Summer Palace for a late-ish dinner. Very civilized.

THE CROSSING

I’ll admit, a week to cross the Atlantic had me a bit concerned. Would I get bored or restless? Ships can make the journey faster but that eats up much more fuel hence it’s worse on the environment and the cruise fares would increase. Plus traveling across the pond, your body very gradually adjusts to time changes therefore, no jet lag. And honestly, the 7 days at sea went by like a breeze - no pun intended. We were traveling late April and into May so the weather was extremely mild.

Often people were in the outdoor pools and hot tubs or playing human chess, basketball, shuffleboard, or scampering up the rock-climbing wall. There was even a driving range where you can work on your swing or you could just grab a deck chair, a smart cocktail and people watch.

Outdoor area - Norwegian Pearl

After the 7 days to cross the Atlantic we would be making ports of call in Ireland, France, England, Belgium and finally, the Netherlands. Each excursion gave us about one day to explore. The ship offered a multitude of excursions but do your homework, sometimes a third-party company offers a better price and a more interesting itinerary. The major bonus with booking a ship’s excursion is you’ll never miss the boat. If you’re not back in time from a private excursion the boat will leave without you. 

Part two of this journey will cover all of the shore excursions in Ireland, France, England, Belgium and then 3 nights in Amsterdam.

Bon Voyage!

Norwegian Cruise on the Gem - Eastern Caribbean - Part 1

What better way to spend a wintry January than on a nine day cruise sailing through the eastern Caribbean?

I had sailed on the Gem about four years ago and really enjoyed the ship's mid-size. The larger boats just have too many people on board. This ship, which had just had a renovation, was in pristine shape. It can handle a maximum of 2384 passengers, 1154 crew and it's 15 decks tall. Traveling with me was Bud Santora and our stateroom was a balcony suite on the 11th deck. That's higher than my apartment in New York City!

It just so happened that I was gone from January 21st till the 30th, during the time of New York City's (almost) hurricane nor'easter. It was chilly sailing out of New York's harbor but as always, very exciting.

Staten Island Ferry

And the two and a half days it would take to get to Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, our first stop, gave Bud and I a chance to check out the boat.

There's the casino...

the bowling alley...

interesting glass sculptures...

and of course the many bars to explore. There are several different singers performing on the ship in a multitude of lounges and at the main stage Stardust Theatre...

there's a different show every night. Rod Long (yes, that is his name) was the comedian on board, Chip Romero was the magician/comedian, Second City comedy troupe did a show one night and there were the Norwegian Gem singers and dancers performing three different full scale productions during the cruise.

By day two it was warm enough to venture outside of the boat. As you can see there are pools, slides, hot tubs, bars, restaurants, and even quiet areas perfect for reading or just sunbathing.

The first port of call was Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It's so stunning sailing into San Juan Bay. Here you see El Morro. First erected as just a tower in 1535, what you see today, the citadel protecting the city, was completed in 1587.

Old San Juan is easily walkable and many streets still have their blue colored cobblestones.

And the architecture...

is splendid - from lovely doors to charming townhouses.

And the great lawn leading up to El Morro was simply breathtaking.

Families were picnicking, children flying kites and views of the sea were gorgeous.

 

As you can see, even the ancient stone walls of the fort are speckled with hundreds of years worth of weathering. What a glorious patina.

Entrance to El Moro.

Here is the lighthouse within the citadel.

Lighthouse

And in Old San Juan is El Convento. Built as a Carmelite convent 356 years ago, this splendid Puerto Rico luxury hotel is a loving restoration of Spanish Colonial architecture and design.

They have three terrific restaurants serving breakfast, lunch and dinner...or just stop by for a smart cocktail!

And just outside of El Convento is the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista.

A very formal wedding was just about to take place as we quickly stuck our heads inside and caught a glimpse of the second oldest church in the Americas.

Check out Old San Juan's art galleries, top rated restaurants or just enjoy strolling around this magnificent and graceful city. 

Part 2 of this trip includes St. Thomas, Sint Maarten and an emergency helicopter rescue by the US Coast Guard out at sea. (Not for me - I'm perfectly fine.)

Dolphins, Acrobats, Flamingos, and Mojitos! - Exploring the Breakaway - FL and Bahamas - Part 2!

After two days at sea on Norwegian's newest ship the Breakaway and discovering everything it had to offer, it was time time for a few ports of call and a variety of excursions. The first stop was Port Canaveral, FL.

There are a multitude of things to do not too far from the ship.

You can visit the town of Cocoa Beach, probably most famous for being home to Major Anthony Nelson (Larry Hagman) on the I Dream Of Jeannie television series. But from here you can also visit the Kennedy Space Center.

And if you don't mind the longish bus ride, you can go to Disney World and Sea World in Orlando. Both can fun but exhausting trips considering we were only spending about 8 hours in port.

The Banana River

Dizzy Note: You can also kayak, zipline and speed along glades in airboats but trust me, if you have balance issues like I do, you're going to be out of whack for quite a while afterwards.

Hotel Not: If looking for hotels in the Cocoa Beach area check out: The Inn at Cocoa Beach

On this trip I decided to take a ride on a pontoon boat that gracefully made its way along the Banana River. It also gave me a terrific chance to take better photographs.

Not far from the port, the river is actually a lagoon and only waist deep with brackish water. And we learned that brackish means a mix of salt and fresh water. But the river is lush with over 5,000 plant and animal species. Mangroves, salt marshes, sea grass beds, stingrays, dolphins, and manatees are just a few.

And the shorelines are peppered with houses and visited by very extroverted birds which included: roseate spoonbills, little blue herons, reddish egrets, white ibis, American oystercatchers,  bald eagles, least terns, skimmers, cormorants, belted kingfishers, and green heron.

Pelicans were abundant and I had never seen them roosting in mangroves before.

We were lucky enough to see dolphins several times.

*Note: If you are viewing this blog in an email, you probably will not be able to see the vids. But if you click-thru to the blogsite, you can.

Here's a single dolphin jumping. He came out of no where so I was pretty surprised that my camera was aimed in the right spot.

 

And two playing and flipping around on their backs in the water.

The only disappointment -  there were no manatees to be seen.

Several days earlier there were many but the moment the water temps go below 68 degrees they head to inland waterways that are warmer. I love manatees and you can adopt them! Makes for great gifts. Adopt A Manatee.

That night, back on the boat, we went to see Cirque Dreams  and Dinner -  Jungle Fantasy in the Spiegel Tent. Modified from the circus show that played on Broadway, acrobats, contortionists, aerialists, jugglers, and more showed off their skills, some of them quite death defying while we onlookers tried to digest a three course meal. The talent is amazing and right in your face but I wondered if it would have been a better idea to eat first and then see the show. Often I was conflicted; should I cut and chew or clap and shout?

Our next port of call was Norwegian Cruise Line's own private island in the Bahamas, Great Stirrup Cay.

It's a tiny island reachable only by tender boat. There's a beach and outdoor restaurants/bbqs/bar areas and plenty of activities like parasailing, kayaking, snorkeling, as well as jet skiing. Or you can just grab a lounge chair or hammock and dose off. A little something for everyone. But the best part is, when most cruisers jump ship to the island, the boat is quieter and the spa offers discounts for massages, facials, and all other types of services.

Salt Room in the Spa

Our third port of call was the capital city of the Bahamas, Nassau.

Hotel Note: If wanting a hotel in Nassau check out the highly rated: Island House

With just one day to explore, we packed in as much as we could. An escorted trip around town took us to the Fort Fincastle and behind it, the Queen's Staircase, named in honor of Queen Victoria.

And then it was a trip to the Ardastra Gardens and Zoo. There were Madagascar lemurs, Bahamian boa constrictors, and jaguars as well as peafowl (peacocks), Lory parrots . . .

He didn't like me.

and marching Caribbean flamingos! They actually did march on cue as a very orderly group. Strange but beautiful and they were very friendly (not like that parrot)!

And then we dashed over to the Atlantis eager to see their aquarium.

Atlantis Resort

There were all types of sharks, stingrays, eels, turtles, and fish but my favorite were the jellyfish. I HATE these creatures when they sting you in the ocean but in this environment, you could see how amazing and elegant they are.

The casino at the Atlantis had some really fascinating blown glass artwork.












An added bonus was stumbling upon Todd English's restaurant Olives.

My mouth is watering as I type this.

My travel mate, Bud Santora, and I sat down for a great lunch consisting of calamari fritti with spicy lemon aioli and - get this - the Arthur Avenue flatbread (roasted tomato, mozzarella, basil). We chased it all down with a couple of glasses of very chilled Pinot Grigio. Perfecto!

Once we were back on the boat it was another two days at sea as we made our way up the eastern seaboard . . . 

 but leaving the Bahamas I caught a glimpse of this rainbow.

There were still plenty of shows to see and restaurants to explore but one bar we kept going back to was Maltings. It also happened to be where most of the entertainers - the singers, the dancers, the acrobats - on the ship gathered when they weren't working, which was pretty . . . entertaining.

The bartender's name was Augustus and when you find someone this friendly and enjoying his job this much, it can really make the trip. One day he had a mojito tasting. Actually it was a tasting of 5 different mojitos ranging from - raspberry to coconut. And Augustus morphed into his alter ego, Moji from Cuba.

With all the specialty restaurants on board I still think my favorite was one of the main complimentary choices, the Manhattan Room. The food was really terrific as was the ambiance.

It had a supper club feel to it and there was a band playing during dinner service. But doesn't it kind of look like the main dining room in the movie The Poseidon Adventure? You know, the one where Shelley Winters, Ernest Borgnine and Gene Hackman fight to stay alive after their cruise ship flips over, upside down. I loved the theme song, The Morning After sung by Maureen McGovern. I was aching for the band to play it but not surprisingly, the song is banned from being performed on the ship. I thought it would be funny. They didn't seem to share my sense of humor.

And before we knew it, we were back in New York City.

Dizzy Note: With my vestibular challenges, every day, every step I take, it feels as though I'm on a ship at sea during rough weather. Ironically, when I'm on a boat, the sensation is canceled out.

When I tell friends that I really enjoy cruise ships, many shiver and say they would hate the entire trip. But interestingly, these are usually people who have never taken a cruise before. I know, I know - it isn't for everyone. But there are certainly enough people who enjoy it . . . to keep the industry afloat.

Bon Voyage!