APDMOM

Thankful for beautiful weater to capture my first sunrise on this cruise:

My View: Day 3 - Cozumel, Mexico

We had such a fun-filled day - I am just too tired to post anything meaningful tonight. I will catch up tomorrow, since we have the 'unplanned' sea day with Grand Cayman being cancelled. Thanks for all the 'likes' and for following along. 🙂

The Freestyle Daily - Day 2 TIP: I find that pictures lose a lot of definition in Cruise Critic posts, so the pdf version of the daily is the best option. Click to download: Day 2.pdf

My View: End of day 2 - At Sea

Choir of Man: We had 9:30 reservations for the show, but decided to go to the 7:00 standby line since we were getting tired. They immediately let us in at 6:48 PM - there was plenty of great seating left. At first, I did not think much of the show - the first song was not that great. It just kept getting better and better! The "a capella' songs were not that good, but most of the show was excellent. It is absolutely worth it! There is humor embedded throughout and perfect timing for beermug tap song. You have to experience it to appreciate it. TIP: Before the show, they let passengers sit on the set and interact with the singers. If you sit in the front or at an aisle seat closer to the front half, you may just be called on stage. Pictures cannot do the show justice. Before the show entertainment: The show - this lady (a passenger) was so funny & cute! She really made the show even better! I hope she sees this 🙂 The Beer Mug Taps were incredibly well coordinated! These guys have perfect rhythm.

Hope you enjoyed your cruise despite the rough seas. Thankfully, we did not see any glass shattering. Only a cart shifting back and forth in the Garden Cafe. No fun videos to say "I survived this" - but thankful at the same time for the crew who did not have to clean up a mess 😄

Happy Birthday @Stealthdog! 🎁

I will finish up today's views later - time to catch some zzzz's. See you in Cozumel 🙂

Our Dinner Choices: Pretzel bites (great - so good they did not make it to the pictures) Soup (Daily soup is the same as the one in the Garden Cafe - this was clam chowder): BBQ Wings: Spinach and Artichoke dip with chips: Rueben Sandwich: Cuban Roast Pork: Dress up or not: Since it was dress up or not night, we decided "to not to" (Who knows the movie this comes from? 😄) It seems a vast majority of passengers shared that idea - saw maybe only 5% of people sort of dressed up.

Dinner at O'Sheehans: The Menu (They no longer have the Shepherd's pie, which was one of my favorites, but it was always hit or miss whether it was prepared well):

Yes, it is. I agree! I have noticed the crew and staff on the ship are exceptionally friendly and seem very happy to work here. I believe most of that has to do with a caring management team. 🙂

My View from the Balcony: Ship-spotting... Mariner of the Seas chasing a rainbow: Mariner of the Seas Disney Dream: ...and the occasional container ship:

TIP: Garden cafe has an interesting layout. When you take the aft stairs, you enter the middle of the cafe. Most people just stay to that part of the cafe. The aft is often empty - I noticed many officers dine there. As a bonus, you get to have an aft view - so make sure you walk to the aft for good seating. Another tip - walk all the way around the Garden Cafe. There is a station that offers Indian food in only one location. The crêpe station is also only in one spot toward the aft. Familiarize yourself with the layout so that you don't miss out on the few unique offerings.

Lunch at Garden Cafe: I had one of the best desserts yet on a cruise - Mexican Chocolate Cake

Today's Color Schemes: I loved the red and wanted to take a picture after our evening show, but the color scheme had changed again. Hopefully, the red will come around again.

Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle: We appreciate that NCL still puts on the Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle. It was a great opportunity to meet some of the officers. They spent almost 30 minutes talking to everyone and making sure we are enjoying our cruise.

We enjoyed an early breakfast in the Garden Cafe, before it got busy. At 9:30, we went back to get a cup of coffee. It was packed. The crew member by the door recommended American Diner, which has complimentary breakfast (also buffet style). They offer very basic breakfast - not a whole lot of variety, but the seating was plentiful. Unfortunately, the coffee was not good. We had read that coffee is very 'hit or miss' on this ship - which we found to be true.

The Storm: It was definitely a rocky night. It caused the ship to lose 4 hours of time due to strong current and winds. So, our arrival in Cozumel is delayed. Grand Cayman is already cancelled. Since we are cruising for the ship experience this time, we are not too disappointed - the only downside is that the ship will continue to be crowded with the extra sea day. Thankful that we did not need one of these 🫢 - provided at every staircase on the railings for seasickness:

My View: Day 2 - At Sea

TIP: Note that the internet procedures have changed (at least since the last time we cruised and even from recent posts I read on CC). Once you choose Escape wifi and register for the first time, you can go directly to the browser to log any device in. If you buy the 'one device' package, you can log one out and log into another one - One device means "One at a time" (unlike MSC where you can literally only use one device). You now connect by typing in "loginnow.com" If you purchased minutes or have th 150 free minutes, be sure to type in "logoutnow.com" in your browser and click log out so that you avoid losing minutes.

The Freestyle Daily - Day 1 Port Canaveral Click to download: Day 1.pdf

My View: End of Day 1 - Port Canaveral Since I cannot offer you a view of a sunset, here is one to wish you "Welcome Aboard!" (And not on the train)

Evening Entertainment: The Other Guys TIP: This group has more then one performance, and the shows differ. They also perform in The Supper Club. This was a fun and entertaining show. Although the intonation was not always perfect, the show was well worth it - a fun and relaxing way to end the day. We plan on seeing them again later this week, when they will perform a tribute to The Jersey Boys:

Goodbye, Port Canaveral - see you in a week: