lara_lox

Can you go for the show and just choose not to have the meal? They have a similar supper club on NCL where a few tables at the back are reserved for people who don't want to eat, just watch the entertainment. I know you could just leave what they bring, but I don't like food waste.

How terrible, poor Ted. Wishing him all the best and I hope the rest of you are still able to make the most of your trip.

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

I often sail on Thanksgiving as I was born on Thanksgiving and my birthday falls within a couple days around or on Turkey Day.  

 

I know they have a Turkey Dinner as one selection but also regular menu items.

 

They do decorate the ship a bit and the OceanView is decorated and feature Thanksgiving fare and pies.    Not really over the top.

 

The day after Thanksgiving they start decorating the ship for Christmas, so you will probably see more decorations than a normal cruise.

Happy Birthday in advance! I really appreciated your recent account of the Equinox, so thank you. You and Iain are the cruising couple that my wife and I aspire to be later in life!

We also said that we should have some fun and play our own Thanksgiving bingo - have a drink for every pre-detemined themed item we see, e.g. cornucopia, fall leaves, a 'Thankful' sign, a turkey shaped fruit and vegetable display. Who's in?!

I love the idea of a non-traditional/ethnic twist on a turkey dinner! That sounds much more interesting. It seems like there might be some cute decorations and themed items in the Oceanview Cafe that day to check out. 

Next week we will be on Equinox for Thanksgiving and I can't wait! Show me your previous Thanksgiving photos on Celebrity and share your experiences to give me a sneek preview! 🦃🦃🦃

Hello All,

Yes that was me who wrote the Solo Fashionista blogs, thank you for remembering me! You should be able to search for my reviews by my name and I think links are still in my signature but some photos might have expired.

I'm still cruising and also still happily married meaning less time to write about my trips! Maybe one day...

As always, Happy Cruising :D

Once again, thank you all so very much for the kind comments and well wishes, it's very heartwarming.

Despite all the bitchy, moaning posts here on CC, this is why I love this forum. It feels like a big family and you get to 'meet' and know so many people with a common interest.

Long live Cruise Critic! :D

Hmmm, strange, I'll try again....

Our ceremony, performed by our friend L, who you may recognise from the Carnival Sunshine cruise where M and I met.

S&M

My fabulous family, who know all about these reviews of mine so I'm sure won't mind me sharing this photo

And of course, SHOES!!!!!

lara, I'd love to see some of your wedding photos!

Aww, I'm happy to oblige.....

Our ceremony, performed by our friend L, who you may recognise from the Carnival Sunshine cruise where M and I met.

S&M!

My fabulous family, who know all about these reviews of mine so I'm sure won't mind me sharing this photo

And of course, SHOES!!!!!

Would you recommend one vs the other parking spots you mentioned in Miami? We usually leave our car parked at the hotel we spent the previous night at, then shuttle or taxi to the pier. Last time we couldn't get to the pier via our shuttle, till around noon, and we like to get there earlier. What time did you arrive to board and were you satisfied with the parking lots as far as feeling your car was safe, etc.? Thanks

We used Safe Cruise Parking twice now, the other site I mentioned, Park Jockey, was just a booking site. I was happy with the SCP, it's enclosed and is locked up over night. I never saw any vehicles that had been broken into or damaged either. I would use them again next time we cruise from Miami. We arrived maybe 11.30am ish as we had to drive down from further North, but the shuttles from the parking lot begin at either 10 or 10.30am. It's only a few minutes ride to the port, I'd say 10-15 mins max, even going to the various different piers for the different ships.

Day 7 – At Sea

We started the day, yup you got it, with coffee on the balcony! This was followed a Haven breakfast of fruit and pastries, with huevos rancheros for me and eggs Benedict for M. It was really busy in the restaurant this morning, and for the first time it felt like the staff were being really pushed. We waited a little longer than usual but it didn’t matter, we weren’t in a rush. There was an event in the Atrium with the stars from the Illusionarium, and although they were doing a few tricks, it seemed to be more of a question and answer show. We went to the library to get some Sudokus and again it was really loud, with everything from the Atrium filtering in. We retreated to the peace and tranquility of the Waterfront instead, where we read for a while and finally tried a mojito from the Sugarcane bar. I had a slightly spicy one, it was unusual but delicious.

We left there to attend the final art auction. We looked at the new artwork that had been displayed and this time brought drinks with us, as the free champagne being passed round last time had been in rather short supply. We were so close to the Atrium bar that it was easy to nip there for a bloody mary instead. We bid on several of the mystery packages, where you bid but it isn’t a final sale, you make an appointment to see your pieces again later and decide if you want to continue with the purchase. In the end we didn’t take any of them, we chose to save the money to go towards a piece we really want at a later date. We really enjoyed this auction though, it was much more fun than the last one and the auctioneer Chris was far less condescending.

By the end we were really hungry so we went to the Garden Café for a late lunch. I tried a selection of the Indian foods and I was really impressed. Since living in the US, I have really missed decent Indian food, which is very popular and very authentic in the UK. I’ve been thinking about the different curries and roti from the ship ever since I got back and M is actually taking me into the city tomorrow in an attempt to find my fix!

Stomachs happy, we returned to the cabin to get ready for the evening and pack, booooooo. We wanted to leave our cases outside the cabin ready for collection before we went out for the evening, so that we didn’t have to return later just to do this. We simply kept our small carry-on case with us to put the things from that night and the following morning in.

We had been left two plates of canapés today so we had one each on the balcony, and took a few photos

Tonight I wore a floral maxi dress with flat sandals and M wore a new black and white top, black jeans and flat black sandals. We went to the farewell show in the theatre, which featured the various musicians and dancers from the ship. We enjoyed seeing a few more routines by the Burn the Floor cast, and again agreed how good they were. The staff and officers then come to the stage and say goodbye. It’s a little corny but I always find this so touching and nice.

From here it was straight to the Haven. The lovely bartender Judith made me absolutely delicious Lemon Drop martinis, even though they weren’t on the menu, so I sipped a couple of these whilst we built up an appetite for our final supper. The Maitre D’ kept acknowledging us and signalled that he would tell us when ‘our’ table was free! We revisited some old favourites and had tuna poke and fois gras to start, followed by the filet Rossini and surf and turf, with the strawberry parfait for desert. As always, everything was excellent. I was slightly distracted by the greedy man who had nine, yes NINE, lobsters piled up on plates in front of him. The staff were always accommodating about getting people more food and additional orders but I thought that was ridiculous. We thanked and said goodbye to all the staff and had some photos with our amazing waiters Pauolo and Liza. They gave us possibly the best service I have ever had, anywhere. They are both a credit to NCL and we filled out Vacation Hero cards for both of them, and Judith from the bar, to let NCL know.

Pauolo arranged another cheese plate and glasses of wine for us to take back to our cabin for one last late night feast on our balcony. Because we went back to the cabin instead of staying out partying, our cases were still sat outside, so we were able to change into our robes and put our clothes in the cases. Chilling on the balcony, with three of my favourite things; my wife, cheese and wine, was the perfect way to end the cruise!

I am enjoying reading your reviews. It's getting me excited for my cruise on the getaway in October! At some point we need to try to get all the tots together for a reunion cruise.

 

Did you ever go down the freefall slides? I went on the Escape and will never do it again. I got stuck and almost had to be rescued!! Luckily I stopped on the 2nd hump where I could push myself down to the bottom - so only freaked out for a split second...

No I didn't do those slides in the end, and I was glad, I was a bit scared. And now you said that, I'm even more relieved I didn't! Oh and Debbie asked me if I wanted to do a mojito tasting, but I reminded her of our experience at the martini one on the Epic....:D

A tots reunion cruise would be amazing! I saw Cheryle at the weekend and she was telling me about the one you guys went on. Long live the Tots! :D:D

Day 6 – Costa Maya

Today was also going to be a beach day, because again it is so easy to simply get off the ship and get the trolley or a taxi to somewhere on the malecon. There is also a little beach and a big pool inside the port area, right at the end of the long pier. I don’t think going here would really give you an idea of what this port is like, as it is an area designed for cruise ship tourists, but it could be a very easy, fun day if you wanted something simple. As we neared the end of this trip we just wanted to make the most of the ship and so again decided to stay onboard. We got up fairly late and relaxed in the cabin with our morning ritual of coffee on the balcony, looking out over the beautiful port.

We went to the Flamingo Grill for breakfast as I specifically wanted a smoked salmon bagel, and I knew they had salmon up there. It was very good, and I liked the way it was much quieter here than in the main buffet. We realised that we hadn’t yet walked the entire length of the Waterfront so we set about doing this. On each side of the ship are fixed binoculars to use, and they were pretty powerful. We were clearly able to see out onto Costa Maya and watch people ziplining and on the water slides at the nearby venue. There were also glass panels in the floor, over the ocean so you could look straight down into the water below. I thought they were cool but some friends who have seen the photos think it was scary! We took a few pictures as we walked round.

It was extremely hot today, even in the shade, and we found it too uncomfortable to sit out. We retreated into the welcome air-con of indoors where we got a drink form the Atrium bar, which we took to the library to read and do the puzzles they provide. I hadn’t been in the library yet, and I did find it to be in a bad location for what is supposed to be a quiet venue. It was down a corridor off the Atrium, and below O’Sheehans. This meant it was really loud, with whatever activity was happening in the Atrium very clearly audible, and there were disturbing bangs coming from above, I presume it was from the bowling alley in the pub. So if you want to read in peace, I would suggest finding a different spot.

It was then time for Trivia in the Atrium. We like to play trivia at home, though I am especially poor at it and tend to be the morale support instead of a useful participant! However, this was better because the questions were general knowledge and not American based, so for once I had a fighting chance. We whizzed through the game, which seemed to be on a strict schedule before the next activity. It was only for fun, not any kind of prize but we enjoyed it and the girl running it was friendly and chatted to us. M commented on how unusually, other than cruise director Scott, we hadn’t really seen any of the rest of the entertainment crew round and about on this ship. I knew what she meant, but I also thought that maybe we hadn’t been at the events they would hosting.

We ate lunch in our beloved Haven, where we shared a fantastic cheese and charcuterie platter, followed by tuna nicoise for M and the salmon entrée for me. Everything was as delicious as we had come to expect. M kept saying ‘Haven for life!’ everytime we went there, and I had to keep bringing her back to reality. She would glare at me and say, ‘We’ll see….’ Haha! We can dream.

Before sailing we had made reservations at La Cucina for our last night, but as we were enjoying the Haven restaurant so much, we wanted this to be our last meal instead. We swapped our reservations around and also changed tonight’s comedy show booking to fit in with this. One thing that wasn’t so good with the TV/screen reservation system was that you couldn’t cancel anything, meaning that venues would still show as full even if people knew they wouldn’t be attending. The only way to change this was for the staff to do it for you.

I wanted to get some more sun, and as now it was later in the day and a little cooler, we headed up to the Haven sundeck to sunbathe and read in the clamshells. M was still too hot so she took advantage of the plentiful shade. She hadn’t had her bingo fix yet this cruise so we went to Headliners to remedy this. Despite the best efforts of the host, it fell a bit flat really, with little fun or audience participation. People were instead rather grimly clutching their cards, glowering round at the competitors, hoping no-one would get Bingo before them! No, we didn’t win, we just spent even more than usual as the cost of even the basic package had become noticeably more expensive and was a waste of money in my opinion, as even the winners would have not managed much more than breaking even. The game also lasted way longer than we had expected, and due to our reservations for the 7pm comedy show, had only a matter of minutes to shower, change and dress for the evening. I wasn’t impressed but I somehow managed it. Finally opening the bottle of fizz we had received in our cabin on the first day helped!

As tonight was the neon party, where you are encouraged to wear white, we had planned outfits for this. (Obviously, it is me after all!) I wore a green leaf print vest with white cropped jeans and wedges, and M wore a white top with blue jeans and cream wedges. We took the rest of our bottle to the comedy show with us. I hadn’t wanted to miss this as this show was Mark Viera, the guy we had seen and liked best in the theatre comedy show. He was very funny again and we were glad we had made it.

After the show it was time for La Cucina. Now this is an al a carte venue, instead of a set cover charge, the menu is a lot different. The pizzas have gone and there are fancier entrees. Despite our waitresses encouragement to try several dishes each, because we hate wasting food, we did our usual trick of simply splitting each of our meals. We had the spinach and ricotta ravioli and the veal stuffed eggplant to start, followed by the osso bucco and the seabass for our entrees. This was more than enough food and we were too full to manage more that a few bites each of our tiramisu. Everything was very good, and the service was excellent. After the disappointment of Moderno, my faith in the speciality restaurants was restored.

After dinner it was time for the Neon Party, formerly known as NCL’s famous White Hot Party, up at Spice H2O. We found our friends D & D at the bar, where we also got seats and a good view of the stage and dance floor. The deck was packed! The DJ was great and the production, with screen graphics and lazers, was fantastic. It was so busy and hot that didn’t fight our way to the dance floor, but stayed where we were. There were a lot of 18-21 year olds whenever we went to the parties at H20, and I think there a meeting scheduled for them there each night. Parents were able to sign a permission form at guest services, allowing 18-20 year olds to buy wine or beer, so a lot of them seemed to be making the most of this. Some of them were so rude though, especially the girls! They kept pushing past us at the bar and barking orders at the extremely busy bar staff. One girl obnoxiously demanded a drink, so I turned to her and said ‘Please!’ and told her not to be so rude, manners cost nothing. At least the guys with her seemed to understand the demand they were placing on the staff and kept tipping them extra and thanking them. Not long later, the same girl came back and had her card refused, because she was now using her mother’s in order to try to buy liquor. The barman pointed out that whenever they scan your card, your photograph shows up, so he could clearly see it wasn’t her. Silly girl!

Anyway, rant over! We had a great time and the party lived up to it’s reputation as the best party at sea.

Hi Lara!

It's great to be reading one of your reviews again.....u are the main reason I plucked up the courage to do my first solo cruise a year ago on the epic, after reading your awesome reviews & it was the best thing I ever did! :) so thank u so much for that. I am heading off on a reunion cruise next week on the escape with the solo's I met last year.....and I just have a question.....I noticed u wore shorts to Moderno? Is this allowed now? Last year we had to go to Taste rather than Manhattan as a couple of people had shorts on, so I assumed u couldn't wear them in the speciality restaurants either. It looks like u got away with it tho, if I could wear a pair of dressy shorts a couple of the nights I would be so happy! Altho I have bought a ridiculous amount of skirts now ;) I am also in 2 minds whether to take my wedges now after seeing you in yours! :)) can't wait for the rest of your review & congratulations on meeting your soul mate & getting married!! X

Thank you! I'm so glad I helped you make that decision and you had a great time.

With regards the shorts, I have never seen a woman have an issue with smart dress shorts or a romper, I don't think they are any different than a skirt. I think they are referring more to men's shorts and beach or board shorts for women.

Also, it is only Manhattan Room (or the equivalent) and the smarter speciality restaurants such as Le Bistro, Cagneys and maybe some of the new ones like Ocean Blue that have the stricter dress code. Though I would only wear shorts on my more casual nights anyway, that is why I had them for Moderno's. I think like me, you would be fine as long as you weren't planning on the smarter dining venues.

Oh and I say definitely take your wedges, they are a cruising staple for me!

I am loving your review, as always! Great photos too, love both of your dresses and outfits. I must ask though, after this wonderful honeymoon cruise in the haven on NCL, will you both consider ever going back on Carnival?

 

I am going on my 8th Carnival cruise in September, and have the NCL Escape booked for my 2017 cruise, and am very much looking forward to something different. It is not that I don't like Carnival anymore, but just that I feel I need to experience something different, after 8 cruises. I am booked in one of those solo studios, and not worried at all about the lack of space or window. I know that I will enjoy no matter what, since I even enjoy short ferry rides, or longer ones with crummy cabins. Just loving being on a ship or a boat.

 

I will no doubt some day go back to Carnival, since I love their crew, and enjoy lots of the Carnival ship experience. Just wondering if you and M will ever venture back to Carnival. Look forward to more of your review.:)

We probably will end up going back to Carnival at some point, just because they always have ships based at Port Canaveral, which is so close to where we live. However, we already agreed that we would only go on the larger, newer ships because we weren't impressed with the standard of food and lack of speciality restaurants on the smaller ship we tried. I agree about their entertainment and crew being great though, especially their comedians.

I do love NCL though, and enjoyed returning to them. There are positives and negatives to each line, and some of that is down to that particular ship rather than the line. I imagine we will continue to mix between the two, depending on which suits us best at the time. Though, with the drinks and dining packages included by NCL in the 'Free at Sea' promotion, it makes their costs better value for us than Carnival at the moment.

The Haven has probably spoiled us no matter what though! But like you, I just love cruising and will always have a good time wherever I am.

So timely that you are doing a new review. I am new to NCL so I have not seen any of your prior reviews. I am 27 and will be going on my first solo trip (the others have been with large family groups). I am bit nervous but I started reading your first review last night and it already has gotten me really pumped. I feel like we would be great friends, I am obsessed with clothes and have been using my study breaks to online shop for cruise outfits. Congratulations to you are your wife. You two are both gorgeous and I will enjoy learning more about you two from your other reviews. Who knows? Maybe I will find Mr. or Mrs. right on my cruise :D

Thanks for the congratulations and for reading :)

Good luck with your first solo cruise, remember it is your vacation, do what you want and don't worry about what anyone else thinks. If you like socialising, be friendly and just pluck up the courage to chat to people, you will be surprised how receptive they can be. I'm sure you will have a great time :D

Day 5 – Cozumel

Today we were meant to stop at Costa Maya, but about a week before sailing NCL sent out emails advising everyone that due to port overcrowding, Costa Maya and Cozumel would be switched. This didn’t make any difference to us, and I had already asked Butts Up what would have happened with our excursion if the ports got changed, as I had read that on a few earlier sailings, Belize and Costa Maya were getting swapped. So either way, if you’re sailing on this cruise soon, be aware that this does seem to be happening a lot and you might need to change your plans.

I woke up this morning having finally had a good night’s sleep, and feeling so much better for it. It was coffee on the balcony as usual then breakfast at the Haven. I had the classic eggs Benedict and M had the seafood eggs Benedict. Both were delicious. We took our time eating then getting ready to leave the ship, as we were in no rush today.

We have been to Cozumel twice before and know how easy it is to get a taxi to one of the beaches, so our plan was exactly this. We had been thinking about returning to the Paradise Beach Resort, which we really enjoyed last year (More than Mr Sanchos later that year). However, when the port days got swapped, so did where we docked. We were now at a pier further north, called Punta Langosta. This is right in the shopping area, and is a good spot for those wanting to just get off the ship and walk about, shop or find a restaurant. It also meant it was a bit further away to Paradise Beach, Chanakaab, Mr Sanchos etc. Plus, we decided that with the luxury of the Haven pool and sundeck, there wasn’t much point going to the pool at Paradise Beach. We wanted to snorkel, but without the confines of taking an excursion. West Bay Beach at Roatan was meant to be one of the best places for this, but seeing as we didn’t get off the ship in Roatan, we decided to snorkel in Cozumel instead. We had brought our own masks, snorkels and fins, we just needed the sea and the fish! I read about the Money Bar Beach Resort on Sunset Beach, and how you could walk right into the sea and snorkel, so we wanted to try there. We figured that if we didn’t like it we could just move onto somewhere else. We went to the taxi stand outside the port shops and the main guy asks where you are going, gets you a taxi and tells the driver where you’re going. The prices are set and clearly displayed a board. Once we were on our way I became rather worried that we were being taken to the wrong place because I had lost my bearings and thought we were travelling further than we should be. The driver’s English wasn’t good, so I couldn’t check with him, and I thought he was telling me that Money Bar and Sunset Beach were two separate places. I was relieved when I saw the signs and recognised the beach from photos online, but our driver charged us $14, $2 more than the posted sign, I think I must have annoyed him! I didn’t bother quibbling, it was only 2 dollars and we had made it there in the end.

There is only a small strip of sandy beach with loungers on, which does indeed lead right in to the sea. There was a hut to rent equipment from, basic changing rooms and some lockers. There was a nice, covered bar and restaurant area, with further seats outside overlooking the sea. The bathrooms were large, clean and air conditioned. There was no charge to enter or use the loungers, though I imagine you had to either buy something or rent equipment. The waiter didn’t come over to us, maybe because we were in the furthest secluded spot from the restaurant, so we went up to the bar ourselves. We only bought a couple of sodas but no-one pressured us to buy more. The bar staff weren’t very friendly to me when I went up to ask for more ice, and told me off for having sand on me. They laughed rather meanly and said things to each other in Spanish that I couldn’t quite understand but don’t think was very complimentary! Oh well, it was a open beach bar, and I was polite so I don't see what the problem was. I wasn’t going to let that bother me or ruin my experience there. The setting was really pretty and we saw a decent amount and variety of fish.

There was a funny moment when a guy came by with a big colourful parrot on his shoulder, asking if anyone wanted photos. We declined and as they walked off I wondered out loud if he was drugged to keep him happy. M looked over and said she didn’t know how I could tell, why would he be taking drugs in the day time? I meant the parrot, not the guy…… Cue that kind of hilarity when something isn’t really that funny but you get giddy and laugh until your sides hurt!

When we were ready to leave, there were several taxi drivers sat right outside waiting. It was an easy ride back to the ship, where we quickly washed and changed before going to O’Sheehans for a late lunch. We split jerk chicken wings then each had a burger. They were all very good, better than I had expected actually and we liked our meal. We were full and sleepy afterwards so we napped on the bed loungers in the Haven for a while before enjoying another Jacuzzi in our cabin.

This evening I wore a multicoloured floral dress with cream wedges and M wore a green dress with black wedges.

Before dinner we donated some money to the casino, using the in-bar screens and the quarter drops (ohhhh yes we are high rollin’ gamblers us two!) We ate in the Haven and chose to have several appetisers each rather than entrees. I had the bouillabaisse, which I found a little too rich and salty for my tastes, the revered fois gras, yum yum, and a truly delicious ahi tuna poke. The tuna was exceptional, full of vibrant fresh flavours and the fish melted in the mouth. M had butternut squash soup with duck confit, the pork belly and a pancetta salad. All her dishes were good but not her favourites. Afterwards we split the pear and ginger crumble. It was an unexpected but delightful presentation; a perfectly poached pear surrounded by a light biscuit crumb, served with a honey and ginger sorbet. It was one of our star deserts.

After dinner we went to check out the Latin Fiesta at Spice H2O. There was great live band and some of the Burn the Floor dancers were teaching people dances. The entertainment staff also led everyone through various routines people seemed to know, and I realised these were the various dances that had been taught throughout the week in the Atrium. We found seats and people watched whilst enjoying the music. M was very happy, singing along to some classic songs from her youth, though I didn’t recognise any of them! Although I love to dance, I just can’t get the Latin flair down, I guess it simply isn’t a rhythm I grew up with. I will practice for her….

We ended the night with cheese and wine (again supplied by our lovely Haven waiter Pauolo) on our balcony. Perfect!

Day 4 – Belize

Today was the one port we had pre-arranged plans for. Last year in Belize we visited the Mayan Ruins, and although we really enjoyed it, we wanted to try something different this time. I had never been cave tubing, though M did it a few years ago. I prefer to use local tour operators, as they tend to be a lot cheaper and generally less crowded than the ship excursions. I did lots of research and decided to go with Butts Up, cave-tubingdotcom. They had good reviews and charged only $35pp if you booked in advance. You didn’t pay until after the excursion and this was one of only a few companies where they take the tubes to the river in advance for you, so you don’t have to carry them yourselves.

I woke up still a bit sick so I wan’t very hungry. We ate a quick breakfast in the Haven, where M had an excellent omelette. Another Haven perk was priority disembarkation and tender. We didn’t have to pre-book a tender time like everyone else, instead, as soon as we were ready, we were escorted down through the back staff elevators to the front of the line and straight onto the boat. The tender ride took about 20 minutes and we easily found the Butts Up crew right outside the terminal. Some vendors are inside the port area, but I already knew from the clear Butts Up email instructions where we had to exit to find them.

It was a one hour air conditioned coach ride across Belize to the company’s headquarters, during which one of the guys talked about the history of Belize and passed round small samples of the local cashew wine to try. Butts Up offer several different tour packages, and whilst we were only doing cave tubing, other people were also doing ziplining and/or the ATV course. We weren’t sure how this would work, but rather than separate everyone, the ATV people got off at the headquarters and did this, and we picked up the group that had just finished. From there we drove a few minutes to the tubing site. Here we had the opportunity to change if needed, and were equipped with life vests and helmets. M and I had come dressed ready, wearing swimwear/sportswear combos and water shoes. This meant we were comfortable for both the trek through the jungle to the start of the river, and also the tubing in the water.

The people also doing ziplining were quickly led away to get the tubing done first, where as those of us in the tubing only group went at a much more leisurely pace, with our guide stopping to tell us about the wildlife and plants in the jungle. The trail through the jungle was an easy dirt path, no climbing or real hiking, though we did have to cross through the river in quite high, strong water several times. Still, this wasn’t difficult, and the older people and young children managed fine. The guides were very good at helping people if they needed it too. At the start of the caves, all the tubes are joined together, then the guides pull and push you down the river when the current isn’t strong enough to do so. The caves were magnificent and the water was cool and refreshing. We came out the other side of the caves and had about another 20 minutes floating down the river through the jungle. I was covered from head to toe in both insect repellent and high factor waterproof sunscreen. This was a necessity for my fair, English, bug attracting skin! Once finished, we had chance to very quickly use the basic showers and change into dry clothes. We had been able to leave all of our belongings on the locked bus whilst we did the excursion itself, and everyone, regardless of their tour combo, was brought together and met up on the same original bus. We were then taken back to the headquarters where we were given hot chicken tamales and had the option to buy soda, beers etc. We had planned ahead and brought water instead to stay hydrated throughout the hot day. From here it was an hour drive back to the ship. The tour guides loved my English accent and as we were in the very front seats, chatted to M and I the whole way, even requesting hugs from the British Girl when we got back!

We were back at the port in plenty of time before the last tender and would have had time to shop, walk about etc if we wanted to. I was really annoyed how several people completely ignored the short line that was formed whilst officials and NCL staff checked our cruise cards before getting on the tender, and just pushed right past. Rude people and bad manners make my blood boil, grrrrrr!

Back on the ship, we headed immediately to the Garden Café buffet as we were really hungry. I had sandwiches and M tried a burger. Everything was fresh and tasty and we easily found a table looking out to sea by walking right to the back of the buffet. After lunch we had coffee and today’s treat of chocolate strawberries on the balcony. Because we had a Spa Suite, we had access to the Thermal Spa. With the Haven area and the excellent weather, there was little need to use this, though had the weather been cool or rainy, this would be the perfect area to take advantage of. Today though, after our active morning, we decided that this was the perfect time to try it out. We spent a lovely relaxing few hours alternating between the Thermal pool, hot tubs and steam rooms. The padded loungers also provided a great place to look out over the ocean and read.

We got ready for the evening, dressing fairly casually in black shorts, a leopard print vest and flat sandals (me) and a black jeans, a graphic print top and flat sandals (M).

This evening was the only show where the three comedians on board each performed in the theatre, and we were keen to see this, especially after I missed last night’s show in Headliners. We stopped by the Haven lounge first to get some of those delicious Bee Charmers to take with us. There were no reservations for this show, but we still got seats fine by getting there a bit early. The content was family friendly due to the time (7pm) and both the two main comedians and the host were all funny, though we definitely liked Mark Viera the best.

After the show we had reservations for Moderno, the Brazillian Steakhouse speciality restaurant. I have always really enjoyed Moderno on previous ships and had been telling M how good it was. The varied, plentiful salad bar was excellent, as remembered, but the main event of the the skewered meats were sadly nowhere near as good as before. There was nothing particularly wrong with anything, or reason for complaint, they simply weren’t as tasty or tender. The lamb chops were the only option I really enjoyed, and neither of us ate loads. Desert was a washout and the coffee undrinkable. Also, the service was certainly lacking. The Maitre D pretty much ignored us when we arrived, just muttering and pointing us to a hostess, and our waiter, though efficient enough, was not friendly and appeared bored and irritated. I was initially really disappointed, but on reflection, it wasn’t a bad meal, in fact some elements were very good, but I would have not been happy had I paid the upcharge, rather than being on the dining package.

After dinner we used the interactive display in the Haven to look at the photos taken of us on the ship. I think there were more of these machines in the photo gallery area. They are a great idea, and must save a lot of paper and ink compared to the old way of printing out every photo, whether you want it or not. We both felt really cold tonight so we stopped by our cabin to get cardigans before wandering round the ship some more. We went for a drink in the Sugarcane Mojito bar, and although there was a piano player providing live music, the atmosphere was a but too chilled for that time of night, so we went in search of something more lively. We found the 80s party on deck at Spice H2O, and it was buzzing! There was a lively vibe and Scott the cruise director was doing a great job of keeping the party going. There were ‘Special Guests’ Bon Jovi, Madonna and Tina Turner, guests roped into dressing up and impersonating these acts, which was very daft and very funny. Scott’s 80s wig and costume were also rather entertaining!

At 11.15pm in Fat Cats there was a one off magic show by the acts from the Illusionarium. As we didn’t plan on going there, we wanted to make sure we saw this show. It was good and all the acts were impressive, in particular the third guy, who was amazing and we had no idea how he did his tricks. This rounded off the evening for us nicely.

Thanks Blondie, and I'm glad to be of help ;)

We wanted to do the ropes course and even made sure to bring closed toe and heel shoes for just that reason, but unfortunately we never got round to it. It looked fantastic though. Oh well, I guess we will just have to go back!

No plans for the next cruise just yet, as I have to think about a trip back to England to see everyone next, but there's always some cruise planning at the back of my mind...

Day 3 – Roatan

Despite an early night, I slept really badly and woke up feeling as though I was getting sick. Nooooooo, not when I’m cruising! My body must have heard me because after a coffee on the balcony I was feeling a bit better. We went to the Haven for breakfast and were very glad we did. After fruit and pastries from the buffet, I had the salmon frittata and M had huevos rancheros. Both were excellent. We hadn’t made specific plans for today in Roatan, we just figured that we would get a taxi down to West Bay Beach if we felt like it. Once we upgraded to the Haven, we decided that we wanted to make the most of this opportunity and enjoy it and as a result we stayed on the ship. We had the Haven pool and sundeck to ourselves and we happily spent a few hours reading and dipping in the water. We went to check out the waterslides, and as expected, most people were ashore so there were no lines. They were so much fun! I did find that where the different pieces of the slides joined together there were ridges that really hurt my back. I was left with red marks on my skin, but it didn’t really stop me enjoying it. The rules for the freefall slides are very strict. You can have no jewellery on all, including wedding rings or body piercings. I already knew this and was prepared, but because my bikini pants had tiny metal beads on the ends of the ties, and M had decorations on her swimsuit straps, we weren’t allowed on. I didn’t mind too much as those slides actually looked rather scary!

Because we were still wet, we stayed outside and had a cocktail in Spice H2O. It was very hot back there and it didn’t seem like there was much of a breeze getting through. Unlike the Epic, this H2O is only one level, with no tiers going up, and the front part is just a stage area with no pool. There were some pretty waterfalls to cool off in, but I didn’t think this area was a nice as on the Epic. Just as well we had the Haven area to sunbathe in instead!

We ate lunch at the Flamingo Grill (yes it’s still there and not yet the for-fee Margaritaville like on some other ships) It will be a shame if this goes, as the food was authentic and tasty. We tried a bit of everything, but I especially enjoyed the chicken, rice & beans and meatballs. M is Latino and it even lived up to her standards. The food is buffet style and the same items each day, but there was a good selection. As we finished eating we saw D & D, our friends from the first night. They joined us and we chatted over drinks for the rest of the afternoon.

We had an appointment at the art gallery at 7pm so we ate our afternoon canapés and chocolates in our room and quickly got ready for the evening. Tonight I wore a red strapless maxi dress with black wedges and M wore white jeans with a new colourful top and black pointed cut-away court shoes (picked out by me!) After our appointment, where we decided not to buy anything at that point, we wandered round the ship for a while and had some photos taken. There was plenty going on, various games and quizzes, all family friendly at this time.

We went back to the Haven where we had more delicious fizz cocktails before dinner. I had the fois gras terrine. Oh my, heaven on a plate! This was one of the best dishes I ate this trip. M went with another winner, the short rib, which was as good as we remembered, and we split a goat’s cheese, beetroot and arugula salad. For entrees I had the sea bass, a huge thick portion of beautifully cooked fish, and M had a rich and flavourful mushroom ravioli. This was yet another Haven triumph. We returned to the cabin to change M’s shoes as they were hurting her. We had reservations for the 11pm comedy but as we sat down I suddenly felt ridiculously tired, to the extent that my eyes were closing of their own accord. I convinced M to stay and watch the show, but I had to leave and collapse in bed. I was sound asleep in seconds and didn’t even stir when M came in. In the morning she reported that I didn’t really miss out, and whilst Brad the comedian was funny, the show was nothing special.

Thanks everyone! I'm glad I've still got it ;) There's no point writing if you guys don't enjoy it

 

How much luggage did you take with you? 😜

Less than you might imagine lol! We had two suitcases, but they weren't really full, and I always take a carry on bag with that night's outfit it just in case...!

Day 2 – At Sea

First things first, the bed was amazingly comfy, like being wrapped up in a giant marshmallow! I was starting to feel the difference of having a suite, especially when I was able to address one of my long standing irritations of cruising, bad coffee. Having the Lavazza machine in the room was a simple, but great bonus for me. Starting what was to become our morning routine, we took our coffees out onto the balcony. I put on one of the robes provided, which was lovely but massive! We also had slippers provided, but it was only later that I realised they were two different sizes and I could fit into the smaller pair.

When we left the cabin, we had a letter waiting for us outside. The night before we had walked through the art gallery and stopped to chat with the staff there. They had cleverly noted our preferred artists and sent us further information on them, along with an invite to the auction taking place later that day. I thought that this was a nice personal touch. We were both feeling rather rough after our night of unexpected shots and partying so we felt we couldn’t taint the oasis of the Haven with our hungover selves. Instead we headed to O’Sheehan’s for comfort food. We had to wait quite a long time for our breakfast, and the corned beef hash and omelette we ordered were only ok. O’Sheehan’s is open in the middle to the Atrium area below. This can be good for sitting and watching the events taking place below, but it also meant you could hear everything. A Sudoku challenge was taking place –ok, ok, not the most raucous of events I know – but the host was really loud and my bleary head did not appreciate this!

After breakfast we found a peaceful spot on the Waterfront to relax watching the waves go by. We got comfy seats with no problem, and it really didn’t feel like it was a sea day on a full ship. As other people have mentioned before, this would be a great place for those without a balcony to enjoy.

Today was the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet, held in Cagney’s. We stopped by and chatted to some great people, including a familiar face. I forgot to mention that completely by chance, and old cruise buddy of mine, who I met on the Epic a few years ago, was on this sailing too! The group of us from that cruise really got on and we have all stayed in touch ever since. D and her boys were also staying in the Haven so we had said hello yesterday, and it was just fantastic to be reunited with my lovely friend. Drinks and snacks were provided at the meet and greet, along with treats like little muffins and milkshakes being passed around. The officers attended and introduced themselves as usual.

Following this M and I went up to the Haven to continue our day of relaxation. The bottom level of the Haven outside area got pretty hot as it was sheltered from the breeze, plus there was a loud group in the hot tub, so we went up one level to the back sundeck. It was beautiful up there, nice and quiet, with an abundance of padded loungers, clamshells, and beds. There were also plenty of shaded areas for those needing some shelter like us. People were having food brought to them up there by the wait staff, and we discovered that this was a different outdoors menu with sandwiches, salads, burgers etc. We decided to eat in the cool of the Haven restaurant again, where we were greeted like long lost friends! We were seated at the same table as yesterday, one of the best in our opinion, right by the large window, and down the side of the room against the wall so there was no table directly next to us. This became ‘our’ table, and without us ever asking, the Maitre D’ would always tell the hostess to sit us there when possible, or signal to us when this table was available. Lunch was excellent. I introduced M to NCL’s famous chilled fruit soup, and then we had the tuna nicoise and cobb salads. Both were delicious, very fresh and tasty.

It was now time for the art auction, something M and I had both enjoyed before we met, as well as now together. We have several pieces and were lucky enough to attend one of Park West’s land conferences where we met several of their artists. This auction wasn’t the best though, it was extremely long, and as it was held in Headliners, meant sitting on those horrible hard chairs again. We weren’t very impressed with the auctioneer, who was confusing at times and worryingly unclear when it came to bidding. He was also very patronising, visibly surprised when M put her hand up in response to who owned a certain artist, and constantly implying that people knew nothing about the art he was presenting or auctioning. When the auction finished we were rather fed up and wondering why we hadn’t just left sooner. We saw a beautiful piece we were very interested in, but didn’t bid, instead making an appointment to see further works tomorrow. Despite our thoughts of the auctioneer himself, the other staff members, in particular Lauren and Candace, were excellent; very friendly and helpful.

On the way back to our cabin we got glasses of red wine to have with our cheese plate from the restaurant yesterday. We ate on the balcony and also enjoyed today’s afternoon treat from our butler, sweet canapés. It was then time to make use of that Jacuzzi! Sitting in bubbles looking out over the ocean – what a way to end the afternoon.

Tonight was Norwegian’s Night Out, and despite still feeling rather tired there was no way I wasn’t dressing up! As it was our Honeymoon, we had considered wearing our wedding dresses, which were formal gowns rather than traditional white wedding dresses. However, I felt they were just too dressy for this type of cruise (bet you thought you’d never hear me say that!) so we settled on wearing our wedding shoes instead. We had both picked dresses out, but whilst shopping I stumbled upon a short white sequinned dress with a gold and turquoise pattern that I simply loved. And it went with the shoes! M was then wondering what she could wear instead of her initial choice, which was more casual. I started looking through her closet and found a beautiful, deep purple gown I had never seen before. It was tucked away in a garment bag and she had forgotten she had bought it. WHAT?! I told her I couldn’t believe MY wife had done this ha. But problem solved.

We had been invited to the Captain’s cocktail reception this evening so once we were ready we went there, where we caught up with D and spoke to some of the crew. There was live music plus drinks and canapés being passed round. I didn’t want the Chardonnay on offer, as it’s the one white wine I particularly dislike, but the waitress was very happy to offer me an alternative and get us glasses of prosecco instead. We didn’t stay long as we had reservations to see Burn the Floor in the theatre. One word, WOW! It was amazing. An energetic, dynamic performance by extremely talented dancers, singers and musicians. The choreography, set and costumes were fantastic and the whole production was very professional. We both loved it and agreed we would have paid good money to watch it on shore.

We had also booked Le Bistro for dinner this evening, as this has been my favourite of the speciality restaurants in the past. We weren’t disappointed. The service was excellent and our food delicious. We had the French onion and mushrooms soups, lump crab salad and mussels, the veal and lamb entrees, ending with coffee and desserts. M told me I had to quote her on her thoughts about her Chocolate Napoleon, which was ‘Heaven for anyone who loves Nutella’! After so much food we were too full for the dance party as we had planned, so after a few photos we decided we had already had great evening and to call it a night.