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Another Epic trip as the Solo Fashionista goes Stateside!

lara_lox

By lara_lox,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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lara_lox

lara_lox

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I’m back! So once again, here goes… For those of you who don’t know me I will tell you a bit about myself before I get onto the good stuff. And for those of you who have read my reviews before, sorry for the repetition, just skip this bit! As usual I will write in purple so you can easily tell which posts are mine and which are comments.

 

I’m a 28 year old, (terminally!) single girl who lives in Manchester in the UK. This was my 4th solo cruise, 3rd with NCL, 2nd on the Epic and 1st time in the USA/Caribbean as an adult. I sailed the Eastern Caribbean itinerary on 19th Jan 2013, from Miami, stopping at St Maarten, St Thomas and Nassau. I have only done European cruises previously because it was a lot closer, easier and not to mention cheaper! I didn’t quite dare come all the way to the US by myself before but this time I figured I’m now used to travelling alone so why not take the plunge and try something new. I’m fairly independent and confident but I had to admit I was a little nervous about this trip – I had to worry about layovers, changing flights and most of all staying on land by myself, as I wasn’t going to fly all the way to the US without spending some time there first.

 

As for those of you who are wondering about the solo thing, I’m not some lonely little weirdo with no friends. (At least I don’t think I am! :eek:) I initially cruised solo a couple of years ago because all my friends and family were in relationships/had children/couldn’t get off work at the same time/had no money etc. However I now do it not out of necessity in order to have a holiday, but because I love it! I get to do what I want, when I want and meet loads of people I probably never would have if I were travelling with someone.

 

So that’s me!

 

As you will already be able to tell, this is not going to be a quick ship review. I write detailed, journal-entry blog type posts interspersed with amateurish photos. The pictures will be of people rather than places or venues, as there are tons of far better shots of the ship and ports etc out there on the web than I could do. So I try to go for the atmosphere and experience instead.

 

I will focus specifically on the solo aspect, food (because yummmmmm, I love food) and of course FASHION! Everyone always questions what to wear on a cruise but very few actually show what they wore or discuss it. I like to take pride in my appearance and look what I consider to be nice. Many of you will by now know that I always have an ‘Outfit of the Day’ picture taken especially for you guys! Yes I dress up even on NCL – I believe ‘Freestyle’ is about the choice to wear what you want, not a mandatory dress down concept! Though this cruise I actually dressed more casually than normal, probably because I’ve gotten some decent wear out of all my dressier dresses from cruising a lot over the past few years. So that’s my disclaimer – if it sounds awful to you, please don’t read everything then have a go at me, leave now! If you choose to continue, then thank you, more to come…

 

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lara_lox

lara_lox

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Day 1 – Travelling

 

I woke up horribly early on a typically English, freezing cold, dark morning. I actually had to scrape the ice off my car in order to drive, shivering, to Manchester Airport :( But I arrived with no problems and parked at one of the shuttle parks I had pre-booked. Craftily I parked in a space where I could see the entrance to the car park, so that I could wait in the warmth of my car until the next shuttle bus arrived, instead of freezing to death in the -3 degree cold. A short time later and I went through one of the smoothest check-ins I’ve ever had. The increase in security was very much noticeable, seeing I was flying into the US. I had plenty of time so I went for a breakfast bagel at Frankie and Benny’s, feeling like my holiday had now begun. A few cups of coffee later and I boarded my United Airlines flight to Newark. I was rather impressed with the standard of the economy seating and facilities actually. There were individual televisions in the headrests showing unlimited films and TV shows on demand. Plus they included ones that are only just out in the UK, and they helped my pass the 8 hour flight quickly.

 

We landed later than scheduled and so I was rushing about to make sure I didn’t miss my connecting flight. My biggest worry was that my luggage wouldn’t make it to Miami with me, as there is no one to share their things with you when you travel by yourself! So you can imagine my relief at the glorious sight of my polka dot suitcase trundling along the conveyor belt towards me! I grabbed it and caught the train over to the correct terminal in just enough time. A couple of hours later and I landed in Miami, I had made it :D

 

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lara_lox

lara_lox

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Day 1 cont. - Welcome to Miami:

 

When I travel I do loads of research, partly because I enjoy it but mainly because I think you need to be more prepared when you are alone. I had already found out about the Airport Flyer bus (#150) that goes from the MIA to South Beach for a set $2.35. After baggage reclaim I followed the pink signs in the airport for the Metro Mover and caught the train to the transport centre. Here a helpful employee helped me buy my bus pass from a machine then directed me to the correct stop. A bus came pretty quickly and took about 30 minutes to reach South Beach. I had already Google-Mapped my stop and how to walk to my hotel (Yes I know I’m a geek!) so I made it there easily with a 5 minute walk. I stayed at Essex House Hotel on Collins Avenue, as it was highly recommended on trip Advisor and I got a really good deal for staying for three nights. The hotel was as it looked on the online photos. My room was a little tired looking but very clean and nice enough so I had no issues.

 

Once I had checked in and refreshed myself I was ready to go for my first night out in Miami! I wore cropped beige trousers, a sparkly bronze FCUK vest and black wedges.

 

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I had a drink at the hotel bar, where I did feel a bit alone because it wasn’t very busy and a few people did the typical ‘surprised faces’ that I was travelling by myself. However the barman was lovely, chatting to me and letting me change my first two (horrible) glasses of wine to better a better one with no complaint! He also said I looked hungry when I told him I wasn’t eating yet and ordered me a complimentary spring roll appetizer from the hotel’s oriental restaurant Zen Sai. This was delicious and probably just what I needed.

 

Essex House is the sister hotel to a well known party hotel complex next door, called The Clevelander. So I walked next door, knowing it was really close and I didn’t have to worry about transport or anything. I wandered around the outside bars for a while before settling myself on a barstool for a few drinks. I didn’t drink alcohol for a month before my trip so I felt they were well deserved! Before long I got chatting to various people and ended up dancing the night away at the Clevelander until I had blisters on my feet and limped to bed rather tipsy at 3am!

 

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lara_lox

lara_lox

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Day 2 – Miami, The Day of the Dogs

 

I was woken up earlier than I had hoped by people in the corridor outside, the doors weren’t very sound proof. Seeing as this was my first morning in the US I decided I wanted to go to a real American diner for a traditional breakfast! I walked up to 11th Street Diner and it was just like ones I’ve seen on TV! I tried corned beef hash as I’ve never had it before and it was great. Grits, on the other hand, what is that all about?! Urghhhh, they were horrible! But that aside the breakfast was good with nice fresh orange juice and free refills of coffee, which you rarely get in the UK.

 

Outside it was cloudy but still warm so I went for a walk round. The Art Deco Welcome Centre on Ocean Drive was just down from my hotel and had loads of maps and leaflets for various attractions, definitely worth a visit if you hadn’t done any research. I was in a really good location, within easy walking distance of everything. I had been looking forward to hitting the beach, so I walked down and chilled on the sand even though the sun wasn’t co-operating. I managed about an hour before it started to rain hard enough that I had to leave, prompting me to go back to the hotel and take a nap.

 

When I woke up it had stopped raining but was still wet out so I went exploring. I walked along Collins Ave, went round the Lincoln Road Mall area then back down Ocean Drive, looking at all the shops, bars and restaurants I had read about. This was a really long walk, which made me hungry and tired so once I finally reached the Clevelander I got a table at the sidewalk café and had a turkey club, because I had $50 food and drink credit included in my hotel package. The food was much better and fresher than I had expected for a party bar, and was a HUGE portion!

 

It was still raining a bit on and off so I went and sat in the sheltered outside seating area of Essex House and read for a while. As I was there the free happy hour started in the lobby and of course it would have been rude not to participate so I had a glass of surprising good red wine. I needed some more water for my room so walked to a nearby 7-11 and on the way located a small restaurant I had found recommended on Trip Advisor. Otentic is a tiny French inspired restaurant on Washington Avenue, and I wanted to try it that evening. I thought it would be better to walk around looking for it now, whilst it was still light and I had flat sandals on, rather than in the dark wearing heels! I found it with no problem and the menu looked good, so I decided I would go there for dinner later.

 

I returned to my hotel and took my time getting ready. I wore a long black and white striped top over black leggings, with high heeled black suede court shoes.

 

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I stopped at the hotel bar for a quick (and delicious!) Lychee Martini, and chatted to the barman again. He was making a strawberry and champagne based cocktail for another customer and he poured me a small glass to try which I thought was nice of him. I then walked back up to Otentic. As I mentioned, this place is only really small with a few tables, so was pretty full when I arrived. I walked to the bar, which had several people sat at it, and asked the guy behind if I could please have a table for one. He looked at me, looked behind me and said ‘For two?’ I told him no, just one please, and he looked confused and again said ‘Two?’ Well I was clearly stood there by myself, asked again for a table for one and confirmed that I was eating alone. He looked at me shocked and I started to feel both a bit annoyed and a bit embarrassed. At that point a guy who was sat at the bar with his friend jumped in and said that they were eating at the bar and would I like to join them? So I jumped up (the stools were pretty high and I’m somewhat vertically challenged!) and sat with them. I couldn’t have found myself better eating buddies, the guys were great! The restaurant staff, after the initial confusion, were also very good, and immediately put down a complimentary amuse bouche of olive tapenade and a small glass of wine in front of me. Give me good company, food and wine and I’m happy :D

 

I had a goat’s cheese salad to start followed by the speciality dish of a huge piece of salmon on leeks and spinach. The meal was amazing! The food was so well cooked, very tasty and extremely reasonable priced for the quality. The guys I was sat with were local and only lived around the corner. They said they came to this restaurant about twice a week. Also whilst I was eating another guy came in with his dog (!) and got a pasta dish to go. The fact that locals eat there shows that this was good restaurant, not just one of the generic sidewalk places with special offers to attract the tourists. I would really recommend Otentic to anyone staying on South Beach.

 

Because I love dogs and was playing with the one the local man brought in, John, one of the guys that I was sat with, started telling me about his own dog. So I was delighted when after my dinner companions had said their goodbyes and left, John came back with his dog for me to meet! It was all a bit bizarre but in a good way. I have never seen a little white poodle with a Mohawk and bandanna before!

 

The restaurant began to empty as I finished my meal and one of the wait staff got chatting to me. He filled up my glass of wine twice without me asking him to and brought me a lovely little fruit tart when I said I was too full for desert. Of course I managed to try it anyway! You never get anything for free in the UK, so I was happily surprised how many little tasters and complimentary drinks I was being given. It did mean I was stuffed to the brim though so I paid before slowly walking off all that food. I wasn’t ready to go to bed but I was too full to hit a club or anywhere very lively so I wandered around for a while trying to decide where to go. I was just about to give up and go back to the hotel when I was handed a flyer for a small bar on one of the side streets. So I went to Lush, which had the following signs, which I had to sent to my best friend at home, who agreed that Manchester should have ‘Daycare for drunks’ too!

 

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I didn’t realise but it was ladies night, meaning women got their drinks for free. Again this isn’t something that they have where I live so I didn’t know what they meant! Lush was a small, really chilled, casual sports bar, with a mix of people there. There were some very drunk girls, who I guess had taken full advantage of ladies nights, playing beer pong with some equally drunk college-age lads, which was funny to watch. I also met my third dog of the night as an older lady was carrying a large fluffy dog around the bar with her! I sat at the bar and chatted to some locals for a bit, but I was really tired so I left at about 12.30pm and went straight to bed.

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lara_lox

lara_lox

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Day 3 – Miami, Brrr

 

I had a good sleep so woke up refreshed and not hung-over like the day before! This time I walked in the opposite direction and went to the News Café on Ocean Drive for breakfast. I sat on the terrace looking out onto the street, which was great for people watching. This place was more expensive than some of the nearby cafes and restaurants offering breakfast deals, but the atmosphere was good and the food nice. The coffee was particularly good, ‘real’ coffee, not instant rubbish. As I ate I noticed that lots of little white tents were being put up, lining the street, and Ocean Drive was shut to allow for this. It turned out that it was Art Deco weekend, and so these were little stalls showcasing art, antiques, crafts etc. Once I had eaten I wandered down and looked at these before walking back along the beach front. It was cold today, I was so disappointed as I was really hoping for a beach day. I had to go and change into my jeans and put a cardigan on to keep warm. Then I took my Kindle onto the rooftop terrace of the Clevelander, which had great views, and read for the rest of the morning.

 

I went to explore Espanola Way and did a bit of shopping on Lincoln Road, stopping for a frozen yoghurt to keep me going! There were so many nice looking restaurants on Lincoln Road Mall, I think it would be a great place to go for drinks and dinner in the evening. However, it didn’t seem right for a quick snack in the day so I returned to the Clevelander, where I sat at the bar outside and had a pizza and beer whilst chatting to the lady sat next to me. Once again I was pleased with the food, the pizza was thin and delicious. Just as I finished it started to rain again to I headed back to Essex House for happy hour and another glass of the nice wine.

 

I started to pack my cases back up before getting ready for the evening. (yes I said ‘caseS’ plural. As a true Fashionista I used my carry-on allowance to take a small wheel-on suitcase filled with all my shoes, so my checked case was full of clothes haha!) As it was Friday night I wore a dressy black long sleeved dress with really high gold platform heels.

 

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I stopped at the hotel bar where the bar staff had changed for the weekend. One of them was from a town very close to me in the UK so we had a laugh about the differences between the UK and the US. They made me try one of their speciality cocktails, a Ginger Saki Mojito, it was amazing!

 

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I had wanted to eat at the hotel restaurant Zen Sai, especially after the tasty appetiser I had on first night (open to the public and guests received 30% off) and had purposefully left it until my last day. Still sat at the bar I had stir-fried Bok Choi followed by a jumbo shrimp dish. They were much more filling than expected and very good indeed. The dishes are intended to be eaten tapas style, shared with others and it would have been great to go in a small group and try a bit of everything. I was having so much fun with the guys behind the bar and other people sat next to me that I ended up staying much longer than planned.

 

I then walked down to Mangoes, which is a cabaret type bar. It was $10 entry and a vodka & cranberry cost $13.50, so it was quite expensive. Inside staff did performances on the bar so I enjoyed myself wandering around watching the shows and people doing Latin dance to one of the live bands. The venue was huge, much bigger than I had expected, with all different areas, bars and dance floors. I got talking to a guy from Argentina who helped out with a couple of photos before I walked back to my hotel in the rain. He tried to persuade me to stay out longer but I declined, I didn’t want to be tired or hung-over on the morning, after all it was Cruise time, wooohooooo!

 

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mfinster007

mfinster007

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Thank you! I'm so enjoying your review and story telling. Like you, I'm terminally 28 (in my head at least). No really, a 54 yr old widow but I've been thinking about travelling solo for a while, you've confirmed it's a must. I can do whatever I want when I want, yea! You're also a packer after my own heary, I love variety and must always be prepared for my needs, weather, and moods... Options, options, options. Waiting for more. Thanks again.

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