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Norwegian Escape Day 6 - Sea Day, The Haven, And Amplitude

The Haven, Norwegian Escape

Earlier in the week, the Hotel Director, Jovo Sekulovic, invited me and SP to have dinner at The Haven Restaurant which is part of the ship-within-a-ship concept Norwegian has developed. Because we had reservations at Teppanyaki the evening of Day 6 and Cagney’s on Day 7, I asked the Hotel Director’s Secretary, Pamela, if we could dine at The Haven Restaurant for lunch instead... read more

Norwegian Escape Live Blog Day 1 - Embarkation Day

O'Sheehan's

With such a busy week, I hadn’t packed a thing yet. I had set aside some items in a Rubbermaid tote that I knew I wanted to take with me, then last night, I went to see Lady Gaga in concert at the Amelie Arena. Pretty fantastic show. Once I was back home, I started packing. Once I was done packing at around 12:45am, I went to print out my documents for the cruise. Surprisingly, because it was now December 2nd, the day of the cruise, my documents were no longer available to print. I knew this wouldn’t cause much of a problem at the port, but I would have liked to have something in hand just in case.  I got about four hours of sleep before waking up to drive down to Miami to start the Escape... read more

Norwegian Escape Live Blog - Preamble

It's almost December, so I can take some time off and plan some vacations, and with the hurricanes bearing down on the Caribbean at the end of last summer, I think not many people wanted to book cruises. Whether they were concerned about ports being operational or unsure if there would be more storms late in the season, I’m not sure. But their hesitancy is my gain. With the reduced public interest in cruising and an already quiet time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I was able to book a balcony cabin on NCL Epic for a crazy low price. Then prices kept coming down, so I invited a friend of mine to join me on NCL Escape to share a balcony cabin. You read this right… I’m taking two cruises in December on NCL, and for your entertainment, and Billy’s envy, I’ll be live-blogging them here on CruiseHabit.com... read more

HAL Nieuw Amsterdam Live Blog Day 7 - Half Moon Cay

Nice View of Nieuw Amsterdam from Half Moon CayThe last day of any cruise is a sad one, but to us, it’s a bit easier when the last day is a port day as the distraction of going ashore keeps us from dwelling on the inevitable.  On the final day of our Nieuw Amsterdam sailing we found ourselves visiting Half Moon Cay, Holland America Line’s private island in the Bahamas.  We enjoyed the tropical paradise, thought about how it compared to other private islands, and then went back onboard to absorb the last hours of what Nieuw Amsterdam had to offer us this cruise, including dining in the Pinnacle Grill... read more

HAL Nieuw Amsterdam Live Blog Day 6 - Sea Day

Sometimes we cruise to enjoy the destinations, the activities, and the entertainment – other times we cruise for the sake of leaving our cares behind.  Today’s sea day on Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam was one of those days we just wanted to look around and bask in the enjoyment of doing nothing.  Don’t worry, we still managed to do something, or else we wouldn’t have much to write about… read more