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Checking out the scenery, Bermuda

Bermuda, Norwegian Crown, October 2006

This cruise was our second time on Norwegian, second time to Bermuda, but first time cruising with baby Katie. Also our first cruise with family - my parents cruised with us.

We arrived at the dock early as we wanted to start our vacation ASAP. Within 15 minutes we were being shown to our room, #5001. What a huge cabin! We'd read the Crown was built for longer journeys, but this cabin was HUGE compared to others we'd had. Plenty of room for Katie's portable crib. But, first things first. We stashed our overnight bags and headed for lunch. We'd decided early on that we would try to eat in the Seven Seas dining room, rather than the buffet, as much as possible. We were looking to be pampered, and figured also that it would be easier to get a high chair, etc. in the dining room. The only concern was whether Katie would last through the long meals. But no worries - she was a pro! Good thing that, along with her other newfound talent of walking, she quickly figured out that pincer grasp thing. Also good thing we brought rice puffs. They kept her busy while we ate. After lunch we headed back to our room for nap time. One thing we've quickly learned from traveling with Katie is that everything we do revolves around nap time and nursing, both of which were already overdue. We usually get to know the layout of the ship when we first board, but on this trip, there were some areas that we didn't see for a couple days (small ship at least). At 4 pm we felt the ship start to move - sailaway! We went up to the top deck to watch NYC slip away. It was windy and cold, so Katie, Grandma and I went inside while the "boys" took pics.

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Margerie Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, AK

Alaska, Island Princess, May 2005

After my parents’ rave reviews of their Alaska cruise last fall, and my 10-year-long desire to return to the Land of the Midnight Sun (in style this time), we couldn’t help but book a cruise to Alaska in May at the low, low price of $520 per person for an obstructed oceanview (peeping out between lifeboats). That, coupled with our upcoming parenthood and the decreased mobility babies bring, made this not so much a “once-in-a-lifetime” but at least a “not for a while” vacation.
Before we booked, we made sure we could use our frequent flyer miles for the trip to Anchorage and then back from Vancouver. We could, fortunately, so it was a go, and a month later we were on our way. We stayed at the Ramada on 3rd in Anchorage, which offered free, friendly shuttle service from the airport. The hotel was clean and recently remodeled, and the breakfast buffet was wonderful. We did some sightseeing in downtown Anchorage – the Balto statue, Visitors Center, BLM Museum, Cook statue, etc., and checked on our Princess transportation to Whittier later in the day. Apparently there would only be one or two buses leaving from downtown, so we got our luggage from the hotel and checked in with Princess. After a quick lunch, we headed through the one-way tunnel and into Whittier.
Our first sea day was an early one, as the ship got into College Fjord first thing. The day was gray and overcast – perfect for bringing out the blue in the glaciers, although I’d hoped they’d be a little more spectacular. We ate breakfast as we circled around, and then left the Fjord to start our way toward Glacier Bay. We rested most of the day, taking in some of the scenery but also trying to adjust to Alaska time and make up for the lack of sleep we’d gotten the two nights before.
The second sea day was Glacier Bay National Park. Two park rangers boarded the ship and all “entertainment” was turned over to them. We enjoyed the scenery and commentary from the promenade deck as we sidled up to Margerie Glacier and did slow 360s so everyone could enjoy the views. We didn’t witness any glacier calving, but we did see some harbor seals resting on ice floes in the water. We kept to the windows most of the day, enjoying the beautiful mountains as they slid by. In the afternoon, the captain turned the ship around to let everyone see a mother bear and her two cubs on the rocky shore. Later that evening, we settled in with our blankets and pizza to watch for humpbacks, and were rewarded with multiple spouts and dorsal fin sightings, all headed into the bay for their dinner.
Skagway was a welcome sight after two days at sea. We walked into town and easily found the Avis office, where we picked up our car. We drove to the Gold Rush cemetery, where we saw gravestones for the likes of Soapy Smith and Frank Reid, as well as the pretty Reid Falls. Then it was up the Klondike Highway and over the infamous White Pass, where thousands of hopeful gold-seekers lost their lives hundreds of years ago. A tortuous hike for them, an easy drive for us. The scenery was spectacular as we made our way into British Columbia, Canada, and then into the Yukon Territory. We saw the ruins of an old silver mine, and I spotted a bald eagle in a tree near the Bove Island overlook. Soon we were in Carcross, the biggest town between Skagway and Whitehorse, although there wasn’t much to see. Then it was on past the “Smallest Desert in the World” and to lunch at the Cinnamon Cache for wonderful sandwiches and a huge cinnamon bun. Our turnaround point was Emerald Lake, the most photographed lake in the Yukon. On the way back, we had two close sightings of bears: a pair who slowly made their way across the road at a pulloff, and another, larger fellow eating the spring flowers along the road. Soon we were in Skagway, where we dropped off the car, and did some quick shopping before reboarding the ship for Juneau.

We’d booked a whale watching expedition through Orca Enterprises ($105 pp) in Juneau, and we weren’t disappointed! We ran into some humpback whales soon after leaving the marina, and were excited to see several in succession near our boat, blowing high spouts and then giving us a wave of their flukes before diving down. The humpbacks soon gave way to orca, traveling in pods of males and females, their tall dorsal fins immediately differentiating them from the humpbacks. They seemed more social, and stayed in the area even with all the whale watching boats nearby. It seemed like we’d run out of film or memory before the trip was through, but soon we were zipping back to shore, leaving the orca behind. Our next stop was Mendenhall Glacier. You can’t exactly walk up to it, as there’s a lake in front, but you can walk out to a scenic overlook pretty close to its face, and get even closer by taking a trail out to Nugget Falls, to the right of the glacier. A few kayakers were able to get right up to it – they looked tiny against the wall of ice. We took the shuttle bus back to the downtown area – the weather had turned warm, and we were wearing t-shirts by this time. We walked a little in and out of the shops before heading back to the ship for afternoon tea and scones. Out on the pool deck, people in swimsuits were enjoying the pool – soaking up the sun in Alaska.
Our day in Ketchikan started out sunny, though not as warm as Juneau. We tendered in to shore, where we walked past the gift shops and toward infamous Creek Street. Alas, more gift shops in the former brothels, but we did take a $5 tour of Dolly’s house - one of the area’s infamous turn-of-the-century proprietors. From there, we headed to the Totem Heritage Center, also $5 each, where we examined actual, unrestored totem poles that had been found in the area, inside a small museum and interpretive center. Some of the the totems were so far gone it was hard to imagine an orca, or an eagle, or a bear in the wooden facades. By this time it had started to rain, so we made our way back to the ship for lunch, then lazed away the afternoon onboard. At night, we attended the Captain’s Circle party – a first for us, as we’d never sailed twice on the same cruise line before. Other than the free drinks, we hadn’t missed much. After the second formal dinner of the cruise (i.e., lobster night) we checked out the champagne waterfall.
Our last day at sea was rainy and chilly, and we watched for more whales in vain. We were traveling next to Vancouver Island but it was hard to see the scenery for the weather. The following morning, we were among the last off the ship, as we were staying in Vancouver for the night. We checked in at the Ramada on West Pender, okay inside but in a bad neighborhood. We caught a cab to Stanley Park, where we walked to the totems and then around the seawall. Back to downtown for lunch at the Harbour Centre tower, we got a 360 degree view of the city from the revolving restaurant. A quick walk through historic Gastown, where we paused to see the steam powered clock “chime” at half past. We rested a bit at the hotel, then went back to Gastown to the Storyeum, but it was already closed. Our next stop was Chinatown, but it was pretty deserted as well, so we ended up just having dinner at a great restaurant, Wild Ginger, in the Tinseltown movie complex.
We truly enjoyed our time in Alaska, although we had various service problems on board the Island Princess and have decided to not cruise with Princess in the future.

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Horse-drawn carriage ride, Nassau, Bahamas

Bahamas/Florida, Norwegian Dawn, February 2004

Since it seemed like a long, cold winter ahead (which it was), in December we booked a Feb./March cruise on the Dawn, which conveniently leaves out of NYC. No flight delays! Our excitement grew as we met co-cruisers on cruisecritic.com, and then as we got upgraded to a balcony! Our trip started with a minor glitch - the last cruise had hit rough weather, so they didn't start boarding until our original sail time. Thankfully, everything afterward was smooth sailing!
After a day at sea, we arrived late in Port Canaveral, Florida. That caused problems for some with Orlando theme park plans, but we were able to eat lunch while everyone lined up to get off, then we finally made our way to Kennedy Space Center. We hadn't been to KSC in a long time, so there were many new things to see - especially on the bus tour, which took about 2-1/2 hours. That left us an hour to spend at the "main" center; enough time, though, to see the Space Shuttle exhibit, the memorial, rocket garden, and both the past and future in space exhibits.
The next day in Miami we spent some quality time by the ship's main pool and enjoyed the sun, then took the NCL bus to South Beach in the afternoon. Our tour of SoBe was by Segway, gyroscopically-controlled people movers, provided by Electric Rentals. It's an interesting way to see SoBe, if you don't mind being part of the scenery yourself! We zipped up and down the boardwalk and took in the art-deco buildings and beach scene. Unfortunately, we were left with little time to enjoy the beach or walk on Ocean Drive.
The weather was perfect as we sailed to NCL's private island, Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas, the next morning. The water was colder than expected, so we didn't snorkel or swim. After our requisite time in the sun, and a Bahama Mama, we walked to the island's mini-Straw Market and then had some BBQ lunch. After more exploring we went back to the ship, spending the afternoon at the spa pool, which was considerably warmer than the ocean outside.
The next morning, we docked early at Nassau and were the first of five cruise ships there that day. The famous hair-braiding ladies weren't in full swing yet, as we weren't really approached. Our first stop was a horse-drawn carriage ride. Our guide, Molly, gave us a polite but cynical tour of downtown. Next stop, Atlantis, on Paradise Island. We made our casino donation, then wandered around the nearly-empty grounds (still early) and into the Dig, the Atlantis Aquarium. It took until the gift shop to realize this was the $25 guided tour - we were doing it backward for free! We didn't see the other Aquarium part, with the predator tunnel, though. We emerged at the lobby cafe, and walked around the rest of Atlantis, where security was now in place and we couldn't get back to the beach area we'd stumbled into. A friendly guide gave us a talk on Nassau and Paradise (formerly Hog) Island as we went back to the piers by water taxi. Ah, the hair ladies awaited, but weren't overly pushy. On to the Straw Market, where overfed cruisers squeezed past each other to buy "local" souvenirs. The wood carvings were nice, but we mostly saw T-shirts and straw bags. I was surprised that the vendors weren't more aggressive. Our last stop was the Pirate Museum. After the first "Pirates of the Caribbean"-like room, there were mostly dioramas and a few artifacts at the end. We made it back in time for the 2 pm sail-off (the Disney Wonder was staying til 11 pm - we were jealous), with good feelings about Nassau. Despite what we'd heard, the natives were friendly (friendlier than on Aruba) and we'd had a good time in the Bahamas.
The rest of the day and all the next was at sea, the weather getting progressively colder as we sailed back to NY, where we woke as we were passing the Statue of Liberty. Like all vacations, too short! The weather was perfect and we enjoyed ourselves at every port, especially Nassau. We definitely like Freestyle Cruising! We'd love to go again, maybe 10 days down to the southern Caribbean, next winter!

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off Jackson Square, New Orleans

W. Caribbean, Carnival Inspiration, March 2003

After the lovely 20 inches of snow we received on President's Day 2003, hubby and I decided it was time to get away to someplace warm. We saw a GREAT deal on a balcony room on Costa, but when we called cruises-n-more we were too late! However, they did have an oceanview at about the same rate on Carnival's Inspiration. So we packed our bags and two weeks later (can't get vacation at work quicker than two weeks out) we were on a flight to Tampa and enjoying our welcome buffet. We'd heard the rumors about Carnival - how it wasn't up to the same standards as other cruise lines, so we were delighted to find that the rumors were NOT TRUE. The Inspiration was a nice ship, if a little gaudy, with the typical early March spring break and family crowds. And so much to do! Much more than on our other trips, especially for the little ones (which we don't have). But definitely activity-packed, and the service standards were top-notch.
First day was at sea, so of course we spent part of the day out on the Lido Deck, but we also tried out some of the ship's offerings. Coincidentally, one of the assistant cruise directors, Traci, was from the place where hubby and I hooked up - Johnson City, TN. So we had some nice conversations with her.
Next morning we arrived at Grand Cayman, where we were tendered to the shore. We opted not to take the stingray tour, go to the turtle farm, or to Hell, so there wasn't much else to do but walk up to Seven Mile Beach and snorkel around. Unfortunately not much to see. So after a while we walked back to the ship, sampling rum cakes along the way.
Our next port was Cozumel, Mexico. I've never seen water so blue! You could look down from the bow of the ship and see huge fish swimming in this glowing blue water. Along with our tablemates, we rented a car and started our tour of the island. My motto: Driving in Mexico es muy fantastico! Actually, it wasn't difficult and I obeyed every traffic rule I knew, so as to not end up getting a Mexican ticket! We found our way to the ruins at San Gervasio (which I had asked about at the activities desk on the ship and since it didn't have anything to do with their tour, they knew nothing about!). Definitely worth the (relatively short) trip! We hired a guide (I think his name was Miguel) who was extremely knowledgeable about the Mayan culture and the significance of the San Gervasio site (as a community and temple to the fertility goddess). He warned Jane and I not to touch anything as we'd get preggers! (Of course he did this AFTER we touched stuff!) The rest of day we spent driving down and up the coast and relaxing at Playa del Sol.
Another "fun" day at sea and then up the Mississippi River to New Orleans. I had been to N'Awlins 11 years before at almost the same time of year (right around St. Patrick's Day) but hubby had never been before. What a different place in daylight! We walked around the French Quarter and up to the cemeteries, then took a trolley to the Garden District to see how the Anne Rices of the world live. We had a very late lunch at the same cafe where I'd bitten my first tail and sucked my first head (that's eating crawfish, people!) in my college years: The Market Cafe, in the French Quarter. Then it was time to head back to the ship for a sunset sailing. It was interesting to watch the very drunk people trying to get to the ship before she left port!
The trip back down the Mississippi was almost eerie - oil rigs sliding past in the night like floating cities of light, then complete darkness. If we weren't on such a big ship I could have pictured myself on a raft with Huck and Jim.
Another day at sea left hubby a millionaire! Well, not quite. He won 600 quarters, though, in the slot machine on our last night. A nice ending to a much-needed end of winter getaway!

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After snorkeling on the Restless Native, Bermuda

Bermuda, Pacific Princess, September 2001

The date says it all - this cruise was scheduled to leave NYC right after the terrorist attacks. We debated about going, but decided that if we didn't go, then the terrorists would have gotten what they wanted: for us to be afraid. So we drove down to the Port Authority and boarded a bus to Boston, as NY Harbor was indefinitely closed. There were a lot more people than we expected on the ship - the original Love Boat. Other people must have had the same idea about the terrorists that we had. The ship was nearly full. The ship was bound for Bermuda. The weather change seemed instant - we went to bed chilly and woke up to sun! The pool was still cold though.
After our time at sea, a cry was heard. "Land ho!" Our welcome to St. George's was heralded by the town crier and a cannon salute. We were late coming in (we swerved to miss a hurricane) so not much time at this charming port. Luckily for us and them, the shops stayed open and we wandered around town and in and out of the stores. What we didn't see, we heard: the melodies of Bermuda's peep frogs. I don't know, they may drive the natives nuts, but it made it feel like paradise to us and helped soothe everyone's jangled nerves.
Overnight the ship moved to Hamilton, with its pastel buildings and busy main street. We found our way to the bus station and took a bus to Horseshoe Beach. The tricky part was telling when it was our stop. The beach was beautiful - pink sand, just like in the brochures! But only when it's wet. We also hopped over the rocks to a more secluded cove, then walked back down toward Hamilton along the shore (backtracking to an apparent horse trail when the rocks got in the way). We hopped a bus back to Hamilton, which had a nice street fair going on that night, so we enjoyed ourselves walking around the main drag again.
Our last port in Bermuda was the Royal Naval Dockyard. We started with a snorkeling trip on the catamaran Restless Native. The cookies and rum punch were plentiful, our guides were friendly and funny, and snorkeling was fun. Although I grew up in Florida, I had never snorkeled before. While my hubby kept to the cove, I went with the brave group out around a little island into less protected water. There were parrot fish and beautiful corals of all colors. Unfortunately hubby had the camera! We did get some great shots of everyone feeding cheese to the fish. Our second shore excursion the next morning was a kayaking trip - informative and fun! It was also our first time kayaking (we have a canoe) so a little different than what we were used to. For some reason our guides reminded me of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. By the end we were tired, but felt we had to get a little peek at the Dockyard, so we wandered around a little and bought a souvenir glass frog at a glass factory there.
We waved a sad goodbye to Bermuda and watched the land slip away as we headed back to harsh reality. Maybe one day we'll be rich enough to reside in this tropical paradise!

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Rose Window, Catedral de Mallorca, Spain

Mediterranean, Celebrity Century, September 1999

Our first cruise (and our honeymoon)! Ten days on the Mediterranean. We started with a pre-cruise stay in Lugano, Switzerland at the Grand Hotel Eden. That about describes Lugano - beautiful mountains and lake scenery!
Next stop was the ship! We left Genoa and spent a day at sea exploring and enjoying our new surroundings.
SPAIN
Our first port of call was Barcelona, home of the Columbus Monument, Las Ramblas, the Picasso Museum, and our favorite, Gaudi's unfinished Temple de la Sagrada Familia. After our whirlwind day (and not enough use of public transportation) we collapsed and had dinner in our room! Next day was Spain's Palma de Mallorca, most memorable for the rose window pictured at the Mallorca Cathedral. We also walked too much this day, up to the Bellver Castle. Great views!
FRANCE
A stop on the Cote d' Azur at Villefranche didn't leave us much time for sightseeing, as everything was closing. We took a train to Nice and had dinner at Le Pont Neuf. Another France stop, Toulon, didn't seem to have much to offer. We took a quick trip up Mont Faron, but had to hurry back down before the incline stopped running for a long lunch! Luckily we didn't miss the ship!
ITALY
Ah, Italy, our first time to this gastronomical paradise (although the food we sampled didn't meet expectations). A shore excursion to Florence and Pisa to see all the requisite sights. The next day was Rome, which we did on our own. The port was actually Civitavecchia, so we figured out how to take the train into Rome. We hit the Vatican first - and thought it would be our last stop! It took forever to get to the Sistine Chapel! They wind you through the whole Vatican Museum first. Afterwards things moved along quickly as we visited St. Peter's Cathedral, the Spanish Steps (thanks to the Canadians on the subway who pointed out this must-see), the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, ruins of Ancient Rome and the Coliseum, and Circus Maximus. WHEW! At Naples, we again opted for the cruise shore excursion to Capri, Sorrento and Pompei, with its horrifically preserved human figures, all with Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background. Too soon our trip was over and we had to get back on the plane for New York. We'll be back - we still have to see Venice!