Norwegian Pearl, Western Caribbean, 02/28/12

Norwegian Pearl, Western Caribbean, Day 3


So, the day started well, up bright and early and up by the pool, type- type- typing. I finished up just as my partner got back from an early hot stone massage treatment. Then over to Cagney's for breakfast. Steak and eggs for all my friends! Both the steak and the eggs (and the potatos for that matter) were perfectly done.

Bopped around, checking things out til 11 when we had a Bridge and Galley tour set up.

The bridge tour was interesting, if somewhat abridged (see what I did there, with bridge and abridge?), because there were 25 or 30 of us. And then down to the Galley for a brief tour by the Pearl's Executive Chef who goes by the humble name of Messiah. Honest, that is his name. I hadn't the nerve to ask him if his parents were Joseph and Mary. But he did give a nice tour and explanation of the major workings of a cruise ship kitchen. Sadly, we didn't get to go into the pantries and walk-ins, as I did on my galley tour of the Star. Oh, well. After the tours there was a little reception with champagne and canapes at Bar Central. We then ditched the group and went for lunch at Cagneys. We both started with the Pumpkin Soup, one of my favorite's here on NCL, and I had the Shrimp and Scallops on a bed of artichoke and mushroom risotto. Excellent. Michille went for the Ahi Burger that had a hunk of tuna big enough to feed a small village. Then went down to the Excursion Desk to get set for riding and swimming horseback tomorrow in Jamaica. THAT promises to be a fun time.

After lunch Michille decided to cross one more thing off her life list and do a little rock climbing. As most of you know, this isn't really my sort of thing, since climbing a 30' tower of plastic with pre-set footholds is just not the same as climbing actual rocks at Joshua Tree or the Dead Man Hills back home. But, we ran into Carol, a travel agent friend from Canada, who joined us at the rock wall. Michille did get to the top and ring the bell, as did Carol (who has done a lot of rock walls, apparently), so it was a successful outing. Then back down by the pool to listen to some music and people watch and have a drink.

Finally, it was time for our little Scavenger Hunt. Put together by another agent friend, Tony, who made it quite a bit more difficult than the one's the cruise staff usually put on. So, we spent an hour and a half, all over the damn boat trying to find all sorts of stuff, and cheating creatively when we couldn't. At the end we went up to the Great Outdoors to find we actually tied for 1st place on points, but the other team beat us in time, so we were awarded "first loser" status. Oh, I mean, 2nd Place. Nice plaque...whatever...

It was then time for the Captains Cocktail party so we ran and got dressed for dinner as quickly as we could, only to arrive at the party 2 minutes after the Capt had to go...So - Dinner at Le Bistro! Though as a meat and potatoes kind of guy, I think Cagneys (or maybe Moderno) is the premier alternative dining venue on NCL, a lot of folks would argue it's Le Bistro. This is the first time I've been there, but I am thinking they may be right (ask me again Friday after I have dinner at Cagney's). It is a lovely room, very elegant, with rich furnishings and nice artwork on the walls. We ordered, between us, the Quartes Cornets (4 cones filled with four different confections, like duck confit, roast duck, etc), the Mussels Whatever that were really good, considering I am not a huge fan of mussels, a Four Mushroom soup, a salad of roast duck, endive and something...and one other thing that escapes me at the moment. But I remember they were all really good. For the entree I had the Filet de Boeuf, which was possibly the tenderest piece of beef I've ever had, and Michille went with the Duck. She seemed to enjoy it. Enough that she didn't offer to share. Though she did offer to eat a piece of my filet...

Between the food and the ambience, we managed to spend over 2 hours eating and conversating, and it was, in all, a delightful evening. A little more down time in the room, and then over to the Spinnaker Lounge for a 70's Party. Again, I am going to say...it's a pretty tame crowd on this cruise. While there were more people dancing and hanging than I've seen the first couple days, it was still not quite POPPING. But the music was mostly okay, and I'll say I had a good time, overall...but by the time the party was over...so was I. So, off to bed to (hopefully) get a good nights sleep and get ready for a big day in Jamaica.

Stay tuned...

oh, by the way, you know I have to get in the plug once in a while, but if you are looking for a Western Caribbean cruise, or any cruise on NCL, or any cruise on any line, or frankly, any kind of travel, anywhere...CALL ME!!! Dave Holman Travel, 760,265.3687 or daveholmantravel@verizon.net.



See ya!

Norwegian Pearl, Western Caribbean, Day Two

Yesterday, our first full day on board the Norwegian Pearl, was anchored off Great Stirrup Cay. Great Stirrup Cay is Norwegian Cruise Lines first-in-the-industry private island. It is currently nearing completion on a $20+million renovation that includes a new docking facility, expanded beaches, new food service and bar stations, etc.

But first, breakfast at Cagney's (yes, I am getting the full "Cagney's for breakfast and lunch" treatment). I had the crab cakes Benedict, because they are always wonderful, and I haven't had any for a while. Michille went with the Fruits de Mer (lobster and scallops, en brioche topped with poached eggs). Both were excellent. By the way, and as an aside...Michille has an excellent camera setup and we've been taking lots of pictures, including some serious food porn. While it's too much to upload them at the snails pace sattelite uplinks give you, be on the lookout here, and on my Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/DaveHolmanTravel) next week...you'll be drooling.

We got on an early tender, and went over to the island. Personally, I am not big on the whole "private island" thing, because the cruise lines have a tendency to go over the top in "disneyfying" them. I like tropical islands and cays and keys the way God made 'em. In this case we were in luck. The whole island is about 250 acres, and only 20 or so are being utilized. There is still a lot of it left untouched. We walked quickly thru the developed area, over a bridge to the new adults-only area, and then, just a few yards beyond that some untouched coral outcroppings/tide pools. While the island is not exactly teeming with wildlife we did find some sea snails, cockles and little trilobite-y things clinging to the coral...and wading out into the not-quite-warm water, thru the underlying rock and slippery sea grass, was a pleasant little swim. So, Michille took a bunch of pictures of the snails and such, and we frolicked in the water a little, got some really nice pictures of her with the ship in the background (I'm talking brochure quality stuff here), some less-than-awesome pictures of me with the ship in the background, and generally had a nice time playing in the water.

We then decided to take the road less traveled, in this case a dirt path that goes from the developed beach all the way to a Cold War era lighthouse and landing strip installed by the Air Force when Great Stirrup Cay was used as a satellite tracking facility, back in the day. We didn't make it all the way to the light house, but we did enough to get that "desert isle" feel.
After that, and quite possibly the best part of the whole day, was the BBQ lunch buffet there on the island. All I can say is it was FABULOUS!!! Burgers, dogs, chicken, ribs, pizza, other sandwiches, salads too numerous to enumerate...and all of it quite tasty. I believe the Lime and Ginger Couscous was the first time I have ever finished a whole serving of couscous. (and having been married to a vegetarian in the 80's, I've had a lot of it thrown on my plate). I know my friend had a pile of food that would have embarassed a Marine fresh in from the field, and she plowed thru it and almost licked the plate...So, after pigging out disgustingly, we went back onboard the ship. Nice and quiet. We laid out by the pool for a bit, taking in the sun and the steel drums that were playing on the bandstand.

After that, Michille went to the gym for a class (more on that later), and I headed to the casino to sign up for the BlackJack Tournament. I also took that opportunity to turn $100 into $50 on the roulette wheel.

Coming back to the room, I got an earful about the classes at the gym. I have to tell you I am not real familiar with that part of cruising. Using the stairs and long walks ashore are enough to keep my weight in check when I overindulge in awesome cruise food. But my friend came back terrifically disappointed in the class she had intended to take. Apparently they want $30, PER CLASS to do a little working out. Now, as I said, I am far from a gym rat, but I am thinking $30 will get you a whole month of gym access most places in America. And Michille herself is paying roughly that $30/month for jazzercise classes, to which she could, (if she wanted to and was completely crazy), attend 20 times a week...

Anyway...enough of that...after the discussion of exorbitant workout class rates, it was time for the BlackJack Turney, so I headed on down, and OF COURSE, won the first round. Sorry, but this is sometimes too easy. I don't know why otherwise rational grown men get on a ship and all of a sudden think they know how to gamble. I have spent 40 years developing my skills (since my dad taught me how to play Black Jack on Sunday mornings when mom went to church, back when I was 10).

Now, I can't say that my $8400 is going to keep me on the leaderboard. Frankly I had some pretty sucky cards, except when I was able to split and then re-split 7's against a 5 and took all three hands. But it's enough to be atop the board, for now, and if I get pushed off, I'll just have to re-enter and work it harder. Pretty sure this will NOT be the cruise I finally don't have a seat at the Final.
Chilled out for a while til dinnter time which, tonite, was at the Sushi bar. Sushi was awesome. Michille and I ordered a bunch of stuff to split...some Ahi and Tako sushi nigiri, a little Maguro and Sake Sashimi and a Spicy Tuna roll and Godzilla roll. It was all done well, fresh and beautifully presented.

After dinner we took in the comedian, Rod Long. He was fairly good, though a little low key. Between his rather low energy delivery, the very comfortable double chaise lounger in the Spinnaker, and all the sushi, I was having a hard time staying awake. After the comedian, we took in the big show in the main theater. "That's Entertainment". It was rather hit and miss. Some parts were excellent, some just fair. The male singers were, frankly, weak. One of the female singers, on the other hand, had a great voice and presence. A couple of the dancers were, likewise, quite good. All in all, I give the show a "7".

We then cruised down to Bliss Ultra Lounge, which was, again, NOT popping. I have to say, so far, I am a little disappointed at my fellow passengers. The night life on this cruise is not quite up there with most of my NCL experiences. The lounge is great, the music good...but no one is there. Maybe it will get better as we go. I hope so.

Anyway, at that point we hit the casino for a few minutes; no luck; decided to call it a night

Tomorrow is a day at sea, and we have lot's of stuff lined up, like a bridge and galley tour, so it should be a good day...I will absolutely let you know!



TTFN

Norwegian Pearl, Western Caribbean, 2.26.12 BOARDING DAY

Norwegian Pearl, Miami 2/26/2012 Boarding Day

So, let's see...we got in to FLL at 6am on Virgin America. Flight was uneventful. Got a limo to take us to Miami. Of course it was way to early to be at the port, so we decided to breakfast at Bayside Marketplace. Actually, the Holiday Inn at Bayside. So, we had a little breakfast, then availed ouselves of the lobby to plug in and recharge all the electronics (and sneak in an hours sleep). Anyway, at 10 we grabbed a cab across the causeway to the Cruise Terminal.

They weren't quite ready to let us on board. We were first in line thru security, and then the 2nd couple to get checked in. So we headed upstairs to wait til it was time to get on board. And waited. And waited. And they just kept letting more people OFF. I was getting concerned we weren't going to make it onboard in time for our big luncheon at 12:30, and was texing back and forth with some of my agent friends who were still downstairs stuck in line when another agent friend waltzes by and tells me I need to get a visitors pass just like hers, and go ahead and hop on the ship!...

So, a little confusion and consternation later, I found Isis Ruiz, the NCL person running the lunch boarding thang, and we all got on and sat down in time for lunch at the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace is the larger of the two Main Dining Rooms on the Norwegian Pearl, and done up in a tsarist Russia theme, with portraits of Russian nobility, and a beautiful ceiling mural, and faux-Faberge eggs all around. Nice room. Great lunch. A sample menu, with dishes from the various speciality restaurants, I will probably cover most of them at some point during the week, as I think I intend to eat in each of them.

After lunch we found our stateroom and waited for our luggage. Burn out was setting in, after being up for a day and a half. The balcony cabin is pretty standard NCL. Forward, and up on deck 10, we have a small couch, double bed, more than adequate closet/drawer/shelf space (which is saying something because we both, I think, packed more than normal for a week of fun in the sun...actually, I have no idea what's "normal" for her...but I overpacked, for sure).

By the time all the luggage showed up it was time for the Muster Drill. We did that, came back to finish unpacking, and were greeted with sparkling wine and fruit from the Captain, and a tray of canapes, as well (part of the Partners First stuff). So, I let Michille have the caviar, I ate the shrimpies, and she started on the bubbly. By this time we were sailing away, and rather than join the big deck party, we opted to stay on the balcony, enjoy the sailaway and get some great pictures as we floated out to sea.

Finally, it was time to dress for dinner. We decided on Moderno, NCL's quickly-becoming-signature speciality restaurant. Modeled on a Brazilian churrascaria (or, steak house), it was first installed on the EPIC, and is now being rolled out, fleetwide. Along with 10 or so kinds of meat, it has THE BEST salad bar, ever. Just sayin...as a meat eater...I could make a meal out of the salads available. Midway thru our grilled meat fest, Anoop, the concierge stopped by to introduce himself. There was also a phone call from Hotel Director Tony Winkler, so it appears the full VIP thing is on, this cruise. Gotta love that.

So, after dinner we looked for something to do. And we looked real hard. Apparently everyone was tired or something...kinda disappointing. We went from Moderno to Bliss Ultra Lounge, and there was some karaoke going on, but it was pretty quiet, overall...and then up on the Lido to see if anything was happening there...not so much. Down to the Casino. It was fairly full, but none of our friends were there, and...yeah, wait for this: The smoke was quite bothersome. I have been about a month not smoking, and I reFUSE to be one of those A-holes that starts carrying on every time someone lights up within a mile...but it was thick, and I am not really all that immune, yet, so we left there. Back to Bliss...still not happening...floated around the ship some more, before finally deciding it just isn't Party Night, and headed home about 11 to catch up on sleep and conversate for a while...nothing quite like a warm night on the balcony with a friend.

And, of course, thanks to the early bedtime, we are both up and raring to go at 5:30 am today...

I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!

Ciao!!!

PREVIEW: Norwegian Pearl 2/26/2012

Okay, so, one week from today I'll be getting on the Norwegian Pearl out of Miami, heading to Great Stirrup Cay, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.  Traveling with a good friend, Michille, as well as 30 or so travel agents.  It is the 1st Annual NCL U PhD@Sea Reunion Cruise.  The PhD@Sea is NCL University's Seminar at Sea program.  NCL U was recently voted the industry's top training program.

Anyway, so, we'll all be heading out to Great Stirrup Cay, which I have not had the pleasure of visiting, yet.  So, that should be cool.  They are nearly done with a $20+ million renovation of the cruise industry's first private island.

And then to Ochie, one of my favorite spots.  Been cruising into Ocho Rios since 1984.  Not sure what else I have planned, but I will definitely be heading to the Village Jerk Center for some great Jamaican food.

And then to Georgetown, Grand Cayman.  Probably check out the Turtle Farm, since my traveling companion has not been there.  Then maybe to Sting Ray City.

Finally, Cozumel, where we have decided to take a cooking class. 

Of course, a round of refrigerator magnets from each stop!

Anyway, stay tuned right here, where I will of course post a daily "Live From The Norwegian Pearl" series...see you!