Sunday, January 26, 2014
Oranjestad, Aruba
Sunny, 84 F, pleasant breezes
Our ship did not arrive in Aruba until 1 p.m., so we had plenty of time to have breakfast and get ready. From our balcony we saw about 20 bicycles taken off the ship by the crew and soon the helmeted riders disembarked. We surmise that this is a cycling club that booked a cruise.
Tim
decided that he spotted a grocery store down the street (he was looking for
coffee filters for the room’s coffee pot and his newly purchased Colombian
coffee). The alleged grocery store looked far away to me so I stayed downtown
to shop a little more. I was back on board and in the room about ½ hour before
Tim got back on the ship. The grocery store was really a gas station and he
said it was further than it looked. I made a good choice.
After
a prime rib dinner, we went to the Michael James show billed as Action Comedy
Juggling. James has worked with Ringling Brothers and the Flying Wallendas. I
have to say that I never saw anyone climb up a 10 ft. unsupported ladder and
then juggle machetes while balancing on the ladder. He also balanced an
audience member on his back while riding a unicycle around the stage. He
actually was quite funny, e.g. he said he once knew a fireman who named his
first son Jose. He named his second son Hose B. I have no idea how this joke
plays out in writing. J
The towel animal was an adorable rabbit holding a card reminding us to turn our clocks forward an hour tonight.
TK’s Takes: The water in the pool was 5 F cooler than yesterday. Since it was Sunday most of the shops were closed in Aruba.
OLD WORLD CARTAGENA!
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Cartagena, Colombia
Sunny, 85 F, humid
We
awoke unexpectedly at 5:45 a.m. to a room service call! Breakfast room service
was not supposed to start until 6:30 a.m. and that is the time we requested our
coffee, croissant, and fruit. J The bonus to waking up very early was that
just as we were arriving in Cartagena Bay and the sun was already beautifully
glinting in the windows of high rise buildings. I had arranged a tour with Lee
Miles’ (Mr. Emerald’s) Tour Company so we were all set to see Cartagena by 7:30
a.m.
Cerro de la Popa: JJ met us by the ship and off we went to Cerro de la Popa, a former monastery that overlooks the city. There were of 12 of us on an air-conditioned bus that held 22. The monastery, built in the 1600s, is still standing. The monastery church, still in use, had very old wooden statues of saints in a sort of museum, as well as oil paintings from the 1600s. I was amazed that everything was out in the open with seemingly no thought to humidity. Palm trees and other foliage grew in the courtyard of the monastery. We could see our ship, the bay, and all of the city from this excellent vantage point.
JANIE IN CARTAGENA
Statues
representing the Stations of the Cross are situated along the windy rode up to
the top, the monastery. JJ, our guide, told us that from January 24 to February
4 every year there is the celebration of the patron saint of Cartagena. On the
next to the last day of the celebration, a large wooden cross is carried down
the road, easily a mile. The person carrying the cross takes three steps
forward and two steps back all the way down the hill. The Cartagena people
follow the procession. On the last day of the celebration, the cross is carried
back up the hill.
Rosaries
were being blessed by a monk or brother.
Cartagena has a population of 616,000 people; Colombia’s population is 4.5 million. It is the 4th largest country in South America and the only South American country with coasts on both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Colombia is noted for its gold and emeralds. It is a democracy with two major political parties, Conservative and Liberal. JJ told us they are really trying to clean up the Colombian cartel drug issue. The U.S. Navy and the Colombian Army and Navy work on it.
We
rode around for a while to get our bearings in the old city. There were very
narrow streets and some more modern areas.
Pierino Gallo Plaza: Mr. Emerald’s shop is in this shopping
area where we had beverages and a bathroom break. I studied emeralds for a
while; this is where I made some purchases a couple years ago for a May
birthday girl. Then we were on a mission for coffee made in Colombia (Juan
Valdez lived in Cartagena) and other souvenir items. Tim bought two packages of
100 % premium Colombian coffee. I bought some surprises.
Palace of the
Inquisition/Plaza Bolivar/Walking tour of the Old Walled City:
This city is another Francis Drake victim. People also suffered through
the Spanish Inquisition here too.
However, restoration has been going on since 1900. We all loved the
balconies, small and large, often with flowers and vines spilling over. JJ said
that the people who owned these buildings/palaces/homes in the 1800s wanted to
show off their wealth. The larger the balcony and doors, the more wealth. The
doors were at least 4 times the size of our doors and when we could peak inside
we saw fabulous marbled or tiled courtyards, columns, and gardens. Now, if
anything is for sale in the Old City, the cost is over a million dollars, and the
new owner has to renovate in 3 months or pay $60,000/month fine, according to
JJ. The Old Walled City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We
passed a street artist using his hands and fingers to paint images on mirrors,
5 x 7. I bought two for $10—very nice images of tall ships on the sea. He
finished an image in 2 minutes while we watched. On another square we watched 5
young men about 20 years old perform, like break dancing (no music),
acrobatics. One of them had polio. JJ said he encourages them because it keeps
them busy. We enjoyed their performance. Street art is everywhere amidst the
architecture of the ages.
Even
though it was Saturday there were construction workers scraping, painting, and
plastering. Probably trying to meet the 3 month deadline on renovating a newly
purchased building.
As we were returning to the ship, we
passed through a botanical garden with monkeys, peacocks, flamingos, other
exotic birds, and huge rabbits. B1 and B2 would love to play hide and seek in
this garden!!! Me too! We enjoyed
returning to Cartagena.
We cooled off on the ship, entered the
emerald drawing (we did not win), had veal Marsala for dinner. We went to the
9:30 show, Encore! There are very skilled 16 dancers/singers in
the troupe in a show featuring Broadway music from Move On!, Wicked, Mama Mia, and
The Producers. A very enjoyable
show! I think NCL’s shows eclipse
Princess.
Towel
Animals: So far we have
seen a puppy, a seal, and a frog. At the Meet and Greet on Thursday the Hotel
Director said he was in charge of the zoo. I wasn’t sure what he meant until I
realized he meant the towel animals!
TOWEL PUPPY
TK’s Take: It was very hot and humid in Colombia.
FRENCH CUISINE
Friday, January 24, 2014At Sea/Caribbean
Sunny, 80 F
It
was a beautiful warm, sunny day on the Caribbean Sea and we headed for the
“beach.” Our room is on Deck 10 so all we have to do is walk a few steps aft
and walk up one set of stairs—the pools are right there, as well as the Garden
Café. Tim always does the best job
choosing our room.
After
I recently learned that a sun tan or sun burn would change my skin’s DNA
(confirmed by our Erie dermatologist), I decided to try to stay out of the sun
more than usual. I never really tried to tan, but that magazine article hit
home for me. It was easy to find a nice shaded area by the pool to lounge in,
read my book, and listen to island music. I finished John Grisham’s Sycamore Row, a very good book about an
intriguing contested will in the South, while Tim enjoyed the 80 F pool.
When
we were getting ready for dinner, Engineering called to ask me about the ship’s
air conditioning. Last night I called Guest Services to casually mention that
the public areas (theater, shops, and lounges) were freezing cold, colder than
walking by the freezers in a grocery store. One of the ladies who worked in the
jewelry shop even asked me to please tell someone! I couldn’t believe engineering
actually called me back. That confirms my belief that NCL is really responsive.
NCL’s
Platinum perk includes two vouchers for two at one of the specialty
restaurants. The main dining rooms have no added fee but ordinarily one pays
$20 per person for dinner at one of the specialty restaurants, Le Bistro
(French cuisine), Il Adagio (Italian), Moderno (Brazilian Churrascaria),
Teppanyaki (Japanese), and East Meets West (Steakhouse). Tonight we had
reservations at Le Bistro. Tim loves escargot and I tried the mushroom soup (no
resemblance to Campbell’s). We both had tender, perfectly grilled filet mignon
with cheesy scalloped potatoes. For dessert Tim had Napoleon and I had small
cream puffs. We enjoyed the dinner, but we would not eat in the specialty
restaurants without the vouchers.
TK’s Takes: The pool was crowded today. It’s a good thing
we went there early (8:20 a.m.).
JK’s Take: About the Pepsi Card—NCL’s fountain
drinks taste just like they do at home. I am noting this because of the recent
Princess situation with fountain drinks. (note December 7, 2013 blog)
Favorite Packing Tools: We sure do like the Ebags packing
cubes and the Travelon bag bungee. We use the cubes to organize our bags. With
the bag bungee we can securely strap another bag on top of our carryon bags or
any other bag. For example, I strap the “briefcase” that holds my “office” onto
my carryon bag without worrying that the briefcase will fall off.
LOOSE TOOTH!
Thursday, January 23, 2014At Sea/Caribbean
Sunny, 77 F, turned to cloudy in afternoon
I
am really wondering about B2 and her loose tooth. By now it has probably come
out. I know she was excited about this new experience! I hope the Tooth Fairy
was good to her!
The
Cruise Critic “Meet and Greet” was scheduled this morning in the Observation
Lounge on Deck 12. Cruise Critic is an online site with a “Roll Call” board
where people connect with other people from all over the world who are going on
their cruise. Cruise Critic has other
“boards” where people discuss ports, ships, packing, luggage, safety, or
anything else that has anything to do with cruising. Over 100 people attended
the Meet and Greet, as well a number of senior NCL officers who welcomed our
group. Many U.S. states were
represented, as well as many Canadian provinces. Others were from Australia and
Scotland. NCL provided coffee, juices, and delicious sweet breads. I believe
cruise ships acknowledge the value of the Cruise Critic site and want to make a
good impression! I usually wear a
t-shirt with a map of Pennsylvania and Tim wears an Erie firefighter t-shirt.
We always meet fellow Pennsylvanians, people from Ohio and New York. Steelers
fans, Browns fans, and Bills fans, too!
I loved it when the Hotel Manager said he was responsible for the zoo.
He meant all the towel animals that magically appear on our bed at night—it
sounded funny the way he said it.
Tim
was involved in the ship’s slot tournament, with no luck. We both picked
squares in the Casino for the Super Bowl pool. We are getting more acquainted
with the ship. The public areas are actually very cold so I returned to the
room occasionally to warm up.
After
tonight’s formal dinner, we went to the Stardust Lounge for the show with El
Gaucho. Originally from Uruguay and Argentina, he played what I would call
Spanish music on the guitar—he could really make it sing. He was accompanied by
the ship’s orchestra. He also danced while cracking a bull whip. The show was
impressive.
I
really loved one of his interplays with an audience member. He pointed at a guy
in the audience and asked him if he was having a good time. The man answered
yes. El Gaucho said, “Well, then… tell your face.” Friends will know why I thought this was so
funny. J
JK’s Take: I truly think the NCL crew is much more
responsive and friendly to passengers than those on Princess.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Sunny
Boarding
the NCL Sun was uneventful—we were on the ship by noon and eating lunch in the
Four Seasons Dining Room by 12:30 (chicken noodle soup-Cobb salad). Our
stateroom is #10043, balcony on the port side.
The room is smaller than our room on the Ruby Princess, but all of our
luggage and the contents fit in the closet and ample drawers—what more could we
ask! The room layout is much better than the NCL Epic, so Tim and I won’t need
to do any ballet jumps over each other to get from one side of the room to the
other.
We
went for dinner at 6 p.m. (surf and turf tonight!) Our table for two was by a
window, a definite treat. After dinner we went to the theater for the “Welcome
Aboard Show.” A Ukrainian couple (Soul
Duo) performed a Cirque du Soleil acrobat act, we were introduced to the Sun
Production Dancers and Vocalists, and a comedian (Michael Ziegfield)
entertained us. The Cruise Director, Richard Matic, discovered a couple (from
Minnesota) married 65 years in the audience—they were sitting right behind us.
Amazing endurance!
This
Norwegian cruise is sure different than our last Princess cruise. People seem
to be more our age and younger and quite a bit livelier. When we walked through
the casino we saw more people than we saw in the Ruby casino the entire cruise!
A lot more beer drinkers, more drinks, more vibrancy! Definitely a fun group! I think most everyone
is sailing to get away from the cold. We did learn there are about 1000
Americans and 400 Canadians on board.
Today
in Miami it was cool, but we are headed for the beautiful Caribbean where it is
always warm with cooling breezes.
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