Cruise Ship Review: Norwegian Escape

Another Home Run From NCL 

Norwegian has done nothing but impress me with its newest flock of ships, well maybe with the exception of the Norwegian Epic weird bathroom scenario.  My trip on the Escape to the US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, and Bahamas was another trip where I found a desire to spend my time in port on the ship just so I could try out all the ship had to offer.

I enjoyed this slide on the escape I rode it ten times in a row.

Cruise Ship Review: Rhapsody of the Seas

A Smaller Ship Perfect For Longer Itineraries

The first trip saw me traversing the Pacific from Vancouver to Hawaii and the second on a Mediterranean itinerary out of Rome.  Rhapsody is useful for these types of itineraries, because its small size (one of the smallest in the Royal Caribbean fleet) allows it to fit in ports to petite for larger ships. 

I loved climbing the rock wall on Rhapsody of the Seas.  Despite its small size, it offers a variety of routes.  Here I a warming up on the easiest route.

Cruise Ship Review: Norwegian Getaway

The Getaway Has Got It All

Norwegian Cruise Line brought their A-game with the Getaway, which I enjoyed a fun filled week on two weeks ago.  The Norwegian Getaway is an example of everything that is right with cruising and in my opinion the direction most cruise ship construction will be heading in the next few years.  As my third Norwegian cruise and second this year, I am finding this line giving my other favorite a run for its money.  

The massive Norwegian Getaway has a massive mermaid mural on the bow to match.

Cruise Ship Review: Prinsendam

Holland America's Prinsendam

I spent a month cruising on the Prinsendam in the summer of 2012 on a rather extensive Northern European itinerary.  Many of my European posts (Ireland, Norway, Scotland, The Netherlands, and more in the future) originate from my time on the Prinsendam.  I have a love/hate relationship with the Prinsendam that will become evident in the rest of this post.  

Posing with the Prinsendam in Norway.

Cruising Freestyle on Norwegian Epic

Cruise Ship Review: Norwegian Epic

This year for Christmas my boyfriend bought me a cruise on Norwegian Epic in January.  January is an off-season time for cruise ships, and Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) enticed us to choose one of their itineraries by including a beverage package (notoriously a bad deal if bought onboard) with a stay in a balcony or suite stateroom.  So we booked a balcony on an itinerary, which included Cozumel, Mexico, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios, Jamaica.  This was the second cruise we took with Norwegian, and it quickly elevated Norwegian to our second favorite cruise line.  Royal Caribbean is our favorite mostly due to its awesome loyalty program (see my post about cruse line loyally programs here).   

The Norwegian Epic in port in Cozumel

Why Not Take A Cruise on Allure of the Seas?

Cruise Ship Review: Allure of the Seas

Last week I went on a Caribbean cruise to celebrate Easter with my boyfriend and his parents.  The itinerary included Cozumel, Mexico, Falmouth, Jamaica, and Royal Caribbean owned Labadie, Haiti.  I have cruised on over 10 different ships over all seasons, but never I have seen as many children on a cruise ship as I did on this itinerary.  The next couple of paragraphs put our cruise into perspective with respect to the number of children.  The ship, which is the largest cruise ship in the world, was at capacity with half of the passengers being under 18 according to the captain.  The abundance of children was due to the overlap with spring break of many primary and high schools.  I generally have a lot of patience with children.  I don’t get annoyed by or complain about crying children on airplanes or in restaurants.  However, the cruise ship stocked with children started to wear on my nerves after an entire week.  I will give a couple of the most absurd examples.

The largest cruise ship on earth!  Allure of the Seas.

For Frequent Cruisers