On Feb. 21st we will fly to NYC for three pre-cruise nights at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan.

Then on the 25th we sail to Florida and the Bahamas aboard Norwegian Breakaway.

Stay tuned.

Tomorrow is the big day. \240Packing all day then an overnight redeye to NY. \240Wicked on Thursday and Big Apple playtime on Friday & Saturday. \240Then it’s off to Florida and Bahamas on Norwegian Breakaway.

Redeye flight spent more than an hour queued in line for de-icing. Not too bad, except Tia kicked my butt in Yahtzee (as usual). Flight only took 4 hours and 46 minutes.

New York traffic was slow coming into the city, but a pleasant drive.

A hazy look across the East River.

Dinner & Theater.

We always make a visit to Emmett O’Lunney’s Irish Bar when coming to NY. At 50th & Broadway it’s only one door from the subway station. \240And across the street from the Gershwin Theater where we’re seeing Wicked tonight.

Got to get a full night’s sleep after that redeye flight Wednesday night. \240The gym here at the Marriott Marquis is amazing. \240Has almost all of the variations as does our gym at home and it’s kept ultra clean as well.

The elevators are really cool, too. \240You don’t see up and down buttons anywhere. \240There are 16 elevators in a central circle on all floors, and you enter the desired floor. \240Then the pad tells you which door (A thru P) to stand at for your elevator. When you enter, you’ll see your selected floor already lit, as well as any other floors selected by others who may be on the elevator heading in the same direction.

Today we’re going to have brunch at Carlo’s Bakery Times Square. Made famous by the Cake Boss TV show, we think it might be fun to visit. \240Plus, there’s a Carlo’s Bakery on board the ship we’ll board on Sunday.

For this evening we’ll grab dinner near the Gershwin Theater again. We thought our tickets for Wicked were for last night. They’re actually for tonight. \240;-). Silly me.

Photos will be added as the day unfolds.

The Wicked Experience. \240For us, even on the 13th time, it is still a kick to see the show. \240The irony of it all is seen in the last photo, which is the manauacturer’s name on the men’s room urinals.

George Gershwin himself has a seat in the theater. \240Still smoking a cigarette. And the theater is an amazing engineering accomplishment. \240The dragon above the curtain comes alive as the show starts, billowing smoke and blazing eyes. \240The curtain has the map of The Land of OZ! \240There you can see the homelands of the various characters in the show.

DUCK! \240That flying monkey almost grabbed you.

Saturday- SAILAWAY EVE.

Always a great day in a cruise vacation. If you spend a little time in your embarkation port before sailing, this is the day you try to get in the last few items on your wishlist. Whether it’s sightseeing, gift shopping, or finding that one last dining experience, it’s now or never.

For us today, we are going to the upper east side to visit Carlow East, a Seahawk-friendly Irish Bar. Then off to St. Patrick’s Cathedral for mass. Dinner is still unplanned. May need some real New York Pizza to properly close out this visit.

So, we had a nice visit at Carlow East. \240Rather quiet since it’s not football season. \240

Embarkation Day.

Tip #1: \240Pier 88 and 92 are where the ship docks, but 88 is where the check-in begins. \240Cab ride from Times Square was about 10 minutes with speeds close to 100 mph and the fare from 46th & Broadway was $10.00

When booking this cruise, keep in mind that you can select the window of time for checking in. \240The earlier the better as cabins are not available immediately and the spaces to sit down fill up fast.

Sea Day

Woke up off the coast of North Carolina. Not raining at the moment. Last night’s dinner at Cagney’s Steakhouse was delicious, but the dining area is much darker than on Pride of America. Sand Rick is still the #1 server in all the NCL Cagney’s Steakhouses.

In the afternoon we enjoyed a martini tasting at Shakers Martini Bar. WOW! We are already booked for martini tasting event #2 with a different selection of flavors.

Tonight we dined at Moderno, a Brazilian Steakhouse. Unbelievable meal with 11 different servings of meat, sliced from a skewer right at your table.

Spent the day visiting friends from our bulldog affiliations as well as Seahawks and Boeing affiliations. Got to snuggle with a couple of sweet French Bulldogs and enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Portofino Italian Grill, Titusville.

Great Stirrup Cay

Because of my hip and back issues, plus a left knee that is constantly in pain, we chose to stay on board today. When the ship is mostly empty, it’s easy to get around. Our spa balcony gives us unlimited access to the thermal suite.

Heated tiled chaise chairs are aplenty on this ship. And the thermal suite is huge. With steam rooms, a salt room, thermal pool and more. And almost as many lounge chairs as you find on board. All of this and a bow view window that spans from port to starboard. Speaking of starboard, do you know where that term originated? Stay tuned for the answer on another day.

Today we played some mini golf. Tough course. And the otters like to steal the balls.

Evening #4 - at sea, heading to NY and dodging a storm. Smooth as silk so far. Did a great workout at the gym. Followed it up with almost an hour in the Thermal Suite. Salt Room, Sauna and Sanarium rooms. (We think NCL secretly calls it the Sanitarium Room, since all you need to add is IT into the name).

Then it was time for dinner at The Savor Restaurant. This is one of the comp DRs included with your cruise fare. I had the Escargot, Classic Caesar and Mushroom Stroganoff, followed by a sugar-free Fruit Tartlet. \240Our executive chef, Tony Dungeness, watched over all of the food prep and service.

Our visit to the Ice Bar.

Unexpected Sea Day

The ship has so much to do. \240Getting bored is impossible unless you really want to.

Friday night’s dinner is seafood at Ocean Blue. \240Both indoor and outdoor dining available.

Today was our first negative experience. \240At O’Sheehan’s Irish Pub. Had to check in at the “front desk” of the place and told them we just wanted to sit at the bar and have a drink. \240The hostess had to ask if seating at the bar was okay. \240He said yes. \240We sat. And sat. And even though a number of the wait staff walked past us, none of them spoke to us or even looked at us. \240

When that feeling of invisibility lasts for ten minutes, that’s it for me. \240I can highly recommend all of the other places we’ve visited, but not this one.

No worries, though, we’re off to the gym and the Thermal Suite. \240Then we have more onboard activities including martini tasting #3 of 4.

Really bouncy ride last night. A bit smoother today.

Had a great lunch and some tasty wines at “Wine Lovers the Musical”, the onboard version of a popular musical that includes 6 wines and a meal. More to come later

https://www.wineloversthemusical.com/

What a great trip. \240Had a really smooth flight home, but the floors still move even here in the house. \240It’s called sea legs, and for a while it will be with us. \240

Closing out this Journo. \240

Emerald Princess Repo

Emerald Princess Repo - May, 2018