Norwegian Spirit final thoughts

I promised a wrap up of our Norwegian Spirit cruise today, and, even though it’s only 6:15am and I just opened my eyes, I’m going to get it done. Today will be a two-post day; having this completed in the morning will give me the rest of the day to write the second one. (Those nuns really left an impression, didn’t they?  Well, those nuns and my mother.) ;-)

I mentioned in my first post of the season that we rather stumbled upon the Norwegian Spirit cruise through CruiseTimetables.com. We were in that mad rush to figure out how to fill the 28 days of the Sapphire Princess repositioning cruise when the Spirit cruise appeared in our radar. It was not a case of booking just anything to fill the time; I had been feeling a bit let down that Santorini did not appear on the itinerary for the repositioning cruise.  Cancelling that, I thought we had lost Rhodes, which had been on that itinerary. When we saw the itinerary for the Norwegian Spirit, it immediately seemed perfect. 

It was also the most expensive cruise, on a per day basis, of our entire season (excluding air). I guess that wasn’t a surprise. On Princess, we get quite a nice accumulation of on board credits (OBCs). Military, stockholder, Future Cruise Deposits, Captains Circle, and promotional OBCs all add up each cruise. We had none of that on NCL. The daily tips charge was also higher (I don’t have it in front of me, but I think it was around $15pp), and, when we purchased NCL’s travel protection plan, there was no free upgrade to their highest level of coverage, which, by the way, only provided 90% of cancellation charges back as a future travel credit in case we cancelled for a non-covered reason (on Princess, we get a free upgrade to Platinum protection, with 100% back in future travel credits). So, we didn’t book that cruise because it was an inexpensive way to spend ten days. 

We had only been on one NCL cruise in the past, in May 2000 on the new Norwegian Sky to Alaska. Our cabin had been so small (the smallest we’ve had in 130 cruises), and the food in the main dining room was so bad that we never returned to the cruise line. We had been lucky; extra cost restaurants were just being rolled out on cruise ships, and NCL was leading the way. There was a fondue restaurant with beautiful views on top of that ship, for just $5pp, and we ate there six out of seven nights. But none of that mattered in our choice to return to NCL. We did a few minutes of research on the Norwegian Spirit and got out our credit card to book the cruise. 

We booked the cheapest guarantee cabin category, which meant we did not have a specific cabin. There were immediately other decisions to make though. It was one fare for the basic cruise and a higher fare if we wanted to add in a promotion. These promotions were things like an unlimited drink package, or a $50 per port discount on ship’s shore excursions, or an internet package or a specialty dining package. We stayed with the simple booking. G might have enjoyed the drink package but we’d‘ve both needed to add it. I don’t drink and it would have cost us $20 each per day in additional gratuities (I didn’t like that at all). 

Within just a couple of weeks, we were assigned an inside cabin on Deck 10 toward the front of the ship. We were quite pleased with that; we’d prefer to be above the Promenade Deck rather than below it in most instances. Then the upgrade offers began. We had several opportunities to bid on upgrades to higher cabin categories, with a minimum bid for ocean view cabins and another for balcony cabins.  The one thing (maybe the only thing) I remember from a Masters-level economics course is that exploiting the area under the demand curve results in a more perfect economy. Bidding does exactly that- people pay what they are willing to pay, and the entire area under the demand curve is filled- but it all seemed a little gimmicky to G. We stayed put in our Deck 10 inside cabin. 

Naturally, we had to navigate an unfamiliar website to complete our check in and print travel documents and luggage tags, but I don’t remember that as being too onerous. We completed that process and really didn’t think anymore about our reservation. 

It was not until that sleepless night at the Hotel Traiano in Civitavecchia (G renamed it the Hotel Traitanic after the flood), after ordering a care package on Amazon for an Air Force Academy cadet but before the room flooded, that I really thought about that cruise again. I looked at all the recent reviews. The ship was older, built in 1997 for an Asian cruise company as SuperStar Leo. It was decorated by the owner’s wife, with strong Asian influences, and, though it had been renovated several times since, the Asian influences still remained. The general consensus of the reviews was that the ship was dated but in good condition, and the food and crew were all good. I was hopeful. 

Well, from the time we stepped on board the Norwegian Spirit, we were blown away by the friendliness of the officers, staff and crew. We’ve been on several friendly ships before (and staying on for months at a time made them even friendlier), but we’ve never encountered anything like this. We were just second time NCL cruisers, knew no one on board. And these interactions felt comfortable, not forced, not stilted. We were instantly comfortable.

The ship was in excellent condition. It reminded us quite a bit of the Pacific Princess, larger, of course (nearly three times the size), but with the dark woods and deep colors of the Pacific Princess. Our inside cabin was excellent. There were sliding doors on the closet (much better than doors than open out but not as good as no doors), cubbies in the closet, a lighted safe and four very nicely sized drawers in the vanity. The beds were perfect, the best I’ve ever had on a cruise. That we both liked them means they appeal to people who need firm support as well as those who want comfort. There was a top sheet and an encased duvet on the bed. 

The bathroom was amazing. A long shower with a sliding glass shower door and two shelves inside, a long vanity and two shelves on either side of the large mirror. Towels were not notable one way or the other. There was a wall dispenser with liquid hand soap (loved this) next to the sink.  There was a combined shampoo/conditioner on the wall in the shower, a shower gel and there were nice bars of lemongrass soaps available too (I brought one to use on the Pacific Princess). 

However…the TV was small, old and, worst of all, had maybe one English speaking entertainment channel, a couple of English news channels, and the rest of the channels were in other languages. Luckily, this was such a port intensive cruise that it really didn’t matter, but, with several sea days, it would have been an issue. 

The entertainment on board was average. The production shows lacked…something. I’m not sure if it was the set design (or lack of it), which could be attributable to the size of the ship), the choreography or the vocalists, but something was off. The guest entertainers ranged from good (the magician) to average.  There were plenty of live music and game show type entertainment around the ship, but we were simply too tired to enjoy most of it. 

The cruise director, Dave, from Mexico, was fantastic. Fun yet professional, he seemed involved in far more things than CDs are on Princess. The cruise staff members we met were very friendly and helpful. On embarkation day, several crew wore badges that said ‘ DirectionalAssistance’ and were standing at cross points by elevator lobbies and stairs to offer directions and answer questions. 

The pool areas were beautiful, and adequate for the number of passengers onboard. There were plenty of loungers, I would think, even for a hot itinerary. Two pool towels were in our cabin; replacements came from the pool deck by showing our key card (in reality, this really wasn’t enforced. We often got a pool towel to use to wring out our hand laundry). 

Raffles Buffet was a disappointment,  not because of the food, but because of the décor (dark) and lack of lightning. It felt dirty as a result, but I’m certain it absolutely was not. 

Windows dining room was the highlight of the cruise. It had a plethora of tables for two and four, which is what most cruisers want these days, but several larger tables too. At the back of the ship, it had a large section with three palladium windows overlooking the wake. We tried lunch in that area once, but settled on a favorite table for two next to a port side window and sat there for dinner every night. Our waiters, Rico and Derek, were friendly and attentive. 

Windows Dining Room

The food on the Norwegian Spirit in all venues- the menus, the taste, the presentation- was among the best we’ve ever enjoyed on a cruise. I asked the maitre de if their menus were specific only to the Spirit or the same fleet wide, and was assured every ship was the same. I had feared that, with the focus on specialty dining, our food in the main dining room and buffet would suffer. Not so at all. We went a bit wild, eating far more than we do on Princess, simply to try more things. 

Although we pretty much reserved ourselves into traditional dining, we like that freestyle dining was available. We never saw lines outside restaurants as a result, as there often are on Princess. We liked that people could dine in any restaurant any night in nice jeans. If one wanted to wear shorts to dinner but enjoy the dining room menu, Garden restaurant was the place for that. 

We dined at two specialty restaurants- Cagney’s steakhouse and Teppanyaki, and they were both excellent. They offered the same excellent service we enjoyed in the Windows dining room every night. 

For our one previous NCL cruise, we received a bottle of Prosecco in our cabin upon boarding. We also could have gotten 10% off any logo wear in the gift shop. 

We looked into, but did not book, a NextCruise deposit. On NCL they are $250, and do not provide OBC on a future cruise but on the cruise on which they are booked, up to $500 for the maximum of four per person. Also, just one is required to book a cruise for two people. However, they are not refundable and must be used within four years. We were tempted…but not entirely sold. 

We would cruise again on the Norwegian Spirit in a heartbeat. I’m not certain we would cruise on a larger NCL ship, but our wonderful experience has made us more open to try a slightly bigger ship, providing the cabin size is acceptable. Specifically, I am lobbying hard for three Norwegian Spirit cruises from February 10 to April 15, 2020 that sail from Rome to Dubai, Dubai to Cape Town, South Africa, and Cape Town to Singapore. I’m providing a list of the ports in case someone else is interested. The time frame is not great for us, but these itineraries are amazing. 

Rome; Athens; Kusadasi, Turkey; Rhodes, Greece; Limassol, Cyprus; Haifa, Israel; Suez Canal; Safaga, Egypt (with an overnight); Aqaba, Jordan; Muscat, Oman; Khasab, Oman; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Dubai, UAE; Fujairah, UAE; Port Victoria (with an overnight), Seychelles; Nosy Be, Madagascar; Port Louis, Mauritius; Pointe des Galets, Reunion Island; Richard’s  Bay, South Africa; Port Elizabeth, South Africa; Mossel Bay, South Africa; Cape Town, South Africa; Male, Maldives; Phuket, Thailand; Langkawi, Malaysia; Penang, Malayasia, Singapore. 

The Norwegian Spirit continues for 16 more days beginning April 15, 2020 in Singapore, stopping in Vietnam, Hong Kong, Shanghai and several ports in Japan before ending in Tokyo. And that point, I believe the ship is due to be transferred to another company. However, there is another refurbishment prior to these cruises, so it will be in great shape. 

Please, someone, take these cruises, and blog about them so I can vicariously follow along. I can promise you that the Norwegian Spirit will not disappoint you!

Day 23: Naples/Capri

We had the most fantastic day today!  We’ve been watching the weather in Naples very closely for a week or so, and the early forecasts for today in the city looked perfect. We wanted to go to the island of Capri (say KAH-pree, not kah-PREE as in the pants), but knew we needed sunny skies and low wind to be happy on the 45-minute hydrofoil ferry ride from Naples. We had both today, and comfortable temps (high 60s) to boot. 

We had carefully checked the schedules for the ferries running between Naples and Capri to see if we could do this on our own. Those looked good…and then we saw that we were in port with the Celebrity Constellation and the Pacific Princess today (coincidently we are alumnae of both those ships!). Though none of the three ships in port was particularly large, their combined passenger population along with a normal weekend crowd meant that the ferries to and from Capri would be running full. Plus the cruise ships offer excursions that would nearly fill the the last ferry returning before they sailed. We decided that the prudent thing to do would be to take a ship excursion, guaranteeing us spots on those last ferries. However, by the time we made that decision, the ‘Capri On Your Own’ excursion was full. We were waitlisted for it but cleared the waitlist just yesterday. 

Sunrise over Mt. Vesuvius from the Promenade Deck

We were up early and in the Windows dining room when it opened at 7am. As soon as I finished eating, I walked off the ship and into the port terminal to use the ATM. We needed more euros to get through the next few days. I’ve found it difficult to forecast our cash flow needs. In some ports, we have fairly cheap days but when we take a €100 taxi tour, it really eats into our funds. Fortunately, getting euros at ATMs, whether at banks or storefronts or the port terminal today has been extremely easy with a good rate of exchange. 

We met our group in the Stardust Theater and almost immediately were off the ship and walking to the ferry terminal right around the corner. Our guide, Francesca, purchased the ferry tickets and passed them out, and soon we were on a comfortable, two deck hydrofoil crossing the bay. After we arrived in Marina Grande on Capri, Francesca gave us some pointers, told us what time to be back (4pm) and we were off. 

Capri, located almost due south of Naples just off the Sorrentine Peninsula, is a small, 4 mile by 2 mile wide island with about 13000 inhabitants. It became famous as the vacation getaway of Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius, and, later, as a refuge for Europe’s artsy gay community. Oscar Wilde and D. H. Lawrence both frequented the island. Now, it is its stunning scenery- towering sea cliffs, colorful grottos and picturesque villages perched on mountainsides- that attracts hoards or tourists from Naples, Sorrento and the nearby Amalfi coast. 

The first thing G and I did was purchase tickets to take a boat around the island for €18 that was leaving immediately.  Because it’s a small island, the boat ride was about an hour long. We had great seats at the front the good sized boat, and our trip was narrated in both Italian and English. 

It was quickly apparent that Capri is just one big rock. On the opposite side of the island from Marina Grande, sea cliffs rose over 1000 feet  from the water, and were dotted with frequent caves and inlets. Our boat went up to three of them, Grotto Bianca, Grotto Meravigliosa and Grotto Verde. The water was iridescent blue and blue green, the color created by the sun reflecting off the white rock under the water. In Grotto Meravigliosa, huge stalactites clung to the ceiling of the cave. 

At Feraglioni, our boat steered right through a rock formation similar to Los Arcos in Cabo San Lucas. Supposedly, it’s called Lovers Arch, and it’s a tradition to kiss your partner as you pass underneath it, but we missed out because  G was wandering around the boat at that moment (because of course he was). ;-) At the far end of the island was a lighthouse called Faro (Italian for lighthouse) di Punta Marina. 

Faraglioni

Cruising through Faraglioni

Grotto Miravigliosa

Grotto Miravigliosa

Grotto Verde


Grotto Verde

Faro di Punta Carena

The famous Blue Grotto of Capri was closed for the season. The difference between the Blue Grotto and the ones we’d seen on our boat tour is that, smaller boats (dinghys) can enter through a three foot high opening in the rock and go fully inside the grotto. Our boat today could only go up close to the  ones that we saw, but that beautiful water color was the same. 

We arrived back at Marina Grande; used the public toilets there (half a euro each to use a toilet with no seat…you gotta love Italy!) and bought public bus tickets to go up to Anacapri, a small village atop a mountain on the island. There was already a queue to ride the bus, and when the small bus arrived, it was immediately obvious that everyone in line was not going to get on that bus (I really can’t imagine the crowds in Capri in  August).  After the seats were filled, people kept boarding until it came to G and I. We had a choice:  squeeze in against the door or wait 30 minutes for the next bus. We squeezed in, with G actually standing in the stairwell. 

The public buses on Capri

The bus started to climb on a road we had seen earlier, clinging off the side of the mountain. It twisted and turned as it navigated the switchbacks on the mountain. The drop off was just a couple of feet or so from the edge of the bus, and G, in his position pressed against the doors, looked down and couldn’t even see the road under the bus. At one point, the switchback was so tight that our driver had to drive first around a rotary to get the right angle to make the turn. The real highlight was when we passed a small truck hauling bags of cement on a curve with oncoming traffic. I was right at the front of the bus with an up close view of that excitement. 

G’s first words when he saw this:  “I gotta ride on THAT!” 

And so we did. :-)

Once at Anacapri, our plan was to ride a single chair chairlift up to Monte Solara, the highest point on the island, but we were deterred by the price (€11 per person round trip), the time required (13 minutes each way plus a recommended 20-30 minutes at the lookouts at the top), and our concern about the safety of the chairlift. Instead we enjoyed a nice lunch in Anacapri and boarded another bus down to Capri Town, and mid way up the mountain above Marina Grande. 

Love oranges displayed with the leaves!

In Capri Town, we purchased limoncello granitas (like a sorbet) and walked around taking in the sights. I sat on a bench with a beautiful view of the island and placed an Amazon order for Mom. I place orders for her while I’m sightseeing with some frequency. Last year while on a boat ride in Picton, New Zealand, I ordered her shoes from Zappos. Today it was an iPad charging cord from Amazon. Ain’t technology the BEST?! 

We eventually purchased tickets and rode the funicular down from Capri Town to Marina Grande, where we met up with our group and were given tickets for the ferry ride back to Naples. We returned on the 4:30pm ferry, and, as we had feared, even though an additional ferry was added, they were both filled and people were left on the pier. However, because we were booked on an excursion, we were guaranteed seats on the return ferry. 

Bay of Naples with Mt.Vesuvius in the background

Capri Town

Funicular from Marina Grande to Capri Town

We saw the most incredible sunset from the ferry, the best one we’ve seen so far this season. And we arrived back in Naples about 5:15pm. We walked through the port terminal back to the ship, and G went directly to the dining room to get our table by the window while I went back to the room to drop off our day bag and do something with my hat hair (I’d worn my Tilley hat all day in the sun). It was a fairly hopeless effort. 

Sunset view taken from hydrofoil back to Naples

Unfortunately,  both of our iPhone batteries as well as our backup battery were exhausted, so tonight’s dinner was the only one for which I won’t have menu photos to eventually post. I had hot and sour soup, salad and coconut shrimp curry and, like all the food we’ve enjoyed onboard, everything was delicious. We said goodby to waiters Rico and Derek (they were so amazing to us) and promised them good reviews in our post cruise survey. 

We skipped all entertainment tonight and returned to the cabin to pack our big suitcases and set them outside our door. I can certainly attest to the fact that packing up after a 10-night cruise is much, much easier than packing up after 150 days of cruising. Packing after five months of cruising is like a relocation. 

We will be up early tomorrow, but I told G tonight that, compared to a port day, tomorrow should be a cakewalk. And so will begin the third part of the first segment of our around the world adventure.  

Another sunset pic from the hydrofoil

Life is good. :-)

Day 22: Messina/Taormina

With the gorgeous weather we’ve been having, we had one goal in mind for today: to take the train to Taormina, the town perched in the mountains overlooking the Central Sicilian coast. We had been there with friends Paul and Marlene in December two years ago, but our time then was limited and the weather was understandably colder. Today we were determined to be off the ship as soon as it was cleared by the local authorities. 

Panaroma view of Messina, Sicily

(touch to open and scroll on an iPad, Mom)

To that end, we were in the Windows dining room for breakfast when it opened at 7am. As soon as the Norwegian Spirit was at its berth, we raced back to our cabin to get our usual things for a day in port. The announcement was made that we could go ashore…and for the first time this cruise, the elevators were completely bogged down. It appeared that everyone else had the same idea, to immediately go ashore. Instead we took the stairs down to Deck 4 and were off the ship at 8:20am. The next train from the Messina Centrale station to Taormina was scheduled to leave at 8:48am. 

We had a general idea of the route to the train station; after all, we had walked it just two years ago, but it was a little further than I recalled. We arrived at the station just a few minutes before 8:48am, quickly bought our tickets from an agent (€4.30 each way) and went to Platform 7…where we were told that particular train was a sleeper car train and we couldn’t ride it. Instead we were directed to Platform 5 for a train that would leave at 9:18am. 

Luckily, announcements are made on Italian trains and in stations in English after they are made in Italian, and I caught the end of an announcement mentioning Taormina and Platform 3. That sent us (and 16 or so of our fellow cruisers who were going to the same place) back down the steps, through the tunnel under the tracks and up the steps to Platform 3. Finally, we had it right. 

On the train to Taormina

The train to Taormina runs south along the coast of Sicily, at times right next to the water and sometimes separated from it by a few blocks of apartments and homes. Either way, it’s a pretty scenic trip, and a great view into everyday life in coastal Sicily. We arrived at the pretty little Taormina Giardini station in just under an hour. From there, it’s necessary to either take a local bus or a taxi up the mountain to Taormina above. The bus is about €2, and it only goes as far as the Taormina bus station, which is a 10-15 minute uphill walk from the walled old town. Instead, we filled a taxi with six people and for €25 were deposited right at the gate to the old town. 

Taormina gate

Our primary goal for the day was to see the Greek amphitheater that dates from 300BC. We didn’t have enough time to visit it two years ago, and it was a must do today. We walked directly to it, paid the €10 admission fee and spent well over an hour exploring the ruins of what was certainly an impressive venue when it was built. And the views from the top, of the coast, the still steaming Mt. Etna (the volcano was quite active this year), and the surrounding mountains with small towns clinging to their peaks were breathtaking. 

Castle at Castlemola

Greek amphitheater 

A steaming Mt. Etna

It must be a scenic view!

Castlemola

At the very top of the amphitheater was a book store that also housed a small museum. There we saw several Roman mosaics that have been unearthed from the Taormina area, much like we saw in Rhodes, and, two years ago in Risan, Montenegro. 

Eventually we made our way back down to a kind of visitors center near the entrance. One of the exhibits was a video showing the amphitheater in its current condition and then as it would have appeared over 2000 years ago. That was really impressive; I see these significant ruins all over this part of Europe, but it’s nearly impossible to imagine them as they were built. This video did it for me. This was an extraordinary amphitheater, constructed to take advantage of the beautiful view of the coast and Mt. Etna (autocorrect keeps wanting to change that to Aetna). ;-)

We were getting hungry by then and returned to the same café at which we had eaten when we were here two years ago. We shared a pizza and a cannoli (both delish) while sitting at an outdoor table and people-watching. Taormina was busy today, though not nearly as crowded as it likely is during the summer months. 

We met our taxi driver, Carmelo, outside the city gate at 2:15pm, and, once at the Taormina Giardini station, waited for the 2:48pm train to Messina. It was delayed nearly 10 minutes. When I wondered why a train going in the opposite direction, south to Catania, was waiting at the station that whole time, G pointed out to me that it was likely because there was only a single track along the coast, and the only place for trains to pass was at the stations.  Sure enough, our train had to wait the same way on its journey north to Messina. It’s hard to believe I have lived my life to this point without ever before encountering that situation, but I’m not a frequent passenger on trains. 

We arrived at the Messina Centrale station just after 4pm; it was nearly 4:30pm when we re-boarded the Norwegian Spirit. Despite the fact that we were a bit wiped out, there was no rest for the weary. Clothes were peeled off and hand laundered and hung up to dry while the other person showered (thankfully, the bathroom is large enough for two people). By 5:30pm the laundry was done and we were sitting in the Windows dining room placing our orders. G commented, as he always does, that his favorite part of every day is returning to the ship. We are quite spoiled. 

The entertainment tonight was a production show called Elements. It combined the illusions by the magician from a few nights ago with an aerial duo and the entire production cast. It was…very cutting edge. I couldn’t wait to hear G’s take on it afterward. “Weird”, he said. I wasn’t surprised he felt that way. We are simple people. A production show with songs we recognize and nice costumes and choreography is always a winner with us. I did enjoy the aerialists and the part of the show where it snowed on stage. 

After the show ended (standing O, proving that our fellow guests are far more sophisticated than we are), Cruise Director Dave brought up on stage crew members from the various departments and the senior officers giving the audience the chance to show their appreciation (another standing O). I like when cruise lines do that. Celebrity used to do it, too. I know some people say it’s just an added responsibility for the crew member who still has to get their work done for the day, but I think it’s a good thing. I cannot recall one time in my adult life where I’ve been applauded for doing my job, and I imagine the world would be a better place if more people were given the recognition they deserve. 

And then we collapsed into bed. It’s been a busy day, and tomorrow, in Naples, we cleared the waitlist for an excursion we wanted to take. It will be another very long day, followed by packing up our cabin in the evening and then a very early wake up on disembarkation day in Civitavecchia. At dinner tonight, I was almost afraid to look at the itinerary for the Pacific Princess cruise. I knew there were ports right off the bat, but didn’t remember how many port days there were before a sea day. Well, a quick check of my phone showed that there are two ports before that first sea day. That’s just four days away. 

I can do this. I’ve got this. Go me!  (Just a little self-talk as encouragement.)

;-)

Day 21: Valletta, Malta

With our arrival in Valletta, Malta not scheduled until 1pm today, this was another quasi-sea day.  Despite that, we were up early and in the Windows dining room when it opened at 8am. I ate lightly, just toast and OJ, because I knew we’d most likely be eating lunch in that dining room when it opened at 11:30am (and we were). We had a busy morning scheduled, and started by swinging by the Shore Excursions desk to see if we had cleared the waitlist on a Naples excursion we’d like to take (no luck).  

While we were there (in the atrium), we also stopped by the dining reservations desk to see if there were any openings for Teppanyaki, the Benihana-like hibachi table restaurant. It had been booked solid all cruise long, but- surprise!- there were two cancellations for the seating at 5pm tonight. We booked them, and though that shortened our time in Valletta to just a few hours, we’d been there before and would be again in ten days. 

At 10am, Cruise Director Dave (from Mexico, and one of the top five CDs I’ve ever cruised with) held a’Behind the Scenes’ session about the three different departments on the ship. They are exactly the same as on Princess: the Deck Department, the Technical Department and the Hotel Department. Then immediately afterward, the captain, the chief engineerand the hotel director did a Q and A session.   Both of these were held in the Galaxy of the Stars Lounge and were extremely well attended. 

When this...

...and this are the views from your table at lunch,

Life is good! :-)

As predicted, we did go to lunch in the Windows dining room and watched from our window as the Norwegian Spirit entered Valletta Harbor. The view of the beige stone walls surrounding the city’s old town is unparalleled. Malta really is one of the most unique places to visit in the Med. We went up to the open decks behind the buffet to watch the pier-side arrival activity, and settled into loungers in the sun to wait for the ship to be cleared by the local authorities. The sun was hot and the air temp was just a tad chilly and the combination of the two nearly put us to sleep. 

It took a while for the ship to be cleared and it was just after 2pm when we finally walked off the ship. We wanted to be back on board by 4pm to get cleaned up for dinner, and that didn’t leave us much time at all. We simply walked around a bit, and sat at an outdoor café for a beer and Pellegrino (frou frou fizzy water).  

The glass elevator to the top of the wall and the old part of the city. 

The old warehouse area next to the pier has been converted into restaurants and high end residences. 

These are the texts we receive everyday when we take our phones off Airplane Mode as we come into port.  

Back on the ship, we got ready for our early dinner. Teppanyaki is a very popular restaurant and we were lucky to be able to enjoy it. The dining charge is $29pp plus a 20% tip, which we felt was worthwhile when compared to the cost of Benihana in Hawaii (because you know we never splurge like that at home). 

We are currently listening to live music in the Galaxy Lounge and using the local cellular network to internet wildly before we sail at 9pm. We haven’t had high speed internet access since we were at the Comfort Inn Buckingham Palace Rd. three weeks ago. One day soon, possibly before we fly to Dubai, we are going to have to spend a few hours somewhere that has high enough speed WiFi for us to do the many updates our iDevices need. Luckily, so far none of our financial apps need updating, because it’s always an issue when we are prevented from accessing them until the update is complete. 

Also at 9pm tonight is another show by the Beatles Tribute band on board. We have really enjoyed the live musical entertainment on the Norwegian Spirit. 

Today’s port of Valletta, as well as Messina, Sicily tomorrow and Naples the day after that will be repeated on our Pacific Princess cruise. We have tentative plans in place, but know that what we don’t see this time around we can get to next cruise. This flexibility is certainly welcome after three busy weeks. 

Day 20: Chania, Crete, Greece

It is 4:45pm as I type these first words, and that alone is enough to rock my world today. Add to it the almost two-hour nap I took after lunch, and the hot tub visit I squeezed in before it was time to shower for tonight and I am feeling like all’s right in my world. Simple pleasures…

The Norwegian Spirit arrived in Chania (KAN-ee-a corrected to be that gutteral h/k sound) on the island of Crete at 7am today, and we were out on the Promenade Deck to watch the docking procedures. As soon as the ship was cleared, we walked off just to see what was what there. There were only two shore excursions offered; one was a walking tour and the other included a monastery visit, a stop at a WW2 cemetery for British soldiers killed in 1941 in the Battle of Crete…and a walking tour. However, there was sign posted that stated that for €1.70 each way, we could ride a city bus into the old town and market area of Chania. That sounded just right for today. 

Sunrise over Crete



Our arrival time was early, at 7am, but we sailed at noon in order to reach Malta by tomorrow at 1pm. 

We took a few photos of the beautiful sunrise off the bow of the ship, re-boarded and went to breakfast in the Windows dining room, gathered up our usual day items (Euros, ATM card, credit card, photo ID and insulated metal water bottle) and walked off.  By then it was nearly 9am; we had to back on board no later than 11:30am, and the bus ride was about 20 minutes long. We decided to walk around as much as we could, but be ready to re-board a bus by 10:50am or so. We really didn’t have enough time to do this town justice. 

However, we had just enough time to fall in love with Crete. It’s the largest Greek island, and we obviously saw just a tiny bit of it, but sometimes it doesn’t take long to form an opinion. There was not a speck of trash anywhere (take a hint, Rome!), the locals were all extremely friendly and welcoming, and, the icing on the cake…it was cheap!  Like €1.30 for the can of Greek beer G bought cheap (Fira on Santorini charged nearly €7 for the same can of beer). 

Shopping street in the old town

We wandered the narrow streets of the market but the most appealing thing I saw was a tiny dwarf bunny rabbit waiting to be taken home by a new family. If I could have snuck him on the ship…

We did eventually stop and sit at a table on the sidewalk at one of the many little cafes where we bought the beer and a can of fuzzy water and could keep an eye on the line forming for the bus across the square. Finally we joined them and were back on the ship at 11:27am. Seldom early, never late!

The only thing I wanted to buy :-)

We stopped for beverages at a street side cafe

We enjoyed lunch again in the Windows dining room (because the ship sailed early today, it was open), and, from our window-side table we had a perfect view of the coastline as the Norwegian Spirit headed out to the open sea. The lunch menu was one we saw on our first sea day, and it certainly bore repeating. The white chocolate mousse that G ordered for dessert looked good enough to dive into. 

The view from our table at lunch. Much greener than Santorini, with some white cliffs. 

Note the tall mountain in the distance (we’re not sure what it’s called)

With a free afternoon and full bellies, we returned to our cabin and fell asleep. Boy did we need that!  When we woke up, we used one of the four mid-ship hot tubs and listened to the live party band music the entire time we were out there. We like NCL (in case you couldn’t tell)!

Tonight was the second Norwegian Night Out of the cruise, and we dressed just as we did for the first one, and fit in just fine. Dinners with Rico and Derek at our table for two next to a window really are the highlight of every day. It’s hard to miss that, but we will tomorrow night, when we will dine at another specialty restaurant on board. 

G went to tonight’s show in the Stardust Theater (a juggler), but I just wasn’t feeling it tonight. This afternoon I picked up my iPad and actually started reading the first book I’ve looked at since we left home three weeks ago, and it is more appealing to me tonight than a juggler. 

We moved clocks back an hour overnight AND don’t arrive in Valletta, Malta until 1pm tomorrow, so between this afternoon at sea and tomorrow morning at sea, it’s kind of like having a bonus sea day in the middle of this port intensive cruise. And that’s the kind of sea day we like!

With a little extra time and nothing else to write about our day, I thought I’d take a moment and talk about how we’re coping without our Princess laundry benefit on this cruise. What made me think about it is that I sat next to a lady on the bus today who commented that we were wearing the same pants, and weren’t they the best for travel?  Well, they are the best, so they might be worth mentioning here.

I already had a pair of LLBean’s trekking shorts or trail shorts (they’re called something like that) and loved them. They were so nice in Hawaii last year where I’d wash them out at night and they’d be dry by morning. This year I bought a second pair in a different color (usually all I wear when I travel is black, because it hides dirt, but I bought a second pair in dark taupe). I also purchased the same item in black slacks once we booked this NCL cruise. With an adjustable waist, lots of zipper pockets and a quick drying fabric with a little bit of stretch, these slacks look good, resist stains and are perfect for travel. 

Well, I have worn those slacks and either the same long sleeved T or the same short sleeved T every day this cruise. The shirt gets washed out every night; and slacks get washed out every other night and they are all dry and ready to wear the next morning. It was finally warm enough today to wear the shorts, so all I am wearing during the day on a 10-night cruise are two T-shirts, one pair of slacks and one pair of shorts.  Add a pair of slacks and three different tops for dinner and that’s all I’ve needed for this cruise. If it weren’t for formal nights, I think I could travel for four months with just a carry on. I just can’t shop, for jewelry, T-shirts, doo-dads…or bunnies. ;-)

Day 19: Santorini

The Santorini archipelago is one of the most picturesque areas in the Mediterranean. Comprised of five islands, it is a collapsed volcanic caldera surrounded by impressive 1000 foot high cliffs.  While the island where cruise ship passengers tender to is officially called Thira, it is more commonly referred to by the name of the archipelago, Santorini. 

Santorini is probably my favorite stop on Mediterranean cruises. We spent a magical day there two years, drinking and dining at an outdoor restaurant perched on the cliff of the most famous and picturesque village of Oia (EE-ah). I was hoping for a repeat of that today, especially given our beautiful weather…but it was not to be. One of us hit the wall today, not an immediately obvious condition, but one that became apparent as the morning unfolded. 

Starting fairly early, we kept downgrading our plans for the day. By the time we had enjoyed breakfast in the Windows dining room, open tender was called (the Norwegian Spirit is small enough that the tender process, much like on the Pacific Princess, is smooth, efficient and fast). We took one of the island’s large commercial tenders over to the pier. The Pacific Princess was in port with us again today, and, except for either ship being the only one in port, it’s hard to imagine a better combination; 2700 passengers in the off-season means that nothing is overrun. It also means no wait for the cable cars to the top of the cliff. The boats that take passengers directly to Oia had already left for the day (even with just small ships in port, it’s important to be off the ship early to do that), so we paid €6 each for the cable car ride to Fira ( FEE-rah) on top of the cliff. 

Large local tenders were used to shuttle passengers to shore

The Pacific Princess with Oia in the distance 

Cable car wheel

Six cars at a time, each holding six people 

The caldera’s cliffs from Fira 

Once we arrived at the top, we followed Maps.me for walking directions to the public bus. It runs down to Oia twice each hour for just a couple of euros, and we initially intended to do that. That plan was the first to be eliminated. As we were walking along the narrow cobblestone sidewalks, we decided to just spend some time exploring Fira. We continued our walk but toward the Museum of Prehistoric Thira, a museum presenting items recovered from the ash after Santorini erupted around 1600 BC.  Halfway there, G thought he might like to just have a meal at one of the many restaurants in Fira overlooking the water with the Norwegian Spirit and the Pacific Princess at anchor. After perusing the menus of several restaurants, he thought he’d really just like to return to the ship. And so we did. 

After resting for a couple of hours, G was up for enjoying lunch at the expansive area at the back of the Norwegian Spirit just outside of Raffles Buffet. It was a beautiful day back there, too, and we eventually moved into a hot tub overlooking all the islands in the archipelago. It was our first time using a hot tub of pool on the Spirit, and it was nice to have some time to do that. 

We were dressed for dinner and on the large open decks on the back of the ship for sail away and a spectacular sunset over Santorini. Turning around, the white buildings and houses of Fira glowed pink in the last of the sun’s rays. 

Just before sunset, the sun shining on the caldera’s cliffs...spectacular!


Sunset over Santorini...heaven!

Window side table with view of Santorini...priceless!

After the sun had set, we went directly to dinner in the Windows dining room. Paella was on the menu, and I had been wanting to have that since we were in Barcelona. I simply didn’t eat the chicken or chorizo sausage in it, but enjoyed the rest. G had a banana soufflé with caramel sauce for dessert, and he said that, though it was delicious, it was the first thing he’s had that wasn’t better than the way Princess makes it. Princess knows soufflés!  He is really enjoying having two different beef options every single night, and neither of them is a hamburger, as on Princess. We’ve never felt deprived on Princess, but it takes trying something else to realize the level of cutbacks they’ve implemented. 

The main entertainment tonight was a magic show, and despite how I feel about magic shows, we went and sat in the just in case seats. Well, Javi Cruz and Anahi from Malaga, Spain were fabulous. These were big time illusions. I remember seeing a show on the Royal Princess during its inaugural season that was similar, the kind of shows for which people pay significant money to see in Las Vegas. I would never likely do that, but it’s nice to see them on a ship for free. 

Afterward, we didn’t even go to Raffles Buffet for G to have a pre-bedtime ice cream snack or me to have a crêpe. It really was a down day for us, but, after nearly three weeks of travel, a rest day was probably inevitable. Tomorrow we will spend just the morning in Chania, on Greece’s largest island of Crete, and another relaxing afternoon at sea en route to Malta. 

Day 18: Rhodes, Greece

I was so looking forward to our day in Rhodes (say ROH-dos) today. In fact, even if we had stayed on the Sapphire Princess for the repositioning cruise to Singapore, we would have enjoyed a day in Rhodes on that itinerary. So when we gave that up, I knew we still had to find a way to get here. 

Rhodes has a magnificent history due in large part to its location at the crossroads of Europe and what was once the Ottoman Empire.  It is the largest of the Dodecanese Islands, and sits on the far southeastern corner of Greece just 11 miles from Turkey.  Because of its location, the sun first rises in Rhodes, and early Greeks believed the island was the birthplace of the sun god Helios. In honor of Helios, they erected one of the seven wonders of the ancient world: the famous Colossus of Rhodes.  It stood for only 56 years before an earthquake demolished it.  Thinking they had offended Helios, Rhodians decided not to re-build it. 

As part of the Roman Empire, Rhodes flourished as a shipping center. During the Crusades, its close proximity to the Holy Lands attracted the Crusaders and it became the headquarters of the Knights of St. John and knights from all over Europe passed through Rhodes. In the 14th century, Greece was overtaken by the Ottomans and the Knights moved to Malta. The Ottoman influence is still apparent in some of the architectural elements on the island. They remained in control until the early 20th century when Rhodes fell under Italian rule. The Italians rebuilt some of the medieval structures, such as the Palace of the Grand Master and eliminated some of the Ottoman structures. It was not until after World War 2 that Rhodes finally became part of Greece for the first time. 

Rhodes is absolutely perfect as a cruise stop. The walled Old Town is just a five minute walk from the port, there are centuries of history and interesting and picturesque architecture to ponder…and an abundance of shopping and restaurants from which to choose. Honestly, if Disney had crafted a perfect medieval cruise port, it could not have been any nicer. 

It made us happy to realize that we’ll be boarding the Pacific Princess in Civitavecchia in Sunday.

And it made us realize how small that ship is, even compared to the (small in today’s world) Norwegian Spirit. 

Imagine our delight and surprise when we docked in Rhodes today to see the Pacific Princess already berthed there. It is quite exciting to think that, on Sunday, we’ll be boarding the ship in Civitavecchia, and basically going home for 12 days. Our good Greek weather continued today, and for the first time this season I wore a short sleeved T-shirt (and could have gotten by wearing shorts, though I didn’t). What a change from our past visits to Rhodes. G had been joking that NCL has much better weather than Princess, but, with the Pacific Princess enjoying the same good weather today, it ruined that joke. 

We walked off the ship early, shortly after we were cleared by the local authorities at 9am.  I had originally been so discouraged when I realized we would be visiting on a Monday. Both of our prior visits had been on Mondays too, and, beginning in November, the Palace of the Grand Master is closed on Mondays. But something must have been different today, and we were thrilled that, not only was the Palace open, but the admission fee was half price (just €3) during the off season. We headed that direction, walking through the shopping and restaurant parts of the Old Town (Sokratous Street) before reaching the Avenue of the Knights. 

Norwegian offers a convenient seating area on the pier to wait for other passengers or take a rest. 

In chilly Mykonos, we were welcomed back to the ship with warm washcloths. 

The walled Old Town of Rhodes

One of the gates to the old town

 A courtyard off the Avenue of the Knights 


Along the Avenue of the Knights

I remembered this so well from two years ago (it had been one of my very favorite experiences that season). Being here on the Pacific Princess, the only ship in town that day, we had walked up a nearly empty Avenue of the Knights, and every single photo I took had no people in it. It was very easy to imagine ourselves back in the Middle Ages. Today, there was some construction work being done on the lower part of the Avenue, and quite a few more people (though, I imagine, no where near as many as in the summer). We entered the Palace through its impressive gates and courtyard and purchased our tickets inside. 

Entrance to the Palace of the Grand Master



Palace of the Grand Master, built in the 11th century. 

We ended up spending nearly two hours touring the Palace. The architecture, a blend of medieval and Italian influences, was extraordinary. There was a special exhibit on the first floor of Byzantine culture, with items such as coins, weights and pottery. The second floor held the massive meeting and dining rooms and offices of senior members of the knighthood. The floors were covered with the same sort of exquisite Roman mosaics we had seen in Montenegro. 

Chapel in the Palace


The Palace’s thick walls and narrow windows for defense



Entrance hall of the Palace

(That’s 45 stone steps by the way, with no handrail) :-o




Beautiful ceilings...

...and extensive mosaic floors. 

The original alabaster windows

Signs of Christian and Muslim (Ottoman Empire) rule

We left the Palace and returned a different way through the Old Town toward the waterfront. We stopped at the same restaurant I had dined at two years ago (while G was taking a Segway tour) for late lunch/ snack (minus the wine this year, which was sad), people watching as we sat at an outside table and re-boarded the ship about 3:30pm. For the first time, we sat on the huge covered deck behind Raffles Buffet and enjoyed the fantastic weather. Also for the first time, we saw a dad and his young children enjoying the pirates pool and slide on the back of the ship. It was definitely the best weather day of our season so far. 

We weren’t particularly hungry for dinner at 5:30pm (but that hasn’t stopped us yet)…the menus are just that exciting, the food is just that good and the service by Rico and Derek is just that attentive. Afterward, we went to production show Soul Rockin’ Night in the Stardust Theater. The music was great but we continue to be less than fully impressed with the production shows. I don’t know if it’s the flat choreography (my thought) or the vocalists’ voices (G’s thought) or the poor sound system (both our thoughts), but something is just a bit off (and you know how much we usually love production shows). 

Naturally, we stopped by the buffet on the way back to our cabin (actually, it’s not on the way at all). If I didn’t have a crêpe tonight. Is it possible I’m crêped out? Maybe, but I’m sure it’s just temporary setback. G is loving his late night ice cream, but I settled for a cup of coffee tonight. 

At 10:15pm we are tucked in bed and I am typing these last words of this post. I think that’s a record for me, and it means a good night’s sleep is in store. We are holding up quite well, but only because we’re skipping all the late night entertainment on this ship.