Highlights From My Western Caribbean Cruise

Hello. From, my suite on the Norwegian Breakaway. I'm. Here with one of my two travelling companions, and in. This video I'm, going to be sharing with you some of the highlights of the, seven-day Western Caribbean cruise, that were on I. Want. To start by showing you an amazing thing I caught on video when, I was up on the sports court on the upper deck of the Norwegian, Breakaway I needed. An action, shots and. This kid happened, to be standing right in front of my camera. Honestly. I didn't think that he had much of a chance of making a great shot but never. Judge a book by it's cover right, so. Watch. What, happened. You've. Got a hand it to that kid when, the camera was pointed his way he. Made the big shot, one. Other cool thing I saw up on the sports deck was this bungee, trampoline thing. We, sure didn't have anything nearly this fun to play on back, when, I was a kid. Now. We're in the Norwegian, breakaways, arcade. My. Wife was, delighted, to discover that they have her, favorite, arcade, game it's, a variation on air hockey called, pac-man, smash. While. Kelan and I were playing a couple, kids walked by so, I handed, the camera over to one of them and asked, him to be our cameraman, and it, was funny that these two particular kids, happened to be the ones we ran into because. One, of them had actually seen, some, of my videos on YouTube and knew, who I was. So. For a minute I felt, like I was kind of a big deal like, being Casey nice, tat riding, a boosted, board through, the streets of New York City and, that. Helped ease the pain of getting defeated at, pac-man. Smash. Shi-wan. The. Home port for our cruise was, New Orleans and, this was the view from our balcony that, afternoon we boarded look. At that muddy, water, of the Mississippi, River it's. Kind of ironic that we start, in muddy water like this and a few days later we'll be swimming in some, of the clearest water you'll ever see the, beautiful, waters of the, Caribbean. Carnival. Dream, was docked just, in front of us in New Orleans that day and she, pulled away from the dock just, before we did that building. On the right there with the white top that's, a big shopping mall part. Of one of New Orleans biggest. Tourist attractions. Called the Riverwalk. We. Had walked through, it just the day before not. Realizing. That right in front of the malls food court was, where our cruise ship would, be docked the next day. Sailing. Down the Mississippi, River from New Orleans is a very interesting, experience. It's, completely. Unlike, any, other, cruise ships sail away I've been on usually. When a cruise ship sails, away it's, just a matter of minutes before it's, in open water but, in New Orleans it takes something like six, hours of cruising, down the Mississippi, River before, the ship actually makes, it out into the Gulf of Mexico. Let's. Watch a minute or two of a time-lapse, video I shot, as we, sail down the Mississippi and if, you want to watch more just, click the link at the top of the screen. One. Of the ports on our Western Caribbean itinerary. Was Costa, Maya Mexico. And as. Kalin and I walked down the pier she, came up with a very witty line I was quite impressed she. Pointed to that white wall over, on the right there and she, said hey. I bet.

Mexico. Really did pay for that wall, in. Costa. Maya there are shops several. Restaurants. And a really nice large, swimming, pool that, you can use at no charge at, all, our. Favorite, attraction, there is the series of walk through Bird aviaries. Known as a V arias, it's. Actually elevated, up in the air over the pool and resort area and you, used a series of bridges, to get from one aviary, to another a set, of double doors keeps, the birds from, escaping. Our. Favorite, part is, spending, time with, the macaws. Something. You probably don't know about us is that about, 20, years ago Kalin. And I had, a pet macaw, we. Didn't fully realize the, amount of attention that him a car requires and. In, retrospect, we probably never, should have adopted that macaw, we, weren't really the ideal, candidates, the care for macaw at that point in our lives since. Our two kids and a, dog got. Most of our attention back then, we. Only had that macaw for about a year, before we ended up finding a better home for him but, even after all this time we've still got a fondness, for macaws. So. It was a real treat to, be able to take as much time as we wanted to hang out with the macaws in Costa, Maya, especially. Kalin I like, macaws, but Helen. Loves, them. We, also actually had an aviary, in our back yard at one point back in the day with, parakeets. And cockatiels. And, finches, and as. You can see, parakeets. Still, love me. Now. Let's do a one-minute, montage, of all, the cute and colorful, birds, in Costa. Maya. There. Were three ships visiting Costa, Maya on this particular, day and you, get a bit of a look at the other two in this, time-lapse, video, I shot as we, sailed away from Costa Maya we. Had a fun time visiting. The aviary and seeing, all the birds and, in case you're wondering the. Entry, fee to visit the aviary, was, twelve dollars, each. We. Had one of the most enjoyable, shore, excursions. Of all, time during, our visit to Cozumel. We. Took a boat ride up to the north side of Cozumel, for a visit, to passion. Island and. We, had a great time on this beautiful, beach look. At the clarity of that water this. Shot gives you a little look around at the layout there at the beach you. Get to take your pick of where you want to be and a table. Or and Allowance you're close to the beach or, back, a little further in the shade of the palm trees I learned. A long time ago to be careful not to get sunburned, on a beach day, so, I opted, for this, nice little spot under. A big, shady, canopy. And. I guess I should mention that this, was an all-inclusive. Shore. Excursion. Which is cruise lingo, for an excursion, where the drinks, are included, at no, extra charge. So. I had a guy bringing me rum and cokes the entire day I tipped. Him ten bucks at the end of the day and we, were both very happy. Of. Course, it wasn't just me enjoying, cocktails, on passion, Island, that day and after.

A Couple of hours everyone. Was feeling the effects and that's. When this, happens. The. Passion, took over at passion. Island and the, young ones all got up and started, dancing. Now. Due to copyright laws. I can't, use the music that was actually playing when all this was going on so, you get this generic, royalty-free, music instead. But I think, get the idea. After. Lots of dancing. And just, to be clear I'm definitely, not complaining. About the dancing it was fun to watch a, conga. Line formed. And. Noticed that the guy at the front of the line has, a bottle, of booze. Pretty. Soon the adults, were getting shots just. Before reaching a limbo Pole and an. Epic, beach limbo. Contest broke, out if. You want to watch an extended version, of it click, the link up at the top of the screen. Now. I know that there's some, people that are gonna say is creepy. Of me to be shooting video of girls in bikinis, doing, limbo but, look I'm trying to give you a glimpse, of what a Caribbean, cruise is, all about and specifically. The kind of fun to be had on the passion Island excursion, in Cozumel. My. Wife and I both thought that this, was one of the most fun, excursions. We had ever been on and we, agreed that on a future, cruise to Cozumel we, will do it again. The. Limbo contest was, open to all ages, but if you've ever watched people, doing limbo before you, know that the tallest, people are quickly, eliminated, from the contest and in, the end it always boils, down to, the shortest, ones these. Two girls were the last two remaining after the limbo stick got down to a ridiculously. Low level and this, girl right here was the final, winner. There, was actually a lot more to like about passion, Island than just drinking, and dancing. They, served, up an amazingly. Great, lunch, for us, these. Chicken, fajitas, that I had were fantastic. Should. I be embarrassed that, I opted for a side of fries with, them, anything. Goes on passion Island. The. Fajitas, were actually so good that I went back for a second, plate for, the side of beans that time.

And Since. The subject, has now become food let's. Talk about the, dining, situation. On Norwegian Breakaway I. Learned. The hard way on MSC. Seaside that, if the food is not to your liking on, a seven-day, cruise it's just. Not going to be a really great cruise, no. Such problem, on Norwegian, Breakaway. NCL. Escort customer, is Americans. So, the food is perfectly, suited, to American, tastes. I, had. One heck of a great steak, at, Cagney's. Steakhouse I, was. Especially delighted because, at, a restaurant, in New Orleans before the cruise I got, served a steak that was so, badly burned, I had to ask them to cook me a new one so. Eating this perfectly, cooked porterhouse, on the Norwegian Breakaway, was, a treat, and it, was especially enjoyable. To have our meal outdoors. On the waterfront, with, this beautiful. View. The. Reason we booked to this cruise on this particular, week is that we're celebrating our 38th, wedding, anniversary. That's, us back, in. 1981. And. Here, we are now older. And wiser for. Our, anniversary dinner we decided to dine in the Manhattan. Room on Norwegian Breakaway it's. One of my favorite restaurants, onboard because there's often live, music, played there. The. Buffet, restaurant, on the Norwegian Breakaway, is known, as the Garden Cafe and, I, was delightfully. Surprised, by, something that happened there one night the. Back story is that in the 47 cruises, that we've been on Helen. And I have noticed that most, cruise, ships either don't, serve Mexican food at all or, they serve really, horrible, Mexican, food of. Course there have been a few exceptions, but it's, rare for cruise, ship Mexican, food to impress me, however. Norwegian, Breakaway, was, actually, one, of those exceptions. They. Did a Mexican, night in the buffet one night and it was actually, surprisingly. Good there, were tacos. Taquitos. Beef, fajitas. Chicken. Fajitas, empanadas. Burritos. And a, nacho station, as well as several other things if. I ran, a cruise line there'd, be a Mexican station, at the buffet just like this every, night but. At least NCL, offered it one night and there, were certainly, lots of other great dining, options, to fill the other six, nights. If. You like nachos there is an even better source aboard, Norwegian Breakaway, Jimmy. Buffett's, Margaritaville. Restaurants. The. Volcano, nachos. There, are amazing, and, one, order will easily feed two people or, they make a great appetizer, for four or five people.

And Speaking. Of comfort food Kalin, and I visited, this place several, times during the week it's a little place on the waterfront, where, you can get gelato. It. Does cost a couple of bucks and most people would probably be just as well-off to go up to the buffet where, you can get ice cream for free but, killing, like this place better because, they have some non-dairy. Sorbet, which, wouldn't cause problems, with her dairy allergies. My. Favorite meal of the day is, breakfast. And we, had some, fantastic breakfast. On Norwegian. Breakaway we. Paid the big bucks for, a suite in the Haven and one, of the many benefits of, staying in the Haven is having, access to, the private Haven. Restaurants. But. For breakfast, rather than eating inside, the restaurant, I prefer, to have them serve it to us out in the Haven courtyard. I like. The casual, atmosphere in the courtyard, better under. The big glass dome. Now. Let me show you our suite and I just want to mention one thing first regarding. The flickering, of the lighting, on the wall that you see in this video that, is strictly a flickering, in the video, the, cabin, lights don't appear, to flicker to the human eye when you're actually in the suite it's, just the frequency that the lights operate, at and the, frame rate of my camera, are little at odds so, in the video you see a flickering effect but believe me in person, you would see nothing of the kind. This. Is a very unique, type of cabin, that most cruise lines don't offer it's, known as a Haven, spa, suites and. Here. Is the most unusual thing about the suite it, has its own private, whirlpool, tub not, in the bathroom not, on the balcony, but in the room right, next to the bed and with, a window, so you can look out at the ocean from, the tub. The. Tub is, big enough for two people to share and because. They've placed it in the bedroom not in the bathroom I think you have to assume that the intent here is that this tub is for, a romantic couple to, enjoy together. So. This is the perfect suite for honeymooners. Or, any couple, where the spark is still very, much alive I. Want. You to notice the amount of space between the, desk and the bed this. Is not a cramped. Cruise ship cabin they've been very generous with. The size of this suite and if. You close those curtains something. Interesting, happens let me show you from the other side it. Makes a nice little dressing. Area, with. The closet on the right and the bathroom on the left with. The closet, open and. As I rotate, the camera around I think you'll see better what I mean. The. Bathroom. Is quite a bit better than your average cruise, ship bathroom, notice. That it's a double sink not a single, and over, to the right there that's the shower notice. The glass door, not a shower curtain and the. Shower is large enough for two people to share that's. Really, rare for a cruise, ship shower. The. Shower head, can move higher, or lower on that rail so if you've got a tall person sharing, the room with a short person, the shower head easily, adjusts, and down, below there, are nozzles. You can turn on if you want to, spray your legs and midsection or leave, them off if you don't want them cruise. Ship bathrooms. Are usually very cramped, but this one is generously. Sized and one, of the best you'll find. Back. Out at the desk for. You coffee or tea drinkers, everything. You need is right here. As. Far as electrical, outlets you've got a European, style and an american-style, outlet, right next to each other here and there's. One more American smell power outlet at the desk that you can use but. This ship was built before, cruise. Ships started putting USB. Charging outlets, in the cabins, on. The, left, side of the bed there's, one more electrical, outlet and that's great for people that need to use a CPAP, machine to, sleep at night or. Just for those that like to have their phone next to the bed as it, charges overnight. However. There is no power outlet, over, on the right side of the bed. Of. Course. This is a balcony Suites, so you can sit on the balcony and enjoy, those fantastic. Views. The. Haven spa suite, is great, but, the perks that come with it are even, better there's. A butler, that can deliver full, meals, to the suite which you can eat here at this table, you. Also have the Haven, concierge, working, for you and he's, got amazing powers, want. Reservations. To a comedy show that's already, listed as being fully booked up he, can probably get you in want. The best table, in one of the specialty, restaurants, or add one of the dinner shows he. Got him for me. Because. This suite is a spa, suite, it, comes with full access to the thermal, suite within, the spa so you, can enjoy the warm indoor, thermal, pool the.

Jacuzzi, The. Heated, tile loungers, the. Sauna and steam rooms, and the. Super, comfortable, padded, loungers, with, the great views. But. The best perk of all is that, when you stay in a Haven suite you. Are one of only about, 270. People out of all 4,000, passengers on, the ship who, will have access to the. Private Haven, courtyard. The. Private, Haven Sun Deck. The private, Haven restaurant, and the. Private Haven bar and lounge. And. Just in case you're not fully grasping, the importance, of that let, me give you a graphic, illustration. Norwegian. Breakaway is a mega, cruise ship with, 4,000. Passengers it. Gets loud and crazy it, can be crowded, if, that's not what you're looking for if you value relaxation. And luxury. And the full attention of the staff pay. Attention to what I'm about to, show you I was. Walking around with my camera shooting. Scenes at various parts of the ship this. Was the scene I saw at the bar out by the main pool on a sea, day. Kinda. Crazy and, about. Five minutes after I took that shot of the bar by the pool here's. What it looked like at the private, bar inside, the Haven lounge. If. You like what you see here, better, than what you saw out by the pool you should think about saving for a cruise in the Haven, for. My wife and I at this point in our lives we've, worked hard we've, saved well and, we can afford it the, Haven, is our, favorite, way to cruise. If. You'd like to book a cruise on Norwegian or any, cruise line feel, free to use my travel, agent Katelyn. Gallagher, her, fees are fully paid by the cruise lines so. Her services, cost you nothing, at all and she can really help steer, you in the right direction take. Care of all the details for you and keep, you from making any rookie cruiser mistakes. Contact. Katelyn the owner of amber and travel, and she'll, take good care of you. I'm. Jim's, M getting. Close to having done 50, cruises, now we're. Not there yet but almost just. In the last 11, years we've, done 46. Cruises, so. Life, is good. Do. Me a favor if you liked this video hit the thumbs up button that, helps me a lot with youtube if enough people give, it a thumbs up YouTube, recommends, the video to more people and, it kind of snowballs. You.

2019-04-14 15:04

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