Of Seas and Sons

Broadway on the high seas! 

For a year or so now, when I've asked my son what vacation destinations he'd be interested in for a family trip, he's mentioned the Caribbean. (He loved our beach day in Tulum in February 2020, right before the pandemic shut international travel down for while, and he'd often mention the perfectly turquoise water there.) 

My boy is so grown up!

So, when the two of us found ourselves with a free week for spring break this year, and I posed the question again, we decided to figure out how to make it happen. I was booking a bit late, and by the time I checked, flights to the Caribbean were in the $1100 range (per person). That didn't even count resort accommodations. In search of something less cost-prohibitive, I did something I hadn't done in years - I researched cruising. 

The only cruise I'd ever taken was for my honeymoon. After we were married, hubs and I drove down to New Orleans, left our car with a friend, and spent a week floating around the Western Caribbean on a Carnival ship. Because I suffered from motion sickness, we booked an inside stateroom as close to the bottom center of the boat as possible. We'd enjoyed the trip, but come away interested in travel options that offered us more independence and fewer crowds. 

My study revealed that Norwegian had an Eastern Caribbean cruise that lasted seven days and sailed out of New Orleans for the dates of my son's spring break - on the Norwegian Breakaway. We reviewed the itinerary and decided it sounded promising. As my husband would have to stay home to complete a pressing project at work that week, we figured the two of us (mother and son) could share a single room without being too cramped. So, we took a deep breath and booked a balcony stateroom. Since we booked the week of President's Day, Norwegian threw in two nights of specialty dining, the drink package, some free internet on board, and some excursions credits for free. 

We chose our stateroom - 9160 - carefully, trying to get a balcony that didn't have obstructed views and also ensure we had a quiet room. (We're light sleepers.) Then, we made some reservations for dining and excursions, packed our bags, and headed out!

A toast to Cagney's!

Day 1

We'd chosen to board in the 1-1:30 p.m. time slot on a Sunday, so it was an easy drive down to New Orleans from home, and we dropped our bags off to be checked and parked in a convenient lot. We were a tad early, so we had lunch in the Riverwalk mall before heading to the boarding area. 

When we arrived at the boarding area, the line was insane. IN. SANE. We kept walking and walking, trying to find the end of it. When we finally did, I wondered how we'd ever get to the front. As first-time cruisers with Norwegian, we had no idea whether or not this was normal boarding. After chatting with a few others, we learned that it was not. Apparently, on the cruise just before ours, a passenger had jumped into the ocean from the boat just two days before. The ship had stayed in the area for hours to try and recover the passenger, without success. This tragic occurrence had, of course, delayed the schedule of the entire cruise, with the boat returning to its home port late, causing the staff to get behind in re-setting the ship for the next group of cruisers, etc. 

In the end, we waited in line to board for more than two hours. (The extended boarding process also delayed our sailing from port, so it did snowball a bit more, even after that.) As part of the boarding process, every passenger had to provide photo ID (We had passports.), proof of Covid vaccination, and proof of a negative Covid test taken within two days of boarding. 

When we finally made it aboard, we headed straight for our stateroom, where our bags were already waiting. I happily report that the stateroom was just what we'd hoped for - spacious, with plenty of room for two to spread out, good storage space, and a roomy closet for our clothing. And our balcony was perfect! 

The raspberry creme brulee was on-point!

After resting, unpacking, and freshening up a bit, we set out to explore the ship before dinner.  And the ship is a wonder - tons of restaurants, bars, and clubs; a casino; a spa and a fairly impressive gym; an open-air ropes course; water slides; pools and hot tubs galore; and several performance spaces. We spent seven days on this ship, and I can definitively report that we never ran out of things to do. 

The Norwegian Breakaway
is a beautiful ship!

That first night, though, we mainly wanted to orient ourselves and enjoy the sea air. We walked the decks and found an oversized chess set, which we played for a bit before dinner. We'd used one of our speciality dining credits to book dinner at Cagney's, the ship's steakhouse. We arrived on time for our reservation, were welcomed with open arms, and were seated next to a window with a lovely ocean view. I had a big glass of red wine, and we each started with appetizers - oysters for me, and tiger shrimp for my son. Then, it was on to a Caesar salad, perfectly cooked steaks, and the raspberry creme brûlée for dessert, as the sun dipped below the horizon outside. My son LOVED this place, and I did, too. It was an ideal way to kick off our week!

Day 2

The next day was an at-sea day, one of only two we'd have on this trip. Having slept well (Though our room was very quiet, you could still hear other passengers. Expecting this, I'd also brought earplugs, so I slept soundly despite how late any of our hall mates got into their rooms at night.), I woke up early. I quietly dressed for the gym and got my workout in as the sun rose, then jogged on the (very windy) decks for a bit before returning to our room. 

My son was still sleeping, so I changed clothes and headed to Deck 6 for a seated breakfast. On the Norwegian Breakaway, there are no set times for meals. Guests have many, many options that are included in their cruise fare - a very impressive buffet that has everything you can imagine on Deck 15; two seated restaurants (Taste and Savor) that serve many of those same dishes in a quieter, more refined environment on Deck 6; O'Sheehan's Irish pub on Deck 7 (great breakfasts, burgers, and other stick-to-your-ribs dishes); even Shanghai - a noodle bar open for lunch and dinner - on Deck 7. 

On Mondays, we play shuffleboard!

So, guests are never lacking choice when it comes to meal time, and we found most of these restaurants very easy and quick to get into. The only restaurants you really need reservations for are the specialty dining options, which are not part of your cruise fare (like Cagney's, Ocean Blue, Le Bistro, and Teppanyaki). We had two of these dinners, and we reserved them in advance on Norwegian's website.

But for breakfast on most mornings, I headed for either Taste or Savor, where you could get all manner of delicious breakfasts in a quiet, beautiful environment next to a bright window. I chose coffee and a mushroom, onion, and spinach omelette with a fruit bowl. Delicious. Then, back to the room for a quick shower and to rouse my son. 

We stopped by the buffet for his breakfast, then walked the decks. We stumbled upon a shuffleboard and had hoot of a time playing it for a while. My son got noticeably better at it over time, but I, alas, did not! We also took the opportunity on our first full day to register my son for Entourage, the teen lounge on the ship. Throughout the cruise, they had activities (games, parties, etc.) there that kids 13-17 could participate in. He checked it out for a bit while I got lunch at Shanghai - steamed dumplings, a spring roll, and a bit of vegetable fried rice. 

Then, I headed back to the room to read and nap a bit before showering for dinner at Savor, after which I saw the 7:30 p.m. showing of the musical Six in the Breakaway Theatre - the largest theatre on board. I'd wanted to see Six when Shawn and I went to New York City back in October, but we'd been unable to secure tickets. What a surprise to have it show up here, on the cruise! (FYI - For the mainstage shows, I reserved "tickets" as soon as we boarded on Day 1. Then, I showed up when house opened - about 30 minutes before curtain - to get my drink from the bar and find a good seat.) Though I'm sure some of the technical aspects had to be adjusted for the space, the cast was great, and THEY HAD THE PIPES! 

This drink was called the Rebellious
Fish. Why was the fish rebellious? 
I don't know. Maybe all of 
the vodka?

One other thing of note - as I'd received the drink package as a freebie upon booking, that meant I had access to alcoholic drinks throughout the cruise. (My son also had access to sodas and juices, too.) I typically had a glass of wine with dinner each night, and then, if I went to a show or music/comedy act, a second drink there. (I'm a cheap drunk, so two drinks is about what I want, and then I'm done.) Though I didn't find the mixed drinks to be particularly strong, they were available nearly everywhere and were quite delicious. And it was nice to enjoy a rousing show while sipping on something yummy. 

After the show was over, I headed to one of the lounges to catch a 9 p.m. comedy show. This was fun! The comic  basically worked the crowd in a good-natured way, and everyone left having had a good time. 

Day 3

Due to our late departure on Day 1, Norwegian had adjusted some of our port days and times. Luckily, I'd booked all of my excursions through the cruise line, so they automatically adjusted those as well. 

On Day 3, we were visiting Costa Maya. I'd booked a shore excursion ahead of time - a visit to the Chacchobben Mayan ruins. I awoke early and had another delicious seated breakfast - a salmon bagel with a fruit bowl and a big cup of coffee, then waked the decks for a bit and dressed for a day on shore. 

It was a fine morning, and the wind wasn't too high, so we decided to begin our adventures by trying out the onboard ropes course. What fun! The course is located at the very top of the ship. You're held safe and fast by a harness (much like zip lining), and you navigate all manner of obstacles to complete the whole course. For me, the only slightly scary part was "walking the plank," in which you actually do walk a short plank that takes you directly above the ocean (roiling terribly, terribly far below you). This was q quick, fun activity, and it's complimentary for passengers!

As we were coming into port late, my son and I had lunch at O'Sheehan's (really yummy burgers!) before it was time to disembark.

Sunrise from our balcony

 

The disembarkation process here was a long one, as everyone was trying to leave the ship at the same time to maximize their day on shore and make their excursion time. In general, I dislike lines, particularly on vacation, and I do a lot of advance planning to avoid them, zigging where I anticipate that many other travelers will zag, visiting top sites on weekday mornings, traveling during shoulder seasons, etc. However, all of that goes out the window when you board a cruise ship during spring break week. This was something I had to work hard to get used to all week long. We were finally able to get off the ship and meet up with our guide.

We had a comfortable, one-hour bus ride to the ruins, during which our guide, Eli, told us about the local history and culture. (I found myself wondering what we would have done in Costa Maya if we *hadn't* booked an excursion, as it appeared that the pandemic - and a few brutal hurricanes - had been particularly hard on this area.) We arrived at the ruins site, were given cold bottles of water, and took a quick rest break before heading out to explore. We spent about an hour and a half admiring the site, learning more about it from Eli, and there were even some small portions of the ruins that guests could climb. The ruins were beautiful and very well maintained. However, once again, there is a lot of herding involved. And that makes it hard to get some of the solitude I find necessary to really commune with a place and feel like I know it. 

The ruins at Chacchoben, beautifully preserved

Then, it was back on the bus for a quiet ride back to the ship. Once there, we showered and rested a bit before dinner. That night, we chose to have dinner at The Manhattan Club. It has the same menu as Taste and Savor, but different decor and also live music. There was a great jazz singer and band there that night. Wonderful. I had the chicken Madeira, and finished it off with a slice of cherry pie. 

My son was pretty beat that night, but I went out to one of the lounges to check out the dueling pianos act - Howl at the Moon. I loved this act and returned to it a couple of times during the cruise. It's a team of 3-4 musicians, and, boy, are they good. They sing, play the piano, play the drums, play the guitar, etc. They take requests from the audience, and they could play nearly anything! They encouraged audience participation, so we all sang, clapped, swayed, and had fun, too! I grabbed a fruity rum drink from the bar and had a blast!

More to come . . . 

Two goofballs in Mexico!