It was our 45th wedding anniversary and the maitre’d in the Norwegian Star’s opulent Versailles dining room was pouring us champagne. This was the most romantic of settings for our special event. I felt like I was in a dream … and the dream had come true. After toasting a wedding party entered and was seated in the middle of the room as the crew sang “Let Me Call You Sweetheart”. Talk about emotional moments, one of many.
Over the years my husband has indulged my love of travel but just wouldn’t commit to a cruise. He claimed that spending three years in the Navy was all the sailing he wanted to do. Finally, on the occasion of this anniversary he agreed to try it. We decided on Bermuda, an itinerary of 4 days at sea and 3 on land, the perfect combo.
Boarding at the New York City terminal was a breeze with the porters whisking away our bags the moment we pulled up. Checking in was quick and easy too as the line was short and wisely we’d registered ahead online. Within minutes we were climbing the gangplank to our home away from home. I thought I was prepared for ship’s size but nevertheless I was in awe of it in all its gleaming beauty. We’d made a conscious decision to upgrade to a balcony stateroom, a blessing, as it made the smallish onboard quarters seem much more spacious. Not one inch of space was wasted in the cabin and everything we needed was at our fingertips.
Sailing out of New York harbor is an experience no one should miss, so, armed with my first of many Piña Coladas we ventured on the observation deck for the “Sailing Away” party. With the deejay playing Neil Diamond’s “We’re Coming to America,” we passed the Statue of Liberty and I don’t think there was a dry eye on deck. The upbeat music had everyone dancing along with the crew who performed and made everyone feel welcome. The party had begun and kept up nonstop throughout the entire cruise.
The fabulous ambience of the Norwegian Star, the pools, the people, and most importantly the staff with their friendly and courteous manner, we found amazing. From the moment we met our steward I knew we were going to be pampered. Nothing was too much trouble for him. Considering that guest capacity is 2,348 and the crew numbers 1,063 you can understand the individual attention you receive. In the morning, I ordered room service breakfast. I felt like royalty lounging on my balcony wrapped in Norwegian’s plush robe while enjoying coffee and watching the sunrise. I’ve never experienced a level of customer service like theirs anywhere in my travels. The food was fabulous, the dining rooms exquisite, and again… service, service, and more service made you feel like a VIP.
One of the reasons we chose Norwegian was because of the “Freestyle Dining”. To have to wear a suit and tie is torture to my husband and with this you have options. You can dress up or dress “Cruise Casual”, your choice. So, for example, for dinner you could opt for the barbecue buffet, an indoor buffet with food to tempt any palate, and eat at the pool in your bathing suit or change and go to one of the more formal dining rooms. You could also opt for an upgrade charge to experience upscale dining at one of the finer restaurants if you wanted. There were so many dining options in fact, that it could easily take a full week to experience all of them.
The menu of activities was endless, too. You could enjoy the pool areas complete with water slide, find a quiet spot to read, check out the casino, splurge at the Mandara Spa or try one of the many activities listed in your “Freestyle Daily”. If you couldn’t find something to do you only had yourself to blame. And Norwegian had some of the most incredible art I’ve ever seen, on par with a Madison Avenue gallery, with art sessions that you could attend and auctions for those interested. If you wanted to indulge with a spa day for an additional fee you could try the Thermal Suite for adults, complete with saunas and heated pools. Once at sea the duty free shops opened with all kinds of jewelry and goodies.
To quote from the Freestyle Daily, “Music is everywhere” and that couldn’t have been truer. There was music daily at the pool, at the Red Lion Pub, at the Spinnaker Lounge, at Gatsby’s, at the Star Bar, and in the atrium where you could just relax with a glass of wine and listen to some beautiful music. Then there were shows at the Stardust Theater. And did I mention the Hot Dog Eating Competition, the Family Lego Building and the Presumed Murdered Luncheon. The funniest was the cook-off of the Captain and his crew. There really was something for everyone’s taste. They even had a Teen Lounge just for teens and all sorts of programs for kids.
On the fourth morning we awoke in Bermuda, docking in the area known as the Royal Naval Dockyard, with the Clocktower Mall which is full of museums, restaurants, pubs and souvenir shops where you could pick-up handcrafted items as well as the Dockyard Glassworks which we loved. A tram took us from the ship right to the shopping area and to the docks where you could rent a moped, take a bus or ferry over to Hamilton or take any number of excursions.
We had lunch on Snorkel Park Beach, a pretty cove where you could rent chairs, umbrellas and kayaks and take advantage of all kinds of water sports. We took two excursions, ferrying one day over to Hamilton where we enjoyed the scenic views and stunning pastel homes on the hillsides. Hamilton is a beautiful town full of specialty shops and restaurants and with horse and carriage rides, too. The next day we took an excursion to Horseshoe Bay to enjoy one of the most incredibly beautiful beaches where the turquoise waters were clearer than what you’d find in the Caribbean. On our return after three days in Bermuda we were greeted by the joyous crew dancing and welcoming us all “home.” Soon we were at sea again, sailing back.
This may have been our first cruise but you can be sure it won’t be our last. Maybe we should make it an anniversary tradition but with all the itineraries the cruise lines have to offer, just where do we cruise next time? Italy, here we come.
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