We had the privilege of touring the Norwegian Sky before it traveled to Cuba.
Norwegian Sky was built in 1999 and served as Sky until 2004 when it was overhauled and renamed Pride of Aloha. For four years she sailed the Hawaiian islands as a U.S.-flagged and crewed ship. When she reverted to her original name and was re-flagged to the Bahamas Norwegian wisely kept her beautiful Hawaiian themed decorations. A 2013 refurbishment and good maintenance has kept Sky looking good. Continue reading Norwegian Sky – Ship Tour
We recently got a chance to tour the newly renovated Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas. The main public areas have all been upgraded. Including the Perfect Storm Sports deck adding a Flowrider, Dueling Waterslides (Typhoon and Cyclone) and Adventure Dunes Putt Putt Golf course. Continue reading Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas – Ship Tour
Food presentation was beautiful for each and every plated dish we received. All of the food was quite good and had good flavor.
Service was fantastic. Each of our waiters was fantastic and the Sommelier had an amazing memory and appeared just as our glasses were near the empty level. The bar staff also remembered orders from previous days and checked to be sure you wanted “caffeinated soda today because yesterday you ordered decaf”. Continue reading Dining on the Celebrity Equinox
We boarded the beautiful Celebrity Equinox in Miami, Florida on Wednesday for a short 3 night cruise. I am on this cruise to find out about Celebrity Cruises – my mother and my friend Deb accompanied me. Continue reading Boarding the Celebrity Equinox
A client is traveling on a Fall Foliage cruise in late September. She asked me about some of the excursions and as I was reviewing the options and began researching Bar Harbor, some stunning photos appeared on my computer screen.
All of these fantastic pictures have made me want to pack my bag and join them on this cruise – and this is only the First stop!
I called the Chamber of Commerce and they sent me some great photos to share with you.
Bass Harbor Head Light in Acadia National Park
Photo Credit: Dobbs Productions and Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce
Photo Credit: Dobbs Production
Lobster and Clams at Stewman’s Lobster Pound
Photo Credit: Dobbs Productions and Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce
Ocean Drive Surf in Acadia National Park 3
Photo Credit: Dobbs Productions and Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce
Southwest Harbor
Photo Credit: Dobbs Productions and Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce
Sunset from Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park
Photo Credit: Dobbs Productions and Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce
Most of the information I found was from the Arcadia National Forest so I jumped over to YouTube and found a videos from the National Parks Service as well:
On Tuesday as the Safari Explorer transited from Lanai toward the island of Maui through the National Humpback Marine Sanctuary everyone was watching for humpback whales. While we did see humpback whales that will be the topic of another blog post. What else we found that day is our current subject. Continue reading Hawaii UnCruise – Ocean Cleanup Event
After leaving Molokai we sailed for the island of Lanai. The distance between the two islands is only about 20 miles, so this wasn’t a long transit. One of the very different things about cruising with Safari Explorer is the open door policy on the bridge. If you go to the bridge and the door is open then cruisers are welcome at go on the bridge and talk to the crew there, look at the charts to see where we are going and use the binoculars to scan for whales or other wildlife. If the door is closed, the crew needs to concentrate and you should come by again later. This is very different than other Cruise ships where the bridge is off limits at all times. We visited the bridge often and enjoyed visiting with the crew. Continue reading Hawaii UnCruise – Lanai
It seems so confusing, but it is not. I will cover the Passport Card in a separate Post but in general, you need a Valid Passport if:
you are flying into or out of the United States of America
you traveling into or out of the U.S. by land border-crossings or ports-of-entry by sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda
However, there is an Exemption if you are cruising from a U.S. Port and returning to the same U.S. Port. Other paperwork can be used instead. Continue reading When do I need a Passport?
One of the best excursions UnCruise included was a night time snorkel with Manta Rays off the coast of Maui.
They provided full wet suites for this one because of the length of time we were going to be in the water and that the water was a little cooler after dark. After a light dinner our guide for the dive, Ian, came aboard and talked to us about Manta Rays. Manta Rays eat plankton, tiny little organisms floating in the ocean. This dive is done at night because lights are used to attract the plankton, which attracts the Manta Ray. The Manta Rays swim up and barrel roll with their mouth open to scoop up the plankton in order to eat. The Reef Manta Ray we saw are black and white with wing spans of 9 feet – 14 feet. Manta Rays are uniquely identified by the markings on the belly of the Ray. Very much like the Fluke coloration of a Humpback whale uniquely identifies a specific whale. In order to view the Manta Rays feeding, a surf board is outfitted with rope loops for each person to hold on to while they have snorkel gear and the surf board is pulled along by the guide.
While we were snorkeling the guide was able to identify 8 different Manta Rays by coloration. The largest Manta Ray is “Big Bertha” who has a wing span of 14 feet. Normally the guide says she does not barrel roll to feed. While we were there viewing Big Bertha did come out and barrel roll to feed for us. The guide saw about 2 – 3 other Manta Rays which did not display their coloration so they were not identified by name.
Our cruise started from Molokai, which required we fly from Honolulu where we had arrived the day before. We flew over on Mokulele Airlines, in a 9-passenger Cessna Grand Caravan. The flight was short, comfortable and had truly beautiful views. Once on Molokai, Uncruise Adventures picked us up at the airport and took us to Hotel Molokai to gather all the passengers before we went on our first expedition then boarded the ship. Continue reading Hawaii UnCruise – Molokai Island
We had the privilege of touring the Norwegian Sky before it traveled to Cuba.
