Because we've cruised on Norwegian, we frequently receive notice of special deals. Lately, they've been hitting us hot and heavily with specials on Epic their new mammoth ship. It boasts 4200 capacity/double occupancy. (Does this mean it can hold 8400 passengers?) Doesn't matter; 4200 is way too many for us. And while watching ships like Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas pulling into port is certainly thrilling, we won't be on them.
I think cruise lines, like NCL, have made a big mistake. Yes, these floating communities featuring courtyards, spas, rock climbing walls, and offer guests full resort amenities and entertainment. For some this appeals, but traveling with that many people holds absolutely no enjoyment for us. In fact, we had originally chosen NCL, because they offered cruising to Alaska on a 'smaller ship', Norwegian Wind (occupancy about 1700), which was retired in 2007. Last year, our trip to Bermuda on NCL's Norwegian Majesty, a ship of commensurate size to Norwegian Wind, was a wonderful experience as we departed out of Baltimore and down the Chesapeake Bay into the Atlantic. Now, NCL can no longer cruise out of smaller ports like Baltimore and Vancouver, because the ships are too big.
I could be totally wrong and building and sailing these behemoths may be economically viable. Will we recant and reconsider? No. I think these ships will be sailing without us.
About Me
- KathyA
- I am a retired English teacher and department head, the mother of three grand mother of four, and have been married to the same man for 53 years, two years after we met at college. I taught in both middle and high schools as I really love teens and in-betweens. I was also a certified Lamaze instructor, and for a short time a volunteer chaplain at Howard County General Hospital. I am a two-time cancer survivor, ovarian (2003), and breast (2019) I was born in South Philadelphia and grew up in the 'burbs with great parents, in a bilingual household. I love soft pretzels and cheesesteaks, the Phillies, the Eagles, the Orioles, and sometimes the Ravens. I love being Mom, Aunt Kathy, Nona Kathy (Kath), and Teacher. I spend a lot of time in my gardens in the spring and summer, and in the winter I plan what I'm going to plant. I also am an avid reader, cook, photographer, lover of languages, music, and four-footed furries.
Showing posts with label Alaska. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alaska. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, December 29, 2008
Travels with Kathy or "I could see Russia from my backyard"
It's 5:25 and the sun is just setting. Each day gets a little longer!:) Today I worked out at the gym -- did my requisite 45 minutes of cardio on the elliptical (and REALLY pushed it) and half an hour of weights, and saw some friends as well. I could easily work out here at home, but I enjoy running into ex-students, acquaintances, and friends.
Today, one friend who I had not seen in a while, told me of their recent trip to Antarctica. They flew to Buenos Aires and then to the southern tip of Argentina where they boarded a small ship. She is still high from the sights and the wildlife they saw. I'll see photos as soon as she can send them and I can't wait. I'd love to go there. This is one change the cancer evoked in me. Previous to being sick, I never really wanted to go anywhere. I loved staying home and hanging out -- working in my garden, cooking for friends, and reading. And then about a week after I got out of the hospital, a good friend (my chemistry teacher from high school-- the reason I became a teacher) sent me a note with a subscription to Conde Nast. He said I needed to get out of my garden and he was right. So as I convalesced, Richard and I made plans.
The following year, three days after school closed for summer (with my husband in a cast because of a broken ankle), we went to Vancouver where we boarded a cruise ship to Alaska. If I said the trip was phenomenal, I would be guilty of hyperbolic understatement. We watched the sun set at 10:30 at night from a bench at the front of the ship. We marveled at hump-back whales in Juneau as they breeched not 25 feet from our boat; we basked in the glory and pristine beauty of the Mendenhall and Sawyer Glaciers and the Yukon. We shuddered at the human greed and loss of life, both human and equine, of the Gold Rush; we dined on fresh Alaska salmon in a small but great restaurant in Skagway. It was a trip we will never forget. Since then we've visited the Florida Keys, Sanibel, Barcelona, Sicily, and Italy and I am now seriously afflicted with a case of wunderlust. I remain a voracious reader; I still spend much time in the garden and cook for friends, but Jim was right: the world outside my garden is a wondrous place.
Today, one friend who I had not seen in a while, told me of their recent trip to Antarctica. They flew to Buenos Aires and then to the southern tip of Argentina where they boarded a small ship. She is still high from the sights and the wildlife they saw. I'll see photos as soon as she can send them and I can't wait. I'd love to go there. This is one change the cancer evoked in me. Previous to being sick, I never really wanted to go anywhere. I loved staying home and hanging out -- working in my garden, cooking for friends, and reading. And then about a week after I got out of the hospital, a good friend (my chemistry teacher from high school-- the reason I became a teacher) sent me a note with a subscription to Conde Nast. He said I needed to get out of my garden and he was right. So as I convalesced, Richard and I made plans.
The following year, three days after school closed for summer (with my husband in a cast because of a broken ankle), we went to Vancouver where we boarded a cruise ship to Alaska. If I said the trip was phenomenal, I would be guilty of hyperbolic understatement. We watched the sun set at 10:30 at night from a bench at the front of the ship. We marveled at hump-back whales in Juneau as they breeched not 25 feet from our boat; we basked in the glory and pristine beauty of the Mendenhall and Sawyer Glaciers and the Yukon. We shuddered at the human greed and loss of life, both human and equine, of the Gold Rush; we dined on fresh Alaska salmon in a small but great restaurant in Skagway. It was a trip we will never forget. Since then we've visited the Florida Keys, Sanibel, Barcelona, Sicily, and Italy and I am now seriously afflicted with a case of wunderlust. I remain a voracious reader; I still spend much time in the garden and cook for friends, but Jim was right: the world outside my garden is a wondrous place.
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