On the Breakaway

That was a fun couple of weeks!  I can't even complain about the travel days, though while long, which went extremely well.  It seemed to me that each check-in with the airline and immigration was quick and easy, no long line ups or delays.  My flights home were both delayed an hour in New Orleans and an hour in Toronto.  The day started at 6:30 a.m. with breakfast and the last bit of packing, and ended when I tucked into my bed at home at 1 a.m.  Thankfully I got some sleep on the last flight; I was definitely tired by that point.

This vacation, I did a very poor job of keeping notes . But I do have pictures (of most of it) that will help tell the story.  I arrived in New Orleans on December 5 and met K and J at the hotel around 5:30 p.m.  It was already dark, so after I dropped my bags in the room we took the desk clerk's suggestion and went to a nearby restaurant for dinner.  Mulates bills itself as the Original Cajun Restaurant with authentic food and music.  I'm not an expert by any means, but I can tell you, both were great!  I ordered the red beans and rice with andouille sausage, it was delicious!  We sat for awhile after our dinner, listening to the band, and watching small children tear it up on the dance floor.  

City view from Deck 16

Thursday, December 6 was embarkation day for our Western Caribbean cruise.  It was a dark and dreary day, and quite cool - I think the high was around 46F (7C).  We took the hotel shuttle to the port, though it was close enough to walk, because dragging suitcases through the streets is not my idea of fun. We arrived shortly after 11 a.m. and after an extended period of time in line-up, check-in was actually quite simple and we were on board shortly after noon.  We had dropped our large bags at the pier, but still had our carry-ons.  Even these feel heavy after awhile. After a bit of a wander about the ship, we headed up the Garden cafe (buffet) for lunch.  Our cabins were ready by 1:30 or so.  K and J were curious about my solo cabin so came to check it out before they headed to their balcony cabin on the same floor.  

After muster drill, our sail away party was held on Deck 16 aft.  It was cool and blustery and not well attended. Those in attendance were generally bundled up but enthusiastic.  

Back to our cabins to clean up (and warm up), we headed to the solo lounge to meet the group and make arrangements for dinner.  Our solo cruise director Claudius, was a bit overwhelmed...we had a group of 49 that first evening!  He was able to find out space in the Manhattan dining room, and we were dispersed to 8 different tables.  There were five of us at our table, K, J and I, along with Debbie and a fellow whose I believe was Joe.  The latter was very quiet, while Debbie was friendly and a very interesting dinner companion.  She is a former flight attendant who loves to travel.  

To end the evening we went to the "Welcome Aboard show" in the theatre.  The show features various artists who would be performing throughout the cruise.  To be honest, it is the first time I'd attended one of these...I'm usually out wandering the ship or in my cabin unpacking.  Speaking of, we finished the night back in our cabins unpacking. 

The following day was a sea day. It was still cool and dreary. I was up at 6:30 (this would be a common occurrence) so headed up to Deck 16 to catch the sunrise.  Sadly, this would turn out to be the best sunrise photos I got on the trip - it was usually overcast in the morning, clearing up later in the day.

I met another passenger out with his camera too, and we both expressed our disappointment at the cloud cover.  We were joined by a couple from B.C. whose names I've forgotten.  It was her birthday and this was their very first cruise.  I never ran into them again on the ship, though often saw the first fellow with his wife.  They were often to be found playing ping pong at one of the tables.  
 
That too, was a favorite place for K and J.  They tend to sleep later (they've had more practice since they retired).  I would try to get a few photos, head to the buffet for breakfast, and then find a spot, either on a deck lounger if it was warm enough, or on the promenade deck in a cozy chair to read and relax. 

If we were in port, we'd usually be off the ship by 10 (more on that later).  The two sea days were more relaxed, I generally met K and J for lunch before we all headed off, they to play ping pong or in J's case to sit on their balcony and read.  After the first couple of dinners with the solo group, they decided to go on their own - usually to the buffet, but did join us again the last night. Our group waned from the high of 49 to about 20 or so in the latter part of the cruise.  It was a good group, but not as cohesive as my last two cruises on Norwegian.  Mind you, I might think that because I had other friends on the cruise and spent a fair amount of time with them.

Next post - Cozumel and Rohatan