Ahoy everyone!
My wife and I just got back from our 5-day Western Caribbean cruise aboard Norwegian Pearl. She was the same class of ship as Norwegian Gem, so it was quite a bit like coming home! The Captain was on hand, of course. But because the the Pearl was so similar to the Gem, I didn't really get photos of him around the ship. Oh well.
We caught a 6 am flight to Miami, Florida (courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line) and as such had plenty of time before boarding. We could see Norwegian Pearl just out the cruise terminal windows. And so we waited.
We finally boarded a few hours later and our anniversary cruise officially began!
We had one sea day before hitting Belize and Mexico, as well as one before getting back to Miami. We spent a lot of time on the Pool Deck soaking up the sun, reading, drinking tropical drinks, and people watching. Cruising is great for all of those.
Belize was our first stop. Norwegian has its own island called Harvest Caye, but the 400 people who work on the island are locals, which we both thought was pretty awesome.
We went ashore and spent most of the day relaxing in the sun and drinking rum out of coconuts. It was all awesome until we realized the sunscreen we'd put on had expired some time ago. So we got back to the Pearl looking a bit like lobsters.
Our second, and last, port of the trip was Costa Maya, Mexico. As we were docking, we pulled up beside Norwegian Getaway. She was quite a bit bigger than the Pearl and can carry almost double the passengers. The Captain, of course, had to take a look for himself.
One thing Teresa and I have both wanted to see for years were Mayan ruins, so we booked a shore excursion to Chacchoben. The archaeological site was about an hour northwest of the port and Paula, our guide, gave us a great rundown of Mayan history and culture. The site was settled somewhere around 200 BC, though the existing structures date to around 700 AD.
The ruins were amazing! Although Chacchoben is a smaller site, there was a lot more than either of us had expected! It was a dream come true for the both us...and I also felt inspired to finally pick up and finish my Mesoamerican-themed Rainbow Warriors Space Marine force for Warhammer 40k.
When we got back to Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Getaway had set sail but there were two other ships in port: Norwegian Sun and Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas.
Teresa and I also met the Pearl's captain as well! Captain Giovanni was so nice and welcoming (he even gave me a hug I presented him with a small gift).
We got to see him go up against Cruise Director Tiara in the Battle of the Cake Masters on the last day and it was hysterical! Seriously, the Captain could have a career in stand up comedy if he wanted to.
Captain Giovanni was even kind enough to take a photo with me (in his chef hat) afterwards!
Of course, photos cannot do the voyage justice. It was a great time! We'll undoubtedly do another cruise for our second anniversary, but in the mean time we're looking at a short trip in October on either Norwegian Sun or Norwegian Sky. The Captain will, of course, be along for that voyage as well!
