Why You Should Cruise on Your Next Vacation

I lug my carry-on suitcase up the walkaway to approach the customs and boarding area. To my right are large glass windows, looking out on to the Hudson river. It’s here that I first glimpse the massive, nearly 1000-foot ship that I will call home for the next 7 days. Anticipation overwhelms me, despite my hesitancy about going on a cruise at all.

Cruising is a method of travel I haven’t experienced in close to 15 years. In the past, I’ve spent all of my vacation time either visiting my family in California and India or traveling by plane elsewhere. I never take “staycations” and I have never even considered taking a cruise. From my travel industry contacts, I’ve heard slightly negative things about cruises over the past few years: cruise ships have been undergoing dramatic changes and passengers have decreased. World news reports haven’t benefited cruise ships in recent months either: accidents at sea and health scares are all over the headlines. Finally, I’m the type of person who cares about indulging myself in a destination. I thrive on doing as the locals do, from day to night, and understanding local cultures and traditions.

Cruising, as I would come to learn, is just as much about the journey as the destination. The focus of a cruise is entirely pleasure and relaxation for its on-board passengers. And I’ve been reminded of how important it is to also rest my mind and body from time to time. For that, taking a cruise is invaluable.

My Norwegian Cruise Line Experience

I chose a cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line after hearing from friends that they had enjoyed their experience on NCL ships, and that it was generally highly rated for cruises to the Caribbean.  Off I went with family on a 7-day trip, embarking from New York City early on a Saturday morning in September, headed to the Bahamas.  I’ve never been to the Bahamas, so you can understand why I was a little hesitant about the fact that I would only get to spend two full days there, one day docked in Nassau and the other day docked on a private island that NCL owns. The third, and only other, day we docked while on NCL’s Gem ship was when we were heading down to the Bahamas, and we stopped at Port Canavaral, Florida.  The Port Canavaral stop is basically meant to be a stop for passengers to visit Orlando, Florida – which I did.  I had been dying to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for years, and I took the opportunity to satisfy my Harry Potter obsession.

Dining

NCL, and most cruise ships these days, offer all-inclusive food and beverage packages. We selected this option because we didn’t want to have to worry about seeing the dollars add up as we ate and drank to our heart’s content while on the ship. There were 7 restaurants/dining areas that were open to all passengers on board at no additional cost, varying in scale and class but all containing pretty great food. None of these dining areas required reservations. There were also 6 other restaurants that did require reservations and also an additional fee (for 5 out of the 6, the fee was less than $30 additional per person). Apart from a few minor hiccups (like limited vegetarian late night dining options for my party), I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the menus and items on board the ship in general. Good thing the Gem had a full gym and sauna accessible to all guests to burn off all those calories consumed!

 

Entertainment

NCL did a great job with providing constant entertainment options while on-board. I thought I would hate being stuck at sea for three full days (one day on the way to the Bahamas and two days on the way back), but I never found myself bored while on board. There was an art gallery (which I visited multiple times for various events), a bowling alley, an arcade, a rock climbing wall, a casino, a club and a card/game room.  Not to mention a ton of programming from various performers and entertainers. There was a different main show every night of the cruise, performed at two separate times in the night to accommodate passengers’ schedules. During the days, programming included a real-life version of the game show Deal or No Deal, art auctions, cake baking competitions and bingo (of course!).

The only real disappointment while I was on board was the size of the pools. The pool area was split up into two parts, an adults-only pool and a pool open to everyone (children and adults). In dividing the pool area up into these two parts, both of the separate pools ended up being quite small. One of my lasting memories of my last cruise ship experience aboard a Princess Cruises ship was spending plenty of time in and around the enormous pool area, sipping cocktails and soaking in the sun. The same could not be said for my experience on the Gem. But there were plenty of activities to keep me otherwise occupied.

Spa

I booked one massage while on board, during one of the days that the ship was docked, because the ship offered a promotion for passengers on that day (since the spa doesn’t see as many customers on days when the ship is docked). I wouldn’t have otherwise booked the massage, because the regular prices are quite expensive. The massage itself was lovely, but afterwards the masseuse attempted to sell me a number of spa products, which was quite irritating. In addition, booking a massage does not give you access to any of the other spa facilities, which is quite unusual for a spa and was very disappointing. From my tour of the facilities they looked great, but unfortunately I couldn’t actually use them while on board without buying a separate spa pass.

Destinations

NCL’s private island in the Bahamas was gorgeous, and I really enjoyed my day at the beach there. It’s not a large island, but has two different main areas to explore. The water is warm, beautiful and clear. NCL also has bars and food on the island, and various beachy entertainment options (such as the typical limbo and water sports) to make sure passengers have things to do even while on land.

There were various options for things to pay and do while docked at Nassau, a number of them centered around the Atlantis hotel on Paradise Island. I didn’t purchase any of the paid options, but did visit Paradise Island on my own, and was also able to wander over to Atlantis’ beach and hang out there for a while. The waters of Paradise Island are full of fish (throw some bread in to the water if you can’t find any and they will come swiftly), and of similar quality to NCL’s private island, including the famous stretches of soft sand. I enjoyed exploring Nasssau, which has become divided into the old town/downtown area where the cruise ships dock and the developing areas of Paradise Island. Large parts of the Nassau downtown area are shuttered and falling apart, whereas Atlantis has created a thriving town on Paradise Island.  It was sad to see that parts of Nassau are not flourishing in the way that they used to, especially when it offers so much. For example, I shopped the downtown area streets and brought back a number of delicious rums and rum cakes with me that were devoured instantly upon return to NYC.

Additional Notes

Cleanliness: One thing I very much appreciated while on board was NCL’s dedication to cleanliness. Before entering the main buffet dining hall, passengers were required to spray soap on their hands, which was provided by staff. Their slogan “Washy washy, happy happy” is famous among any NCL passengers, and the woman who did the spraying for most of the cruise became a celebrity among the passengers!

Staff: The staff was also overall pretty friendly, with the exception of a few bartenders in the main lobby bar who were clearly over their jobs. Our waiters became friends by the end of our trip, as we exchanged stories about life.

Wifi: Wifi is available on board the Gem (and available on most cruise ships these days) for an additional fee, which I signed up for. It can be spotty and slow at times, but worth the investment if you need to be connected while aboard. Or, you can take a break from the technology and truly unwind!

Hope you enjoyed reading about my experiences aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Gem! As you can see, I thoroughly indulged in myself while on the cruise, and I felt recharged and rested following it. If you feel like you are in need of a reboot, cruising is definitely a way to go.

The takeaway from all of this is not to be surprised if you see me aboard another cruise ship soon! 😉 XOXO