I guess it pays to blog because Norwegian Cruise Lines invited me, good old Japolina, along with other celebrities  such as Brooke Burke- Charvet (Dancing with the Stars), Pitbull (Mr. Worldwide), Buddy Valero (The Cake Boss) and the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders to christen their new Mega Cruise Ship, the Norwegian Getaway.*

   NCL not only provided us with a free mini suite for the one night cruise to nowhere, they also comped all food and drinks!  They even made reservations for us for dinner and a show.  I really felt like a V.I.P.

     I have been on at least 30 cruises during my lifetime. Given that at least 10 cruises leave from South Florida weekly, it is very easy to jump on one. However, I have been pretty loyal to Royal Caribbean for most of my adult life and had not actually been on an NCL cruise since "The Love Boat" was on television.  I was super excited to check out this new beauty and she did not disappoint.

     The Getaway has 28 dining options from casual to fancy. We ate lunch at a seaside cafe and dinner during a really fun Magic show called the Illusionarium. We also blew the diet at Carlo's Bake Shop. Who needs to go to Hoboken? The canoli was to die for.  All of the food that we ate was delicious and if you sail on her for a week, I'm certain you will not leave feeling hungry at all.

     Our room was a mini suite. It had a balcony, comfy beds and the biggest bathroom that I've ever had on a cruise ship.  We were able to tour some other rooms on the ship. My husband should have not let me go see the special V.I.P. section of the ship called The Haven. The suites up there were amazing and they have their own pool and butlers.  It is sort of like after I flew first class to Europe, my new motto was "upgrade me or I'm not going". Guess who never goes?  All joking aside, I'd sail in any room on the Getaway because the amenities on the ship are great.

Norwegian really made me feel like a V.I.P.

This was the view from our cabin!

    Besides all of the food options, there is a gorgeous casino, tons of bars and clubs including "the Grammy Experience" and a real ice bar where you have to wear a ship-provided coat. There are also shows including "Legally Blonde" and much more.

    The gym had tons of cardio equipment where you can stare at the sea while sweating out some of the canolis. It also had TRX and boxing equipment. There is even a room dedicated to FLYWHEEL indoor spinning.  The spa was stunning and featured a salt room.

This is the salt room in the Spa!

    The kids won't be bored onboard. For the little ones, there are not only a kids club and splash pool, there is a Nickelodeon themed program for them.  Teens won't bug you either. There is an aqua park onboard with huge watersides, a ropes course and a plank platform that extends 8 feet over the side of the ship. You won't be seeing me on that thing!

Yikes!

This is more my speed…

Thanks Norwegian. I had a blast and hope to cruise with you someday very soon.

* NOTE: I did not actually meet any celebrities during my brief time onboard but did run into a few local newscasters. These are the same ones who put me in a panic during hurricane season with their "The big one is coming, we are all going to die!" outbursts so I stayed clear of them.  I also ran into the Dolphins Cheerleaders at the bar. They were all wearing matching aqua cocktail dresses.  I ran when I saw them as they are so blonde, young and gorgeous that they probably made Brooke Burke-Charvet look old and dumpy.  I wanted to make sure I was not in any photos with them.

 

Dreaming of paradise...

Even though I live in paradise year round, when I plan a vacation (or daydream about one), I tend to head out to sea.  This week my favorite blogger  Empress Bee is blogging from the middle of the ocean. She got me thinking and dreaming about cruising.

A new ship is heading to Miami this winter called The Norwegian Getaway.  I'm thinking that this might be the next family vacation for us as this new ship (it arrives here in February) sails from here to the Caribbean year round.

I haven't sailed on NCL in awhile but the new ship looks like it could offer the  perfect family vacation. If you have kids or teens and haven't cruised, you might be missing out on the perfect family vacation. It has been said that traveling with children is usually just a change of scenery rather than a vacation. I think that cruising might be the exception. I've cruised with my boys several times starting when my youngest was 7 and these trips have always been a blast.

These are my top five reasons why a cruise could possibly be the best way to travel with kids and teens:

1. Everyone goes on the same vacation but everyone can do what is fun for them.  Ships today have kids and teen camps, game rooms and tons of activities for kids and teens to partake in.  The Norwegian Getawy is going to have a waterpark onboard. This would definitely keep my guys busy for quite a while.  When my son was younger, he wanted to go to the kids camp every single night. 

The Getaway is also going to have a huge sports complex complete with a  ropes course! 

2. You might see something besides the top of their heads during the trip. Today's modern ships have wifi and celluar-at-sea available but they are not cheap. Therefore, the "unplugging" of the kids (and the parents) is one of the best parts of this type of trip. I always make everyone turn off the phones and stick them in the room safe when the ship sails away from the dock.  (those roaming fees are steep on cell phones) 

On my last three cruises, we used the "post-it note" method. The kids had to leave a post it note with the time and their destination on the mirror in the cabin so we knew where to find them.  This worked like a charm. When they were younger, we used walkie-talkies.  This gave them a little bit of freedom and we did not worry. Even with the huge ships we were on, we could always find them.  We had rules about not going into other people's cabins, etc.  We usually found them at the free pizza parlor!

vs.

3.  For the most part, a cruise is paid for ahead of time. Unlike checking out of a regular  resort after a week and having a giant bill, you pay for the cruise before you step onboard.  Most meals are paid for so just your spending money is on the bill at the end. If you don't go crazy, it is usually not too painful to look at your bill at the end of the week. I have two teenaged boys. I think that cruising definitely is less expensive than feeding a la carte.

4. There are less decisions to be made than on a regular vacation.  For the most part, you can plan out your dinners and shows ahead of time on most cruises.  I always do this.  This means that I tell everyone in my family, "Dinner is at 7 tonight in the main dining room. You need to wear a collared shirt and long pants" There is no arguing involved. There is no whining It makes it easy on everyone.  If you have ever spent a day sightseeing and have tried to  get a whole car full of hungry tired people to agree on a type or cuisine or restaurant, you know what I'm talking about. Those type of discussions have led to having dinner at "Golden Coral" or "apple bees" in vacation destinations which is a wasted vacation meal opportunity in my book.

5.  Mom and Dad get a vacation too. You only have to unpack everyone once.  No one is bored.  Dad can sunbathe or gamble or scuba dive. Mom can sit somewhere in silence and read a book while watching the waves roll by or get a salt scrub in the spa. 

 The Getaway not only has a full spa but in it is a Salt room which is supposed to mimic the natural, highly therapeutic salt caves in Eastern Europe.  Sign me up!

As for cost, cruise prices vary with cruise lines and times of the year.  I think that a week on cruise is probably less than a week in Orlando  ( a day ticket to see Mickey is now $100 per person!). While I love theme parks just as much as the next mom, when I get off of a cruise I feel energized, relaxed and that everyone got away from it all. 

Now I just need to convince my husband to let me plan it!