On the Bridge with the Captain

30 July 2011

Our last day of our cruise.  Maeve and Truman have had the time of their lives.  Maeve cries when she has to leave her friends and be in at 11:00 pm!!!  She was so unhappy about leaving her friends at home when we got to New Orleans; now she's unhappy about leaving her new friends she's made on the ship.

The kids slept in today and had a late breakfast.  Then it was off to a VIP bridge tour with the Captain and Staff Captain of the ship, the Norwegian Spirit.  As we expected, Truman was in awe of everything.  He got to sit in the Captain's chair and loved the fact that the ship is guided by a very small joystick like he uses with his Wii or Nintendo.


This afternoon is for relaxing by the pool, packing and basically getting ready to return to reality.  This has been a wonderful experience for all of us.  We have had some of the best service on any ship we've ever sailed.  This crew is fabulous and so attentive to our every need.  The kids have both learned about their independence on a ship and how they can do things on their own with new friends.  Truman begs to go to the Kids Club at night.  Maeve is now out with her friends shooting a video of the ship.  We'll put this up on our website when we return and can edit it. 

Multi-generational cruising is the way to go for families.  The kids could have dinner on their own and we could enjoy a wonderful dinner together in the quiet of one of the many restaurants aboard the ship.  It's back to reality tomorrow and to work on Monday.  Thank you, NCL, for helping us make such wonderful memories.

Costa Maya, Majuhual, Mexico - July 26

26 July 11


Costa Maya, Majahual, Mexico

Another beautiful day in Paradise. Costa Maya is a little port that was specifically built for cruise ships. There are little shops – some great jewelry stores, some with cheesy souvenirs. There is a pool in the center of the plaza that the cruise passengers can enjoy, and believe me, with the heat and humidity, a dip in a fresh water pool is very inviting.

Maeve swam with the dolphins for an hour and was enamored with them from the start. Charlie, Nell and I took a five minute taxi ride over to Majuhual, a little town on a beautiful beach. Prices on silver and turquoise are much better there than in Costa Maya. This is a quiet little place and is a great beach area to take a family.

When we returned to the ship, Maeve met a couple of girls her age from Texas. Of course, her Daddy is from Texas, so she had something in common with them. When she hadn’t returned to the cabin by 7:00 pm, I went looking for her. She was in the video room with the girls and they were having such a good time that she stayed with them for the evening. I think she has made some new long-distance friends that she will stay in touch with so that when they visit in Texas again, she can see them.

Charlie, Angela and Jim T went to an Indian dinner tonight night in a small dining room in Shogun. After 20 courses – and yes, that is correct two-zero – they all rolled out of the restaurant. Nell and I were escorted to dinner in Windows by the most adorable little man, Truman. He was a perfect gentleman, and held out his arms for both of us to take us into the dining room. He was perfect throughout dinner and couldn’t wait to go to the Kids Club afterward to play with his new friends.

The kids have adapted to ship life very quickly and all of us are relaxing and having a wonderful time.

More tomorrow from Roatan, Honduras