Norwegian Pearl, Western Caribbean, 02/28/12

Norwegian Pearl, Western Caribbean, Day 3


So, the day started well, up bright and early and up by the pool, type- type- typing. I finished up just as my partner got back from an early hot stone massage treatment. Then over to Cagney's for breakfast. Steak and eggs for all my friends! Both the steak and the eggs (and the potatos for that matter) were perfectly done.

Bopped around, checking things out til 11 when we had a Bridge and Galley tour set up.

The bridge tour was interesting, if somewhat abridged (see what I did there, with bridge and abridge?), because there were 25 or 30 of us. And then down to the Galley for a brief tour by the Pearl's Executive Chef who goes by the humble name of Messiah. Honest, that is his name. I hadn't the nerve to ask him if his parents were Joseph and Mary. But he did give a nice tour and explanation of the major workings of a cruise ship kitchen. Sadly, we didn't get to go into the pantries and walk-ins, as I did on my galley tour of the Star. Oh, well. After the tours there was a little reception with champagne and canapes at Bar Central. We then ditched the group and went for lunch at Cagneys. We both started with the Pumpkin Soup, one of my favorite's here on NCL, and I had the Shrimp and Scallops on a bed of artichoke and mushroom risotto. Excellent. Michille went for the Ahi Burger that had a hunk of tuna big enough to feed a small village. Then went down to the Excursion Desk to get set for riding and swimming horseback tomorrow in Jamaica. THAT promises to be a fun time.

After lunch Michille decided to cross one more thing off her life list and do a little rock climbing. As most of you know, this isn't really my sort of thing, since climbing a 30' tower of plastic with pre-set footholds is just not the same as climbing actual rocks at Joshua Tree or the Dead Man Hills back home. But, we ran into Carol, a travel agent friend from Canada, who joined us at the rock wall. Michille did get to the top and ring the bell, as did Carol (who has done a lot of rock walls, apparently), so it was a successful outing. Then back down by the pool to listen to some music and people watch and have a drink.

Finally, it was time for our little Scavenger Hunt. Put together by another agent friend, Tony, who made it quite a bit more difficult than the one's the cruise staff usually put on. So, we spent an hour and a half, all over the damn boat trying to find all sorts of stuff, and cheating creatively when we couldn't. At the end we went up to the Great Outdoors to find we actually tied for 1st place on points, but the other team beat us in time, so we were awarded "first loser" status. Oh, I mean, 2nd Place. Nice plaque...whatever...

It was then time for the Captains Cocktail party so we ran and got dressed for dinner as quickly as we could, only to arrive at the party 2 minutes after the Capt had to go...So - Dinner at Le Bistro! Though as a meat and potatoes kind of guy, I think Cagneys (or maybe Moderno) is the premier alternative dining venue on NCL, a lot of folks would argue it's Le Bistro. This is the first time I've been there, but I am thinking they may be right (ask me again Friday after I have dinner at Cagney's). It is a lovely room, very elegant, with rich furnishings and nice artwork on the walls. We ordered, between us, the Quartes Cornets (4 cones filled with four different confections, like duck confit, roast duck, etc), the Mussels Whatever that were really good, considering I am not a huge fan of mussels, a Four Mushroom soup, a salad of roast duck, endive and something...and one other thing that escapes me at the moment. But I remember they were all really good. For the entree I had the Filet de Boeuf, which was possibly the tenderest piece of beef I've ever had, and Michille went with the Duck. She seemed to enjoy it. Enough that she didn't offer to share. Though she did offer to eat a piece of my filet...

Between the food and the ambience, we managed to spend over 2 hours eating and conversating, and it was, in all, a delightful evening. A little more down time in the room, and then over to the Spinnaker Lounge for a 70's Party. Again, I am going to say...it's a pretty tame crowd on this cruise. While there were more people dancing and hanging than I've seen the first couple days, it was still not quite POPPING. But the music was mostly okay, and I'll say I had a good time, overall...but by the time the party was over...so was I. So, off to bed to (hopefully) get a good nights sleep and get ready for a big day in Jamaica.

Stay tuned...

oh, by the way, you know I have to get in the plug once in a while, but if you are looking for a Western Caribbean cruise, or any cruise on NCL, or any cruise on any line, or frankly, any kind of travel, anywhere...CALL ME!!! Dave Holman Travel, 760,265.3687 or daveholmantravel@verizon.net.



See ya!