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Back to Back Cruises: March-April 2004
First Cruise - Norwegian Crown

Boarding The Ship
Upon returning to the port we discovered that there had been a power failure and we had to wait to get our boarding card. It turned out to be a short wait.
The ship though small is very elegant. We entered on deck 7 in the main reception area. There is glass and brass everywhere. The reception and shore excursion desks are there. To the left is the shops and to the right a short corridor to the Seven Seas dining room.
We toured the ship and found all the restaurants to be elegant. Especially nice are the Seven Seas which has a beautiful chandelier and Le Bistro (the small French restaurant) which is in a very private area with a great view.
The cabin was the largest one we have had on any cruise to date. There was a queen sized bed, 4 closets some of which contained drawers, a large bureau, a desk with 8 drawers, 2 chairs, and a small table. We still had enough room to walk around without getting in each other’s way. There was also a shower plenty big enough for 2 people.
We cleaned up and dressed to go to the show in the Stardust Lounge. We got there at the end of the first show and when it finished we decided to stay for the excursion talk and see the second show afterwards. Ernie still feeling some effects from whatever was ailing him earlier had to leave and go back to the cabin. Dale stayed for the rest of the talk then went to the cabin. The seas were rough and so when Dale found Ernie was sleeping she took some motion sickness medication and went to bed.

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Nassau, Bahamas
We were both feeling much better when we woke up in the morning. We cleaned up, dressed, and went to breakfast. We were docked in Nassau by the time we finished breakfast. We had signed up for an excursion which did not start until 1:00 so we went on deck to see what there was to see. We were at the end of the pier so all we could see were other cruise ships and 3 US Naval ships. We took a walk around the town on our own. We walked down the main street which was lined with shops. We were not interested in shopping and we were about to head back to the ship when we found some maps of the town and discovered there was a square with a park and some historical buildings. There was the courthouse, Government building, and a library. The buildings dated back to the 1600’s and 1700’s and were all painted Caribbean pink. There was a museum in the library which Dale found particularly interesting.
In the afternoon we took a snorkel tour with a "stingray adventure" (swimming with stingrays). We went on the "Coral II" to an island, "Blackbeard’s Cay", where we could swim, snorkel, and sunbathe (beach chairs provided). There was a snack bar, drink bar, and of course a gift shop. There was a fenced in area for the "stingray adventure". Ernie had been snorkeling before and thought the water was warm so he went right in. Dale had not been snorkeling before and found the water cool so she took a little while getting in the water and getting used to breathing through the snorkel. There were a lot of stingrays and several other types of fish, the only other one we knew the name of was the clownfish. Ernie took part in feeding the stingrays. Everyone doing it knelt in a line about 10 feet from shore and held chunks of squid and smelt underwater. A stingray's mouth is on the bottom, it swims over the food and sucks the food in. It is fortunate that they have removed the barbs from the tails of the stingrays since they swim right into the people kneeling to feed them and many people would have been stung. Some of the bigger sting rays swam into Ernie almost hard enough to knock him over. We had a great time and Dale decided she would like to snorkel again sometime. (Pictures)

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At Sea
Because there was the sickness on board the previous cruise, there were a lot of extra precautions that had to be taken. There were sanitizing stations all over the ship and when you went to one of the restaurants you had to sanitize your hands before being seated. There were crew members constantly cleaning hand rails and walls. When you went to the buffets you could not take your own food, you had to be served by "rubber-gloved" wait staff. A large percentage of the crew on the previous cruise had become sick and there were not enough replacements available in Miami, so they were short-handed. The service was not quite as good as we were use to on a cruise, but under the circumstances they did an excellent job.
We met a lovely couple, Mona & Howard, from Miami at breakfast. Also, eating breakfast with us that morning was a lady that reminded Dale of her Aunt Rose, very pleasant but kind of hard-of-hearing so sometimes her responses did not match the conversation.
We ordered an excursion for Jamaica, went to the library to play with the daily "Trivia Teaser" and crossword puzzle (we rarely did well enough to call it solving them). We then went to one of the lounges to play trivia with other passengers. One of the bands, "Best Of Friends", were playing out by the pool. We found some lounge chairs in a shady area and enjoyed listening to them. We had a late lunch and went back to the cabin to relax.
We went to the "Pasta Cafe" for supper. We met Elaine who was waiting and was going to eat alone because her husband was not feeling well. We asked Elaine if she would like to join us and she said yes. We then found out that, since this is a small restaurant, reservations are needed. It turned out that Elaine and her husband had made reservations so we ended up joining her instead of her joining us.
We went to see the show which was suppose to be "The Jean Anne Ryan Company", but one of the company members was still too ill to perform so we saw a comedian who was very funny without having to rely on the offensive language and topics most of today's comedians need to rely on. Unfortunately, neither of us had ever heard of him before and we can not remember his name.
After the show we went to one of the lounges where they were having an open mic night for telling jokes. Ernie told a joke that got a good response. There was a dj playing music for dancing afterwards, but since after the first 5 or 6 songs it was mostly hip-hop music we did not stay very long.

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Jamaica & A Day at Sea
Due to the rough seas and high head-winds we arrived in Montego Bay, Jamaica about an hour late. We had breakfast and went to the meeting place for the excursion we had scheduled.
We were taken up a winding mountain road to a banana plantation where we boarded a jitney for a tour of the plantation including an interesting talk about bananas and how all parts of a banana tree is useful. The banana pod is cut up and boiled like cabbage, the trunk of the tree is used for cardboard, and the core of the trunk is made of strong fibers which are used for many purposes. We were also told that the workers were paid by the bunch and he showed us how they would carry four bunches at once, balancing two bunches on their heads and carrying one in each hand.
We were told that Jamaica has several varieties of pineapple and the pineapple was introduced to Hawaii from Jamaica. There are also many varieties of coconut and they have the best coffee in the world which costs about $50 a pound in the USA, but can be purchased for $6 or $7 a pound in Jamaica.
They had a rum tasting demonstration, since neither of us drinks alcohol we did not take part in the tasting. When they made pina coladas for everyone they made virgin, "non-alcoholic", ones for us. They also gave us coconut milk to taste, this is not what we get at home which they refer to as coconut water. Their coconut milk looks like water and tastes terrible.
We went to the casting off spot for the river raft ride. The rafts have a seat for two people. Our poler/guide was named Gerry. The river was shallow with just some gentle rapids over gravel just inches below the surface in some areas. Gerry pointed out some of the foliage and pulled over to show us some things such as the bashful fern that closes when touched and then opens again in a little while. It started raining and Gerry brought the raft back up river a short distance so we could go into a covered area that we had just passed. It had been a bar, but was now closed, we guess they did not get as much business from the tourists rafting by as they thought they would. It was a very beautiful and relaxing ride. We ended at the plantation. Once back at the plantation we had a barb-b-que lunch of chicken, rice, & vegetables, which was OK, but nothing special. Upon returning to the ship several people went to the town to do some shopping, something we were not interested in doing so we went aboard ship.
We rested for a while then had supper and went to the show. "Richochet" a husband and wife illusionist act performed. They were really good. (Pictures)

We had another day at sea doing similar things as the one we described. We took a cha cha lesson. The show was Van Harris, an older comedian, who was very funny and as with the other comedian a couple of nights earlier he did not resort to using foul language. Before retiring for the night, we got in a little dancing to the music of "Super Tonic Boom", a husband and wife duo that had also been on the Dream.

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Aruba & A Day at Sea
Having been to Aruba before, we decided we could do things on our own. We chose going to the butterfly farm and then to spend the rest of the day at a beach. We had a little trouble finding the bus stop and then information on which bus to take and where to buy tickets. We finally got on the bus and discovered it was only $1.00 per person each way, so we spent our $4.00 for two round trip tickets and we were off.
The butterfly farm is across the street from the beginning of the high-rise hotel section of Palm Beach. There was a guided tour just starting so we joined in, the guide was a very knowledgable high school boy. He explained about the stages of a butterfly and it's development, the differences between a cocoon and a chrysalis, and the difference between butterflies and moths. There were thousands of beautiful butterflies and paths weaving around the bushes that afforded us closeup views of them. We spent a couple of hours just enjoying the butterflies.
We then went across the street to Palm Beach. We had been told that we would be able to change into our bathing suits at any of the hotels, but they all had signs saying facilities were only for guests. Ernie asked the bartender at an outdoor bar at one of the low-rise hotels where we might change and was told where the hotel's outside accessible restrooms are. We changed up and went to the beach. We went to a section of the beach between the last low-rise hotel and the first high-rise hotel. We found that the bottom was very rocky and hard to walk on. Ernie went to the other side of a rope dividing this section from a section behind the high-rise hotel and found the bottom nice and sandy. We spent the rest of the day swimming in high-rise hotel's beach area.
We changed back into our clothes and caught the bus into town. Dale got her Aruba charm and we returned to the ship. We had supper and went to the show. There were two acts: a concert pianist and a comedian/juggler. Both acts were very enjoyable. We decided to skip going dancing and turned in relatively early. (Pictures)

We had another day at sea. We just lazed around during the day and went to the late show. A vocal impressionist/comedian performed. He was really good impersonating The Big Bopper, Dean Martin, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Neil Diamond, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley. After the show we went to the 50's & 60's dance. We did a twist and during the next dance we were given bookmarkers, when the dance ended it was announced that the people with the bookmarkers were selected to be in a twist contest. We did not win, but we had a really good time.

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St Thomas, USVI & Two Days at Sea
We arrived in St Thomas and after breakfast everyone had to go through immigration on the ship before anyone could go ashore. It took about 1½ hours for everyone to go through. When we were able to leave the ship, we joined the group going on the helmet dive.
We took a bus to the place for doing the dive, upon arrival we met the dive team, a person who stays on top and an experienced helmet diver and a scuba diver, both of whom go in the water with the group. The procedure was described to us, we were given water shoes & gloves and lead to the ladder to descend to the bottom.
Ernie was the first in our group to go into the water and so she would be near Ernie, Dale went second. As each person gets about chest deep in the water an 82lb helmet is placed over the person's head to rest on the shoulders. We were told that as soon as the helmet was in place we were to descend to the bottom of the ladder and move along the chain fence until the helmet diver told us to stop. Dale usually takes a long time to get in water, but because of what we were told as soon as the helmet touched her shoulders she thought "I have to go down!" and immediately went to the bottom. The air pressure keeps the water out of the top of the helmet, this means if you tilt your head forward the back of the helmet is at the top and the face plate is at the bottom causing you to get water in your face. You can look down a little and the water comes to your chin, but if you want to see something near the bottom you have to either squat or kneel. We saw a lot of fish including a 2-3 foot barracuda that Ernie saw, but Dale missed. Some of the fish swam right up to our face plates and seemed to be as interested in us as we were in them. The diver with us retrieved an urchin and a spider crab that he passed around. Ernie had bought an underwater one use camera knowing at least he was going to do the helmet dive. After taking a couple of pictures he gave the camera to the diver to take a picture of him and Dale. When the diver gave the camera back, Ernie thought he had slipped the strap over his wrist, but when he let go of the camera it floated to the top. Fortunately, when we went back up Ernie was able to spot the camera floating a little way from the pavilion and the scuba diver was able to retrieve it.
After the dive we had plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the park. Under the pavilion is a two level viewing area with windows at different depths where you can look out to the reef including areas where we did not go on the dive. In the park there are reef pools and shark pools. There are also some nature trails.
Upon returning to the ship we cleaned up and took the 1½ mile walk into town. We followed the shoreline and were able to look back to where the ship was docked. We once again realized just how small the Crown is when we saw it docked near two other cruise ships. As we walked along the cabs, which are more like open trolleys, would stop and ask if we wanted to ride. They kept doing this right up until we were in town. Dale got her St Thomas charm and then we went to see a fort that is town. On the walk back to the ship the cab drivers continued to ask us if we wanted a ride. (Pictures)
The Jean Anne Ryan Company put on a very good show that night. We went dancing for a little while before returning to the cabin.
We spent the next two days (March 30 & 31) at sea relaxing, reading, playing games, dancing, and taking in the entertainment. One night we saw Richochet and a comedian. The next night was a Jean Anne Company presentation called Footloose.

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Bermuda & Last Day at Sea
We arrived at King's Wharf in Dockyard, Bermuda about 8:00 AM. After breakfast we went onto the island. Dockyard is on the opposite end of the island from St. Georges where cruises we have been on before have docked. Hamilton is between Dockyard and St. Georges. The only places we had been to between Hamilton and Dockyard are Elbow Beach and a lighthouse near the beach.
We got all-day bus/water taxi passes and set out on a bus toward Hamilton. Our first stop was Sommerset Village where nothing was open at that time. We got on the next bus.
We stopped at a botanical garden. It is a very large place and we came in at the opposite end from the visitor center so we enjoyed walking around looking at everything until we found the center. We got a map at the center and were able to find interesting things. There was a kitchen garden, a rose garden, many exotic trees, a cactus house, an orchid house, and beautiful lawns.
Our next stop was at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute. It was lunch time when we got there so before exploring what they had we went to the restaurant in the building. Expecting it to be a cafeteria, we were surprised to be eating $13.00 hamburger plates at a four-star restaurant. In the institute we saw displays and videos on diving and sea life. We experienced a diving bell simulator and viewed thousands of beautiful sea shells on display in cabinets. We really enjoyed the time we spent there.
We were close to Hamilton and decided to walk the rest of the way to Fort Hamilton. We discovered traffic will stop for pedestrians waiting to cross at a crosswalk, but nowhere else. Fort Hamilton is at the top of a steep hill, but luckily there is a set of switch-back stairs and ramps to get you up the steepest grade. We walked through the gardens and climbed up onto the rampart that overlooks the city of Hamilton. Ernie also climbed one of the cannon support towers. The gate closes at 5:00, so it was too late to explore the moat which is now filled with tropical trees and flowers. We vowed that the next time we go to Bermuda we will get to Fort Hamilton by lunch time and spend the whole afternoon there. We headed into Hamilton. We stopped at Victoria Garden a very beautiful spot in the city. We walked through the city making our way to the water taxi. We took the water taxi back to Dockyard. We cleaned up, had supper, and retired early, foregoing the show and dancing.
The next morning we got up early, had breakfast, and went ashore to see as much of Dockyard as possible before having to return to the ship @ 11:30 AM. First, we went to the glass factory and saw a demonstration of glass figurine making.
Next we visited the Maritime Museum. The museum is made up of 10 buildings most of which contain history of Bermuda, ships, or sea exploration. The largest building is the Commissioner's House. It would be easy to get lost in the basement alone of the Commissioner's House, let alone the rest of the house. They also have Dolphin Quest at the museum where they study dolphin behavior.
We got back on board the ship on time and had lunch. We spent most of the afternoon relaxing in the cabin, except when Dale went to an interview with the Captain. We went to the early show and late supper. We got to bed fairly early.
April 4 was another relaxing day at sea. The show was another Jean Anne Ryan production which as usual was very good. After the show we packed and put our luggage in the corridor to be picked up during the night and brought ashore in the morning. (Pictures)

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Last updated:   may 05 2017