Travelicious

In Le Havre today, we caught the Bee Bus to Honfleur. For some reason, in my mind I never picture all the crowds at these neat places, but in reality they are always there. It was really just too crowded to enjoy. Before leaving Le Havre, we had a real Coke in a glass bottle. You just can’t find that in the US anymore. We are all plastic now, and it just doesn’t taste the same. This is was a real treat. We had a drink and a little something to eat, before returning to the pickup spot. Along the way, I spotted a pretty bed of flowers. I packed up yesterday, and Pookie did this afternoon. We returned to Onda for the final time. We again had the creamy polenta, and added a market salad, and a pizza. We sat outside for the first time this trip. It was rather warm, and I forgot to take any photos. Today was gorgeous! Sunny and supposedly 73, but felt warmer in the sun. We have really enjoyed the Prima. The state rooms are, or at least seem, larger than most on other NCL ships. The layout is more organized. It will be a little tough going back to the Getaway with the closet on the wall by the bed, and barely having room to get to it. The Prima has probably the best and largest shower of any of the NCL ships I’ve sailed. The crew has been exceptional. It has been a long time since I’ve had a cabin steward this good. Overall, I give the Prima high ratings and would love to sail her again in a more consistently warm environment. Pookie is down at the Penrose Bar to say goodbyes, get a night cap and leave a tip for our favorite bartender. I opted out, as I’m feeling very tired and just wanted to finish things up here and get to bed early. We are in no hurry to get off the ship in the morning, so will plan to head to Hudson’s for breakfast around 8:00. I would be perfectly fine being the last off the ship with no waiting. Guess we’ll see how it works out. If I counted correctly, this is day 20. Thanks for following along so far.

We came back to the ship and ate at The Local, ending with the hot fudge sundaes we’ve been seeing every one else eat. So effin full, I returned to the room for a nap on both my right and my left sides! Then got up an mostly packed so I can enjoy tomorrow. We then had cocktails, light dinner, and enjoyed the sunset from our balcony.

We took the ship shuttle to Blankenburge today, leaving where the train station is for our next two trips. It was really crowded. Apparently there was a festival going on. Nice day, but really looking forward to our next trip to Zeebrugge, when we will go to Ghent. Had a couple of beers. Saw a couple of sites.

Today was a tour for 8 to Keukenhof and scenic countryside. The tulip season is at its end, but there was still plenty of beauty at the park. I can only imagine how beautiful during peak season. Our guide says the park opens in March, all of April, and closes around mid-May. So I would think April would be peak. I did not take pictures at the park, but I’m betting Henry has some on his thread. I took this one while arriving in Amsterdam this morning. This was during our scenic drive: All in the tour except us got out in town to explore and then walk back to the ship. It was super crowded, being a holiday, so we opted to return to the ship and wait to explore further in our next 2 stops over the next few weeks. After dropping stuff off in the room, we went to Penrose Bar for a couple of cocktails by our favorite bartender, Anita. It was very quiet for once, and we were able to visit with Anita a bit before the crowds started drifting in. It was then time for a walk. We grabbed the water bottles and headed to the buffet for a refill. Upon returning to the cabin, and with 1.75 hours until dinner, I took a shortish nap, setting my alarm for 30 minutes before our dinner reservation. We loved Onda so much that we decided to go 2 more times before the end of the cruise, considering that restaurant is not on the other 2 ships we will sail this trip. The bread here, especially the Stromboli, is the only bread we have enjoyed and accepted at dinner. This time, I remembered to photograph the menu so I could remember what we ordered. Again, we had the creamy polenta. So good! We also added the fritto misto, which could have been a meal in itself. I had the ravioli and Pookie had the beef tenderloin. @JIMESOPUS was not lying about the steak! So much better than at Le Bistro! The ravioli, however, was not great. Somehow, we managed a bit of dessert, but just a few bites. No photos. It was a good day that left me exhausted. I’m calling it an early night. Tomorrow we will be in Zeebrugge, where we will take the shuttle to Blankenberge. Of our 3 stops here, tomorrow’s is the shortest, so staying close this time. Next time, we plan to go to Ghent, and the time after that to Bruges.

We enjoyed dinner with the officers and our fellow passengers, one of whom had a birthday. Don’t know how old she was, but I’m guessing close to 90. Unfortunately, they didn’t tell us until we had ordered dessert, then they brought out a large cake and cut a piece for all of us. 2 desserts! I don’t know what went on at the other end of the table, but my end included a guy who managed the stadium for the Cincinnati Bengals, and sporting a 2021 AFC championship ring! Also included this ball of joy, who said this was only her second time to participate in dinner with officers: She was trying to be professional for the photo, but was so much fun! This is the only time I didn’t see teeth. The other officer was the assistant food and beverage manager. I did not get a chance to talk with him much. It was a really fun time. Despite my vow of no more gambling, I decided to have one more try. I took $100 and got down to $13 at one point. Ended up cashing out $156 and went to the cabin. Tomorrow is a trip with fellow CCers to see tulips in Amsterdam. Excited about getting off the ship and seeing some countryside!

Ended up not ordering the cake last night, but did get out to see the beautiful sunset. Pookie is enjoying her last day to sleep in. I’m in the theater to hear the GM give us some info on upcoming ports of call. Tonight is dinner with the officers.

I started reading, but the eyes would not stay open. Had about a 45 minute nap, woke up and it was TIME TO EAT! We went to Hudson’s. It was the blah lunch menu. Still haven’t been on a day with the embarkation day menu. I had corn chowder, which was pretty good, shrimp fritters and peanut butter cup cheese cake. Yum! Pookie had Caprese salad - not good with hard, greenish tomatoes, fish tacos (she liked), and banana cream pie. We skipped the alcohol, as we were scheduled for the Latitudes wine tasting at 2:00. We spent a few minutes in the casino, where Pookie has now won enough dice in the coin pusher to play Yahtzee. I quickly lost a $20 bill plus a voucher for $3 something. We headed to the wine tasting, which was rather crowded. Our selections: Ignore lady’s shoulder in the Italy section. She was taking copious notes before the tasting started. We shared a table with a woman who hated all of the wines and only likes moscato, and her husband who commented that he had not drank in 10 years and didn’t know why they were there. Some were good, some not so much. I’ve decided I would much prefer a wine tasting where they pour one full glass of really good wine. After 8 samplings, the casino was calling me. So I grabbed a $100 bill and ventured forth, determined to try some new to me machines. I quickly won $100 and cashed a voucher for $185. I put the $85 in my pocket and played on with another $100 bill. At one point, I was up to $135 on that, but ultimately came back to the cabin with a voucher for $100 and change and $85 and change in my pocket. Not bad for an hour of fun. By this time, the sun was shining brightly on our balcony, and we were able to sit out for a while. It was so warm that I actually put on shorts while people walking around deck 8 were bundled up. We planned to order room service and drink wine, but nothing on the menu was appealing. We made a trip to the buffet - our first of this cruise - and brought food back to the room. Pookie has now gone to return plates to the buffet and grab a couple of cocktails. If we are still awake and up to it, we may order a pot of decaf and some 7 layer cake a little later. Upcoming cocktail may be the end, though. We’ll see.

Up early for the behind the scenes tour. I slept great, only waking once during the night, which is most unusual. After showering and coffee in the room, we headed to the Cruise Next desk, where we were divided into 2 groups. For some reason, we were not allowed to take our water bottles, and they were placed behind the desk. Luckily, we were not in the group with the Cruise Next employee who has no personality. Unluckily, we were in the group with all of the annoying people. One lady dashed to be in the front at every stop, leaving her husband way behind. There were lots of stupid questions and, of course, the know-it-alls who try to prove they know it all by making declarations disguised as questions. The theater portion was interesting. Sadly, we were not provided cookies or any other treats while in the galley. In fact, nothing was going on in the galley we were allowed to enter. I think it was for Los Lobos. After the tour, we headed directly to the immigration check. It took about 20 minutes to get through the line. We stopped by Cruise Next to collect my water bottle. No one was there, but my bottle was visible on the back counter, so I retrieved it. After a brief rest, we got a breakfast snack at Indulge. I must be in the minority, as I find the breakfast potatoes delicious - much better than those greasy hash brown patties they used to serve. Still, an occasional cookie would be nice. Now it’s time to rest and read for a bit until we eat again. 😆

Had a light dinner and heavy drinks. Hopefully rough seas ahead to help us sleep. Here’s me all bundled up this afternoon. Anonymity maintained.

Lazy morning here. Woke up around 9:30, made some coffee and laid in bed watching the newish Little Mermaid movie. This movie, especially, looks great on these TVs! When it was over, we got ready and went to Hudson’s for lunch. We wanted to be there for sailaway, which was supposed to be at 1:00. However, by 1:45 we still were not moving, so decided to go to the balcony then to walk around deck 8. I got all bundled up and watched from the balcony, then went to walk around deck 8. It was COLD and windy down there. Part of deck 8 was closed for maintenance, so we only made it around 3/4 of the way around. That was enough! Now we are back out in the ocean with no view of land. Going to read in the cabin for a bit before going out for cocktails. We need to get up early tomorrow for the behind the scenes tour, so need to be able to get to sleep at a decent time tonight. Accordingly, going to try to refrain from napping today. Also on deck for tomorrow is the mandatory immigration screening, and the wine tasting at 2:00. We have been gifted a couple bottles of red wine, so may order room service tomorrow night and stay in to drink a bottle. I can’t drink red wine anymore without food - too dry. Only 2 more super lazy days before this trip starts getting crazy.

Free!

Ours were brownish in color.

The good news is that there was a cruise shuttle outside the terminal into downtown Reykjavik. The bad news is that there isn’t much happening on a Sunday morning. Still, we had a walk about. When we realized it was Sunday, and that the dentist’s office would likely not be open, we decided not to waste the cab fare to get there. The Fixodent is currently holding. More good news: we found the famous hotdog stand early and there was no waiting. More bad news: it wasn’t really anything special. The only thing I found rather unique was the crunch of the fried onion. Otherwise, it was bland. I don’t quite get the rave reviews, but I guess not everyone has experienced an Oscar Meyer turkey dog roasted over a wood fire, eaten in a Wonder bread bun with French’s mustard and raw onion. We caught the shuttle back to the ship, and walked out around the sea walk and the rock pier. After a few hours, we are back onboard and enjoying a margarita in The Local. It is Cinco de Mayo, after all!

Land ho!