Cruising

Written by Carol Cain on 22 February 2011

I know by the looks of my site it may seem that I am not doing much, it’s been so quiet around here lately.

Truth is, I’m currently on a 7-day cruise. I and my three sons, ages 4, 5, and 13, are guests on the Norwegian Cruise Lines first ever Nickelodeon All Access Cruise. Now, the Nickelodeon Cruise itself has been a favorite on many other cruise lines, however, it has now found a home within the Norwegian Cruise Line family, and word is they are here to stay. How they are doing is still being fully determined by us. But not JUST us. We are talking to a lot of parents and cruise guests and gathering their thoughts and feedback as well.

This is important because for me this is a new experience entirely. I have never been on a cruise and thus am not only taking in the Nickelodeon experience, but the cruising experience as well.

Though I am going to reserve my overall review for after the cruise, right off the bat I can say that the experience has its pros and cons, some of which I have been told by more experienced cruisers can depend on a few things, three of the most important being 1) the cruise line 2) the destinations 3) the time of year.

Our cruise is not only a kid-focused one, but it is taking place during a time when most kids are on midwinter break, and our destinations are all “near by”, Port Canaveral, Fl and the Bahamas.

As I type this, I am at the completion of day three, the best day into our trip so far…and we spent most of it in one of my favorite places in Orlando: Universal Studios.

Tomorrow we stop at the Norwegian Cruise Line’s very own Bahamian beach, Great Stirrup Cay, and on Thursday, the boys and I head off on a day trip to revisit our friends at Atlantis.

Internet access is expensive on-board, thus limited, so there won’t be much action going on here until I return to New York City. In the mean, I am posting pictures and updates on our Facebook page, as well as on Twitter (follow @NYCityMama). So if you can’t wait till we get back to hear about all we are doing and see a few pics, check us out there.

In the meantime, we are here, trying to have as much fun as we possibly can, and taking notes, talking to strangers, and taking picks to report back to you upon our return.

Disclosure: A portion of our trip is courtesy of the Norwegian Cruise Line’s Nickelodeon All Access Cruise for the purpose of review. The views and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.