Cruise destination Barbados

Barbados was one of the first Caribbean islands I visited. It was during my first cruise on Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2). I had crossed the Atlantic several times on her before that but as the people at Cunard were adamant in pointing out, a crossing is not a cruise. Since I liked the experience onboard QE2 during these crossings, I decided to see what the ship was like during a cruise. Therefore, I booked one of the two or three Caribbean cruises that the ship did each year.

QE2 departed from New York City and using her incredible speed we were quickly out of the lingering cold weather of early Spring. Once down in the warmer waters, the ship slowed down and the days took on a lazy pace as well. We visited Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale), occupying what was then one of the few cruise ship berths in what was then still primarily a cargo ship harbor. Then we headed south to St. Thomas and St. Maarten, which were both still tender ports.

The southernmost point on the journey was Barbados. It was often called “Little England” then and so it was appropriate to visit the island on a British ship. I found it to be a pretty island with a charming, restful atmosphere.

I have been back to Barbados many times since then. It has changed over the years. To an outsider, the standard of living appears to have improved. There has been much construction and development but the island still has charm. It also still has a British flavor but perhaps less so now.

Barbados is not uni-dimensional. On the west coast, you have the beautiful Caribbean beaches, the expensive resorts and the fabulous yacht marinas. Going further east, the island becomes less developed but still scenic in its natural beauty. On the east coast, powerful waves roll in from the Atlantic, carving the coral rocks into unusual shapes.

Looking somewhat more closely, the island has historical and cultural attractions as well including plantation great houses, churches and military facilities. For most of its history, the island's economy thrived because the climate was so well suited to agriculture. The economy has moved on but the people have taken advantage of the climate to create flourishing botanical gardens.

Our section on Barbados begins with an overview http://www.beyondships3.com/barbados-cruise-destination.html and a brief history http://www.beyondships3.com/barbados-brief-history.html. There is a page providing information about the cruise port http://www.beyondships3.com/barbados-cruise-port.html and a slideshow showing some of the cruise ships that have called at Barbados http://www.beyondships3.com/barbados-cruise-ships.html. We then take a look at some of the attractions of the island including the beaches http://www.beyondships3.com/barbados-attractions-beaches.html the Bathsheba beach and rock formations http://www.beyondships3.com/barbados-attractions-bathsheba.html the great houses http://www.beyondships3.com/barbados-attractions-great-houses.html the Gun Hill Signal Station http://www.beyondships3.com/barbados-attractions-gun-hill.html and the botanical gardens http://www.beyondships3.com/barbados-attractions-gardens.html There is also a links page with links to other websites with information relevant to cruising to Barbados.http://www.beyondships3.com/barbados-cruise-links.html

Finally, we have a video of the cruise ship Norwegian Jewel sailing from Barbados. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-jewel-video.html

Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Jewel - - Photos, video, reviews

This week the focus is on Norwegian Cruise Line.

First, I have a number of items from a recent weekend cruise that I did on Norwegian Breakaway. This was the ship's first short cruise since her inaugural cruises. It was also out of New York in the dead of winter. How would a ship with so many outdoor facilities cope with the winter weather. Our review is at http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-weekend.html

One of the great things about sailing out of New York in winter is that darkness has usually fallen by the time the ship sails. On a clear, crisp night the lights of the city sparkle and the cruise down the river is an almost mystical voyage. Some video highlights are at http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-night-sailing.html

Then we have added two reviews to our profile of Breakaway. The first looks at the Manhattan Room, which is not your run of the mill main dining room. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-barber-shop.html I also recount my experience getting a haircut on Breakaway. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-manhattan-room.html

In addition to the material on Breakaway, we have a photo feature http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-jewel-photo-essay-cozumel.html and a video of Norwegian Jewel arriving in Cozumel, Mexico. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-jewel-cozumel-video.html In it, we see the ship underway and arriving at the pier.

 We are also hoping to have some new items relating to Norwegian Getaway's arrival in New York. Keep an eye on our what's new page. http://www.beyondships2.com/index.html

A new profile of Norwegian Jewel and a conversation with her captain

Before sitting down to write this, I asked myself what is there to like about Norwegian Jewel? After thinking it over, I decided there are several things that I like about this ship.




The Jewel, as she is known to her friends, was the lead ship in Norwegian Cruise Line’s Jewel class of cruise ships. For the last few years, she has been based for all or a large part of the year in New York and since I am also based there, the ship has become a familiar sight.



Starting with the basics, Jewel was built by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Pappenberg, Germany. Over the years, I have developed a high regard for Meyer Werft, which has produced such impressive ships as Celebrity’s Solstice class and Royal Caribbean’s Radiance class ships. Like fine sports cars, their ships are often fast and very maneuverable. They always are good quality. Norwegian Jewel is no exception.



Stepping inside, I like the fact that the ship is run with an eye towards innovation. In the early years of this century, NCL inaugurated the Freestyle dining concept, which has now been adopted in various forms by most of the major cruise lines. They also were a leader in basing their ships outside of the traditional Florida cruise ports so that passengers did not have to travel so far to get to the cruise. On Jewel, this spirit of innovation continues with various new programs that combine dining and entertainment.



I also like the service on the Jewel. The crew seems happy and I found that they make a real effort to please.



In the final analysis, however, it does not really matter what I think of a ship. Rather, what is important in deciding whether a particular ship is right for your cruise vacation is whether the ship offers a cruise experience that is consistent with your tastes, needs and preferences. Accordingly, I have updated and expanded the Beyondships profile of Norwegian Jewel with more information. http://www.beyondships.com/NCLJewel.html



It includes more menus from the main dining rooms and from the major specialty restaurants http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-jewel-menus.html as well as more daily programs (Freestyle Daily) .

http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-jewel-daily-programs-and-information.html

There is also a new interview with Captain Lars Bergstrom and Hotel Director Hugo Vanosmael in which they share their views on why Norwegian Jewel has been successful sailing out of New York. http://www.beyondships.com/NCLJewel-captain.html



There is our first-ever cruise ship slideshow. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-jewel-slideshow.html



Finally, the photo tour and commentary has numerous new photos. Indeed, so many that I had to expand it by a page. The tour begins at http://www.beyondships.com/NCLJewel-Tour.html

Super-cruiser Mario; Dining with the Officers; Norwegian Jewel and Zuiderdam Restaurant Reviews

This week Beyondships features something different. In the past, we have brought you interviews ship officers, cruise line executives and people whose work involves them with ships such as marine artists and ship designers. This time, we bring you an interview with a passenger. But what a passenger - - Mario Salcedo has done over 500 cruises with more than 400 of them on Royal Caribbean ships.




Mario is a man living his dream. A successful businessman, Mario rose to hold a prominent position with a Fortune 500 company. Rather than just continue on that path, he turned his back on the corporate life before he turned 50 and dedicated himself to living the life he had always dreamed of. Now he essentially lives 52 weeks a year on cruise ships, mainly RCI’s Liberty of the Seas.



A friendly and outgoing person, Mario likes to chat with his fellow passengers. His is a unique story and he is often asked about how he manages to live at sea. People are also interested in tapping into his expertise and knowledge about cruising.



Beyond ships interview with Mr. Salcedo is at http://www.beyondships.com/Cruise-articles-Super-cruiser.html



In recent years, the tradition of having officer tables in the ship’s main dining room has all but vanished. A few lines still have a captain’s table on formal nights but with the exception of Cunard Line, one rarely finds tables hosted by the staff captain, the chief engineer, the hotel director or one of the junior officers.



It is a shame that this tradition is fading away. Dining at an officer’s table gives passengers a unique insight into the operations of the ship and personalizes the relationship between the cruise line and the passengers. Also, I have often found that people who sit down at an officer’s table as strangers often arise as friends. Indeed, I still hear from people who I dined with at an officer’s table years ago.



Somewhat surprisingly, Norwegian Cruise Line, which has a tradition of being non-traditional, is experimenting with reviving this tradition. Of course, various modifications had to be made in order for this tradition to fit with the modern cruising environment. However, the pilot program has been received very well on Norwegian Jewel with many more passengers signing up for it than can be accommodated.



I recently had the opportunity to participate in this program and was able to discuss it with Jewel’s Hotel Director Hugo Vanosmael. The article is at http://www.beyondships.com/NCLJewel-officers.html



One of the dining venues on the Jewel is Mama’s Kitchen, a casual Italian restaurant. It could perhaps better be described as an American-style Italian restaurant, serving dishes that one is more likely to find in the States than in Tuscany. By this, I mean no slight. There is a reason that this type of cooking is popular not only in America but worldwide - - it is good. In any event, I have posted a review of Mama’s Kitchen that also looks at Canaletto, a similar concept on Holland America’s Zuiderdam. The review is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/Cruise-articles-Canaletto-Mamas-review.html

Norwegian Jewel Cruise Ship Profile

Norwegian Jewel is one of the most recent class of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) ships and one of the largest. Since she was the first one of this class, she does not have quite all of the features that are on the most recent ship, Norwegian Gem, but she is pretty much state-of-the-art Freestyle cruising.

Freestyle cruising is all about giving the guests options to design their own vacation. There are two large dining rooms, seven specialty restaurants, a buffet and several places for a light snack. There are bars, nightclubs, a large casino and a theater for production shows. Similarly, there are pools, a spa, a fitness center and various other sports facilities for daytime entertainment. The accommodations range from lavish luxury to comfortable but utilitarian. The idea is that you decide what is best for you.

Of course, with freedom comes responsibility. For example, the guest must make his or her own dinner arrangements. If they fail to do so, they may end up dining in a venue that they did not really want while the production show that they did want to see in the theater is taking place.

Jewel is somewhat similar in décor to the slightly smaller Norwegian Dawn. Both make use of bold colors but not overwhelmingly so. For the most part, the style is upscale contemporary. I was somewhat disappointed that Jewel does not have the amazing art collection that is on Dawn, but then one can’t really expect NCL to have Monets and Reniors on every ship. There are some very good Asian paintings, however, if one keeps an eye out.

Outside, Jewel is painted white with a festive mural on her bow and sides. It is not like a traditional ocean liner but then NCL is all about breaking with tradition. Jewel is a big happy-looking ship.

It should be noted that this ship is no slouch technologically. She is capable of 25 knots, making her one of the fastest passenger ships in service. Also, with her two azipods and three bow thrusters, she is highly maneuverable.

This ship is based out of Britain during the summer months, doing cruises to Northern Europe. Although the style is distinctly American, she has developed a substantial European following. Freedom of choice has an appeal that transcends national boundaries.

My profile of Norwegian Jewel with information, copies of menus and daily programs, is at http://beyondships.com/NCLJewel.html and the photographic tour and commentary begins at http://beyondships.com/NCLJewel-Tour.html