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Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Spring Breakaway: Cruise Excursions and Activities (Part 3)


Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes 
If you were to go on a cruise, 
would you choose it for the ship's destinations, 
or just for the experience of cruising?

One of the reasons we were reluctant
to commit to this cruise,
was that the ports-of-call didn't excite us.
The Norwegian Breakaway was to make three stops...
one in Florida, and two in the Bahamas.


Not that there's anything wrong with those places...
they just didn't float our boat, so to speak.

But, ultimately, we decided that leaving from NY,
trumped the destinations.

Nevertheless, we still took advantage of some of the land excursions.
After 48 hours on board, our feet needed to feel solid ground. 

On Tuesday afternoon, we arrived in Port Canaveral, Florida. 
  We booked an excursion to go to the Kennedy Space Center.


Kennedy Space Center --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

It's pretty contained, and it was not at all crowded.
First stop was the Rocket Garden...

Kennedy Space Center --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


Kennedy Space Center --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes
   
Even though Junior Goo Shoes does his best 
to make us think he's so grown up,
it makes me smile that he can 
still act like a kid and climb into stuff 
when the opportunity presents itself.


Kennedy Space Center --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


The Atlantis Space Shuttle exhibit 
was the highlight of the space center.
I'm glad we saved it for last. 

I don't want to ruin it for you,
but let's just say it's akin 
to watching a documentary about Bruce Springsteen,
and when it's over, 
out he walks, onto the stage. 
Alright, maybe not that exciting,
but very well done, and quite dramatic.

The Atlantis exhibit was right after it poured down buckets.
And of course, as soon as I bought three rain panchos, it stopped.



Kennedy Space Center --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


Kennedy Space Center --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


On Wednesday, our destination was Great Stirrup Cay, 
in the Bahamas, which is Norwegian's private island.

I took this photo of it from the ship.


We were not docked, 
so we had to take tenders to get to the island. 

It took only few minutes, before we had our toes in the sand.

There's the ship in the background.


Great Stirrup Cay: Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes



Great Stirrup Cay: Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

 This is as much of me on the beach
that I'll ever show you.

Great Stirrup Cay: Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes
 
 We didn't stay long. 
The weather looked kind of threatening.
It was worth going, though,
if only to get fun pictures of the Breakaway.

Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Our port-of-call on Thursday, was Nassau, Bahamas. 
It was the one and only gorgeous, sunny day all week!

Paradise Island from Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes
Paradise Island, Bahamas

 We didn't book an excursion for that day.
Our plan was to walk over to the Hilton Hotel 

and spend the day at their beach.
But, we decided to enjoy the ship while everyone else was off.

We did disembark and walk around Nassau for a bit.
 I had to cajole Junior GS into posing in front of the Breakaway 
to get some perspective on its size.
He didn't want to, but when he saw it, he said, "Whoa."



Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


Junior Goo Shoes went off to be with his friends.
Mr. Goo Shoes and I hung out for the rest of the afternoon 
on The Best Spot on the entire ship.

And we had it all to ourselves!


Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

We had a beautiful view of Paradise Island.

Paradise Island from Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

 The next two days, we were back at sea,
headed up the coast to New York.

There was plenty to do on board the ship...
Bowling, shopping, trivia contests;
seminars on everything from how to apply beauty products, 
to how to use a digital camera;
and classes, such as how to fold napkins to
cake decorating, which was a blast.


Carlo's Bake Shop Cake Decorating Class on Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

But, Friday...
oh, Friday was the best day of the entire cruise!

 Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Would you believe that I was the Jackpot Bingo winner?
Yup, I was! 
I won the whole enchilada!
And it was a gigantic enchilada!
See that red card I'm holding?
The game was to get an X, 
and I was the only one who got it!
Oh, Happy Day!

Thank goodness Mr. Goo Shoes was with me...
I was so stunned, I almost forgot to yell 
" BINGO!"
But he yelled it for me.
I think you could hear him 'round the world!


 Not a bad way to end our Spring Breakaway!

 
 Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


Oh, and as for how we rated our vacation on this 
"gi-gunda" floating city?
On a scale of 1-10, we had two 9's and an 8.5,
with points deducted mostly because of weather, 
and a few minor glitches we encountered.

Would we do it again?

The short answer is a qualified Yes.

Mr. Goo Shoes and I would actually prefer 
a smaller ship, cruising through Europe, perhaps. 
But as far as a family vacation...
mega-ships are sure please a teenager, 
which is no easy feat.

Aye-Aye, Captain!



(I was not compensated in any way for this post). 

You May Also Like:

  Spring Break-Away: Our Cruise Ship Departs (Pt. 1) 





21 comments:

  1. I am so glad you had fun. I used to spend a lot of time on Paradise Island BEFORE it was so heavily developed and Nassau before it was a port destination...the old islands back then.

    I do NOT have very good luck on cruises-trust me- you do NOT want to be on any ship I am on. I am an albatros! lol xo Diana

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    1. Uh-oh...I am afraid to hear about your your ship experiences, Diana! We had lots of fun, but I'd like to wait awhile before doing another big cruise ship.

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  2. What a delightful account of your trip. That looks like so much fun. Congrats on your Bingo win too.

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    1. Thanks, Rosella. We had a great time. The bingo win was an unbelievable way to end the cruise! I still can't believe it!

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  3. I have really enjoyed your cruise pictures. I'm living vicariously through you! The beach and water in the Bahamas looked amazing. I've been to FL about a gazillion times, so that wouldn't impress me as much. We spend almost every summer vacation there. Congrats on your bingo win! I haven't played that in ages.

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    1. Thanks, Kelly! The Bahamas are nice, but getting very built up. I don't ever play bingo, except on the two cruises we went on, and I still cannot believe I won!

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  4. This sounds like the best time. We have been considering a cruise and your post is a great motivator :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a lot of fun, Michelle. It's a great vacation for a family. If it was just my husband and I, we'd go on a much smaller ship. If you try it, maybe try a short cruise first, just to see if you like it.

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  5. Beautiful photos of a lovely getaway on the high seas! Loved your review of everything, Amy! The pic of the ship balancing on your index finger is priceless!

    Poppy

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thank you, Poppy! It was a great vacation to take our teenager on. He had a lot of freedom on the ship, and there were tons of kids to hang out with. I'd prefer something much smaller - around the Greek islands, perhaps!

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  6. Oh that sounds like a lot of fun! We've cruised for the ports and for a rest and I'd have to say that the best time was on a cruise with eight sea days. We truly relaxed and enjoyed the ship.
    So.......did you win a free cruise at the Bingo?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really enjoyed the days at sea, too. It was relaxing, yet there was always something to do. I didn't win a free cruise -- I won a lot of money! I'm still shocked that I actually won!

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  7. Looking at those pictures was pure paradise! Gorgeous! And a bingo win...that must have been exciting...a nice bonus!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We thoroughly enjoyed it, but the next cruise we take I hope will be on a small ship to someplace more exotic. The bingo win was amazing - I could hardly believe it! I never win anything!

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  8. Enjoyed your cruise pictures since some of them brought back good memories. We have done both large (but not ginormous ) and small ship (200 cruisers on a two week Baltic trip) and both have their advantages and disadvantages. We loved both but the small ship was able to get into the canals and places that a larger ship could not. We liked that aspect.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your Baltic trip sound ideal to me. I'm already plotting another trip, and it is on a very small ship, through Europe. It's just a matter of when to go. I just have to convince the hubs.

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  9. Amy, I'm glad you had a wonderful time on your cruise. The island looked absolutely beautiful! And congrats on the bingo!

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    1. Thanks, Corinne! The bingo win certainly was a fantastic way to end the cruise - I still can't believe it! Paradise Island is nice, but it getting very built up.

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  10. Some of these photos are so blue they just look like postcards !! Raining and dreary here so it was fun to view water in a different manner for a change! :)

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    Replies
    1. The color of the water was just exquisite, Deb. I could stare at it all day.

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  11. I agree about cruising and teenagers. we actually drive all the way to Florida (from Boston) pretty much every year to do a cruise. we try to select the ones with easily accessible beaches to avoid overpaying for the shore excursions. we love the ship-owned island stops- but we had to discover more than once that they are very weather-dependent (as in not tendering when it's windy)

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