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Apps and Tools We Recommend

Looking to make the most of your cruise vacation? These top travel apps can help. From itinerary planning and organization to convenient transportation options, there’s an app out there to meet your needs. We’ve reviewed some of the best apps for cruise travelers, including TripIt, Evernote, FlightAware, Uber, and the Norwegian Cruise Line app. Plus, we’ve included reviews from fellow cruisers and alternatives to consider. With these apps, you can save time and make the most of every moment on board and in port.

We’ve Chosen Our Next Two Destinations

After some thought we have picked two destinations for our next cruises this fall and next summer. Not overseas yet — US/Canada trips. One east, one west.

These are our Vacation Heroes

It takes many people to make this giant floating hotel known as Norwegian Encore work, and to make guest experiences special. There were many more people who I could list, but these are the ones who really went the extra mile, sometimes in a routine task for them, sometimes when it came to helping us … Read more

October 31 – Puerto Vallarta, sort of

We woke up late Monday morning, since our Dolphin excursion didn’t leave until 11. But during breakfast, news that Roxan’s dad had taken a dramatic turn for the worse nixed those plans and set us scrambling to debark the ship and get home. I’m going to shift to timeline here (all times approximate): 10:00am Received … Read more

October 30 – Mazatlan

Mazatlan had another stroke of irony. I originally planned a day pass at a local hotel, something I’d discovered on a page of things to do in Mazatlan. For $27 each we could take part of the pools, beach, a lunch buffet and have a couple of drinks. When we first thought we were ending … Read more

October 29 – Cabo San Lucas

Saturday was a beautiful day in Cabo San Lucas, with a couple of first-time experiences for me. The first: tendering. How Does Tendering Work? On many ships, a couple of the lifeboats are used for tendering, which is done when the port is too shallow or narrow for the ship, or the dock facilities won’t … Read more

October 28 – At Sea

This was a sailing day, and a recharge day for us (originally it was to have been the day we visited San Diego). With Roxan’s dad back home, we were able to put that stress far enough out of our mind to have 3-4 days of actual relaxation and vacation. I’m writing this some time … Read more

October 27 – Los Angeles

I’m writing this from my lounge chair in the Vibe. Think of it as the Observation Lounge, outdoors, at the very top of the ship. With everything going on and the temperature not being truly warm until today, it’s the first time we’ve been up here. It’s actually the first time we’ve spent extended time … Read more

Is my Face Red?

So….for the last 2-3 days, we’ve been concerned because we could not locate my wallet. We’d gone through the room thoroughly, including the safe, multiple times. Tore the room apart this morning and pulled everything out from under the bed, emptied bags, blah, blah, blah. Had our room steward do the same, same result. You … Read more

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October 26 – At Sea

We expected to spend the day packing, but awoke to news that was good in some ways, not so good in others. Both aspects have to do with Roxan’s dad. His condition is markedly improved from yesterday, and we learned that a treatment given over the weekend has extended his life by days to weeks. … Read more

October 25 – San Francisco

The last 24 hours has been a whirlwind. Things are declining quickly with Roxan’s Dad and we will be debarking the ship at Los Angeles. We would have been getting off now, but I couldn’t find a way to make flights work that didn’t involve an overnight layover. Because we arrive in LA early in … Read more

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October 24 – At Sea

It’s a grey day, and seas are rougher than I’ve experienced before, a little over 11 feet. Wind is at our tail and we’ve been making very good speed. The rough seas were here the majority of the night, so sleep was fitful. Every once in a while there is a shudder or a bang, … Read more

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