James K McLaurin takes his first cruise in 50 years!
History of my last cruise
My last major cruise occurred between the years 1972-1975. That was fifty years ago and after getting off of the U.S.S. Mars AFS-1, during the Vietnam War, I said to myself I would never get on a boat again. I had seen enough water.
Fifty years later on my way to Barcelona, Spain to get on another boat
It was a very long flight from Houston, Texas to Barcelona, Spain. I would not meet the boat until the following day, so I stayed at this very nice hotel called
Barcelona Airport Hotel for one night. European rooms are not big but are ultra modern. The U.S. is way behind in lots of simple things I saw there.
Norwegian Breakaway
I told a fib. Here I am fifty-years later getting on another boat.
Everyone says it will be much better than the last boat I was on.
My experience on this boat was wonderful.
I saw a lot of things, met a lot of people from all over the world, ate lots of great food, had plenty of cocktails, got plenty of exercise, saw many lovely sunrises, sunset, and stars at night.
I booked a solo cabin
For solo travelers, this is the most economical way to go. It has 100' sq feet of space. It's bigger than it looks and it has everything you need. On the Breakaway, two mid-decks were devoted to these cabins, with a solo lounge spanning the two floors with everything you wanted. Food, our own bartender (Levan) from the Phillipines, and it stayed opened 24/7.
9-day cruise itinerary
Friday Jun 13 Boat departs Barcelona
The boat departed at 6:00 pm headed for our first stop on the island of Ibiza, Spain. We generally traveled at night on the water. During the trip at night there were all kinds of activities and casino gambling, of course restaurants, cocktail bars, and live entertainment. Shakers bar close at 10:30 because bartender Jerry, from India said they didn't want drunks to jump.
Ibiza, Spain Sat.Jun 14
The boat was in port at 12:30 pm. We had to get back back by 5:00 pm. We opted not to do any of the boat's excursions because the were expensive and it was cheaper and easier to walk, take a taxi, or bus, to get to wherever you were going without problems of waiting on a group. We actually walked a lot here, and then took a tender to the beach. See photos on Photo Gallery pages.
Palma, Spain Sun Jun 15
We arrived on Spain's largest island Palma at 7:00 am. Ayesha and Earl didn't get up early and we didn't get off the boat earlier enough to enjoy a full day in Majorca, home of tennis great Rafael Nadal. The city is absolutely gorgeous with lots of shopping, restaurants, and sites to see. Europeans live simple and better. Even Mickey D's is better.
At Sea Mon Jun 16
We only had one day at sea, where we weren't in port during the day. There were lots of things going on for everybody. Myself, Earl, and Ayesha signed up for the Texas Hold'em poker tournament. It cost $100 to join. I made it to the second round before I got busted. It was fun. I spent the rest of the afternoon at a penny slot machine. Lost $20 bucks and was gone.
Pompei, Italy Tues Jun 17
Rome, Italy Coliseum Wed Jun 18
Pompei, Italy Tues Jun 17
This place was the toughest to walk.Streets paved with rocks in any direction, height, size, just brutal to walk on and a lot of walking. It was hot and no shade, just rocks and buildings made out of rocks. The history there is amazing.
Naples, Italy Tues Jun 17
Rome, Italy Coliseum Wed Jun 18
Pompei, Italy Tues Jun 17
After the Pompei visit, we went on to Naples, Italy in a taxi who we paid for the entire day. Everyone loved this place. City for sure. Lots of shops, sites to see, and great pizza. 6 euros got you a large pie that you couldn't finish. Riding in the taxi on those narrow streets was fun.Drivers obey laws and bikers, moped drivers wear helmets.
Rome, Italy Coliseum Wed Jun 18
Rome, Italy Coliseum Wed Jun 18
Rome, Italy Coliseum Wed Jun 18
The Romans were definitely fit. If you had a seat at the top, you had to climb. I would definitely want that seat. It's farther away and they might not see enough of you to throw you into the pit.Awesome structure inside and out.
Rome, Italy Vatican Wed Jun 18
Rome, Italy Coliseum Wed Jun 18
Rome, Italy Coliseum Wed Jun 18
Coming to this holy place will give you a profound sense of religion if you have some. Television certainly does not capture the spiritual luminance of St. Peter's square. You have to witness this in person. I enjoyed this place very much.
Livorno Italy, Thurs Jun 19
Pisa, Italy Leaning Tower of Pisa Fri Jun 20
Livorno Italy, Thurs Jun 19
Livorno is on the Meditteranean coast of Italy, We stopped here so that we could go to Florence and to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We had two days in port here. The Italian pastries are amazing! Yummy!
Florence, Italy Thur Jun 19
Pisa, Italy Leaning Tower of Pisa Fri Jun 20
Livorno Italy, Thurs Jun 19
To get to Florence, we took a 1.2hr train ride. It was an electric rail train, fairly comfortable, and safe. We did a lot of walking, shopping, and site seeing here. I sat down in the square and enjoyed the scenery with beer and pizza. Everyone else climbed the 414 steps up the Giotto Tower. We spent the rest of this day in Florence, and took the train back to Livorno.
Lucca, Italy Fri Jun 20
Pisa, Italy Leaning Tower of Pisa Fri Jun 20
Pisa, Italy Leaning Tower of Pisa Fri Jun 20
We hired a taxi on this day versus the train that went on strike.Our destination was the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but he suggested we go to Lucca first and spend some time there because the leaning tower wouldn't take that long. Lucca was a very nice kind of rural place with lots of Italian culture. The central square had a cobble stone wal
We hired a taxi on this day versus the train that went on strike.Our destination was the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but he suggested we go to Lucca first and spend some time there because the leaning tower wouldn't take that long. Lucca was a very nice kind of rural place with lots of Italian culture. The central square had a cobble stone wall around the perimeter of the central square. We enjoyed it.
Pisa, Italy Leaning Tower of Pisa Fri Jun 20
Pisa, Italy Leaning Tower of Pisa Fri Jun 20
Pisa, Italy Leaning Tower of Pisa Fri Jun 20
Most of us have heard of this structure. The town of Pisa is a very nice small Italian town. This place had the greenest grass I have seen in all of Europe.The correct picture of you is your hands holding up the tower. I have one.
Final days on this cruise
Cannes, France Sat Jun 21
Barcelona, Spain Sat.Jun 22
Cannes, France was our last stop on the wonderul vacation. Everybody I know would love to live here. Very modern, very clean, has the arts, sports, and plenty of beautiful sea side views. We did a lot of walking here including climbing up this small mountain to view the coast as you see me here. We definitely got in our steps on this boat ride.
Barcelona, Spain Sat.Jun 22
Barcelona, Spain Sat.Jun 22
Disembarking was well thought out by the cruise line with everything done for you. Transportation to the Barcelona Airport was effortless.
Bussiness Class Seat 787 Dreamliner to Houston, Texas Sun Jun 22
Folks my vacation didn't end in Barcelona. NCL cruise line upgraded my return flight to Business class because they weren't able to get me the Economy class for whatever reason. This is certainly the only way to fly across a big body of water. My flight attendant bought me anything I thought I wanted for the entire trip. Entertainment was
Folks my vacation didn't end in Barcelona. NCL cruise line upgraded my return flight to Business class because they weren't able to get me the Economy class for whatever reason. This is certainly the only way to fly across a big body of water. My flight attendant bought me anything I thought I wanted for the entire trip. Entertainment was plentiful and I wanted for nothing. I could stretch out and sleep, whatever! It was WONDERFUL!
My final thoughts about cruising.
This is one vacation type that will certainly make you feel like you are on a vacation. The water certainly has a calming effect, the scenic views adds to that calmness, and the amenities onboard make you feel like a king or queen. Just remember it comes to an end at some point. Back to the real world can be awful for some.
By all means d
This is one vacation type that will certainly make you feel like you are on a vacation. The water certainly has a calming effect, the scenic views adds to that calmness, and the amenities onboard make you feel like a king or queen. Just remember it comes to an end at some point. Back to the real world can be awful for some.
By all means do it if you can. I would suggest a longer period versus the shorter cruises. If you just need a short break, it's still a winner.