Despite the grey skies and the murky Mississippi River, we were so excited to be aboard the Norwegian Dawn. Being our first time on a cruise ship we really didn't know what to expect. The ship seemed enormous with 13 levels, 2000 guests and 1000 staff. It was now the time to get acquainted with the ship.
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| The Grey Mississippi |
Food Onboard
From the moment we booked the cruise we received endless emails with information on dinning and drinks packages. If you work it out you need to drink about 10 drinks a day for the drinks package to be worth it and it just wasn't that kind of trip for us. We were very torn about the dinning package since we had heard great things about the speciality restaurants but at the same time there seemed to be so many free options. In the end we were glad we didn't book it because the free restaurants were lovely.
Also, not all of the paid restaurants were enjoyable for us. On our first night we chose to go to Bamboo, the Asian themed restaurant. The appetisers were what I would expect to find in the Asian section of the supermarket freezer. The mains were absolutely drenched in heavy, sweet, gluggy sauce. Then dessert came and was the redeemer. Out of three different flavoured creme brulees, one was fabulous (the green tea) and the other two not bad (but not memorable enough for me to remember the flavour).
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| Looks Can be Deceiving: Our Meal at Bamboo |
So having experienced what had to be the worst food on the ship we decided to book what was purported to be the best, Le Bistro. This is a fancy French place with a great reputation, but after the Bamboo catastrophe we had our doubts.
Luckily for us, we were proven wrong (mainly). The first two courses were scrumptious. We loved everything about our mussels, scallops, asparagus, seafood bisque and steak. Then came dessert and of course we decided to order three since the food had been so damn delicious so far.
Lets start with the omelette creme brulee with no crispy top! Need I go on? Next were three different flavoured profiteroles. These were soggy and badly defrosted and just plain unpalatable. The last was the chocolate fondue. Served in a enormous receptacle and I am not sure why. The fruit was inside half a pineapple, again why? The fruit was raw so no much can go wrong, but the chocolate was lumpy and barely sweetened.
As I said the first two courses were amazing, but to be followed by such an unpleasant last course really put a dampener on the whole experience... We were a little disheartened with the restaurants at this point.
But let me say that I never had a bad experience at the complimentary restaurants. Even at the buffet, the food was never cold or soggy, or anything but fresh. The other free restaurants also impressed us with a daily dinner menu that is often similar to the paid restaurants.
We also loved the outdoor BBQ's next to the pool deck that were inspired by the food of that day's destination. Lets just say that on a cruise, you will never go hungry!
This ranged from amazing to don't bother. But then I guess it is great that they cater to so many different tastes.
We really loved going to the theatre where we saw a French Aerialist duo, performances by The Second City, and an amazing Magician (who called me onstage!). One time they did have a cheesy dance troupe but we left halfway through since that is not our style.
We also liked going to trivia at the two different bars on board and watching karaoke performances.
Another great entertainer was Pedro Mariani who played guitar and sang every night and always pulled a crowd.
We also liked to do our own thing like play ping pong, shuffleboard or checkers on deck as well as doing walks along the promenade.
Tim and I had booked a Mexican Cuisine Workshop and Tasting at Playa Mia resort. This was a very organised cooking class with the talented Chef Luis. On the menu were Spicy Prawn Sopes, Grouper Fillet sautéed with vegetables and Tamarind Sauce, and Caramelized plantains with a Chocolate Tequila Sauce.
Both Tim and I thought this was a winner shore excursion. We loved learning to prepare authentic Mexican cuisine and got some great tips from the amazing Chef Luis and his sous chefs.
While you prepare the food you also have an open bar and Tim and I enjoyed a steady flow of Piña Coladas. After cooking we sat down to sample our creations at communal tables. This was a lot of fun and luckily the food tasted delicious.
Once the lesson was over we had about an hour and a half to enjoy the resort before our return transportation arrived. We also had the option to stay longer and make our own way back if we had wanted to.
When we got back to port we explored some little stores just beyond the shopping mall which had beautiful local wares, before heading back aboard our ship.
Belize does not have a port due to the vast corral reef that surrounds the island, making it unsafe for ships. Because of this you are required to tender to shore, or catch a little boat directly from the cruise ship to land. This was a lot of fun and maybe one of the highlights of this stop. We had chosen to do cave tubing but we also had inclement weather that day. It was a very long drive and our tour guide's enthusiasm seemed to waiver as the day went on.
The one thing we really did love at this destination though was the food. We had a local chicken and rice dish that was somehow very simple and very special. It was very aromatic and well flavoured. They also had very rustic nachos or tacos cooked to order in a giant fire. They were really lovely too.
The cave tubing itself was disappointing to me because I expected some level of adventure. I have previously spent an entire day tubing down the Amazon River in Ecuador. This experience couldn't even hold a candle to that. We were all tied together which took away the feeling of freedom or discovery. The cold weather also made it less enjoyable since it was a "wet" excursion.
The one thing I did really enjoy was the cave it self. It was full of lovely geological specimens such as quartz formations, stalactites, stalagmites and more. There were also bats which our guide pointed out to us. But the most interesting part was the history and ties to the Mayan culture. The actual cave that we went through is where the Mayans believed hell to be. It was also where they believed that the earth was formed and we saw the rock formation of the eagle of their legends and others too. So it was not all bad, overall we had a nice day.
We booked the Deluxe Catamaran Sail and Snorkelling with lunch. This was equal favourite with our Mexican cooking class.
The sailing around the island was magnificent. Then the snorkelling was something very special. We saw so many varieties of fish and corral. I really enjoyed that it was a guided snorkel too. Also I loved that we just jumped off the boat into deep waters to snorkel. I loved to dive down to get a closer look at it all.
After a good session of snorkelling we had a delicious lunch on the boat and open bar again. The time just flew before we were at land and catching a mini bus across the island back to port.
We still had about an hour and half left before we needed to board. Tim had a crazy idea to look for a restaurant serving Lizard and was trying to get some of the local kids to take us there. They were really sweet and when we told them how much time we had they let us know that it would take to long to get there. We ended up going to a very large market just outside of the port where there is a lovely market and bar serving $2.00 cocktails. These cocktails were delicious and I was very sad to have to leave to get back onto the ship!
For our second stop in Mexico we booked the Jaguar Truck and Mayan Adventure Tour.
First we went to a Mexican Cenote which I was super pumped to experience. However this "cave" was nothing like the underground paradises I had seen on google images. It was a tiny narrow cave that we went through one by one. It was very dark and the water was quite pungent. In other words it was a major disappointment. We also did tandem biking through a private ranch. I would have liked that part to be a bit longer though. After this the Jaguar truck took us to a private beach. They had had bad weather for a week which had brought masses of red algae to the shore. It was quite unpleasant but not the fault of the tour. The lunch was nice, but not as good as what we had had at the other ports. We were meant to experience stand up paddle board, body boarding and other such activities here but we just had lunch outside and then ran onto the bus once the storm picked up again.
When we returned to port we had a chance to explore the lovely straw markets which included a stand with local flaming spray paint artist, a beautiful pool and restaurants. Before heading on board we sampled the local delicacy Molcajete, served in a volcanic pot (shaped like a pig in the photo above).
Once the ship returned to New Orleans, we still had the better part of the day before our flight. We arrived at the Riverwalk Marketplace only to find that there was no line at Cafe Du Monde. This is completely unheard of, and can only be attributed to the fact that they had literally just opened and it was raining outside.
We ran in and ordered 3 bignets and a coffee. While these little cakes are incredible, I implore you to skip the murky water they try to pass off as coffee... Regardless, it just felt like Tim and Dee 1, Bignets 0. Especially with the trouble we had gone through the week before trying to get them.
We made the most of the free wifi in the centre at this point, since we had been mainly incommunicado from the world for the past 7 days.
After a substantial amount of time, we decided it was time to tick one last place off our list. We headed over to the Palace Café on Canal Street for the best brunch we've probably ever had.
This is another of the Brennan Brother's restaurant, like Red Fish Grill that we had visited the week before. These are a family of amazing restaurateurs who really know how to set up an incredible restaurant. They have also trained many Chefs who have gone on to start very famous restaurants of their own throughout the USA.
From our experience and looking at the other tables, I don't think you could order badly at this place. As soon as you sit down they bring you a freshly baked crusty baguette. We then ordered the Crab Cheesecake and Shrip Rémoulade, followed by the Shrimp Tchefuncte. We also enjoyed the build your own Bloody Mary Station, but the stand out was the Bananas Foster which was cooked at our table. The bananas are sautéed in brown sugar and cinnamon then flambéed with banana liqueur and rum and served with vanilla bean ice cream! The Jazz musicians that accompanied our meal were also very talented.
All in all we had a lovely first time cruise. I would recommend this ship to families or people looking for a relaxed escape. Personally I would not go on the same cruise again because when there are so many other options to try, why double dip?
Luckily for us, we were proven wrong (mainly). The first two courses were scrumptious. We loved everything about our mussels, scallops, asparagus, seafood bisque and steak. Then came dessert and of course we decided to order three since the food had been so damn delicious so far.
Lets start with the omelette creme brulee with no crispy top! Need I go on? Next were three different flavoured profiteroles. These were soggy and badly defrosted and just plain unpalatable. The last was the chocolate fondue. Served in a enormous receptacle and I am not sure why. The fruit was inside half a pineapple, again why? The fruit was raw so no much can go wrong, but the chocolate was lumpy and barely sweetened.
As I said the first two courses were amazing, but to be followed by such an unpleasant last course really put a dampener on the whole experience... We were a little disheartened with the restaurants at this point.
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| French Cuisine at Le Bistro |
But let me say that I never had a bad experience at the complimentary restaurants. Even at the buffet, the food was never cold or soggy, or anything but fresh. The other free restaurants also impressed us with a daily dinner menu that is often similar to the paid restaurants.
We also loved the outdoor BBQ's next to the pool deck that were inspired by the food of that day's destination. Lets just say that on a cruise, you will never go hungry!
The Entertainment
This ranged from amazing to don't bother. But then I guess it is great that they cater to so many different tastes.
We really loved going to the theatre where we saw a French Aerialist duo, performances by The Second City, and an amazing Magician (who called me onstage!). One time they did have a cheesy dance troupe but we left halfway through since that is not our style.
We also liked going to trivia at the two different bars on board and watching karaoke performances.
Another great entertainer was Pedro Mariani who played guitar and sang every night and always pulled a crowd.
We also liked to do our own thing like play ping pong, shuffleboard or checkers on deck as well as doing walks along the promenade.
Shore Excursions
Cozumel, Mexico
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| Cozumel, Mexico |
Tim and I had booked a Mexican Cuisine Workshop and Tasting at Playa Mia resort. This was a very organised cooking class with the talented Chef Luis. On the menu were Spicy Prawn Sopes, Grouper Fillet sautéed with vegetables and Tamarind Sauce, and Caramelized plantains with a Chocolate Tequila Sauce.
Both Tim and I thought this was a winner shore excursion. We loved learning to prepare authentic Mexican cuisine and got some great tips from the amazing Chef Luis and his sous chefs.
 |
| Mexican Cooking Class at Playa Mia Resort |
Once the lesson was over we had about an hour and a half to enjoy the resort before our return transportation arrived. We also had the option to stay longer and make our own way back if we had wanted to.
When we got back to port we explored some little stores just beyond the shopping mall which had beautiful local wares, before heading back aboard our ship.
Belize City, Belize
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| Adventures in Belize |
The one thing we really did love at this destination though was the food. We had a local chicken and rice dish that was somehow very simple and very special. It was very aromatic and well flavoured. They also had very rustic nachos or tacos cooked to order in a giant fire. They were really lovely too.
The cave tubing itself was disappointing to me because I expected some level of adventure. I have previously spent an entire day tubing down the Amazon River in Ecuador. This experience couldn't even hold a candle to that. We were all tied together which took away the feeling of freedom or discovery. The cold weather also made it less enjoyable since it was a "wet" excursion.
The one thing I did really enjoy was the cave it self. It was full of lovely geological specimens such as quartz formations, stalactites, stalagmites and more. There were also bats which our guide pointed out to us. But the most interesting part was the history and ties to the Mayan culture. The actual cave that we went through is where the Mayans believed hell to be. It was also where they believed that the earth was formed and we saw the rock formation of the eagle of their legends and others too. So it was not all bad, overall we had a nice day.
Roatan, Honduras
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| Beautiful Honduras |
We booked the Deluxe Catamaran Sail and Snorkelling with lunch. This was equal favourite with our Mexican cooking class.
The sailing around the island was magnificent. Then the snorkelling was something very special. We saw so many varieties of fish and corral. I really enjoyed that it was a guided snorkel too. Also I loved that we just jumped off the boat into deep waters to snorkel. I loved to dive down to get a closer look at it all.
After a good session of snorkelling we had a delicious lunch on the boat and open bar again. The time just flew before we were at land and catching a mini bus across the island back to port.
We still had about an hour and half left before we needed to board. Tim had a crazy idea to look for a restaurant serving Lizard and was trying to get some of the local kids to take us there. They were really sweet and when we told them how much time we had they let us know that it would take to long to get there. We ended up going to a very large market just outside of the port where there is a lovely market and bar serving $2.00 cocktails. These cocktails were delicious and I was very sad to have to leave to get back onto the ship!
Costa Maya, Mexico
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| Fun in Costa Maya |
For our second stop in Mexico we booked the Jaguar Truck and Mayan Adventure Tour.
First we went to a Mexican Cenote which I was super pumped to experience. However this "cave" was nothing like the underground paradises I had seen on google images. It was a tiny narrow cave that we went through one by one. It was very dark and the water was quite pungent. In other words it was a major disappointment. We also did tandem biking through a private ranch. I would have liked that part to be a bit longer though. After this the Jaguar truck took us to a private beach. They had had bad weather for a week which had brought masses of red algae to the shore. It was quite unpleasant but not the fault of the tour. The lunch was nice, but not as good as what we had had at the other ports. We were meant to experience stand up paddle board, body boarding and other such activities here but we just had lunch outside and then ran onto the bus once the storm picked up again.
When we returned to port we had a chance to explore the lovely straw markets which included a stand with local flaming spray paint artist, a beautiful pool and restaurants. Before heading on board we sampled the local delicacy Molcajete, served in a volcanic pot (shaped like a pig in the photo above).
New Orleans
Once the ship returned to New Orleans, we still had the better part of the day before our flight. We arrived at the Riverwalk Marketplace only to find that there was no line at Cafe Du Monde. This is completely unheard of, and can only be attributed to the fact that they had literally just opened and it was raining outside.
We ran in and ordered 3 bignets and a coffee. While these little cakes are incredible, I implore you to skip the murky water they try to pass off as coffee... Regardless, it just felt like Tim and Dee 1, Bignets 0. Especially with the trouble we had gone through the week before trying to get them.
We made the most of the free wifi in the centre at this point, since we had been mainly incommunicado from the world for the past 7 days.
After a substantial amount of time, we decided it was time to tick one last place off our list. We headed over to the Palace Café on Canal Street for the best brunch we've probably ever had.
This is another of the Brennan Brother's restaurant, like Red Fish Grill that we had visited the week before. These are a family of amazing restaurateurs who really know how to set up an incredible restaurant. They have also trained many Chefs who have gone on to start very famous restaurants of their own throughout the USA.
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| Palace Café |
From our experience and looking at the other tables, I don't think you could order badly at this place. As soon as you sit down they bring you a freshly baked crusty baguette. We then ordered the Crab Cheesecake and Shrip Rémoulade, followed by the Shrimp Tchefuncte. We also enjoyed the build your own Bloody Mary Station, but the stand out was the Bananas Foster which was cooked at our table. The bananas are sautéed in brown sugar and cinnamon then flambéed with banana liqueur and rum and served with vanilla bean ice cream! The Jazz musicians that accompanied our meal were also very talented.
All in all we had a lovely first time cruise. I would recommend this ship to families or people looking for a relaxed escape. Personally I would not go on the same cruise again because when there are so many other options to try, why double dip?
Oh no can't believe your horrible cenote experience in Mexico. They are amazing near Merida. All in all though it sounds like a wonderful honeymoon😘
ReplyDeleteI am still very jealous of your amazing Cenote experience. Don't worry I will be back one day and go to a real one haha. It really was a bit pathetic in that dark little hole you know I was like, Is this it??
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