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| Cute couple huh!? |
I had mentioned in my first blog entry that I had recently embarked on my very first cruise aboard the cruise ship Norwegian Dawn. I also had my wedding ceremony aboard the ship on our second day at sea, so needless to say I had quite the adventure for my first time cruising!
To be honest the idea to have a cruise wedding was not planned but born out of the frustration that ensues while planning a wedding. I decided with all of the out of state (and country) people who would attend and overly opinionated family/ family in-laws, that the best thing to do is combine the wedding and honeymoon.
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| This was one of the 1,000's of homemade center pieces that didn't make the cut |
Naturally destination wedding was first thought. Being the thrifty gal I am however, I wanted the most bang for the least buck- not an extremely easy task these days, but still very possible! The stars aligned and a few commercials caught my eye in between shows and *BOOM* cruise wedding was on my mind! I initially browsed the Norwegian Cruise Line website (NCL.com) to narrow down my specific cruise and do a rough price check before I spoke with anyone (and good thing I did too!) because I came across the Cruise Norwegian website Cruise Norwegian which is powered by Cruises only Cruises Only This website not only gave me more promotional offers and discounts but also gave me my own personal travel agent! She broke down everything from travel documents needed, to getting me in touch with my own private wedding planner on the ship, to going over options and packages etc. (Thanks Patricia!)
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| The Norwegian Dawn |
We decided to go on the western Caribbean cruise which was a 7 day cruise in mid February departing from Tampa Fl. The stops along the way were Roatan, Honduras, Belize city, Belize, Costa Maya, Mexico and Cozumel, Mexico. The time of year was hurricane safe and warranted fantastic tropical weather, a wonderful break from the Kentucky winter. Absolutely check the weather in the area you plan on visiting for the time of year you plan on going. This could make or break your vacation.
Norwegian set me up with a wedding planner all my own. This was very helpful, and the price to have a ceremony aboard the ship (to include the cruise itself) was extremely reasonable! I literally was able to have a one of a kind wedding and spectacular honeymoon for around $4,000. That's about what a catering company would run you for a traditional wedding reception. Norwegian absolutely went above and beyond to ensure that our day was special. From allowing us to have our ceremony on the Heli-pad, to reserving the exclusive star bar for our champagne toast, to sending us a special platter of chocolate covered strawberries to our stateroom. It doesn't just stop with the crew, the entire ship was buzzing over the wedding on board and everyone wanted to see, take pictures, wish us congrats and have a drink with us!
Our first stop was Roatan, Honduras. Roatan, located between the islands of Utila and Guanaja, is the largest of Honduras' Bay Islands. When the ship docked at port we were able to step out and explore the land. We were greeted by the Garifuna tribal dancers, singing and dancing on the port. We had pre-booked our excursions with our cruise (Cruise Norwegian website) so although there were a multitude of bright in color shops to visit we had to link up for our excursion. as a group we had decided to do zip-lining through the jungle and canopy! The excursion started out with a bus ride around the island with a wonderfully animated tour guide who told us everything about Roatan from politics, to agriculture to tradition. He even showed us some real estate and vacation sport which are an absolute hidden treasure! We started our Zip-line adventure at South Shore Zip line where we were fitted for gear and sent on our way with professional zip- liners. Afterward we posed for pictures with a curious money named "Bingo" then were taken to a private beach to enjoy a deliciously fresh lunch, a few tropical drinks, swimming is the perfect water and experiencing all of the unique vendor stands!
Stop 2 was the beautiful Belize City, Belize! Belize City is the largest city in the Central American nation of Belize and was once the capital of the former British Hondurass. We booked with ECO Tours and were completely blown away! Eco tours had a bus ride similar to the ride in Roatan where the guides explained the country. We then met up at a jungle reserve to get our cave tubing equipment. What we didn't expect was an amazing 35 minute hike through the jungle! The tour guides were not only passionate about their country, but extremely knowledgeable of their surroundings. They taught us about the plants and their medicinal used as well as the wildlife within the beautiful jungle. Once we arrived at the mouth of the cave the guide strapped our tubes together in groups of eight and 1 guide. We floated through the cave hearing stories of the ancient Maya and the meanings of symbols housed within the cave itself. This was a wonderfully relaxing, yet educationally stimulating experience and I recommend this specific tour over and over again! Once our adventure had come to an end the guides gave us local cuisine to enjoy on our bus ride back to port where we went from shop to shop loading up on coconut drinks and souvenirs.
Costa Maya, Mexico was next on the docket! Costa Maya is a small tourist region in the municipality of Othon P. Blanco in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, the only state with Caribbean Sea. This municipality is close to Chetumal on the border with Belize. The area in generally undeveloped but has been growing quickly and rapidly after construction of a large pier to accommodate cruise ships. The Costa Maya includes two small villages Mahahual and Xcalak and extends physically from Xcalak in the south to the southern border of the Sian Ka'an in the North. Our arrival at port was a bright welcome into brilliant water and bold colored buildings. We linked up with our tour for the day the native choice then hopped on the bus to the Chacchoben Ruins. The bus ride was a time travel of Mayan history, the good, the bad, and the down right crazy! A beautiful, historical tapestry of the Mayan Civilization was woven before us prior to our arrival at the beautiful ruins. Once there our guide continued to amaze us with his knowledge love of this culture and continued to educate and entertain us on the bus ride back to port. At port we enjoyed the wonderful infinity pool which led to the ocean and the swim up bars with their extremely colorful bartenders! 
Our last Destination was the breathtaking Cozumel, Mexico! Cozumel is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen, and close to the Yucatan Channel. Cozumel is one of the ten municipalities of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Cozumel is a tourist destination for in belearios, scuba diving and snorkeling. At port in Cozumel we had some time to relax before our first excursion so we stopped by a resort on the water with a sitting area. There were steps from the beach down into the water, that's when we notice that the water was so crystal clear we saw every fish around us and started snapping pictures. The beach was lined with vendors, music and an array of food and bar shops. We decided to take the Eco Jeep Tour which was a convoy of jeeps (4 people per jeep) which is a guided tour along the entire island. You get a first hand at the roads, and towns within Cozumel as well as the beautiful ocean scape along the way! We were taken to a nature reserve where salt water crocodiles are protected. Typically after this part of the tour they take you snorkeling, but since the water was so rough This particular day we were taken to a private, white sand beach. The beach was absolutely pristine with crystal clear water, hammocks hanging in open air grass huts and tiki bars serving gigantic coconut drinks. Following our beach rendezvous we were escorted to the lighthouse, which is open to the public to climb up. Word of advice however, that is a grueling hike up those short, winding stairs to make it to the top! After our tour was completed we ate at a local restaurant, had a few local beers (SOL) and made sure we grabbed a few souvenirs before heading back to the ship.
All in all my cruise aboard the Norwegian Dawn was fantastic and I would absolutely cruise Norwegian again and again! Days at sea are filled with a wide array of restaurants to try from their freestyle dining, numerous activities and shows to take in, an on board casino, sports and recreational activities and a crew that is always friendly and willing to help with any of your needs. Norwegian has a fleet of well maintained and updated ships, promotional offers weekly and will always provide a great experience!
Here was my take on cruising for beginners, I really hope to take another soon!
