Cruising Norwegian: Adults Only
So, we’ve talked about why cruising Norwegian as a family was totally awesome but maybe you’re looking for a trip to enjoy without the kids…GASP! WHAT?! Yep, I said it, you can take trips without your kids. Welcome to the judgment-free zone, where we don’t care where you go or who you go with as long as you are having fun. My husband and I decided pretty early on in our relationship that this was important to us. We want to have time to relax and reconnect and we try to plan a little something for just the two of us every year. I’m going to tell you why a cruise with NCL is a great choice for an adults-only vacation.
- The Dining: It’s no secret that cruise line food can sometimes be a bit underwhelming. I did find that to be true in some locations on the ship, (I’m looking at you, buffet!) but Norwegian had some really spectacular options as well. They offered 3 main dining rooms and 2 smaller restaurants (a noodle bar and an Irish pub) with “Freestyle” dining which was really convenient. Freestyle dining means you just show up when you want to eat, there are no assigned meal times like on many other cruise lines. We enjoyed this option a few times throughout our cruise and they were pretty tasty. In addition to all of these options, NCL offers specialty restaurants (French, Italian, a Brazilian steakhouse, an American steakhouse, hibachi, and an American diner were all options on board the Breakaway). We were BEYOND impressed with the hibachi restaurant (Teppanyaki) and the American steakhouse (Cagney’s). Others from our group dined at La Cucina (Italian) and Moderno (Brazilian steakhouse) and had similar reviews. I am looking forward to trying some of the others on our next cruise.
- The Entertainment: Our cruise offered a variety of entertainment each day and night. There were comedians, illusionists, trivia, bingo, the list goes on and on. The absolute highlight of the entertainment for me was the two stage shows: Burn the Floor and SIX! Burn the Floor was a spicy dance show and SIX is a Broadway musical about the ex-wives of Henry VIII (check out their incredible costumes below!!) They were each offered only one night on our sailing and the theater was packed so reservations are highly recommended if you want to see these. The dancing and singing were incredible in both shows and I wished I’d had the opportunity to see them again. It’s worth noting, I didn’t mention these two shows in the family cruising post as they are definitely geared toward adults.
- The Free Beverages: Norwegian offers something really amazing called “free at sea” and these are certain freebies included with your cruise fare. (Yes, freebies! Use the email link at the bottom if you want to know more!) Recently, one that has been consistently offered is the beverage package. We had unlimited beer, wine, cocktails, sodas, and juice throughout our cruise. It was definitely nice to have some poolside margaritas and wine with dinner without having to worry about a huge bill upon departure. Not a drinker? You can leave it off your booking and opt for something else instead!
- The Ship: We had a spacious stateroom and balcony, but we really appreciated the adults-only areas on the ship as well. There was an adults-only pool on the main deck as well as a whole deck just for adults on the aft. The deck (Spice H20) had waterfall features to cool off, plentiful lounge chairs, whirlpools, and another bar. Norwegian also offers a special area called The Haven for guests booked in select staterooms. If you want to take your experience to a whole new level – this is definitely an experience worth trying! They have their own pool deck, restaurant, and relaxation areas. You can only access this area with a key card if you are staying in a Haven-designated stateroom. Did I mention you can even get a butler in some of these rooms?? (Insert my jealousy here).
I think it’s safe to say we definitely enjoyed our time with Norwegian Cruise Line and are looking forward to cruising with them again in the future. From the spectacular ship to the excellent food choices it’s hard to go wrong if you’re choosing them for your vacation. If a cruise sounds like the perfect getaway for you, let’s talk more. I’d love to tell you about the deals and destinations available with NCL.
Happy Sailing!