Trip Report, Day 2: First Full Day at Sea

Today, we woke up, got ready and headed right over to breakfast at the Garden Cafe Buffet. When we finished our waffles and eggs, we looked for the Spinnaker Lounge where they were selling bingo cards. When we finally found it, we waited to get the cards and then played bingo. Not one of us won anything and TK and I took turns walking Jax around because he wouldn't sit still.

After losing, we headed over to the kiddie pool so Jax could splash around and he loved it. They had a mini indoor pool with a little elephant slide in it. He didn't want to leave, but we had to. We tried to sit by the pool, but he didn't want to do that either because it was too hot and the pool deck was very crowded. TK, Jax and I headed inside to grab some lunch from the buffet. They had pretzel rolls that I loved.

When we were done eating, we went back to the room to get ready for the Pub Hop. Jax was going to hang out with my parents for the hour we were gone. TK, Uncle George and I met the small group of five at Malting's Beer and Whiskey Bar. It was $25 each and we visited five bars on the ship and received a drink or more at each one. At the first bar, we had to chug an entire Stella Artois and then flip the cup. We jumped right in! I came in the middle. Two college-aged sisters won. When we headed to the next bar, Mandy, the crew member who led the hop, had us chanting and singing. It was a little embarrassing, but none of those people would ever see me again, so I did it. At the next bar, we played a game, which I won, but I still had to drink an entire Strawberry Margarita and a half. At the following bars, we played a game with an apple that we had to get through our clothes, we did a waterfall and then we played a game where we had to transfer a balloon from one person to the other and then run to the bar to take a shot. It was much more involved than I thought it would be, but it was also a lot of fun. Uncle George beat a girl in a chugging contest, so he won a t-shirt. It was impressive.

After the Hop, we got to Shakers Martini Bar and waited for everyone. Since we were already there, we decided to participate in the Martini Tasting for $15 each. We had a flight of six small martinis. I knew dinner was soon, so I just sipped on them and didn't finish most of them, except for the Appletini. I enjoyed that. I also answered a trivia question correctly and won a Chocolate Raspberry Martini, which was also very good. That one came to dinner with me. We met up with everyone while the tasting was going on and my parents headed into the casino and left Jax with us because he was napping. So, we finished up there and headed back to the room to get ready for dinner.

For dinner, we had reservations for Moderno, the Brazilian steakhouse on-board. It was delicious! There was a salad bar and the waitresses came around with all kinds of meat for us to eat. I love Brazilian steakhouses. Well, steakhouses in general, actually. After dinner, my family went to the casino and Jax and I went back to the room and then for a walk around the ship. We tried to take Jax to the "World Beat" show, but of course he wouldn't sit still enough for the show to start, so TK took him back to the room. Selfishly, I stayed and watched the whole show, but I am not sure if TK would have liked all the twirling. The singing was OK though. After the show was over, I went back to the room and saw that my kid had ran all over it, so it was time for bed.

Trip Report, Day 1: Cruising on the Norwegian Gem

Since you know we have a toddler and you know that we like to travel, my family and I decided to take a cruise together on the Norwegian Gem. We all had cruised before, but never all together, so we were super excited to get away for a week and cruise the Atlantic Ocean. The travelers on this trip included my husband Tom (TK), my two-year-old son Jackson (Jax), my parents (Mike and Angie), Uncle George, Aunt Rosie and me, of course. We normally travel in big groups. It's more fun that way!

On Saturday, May 31, we got up and started to get ready to leave. TK, Jax and I were actually ready and waiting for my parents, for a change. We packed our bags and gear in their car and then we headed over to Burger King for breakfast. Jax likes French Toast Sticks, so we knew Burger King was a safe bet. When we got our food, we headed into the city and to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal on 50th Street and 12th Avenue. By 10:30 a.m., we were in the Terminal, checking in and meeting up with Uncle George and Aunt Rosie. We were able to wait in a VIP area because one of the crew members handed my father a paper that got us in. We still have no idea why that happened. At around 11:45 a.m., we were allowed to board and we walked on the boat. We were greeted on the 7th deck by crew members and I made my way to one of them to sign up and pay for the Pub Hop that I read about online.

From the 7th floor, we headed up to the 12th for lunch on the pool deck. Fortunately, we were able to find a table and we got burgers at the buffet and drinks from the waiter. I had the drink of the day in a souvenir glass, which had a funny name, but essentially, it was a Mai Tai and a pretty good one (It had better be for $9).

While we were hanging out, there was an announcement that our rooms were ready and we abandoned the table and headed down to the 5th floor. Our room was an inside cabin, so it was a walk-in closet with furniture. We were missing the toddler life preserver and the pack n play, so we told the stewardess, Deisei, and she said we would have everything before the end of the night, which we did. We had to muster at 3 p.m. and hear all about what we should do in an emergency. Jax was making noise the whole time, so everyone in Muster Station G2 was on their own.

Afterward, we did a little exploring to see where everything was on the ship and cruised past the Statue of Liberty and the Verrazano Bridge. As soon as we passed the bridge, we came back to the room to see if our luggage had arrived, and some of it had! TK's bag arrived first and Jackson's arrived last. Jax and TK took a nap, so I went with my mom and Aunt Rosie up to the spa and fitness center for a raffle. I actually ended up winning a $100 voucher for the spa, but the stipulation was that I had to use it while we were at port. Then, I came back to the room to wake up TK and Jax, and get ready for dinner in the Magenta Dining Room. The Magenta was on the 6th floor, so it was only one floor above us. I had a Broccoli Soup, Surf and Turf and a slice of Apple Pie for dessert. Jax had his first Macaroni and Cheese meal.

After dinner, we headed out to the bars and lounges and everyone hung out in the casino, but Jax and I made our way outside because it was way too smokey in there. TK, Jax and I walked around the ship for a little bit and then to Malting's Beer & Whiskey Bar where Tom had some scotch drink that I wanted nothing to do with. Soon, Jax started to fuss and we decided to go to bed. We were cruising and the next day was a full day at sea.