My dear cruise-a-holics, I am afraid I have fallen madly in love. Her ships are sleek, stylish, and I suspect, hand-crafted by God himself. Her name you ask? Norwegian Cruise Lines. You see, a few weeks ago we were privileged to travel to Miami and tour the brand spanking new Norwegian Epic and her elder, but equally beautiful friend the Pearl. None of us have been the same since. But for those of you who have neglected to expand your cruising horizons, allow me to introduce you to the greatness that is Norwegian in terms you will understand. Norwegian has the fun and spirit of Carnival but the class and aesthetics of Royal Caribbean all with a few drops of hot sauce for a bit of a kick.

 It would be grave injustice to discuss Norwegian without mentioning their most notable feature which they have ever so cleverly and appropriately dubbed “freestyle” cruising. Now you may have been cruelly misled by other cruise lines to believe that freestyle is simply the choice of attending early or late dining but this is nothing short of a bad joke. I will now open your eyes to true freedom: the Pearl offers fifteen, I repeat FIFTEEN, different dining options and I don’t mean the standard buffets and little snack centers sprinkled about here and there. I mean Hibachi grills, Sport Bar classics, Pan Asian deliciousness, sushi, Italian, two main dining rooms, and the list goes on. Sailing aboard the Epic? Add to that a churrascaria and the Spiegel Tent featuring Cirque Dreams for your dining entertainment because Norwegian can’t just stop at fabulous food. Oh and about those awkward silent moments when you realized you had nothing in common with your table mates, don’t sweat that. You choose your own table on Norwegian. All this whenever you want, so don’t worry about trying to round up the kids before your 6:15 dinner appointment, just relax… dinner is on your time.

                  

Dinner takes up all of two hours of your daily cruise schedule, so I must now educate you on your options for the other 12 or so hours you will find yourself wandering about the ship. Of course there is the standard casino, day spa, boutiques, blah, blah, blah. On to the good stuff that truly defines the cruise experience, bowling anyone? Ok, so maybe that won’t define your experience but no other line offers bowling at sea so we have to give them some credit for ingenuity. More importantly the Epic features Fat Cat’s Jazz and Blues Club and the Headliner’s Comedy club in addition to the Epic Theater that hosts the remarkable Blue Man Group. For all you greedy people that still aren’t satisfied, you can also enjoy Legends in Concert every night in the Manhattan Room conveniently equipped with a dance floor for when you hear your favorite old tune. The kiddies are also well taken care of in the Aqua Park complete 3 slides and the 200 foot Epic Plunge as well as a number of scheduled activities to keep them out of your hair. If you think I’m done, how very wrong you are because I could not forget to mention my most very favorite place: Bliss Lounge. Bliss it is with its sultry purple hues and mesmerizing golds. Add to this finger-snapping tunes, over-sized couches suggestively stuffed into every dark corner, and a few mind altering drinks and you’ve got a good time on your hands, friend. They have even fitted the place with a few cages for your dancing convenience, tee hee. For the tamer at heart, I recommend Spice H2O, a strictly 21 and up, outside, two level beach club. It’s like a little piece of Miami for all (adults at least) to enjoy.  

I could go on for days but I hope this has been enough to show you the light when it comes to the cruising experience. There are alternatives to what is commonly believed to be the “standard” in cruising. So, I invite you to have your cake and eat it too aboard Norwegian where you can have everything that Carnival and Royal Caribbean offer and more.