Travel Maven Blog ...... David Molyneaux posts from TheTravelMavens.com

Snazzy restaurants, go-kart track, ‘Kinky Boots’ highlight big city life aboard new Norwegian Encore

Norwegian Encore, newest big cruise ship of Norwegian Cruise Line, sails out of Miami for the winter of 2020, moving to New York in April. Eduardo Arranz-Bravo, of Barcelona, created the artwork on the hull (Photo by David G. Molyneaux, TheTravelMavens.com)

By David G. Molyneaux
TravelMavenBlog.com

Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas

My first mission on the 3,998-passenger Norwegian Encore, now cruising weekly into the Bahamas and Caribbean out of Miami, was to secure a seat to “Kinky Boots,” the Tony-award winning musical that is a must-see on this new ship. But a woman at the box office on Deck 7 said that all tickets to the show already had been reserved.

“I just came aboard,” I said.

“You can reserve up to six months ahead,” she said. “Seats will be available tonight. Don’t worry.” Theater reservations (all seats are unassigned) must be claimed 10 minutes before the performance begins.

“The show is free,” she said, “so lots of people just don’t show up, or they are running late. For the 10 o’clock show, you will want to be in the stand-by line by 9:40 pm.” Which I was, joining about 100 other happy passengers in a last-minute rush to more than 100 empty seats.

The outstanding show is about a drag queen named Lola and an English shoe factory saved by its transformation into a maker of non-conventional footwear. Before you go, you might want to slip into some long, sparkling boots. Red is best.

My wife and I cruise often, but it had been a year since we sailed on a big, big ship, and getting acclimated during our recent voyage on Norwegian Encore took some patience, and a few calming beverages.

 

Vacationing in a big city buzz

 

Life in big cities and on big ships can be busy, frenetic, and noisy, but that’s expected by people who choose to reside and/or vacation in such stylish with-it worlds.

Passengers book a cruise on ships such as Norwegian Encore because there’s exciting stuff to do, sophisticated dining choices, high quality entertainment, and charges of energy that accompany bunches of people moving about, laughing, having some drinks, hurrying to dinner — or standing in line hoping to get into a sold out show.

Sounds a lot like New York or Las Vegas, which is what Norwegian has in mind when designing its new cruise ships.

Ocean ships, river cruises add new shore excursions, active tours

More choices require more research to target experiences that are right for you

BY DAVID G. MOLYNEAUX

In Germany on the Rhine, my riverboat, the Viking Hild, stopped in the historic city of Mainz. The vessel’s basic complimentary walking tour included monuments to art and history, markets, churches, and the fascinating museum of Johannes Gutenberg where travelers may see two of the 29 remaining copies of the Gutenberg bible.

Stained glass windows by Marc Chagall in Mainz, Germany

All good, except what I wanted to see in this port, on this visit, were Marc Chagall’s nine stained glass windows in St. Stephen’s Church.

Chagall viewed these amazing church windows as a sign of post-World War II goodwill between the Jewish and Christian faiths, finishing the final window just before his death in France in 1985. He declined ever to return to Germany after the war so he never saw his windows in place. They did not exist when last I visited Mainz in the 1970s.

St. Stephen’s was not on the basic tour, which most passengers on the ship chose, but I had noticed the itinerary and picked a different guided walk. How did I know about the windows? I had read a magazine travel story about them while doing pre-trip research.

Even in this world where everything in organized travel seems to be handed to you on a silver platter — especially on river cruise tours — you need to know what you want to see and do.

People-to-people travel to Havana, food and music, Hemingway, and talking about life

Cruising Cuba for the first time, exploring cities and seacoast: Second blog by David G. Molyneaux (first, cars and artists)

Nacional Hotel, Havana, Cuba (Photo by David G. Molyneaux, TheTravelMavens.com)

Havana

If you are traveling to Cuba, not so much to rest on vacation as to experience the island’s people and culture, your best bet is to choose an expedition by one of the more reputable outfits known for its guides and lecturers.

Your trip may — or may not — be the most cushy, and your beach time surely will be limited. But you will gain some understanding about today’s Cuba, a country on the Caribbean's largest island that has been closed to most U.S. citizens for more than half a century.

Besides, you are the traveler Cuba is hoping to entice as the country rebuilds its way into a prime travel destination.

Less than one hour by plane from Miami

Tourism already is the Cuban economy’s number one industry, and that's before the onslaught of American travelers anticipated during the months to come, many on cruise ships that now have received government permits through October 2017.

If your expedition is like mine, you will encounter some Cuban government propaganda and some extra paperwork to get into the country, then honest, optimistic feelings from the people who live there. The dozens of folks I talked with all hope that Americans will arrive with some interest in their lives, some money to spend, and no plans to take over their country.

My Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic tour to Cuba — three nights in Havana at the venerable, impressive but outdated Nacional Hotel and seven nights cruising on the cozy 150-foot Panorama II — was described in brochures and communications as a people-to-people tour, as spelled out in a contract with the Cuban government.

That’s what we did. We met, listened to and/or watched talented Cubans speak, entertain and show off their homes, businesses and artistic creations. Local experts, learned lecturers, and outstanding photographers led us to fascinating people, artists and artwork, musicians, and glimpses of life only an hour's plane ride south of Miami.

We met Cubans from all walks of life.

Unexpected cruising discoveries off ships and riverboats in Myanmar, Bali, Hungary

Cruise ship ports and their shore excursions often are highlights of a vacation voyage, especially when you are in unfamiliar territory.  

The lushness of the highlands of Ubud, Bali, as seen from the deck and private pool of a room at Four Seasons Resort Sayan (Photos by David G. Molyneaux, TheTravelMavens.com)

Before boarding your cruise ship or riverboat, port possibilities are well worth exploring on the Internet and in expert publications. Sometimes, ports — during, before, or after your voyage — offer unexpected opportunities for discovery.

Among my favorite off-the-ship discoveries during recent cruises: Teak-hauling elephants in Myanmar, where they are gaining a better life and learning new, less onerous, tasks; a lush resort and a lasting souvenir purchased at the home of a fascinating artist in Bali; and a delightful hotel in Budapest designed around music.

Downtown Las Vegas: nostalgic fun, neon treasure

A short trip from the Strip's high heels, higher prices

This giant shoe was atop the Silver Slipper casino that opened in 1950, closed in 1988. Saved and restored, it now stands near Neon Boneyard Park. (Photos by David G. Molyneaux, TheTravelMavens.com)

A $20 cab ride away from the Strip lies the heart of Las Vegas, a part of the city that continues to pump, and occasionally to bump and grind.

Downtown Vegas seems a world away from the Strip’s brand of glamour – glittering capacious casinos, bustling high-end restaurants, masses of humanity shopping to throw down wads of money, glitzy shows, and celebrities on parade.

You won’t find that sort of thing Downtown.

Cruising Viking Star with lessons on Viking history from the Bayeux Tapestry

                                             Christening a sophisticated new ship

Scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry

Several times a day, on a cruise in Europe aboard the new Viking Star, I paused at one of the landings on the fore or aft stairwells to gaze at a scene from the famed Bayeux Tapestry. 

Reproductions from this amazing work of art tell one of Europe’s great stories of conquest. It is no coincidence that a major Viking victory is represented as the core artwork on Viking Star, which is based in Bergen, Norway.