Norwegian Getaway – Transatlantic – Day 1
Luckily, there was virtually no queue at the terminal when I was boarding Norwegian Getaway, so before I knew it I was checked in and getting onboard. Rooms would not be ready yet, so I headed straight for O’Sheehans. Now, the reason there was no queue was because it seemed everyone was on board already! Lots of people milling around the atrium and no chance of a “walk-in” for my chicken wings. No worries, I was given a pager and took a seat where I soon struck up a conversation with a chap called Jim and I joined him and two of his friends when our beepers all went off together. I’m not a foodie, but I hadn’t eaten any breakfast, so I devoured my ½ dozen buffalo Chicken Wings.
Remember, I have been on a coach all night, so when the announcement came over the tannoy that the rooms were ready I went straight up and had a lovely little sleep. You can indulge yourself like this when you are travelling solo – nobody to tell you otherwise.
I slept longer than I had planned though, right through the time I would normally eat at, so didn’t bother getting dinner, and went to enjoy some nightlife instead.
There is a LOT to do on a cruise, despite what you may think. But I have my routines. First night I always check out the casino. I don’t gamble on the first night though, I just watch and see what the lay of the land is – what the limits on the different games are, and what the feel of the room is. Night 1 in a casino is usually particularly busy, and tonight would be no exception. Just as well I wasn’t intending on playing because I would not have got a seat at a table anyway. Note taken, get down earlier – or later! I met a friend in the casino who I had been chatting to over Facebook, and we had fun as she tried to teach me how to play craps. I didn’t understand it, and I still don’t. Throw a pair of dice and shout a bit? Hmmmm… what am I missing?
Each trip is different on a cruise in that the demographics are different, but there are patterns, enough to indicate which areas were likely to be popular. This trip being a Transatlantic, my fellow cruisers were mainly older than me (not by much), without children to entertain, and some SERIOUS gamblers! I guessed the casino was likely to be busy every night. It was!
As tomorrow was going to be a very early start for me I decided to call it a night at about 11pm.
Day 1 Tip – Sometimes the buffet isn’t the best place for your first meal!
