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Your exploration begins at the Prince George Dock aboard the custom Seahorse Catamaran. You will start with a leisurely cruise through the crystal teal waters of Paradise Island Harbor, while enjoying complimentary refreshments (rum punch). Experience breathtaking views of the Atlantis, celebrity homes and mega yachts. Return to the doc and continue your adventure aboard an air conditioned transport. Along the way you will make stops at the historic Fort Fincastle, where you will have time to explore the local shops and visit the Queen Victoria Staircase for many photo opportunities. Continues along Bay Street, the heart of Nassau's shopping district and home to the Native Straw Market, where you will have views of the Governor's Mansion, Gregory's Arch and many other historic sites. Throughout this tour, your knowledgeable guide will keep you entertained with tales of Nassau's rich history. Your tour will continue on to Paradise Island for your final stop at the Atlantis Resort with plenty of photo opportunities.
We could not take the tour inside Fort Fincastle. As luck would have it, the tours were not operating and the fort locked up just for today due to their general staff meeting.
We did attend a "Cheese & Wine Perfect Pairing" event in "The Cellars Wine Bar" along with the "Wine Lovers, The Musical" that was held in "The Supper Club". At both events they tended to serve lower end wines from the ship's wine list. At the "Cheese & Wine Perfect Pairing" the focus was more on how different types of wines paired with different types of cheese and how the flavors of each combined. Though we didn't attend the "Chocolate & Wine Perfect Pairing" event, I'm sure the focus was much the same. The event we attended was enjoyable but I guess I was expecting that they would serve something different than just the low end wines. After all, this space is dedicated to being a "Wine Bar" and really should feature wines a bit superior to the low end wines available in any of the bars on the ship.
We also skipped the "Champagne Black Glass Blind Tasting" as we aren't much into Champagne, Sparkling Wines, or any white wines in general. We also skipped the "Riedel Glass Seminar Tasting" event. We had been to one of those on a prior cruise on Oceania a few years ago and were amazed at that event. We thought it was just a "come on" to promote Riedel glasses. But, they had us taste wine in a regular wine glass, then pour it into a Riedel glass, and then taste it again. The difference was amazing! Getting a superior flavor out of the wine has a lot to do with the shape of the glass, the mouth of the glass, and the cut edge of the glass in guiding how each type of wine flows onto your tongue. We were sold and now every wine glass in our home is a Riedel glass. (Purchased on Amazon.com, not on the ship. Much less expensive at Amazon but still expensive).
Other than the nine wine tasting events during the cruise I could never find anything else ever going on at "The Cellars Wine Bar". They didn't seem to ever be open to just walk in and order a glass of wine or a flight of wine. The tasting events were only on the days at sea so I only saw it open at those 3 events held on just the 3 days at sea. The wine bar appeared to be closed on the 4 other days of the cruise. I never saw anyone sitting in the wine bar except during the wine tasting events. Maybe this is why Carnival does not have any wine bars on their ships. It seems like a waste of space if it isn't going to be open for most of the day like the other bars and lounges. Also, what is the point of having so many fine wines on display in "The Cellars Wine Bar" in they are never served there?
The new Carnival Vista Class ships do have a self-serve dispenser of high end wines in the library which I think is great. This ship had one of those in the Garden Cafe, but I think it only had the standard wines available in every bar on the ship available, not the high end wines available on the full restaurant wine list. It just seems better use could be made of "The Cellars Wine Bar" on the ship which would be very attractive to those of us that are wine lovers. It should be open every day from at least noon until late just like all the other bars on the ship. They should have fine wines available by both the bottle and the glass for purchase and should also feature flights of wine. They should also serve some small appetizers for free or for purchase that are good for accompanying wine. As long as they've gone to the trouble of dedicating an area of the ship for a wine bar, they should operate it like a wine bar.
"Open Till AM". Wow! Is that a "5" that has been removed from the sign? Did this place really used to be open until "5 AM"? The "5" wasn't just taped off or turned off, it was totally pulled out of the sign! I don't know if they are just trying to be humorous as with the "Est. 1912" or it really used to be open until "5 AM".
I would never have seen this venue if I had not walked deep into the "Tobacco Road Liquor Bar" to make sure I took photos of all of it. It is pretty hidden in the back of the "Tobacco Road Liquor Bar".
The above should sheet have been delivered to every stateroom on the ship along with the other tons of literature about events and promotions that they sent to every room every day. My wife and I knew nothing about any of these spirit and wine tasting events until we found this sheet sitting on top of the bar at the bar at the "Tobacco Road Liquor Bar". By the time we discovered it, many of the events had already been held. We would have gone to more of them had we known about them. Actually, we would not have known about any of the wine tasting events if we hadn't stopped by the wine bar on the first day of the cruise and asked about them. We've noticed this same problem on other cruises by both Norwegian and Carnival. They practically hide any wine or spirits tasting events. You have to go to the bars and ask about them to find out about them. These types of events definitely need better promotion on all cruise ships.
An Italian Restaurant, one of the many specialty restaurants on this ship that was available for a small upcharge. Some restaurants had a flat rate charge for the mean and at others you would purchase items "a la carte". Reservations are advised at all of the specialty restaurants.
This bar specialized in "Happy Hour" all the time as it is always "5 o'Clock Somewhere". However, I never saw anyone in this bar. I am pretty sure that it was open sometimes. Maybe it was open all the time but nobody ever went in? That reminds me: This ship seemed to have a lot of venues that didn't get used much and seemed pretty empty most of the time. I think this problem really needs to be addressed. Cruise ships can not afford to waste space. Though this is a large ship, having a large amount of unused space means that passengers can't spread out as much and can give the ship an unnecessary feel of being more crowded than it is. It is not good when people can't find a seat in a venue they want to attend while at the same time other venues are totally empty. From what I've seen, Carnival seems to do a better job on their big ships of utilizing space. Most venues seem to be open to passengers and have something going on most of the time. Thus newer ships like the Carnival Vista class ships seldom have a crowded feel despite the large number of passengers. (Except at the computerized elevators when everyone is trying to go to the same place at the same time. But that is a topic for a different travel report).
Join television, stage and film star, Sharon Wilkins for an intimate evening in The Supper Club -- an experience you won't soon forget. Her performance is an elegant mixture of Broadway show tunes, disco and even an old standard or two. Sharon has originated three roles on Broadway and can be seen in over 100 films, TV shows and commercials. Doors open 30 minutes before the show. Please arrive early as the dinner service begins as soon as you are seated. Once the show starts, we cannot accept any latecomers for dinner. Reservations are required. Book reservations through the Box Office, iTV or touchscreens. To ensure that our guests receive our best service, we can only hold reservations 10 minutes prior to the show, otherwise the unclaimed reservations will be released. (Fee Applies)
Time: 6:30p, The Supper Club, Deck 6, Fwd
Third Course Solo: Crispy-Skin Halibut with Heirloom Tomato Confit. Desert Course Quartet: (1) Blackberry French Macaroon, (2) Pistachio Cream Cake, Dulce De Leche Rosette, (3) Mango Pot De Creme, Raspberry Coulis, (4) Meringue Pieces Opera Cake, Mocha and Chocolate Glaze. Naturally I again forgot to take photos of the other 3 courses.
This performance was held in the Skyline Bar from 8:00pm to 8:45pm. Norwegian did a good job with the placement and size of this bar. It actually serves as a casino bar. You have to go into the casino to get to it and it is visible from a large part of the casino. But, it is off to the side actually in an area not smack in the middle of the casino itself. There was quite a bit of seating both at the bar and at chairs and tables away from the bar. There was even a sizeable dance floor and many were dancing. I like this better than the casino bar and stage on our last cruise on the Carnival Splendor. On that cruise the casino bar and stage was literally right in the casino and you had to sit either at the bar or at seats in the casino to watch the performers on the stage.
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