October 19, 2026
8:49 am ADT
I slept so well! The bed’s the perfect firmness for me. All that was missing was ocean motion. The ride’s been so smooth!
Right now, we’re in Savor, one of the 2 smaller main dining rooms, as the largest dining room is open for dinner only. I’m about to indulge in eggs Benedict, my tradition on the first morning of a cruise.
10:30 am
I saw something cool in the daily program. There’s a designated quiet area in from 8am to 2pm, located in the Cagney’s Restaurant space. What a super idea! I’d forgotten how noisy a ship could be, and how crowded. I will make use of it, but not now as I’m in a photography seminar, a mobile photography workshop.
11:07 pm
It’s been a fun-filled day for all of us.
After my photography class (rule 1: clean the lens), Neil attended a seminar on the history of the wristwatch. Marty and I explored a bit more and ended up in the arcade, where we played Skee ball and basketball. There’s a very modest room charge.
The 3 of us returned to Savor for a great lunch. I had cream of mushroom soup and a Bistro salad (ham, Swiss cheese, hard boiled egg, mixed greens, garlic croutons, red wine vinaigrette). Neil’s appetizer, bay scallop gratin (button mushrooms, Dijon mustard, garlic French bread, hazelnuts) was served in an escargot dish. A gentleman at the next table then ordered it on sight alone.
I also stopped by the library earlier today. It’s teeny. Just 7 cases of 3 to 4 shelves each—only about half filled—covering fiction, nonfiction, children’s, reference, and travel . It’s obvious NCL isn’t putting any money into it. Aside from the small selection, checkout was done ON PAPER. Not even a scan.
Back to the positives. I had a lovely nap after lunch, did some reading, and then got ready for our 6:00 dinner at La Cucina.
Dinner for me was a salad with pear, walnuts, and Gorgonzola cheese; pork with dry marsala sauce and mushrooms; and the best dessert ever—panna cotta with blackberry compote and meringue crunch. The main course was huge and I finished only half of it. Neil had salmon and Marty had beef lasagne and they both enjoyed.
We closed out the evening at karaoke and later at the comedy club for dueling pianos (Howl at the Moon). Karaoke was at Syd Norman’s, a venue we’d frequented on this same ship in 2017 when the room was called Fat Cats. Marty performed Twist and Shout to a great crowd. We stayed until 9:30 pm and then went to Howl at the Moon. The musicians called Marty to the stage, loaned him a tambourine, and asked him to high-5 everyone in the audience. Marty and others continued to dance in front of the stage for the next hour.
The ship is now rocking gently. It started around 2:00 pm and is quite lovely.
Up next: New experiences in Halifax
