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Cruises: Norwegian Cruise Line, Togethering at Sea.  Ever
changing ocean views, freestyle dining and plenty of open space make an NCL
cruise ship the perfect solution for a large or small family reunion. It’s
always smooth sailing when everybody gets their own way and on a cruise
everybody gets their own way. Because cruises offer variety in space, daily pace
and fit all vacation budgets, the result is that more family members may choose
to attend a shipboard reunion. Getting the cousins together is a little easier
and a lot more fun.
10
Reasons to Create a Reunion at Sea.
Togethering at sea is easy.
Is your family
spread across the globe? Do some want to fly while others only wish to travel by
land? NCL offers cruise departures from more than a dozen ports in North
America and a bountiful list worldwide. Any week of the year it is possible to
take a family reunion cruise. Here’s the deal:
The fact is that the more
that choose to cruise, the greater the savings; the more fun and opportunities
to create lasting memories for the family album.
All
inclusive and almost stress free.
The atmosphere is right for stress-free days. Onboard there are no exacting
schedules, fundraisers, phone trees, car pools, traffic jams, or late night
homework. Here’s the deal: A cruise is all inclusive and stress free,
well almost, because one price covers meals, shipboard activities and
programs, as well as nightly entertainment. Shore excursions remain add-ons but
everything can be decided before departure, including tips and gratuities.
Unpack once.
Trying to organize a family for a vacation is a major undertaking and the
reality of packing is at times complicated. Combining a family reunion with a
cruise has obvious advantages. Just imagine visiting several destinations
without having to pack and unpack.
One
ship with many sleeping room choices.
NCL’s state-of the art ships provide cruising options to fit all budgets and
lifestyles. From economy to super luxury everyone can sail as they wish and stay
within their vacation budget. Just select an itinerary and a ship. The rest will
fall into place. For example, on the 15-deck Norwegian Star seventy
percent of cabins are outside staterooms, including thirty-six suites, 372
standard staterooms with balconies, and an entire deck of 107 mini-suites with
balconies perfect for parents with young companions. Holding the premium
location at the top of Norwegian Star, two, 5,000 square-foot-plus,
multi-room garden villas with three separate ensuite bedrooms. Each villa opens
up to a private themed garden complex with hot tub, lounge, dining area and
private rooftop terrace. Bonus points: Consider a family reunion in
Hawaiian waters and NCL is ready. The Pride of America has more than 660
balcony staterooms, a wide range of family-friendly interconnecting cabins and a
new category of Family Suites.
Activities for every generation.
It is easy to select a ship offering onboard activities that appeal to all age
groups. Imagine having your choice of pools, tackling a rock climbing wall, ice
skating or playing a round of golf onboard the ship. For the night owls in the
family there is no need to make a reservation, the entertainment is part of the
vacation. Enjoy Broadway-style theatre, 24-hour fitness centers, world-class
spas, Internet Cafés and on some ships casinos with state-of-the-art slots and
gaming tables. Activities include shows,
dancing of all kinds and
maybe Karaoke, all just a few steps away. Some ships have casinos while others
feature stargazing. Bonus
points: An obvious reunion benefit, there are shore excursions created just
for families.
Complimentary, fun and flexible.
The Kid's Crew™ Program is provided for kids from 2 to 17. Well-trained
counselors offer age-appropriate activities providing oodles of fun on days at
sea. Unique shipboard activities include campouts with flashlights and tents;
cooking classes; T-shirt painting, face painting, poolside root beer floats,
treasure hunts and sand castle competitions on NCL’s private island. Just for
teens: By day, teens enjoy pool parties, volleyball and basketball, The
Newlymet Game, and trivia contests. Evenings are filled with NCL’s
Broadway-style shows and spectaculars, line dancing, teen disco, and special
theme parties.
Dinning freestyle, together or not.
Meals can be a family
affair in an elegant dining room or a casual meeting café style. The kids may
enjoy their own entrees in their own space while adults talk about “before the
kids” time. Freestyle Cruising means freestyle dinning with abundant
diet choices. NCL
offers breakfast, lunch and dinner menus that include low-calorie, haute cuisine
recipes from Cooking Light magazine. Their chefs will also prepare vegetarian
entrees, low/no sodium and low/no cholesterol entrees. While the cruise line is
known for an amazing chocolate buffet it is also possible to enjoy marvelous
sugar-free and fat-free desserts. Here’s the deal: No one in the family
has kitchen duty or clean up detail. For example: On the Pride of America
Freestyle Cruising features eight eating locations including two main
restaurants plus multiple alternative dining venues, from formal to casual with
a 24-hour dining location as a bonus. NCL offers
delicious children's menus to tempt the most finicky eaters. Bonus points:
Just in case no menu choice works, there's always peanut butter and jelly
available for the asking.
Meeting special needs. Sometimes family members have travel challenges. NCL lessens
the challenges by making both their state rooms and ship areas easily
accessible. Up to 27 staterooms per ship are wheelchair accessible with grab
bars throughout the bathrooms, raised beds, adjustable hanging rods in closets,
sinks and toilets, shower seats and extra wide doors for easy access. They also
have designated staterooms with lights and under-pillow vibrating alarms for
guests with hearing impairments. Many staterooms have refrigerators that may be
used to store medications that must be kept cold. Guide dogs are permitted on
all NCL ships. Bonus points: For Caribbean travelers, NCL has a limited
number of wheelchairs for use on the private island, Great Stirrup Cay. These
chairs are specially designed for use on sand.
Port of call bonus time.  Sharing
one-of-a kind family experiences is priceless. Port days offer diverse
opportunities to enjoy the good stuff together. Picture the family at Diamond
Head on Oahu or watching for whales off Maui. Watch the cliff divers of Acapulco
or swim with the dolphins near Ixtapa. Stroll the streets of Old San Juan
sampling guava pastries with rich black coffee or find the perfect shell
necklace at Coral World in St. Thomas. Explore the markets of Istanbul and gaze
over the white buildings of Santorini. Port time offers families an easy way to
create memories.
Select a port and a ship.
The getting together part takes planning and can be a challenge but NCL has the
perfect cruise solution for togethering at sea. Rediscover the Americas with
their “Homeland Cruising” program departing from more than a dozen convenient
departure ports in the US and Canada or sail the world.
Norwegian Cruise Line ("NCL") is headquartered in Miami, Florida, with a fleet
of 15 ships in service and under construction. The corporation oversees the
operations of Norwegian Cruise Line, NCL America, and Orient Lines. For further
information, please contact NCL in the U.S. and Canada at 1-800-327-7030 or
www.ncl.com
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