I often find on a seven-night cruise that there ends up being one day where I do almost nothing.  Sometimes this is planned, sometimes it happens by accident.  Today we got a late start, learned of two itinerary changes, took it very easy, but ultimately had a lovely day. 

I love visiting new places in different countries throughout the world – I also really enjoy relaxing on a ship at sea, and today was perfect for that, as we enjoyed our first sea day on our seven-night Nieuw Statenam cruise...

Today we boarded Nieuw Statendam, a new Pinnacle Class ship from Holland America Line (HAL).  Our seven-night sailing will take us to Half Moon Cay, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.  Usually I start with separate post explaining out upcoming cruise, why we chose it, etc, but since I’m starting right off on embarkation day, I’ll share a tiny bit of that information before jumping into our day...

Virgin Voyages has been teasing out the many things that will set them apart from traditional cruise lines and their latest announcement is no different (though it's not quite tattoo parlor on a ship different).  Today they've announced that their first ship, Scarlet Lady, will feature an onboard record shop called Virgin Vinyl, a private gaming and karaoke lounge called The Groupie, and curated music and performances by up-and-comers as well as industry trendsetters.

Norwegian's most senior vessel, Norwegian Sky, has come out of an extended dry dock in Freeport with extensive changes and additions to public areas and staterooms.  Sky may not be the biggest or flashiest ship in their fleet, but guest feedback remains positive, and after reading about some of the changes, including a Starbucks, sushi restaurant, revitalized staterooms, and more, she just may make it on to your "need to cruise" list.