In Transit On The High Seas: Day One
Moving through the Manhattan Cruise Terminal is not unlike moving through an airport. Traffic is heavy; I hope you took a taxi. You drop your bags off with the porters, after tagging them with the room number.
Don't know your room number? I didn't either. Someone will have a manifest. If your name isn't on there (mine was, fortunately), then your problems run very deep indeed.
Did you print off your boarding pass? Get in line. If you didn't (I didn't), go find the desk to get your ticket. Now get in line. This line will take you through a security checkpoint just like an airport's. The big exception is that I didn't have to take my shoes off, nor did I have to take my laptop out of the bag. Nice change.
Norwegian Cruise Lines is a (relatively) small line with about 10 ships in the fleet. They aren't huge, either, as far as cruise ships go. No "mega-ships" here, sea-going leviathans with shopping malls and the like. That said, they're still pretty big. NCL's schtick is that of "Freestyle Cruising", where there are no set schedules (apart from time in port, excursions, and the like), and you can do whatever, whenever (within operating hours, of course). There are restaurants open at almost any time (though the only 24-hour one is the small "Blue Lagoon" atrium cafe), and you can go and be seated whenever. The specialty restaurants will charge a cover fee, and you will also be billed for drinks. This particular setup has been referred to as "Fleece-style Cruising", as you can get nickel-and-dimed very quickly, and your bill can get out of hand. I shudder to think what mine will be, even though most of it will be expensed back. I'll keep you posted on that.
The Norwegian Gem is the newest ship in the fleet, and the fleet's new flagship. It's also the one I visited back in the fall when it was still docked at Eemshaven. Due to the way their on-board network operates, I'm pulling out the old equipment that I installed, which works on 802.11b protocol, and replacing it with new stuff that works on 11g. Anyway. The rooms are small but comfortable, and the king-size bed takes up about half of it. There's a small TV that only gets a few non-shipboard channels, but why would you want to watch TV anyways? The navigational stuff they display is interesting, though.
Internet service is either pay-as-you-go at $0.75/minute (!!!), or purchase plan (250 minutes at $0.40/minute (!!)). It's very slow, as you've got a bunch of people all trying to use the same satellite connection. Don't even try to send a picture to someone; if you think download is slow, upload is glacial, and will most likely time out.
(I am taking pictures, though; you'll see them.)
Cell phones work normally in port, but once you're at sea, everything goes through the ship's system, for which you will be billed your provider's international roaming rate. Fear.
If, like me, you're on board as a contractor, keep in mind that all of your contacts will be too busy to see you on the first day. So relax. Lay your groundwork and do a site survey. Build an action plan. You'll need it.
The weather remains crap, and the ship is actually shifting quite a bit in the wind and the waves. I'm on the 10th floor, well above the waterline, and you can really feel the rocking motion. It's an inside stateroom as well, so there's no window. I'm not prone to claustrophobia or motion-sickness, which is a good thing; this would be a terrible room for anyone with those problems. Lower decks feel less motion, and windows can help the seasick.
It's cold and windy outside, and it's raining. Nonetheless, I try to get some good pictures of the Statue of Liberty as we leave. This is also my chance to test my new telephoto lens; given the instability of my platform, it's not working out so great. I retire to my room to finish watching The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (aka Shaolin Master Killer), and marvel at the difficulty of recognizing Gordon Liu in this film as opposed to his roles in both Kill Bill films.
Don't know your room number? I didn't either. Someone will have a manifest. If your name isn't on there (mine was, fortunately), then your problems run very deep indeed.
Did you print off your boarding pass? Get in line. If you didn't (I didn't), go find the desk to get your ticket. Now get in line. This line will take you through a security checkpoint just like an airport's. The big exception is that I didn't have to take my shoes off, nor did I have to take my laptop out of the bag. Nice change.
Norwegian Cruise Lines is a (relatively) small line with about 10 ships in the fleet. They aren't huge, either, as far as cruise ships go. No "mega-ships" here, sea-going leviathans with shopping malls and the like. That said, they're still pretty big. NCL's schtick is that of "Freestyle Cruising", where there are no set schedules (apart from time in port, excursions, and the like), and you can do whatever, whenever (within operating hours, of course). There are restaurants open at almost any time (though the only 24-hour one is the small "Blue Lagoon" atrium cafe), and you can go and be seated whenever. The specialty restaurants will charge a cover fee, and you will also be billed for drinks. This particular setup has been referred to as "Fleece-style Cruising", as you can get nickel-and-dimed very quickly, and your bill can get out of hand. I shudder to think what mine will be, even though most of it will be expensed back. I'll keep you posted on that.
The Norwegian Gem is the newest ship in the fleet, and the fleet's new flagship. It's also the one I visited back in the fall when it was still docked at Eemshaven. Due to the way their on-board network operates, I'm pulling out the old equipment that I installed, which works on 802.11b protocol, and replacing it with new stuff that works on 11g. Anyway. The rooms are small but comfortable, and the king-size bed takes up about half of it. There's a small TV that only gets a few non-shipboard channels, but why would you want to watch TV anyways? The navigational stuff they display is interesting, though.
Internet service is either pay-as-you-go at $0.75/minute (!!!), or purchase plan (250 minutes at $0.40/minute (!!)). It's very slow, as you've got a bunch of people all trying to use the same satellite connection. Don't even try to send a picture to someone; if you think download is slow, upload is glacial, and will most likely time out.
(I am taking pictures, though; you'll see them.)
Cell phones work normally in port, but once you're at sea, everything goes through the ship's system, for which you will be billed your provider's international roaming rate. Fear.
If, like me, you're on board as a contractor, keep in mind that all of your contacts will be too busy to see you on the first day. So relax. Lay your groundwork and do a site survey. Build an action plan. You'll need it.
The weather remains crap, and the ship is actually shifting quite a bit in the wind and the waves. I'm on the 10th floor, well above the waterline, and you can really feel the rocking motion. It's an inside stateroom as well, so there's no window. I'm not prone to claustrophobia or motion-sickness, which is a good thing; this would be a terrible room for anyone with those problems. Lower decks feel less motion, and windows can help the seasick.
It's cold and windy outside, and it's raining. Nonetheless, I try to get some good pictures of the Statue of Liberty as we leave. This is also my chance to test my new telephoto lens; given the instability of my platform, it's not working out so great. I retire to my room to finish watching The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (aka Shaolin Master Killer), and marvel at the difficulty of recognizing Gordon Liu in this film as opposed to his roles in both Kill Bill films.
posted by Matt at
8:52 PM
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