This summer will find me trying a new cruise line and sailing to two of the coolest cruise destinations on the globe.
Yet another summer is upon us, meaning peak vacation season is in full swing. Millions of Americans will soon take a cruise this summer to somewhere in the world, and I will be among them on two separate sailings. My last cruise was onboard Celebrity Solstice to the Mexican Riviera back in February. This was one of the coolest cruises, and I do mean literal cool temperatures, I have ever taken.
However, it’s only going to get cooler as I head off on my Summer 2023 adventures…
Norwegian Encore – Alaska
My first cruise of the summer will be onboard Norwegian Encore. I will soon embark on a 7-night voyage from Seattle, Washington to explore the Last Frontier. Port calls in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria, Canada will be crowned by a day of cruising Glacier Bay National Park. I am excited to see glaciers, whales, and experience the White Pass Railway. Although, I will admit, it has been both new and interesting having to shop for jackets for a summer cruise!
While I am thrilled to be visiting Alaska for the first time and covering that on my YouTube channel, I am also VERY excited to be sailing on a Norwegian ship for the first time. The Encore is a fairly new ship, only debuting shortly before the global cruising shutdown of 2020, and is the direct predecessor to the current Norwegian Cruise Line flagship the Norwegian Prima. Since I have never sailed with Norwegian before I am elated to get onboard the ship and start discovering all she has to offer.
From Go Kart rides to Freestyle Dining to a full Starbucks location onboard the ship, there are so many things I look forward to experiencing onboard the Encore. Mostly, I am curious to see what I will think of the Studio experience on the ship. Norwegian’s Studio staterooms and adjacent Lounge were designed for solo travelers. These staterooms are only about 100 square feet and feature a single full-size bed.
Many of my followers have told me that Norwegian has the best solo cruiser experience, and I cannot wait to test this out with my Studio stateroom, which features exclusive access to the Studio Lounge, a private lounge for those solo guests staying in a Studio stateroom. I am especially eager to compare this experience with the Solo Infinite Verandas and overall solo experience I have come to love on Celebrity Cruises. Of course there will be videos on all of these things on my YouTube channel this summer!
Have I mentioned the dining yet? I cannot wait to try out the various dining venues available onboard the ship. From the steakhouse to Mexican cuisine to a French Bistro, I plan to dine at several of the specialty dining venues, in addition to the main dining rooms and other cruise fare-included dining venues. Make sure to look out for my complete dining review from Norwegian Encore, in addition to a ship tour and stateroom tour, coming to the channel throughout June and July.
Carnival Pride – Norway
CREDIT: Carnival Cruise Lines
A few months back I realized how much I have missed Carnival Cruise Lines. I last sailed with the line back in February 2022 onboard Carnival Sunshine and decided it is time to go back to the line that got me started in cruising. While looking at various Carnival cruise options I ran across a very affordable cruise to Norway onboard Carnival Pride. Since I have never been to Norway and have yet to sail on a Spirit-Class ship, this trip was the perfect choice!
Later in the summer I will board Carnival Pride in London, England for a 9-night voyage to Norway! In addition to 7 ports and countless fjords, this cruise will also feature a newly refurbished ship. The Carnival Pride leaves dry dock at the end of May 2023, a dry dock that will add a new bar and several new shops, convert the steakhouse onboard to Carnival’s signature Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, and make several cosmetic changes to the ship.
In addition to covering the changes made by the dry dock refurbishments, I also plan to release a room tour of my Premium Balcony stateroom, a full ship tour, a complete dining review, and vlogs featuring the beautiful ports of Norway. I cannot tell you how excited I am to sail with Carnival again, especially in such a beautiful part of the world.
Make sure you are following me on Instagram for real time updates as I embark on these exciting adventures this summer. Also make sure you are subscribed to my YouTube channel so you can see all of the content I produce along the way. While I am elated about these summer adventures, I have even BIGGER things to share with you in the Fall. More on that later. 😉
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