That Time I Cruised on the Carnival Paradise...

I apparently lost my ability to write about my adventures... or maybe it's more the sifting through all my photos so that I can then write about them... but I did finally edit my video footage from this cruise and got all most of them on my YouTube Channel! I posted them all below for you, or you can go to my playlist and watch them on YouTube. Likes and subscribes are deeply appreciated!

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Embarkation, Cabin, & Pizza Pirate

Tour of Interior Cabin G26

Sushi at Sea

Room Service

Tea Time

Back to Back Cruising

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That Time I Tried NCL's Le Bistro Restaurant...

Guest column: NCL's Le Bistro Restaurant

On my cruise on the NCL Pearl... which I still have yet to post about 3 months later... I wanted to try Le Bistro out since it's the only one I didn't try on the Gem. We didn't have the Dining Package, and were paying a la carte, so we got fewer items than at other other specialty restaurants.  But we loved everything we had. 

I'm not sure we would return without the dining package just because it runs up the price of the cruise. But I do really want to try some of their dessert. Check out the tasty treats I enjoyed on Cruise Radio.

More on cruising :)

That Time I Tried NCL's La Cucina Restaurant...

Guest column: NCL's La Cucina Restaurant

I recently got to try out NCL's Italian restaurant, La Cucina on the Gem. I loved the atmosphere of the restaurant, but unfortunately, my selections weren't all a home run. Husband chose much better and enjoyed his dinner more, so I'm not going to say you should skip La Cucina, but maybe don't get what I got.

I would definitely return to La Cucina on a future Norwegian cruise, but not every cruise. But what did I get?! Read about it on Cruise Radio.

More on cruising :)

That Time I Tried NCL's Teppanyaki...

Guest column: NCL's Teppanyaki/Hibachi Restaurant

I recently got to try out NCL's Teppanyaki restaurant on the Gem. I'm actually torn as to whether theirs or Carnival's is better. I guess I have to go with NCL because it costs less. You get fancier dessert and appetizers on Carnival, but if you're looking for what you're used to getting at a land-based Hibachi restaurant, NCL's Teppanyaki is all that and more!

I also decided that Teppanyaki was my favorite of the 4 specialty restaurants I tried on the Gem.  How was it? Details in my article on Cruise Radio.

More on cruising :)

That Time I Went to Cagney's...

Guest column: NCL's Cagney's Steakhouse

When I was getting ready to go on my first NCL cruise last year on the Breakaway, I kept hearing how great Cagney's was. But the cruise was already pretty expensive, so Husband and I decided not to spend any money on specialty dining. Wait. That's not true. We chose to spend it on not-a-steak-house (lobster and the Cirque dinner/Jungle Fantasy thing).

But then we had a dining package when we were just on the Gem this year so it was #1 on our list to try.

Ultimately we decided we like Carnival's steakhouse better *hides from angry NCL loyalists* but we very much enjoyed it and will return on future cruises.  How was it? Well, I'm not going to tell you here because I already wrote about it on Cruise Radio.

More on cruising :)

That Time I Tried Traditional Cruise Dining...

Guest column: Carnival's Assigned Dining

Assigned dining is how cruises and resorts have been serving meals for decades. The idea is that you have a set time, and you sit at the same table, and have the same service staff every day. Large tables are used to fit in all the guests, which means that unless you are with a group, you will be eating with strangers.

Many cruise lines now offer Anytime Dining which is more like going to a land-based restaurant. There is an early and late Assigned dining time for each cruise. The early time at 6pm often fills up quickly, so for my first few cruises, I've opted for Anytime Dining over the late dining at 8pm.

On my cruise on the Carnival Inspiration, I finally got the chance to try out the traditional Assigned Dining which you can read all about on Cruise Radio.

More on cruising :)

That Time I Ate at The Chef's Table...

Guest column: Carnival's Chef's Table

Carnival's most upscale specialty dining option is the Chef's Table dinner. For the newer ships, you're going to want to book in advance to make sure it doesn't sell out. You also won't know the date of your Chef's Table dinner until the day you board and they call your cabin with the date and time.

All the food is delicious.

The cost is $75 + 18% tip on older ships; $95 + tip on the newer ships.  You get a very exclusive dining experience, but you will be eating with other diners unless you bring a large group. Once you get your assigned date, assume you'll be spending the whole evening at dinner.

Check out my experience on the Carnival Inspiration on Cruise Radio.

More on cruising :)

That Time I Went to Farenheit 555º...

I was recently invited to be a guest columnist for CruiseRadio.net and excitedly accepted!

Guest column: Carnival Steakhouse Review

My first guest appearance is my review of Carnival's Steakhouse specialty restaurant: Farenheit 555º (where I've visited it).

Carnival names their steakhouses differently from ship-to-ship (on those which have it) but they all have the same menu, so the experience *should* be similar. They are designed to feel (and taste) like a classic NYC steakhouse.

I first visited the steakhouse on the Vista in 2017 (my first cruise!). We had to go back again when we were on the Horizon in 2018, and then wrote about it.

More on cruising :)