Reporting Back From Florida and the Bahamas!
NCL exceeded my expectations and Steve and I just loved Key West! Here's what we did:
For the benefit of advising my clients, I wanted to experience for myself the upgrades to Norwegian Cruise Line's "Freestyle Cruising" and try out one of their cruises. I liked the itinerary of the Sky (recently remodeled and renamed from the Pride of Aloha), and the dates were perfect and the price was right, but I wanted a longer trip than just 4 nights.
We decided to add a couple of nights in Key West since we hadn't been there but had heard so many great things about it. Also, by adding Key West to our itinerary, we would be catching all the ports of the alternate Carnival Conquest route that starts next February, and the Triumph route that begins from New Orleans in November, 2009. The Carnival Liberty also catches the same 3 ports-of-call on her 6-night sailings.
They are: Key West, Florda; Freeport/Lucaya, Bahamas; and Nassau, Bahamas. Texas folks -- you are going to love this new route! If you enjoy the convenience of sailing from Galveston and New Orleans but are tired of going to Mexico -- then you'll want to book one of these ASAP while there is still good cabin selection.
We were not only impressed with these ports, but were pleasantly surprised by NCL, too. Below, I'll start my report with Key West:
We had no trouble with the drive to Key West from the Fort Lauderdale airport -- took about 4-1/2 hours since we stopped for lunch. Pollo Tropical is a local chain with food that's OK, but probably makes for a better take-home meal than a sit-down dining experience. Plastic eating utensils just weren't cutting it. Nice Caribbean flavors and generous portions, though. As for the drive, if you think of it as a sight-seeing excursion you'll enjoy it -- the views are stunning and there is wildlife to watch out for!
To save some money (Key West is not inexpensive), we used Hilton Honors points and stayed at the Doubletree Resort, which turned out to be one of the nicest properties we saw on the island. FYI -- there are no resorts on the beaches, but several are across the street; or, like the Doubletree, they run shuttles for their guests. We did not spend any time at the beaches here, but they certainly looked beautiful.
After getting settled there, we went over to Mallory Square for the "Sunset Festival" that takes place nightly. How fun! I had heard about the funky vendors and street performers, and there they were just as expected -- juggling, stupid pet tricks, tacky souvenirs -- we had a great stroll among the shops and piers along the waterfront as the sun set (too bad about all the clouds in the way!).
With no clue about dining options, we cruised up and down Duval Street and finally settled on a rather disappointing and over-priced Italian restaurant (Antonia's). Oh well. We can definitely report that Key West has some interesting night life, but you'll have the good fortune of missing it when spending a day there on your cruise.
More worthwhile are the sights and activities we experienced the next day: a fine tour among elegantly-restored homes that are now mostly bed-and-breakfasts, the Ernest Hemingway home museum (and we actually saw Ernest Hemingway, ha ha), the "Southernmost Point" monument, and the Old Harbor area. From a cruise ship, you will want to take an organized tour or rent a vehicle (golf cart? scooter?). Anyway, you'll love the town and the laid-back vibe. Resist the temptation to buy conch shells here -- they are much cheaper in Lucaya! Come back to this blog entry on Friday and I'll have pictures.
Now the grand finale of Key West -- for those of you who will spend some time there: dinner at Latitudes Beach Cafe! On our last trip, we were unexpectedly "WOWed" at the Lambert Bridge Winery in California's Alexander Valley. Latitudes was our WOW! for this trip.
The experience began at the Westin Hotel down by the Mallory Square waterfront. We valeted our car, checked in at the gift shop and got a voucher, then walked over to a small pier where a water shuttle ferried us to Sunset Key. The first thing we noticed was the tranquil, beautiful water; and then we came up on fluffy white sand beaches surrounded by cozy-looking beach cottages. The cottages are part of the Westin Resort, and would make for a very romantic honeymoon setting!
In front was the shuttle dock, right beside the restaurant. I had requested a "sunset table" of course, and we were not disappointed here! No clouds blocked our view of the perfect sunset, and the evening temperature was just right with the ever-so-slightest cool breeze.
The cuisine and service were exquisite, beginning with the chef's tasting of crab salad on a fried won-ton. Next, it was home-baked breads served with hummus and mango butter. We had brought a "probably too old" Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon from home, but our waiter expertly and graciously removed the saturated old cork and decanted the wine. It was remarkably free from sediment after all those years, and turned out to be quite good for its age.
It went very well with a crab-stuffed shrimp appetizer served with tropical sauces (quite tasty), and the entrees: Steve had "Beef Prepared Two Ways" (a grilled filet and roasted, boneless ribs) and I had macadamia nut-crusted grouper. Grilled pineapple, fingerling potatoes, and fresh asparagus and green beans complemented the meats perfectly. Everything was cooked and presented exactly right -- delicious and generously portioned.
Naturally we finished the meal with some scrumptious Key Lime Pie!
After strolling about the property a bit, we watched huge tarpons glide around the dock as we waited for the return shuttle. The stars were bright as we ended a delightful day in our newest favorite place -- Key West!
Tomorrow -- full report on NCL and the lovely Sky!