David Hartman will be giving a presentation on Egypt-Red Sea dive travel Saturday August 28, 2010 at 6:00pm at Sterling Silver SCUBA in Sterling, VA. Mr Hartman’s presentation will cover information on touring ancient Egypt and the Red Sea as a dive destination as well as details on Sterling Silver SCUBA group trip to Egypt on June 25-July 10, 2011. Please call Kevin Davenport at Sterling Silver SCUBA at (703) 731-0257 to reserve a spot in the seminar. Guests are welcome!
Sterling Silver Divers Egypt-Red Sea Group Trip Page:
I never quite understood the hype behind the Lobster Mini-Season in Florida, especially here in my home of Key Largo. Every year the commerical lobster season ends on March 15th and does not reopen until August 1st for traps and August 6th for harvesting. The last Wednesday and Thursday of July every year are reserved for recreational divers and boaters to get first dibs on all the spiny lobster that have been spawning all spring and summer. Hence the term mini-season! For two days people from the around the country descend down to Key Largo to try their best efforts at catching Florida Spiny Lobster (very different from Northeast Rock Lobster or Maine Lobster- no claws and a severe difference in taste…nothing compares to Rock Lobster boiled and dipped in drawn butter…hhmmmmmmmmmmm!!!). Anyone with Florida fishing license with crawfish stamp can hunt for lobster Aug 6-March 15th but most non-locals I know only come down for mini-season. It is a recreational divers Mecca and a frenzy unmatched on our waterways and reefs during the rest of the year. I compare mini-season to opening day of fishing back home in Connecticut. Every April, my Dad would take my brother and I fishing at a local stocked pond at 6am opening day to stand by numerous other fisherman. I always asked my Dad if we could go fishing the next day and would there be less fisherman and he would respond, Yes! And I would ask why were here today with so many other fisherman around stealing my chances at fish and his response was always the same…..”Because today is Opening Day!!!!” Fisherman and lobster hunters must have the same mentality.
Beyond the hype, mini-season is one my favorite times in Key Largo. The hype and the crowds create such a fun frenzy in the area and every year my good friends at Indian Valley SCUBA from Harleysville, PA make their annual pilgrimage to Key Largo to take part in the lobster bonanza. Every year the group from IVS grew bigger and bolder catching more and more lobster with more aggressive dive schedules. (Although the 2010 IVS trip caught a record amount of lobster (107) for the group with far less hunters than last year. A recent Bonaire trip by IVS in June stole some normal customers for the the annual Key Largo lobster trip). The 2010 IVS trip started a week early with some avid wreck divers taking a bold wreck trek through the Keys starting on Sunday and ending the following Sunday after lobster season. I was able to coordinate an all day Spiegel tour (4 dives) on the first Sunday for the Z brothers and join the group for an afternoon of lobster fun for the complete weekend of diving include some more serious wreck dives. The lobster hunting culminated with a huge lobster feast at Conch House on Friday night where 100+ lobster were taken to task by some hungry IVS divers and local friends. Not one lobster was spared and another great job by one of my favorite restaurants in town.
The lobster hunting was quite fun and the wreck dives were awesome but the highlight of the week was on the last day of mini-season when a Giant Jewish (Goliath Grouper) ate my buddy Frank Gabriel’s lobster and snare right from his hands while he was catching a lobster from under a coral head. I have seen some amazing sights underwater in my years of diving but the sight of watching Frank get pulled by a big Jewfish as he fought to get his snare back just takes the cake. I was laughing so hard I almost puked in my regulator!! I laughed on threw the rest of the dive and returned back on the boat with a sore belly. The poor grouper still has the lobster snare sticking out of his mouth but I am sure he will be fine. I wish I had some pictures of the lobster snatch by the Giant Jewfish but my memory will serve me well for years to come. Needless to say there were numerous laughs all the way home and at the bar that night. Another classic lobster mini-season is in the books. We will see the IVS gang again in mid October!
Video by Carly Adams filmed July 11, 2010 at Sand Bottom Cave on French Reef in Key Largo, Florida. Great footage of two huge crabs with very big claws under a ledge waiting for something to mess with their space.
3) Las Vegas style entertainment on a ship: When I sailed on the Epic, I met the travel editor from a local newspaper at the Wasabi Sushi bar. The staff writer gave me a impromptu interview on the significance of a ship’s entertainment in regards to why people book cruises. Until now, a cruise line’s options for entertainment was not a major reason passengers booked a certain cruise. (Multiple destinations, pampering and fine dining are the top reasons). Customers look forward to professional shows and entertainers on cruises but hardly ever does someone book a cruise to see a certain act on a specific ship. However, I explained to the newspaper writer, that NCL again was changing the landscape of cruise marketing by booking headline Las Vegas performers for their ships and putting these performers at the forefront of the marketing campaigns for NCL cruises. For example, there are numerous billboards promoting the Blue Man Group on the Epic all over Miami and other cities throughout the country. In summary, NCL books headline entertainers on the Epic and they more than deliver.
Qualification: The entertainment delivers on the Epic but the facilities fall short. The Epic theater (Blue Man Group, Legends Unplugged) is quite small for a large ship venue and with ugly green seating. Headliners (Second City, Howl at the Moon) is also small and dark with numerous columns that cause obstruction of the stage. The Spiegel Tent (Cirque Dream dinner show) is also short on capacity for a Cirque show and the food is average and the entertainers have too little space and mechanical support to perform a Cirque show to its expectations. Fat Catz Jazz Lounge is very nice but the configuration makes it difficult to navigate to get seats farther from the one entrance door. There is also an extra fee for the top line entertainment which departs from traditional cruising.
Solution: NCL has a method to its madness to make room for diverse dining and drinking options by reducing the size of the entertainment facilities. Plus, less will people will be attending shows with so much to do on the ship. I recommend arriving to the shows early for a good seat (all show general admission) and please pre-book your entertainment at time of booking your cruise or at the first available date when reservations are allowed.
Conclusion: NCL has raised the bar when it comes to top line entertainment on cruise ships. The Epic is being called “Las Vegas at Sea” and NCL will market that anaology to a billboard near your. The entertainers are all well worth the extra fees for the shows and venues are suitable for cruise ship environement.
2) The Studio single cabins: Finally!! Cabins designed for single cruisers. For 100+ years, cruise passengers in a single cabin had to pay double the cruise fare or some exorbitant single supplement. NCL had the wise idea to build two levels of single studio cabins in the dead spaces of the center of ship and design the rooms in a way that is attractive and comfortable for an interior cabin with no ocean view. The 100 SF cabins are bigger than most New York City studio apartments with sizable bathrooms and cool mood lighting and decor and best of all an affordable price for a 7 night cruise. NCL even built a two story Studio Lounge exclusive to those passengers who stay in the studio cabins. The Studio Lounge is way cool with comfortable seating, a full bar with snacks, Flat Screen TV’s and even a whiteboard where singles can post messages to plan group activities.
Qualification: The studio cabins are nice but they are still interior cabins in the center of the ship: not what I call prime real estate. Plus, at first look the cabins appear to be a bed surrounded by walls. The Studio Lounge is nice but in the center of ship far from the pool deck, other restaurants and most of all an ocean view.
Solution: Find a date and book a balcony cabin or a Penthouse Suite.
Conclusion: The Epic Studio Cabins fill a definite need in cruising especially for families and groups who attempt to pile in 3 people into a normal cabin to avoid paying full price for another cabin.
When you name a ship “Epic” by default you create lofty expectations. The current trend from the major cruise lines is to build big mega-ships that are themselves a destination. The Norwegian Epic continues the trend becoming the biggest ship to make Miami its home port since Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas was launched in May 2007. The Epic is indeed worth the hype and even adds a few major innovations:
1) A ship built solely for Freestyle Cruising: NCL started their “Freestyle Cruising” promotional campaign 10 years ago and the success of the flexible dining campaign now has forced the major cruise lines (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Holland America and others) to offer some type of flexible dining options on all their ships. NCL takes their Freestyle dining to the letter on the Epic by offering 20 themed restaurants all with no group dining time or assigned seating.
Qualification: NCL’s Freestyle dining sounds great in theory but leads to a more regimented program of either booking reservations and paying an extra fee for a themed restaurant with limited seating capacity or waiting in line on one of two dining facilities with large seating capacities and no set dining time. (Taste or Manhattan Room).
Solution: NCL does allow groups to request dining reservations well in advance and individual cruises can pre-book dining starting 45 days prior to sail date. Furthermore, NCL plans to offer combination discount dining packages by where a cruiser can pre-book prior to sailing multiple restaurants at a discount. Considering the limited seating capacity at most of the themed restaurants (100+ people), I highly recommend pre-booking your dining at the Epic.
Conclusion: Freestyle dining thrives on the Epic in the choices of culinary options and flexibility of restaurant choices. The sheer number of themed restaurants all with separate kitchens and authentic culinary options make the Epic stand alone in diversity of cruise ship dining.
Check out this video of the Water Park on Norgwegian Epic. The chutes and slide on the pool deck are as thrilling as they appear in the videoa and worth the hype-like a mini Action Park. The chutes and slides make up for the postage stamp size pools on the main pool deck. The Tube slide-bowl is quite a rush and the green and purple water chutes I call the Magic Mystery Tour since you sail through the slide in darkness to start the chutes. Very cool experience and worth the plunge! There are 3 slides to chose from which helps keep the lines reasonable. Definitely, a great way to spend an afternoon at sea. For more videos on life aboard the Epic check out NCL’s Freestyle You Tube Page. I also posted my pictures from my 2 night ship tour which you can view in my Norwegian Epic Facebook Photo Album
Back at the Port of the Miami and soon to disembark the Epic. Wonderful time and fantastic ship. I will have a full write up on my blog later in the weekend since I need to leave the ship ASAP. Day 2 was a bit more relaxing than Day 1. I did have some travel agent duties with training seminars and more cabin inspections after that I checked out the super water slides. The early evening was casual cruise mode. I kept my dining tour short and sweet this time after yesterday’s eating bonanza. I spent most of my time at the Irish Bar with fellow travel agents friends and then made some new friends with people from around the country. I did go see the Blue Man Group which was an excellent Las Vegas style show. Very well done and worth the hype. The rest of the night was spend at the Jazz Club- awesome musicians and a quick late night stop at Bliss for dancing. Overall, I leave the ship most impressed with the staff and entertainment. NCL hires and trains well and they are spending big money on top music and comedic talent as well as bringing in big names like the Blue Man Group.
Day 1 of the Epic was crazy. I have a sore foot this morning because I “think” I turned my ankle last night. I remember something happening that was not supposed too.. Anyway, I had travel agent obligations when first entered the ship…some biz on my computer, ship inspection of different areas of the ship, taking notes and pictures, including the Courtyard Villa area. The Epic has an exclusive area for first class guests called the Courtyard Villa including separate bars, restaurants, lounges and fitness center just for guests who stay in suites in the area. I have a big group sailing on the Epic in October and some of the guests are booked in suites in the Villa area. The Courtyard Villa is very nice but a bit much for families and for my taste. A simple balcony cabin is just fine for me! After I completed my formal ship inspection is was on the dining and drinking tour. Eating and ordering drinks from as many places as possible on the Epic. I must say I exceed my own expectations and sampled 6 different restaurants and numerous bars including Wasabi Sushi, Cagney’s Steakhouse, The Noodle Bar, The Manhattan, The Garden Cafe, The Martini Bar, Waves and some other bars along the way and that was just the early evening. The later evening was reserved for entertainment including the Second City Show at Headliners, Jazz at Fat Cats, Legends Unplugged at the Manhattan, Drinks at the Ice Bar, The Rave at H20 Zone and dancing and bowling at Bliss Ultra Lounge. Diversity in dining and entertainment is definitely the adage of the Epic. Day 2 is starting slow for good reason but back to the travel agent duties this afternoon and also back to the drinking and dining tour! Numerous more restaurants and bars to visit!
My ship awaits!! The Norwegian Epic arrived in Miami yesterday passing by South Beach and docking at her new home at the Port of Miami. The latest innovative ship in the cruise industry awaits. I board the Epic this morning around 11am!!
