Birthday Cruise: Norwegian Escape!

Heading for the port, we drove through a tunnel under the waters that would lead us to the ships. Barry tried to get a look at which ships were in port but couldn't get a good view. Once in the tunnel, he had to wait until we came up on the other side. Our Uber ride was on time and efficient, as usual. We've had very good luck with Uber!

As we drove up, there were several ships in port. Barry says, "I know you wouldn't have picked a Carnival for my birthday", which eliminated two. He saw a Holland America and knowing we had never sailed that cruiseline, took that out of the running. There was a Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, both of which we have sailed. His eyesight wasn't good enough to determine which exact ships. We drove right up to the ship before he saw NORWEGIAN ESCAPE. He should have known as it's his favorite ship!

In an attempt to stall while our guests were boarding, Barry and I went to get a drink from the 19th floor. We've known the bartender there for five years. Even he didn't know we were coming! Up and out of the way from everyone, we enjoyed the first cocktail with our included Unlimited Beverage Package!

One of our favorite ports in the world, is Miami. The fantastic skyline, long sandy beaches and nearby islands offer amazing views. Many ports LOOK like seaports. As I recreate past travels, I will post beautiful photos of arriving into port at 3am with all the lights of the city. This view is from the upper deck while we stalled... without acting like we were stalling. I didn't want to get into lunch too early!

It was time for a little lunch in Margaritaville. This restaurant on the Norwegian Escape (and other newer NCL ships) used to be a la carte but now has a flat service fee of $16.95. Considering we never ate more than $6 worth of food apiece, it was a shock. However, the plans had already been set so I made sure Barry didn't hear the cost... he would have said "NO WAY"! We ordered our margaritas and with the view, we were happy! I was trying my best to act as though he already knew the whole surprise!

My shrimp tacos were SO good! This was the perfect start to our trip. I was anxious for the guests to arrive so I could relax... keeping this secret for so long was difficult! The arrival of the "marching band" was timed to be at the end of our meal...

We only got a short clip of the entrance... but here it is. At first, Barry gave me a look because he thought I had arranged for the crew to sing to him. He had just finished asking me not to mention it was his birthday to everyone who passed by... and then the chaos began!

We had Barry's sister, Suzi joining us from San Rafael, California. She flew in the night before at about 10pm. Also, Barry's brother, Michael and better half, Jana who flew in from Reno. I found out later that the three of them went into Margaritaville for lunch despite my constant demand that no one come near the restaurant until it was time for the surprise. They actually sat at a table in Barry's line of sight. I would have been so disappointed if the surprise was ruined at the last minute after a year of secrets!!!

Also in on the fun, Val and her son Danny and Chuck from Lake Tahoe. Barry was sitting with Jeremy from Houston. Not pictured were six others because I actually forgot to photograph everyone! We had Miho and Sasha (my Granddaughter), Jon and Lisa (Kingwood, Tx -we cruise with often) and Dennis and Patti (Philadelphia but not Eagles fans) I'm hoping someone else took photos that I can add to a gallery... So our week long cruise was officially under way!!!