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Some words on "The Cruise":
We arrived in Miami with a full day to spare before all the festivities...and work. This was actually a work trip. Mike and a few others he works for came on this cruise to see how the technology they're involved with will mesh with/interface with this real-life situation. *This is my interpretation, not official languaging nor sanctioned explanation. Mike and I spent the first night at the Dua Hotel and the second night at the Marriott Marquis, both in the Brickell area of Miami.
It seemed that everybody who works in Miami is from Cuba. To speak with people from Cuba, most having relatives still in Cuba, while our president is talking about over-taking Cuba, was very interesting to me. Eye-opening.
Fashionwise, everyone seemed to be in black Lululemon. Period. Unless at a fancy restaurant like the one we had dinner at that was right on the Miami River, where it wasn't allowed. We watched a floatilla of Instagrammers posing on yatchs... like a parade. Upstairs of the restaurant there was a speakeasy that, well, you have to know someone to get in. I think that's how it works. While Mike and I didn't bother, others of our group did, and just as for some angry reviewers, access was barred to them.
The next day we boarded the ship, which was not dissimilar to going through airport security many moons ago. We met up with the others of our groups, ate, unpacked, and changed for the festivities: the christening of the newest Norwegian Cruise Lines ship, Luna! I hadn't expected it to include a religious service, but there was–complete with a Christian Priest of some sort, a Rabbi, and the "street artist Elle" as the Godmother and designer of the art on the ship's hull.
It was fun, kind of. Actually, I was very disappointed. For me, it felt like a bait-and-switch from my childhood dream of witnessing the smashing of a champagne bottle on a new ship. In this case, I only got to see a video presentation of it. That was sad. BUT, the next day Mike and his colleagues (and ME) got to take a tour of the engine room and of the bridge! We got to meet the captain, and the next captain, and the quartermaster.
Following a theme: It seemed to me at least 95% of the passengers / guests were in the cruise/travel industry and were Caucasian, and 90% of the service staff attending to the tourists were Filipino. And all were from another country. Everyone was very nice! Our room had a balcony. It was very pleasant. And I even went down the boat's "not-water" slide (see video).
Our cruise took us to a Fantasy Island–NCL's Great Stirrup Cay. There were beaches, bars, boats... things for tourists of all ages to do. I was most interested in witnessing (in real time) the destruction of a natural island. But I was also interested in Mike's work part of the trip... so after wandering around on my own, talking with a local who worked there (who told me there were, indeed, iguanas!) And I had my first (of 18 !) iguana sightings. See how many iguana sighting you can count in my pix! I saw an Inca dove (which looks like a Mourning dove only much smaller) and collected a few shells. Then I met up with Mike and his work team.
We got a tour of the energy generator for the island, which was very cool, and very loud. Then we had a little ride around the island. I was lucky to hang back and chat with our guide, the foreman of the power plant and native Bahamian (pronounced bah HAY mee an). I asked him about the plants that looked like a Malabar Spinach houseplant I had years ago... only these were huge and thriving (I even saw a tree-form version). I asked if these plants also produced red berries and was told, "Yes! They are delicious! All these islands were originally named for them: The Berry Islands!" That was cool. Then, back on the boat, we ate and had a very choppy night back to Miami.