In the fall of 2023, we decided to book a cruise around the UK. This would would let us travel and see a bunch of new places, but also let us have a easy base of operations for Logan. The number 1 decision factor was not constantly relocating baby stuff and a cruise fit the bill.
Cruise Line: Norwegian
Boat: Dawn
Saturday 9/23 – Leaving House
- Wake-up and drive to airport for the reserved parking log
- Logan got to take a bus to the airport terminal
- Ran through airport and Logan made lots of noises announcing himself
- Boarded the American Airlines flight where Logan got to have his own seat.
- We had to managed dinner with juggling Logan and food
- Logan slept on the plane most of the away, but we didn’t at all
Sunday 9/24 – Sea Day
- In the morning we arrived in Heathrow Airport
- Luckily we quickly through immigration with the use of the family line
- Logan was welcomed by NCL bus people, Logan start to stardom
- Started bus ride to south Hampton, but they gave Logan got the front seat 10:08am
- Finally through cruise checkin and allowed to board around 11:30
- 1st meal was lunch buffet of sitting and watching harbor boats, meet the 1 other baby
- We explored the top deck and Logan got blown around in the wind
- Explored the ship, eventually found a chubby to sit and waited for rooms to open at 3pm
- 5pm the boat left the dock and we head to dinner at Aqua Restrauant
- The blinds went up and down a lot
- Logan made friends with 2 sets grandparents (Vermont and Texas)
- Logan ate half a bowl of Mac and cheese, then fell asleep at the table.
- Finally Got the room ready for bed, but no hot water or crib so we made friends with maintenance.
- Cruise by the “island of wright” in the evening
Monday 9/25 -Sea Day
- Woke up to a very thirsty Logan and nose bleeding Alexis
- Logan was impressed, we saw lots of water out the window.
- Breakfast at the Venetian .
- Logan enjoy chocolate muffins and bacon
- Playtime at the kid room rumpus room
- Naptime in room
- Walked around the back of the boat and we found the Dino kids pool
- Listen to Latin music in lounge “tropical beat”
- Logan danced and got maracas from the singer
- Venetian dinner, Logan maybe friends across from our table
- Logan then teased and friends with the NCL Watch sales ladies
Tuesday 9/26 – Edinburgh
- 6am wake up, after Logan refused to sleep.
- Tender boats into South Queens Ferry – hot and stuffy
- Bus ride into city center of Edinburg
- Walked to the royal mile to join a castle walking tour.
- Saw guns and ramparts, that overlooked the city of endinburgh
- I took Logan to prison and saw the Crown Jewels
- Locked Logan in a phone booth
- We shared a weird bubble gum drink
- Everyone was starting to struggle so we got Pizza Hut on cockburn street
- It was lightly raining, so we then took the pizza into the park to eat
- Logan fell asleep on the journey back to the boat
- That evening I died with many aliments, Alexis and logan went and played with sheep.
- Logan played washy-washy with staff
- Dinner stuff, logan got to watched cats and trucks on a phone
Wednesday 9/27 – Lochness Area
- We joined the “Thistle tour” with June
- Logan played with stuffed animal “nessy” in the van made lots of noises for everyone
- Met California couple. And wild old lady’s from nola
- Learned Alexis heritage was evicted from Scotland
- Stopped by Cawdor castle, giant sequoia trees, famous black sheep, and hosta seeds
- Logan eventually woke up at Loch Ness. He got to touch the water
- On the way back to the boat we met hairy cows(Jamie Frazier and Katie Morag), goats and alpacas
- For snacks, logan got to eat Icecream and fudge
- Luckily we got back to the boat, before true Scottish weather arrived
- Logan and I stood on the balcony and waved bye to bag pipes.
- Logan screamed bye to shelf drilling perseverance and ocean patriot rigs
- Logan got a shower and playtime while Alexis went to dinner by her self.
- I went to the hot tube during the terrible storm. 60mph winds and 30 degree weather.
- I got fever sweats in the middle of the night
Thursday 9/28 – Kirkwall
- Bus tour of the south islands. Causeways , Italian chapel , Saint Margets town , saw hairy cows and hairy pigs
- Highlight was that Logan got to play with a real digger on the docks
- On the way out, saw saw salmon nets
- Saw “old man of hoy” from afar
- Logan danced at the champagne bar to “tropical beat”
- Logan Made friends with Penelope (Italian girl 2.5 years) they raced walkers.
Friday 9/29 – Belfast
- Slept through big rocking waves on the ship as we travel to Belfast. Giant storm was coming through the isles
- Saw Rainbows 🌈 coming into port
- Taxi ride in to downtown, we had to stop at a ATM as all the machine were down.
- Logan first taxi cab and crash as he flew off the seat.
- Found a Hop on hop off bus tours – It was pretty rough, smelled of exhaust and over heated. Not recommended experience don’t remember much.
- Logan got a green Ireland tour bus car, he wouldn’t let it go in the souvienr store
- Sat on the lawn with snacks and pigeons at city hall.
- logan got back to port to yell and scream at the dockyards hands.
- We could see out the windows, so I cleaned the room windows with dawn
- Saw Penelope again in toy room
Saturday 9/30 – Dublin (canceled)
- Dublin canceled due to high winds
- Wavy gym work out while Logan naps
- Alexis did a champagne tasting
- Took Logan to ride elevators up and down all over the boat
- Met baby Manuel.
- (I’m trying to keep the poop updates to minimum)
- Yelling and running at the pool
- Sailed through Celtic sea
- We got a bunny towel in the room
- Logan got Truck videos time in the room
- Dinner at Brazilian steak house
- We got a really Coke and it tasted good
- Determined that logan likes to hear the drink making shaker
Sunday 10/1 – Sea Day
- Time change 1 hr overnight
- We woke up to being in the english channel
- Logan had a very messsy breakfast and caught end of “floating hotel on tv”
- We all lost at bingo, frustrated Logan tore up all our cards
- Everyone explored and walked around the kids pool
- Logan got a photoshoot with “tropical beat” band
- Hero’s welcome for Logan at the Tex med los locos
- Logan watched gacamoli being made by Jhons
- Logan was really showing off at dinner
- Said good night to Logans friend Patricia for washy washy
- Logan tried to steal all the jewelry by breaking in the shop areas.
Monday 10/2 – Amsterdam
- Arrived through locks in to Amsterdam
- Walked from port through neighborhoods to red light district
- Got good croissant 🥐 next to the leather bdsm store
- Walk streets to the Dam plaza.
- Logan chased and then got chased by pigeons
- Logan made a guy’s (who was tripping on shrooms) day by smiling at him in the park.
- Walked along channels and flower shops
- Logan passed out so we went to eat
- Got garlic fries from place with a King line
- Stopped for beer and Dutch pancakes at “het paleis”
Tuesday 10/3 – Bruges
- Woke up pulling into port at Bruges
- Rain started as we got on the express transfer into town
- Logan saw lots of trucks, combines,and diggers , cars at the port. He was very happy about this.
- Rain then started and grays sky’s appeared
- Walked from bus lot to city.
- Stopped to see swans, ducks, and horses
- Logan had a big fall on the cobble stones roads
- We had waffles “chez Albert” and hot chocolate
- Free walking tours, learned city wasn’t destroyed
- Saw that the Bell tower is leaning
- There were Horse chestnuts everywhere
- Chocolate from “chocolate kiss”
- It seemed like every turn we were running away from horses and carriages
- Back at the boat, we saw another pilot boat came up next to the ship and picked up someone
- Washy washy – patrica fontinalla
- Danced with people from Chicago. Logan got another baseball duck
Wednesday 10/4 – La Harve / Honfluer
- Leaving the boat, we figured out city bus and saved 30 min walk into town
- Found fancy kids store, the french lady lets us change Logan in the demo baby changing station.
- We bought a french space book for logan.
- While waiting for our next bus, Logan found broken glass and pigeons
- We took the Bee bus company to
- Drove over new Normandy bridge
- Walked around town to several old church
- Tried to take some Ammlurs seed , but they were eventually lost.
- Did a self walking tour of the old city
- Stop for lunch, Mussel and eggs at “la bisquine”. Logan tried mussel and did not like it.
- Road the 1900’s merry-go-round at the port, logan enjoy it as he was able to sit in a blue airplane.
- Bussed back to La Harve
- Alexis got 2 trucks from the closed used toy store. (Robot Car and Cement Mixer)
- Logan had meltdown seeing an awesome wooden fire truck in downtown La Harve toy store. We had to leave the streets cause he wanted to go to that store again.
- After many attempts he finally okay with playing with the other trucks
- Finally back to ship to have big truck play session
- Logan loves saying “outside”
- Logan rules at shuffleboard
- Final dance with “tropical beat”
Thursday 10/5 – UK – CLT
- Backed up Bags, and waited in the boat casino until it was a reasonable time to leave
- Logan got to play in the south hamptom playground, while we wait for the public bus to Heathrow
- In heathrow, we got to play in the child rooms, also ate and watch planes from the 1 special lounge.
- Logan made friend with a another girl and they bought spoke to each other in their own languages.
- Logan play ride back, landing at 1AM
