Never been to a
Blue Man Group performance before
this cruise aboard the Norwegian Cruise line ship Epic. And now I can't help but kick myself for not going when I've had opportunities in the past.
For nearly 90 minutes, the Blue Men kept a sold-out theater entranced/thrilled/stunned by their ability to turn humdrum objects into pieces of captivating performance art: Marshmallows, PVC pipe, paint, toilet paper.
(Yes, toilet paper. Lots and lots of toilet paper. You have to see a show to truly experience the wackiness of it.)
BMG does all of this wordlessly – which serves a dual purpose: It keeps all focus on the action, and it helps the Blue Men maintain an aura of otherworldly cool weirdness. And the action is constant. From the opening drumbeats to the finale, the Blue Men do it with extreme gusto … and the results are awesome.
Blue Man Group performs all around the world, but the Epic show is the first time they've done their thing at sea. NCL made an outstanding choice.
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Had a chance to explore St. Maarten today. If you skip the normal shore excursions and just head to Philipsburg do do some shopping, you're guaranteed to be offered the chance to get your hair braided no less than 10 times if you walk along the street that fronts the water. You'll also be given the opportunity to buy T-shirts for the low, low price of $3. Not sure how many washings the T-shirts will survive once you buy them, but they sure do look clean and pretty waving in the tropical breeze.
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You want to know why I love our cabin steward Richard? Not only because he's quick with a smile and a “good morning” or “good evening.” But because I always return to my stateroom to find the ice bucket full of ice. I bet this is how
Bill Gates lives every day.
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On the water taxi from the pier over to downtown today, I sat next to a woman who was having a horrible time on her cruise aboard a neighboring berthed Celebrity Cruise Line ship. The service, it seemed, was “dreadful.” (Her words, not mine.)
Maybe that's what makes life aboard the Epic so outstanding. The service is fast without being hurried, friendly without being insincere, and unfailingly polite. Everything from food prep to cabin to stewards to hosts/hostesses to the activities crew – the courteous professionalism is ingrained in their DNA. Nice job, NCL.
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Without a doubt, the soft-serve ice cream machines are the most popular places on the Epic. That's no slight to the Headliners Comedy Club (home to a Second City troupe), the Fat Cats jazz club, the Epic Theater (where
Nickelodeon's “Slime Time Live” is performed), or even the largest aqua park at sea. It's just that soft-serve ice cream on demand cuts through all age, ethnic, gender, national and religious lines like a laser.
In the time that it's taken me to write this blog posting, no fewer than 150 people have stopped by the nearby ice cream station for a fill-up. Epic also offers a rotating selection of hand-scooped flavors, too. Which makes a trip to the Pulse fitness club a maritime necessity.