The coolest place in the tropics is aboard the
Norwegian Cruise Line ship Epic. Specifically, in its SVEDKA Ice Bar. And when I say ice, I mean ice. In this frozen wonderland, almost everything is made of frozen water: The walls, the bar itself, the stools, the sculptures and the the glasses, too.
It's like stepping into the North Pole (if the North Pole charged you $20 to enter, which gets you two cocktails and the use of a faux fur coat to keep warm in the 17-degree environment.)
There are only 14 ice bars in the world, and this is the only one that floats. NCL partnered with SVEDKA Vodka and Inniskillin ice wine to create this unique ice palace, and it's easily the most talked-about site on the ship. As I heard one passenger say, “You gotta go to the ice bar just so you can say you went. It's sorta like the State of Liberty.”
And really, it is cool (no pun intended). Besides the attraction of the icy interior, the bar also features rotating lighting effects in shades of purple, blue and green – to mimic the Northern Lights. This, of course, is a nod to
Scandinavia, where ice bars and ice hotels are most prevalent.
And the vodka is pretty good, too!
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I am officially the Smartest Passenger on the Ship. I earned this distinction by winning the Epic's version of “The Weakest Link.”
By knowing such trivial facts as which Marx Brother never spoke on camera (Harpo) and
Oprah Winfrey's real name (Orprah Winfrey, duh), I am now the proud owner of an NCL tote bag, a T-shirt, a beer can coolie and a reusable water bottle.
I also gave a shout-out to American Way when I was asked my occupation, and the crowd went wild. (Well, not really. They went mild, is more like it.)
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I give NCL credit for providing some top-notch entertainment aboard the Epic. In addition to the
Blue Man Group, which was outstanding, we've seen an hour of comedy put on by the world-famous Second City troupe, a very faithful production of
Nickelodeon's “Slime Time Live” and a Legends in Concert show.
Legends in Concert, which has been doing its thing since 1983, boasts some fantastic musical impersonators. Our show featured fake
Rod Stewart, fake
Britney Spears and fake Michael Jackson.
Fake Rod had the best voice, fake Britney had the best stage presence and backup dancers, and fake MJ got the most applause. After the show, the singers posed for photos with audience members: Fake MJ attracted all the young girls … and fake Britney attracted all the males.
Shocking, I know.
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My youngest daughter's favorite thing on this cruise is, of course, the simplest thing. Every night, Richard, our cabin steward, de-clutters out staterooms and leaves a towel animal on the bed. We've found a pig, an elephant and a bull waiting for us. The official 11-year-old girl verdict? “They're sooooooooooo cute!”