From Point A with B - Brittany Rowland (2024)

10/01/2023

Day 4: The Golden Circle. Our first stop on today’s tour was Thingvellir National Park. It's known for Althing, the site of Iceland's parliament from the 10th to 18th centuries. It is the only place in the world where you can stand between two continental plates. The landscape is unworldly.

The next stop was Gullfoss-The Golden Waterfall. Gullfoss is a double drop waterfall with a cascade of more than 30 meters.

Next we headed to another amazing feat of nature, Geysir & Haukadalur geothermal area. Strokkur sits nearby and is very active, reliably erupting to heights of up to 30 meters every few minutes. We walked up just in time to see it then headed back across the street for lunch and some souvenir shopping.

After eating way too much pizza, we got back on the bus and headed to Kerid volcanic crater. It is three thousand years old and more than 50 meters deep. We didn’t have time to walk down into the crater but we did make our way around it.

At this point we were getting tired and very ready for our last stop of the day, the Blue Lagoon. Our ticket included a drink, mud mask and admission into the lagoon. We soaked in the warm water, relaxed and talked about how amazing our trip had been. If you visit Iceland, a trip to the Blue Lagoon is a must.

If you’re wondering why I haven’t mentioned the Northern Lights tour, that’s because it was cancelled again due to weather. I rebooked for the next and last night of our trip. I was incredibly nervous. If they cancelled again, we wouldn’t have another night to rebook.

07/01/2023

Day 3: We chose a later excursion since we knew we’d be up late celebrating New Years. After some much needed sleep, we headed back to the harbor for our whale watching tour. As went approached the ticket counter, the lady checked us in and said “The seas are very rough today. Is that okay?” Anyone that knows me knows I get extremely motion sick. I nervously told her we’d be okay and grabbed a few complimentary motion sickness pills. I knew a whale watching excursion could cause me to get sick. I didn’t anticipate the seas being so rough. As we headed out to sea, snow started to fall. I took my sea sickness pill and said a prayer to see a whale and not need to use the puke bag I grabbed upon boarding the boat.

As the miles from land increased, the temperature decreased and the waves got bigger. Honestly I felt like I was on an episode of Deadliest Catch. When the cold reached a certain point, we both opted to add another layer and put on the overalls provided by the tour company. It helped some but my fingers and toes legitimately started hurting from the cold. The boat was rocking so hard that I was afraid to have my phone out in fear that I would drop it into the ocean. We saw more whales than the one in the video but I decided to keep my hands warm and my phone safe in my pocket. We ended up going back a little early due to the rough seas and heavy snowfall. Honestly I was at the brink of losing my battle with motion sickness so I was very happy to see land. An incredible experience and something I’ve always wanted to do but I think it will be my last whale watching tour.

The plan was to go back the hotel, warm up a bit then head out for our Northern Lights tour. Unfortunately it was cancelled due to weather so we rebooked the tour for the next night, grabbed food and called it an early night.

The cat in the photo is the Yule Cat, known as Jólakötturinn, a huge and vicious cat who is described as lurking about the snowy countryside during Christmas time and eating people who have not received any new clothes to wear before Christmas Eve. He is the house pet of Grýla and her sons. Iceland certainly has some interesting folk lure.

06/01/2023

Day 2: We woke up to an email that our South Coast and Glacier Hiking tour had been cancelled. As you can see, there was lots of snow which caused road closures. So we decided to sleep in then head out in the snow for lunch. We went to the American Bar and had burgers. I also had a Somersby cider that’s from Denmark. It was good but on the sweeter side.

Before our NYE event, we headed to the Sky bar located on the top floor of our hotel. It has great views of the harbor and city. We had some drinks and enjoyed the cheese board.

Next we bundled back up and headed to our Champagne and Fireworks Midnight Cruise that we booked through Expedia. The meeting point was a short walk from the hotel. When we boarded, we grabbed drinks from the concessions located on the bottom floor of the boat then headed up top. I can honestly say I’ve never experienced a NYE where fireworks are continuously shot off hours before midnight. Then when the clock struck midnight, fireworks exploded across the city. Taking the harbor cruise was an incredible way to ring in the new year because we were able to see all the firework displays around the city. It was truly magical and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for something to do for NYE in Iceland.

04/01/2023

Day 1: We landed in Reykjavík at 4:55 am after a long travel day to a crisp 10°F. Ok crisp isn’t the right word…let’s go with cold to the bone. We scheduled a Walk with a Viking tour to get our bearings of the city and learn a little more about the history and culture. We showed up to our 10 am tour with a group of other cold travelers only to learn that our original guide had called in sick. We rescheduled for 1 pm and ventured out to find food.

We found a cute cafe called Laundromat Cafe. The food was good but expensive as expected. I was surprised to see several political posters on the wall referring to American politics. After, we went back to the hotel and was pleasantly surprised that our room was ready early.

After a power nap, we layered back up and headed out to meet our guide in the warmer 13°F. He was a jolly guy excited to share the sights and folk lure of the country. We saw the rainbow street. Reykjavík Pride has taken place every year since 1999 and each year the street was painted. In 2019, they decided to make it a permanent fixture and allowed the residents to participate in painting the street. Next we wandered up the street to Hallgrímskirkja, a Lutheran church located at the top of Skólavörðuhæð hill. Tjörnin lake was incredible. Most of the lake was frozen but is home to hundreds of birds year round.

After the tour we grabbed dinner and got some much needed rest, 12-15 hours to be exact.

29/12/2022

I know it’s been so long and I have a lot of trips to post about but today we spent time in Boston during our layover for Iceland! I can’t wait to share everything that’s been happening. In the meantime, enjoy a few pics from our Freedom Trail tour.

09/10/2022

These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it for New York, New York, New York

08/04/2022

Well hello luggage! I’m glad you could join us on Day 6 of our cruise. I have so much to share about our journey to get here. From delayed flights, cancelled flights, Delta employees telling me they couldn’t help us, flying stand by on our flights that had been cancelled by God only knows who and not having luggage for 6 days, it has definitely been an adventure. But for now I’ll enjoy some downtime in my pjs until it’s time to get dressed for dinner. All I can say is these other passengers aren’t ready. It’s going to be a full fashion show tonight 😂

23/03/2022

It’s time to share my next adventure….I’m going on a Rhine River cruise!

As some of you may remember, in May 2019 I appeared as a contestant on Wheel of Fortune. Although I wasn’t the overall winner, I did win an amazing Rhine River cruise with airfare from Emerald Cruises during the prize puzzle round. My mom has always dreamed of seeing the tulips in Amsterdam so when I found out the cruise began in Amsterdam, there was no question as to who I would take. We had one year to use the prize so we booked it for April 2020 to ensure we’d visit during the tulip festival at Keukenhof Gardens.

Fast forward to March 2020 and as you know, life changed for everyone. We were three weeks away from leaving and had already began packing. An announcement was made that President Trump would hold a press conference from the Oval Office that night and in my gut, I knew what he would say. I watched in tears as he announced the international travel ban. I understood the reason but was still extremely sad. My mom and I discussed rescheduling dates. I suggested Fall 2020 to ensure the pandemic would be over and she felt we’d be fine to go by summer 2020. Clearly none of us knew that this would last much longer than the first few weeks. We decided to reschedule for April 2021. This would be during the tulip festival and of course things would be back to normal by then…WRONG! It was again cancelled. We rescheduled again for April 2022. Until the last month or so, we still weren’t sure it would happen but *fingers crossed* it looks like 2022 will be the year!

I’ve been on 15 cruises but this will be my first river cruise and I’m excited to share all the details. Stay tuned for all the details on my first international trip since Covid and exactly what life is like on a river cruise.

22/03/2022

Ready to hear about my next adventure?? I'm leaving in 11 days! Any guesses as to where I'm going?

First clue: The flight from Atlanta is international

20/03/2022

Looking back at my first solo trip, I learned a few things and reinforced some of the tips I already knew.

-Bring a reusable straw. No one like a limp, soggy straw

-I overpack so an over the door shoe hanger is perfect for all those “may need” things

-Unpack and organize day 1. It’s easier to have all of that done then get your cruise started

-On NCL, you can request an iron from the room steward. You have an hour to use it so I iron everything for the week

-The freestyle daily isn’t available on the NCL app without the internet package on Epic but you can iMessage

-Join the Facebook group for your cruise prior to leaving. You can share useful information and get to know other passengers

-Be patient. We’re still dealing with Covid so rules, testing and procedures are constantly changing

-I always pay gratuities onboard. During my cruise a shore excursion that I’d prepaid was cancelled so the value was returned to my onboard account. If I’d prepaid gratuities, I would’ve had to purchase something else to use the credit

-ALWAYS fly to your departure port a day early! I’ve always lived in GA so any time I’ve taken a cruise departing from FL, we drove. Even that is risky the day of. Once we ended up stuck on the interstate for 4 hours due to a wreck. I’ve seen so many stories of missed flights due to unforeseen issues. It’s worth the extra money for a hotel the night before

-Before Covid, I’d never purchased travel insurance. Since Covid there are just too many unknowns and things that can go wrong. The peace of mind is worth the cost

-Pack a small pharmacy! Cruise lines have been trained to stop sickness outbreaks onboard. If they think you have anything that could be contagious, they can quarantine you. Don’t end up quarantined because of allergies, a stomach ache, etc. Have medicine for those situations

-Pack towel clips for your chair. The wind on the pool deck is no joke

-In the solo cabins on the Epic there is a button by the bed to change the lighting to all white. The constantly changing disco lights weren’t for me lol

05/03/2022

Throughout my posts, I’ve mentioned so many friends that I met on my trip but I haven’t shared pictures because I wanted to do an entire post about the people I met. As I said in my first post, I was nervous to go on this trip. I’m an outgoing person but what if I ended up spending the entire week with no one to talk to. Thankfully that couldn’t have been further from what happened. Prior to going, I joined two Facebook groups for that particular cruise. We were able to share information about Covid testing, flight schedules, plans on staying in Puerto Rico before and after the trip, etc. It felt like we’d built this small community before our vacation even began. On Day 2 we planned a meet up in O’Sheehans and spent a few hours talking, sharing stories, and just enjoying putting a real person to the Facebook profiles we’d been talking to. We planned on meeting back to celebrate my birthday and even signed up to do an escape room type game together.

When thinking about my goals for this trip, I wanted to make it a point to put myself out there. Besides my Facebook group I met an awesome family from Minnesota because we started a random conversation at O’Sheehan’s, another woman solo cruising for her birthday, a great couple from DC, another girl with the exact same birthday that had taken the cruise to celebrate, my ice bar buddy from Chicago, parents of other friends I’d met and of course my late night O’Sheehan’s crew consisting of one of the piano performers, a passenger turned drummer for the week, a new friend from Vegas and others who randomly joined along the way. All of these people I met while striking up random conversations throughout the week. So if you’re considering a solo cruise, GO FOR IT! Be open to meeting new people and you might just make some great friends along the way!

Unfortunately I’m the worst at remembering to take group photos so I had to borrow some of these from posts that they’ve made and I don’t have photos with everyone. I just wanted to take a moment to say Thank You to each person that made my trip so memorable. I’ll never forget the laughs, ridiculous stories, and the drinks shared throughout that week. I hope to see you all again on one of my future cruises ❤️

22/02/2022

Did you think my trip was over just because the cruise was?? Nope! Life has just gotten busy so I haven’t had time to post.

I decided to spend an extra day in Puerto Rico exploring Old San Juan. My trip was actually supposed to be extended four extra days. My best friend and I had a snorkeling excursion, rum distillery tour and the best restaurants all picked out and plans for her to meet me in San Juan. Unfortunately changes in Covid protocols prevented her from coming to meet me so I only stayed one extra day.

The first lesson I learned is that although a sundress is cute and typically great for hot days, it is NOT a good idea to wear on a very windy island while trying to drag two suitcases off a ship. I needed one hand for each suitcase which didn’t leave me one to hold my dress down. At one point I tried to drag both suitcases with one hand while holding the dress down. Overall, 0 of 10 for outfit choices while dragging suitcases but thankfully that was just long enough get my Uber to the hotel and drop the suitcases off while I explored.

I was staying in the Condado area of Puerto Rico so I grabbed an Uber to Old San Juan. I decided to go with no real plan other than to walk and take in the colorful architecture and scenery. With each street, the beautifully colored homes continued to amaze me. When I thought I’d found my favorite, another one presented an incredible unique color scheme. After wandering around for quite some time, I made my way over to the San Felipe del Morro Castle. I’d visited this area on a previous stop in San Juan. During that trip we just took a few photos and continued on. This time I decided to walk down by the waterfront. I felt confident that there would be places along the way that I could go up to the street again if I didn’t want to continue walking. I was wrong. As I began strolling along, I started noticing that everyone else on this path was wearing workout gear and running shoes. As a reminder, I was wearing a sundress and cute sneakers. Perfect for nice strolls, not for serious exercise. Fun fact for anyone planning to visit, it’s 3.3 miles. My feet weren’t feeling the best but the views were absolutely worth it.

After exploring the area a little more, I made my way back into town continuing to enjoy the beautiful streets. As I walked into a square, I ran into the family from North Carolina that I’d spent so much time with on the cruise. They invited me to come have lunch and we spent the next hour or so laughing at the balloon hats we were wearing at Señor Frogs. They were flying back home that day so we said our goodbyes and I continued exploring. I visited a craft festival and found a great bar overlooking the water to enjoy a drink at until I could check in my hotel for the evening.

Takeaways from the day:
-Don’t wear a sundress. It’s too windy.
-Get lost. I am always a super planner but just exploring with no real plans was the most relaxing way to end my amazing vacation.
-Know that the waterfront walk is gorgeous but a long walk.
-Wear comfortable shoes. I ended up walking about 8.5 miles that day.

23/01/2022

Day 7 St Kitts

When planning my shore excursions before the cruise, I booked the Let’s Take a Selfie - Basseterre tour. It’s a 5 hour tour of the city with stops at 8 historical locations for photos. Unfortunately I got a letter during the cruise that my excursion was cancelled due to lack of participation. Although disappointing, it’s understandable because we’re on a ship that can hold 4100 passengers and we only had approximately 1600 onboard. It was honestly a blessing in disguise. After my jam packed week of little sleep and lots of adventures, I really needed a beach day so that’s what I did.

Several people I’d met throughout the week said it would be cheaper to take a taxi to the beach. Even though I’m all about saving a dollar, I was traveling alone and wanted to be as safe as possible, so I decided to only book NCL sponsored shore excursions. I ending up choosing the St Kitts Beach Break excursion. It was a short bus ride from the port to Cockleshell Bay. Upon arrival we were greeted with a juice drink and told we could choose any beach chair. In case you haven’t noticed, I have very pale skin that burns easily so I decided to rent an umbrella for $10. Two gentlemen dug a pretty good sized hole to put the umbrella in. I really thought it was overkill until 30 minutes later when the wind really kicked into high gear and my umbrella didn’t budge. If I’d been responsible for putting out those umbrellas, when the wind picked up it would’ve taken out at minimum 3 adults, 2 kids and a monkey.

I spent the next few hours just relaxing, enjoying the amazing views of the black sand beach and reflecting on what an amazing week I’d had. Since I didn’t eat breakfast, I started to get a little hungry. I ordered the jerk chicken nachos from the restaurant and they were fine. Definitely not the best nachos I’d ever eaten but also not the worst. It was enough to hold me over until I got back on the ship.

On the drive back to the port, we stop to take photos of an area known as the “Cradle of the Caribbean” where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea. It was a beautiful overlook and great place to take photos. When we arrived back at port I did a little shopping then headed back to the ship. I realized that even with the 50 spf sunscreen and the umbrella, I’d apparently missed a few spots on one of my legs which was now the color of a ripe tomato. That is precisely why I usually use lotion sunscreen instead of spray lol.

Back onboard I enjoyed a late lunch, showered and hurried to bingo. I didn’t win bingo this time either but it was fun. I ended the night with dinner in the main dining room, begrudgingly packing my suitcases to place outside my stateroom for pickup and saying my goodbyes to all the wonderful people I’d met throughout the week.

22/01/2022

Day 6: St. Lucia
As you may have noticed, I skipped day 5. It was a day at sea and I spent most of the day relaxing, playing some bingo and enjoying Moderno, the onboard Brazilian Steakhouse. Unfortunately I didn’t win bingo but I did eat my weight in meat. The bacon wrapped filet was incredible!

I chose the Touch the Iconic Pitons shore excursion through NCL. It started with a 90 minute drive along the western coastline of the island. As you may know, I get extremely car sick so I was a bit nervous about this portion. I spoke to the tour guide and he made sure I had a front seat and continued to check on me throughout the drive. As we drove he told us the history of the island and explained that all the produce is grown organically and available along the roadside for anyone to take.

Our first stop was the hike on the Tet Paul Nature Trail to get a closer look at the Pitons. I’m not exactly fitness goals so I was a bit concerned about hiking up the side of this mountain. Apparently my tour guide thought the same thing because he asked if I needed a hiking stick lol. I decided to decline the stick, say a prayer and try not to gasp for air as we made it up the mountain. Honestly it really wasn’t bad at all. I’m not sure if that’s because relative to almost dying hiking the Highline Trail in Glacier this past summer it wasn’t bad or because I’m not in as horrible of shape as I thought. Even if you find the hike tough, the views are worth every step. Standing at the top and looking at the unbelievable views of the Pitons, I took a moment to appreciate how beautiful this island is and how blessed I am to experience it. Of course I couldn’t head back down the mountain without the classic picture touching the Piton. Once we were done with the hike, we enjoyed a tasty snack with juice, fruit, and some local cuisine.

Next we were off to swim at the bottom of the Toraille waterfall. I quickly changed out of my hiking attire and into my swimsuit to enjoy the refreshing water. I do wish I’d packed water shoes because it was pretty rocky under the waterfall. I also wasn’t prepared for how cold the water would be. I think that’s pretty obvious from my facial expression under the waterfall. If you’re tired, a quick dip will definitely wake you right back up. Once I got out of the water, I also wished I’d packed shorts to put on. Even after removing my swimsuit and drying off, it was difficult to get those yoga pants back. Oh well, I’ll know next time.

Our last stop of the day was enjoying Creole cuisine and the Old Sugar Mill Restaurant. I have to say, I’m a picky eater but the food was delicious and the staff was so nice. After eating, we boarded the bus for our 90 minute drive back to the port. I don’t think one person made it the full 90 minutes without falling asleep. When we arrived at the port I did some shopping and got a hand painted ornament for my tree.

Once back onboard I got ready for dinner and enjoyed a delicious meal in the main dining room, watched the Burn the Floor show featuring professional dancers from across the world and then danced the night away at the Glow Party. For those of you that aren’t familiar with Norwegian Cruise Line, this is a party where they encourage passengers to wear white or neon colors and they give out glow sticks. It’s always my favorite party of the week.

20/01/2022

Day 4 Curaçao
Somehow I thought a 9:20 shore excursion the morning after my birthday would be a good idea. As I woke up that morning having gotten very little sleep the night before, I quickly realized that wasn’t my best life choice. But hey, it was my birthday, I’m supposed to make the night last, right?

As I boarded the bus for my Discover Curaçao excursion, my newly adopted NC family was a little surprised and proud that I actually made it on time lol. On the way to the Curaçao Museum in Otrabanda, the tour guide gave us a history of the area, particularly the brightly painted homes that Curaçao is known for. The tale is that Governor Albert Kikkert said the white houses gave him headaches so the residents needed to paint their homes different colors. They’re also required to do it twice per year. What he didn’t tell the locals is that he was a part owner in paint factory. Sounds like a retirement plan to me! The museum was actually a former military hospital with the original mahogany floors. It now houses antique pieces and new pieces from local artists.

Next we headed to Chobolobo Liqueur Factory, home of the famous Blue Curaçao Liqueur. We learned about the bottling process, tasted samples and had the chance to purchase drinks made with the featured liqueur. The drinks looked delicious but I opted for a water and coke. At that point I needed hydration and caffeine preferably in an i.v. directly into my veins but bottled form would have to do for now.

I’m not sure how the tour guide decided that an alcohol tasting before walking up a mountain and into caves was a good idea but nonetheless we headed to explore the Hato Caves. Typically you think of caves as a cool, damp environment. That was certainly not the case. They actually ran drop cords through the caves to power fans because it was so hot inside. It was definitely pretty and interesting to learn about the presumed history of the caves but that heat was rough.

As the tour came to an end, we drove past the salt flats to see the flamingos. Although there were a lot, they weren’t very close the the road.

When we got back to the dock, we headed into town for a little shopping. Fun fact, I purchase a Christmas ornament from each destination on my trips. I love reminiscing on the places I’ve been as I decorate each year.

Once back on the ship, I visited the Skyy Vodka Ice Bar. Before entering they give each person a parka and gloves. The $25 cover includes two specialty drinks. Beware…these drinks are STRONG! I took one sip of first and knew that wasn’t happening. I tried a second sip for good measure then waved the white flag. The bartender laughed when I asked for my second drink to be the nonalcoholic mixture with just a splash of vodka. Call me a pansy if you want but I’m convinced the first drink was paint thinner. You’re given a maximum of 20 minutes inside the bar. I am proud to say that this southern girl lasted the entire 20 minutes in the crisp 17 degree bar made entirely of ice.

16/01/2022

Day 3 Aruba
I had an early morning excursion scheduled and thankfully I’d requested room service for breakfast before going to bed. Pro tip: if you stay out late, order breakfast. Stop trying to convince yourself that you’re going to wake up early and go to breakfast. It’s not happening.

We started the tour off at an aloe factory. I had no idea how aloe is harvested so it was really neat to hear all about the process from growing, to harvesting, all the way to being bottled. I also had no clue that aloe can be used for so many things.

Next we were off to the Casibari Rock formation. They’re basically huge boulders that you can climb to get an awesome view. Here I learned that my choice to wear flip flops wasn’t the best. I made it to the top but there were sketchy moments.

Our next stop was my absolute favorite, the Natural Bridge. Years ago a section of the large bridge collapsed but they found a smaller bridge beside it. I’d never seen a natural bridge and it was gorgeous. I could’ve stayed longer to just soak up the views.

After that we visited the California lighthouse. You could pay a $5 fee to climb the 120 steps to the top but I was exhausted and didn’t feel the urge to do that in flip flops so I hung out at the base. That also turned into a conversation with our tour guide asking me if I was traveling solo. He continued to tell me how brave I was and how that’s what his ex wife wanted to do. Lol I internally questioned why she didn’t want to travel with him but then again the fact that they’re divorced means she probably didn’t want to do anything with him so I decided to keep those questions to myself.

We finished the day with a short stop at the beach. We were only there 20 minutes so I didn’t swim but I did dip my feet in and enjoy the views.

Once I boarded the ship, I took a shower because no matter how hard you try to avoid it, sand gets everywhere. Then I took a much needed nap. I’d booked a specialty restaurant for dinner so I got dressed and proceeded to the onboard steakhouse, Cagney’s. This was my birthday dinner so I made sure to take in every bite. The shrimp cocktail was amazing, the 8 oz filet was prepared perfectly and the chocolate cake was amazing but very rich. It was getting close to 8:15 so I quickly got the check and headed to meet my Facebook group at O’Sheehan’s for my birthday. They asked the waitress to bring a cake but they didn’t have one so I decided on the cheesecake brownie. They even wrote Happy Birthday on the plate. Then they all sang me Happy birthday and encouraged everyone around to join in. I don’t think the group watching the movie below us enjoyed it but that’s ok. Even though I wasn’t with family or longtime friends on my birthday, this group made me feel so special. After hanging out at O’Sheehan’s for a while, I went back to the room to change into flats. The wedges were cute but at this point I needed comfort. I then spent the rest of the night hanging out with my other adopted family and dancing the night away. If you’re trying to decide how to spend your next birthday, I would strongly encourage a solo cruise. I wouldn’t change anything about how I spent mine.

From Point A with B - Brittany Rowland