WOW.
It's July 6th and we're still coming down from the high of our super swanky Fourth of July night. We were so excited about the event that we cut short our vacation in Michigan to awake at 3:30 a.m. on July 4th and drive back to NYC to make the party. Oh, and we splurged on a new DSLR camera so we could take better photos of the fireworks (so excuse the abundance of photos here, we had to practice!). You see, Macy's, Inc. invited us to celebrate the Fourth of July right on the Hudson River aboard the brand spanking new Epic cruise ship, the newest and largest ship to set sail from Norwegian Cruise Lines. DOUBLE WOW!
Needless to say, it was a night to remember. The combination of the freedom of a night away from the kiddo, the crystal clear summer sky, the balmy yet breezy air, our front row seats for the fireworks and the eighteen stories of luxurious merriment for us to explore left us feeling like we were kids let loose in a high-end resort.
We started exploring the entertainment decks with theaters and exclusive dining options, made our way to the casino and briefly checked out the private villas area - like a private hotel within the ship. The party really began on the open air 15th deck with drinks and food offered everywhere we turned. We were completely spoiled and loved every minute of it! c2cDad enjoyed checking out the Intrepid Museum from the Epic. Here's the stage where Enrique Iglesias performed...sorry, Justin Beiber was not aboard our ship, mom ;-) Mayor Bloomberg was, though!
We had a splendid time hanging out with the effervescent @fitsngiggles and her husband (that's her with me below), as we made our way to the exclusive fireworks viewing party aboard Epic's chic outdoor Posh club on the very top deck. (How could we not have a blast with the drinks flowing, surrounded by beautiful people, all set against the Manhattan skyline?) We enjoyed some delicious nibbles (I must admit that the unchecked kid in me went for the dessert nibbles first ;-) ) as we took in the fabulous views. I just loved how the city looked with the sun going down.
We gazed at the partiers on the decks below from Posh and eagerly awaited the fireworks to begin. (Why yes, I was at a "we're too cool for the real party" VIP party . . . and yes, I'm just as shocked. Seriously - I pinched myself twice. ;-) ) It was worth the wait and worth waking up pre-dawn to attend. Before the fireworks show began, we counted six Macy's barges on the Hudson River for launching fireworks. You can see the Hudson quickly began to fill with private boats and ferries to view the fireworks festivities. The Westside Highway was closed to car traffic, but spectators filled it in as far as the eye can see!
Watching the fireworks from our vantage point was amazing! The brighter fireworks reflected off of the Hudson River and some of the more reflective Manhattan buildings. We could see camera flashes blinking all down the West Side Highway and from the numerous boats along the River. Listening to the patriotic songs that punctuated the fireworks display fully immersed us in the magic of the Fourth of July. I love some of our shots of the Macy's 4th of July fireworks! The colors are so caribeean and fun. Doesn't the barge in the next-to-last shot of the finale look like it's on fire? Crazy pyrotechnics.
The Epic was beautifully designed and offered comforts and entertainment options for both adults and kids alike. It was massive! We really liked the recreation amenities on the 15th floor deck, equipped with a climbing wall, stages and theaters for performances, and some great on-board water activities and super cool twisty-turny slides - one including a huge water bowl basin in which you circle around before sliding down the tunnel shoot. (It's the big orange bowl in the middle of the water slides in the pics above.) One of the twisty-turny tunnel slides swung out over the side of the deck briefly - just like the AquaDuck preview I saw at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. The staff was friendly and courteous, which is no easy task with the craziness of hundreds (perhaps thousands?) of people running around the ship that night. We didn't get the opportunity to check out the famed Svedka Ice Bar - a bar made entirely of ice and set to around 17 degrees Fahrenheit. It sounds crazy cool, though. We couldn't decide if we loved this two-story chandelier or if it was too Vegas-y. What do you think?
This was actually the first time both c2cDad and I have boarded a cruise ship, and we've now added taking a cruise to our growing wish list for travel. I found myself searching the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Alaska cruise routes as I was uploading our photos from the party. So maybe one day we'll board with the kiddo and actually leave the dock to head out to sea as we do our exploring. When we handed the ship's brochure to Li'l Boo to show him more about the ship we were on, he quickly pointed out the photo of the gigantic Wii screen with which to play. Oh yes, he's our son.
Absolutely a Fourth of July celebration for the ages!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Macy's Inc and Norwegian Cruise Lines, and the staff aboard the ship for imagining and hosting such a magical evening for us. A very special thank-you to @fitsngiggles, Be Everywhere and Orlando Veras for the thoughtful invitation to one of the most memorable nights of our lives.
Wow. . . . .sounds like an amazing evening. . . fireworks, cruise ship, entertainment, delicious food and beverages, and great weather!
Posted by: Becky | July 06, 2010 at 03:03 PM
We had a blast spending the 4th with you guys! Hope to see you both again very soon!
Posted by: FitsNGiggles | July 06, 2010 at 04:05 PM
Chandelier? Def too Vegas. Other than that, gorgeous! So glad you had a fantastic Fourth.
Posted by: dusty earth mother | July 10, 2010 at 09:53 AM
The photos are fantastic! So worth the splurge. I think you have a second career as a fireworks photographer. So glad you had such a wonderful time.
Posted by: Karen | July 14, 2010 at 12:53 AM