Nose Art

I've always enjoyed aircraft with images painted on their noses, but on a recent cruise I had the opportunity to see a much bolder "nose art" (or perhaps in this case "bow art") on the Norwegian Pearl, which anchored near our ship.

I'm told all the ships in their NCL fleet have these bold paint schemes, but this was my up close and personal exposure and I really enjoyed seeing these vibrant colors and bigger than life images. The Pearl berthed next to our ship in Cozumel, and when they pulled out to sea, I noticed that this art work was not only between the waterline and the lower deck - they had a similar "mural" running the length of their lower walking deck (generally on deck 5). As we ate dinner in our dining room, we saw this display as "moving art" as our ship (still tied up at the dock) watched theirs depart.

While I've primarily cruised with Royal Caribbean, and one foray onto a Carnival ship for the Rock & Roll Cruise, I'd be tempted to try this cruise line to see if their ships inside are as festive as their paint jobs are outside. You hear that you can't judge a book by its cover, but this cover may warrant expanding my personal cruise horizons.