breakaway

February 16, 2016 by TravelXena 2 Comments

Interview Chat with Captain Mikael Hilden of the Norwegian Breakaway – Part 1

This post has been a long time coming! (Thank you for taking the time for the interview Mikael and my apologies for not posting sooner 🙂

In December (’15) DH and I took a cruise on the Norwegian Breakaway, it was our 3rd or 4th cruise on this ship and needless to say we enjoy it, that’s why we went.

I had a chance to have a chat with Captain Hilden. I’ve called it an interview in the heading but Mikael Hilden and I had a chance to have a chat and discuss the history of Finland, his family and suggestions for those interested in his line of work.

Read it all below!

Captain Mikael Hilden: We have merged with Denmark and we lost sometime we won sometimes and at some point we went together and then we agreed on one country. But then soon after that, we became a different country. So Denmark and Norway have been long time partners with some warfare as well. But between Finland and Sweden, there was never a war. We were just one country. There were not really countries those days, Sweden was a country. But for example, Russia did not exist, it was just the big steps of them. Germany, as we know today, did not exist. There was a lot of, I think 29 or 30 Kingdoms around. They work together, but that was not a country. Sweden was a country before England.

Travel Xena: Wow, I never knew, so it’s really, really lots of history there.
Mikael Hilden: Yes, I mean England belongs to the Roman empire and part of Germany belongs there and they push them off of it. I mean the borders went like this. Sweden was more stable these days…So Finland and Sweden were together together than Sweden had been part of Sweden.

Travel Xena: Ok, so that’s why….

Captain Mikael Hilden: So that’s why we have traditions, we have Swedish-speaking population. It’s very, very small it’s like 5 percent to 6 percent today. But it’s the official language, we have Swedish-speaking schools where I went and we have to learn Finnish of course and in Finnish-speaking school you have to learn a little Swedish and so we still have the tradition there.
Travel Xena:: That’s truly is something. So in general, if you live in the area where you spoke Swedish that no one spoke Finnish for the most part?

Captain Mikael Hilden: No, not anymore because this Finnish-speaking population grows faster than Swedish because we are so cute. So we still have some traditions of the Swedish-speaking areas, but we have all on Island it’s like 99 percent Swedish-speaking. We have the archipelago, which is more Swedish speaking, but there is a lot Finnish speaking. There was maybe 80, 90 percent recall, now it’s narrow down to 60 percent. Some areas where, when we move just outside of Helsinki.
If you go to Finland and you see all the signs, they are always in two languages and if you see the Swedish name first then you know that majority is Swedish-speaking. If the Finnish name is first majority is Finnish-speaking.

Travel Xena: Ok, so you know where you are based on that. Oh, that’s helpful; I guess when you go there. Wow, that’s interesting, I have to go there I always say I would go there one day.
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Travel Xena: When did you decide to be a captain or to work on ships or was it something that you didn’t decide it was just your family?
Captain Mikael Hilden: I did not decide. No, my family would have been something else when I grow up I can’t even remember anybody told me I to be something. It was sort of just an understanding of I was going to become a doctor. My father was something else in the family before we’re doctors. There were a lot of priests, but that was not the thing. We have a couple bishops in our family, but that was not the plan for me.

My grand-mom wanted me to become a Mathematician because she was and math was an easy thing for me when I was a child but it was not really my thing. And it was just a teacher of mine asked: “have you thought of becoming a captain?” Just out of the blue, just like that. I said no. He said: “would you like to go for an interview?” And that’s it, I mean you have to be up for different things so let’s go and it was already arranged.

I know that teacher, he still keeps in touch. I asked him a few years ago, how did you come up with that? He said: I don’t have a clue, I don’t know. So I went for the interview and it actually sounded interesting. So I decided to become a captain.
Travel Xena: That’s so interesting, especially coming from a family that had totally different ideas what you going to do.
Mikael Hilden: We didn’t have a single family friend involved in shipping. I knew one person that had been working on a ship, but he was like ten years older than me. We knew each other. It was a cousin of mine who lived very far. It was like I have nothing else, he was so much older…I knew as much about captains as anybody here like the captain steering the ship but as soon as we learn, that is really not the case but it is what it is.

And so I had a long chat with my dad he did not really…I mean sailors had a bad reputation, they were drinking, which was not really true anymore but that was the reputation that hangs in there.

Travel Xena: Especially him being a doctor.
Captain Mikael Hilden: And then so, we talked a long time. Then he finally admitted that he wanted to become a naval officer, but after the second world war, they said: Ok, you could not do anything else you are not good enough because some many remained in the naval army. He was in the navy as well, so he decided I will show that I can do something else than become a naval officer but that was what he wanted to do.

And then he was a dentist at first and so he started to train and that’s basically how I decided to become a captain and I’ve not even think about anything else before I get my captain license. But he was a dentist and then he did a surgery, he wanted to finish up that part but he didn’t like. So by 34 years of age decided that he wanted to become a medical doctor instead.

So he studied again and became a neurosurgeon specialist. So I told him when I get my captain license, at that point I knew a little bit more so I said I would be about the same age when you changed your mind. So he said: “why don;t you think that I could change my mind and do something else?” So that’s where he gave up, I said Ok. Now I decided that I could become a captain, I would work as a captain and then I would decide what to do.

Stay tuned for the rest of the interview on Captain Mikael Hilden of the Norwegian Breakaway.

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September 23, 2014 by TravelXena 2 Comments

Bermuda on the Breakaway 2014

The Mister and I cruised on the Breakaway the other week. I began a large writeup about what we did, but suddenly realized that I have no desire to do all of that writing this time. So I’ll create a few posts that focus on what we did at specific times instead of putting it all into one article. For the foodies out there, this one is for you.

The focus of these photos i on two meals. One in taste restaurant for lunch and the other in the Manhattan room. The Taste meal might be of particular interest to those who want to see what specific appetizers look like in this restaurant.

Enjoy!

7 Course Meal of Appetizers at Taste Restaurant on the Norwegian Breakaway

– Greek Salad 4 out of 5 stars.

Tasty without being too heavy on the Olive Oil Dressing.

– Hummus and Bagel Chips. 3 of 5.

I enjoyed the hummus and savory marinated vegetables. The chips were nice but I think that I like the idea of Bagel chips more than Bagel chips.

– Scallops and Garlic Bread. 2.5 of 5 stars.

My husband mentioned that the sauce used for the scallops seemed to be the same one used for the Escargot in Le Bistro and that it worked better with Escargot. I thought that it was flavorful but rather overpowering for such a light meal. The garlic bread was quite delicious. I could eat it all day, but I didn’t. This time.

– Atlantic Chowder Soup. 3.5 of 5.

Not memorable but good. A tasty soup that I wouldn’t hesitate to try again. Not overly seafoody, but still maintaining that essence.

– Vanilla Bean Creme Caramel (like Flan) 5 of 5.

Flan consistency. Very good with a vanilla twist on a classic. The topping was crunchy and added a nice variety of texture to the tasting palette.

– The Raspberry

– Popcorn Shrimp 2.5 of 5.

Nice and crunchy but I like my Popcorn shrimp with a little more shrimp and a bit more spice.

– Watermelon and Feta Cheese 4 of 5.

This concept went over well. The sweet of the watermelon, with the tang of the vinegar and lime and creaminess of the feta bits.

Dinner in the Manhattan Room

When wearing green…

Food on the Breakaway

7 Course Meal of Appetizers at Taste Restaurant

All photos and written material copyright of © TravelXena.com 2014

June 10, 2013 by TravelXena 6 Comments

St. Georges Bermuda and Photos around the Norwegian Breakaway

Last but not least from our enjoyable cruise on the ship is our wanderings around St. Georges Bermuda and some random photos from areas of the ship. We spent the first day in Bermuda on the ship enjoying the water slides since most people were on shore, the second day we head to St. Georges and the third we just spent a few hours around dockyards. Frankly there’s not much to do there besides go to a small mall or eat at one of the restaurants there, so we sat around enjoyed the sun and breeze and picked up some water to take back on the ship. The photos below are from the second day.

In order to take the buses or ferries you can use tokens or passes. They have 1, 2 and 3 day passes available. Prices for them have gone up significantly since last year, so we opted for a two day pass and actually wound up wasting money since we didn’t use it on the last day. Honestly in future we’ll probably by tokens for when we need the ferry since we don’t spend all three days wandering the island anyway.

You can buy the passes at the tourist booth that’s right there as you get to the end of the pier. You can also get them in the little information shop that’s right in the center in the area where the ferries and buses stop.

We made our way to the unfinished cathedral, Tobacco bay and the surrounding area along with Fort Catherine, we stopped off for a bit to eat and then head back on the ferry. We walked about 2 miles total and it was nice to feel our legs stretch on land in the warm sun. I’ll be adding some more photos soon.

We had no firm plans that day but knew that we wanted to see the unfinished cathedral. It’s about 1/4 of a mile from where the Saturday ferry arrives.

Along the cute streets that wind through town we passed by this beautiful weathered door with a cork wreath and flowers in front of it. I could have stared at it for an hour.

Unfinished cathedral. I imagine that in the rain it’s hauntingly beautiful. You can no longer go inside due to architectural concerns,
but if you hop up onto one of the window sills you can get a good view of the inside.

In and around Tobacco Bay. The contrasting blues between the water and the sky is simply stunning!

Inside Wahoo restaurant. I had rice, and conch fritter as well as an alcoholic drink. The food was typical of Bermuda prices (read expensive) and was okay.
Not bad but not great.

At Fort Catherine. We didn’t go in, but I think that the entrance fee was about $7.00 per person.

I love the way Bermuda embraces color in their architecture.

This chandelier is stunning, I prefer it over the one on the Epic and that one is quite a beauty too.

A beer at Maltings. No Guinness on tap unfortunately. I think that DH chose a Heineken.

Going GLOW and 80’s (note the fingerless gloves) no one told me that those were two DIFFERENT parties! Personally I think that they should be combined, when one thinks of one they think of the other.

Yes somehow I convinced the Mr. that a glow necklace would be an “awesome” idea. He’s so patient and sweet.

Deepa! One of my two favorites Hostesses on the Breakaway I met her on the Jade twice. She’s such a sweetheart.
My other favorite is Leonara, we met on the Epic last year and were dancing buddies in Bliss.

June 8, 2013 by TravelXena Leave a Comment

Captain Evans Hoyt of the Norwegian Breakaway

Talking with Captain Evans Hoyt of the Norwegian Breakaway

On our recent cruise on the Norwegian Breakaway (second sailing to Bermuda out of New York…Woo Hoo) I had the chance to sit down and interview Captain Evans Hoyt who is quite honored to be chosen as one of the Captains on the newest ship in the fleet.

Captain Evans Hoyt is from Washington D.C. he grew up there having had family that worked in the state department.

He decided on this line on work when he was 17. He was trying to figure out what he was going to do with his life and since he’d always had a boat growing up this seemed like a good way to combine a passion and a way to make a living.

One of the things that he enjoys most about his job is being able to work with the quality of people that are working on ships these days. Along with bringing talented people together and making things work.

The thoughts he has for young people that are thinking of entering this field is this is to look into it because there are “excellent opportunities”. “There is a shortage of people wanting to go to sea so the opportunities are growing. The pay is going up and there’s the opportunity to save money.” He also mentioned that everything you do has an impact. In being a part of a team at sea you wind up “becoming an important part of everyone else’s life.”

When I asked him how he defines his command style he said that he has an “empathetic approach” however “when it comes to the safety side of things there are no compromises.” He believes in “creating a human environment and never losing sight of that because…happy ship, happy crew, happy guests.”

As to what he feels distinguishes Norwegian from other cruise lines there’s one reoccurring and much deserved theme that I hear from each Captain I’ve spoken to so far. The freestyle concept. “Freestyle first and foremost.” He mentioned that their style was “more cruise-centric” and that they try to view things from the “people side of the equation.”

Thank you Captain Evans!

Would you like to know more about Captain Evans and his team on the Norwegian Breakaway? Check out the link below to watch a Q&A session that happened on board during the May 19th sailing to Bermuda.

Video Below.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN_FvqiPHZk

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