We are currently on the Caribbean Princess on a 13 Day itinerary featuring the ports in Eastern USA and Canada. We embarked this ship in Port Everglades, and Norfork, Virginia was our first port to visit, while were enroute to the North.
While on the Caribbean Princess, passengers are exposed to a lot of information about the ports that we visit. We get a lot of suggestions of what to do in port from the shore excursions staff; having the opportunity to attend port information presentations with destination experts; or by watching our Princess TV to watch short videos from other area experts.
We decided that we would like to do a general, free, excursion of our own. The temperature was a comfortable temperature of 25 degrees Celsius with a very light rain at the end of our discovery.
Table of Contents:
How Do You Pronounce "Norfolk"?
The very first thing that we thought we would do, was try to learn how to properly pronounce the city name of "Norfolk". We had assumed that we would say "Nor-Folk", but the locals actually pronounce it as "Nah-Fick"...
We met a really nice lady, Alice, on the streets of Norfolk, and asked us if she would tell us a little about the area we were in. She also clarified the pronunciation for us!
The Mermaids of Norfolk
We noticed that we were starting to take a lot of pictures of all of the Mermaids that seem to be everywhere! We got off of the ship and there was a mermaid. We turned the corner, and there was another mermaid, and so on. If you want a FREE thing to do while visiting Norfolk, you may consider going around the city and looking for each of them!
So, what is with the Mermaids?
Mermaids in Norfolk, Virginia came into being in 1999! There were 130 mermaid casts created, and over 80 made and placed all around the city.
Norfolk is a port town, so it is pretty convenient that they are the symbol for the city!
Fun fact, that Mermaids came into being from the idea of the Norfolk attorney and philanthropist, "Uncle Pete" Decker, who's wife, Bess, was inspired by Chicago's "Cows On Parade" Campaign.
What FREE things are there to DO in Norfolk?
There are some great ways to keep yourself busy and educated in this port. Princess Cruises was docked in Norfolk for a full 12 hours, so it made it possible for those who really wanted to explore, to take advantage of a full day!
Of course, we like to try and keep our budget low, but there are a few great notable excursions that are worth mentioning.
The MacArthur Centre is a mall within a 10 minute walk to the cruise port. It is huge and offers all kinds of shopping in its 3 floors!
Follow the Walking Path of Downtown Norfolk. The website is at www.startwalkingnow.org
Check out all of the churches and historical buildings in the area.
Find All Of The Mermaids in the city (There are over 80 at the moment)
Walk Along Cannonball Trail (Watch the short video above with Alice!)
The Pagoda and Oriental Garden with Koi Pond
Walk around the outside of Battleship Wisconsin. It is steps away from the cruise!
Our Overall Impression Of Norfolk
Overall, we loved our visit to Norfolk, Virginia. It was a fun city. The people that we met were very polite! We would definitely get off a cruise ship and re-visit again.
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Very Kool and have a wonderful time on this extrusion