NCL Breakaway Bermuda Questions (for Families)

Hi. My husband and I and our two kids (ages 6 and 9) will be sailing on the Breakaway May 31 to Bermuda. I have a few questions for someone that has done this cruise before.

1. Any tips on doing shore excursions "on our own" (rather than through NCL)? I like to the idea of just getting off the boat and exploring.

2. Is the Burn the Floor show suitable to kids?

3. Do the kids really want to go to the kids' club? On our Disney cruise, our kids never wanted to go to the kids' club. I think a big part of that was because there were soooo many kids and they weren't able to do many of the activities because it was always so packed...

Thanks in advance! :) Edited March 4, 2015 by JugeePartyofFour

[quote name='JugeePartyofFour']Hi. My husband and I and our two kids (ages 6 and 9) will be sailing on the Breakaway May 31 to Bermuda. I have a few questions for someone that has done this cruise before.

1. Any tips on doing shore excursions "on our own" (rather than through NCL)? I like to the idea of just getting off the boat and exploring.

2. Is the Burn the Floor show suitable to kids?

3. Do the kids really want to go to the kids' club? On our Disney cruise, our kids never wanted to go to the kids' club. I think a big part of that was because there were soooo many kids and they weren't able to do many of the activities because it was always so packed...

Thanks in advance! :)[/QUOTE]

In a nutshell...

1) You can check out the Bermuda Port Board...where you will find LOTS of tips and ideas on exploring the island.

2) Sure. It is just music and dancing, so if your kids enjoy Dancing with the Stars (without the scoring and eliminations), then the show will entertain them.

3) Can't say. Kids are different. Some love it, some hate it. Depends on the kids and the situation. Who knows how your kids will react.

[quote name='JugeePartyofFour']Hi. My husband and I and our two kids (ages 6 and 9) will be sailing on the Breakaway May 31 to Bermuda. I have a few questions for someone that has done this cruise before.

1. Any tips on doing shore excursions "on our own" (rather than through NCL)? I like to the idea of just getting off the boat and exploring.

2. Is the Burn the Floor show suitable to kids?

3. Do the kids really want to go to the kids' club? On our Disney cruise, our kids never wanted to go to the kids' club. I think a big part of that was because there were soooo many kids and they weren't able to do many of the activities because it was always so packed...

Thanks in advance! :)[/quote]

1. Definitely check out the Bermuda port forum. Bermuda is an easy island to get around between the buses and the ferries. That said, our beach day (Horseshoe Bay) we chose do do an excursion/transfer throught the ship, and to me the convenience for that was worth it.

2. Yes. We were on Breakaway twice last year, and my then 10 yo dd loved Burn the Floor so much that she asked to go again on the second trip and even made sure we got there early to sit up front.

3. Depends on your kids and how crowded the sailing is. My dd never really warmed up to Splash Academy because our sailings were very full and very crowded. However, once she was able to make a friend on board, she was very happy to make plans to meet at the club. She just needed to know that her new friend would be there. Might be a little easier for you since you have two kids going, but as an only child my dd didn't like going in alone (and she is normally a social kid who has no trouble making friends). Splash Academy was my one disappointment. I had hoped dd would like it there (I am a single mom and would have enjoyed a little more "me time" on board). Regardless, we had a great time, and wouldn't hesitate to sail again.

Have fun!

As said, the Ports of Call will have lots of info. One poster has a list - I think it is someone like sailbadthesinner or something like that.

Horseshoe Beach you can take the bus. Tobacco Beach on St. George (took the ferry) is also great for snorkeling and wasn't crowded when we went.

Burn the Floor is fine for kids.

We did Bermuda on the BA on her first season and it was wonderful. We didn't book any NCL excursions, but did everything on our own using the ferries and busses. The high speed ferry ride I think would be very thrilling for the kids and the busses are something else. We did the Crystal Cave which was beautiful, but might be kind of tame for kids. There's also a lot of stuff to check out at the Dockyards itself.

Have a great time!

Jen

[quote name='JugeePartyofFour']Hi. My husband and I and our two kids (ages 6 and 9) will be sailing on the Breakaway May 31 to Bermuda. I have a few questions for someone that has done this cruise before.

1. Any tips on doing shore excursions "on our own" (rather than through NCL)? I like to the idea of just getting off the boat and exploring.

2. Is the Burn the Floor show suitable to kids?

3. Do the kids really want to go to the kids' club? On our Disney cruise, our kids never wanted to go to the kids' club. I think a big part of that was because there were soooo many kids and they weren't able to do many of the activities because it was always so packed...

Thanks in advance! :)[/QUOTE]


We went to Bermuda on the Breakaway last year. We did not join any ship excursion. Lots of info in the Bermuda board. We went to Horseshoe Bay, St. George's and Hamilton. We used the buses and ferries. Very safe, clean and easy.

We saw Burn the Floor with my Daughter (7 yrs old) she was kinda bored. Love the show but might be boring for kids. My daughter loved the kids club so much so we were thinking that we should have dropped her off there instead.

My daughter loved the kids club in Disney cruise and she loved the Splash Academy in NCL. They do so many fun things and they put on a show at the end of the cruise. Very fun!

Taking the kids back to Bermuda again this year in the BA.

You do not need to do excursions from the ship. Bermuda is VERY easy to get around. As others posted check the Bermuda board. And go to the Bermuda tourism board, [url]www.gotobermuda.com[/url], and they will send you free guides and maps.

2) Did not see the show yet.

3) Kids did the club a few times. May 31st should not be as crowded since most kids are still in school. My kids lived on the water slides.

[quote name='JugeePartyofFour']Hi. My husband and I and our two kids (ages 6 and 9) will be sailing on the Breakaway May 31 to Bermuda. I have a few questions for someone that has done this cruise before.

1. Any tips on doing shore excursions "on our own" (rather than through NCL)? I like to the idea of just getting off the boat and exploring.

2. Is the Burn the Floor show suitable to kids?

3. Do the kids really want to go to the kids' club? On our Disney cruise, our kids never wanted to go to the kids' club. I think a big part of that was because there were soooo many kids and they weren't able to do many of the activities because it was always so packed...

Thanks in advance! :)[/QUOTE]

First, welcome to Cruise Critic! Second, we are also sailing on the same cruise. Consider joining the Roll Call thread where you can talk with other people on this cruise. You can find the Roll Call by following the link in the box near the top of the page. Third, to answer some of your questions, we are doing all of our excursions outside of NCL. We found all of our information either through the Bermuda Threads (located in the Port of Call boards) or through Tripadvisor or through Go To Bermuda Dot Com. I can't answer about the kids as our children are late teens and young adults. As for Burn the Floor, we haven't seen it yet, but hear it is a lot like Dancing with the Stars. Again, welcome!

[quote name='JugeePartyofFour']Hi. My husband and I and our two kids (ages 6 and 9) will be sailing on the Breakaway May 31 to Bermuda. I have a few questions for someone that has done this cruise before.

1. Any tips on doing shore excursions "on our own" (rather than through NCL)? I like to the idea of just getting off the boat and exploring.

2. Is the Burn the Floor show suitable to kids?

3. Do the kids really want to go to the kids' club? On our Disney cruise, our kids never wanted to go to the kids' club. I think a big part of that was because there were soooo many kids and they weren't able to do many of the activities because it was always so packed...

Thanks in advance! :)[/QUOTE]


We are on the same cruise!

My 6 year old will be joining yours at Splash Academy. We were on the Gem last year, and my littles (5 and 3 at the time) enjoyed it immensely. Oh and so did me and the hubby... we got some free time for dinner while the kids were having a blast.

Bermuda is really easy to navigate with public transportation. There is an express bus that goes directly to Horseshoe Bay Beach from the dockyard. You can get a multi day transportation pass right when you get off the ship. Local people are also very friendly, and happy to point you in the right direction. It is clean and safe.