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Breakaway to Bermuda Cruise Review 08/25/13


Highboy90
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Cruise Date: August 25 - September 01, 2013

 

Ship: Norwegian Breakaway. During the winter months, many on Cruise Critic and I watched Norwegian's newest ship, the Breakaway come to life. Looking at the snow outside and pictures that slowly were released or leaked, I bit the bullet and booked a Bermuda cruise. Would this be regretted? Read and see for yourself.

 

Itinerary: Bermuda! 7-day cruise. Three nights out. Two nights in Bermuda. Two nights back to New York.

 

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Background: One previous cruise which was on the NCL Jewel back in 2011 to the Bahamas. This was my "5-55" cruise. Five years sober and were celebrating my 55th birthday which was on the second day in Bermuda. August 29.

 

Embarkation: Live in New York so the car ride was about 1.5 hours. Crossed over the NYS Thruway heading towards Bear Mountain and took the Palisades Parkway down to the George Washington Bridge. Crossed her and arrived around 10:15 AM and parked at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. Two hundred forty five dollars for 7-days. Passed the dog sniff test and parked the car taking noting not to park under a lamp post knowing that birds would be near. Unloaded and locked the car. Wheeled luggage to the terminal elevator. Went down to the lower level. Walked outside and handed the baggage to a handler with a small tip and proceeded inside where we walked through customs and were immediately directed to the NCL check-in counter. With passports and cruise tickets in hand, process was quick and painless. Moved ahead and had a photo taken. Were given a boarding number 21 and sat down to relax and watch the people show for about an hour.

 

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Announcement was made and passengers started to board the ship about 11:30. Wasn't long before our number was called. Were on the ship by 12 o'clock if I am correct. Walked around with a carry on bag and then decided to see how busy the buffet lounge was. It wasn't bad (yet) so we decided to grab a bite to eat there. My first meal...

 

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Cabin: At some point, it was announced that cabins were ready so we proceed to our B1 AFT Balcony cabin number 11312. Bed is located by the sliding door so access to the closet was not an issue. Lattitudes letter and pins were on the counter.

 

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All was good except for a missing seat cushion on the two seater coach. A little later, our cabin steward knocked on the door and told us that the cushion was being cleaned. If finally appeared later in the evening.

 

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The balcony had two loungers, a table and one chair. Booked an AFT balcony on my first cruise and was hooked. This time was no different. Was a nice size deck and the view was great. Not as "private" as on the NCL Jewel (deck 8) when leaning on the railing but knew this before hand not that it mattered. Balcony was dirty and looked like it was not cleaned after the previous cruise.

 

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Neighbors balcony cabin number 11310

 

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Other neighbors balcony cabin number 11314 which also had a chair not shown.

 

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Side view showing privacy.

 

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Found a pair of shoes under the bed from a previous guest. How long they were they there? Who knows.

 

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It's obvious no one vacuumed under the bed after each cruise as the shoes were not mid way under the bed. Actually slightly under the skirt. There was also lots of finger prints on the closet doors and such indicating a less than thorough cleaning prior to our cruise.

 

Nice new ship and some blemishes already.

 

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Noticed some trim or sealer if you will hanging off the shower door. Shame it was left that way and that a new ship is already showing signs of wear, poor craftsmanship and/or design. I put the trim back in place where it remained for the duration. We did see a few other examples around the Breakaway which I will show you later.

 

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Edited by Highboy90
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Muster Drill: Ours was held in the Manhattan Dining Room. Enjoyed a short chat with a couple staying on the same deck 2 cabins from ours. Drill was short and sweet as usual though I really would hate to have an actual emergency being some folks really don't seem to take this seriously. Then again, most were excited as we were I would imagine.

 

On Monday, our first day at sea, there was a Cruise Critic Meet and Greet scheduled for 11:00 AM in Cagney's. We were on the pool deck and almost forgot. (I had missed a previous one on the Jewel sailing.) After a mad dash back to the cabin with about 10 minutes to spare for a quick change, arrived at Cagney's and got our name tags. Met "fabnfortysomething" and her family who put this all together. Was nice to meet a few members and put faces to many as they passed the mic around the room while folks introduced themselves. Thank you Lyn for doing this.

 

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Dining: Always dined early between 5:30 - 6:00 to prevent crowds or waits as were complaints in the past. No reservations except for the Moderno. Did see some small lines later in the evening many times but nothing not unseen on land. We are not foodies but do know a good meal when we have it. As we all know, this is a very subjective but I will briefly state was we observed during this particular cruise.

 

O’Sheehan’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill: Had dinner her one time. It was Prime Rib Night and O'Sheehan's was also serving the meal. We were immediately seated and service was the best we had anywhere. Very good waiter. Checked in a few times to see how everything was. If the meal came with a baked potato, it would have been better but every thing was fine. Enjoyed the meal. Finished with a brownie sundae. Yummy!

 

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Taste Restaurant: Promptly seated. Waitress was very polite and efficient. Chatted with us a little. Overall, enjoyed the meal and window view. Being a party of two, we always got a window view table which was nice.

 

Savor Restaurant: Same as the Taste. Opposite side of the ship. Same deck. Similar in many ways. Same menu. Food was good once again. Waiter however was not. Worse one during our entire cruise. Polite to a point. A little hard to understand. Even though it was early and they weren't busy at the time, he would walk away quickly. Had to ask twice for some ice tea as we only had water. Did finally get the ice tea. A couple sitting next to us waiting for quite awhile had nothing appear during our meal. Was wondering why this would be. As we were leaving, the same waiter was asking to clarify what they had ordered. Not good.

 

Manhattan Room: Did not eat here. Really do not like sitting on top of other tables or next to a table with one or two feet of spacing. Thus, the Taste and Savor was a better choice for us. Also hearing the Manhattan was loud at times steered us towards the other avenues.

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Garden Cafe: Ate here many times for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Never disappointing though with buffets, depending on the time, can be trying dealing with fellow passengers. Did see "Washy Washy" girls and guys in the early morning. Think every day in fact. For some reason, later in the day and evening, I don't recall this to be the case. At least not every time I was there. Others may have experienced a different scenario.

 

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Most selections were good. We always saw a carving station serving the evenings special each night we were there. Was nice compared to my last NCL cruise to see more choices for drinks such as Lemonade, Tropical Mango, Strawberry Kiwi and Iced Tea. There was coffee, water available. Also milk which could be found next to the coffee aside the cream dispenser. Had apple juice one morning in the Uptown Grill and Grill. There was also orange juice. Not sure about other choices.

 

Moderno Churasscaria: Dined at Moderno while in Bermuda on day two for my birthday. Price is $20:00 per person. Had a reservation. Seated with little wait. They had just opened and there were a few parties waiting ahead of us. Service was very good. Food was very good as well. Only item I didn't care for was one of the two different types of sausage. I didn't find any of the food to be overwhelming or too salty. When it was time for desert, our waitress brought a small cake for two and with others, sang Happy Birthday.

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Entertainment: Had reserved three shows prior to our cruise. Burn the Floor. Rock of Ages. Michael Finney Comedy/Magician act. I have very limited show exposure so your opinion may differ from mine.

 

Burn the Floor: Early show. Fast pace, high energy. Amazing dancers. Enjoyed it very much. Ah, to be young, talented and full of energy.

 

Rock of Ages: Early show again. Kind of mixed on this one. Good story. Entertaining. Have nothing to compare this with. Did see a couple folks leave here and there during the show. Many with children who I thought would leave at one point or another remained. Would I have brought a child to this show given the warnings and comments read on Cruise Critic? No. After seeing the show? No. Overall. Enjoyed the show but liked Burn the Floor more.

 

 

Michael Finney: Did not make it to this show. Was planned as a "filler" from the start.

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Bermuda: Woke up early as I usually do to watch our arrival. Could see the Celebrity Summit in the distance. Always love pulling into ports. Breakaway docks first followed by Celebrity soon after.

 

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We docked Port Side while the Summit docked Starboard. I preferred this as you could do some people watching. See the ferry's come and go and such though docked either way would have been fine.

 

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Activities: With three days in Bermuda, you have time to do plenty. Knowing it was our first visit and that it would be impossible to do everything prior to this cruise, lots of thought and research was put into the planning. Here is what we did...

 

Wednesday: First thing was head to Oleander Cycles. The scooter rental office is located at the dockyard within view of the ship. They have multiple locations with some sporting newer bikes. After a lengthy wait, we go our 2 wheeled chariot which was rented for two days. The driver rides around "the block" and when you return and all is well, you get the thumbs up from a worker and away you go. NOTE: If you rent a scooter and ride double, bring a towel or something to throw over the basket to prevent your back from getting sore. Read this before the cruise and was prepared. Would think Oleanders' would have a cheap piece of foam padding or something already on the scooter. There are bunggee cords to help keep items in place but anything of real value might better be place under the seat if possible. Just a precaution. Nothing more.

 

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WARNING: If you have NO experience riding scooters or motorcycles, I as others have, would strongly advise against renting one. Having rode motorcycles on and off during my years which included most recently a Harley-Davidson Street Glide which is a heavy touring bike, I found it to be trying at times due to lack of power and being so nimble. Add to that narrow roads you've never traveled on before with locals passing you in areas you would not think they would, one could easily get in trouble. And then there's the fact that you ride on the left side of the road which for most of us, is not the norm. Took it easy. Moved to the left side when a vehicle was near and tried to follow locals when possible to help "guide" us through areas such as traffic circles. Would I rent a scooter again? YES!

Edited by Highboy90
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Second line of business was to confirm a reservation at Somerset Bridge Watersports where I had reserved a 15 foot Boston Whaler for four hours on Thursday prior to the cruise. The online reservation worked but did not have a confirmation number. Brought a copy with me incase there were problems. Wanting to be sure everything was set, we buzzed along on the scooter and found the business which is tucked next to a gas station which a local without asking helped point out. Not the nicest place but the owner was polite and had everything in order. It was a good thing that we stopped in a day early as Tony said he had tried to contact us via the Breakaway to say we would be better off going out today given the weather forecast. Together, we looked at the forecast on his iPad. He had a Boston Whaler available and we took advantage of this and after some explanation regarding operation of the small boat and brief conversation with aids of maps as to where we might want to go, off we went!

 

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Weather was threatening so I figured if we got two hours out on the water it would be nice. Turns out, it cleared up nicely. Made our way around looking at the shorelines and homes. Seeing the Summit and Breakaway in the distance was neat. Buzzed by a ferry boat.

 

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Finally found a small "island" with and actual beach (most are nothing but rocks) and beached the small craft.

 

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Walked around. Fed the fish some bread provided by Somerset. Found a young couple snorkeling around the corner so never assume you are there all alone. After some time, a pontoon boat came along. We then decided to leave and venture on. Eventually saw a couple sea turtles. Not up close but at a distance. Could see them pop their heads out of the water. Would go near them and shut the boat off. Drift. Never did get a up close and personal view but were happy none the less. It was about 3.5 hours into our tour so decided to return the boat in case others were waiting. Total charge with fuel was $194. Well worth it.

 

On a side note. Did get the letter from Somerset Watersports on the Breakaway hand delivered the next morning verifying what the owner tolds us the day before. Of little use now. Simply glad we stopped in a day early. Worked out perfectly.

 

After literally yanking the scooter out of a tight parking area, off on the scooter once again we went. Aimlessly, we rode around some and took a break. Went into a grocery store. I tend to do this a lot as it gives you a glimpse as to how locals are in real life. Also being in Bermuda, I wanted to see what items cost. As expected, expensive by standards at home in our neck of New York. One example...

 

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After having a soda and pastry, we headed back to the ship. Parked within feet of her. Nice! Now time to reflect on the day and get ready for dinner.

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Thursday: Headed back out on the scooter early. Found South Road and saw some priceless views. Was nice to pull over at will. Explore on our own.

 

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Stopped at Horseshoe beach and after a brief walk, moved onward. Ended up spending some time at Jobson's Cove and the beach which had very few folks there. Went in the water and soaked up some sun. The sun would leave us shortly after.

 

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There was a food cart at the beach in the parking lot. Had a hot dog and soda which cost $6.00. Not bad. Dog was good. Soda was cold. Saw a couple folks riding horses. One thing that is on my bucket list for a future Bermuda visit.

 

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Headed towards Hamilton. With showers threatning and becoming heavier, we headed back "home." By the time we arrived, we were soaked. Riding on a underpowered scooter during a rain storm in Bermuda. Not something I care to do again though would if need be.

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After returning to the cabin, I found a birthday surprise. Ballons hanging from the ceiling. Banners. Was very nice. Cake was too big for a party of two. Looked great. One can order this through NCL for a fee. You also get a cupcake from NCL on a towel cake. Later while dining at the Moderno, another cake! (No picture.) This one was for two.

 

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Friday: Stayed at the dockyard as weather was threatening. Went to the Bermuda Rum Cake Company. Bought a couple cakes to take home. In the same building, there is the Dockyard Glassworks which one can see live demonstrations. Nothing we haven't seen before but nice to watch. Crowded at times. Beautiful works of art. A little pricey.

 

Then walked around the Clock Tower Mall. Started to rain outside. Was not looking good. With a few items and souvenirs in hand, headed back to the Breakaway. Feeling a little sad as we knew soon, we would shortly be leaving Bermuda.

 

When the time came, the Summit turned around and left first but not before a couple "pier runners" boarded. The Breakaway pushed off shortly after.

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Pools: We all have read about this a hundred times and it was no different on this cruise. Crowded. Chair hogs galore. Enough said.

 

Slides: Wow!!! Not much of an adventure park type of guy but must say, for a ship, I thought they were pretty good. And fast! Rode all 3 slides. Waits were not that bad. Children tended to slow things down a tad. Changing minds, etc. There is a smaller slide available. This one usually had a longer line.

 

Ropes Course: "Walked the Plank" or at least was I on it. Did this on the final day and when I was on it, one could not walk all the way out on the plank. A little disappointed but glad I did it.

 

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Got in line around 9:15 to make sure I got my chance before the cruise ended. Average wait is one hour or longer from what I was told. Doing the course takes time. Many children join you and again, slow things down. Not a bad thing but simply saying it the way I saw it. NOTE: They request your cabin card and shoes or sneakers. I had forgotten about this but one of the staff entered my cabin number, had me sign the waiver and told me to go get my sneakers and come back to him so I would not have to wait in line again. Nice!

 

Ship Wear: As mentioned earlier in this thread, you did see some signs of wear and/or poor craftsmanship. Not much, but more than one might expect for a "new" ship. Things that make you go hmmmm. Hopefully, the crew stay on top of things as the Breakaway is a beautiful ship.

 

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Smoke: Yes, you do smell it. Sad that when you walk and get near the main areas around the atrium, you smell a stench. Didn't bother me but in today's age, one might wonder why this is the case. Why smoking isn't a little more isolated in some way or fashion. Not saying no smoking allowed by any means, just more control that can keep passengers happy. Smokers or not.

 

Decks: No true walk around deck. The Waterfront is nice but has room for some more seating which can be hard to find at times. Some seating is soiled in spots. Deck 7 with the lifeboats hinders your ocean views. No seating that I recall. Probably due to safety regulations.

 

Pool Deck: Read about it before. Saw it first hand. Folks falling due to water. Some hard. NCL staff did squeegee the areas often to no avail. Poor design I guess.

 

Disembarkation: Breakaway docked around 6:00 AM. Opted for walk-off. No sure of the time. Early. There were two exits from the ship at the time we left. Painless exit from the Breakaway. Customs check point took seconds. No line. Biggest wait was for the cargo elevator to bring us up to the parking lot deck. As we were walking to my car, was thinking, this is great. No phone tag for to meet up with anyone. No extra stress or rush. That was, until I got in my car. The battery was dead!

 

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Not sure why as everything turns off once the ignition key is removed. The car is about three years old. Long story short, the terminal sent a employee to my vehicle on a golf cart and jumped the car. Started right up. Gave the young man a tip and off we went. Headed back to the GWB and were home shortly after. While the fee is more than one may want to pay even if "cheap" or "normal" for NYC, it does sting a little. I would however do this again.

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Final Thoughts: After reading each and every review I could, there were days where I would get discouraged to the point of almost canceling this cruise several times. As sail date came near, reviews did seem to get better. That with the fact that I would lose a good chunk of money by canceling, I began to concentrate on the positives and noted the negatives and planned accordingly. This seemed to work well as I was happy with the ship, crew and activities.

 

Yes, the ship does feel crowded especially on the first day. Then again, there were times where it was hard to believe that there were forty some hundred fellow passengers aboard. (Heard an actual number which I think was about 4,800 but not sure.) Except for one dinner seating, service was very good. Even then when not, was okay. One of my biggest complaints on the NCL Jewel was waits and service during dinner along with mediocre food. Got some flack on the C.C. forums one time for stating such. Fortunately, this was not the case on the Breakaway. In fact, I thought the food in general was much better.

 

Another concern was staying in port a few days. Well, I would do this again in a heart beat! It was really nice to actually be able to explore a port instead of rushing back to a ship after a few hours. Being able to work around the weather if need be was a plus. I do not gamble but for those who do, having the casinos closed may sway them in a different direction. Walked through the stores enough that having them closed during port days did not matter either. Found other things to do.

 

Aside from a cabin that could have been cleaner initially (partner used wipes and went over many areas), I have no real complaints about staff aboard the Breakaway. Most addressed you with a hello when passing by. Of course, a very few did not. Big deal.

 

As for food, I find it hard to think one would go hungary on this ship or any other for that matter. Found an item or two I didn't care for but generally speaking, most were good.

 

Used the ship for Internet as I found connecting from the Dockyard via WiFiZone not to be a good connection much of the time when trying with two different devices. An iPad mini and my Samsung Galaxy cell phone. Very frustrating. Even when near or under the gazebo, it was poor except for the third day which did seem to be better when testing the signal. A 72 hours access card was no longer available. Had to signup and pay via the Internet with a e-mail confirmation for that plan. Hard to do when you don't have a connection. Regardless, the ships connection speed was usually okay though I only used about 100 minutes or so.

 

Bottom line: Overall. A pleasant cruise with no real negatives. Perfect? No. Would I sail on the NCL Breakaway again? YES! Would I go to Bermuda again? You bet! Hopefully, sooner rather than later. Would I sail another cruise line in the future? Of course. Have the RCCL Quantum of the Seas on my radar.

 

Thank you for reading a very brief recap of my cruise to Bermuda aboard the Breakaway. Hope you enjoyed and found it of some value. :)

Edited by Highboy90
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Found a pair of shoes under the bed from a previous guest. How long they were they there? Who knows.

 

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It's obvious no one vacuumed under the bed after each cruise as the shoes were not mid way under the bed. Actually slightly under the skirt. There was also lots of finger prints on the closet doors and such indicating a less than thorough cleaning prior to our cruise.

 

Nice new ship and some blemishes already.

 

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Noticed some trim or sealer if you will hanging off the shower door. Shame it was left that way and that a new ship is already showing signs of wear, poor craftsmanship and/or design. I put the trim back in place where it remained for the duration. We did see a few other examples around the Breakaway which I will show you later.

 

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While the shoes & smudges obviously don't have an excuse, I wonder if your cabin steward got distracted by the need to take the sofa cushion down for cleaning... guessing also that might have been an indicator as to the previous occupants.

 

They may have been particularly harsh on the trim & finishes.

 

 

Just a thought.... and a salve to those who are concerned all cabins are like this. Mine (spa mini-suite on 14) was like-new.

 

 

Stephen

 

 

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Very nice review. We were on the ship the week before you and also enjoyed it. Loved Bermuda, it was our fifth time there and still found things to do that we didn't do before. We went out on the wildcat ride and I thought it was the best boat ride going. We are senior citizens so my husband wasn't as happy as me but still had a good time.:D

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Loved the thorough but concise review and photographs. Also liked being able to read the entire review without posts telling you what a great review you were posting. :D

I still have 90-some days to go. Hope mine is as enjoyable as yours was!

Oh, and happy birthday!

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Curtis, GREAT review. We leave Sunday and I have a two questions. Could you not drop off your carry on in your cabin? And would you mind posting a google maps link to the island and beach you found?
Thank you! I may have been able to drop off my carry on but did not go to the cabin to check. Waiting for the all clear call and that is when I dropped the bag off.

 

As for the island with beach, I think it was here (see first image) to the right of Cambridge Beaches from what I can see. My first visit to Bermuda so I'm definitely no tour guide. :D

 

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Very nice review.

 

Great review Curtis. I loved your pictures. This review was worth waiting for.

 

Great review Curtis. Your pictures were wonderful as always.

 

Thank you folks! :)

 

Loved the thorough but concise review and photographs. Also liked being able to read the entire review without posts telling you what a great review you were posting. :D

I still have 90-some days to go. Hope mine is as enjoyable as yours was!

Oh, and happy birthday!

Thanks. :)

 

I prepared the review offline and uploaded the pictures. Figured I would leave out much of which was already documented by others. Then waited until early this morning to break it down into multiple posts for easy reading. Figured it was time to return the favor to our community as these forums and it's members have helped me greatly.

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Thank you! I may have been able to drop off my carry on but did not go to the cabin to check. Waiting for the all clear call and that is when I dropped the bag off.

 

As for the island with beach, I think it was here (see first image) to the right of Cambridge Beaches from what I can see. My first visit to Bermuda so I'm definitely no tour guide. :D

 

Excellent, thats what I thought. We are renting from H2O, hoping not to have that large of a gas bill:eek:

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