mchelle77

We are sailing to Bermuda on the Breakaway next Sunday.. Right now, I have no idea what to expect! But, if we are rerouted someplace else, I don't really care, I've already cruised to Bermuda 5 or 6 times..and been to the Bahamas another 5 times. I am just happy to be cruising..period!

I'm on the same itinerary and feel the same way, even though this is out first attempt at Bermuda. Rerouted to Bahamas? I've been there more than once, so I'll take advantage of the ship that day. Port Canaveral? Eff it, we can go back to Disney again, even for just the day. Headed north to Canada? Oh well, we'll see some places we've never been to before.

I honestly don't get how people can be mad at a cruise line for not going to an island about to be hit by a hurricane.

My first cruise was on NCL and I heard it on the last day - some people complain just to see what they can get. Some people are just miserable.

Don't worry - you buy some at Wal Mart when we stop at Boston. Seriously, if I wanted to go to NE and Canada, then I would drive there. If this turns out to be a 7 day CTN, then we may just turnaround if refunds are offered.

The closest Walmart to the cruise terminal in Boston is about a half hour away. You'd be stuck with the Faneuil Hall shops ($$) so you're better off throwing a pair of jeans or two in your luggage before you leave.

We were thinking about this potentially happening to our cruise too - we're from Boston, driving to NYC ... if a storm reroutes us it would be taking us HOME LOL And if it stops in Maine, well, we're there every summer, so it would be a waste for us. Bright side, we'll enjoy the ship and not being at work for the week.

On the same ship and yes, I'm concerned! :) Although we've never been to Bermuda, I'd almost favor an itinerary change to the sea we sailed for our first cruise (nor'easter off the coast of North Carolina, even some of the cruise staff was getting sick in the club that night!) We have a fairly large group this time, some are newbies, and I don't know if they'd bounce back and cruise again the way we did. (My husband was sick for the first sea day and then got over it and fell in love with cruising ... I don't think his mom will feel the same way!)

Does anyone know how much for cab to Swizzle Inn? Or have a picture of the cab rates?

There are two Swizzle Inn locations, depends on which you're aiming to visit.

I was there September 7th 2016- you can now buy the pass as soon a you get off the ship. I was also surprised how close the Ferry Dock was, just a quick walk away. It may be more economical to pay as you go, but I liked knowing that if I needed a bus or ferry it was accessible by tge 2 day pass. I purposely avoided Horseshoe Beach coming right off the ship becaus I knew it would be crowded, insteadvwe took thw Ferry to Hamilton and then the bus to Coco Reef Resort (Elbow Beach) stayed there most of the day and then hit Horseshoe on the bus back and staye there about an hour.

Thanks, good to know. I think we're doing Horseshoe on our last day, and part of NCL (only to ensure a timely return) so I'm hoping for a less crowded experience than what I hear about.

Unless you're going to ride busses and ferries a lot in a day, it might be cheaper to use tokens. You can also just pay $5.00 cash when your board the ferry. They don't talk about it, but they take exact cash on ferries. I did it on our cruise.

 

The busses are fine, but they are very slow and very crowded at times. The $7 horseshoe beach shuttle is great.

I did the math and it would only save a small amount - like $5 total? I think it would be better for us to just get the pass (to ensure we never have to worry about change, and in case we decide to go somewhere additional) But thank you!

I think the most worry free transportation solution in Bermuda for a 3 day stop is to plan on using public transportation days 1 and 2 and to do things nearer the dockyard on day 3. As soon as you walk off the ship you walk through a building, you can buy the 2 day transportation pass at that building- they are $31.50 per person and they take US cash. The passes are good for unlimited travel on ferries or buses (not for shuttles or cabs).

So according to this site, it says that a 2 day pass isn't available at the Dockyard, only a 1 day .. did you find that to be false when you went? Am I interpreting it the wrong way? (Where it says "updated April 2016)

https://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda_000092.htm

And that 3-day plan was what we're doing, don't tell everyone else to do that too! ;)

We have a group of 14 on the Breakaway in 2+ weeks and my nephew had a guarantee inside - when do they usually assign those? And does he find out by just logging in and checking the stateroom number that way? I have no experience with guarantees, we always do a balcony and choose the area of the ship we want, so I can't help him at all.

Thank you! I had read different posts saying there was no shuttle to Horseshoe and the only choice was bus or taxi. Glad to know there is a minivan. Great price!

Wow.

I, too, read that post a while ago.

I appreciate you posting this as well, OP .. it'll be my first time in Bermuda and it CAN be confusing, especially when some info being shared on these boards is assumed or not up-to-date. I'm lucky enough to have a lot of time to research on my own but I know not all are lucky like that and depend on questions being answered here. Hope you get plenty of non-snotty answers to your questions!

I'm on the same sailing :)

I always book midship, and try to get smack in the middle somewhere, easily accessible to wherever I may want to go. I try to avoid being under the pool deck and kids club, but don't want to be too high up. This is my first time booking starboard (for some reason I gravitated to port side for every other trip!)

I'm the opposite of a previous poster - I prefer to maximize walking and avoid the buffet! (I gain enough on cruises from the adult beverages!)

Well, we don't necessarily need to book anything through NCL ... that's why I asked here, to see if anyone had any experience with finding interesting ideas for larger parties on the island in general.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a larger party?

We're open to ideas - our arrival and departure day is being spent on our own (my husband, daughter and I have a beach day planned and a visit to the caves and nature reserve planned) but now we have one other day open that we're aiming to spend with the group. We're trying to find something that can accommodate our party and allow us to maybe snorkel?

Actually I called NCL and they said the Friday tour (same tour and cost) DOES take you back - so I'm probably just going to switch the day...

This was my understanding as well, and the reason why we chose to book it that last day!

We have a party of 13 total coming from southern NH to NYC for the Breakaway in October. Other than taking all separate cars and paying for all of that parking, is there another alternative?

I've cruised NCL before, but not Breakaway, and wondering what reservations I will need to worry about? Some things we're interested in are Cirque, Burn the Floor, Second City (the later show), Howl at the Moon and Rock of Ages. What could we just GO to (Howl?) and what will we need to reserve? What is an isolated performance, and what can we catch again if we miss a show?

Any info appreciated, thanks!

Is there an alternative to this, then? It was something on my list as well (our first time to Bermuda) and the stairs don't necessarily bother me or our daughter, but my husband has an ankle injury that bothers him sometimes and the slippery steps concern me.

We're in southern NH and considered the Dawn for the convenience of Boston, but the week we're going this October was a little less expensive to go out of NY on the BA! I know it'll be added cost to get to NY and park (we would have free parking in Boston at my family's house) but we really loved the look of the BA when they first sailed so it was like our goal at that point to get on that ship eventually :) We're hoping going during the school year will avoid bigger crowds too. My boss has been on the BA twice (and has a 3rd booked in July) and raves about it.

Excellent, thanks! I have some hope that my cruise won't be too mobbed (school is in session, going to Bermuda in late-ish October ... ) but regardless, I'm happy where we are now (midship balcony).

Just entered a reminder to call in October!

If we booked through a TA, are we still able to call the upsell dept directly ourselves? Or would we have to go through the TA?

I have gone through the same company each cruise because they offer great OBCs and deposit deals, but I think this may be the last time. I like having control over this stuff myself :)

Thanks in advance!

I'm absorbing all that was shared, it's all appreciated! NCL Jewel was about the same size, give or take, and we LOVED that. Carnival (Dream) was bigger, and we weren't all that crazy about the bigger ships. That was the best cruise we've been on so far - Disney (Magic) was our least favorite (I think because it was built up to us, and for the price, it just didn't measure up)

I wasn't a fan of the PG-13 "adult" stuff going on after hours on Disney, and the shows (while good!) were just alright for me - it was a little too much Disney for this otherwise huge fan. I loved Norwegian's entertainment. Carnival's was decent.

Really looking forward to the sushi restaurant on this ship - Carnival had one and it was really good. Palo on Disney was excellent. I don't think we'll be doing any specialty restaurants, other than sushi, this time because my husband recently has been eating vegan and so food has gone down on his interest list :) But I think I saw something about Ben & Jerry's? My daughter and I are ice cream junkies!

We originally had an inside for Disney booked and my husband caved and upped to a balcony. I have a feeling that could happen again, but it's hard to tell (we're going to WDW in February and I'm going to Ireland in March '17, so this was a last-minute "screw it" trip idea that he thought of when I got a sudden bonus at work LOL

I have a feeling we'll experience more of the activities on board this time, since it's going to be less about the pool (Swimming in October in New England?! Not for me! I was born and raised in Boston, but never got that New England blood, I belong in the tropics.)

Thanks all! Keep the info coming, if you've got more.

We just booked our 4th cruise (NCL, CCL, DCL) on RCI - definitely playing the field! There have been differences and similarities with all of the above, liked/loved/hated something about every single one. I am NOT looking for anyone to bash any line, just tell me what to expect on RCI that may differ from the other lines?

This will be our first October cruise (always did April), first time going north to Maine and Canada (always did Caribbean) and first time out of Boston (NY and FLA 2x) We chose My Time Dining and have an inside cabin for the first time (always got balconies ... this is what I'm most nervous about LOL) We're on Serenade of the Seas

What is different about RCI? The good, the bad, the strange ... whatever you've got. (Even if it's links to threads I may have missed)

I just booked for next October. We tend to lean towards tropical cruises, but we wanted a quick, cheaper, closer-to-home cruise and always talk about going o Nova Scotia. I REALLY need to learn about this line, and look into what other changes we'll have to be ready for (never been on a cruise ship in the fall!) :)

We just booked Serenade for next October (Boston to Halifax/St John) .. will be the first time on RCI, looking forward to reading some reviews of the ship AND this itinerary.

Just did this about 2 weeks ago ....

Can you walk the whole course? YES! I WALK/JOGGED, TOOK ME 41 MINUTES. SECOND OF OUR GROUP OF 5 TO FINISH.

 

Does everyone get a medal? YES, THOUGH THE "MEDAL" IS PLASTIC :)

 

Is there a charge to participate? NO

 

I know there is a meeting prior to getting off the ship but do all of the participants get off the ship first? OUR NON-5Ker PARTY GOT OFF THE SHIP BEFORE WE EVEN DID, HAD CHAIRS ALL SET UP BEFORE WE REACHED THEM (THEY TOOK THE TRAM, 5Kers WALK TO THE START)

 

Do you have to preregister before the meeting to participate? YES, I DON'T THINK IT "RUNS OUT" LIKE OTHER THINGS DO, LIKE MIXOLOGY, FOR EXAMPLE.

 

Do they still have race shirts for sale and how much do they cost? YES, CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY HOW MUCH, BUT UNDER $30... I DIDN'T END UP BUYING ONE, NONE REALLY APPEALED TO ME ENOUGH)

 

Thank you!

They had warned that the humidity would be different from what even Floridians were used to, but I don't think it was too awful (and I'm from Boston) I did have a water bottle with me, and finished the entire thing before I completed the run. And I ran twice during the week before this run, so I kind of got my lungs a little used to the difference. There is NO breeze (at least not on this day) and not a lot to see along the route - it's all tall hedges until you get to the open strip, and even then there's nothing to see.

Worst case - sign up, and then if you change your mind, don't do it. There's no pressure, no one is out money from you having a change of heart.

As you said...best to book early and call for a price drop. Prices for the new ships tend to rise and you could end up paying more. You are going to pay the deposit anyway and it's not like it's earning a whole lot of interest sitting in the bank. The deposit is fully refundable up until final payment if you did change your mind.

I know, I think for him he's just thinking about how we haven't even taken our April trip yet so he's not looking forward to dishing that out before we've seen what we're spending. (We pay credit card off immediately when we use it, so we feel it immediately.)