skittlebug83

This was our first time sailing with MSC and the terrible weather really marred the experience for us. We made the best of it and tried to enjoy as much as possible of what the ship had to offer.

Stateroom:

We were in cabin 9059 which was forward on thr Port Side. Close to the elevators but also a quick walk to deck 7 and 6. Room was done up with the couch converted to bunk bed for our kids. We had an issue one night where the divider between balconies was banging the entire night. Good thing my fam sleep like the dead, I was the only one kept awake. They repaired it the following day and we had no other issues. 

Some balcony views

Dining:

Food in both the buffet and MDR were good and we always found options that appealed to us. We ate at one upcharge restaurant Hola Taco and we were underwhelmed. DH and I could have got the All you Can Eat option but the kids were charged a la carte. We opted to do a la carte for all of us. 

5 out of 7 nights we ate at Panorama. Our set dining time was 545 and we were seated with a nice family from Quebec with kids around the same age. We usually were done by 7 pm. Didnt take many food shots this trip but here was my meal from Gala Night which was held on Thursday our second sea day. 

Buffet was chaos most times that we visited. Severely understaffed, they couldn't keep up with the amount of people. Every meal there was a wandering tour because of items not being replenished. Cutlery, bowls, cups and out of order drink machines. We tried to eat breakfast in the MDR mostly to save us the headache but the 730-9 window doesn't suit all the time. Anyone looking for juice, its all in the MDR at breakfast! 

Entertainment:

We watched the following shows:

Club Disco

Encore

Marc Devigne - Singer

Crew Talent Show

The Journey

Rock Circus (13 CAD pp)

7 pm was a bit too rushed from dinner so we usually went for the 830 show. Dancers and singers were quite talented and it was nice that they had different show every night. We booked in advance and usually showed up 10 mins before and that was plenty of time to find good seats. The 1045 dance parties were a bit too late for us but we did attend once for the White Night. Watching from Deck 7 if you dont want wall to wall crowds. I believe they also had a Sunshine Party, Space Night, Silent Disco twice and a Tropical Party.

Kids Club:

My kids 4 and 9 loved the kids club and spent a few hours there everyday. We found it to be very organized and well staffed. I was hoping to post the kids club schedules but our room attendant tossed them all out the last day. 

One of the highlights was the Luna Park night, they had carnival type games, face painting, balloon animals and a raffle at the end for MSC merch.

Thermal Spa:

I had been eyeing the week pass for the thermal spa before our cruise (158 CAD) pp but without knowing if my kids would like the kids club or not we opted not to pre-book it. In the end we did a couples day pass (129 US). With the disappointing weather it was definitely worth it and we enjoyed it. It's a small area but there are variety of things packed in. Saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, heated loungers, rest areas with beds, various showers with different scents. We found the morning was less busy than the afternoon. 

Things we missed out on because of the bad weather:

Ocean Cay experience 

Polar Aquapark and Waterslides 

Main Pool

Ports:

Port Canaveral - The time in port was not enough to make Kennedy Space Center worth it. So we took an Uber to Route 7 and spent a few hours there. My kids did go karting and played arcade games. They had a blast!

Nassau- We did the Pirates Museum which is walking distance from the port and the Straw Market. I also did a quick tour by myself of the Pompey Museum. Then the downpour began and we high tailed it back to the ship.

Miami- We were really looking forward to our beach day at Ocean Cay. This was a replacement port and pretty much a write-off of a day. We spent from 1030-2 in the Miami terminal waiting to reboard. They were pretty much begging people to go explore the port but with equally crummy weather from the other days we went keen on getting rained on again. We were given a number to reboard but no one abided by this at all and started lining up as soon as priority people were finished. 

Disembarkation: 

With the disorganized mess that was Miami we didnt want to chance a repeat of that, so we chose the self disembarkation. We woke up early had breakfast in the MDR. Left our room at 730 and were by our vehicle at 750. Easy peasy and painless.

We booked on a flash sale and it was 2200 CAD for our family of 4. At that price point I am definitely willing to give MSC another go in the future but this will be our last cruise from NYC. Too many weather related variables, we will just eat the additional cost and fly to Florida first. Parking at the Brooklyn port was 439 CAD so thats the cost of a few cheap plane tickets anyway.

Entertainment and Activities

We found plenty of things to keep us busy on the ship.

World Stage: We attended all three of the Step One shows and thought the dancers did a great job! Our favorite was Humanity. For most of the shows we sat on Deck 5 (just in case we wanted a quick escape) and never had any issue finding seats. On the sea day we also attended the vaguely named Coffee with Daniel. This was a video presentation of a behind the scenes tour. Kudos to all the hardworking staff! 

Ocean Bar: We ended up here a lot. We enjoyed some sets of the Ocean Bar Band and the pianist Cat. Other things held to here were the Art of Flower Arranging demo, Permission to Dance dance class and Majority Rules game. The winner got a free drink from the bar, which might only appeal to those without a drink package already.

Explorers Lounge: We attended the Games nite and Call my Bluff.

Wajang Theatre: The last night we watched A Man Called Otto. The space is not set up well for the movie screen, the lower half of the screen was partially obstructed where we were seated. Free popcorn was nice.

Queens Room: My mom likes art so we did Origami and Watercolor classes. For origami it seemed like they had something different scheduled everyday but for the Watercolor it was the same introductory class all week. My mom thought about the paid $25 class but didn't sign up in the end.

Crows Nest: We were here for sailaway and then I kind of forgot about this venue. We participated in the Officer vs Guests trivia which was fun. Orange party was also held here, we were tired out that night but it seemed like a lot were headed there when we were headed to bed. If you didn't bring something orange they had items in the shops.

This last pic is them setting up for the Bar Hop I believe. The rowdiest I saw people all week lol. 

2 hours ago, cbr663 said:

We also live in Ottawa and are trying to decide between taking the cruise or simply driving.  I following your review with lots of interest.  Did you leave your car at Montreal?  Was it difficult to find long term parking?

 

I agree with you on the CDN to US $ exchange rate.  At nearly 40%, it had us pausing several times on our recent Alaskan cruise.

Our cruise started in Montreal and ended in Boston so we didn't consider leaving the car. My hubby drove us to Montreal on embarkation day. Porter now has a direct flight Boston to Ottawa so we flew home same day of disembarking. Our flight home was delayed over 4 hours. Annoying when you just want to be home already! 

The ports were all great and I would love to return in warmer weather!! It was still a bit too chilly for my tastes (Sydney especially) and being early in the season we did run into some issues with attractions/shops not being fully open yet.

Let's see if I remember how to post pictures.

Quebec City - We had no set plans, we ended up popping in the shops on Rue Petit Champlain and walking around Dufferin Terrace/Chateau Frontenac.

Charlottetown - Island Drive and Anne of Green Gables booked independently through Prince Edward Tours. My mom and I watched Anne of Green Gables many times while I was growing up, so it was a must for this trip! This was a great tour, very informative with sufficient time at all the stops. The tour guide even had a little quiz at the end and handed out a few prizes (raspberry cordial and COW chips) which I thought was a nice touch. After our tour we walked around the port area and I had my first Lobster roll at The Chip Shack. It was one of the only things open in the Marina area. 

Sydney - Iona and Baddeck Grand Tour booked independently through Sydney Cape Breton Taxi Tours. The rain, fog and cold didn't stop us! Our driver was very nice but I was expecting to learn more about Cape Breton. This turned out to be more of a taxi service and not so much a tour. In hindsight with the Alexander Graham Bell museum not being open yet, I would have given Baddeck a skip altogether. There wasn't much to see there and not much open yet. The heritage village at Iona was the highlight! It doesn't fully open until June 1st but we lucked out arriving near the same time as a cruise excursion. It was very interesting with the costumed staff reenacting what life would be like. 

Halifax - On the Lighthouse Route: Peggy's Cove Lighthouse and Village booked through HAL. Enjoyed this tour as well, (my kids would have loved the double decker bus) but felt like there wasnt sufficient time at Peggy's Cove. I think I was rushing a bit too much to take some good pictures and ended up faceplanting while walking in the village. The guide warned us of the black rocks, but I guess I needed warning of my two left feet. I ended up with two scrapped knees, a sore head and scratched glasses, just in time for our second dressy dinner evening lol. After the tour we walked around near the port and had a delicious lunch at The Bicycle Thief.

Bar Harbor - Again we had no set plans, I purposely didn't book a tour because I didn't know how long the immigration check on board would take or the tendering process. We were in Bar Harbor by 11 ish and got tickets for the 2.5 hours Olis Trolley tour to Acadia National park for 1 pm. The winding roads up the mountain had me a tad squeamish but we liked this tour too. The driver/guide gave lots of history and information on the area.

That's all for now! 

We had a great week aboard the Zaandam!

It was my first HAL cruise and my mom's first cruise ever! I think I made a cruise convert out of her, she's ready to book another one. The first night she was already circling things in the schedule that she wanted to do the next day.

DH graciously took care of our kiddos at home so I could spend some quality time with my mom. The last time we took a solo trip together I was a teen, so it was long overdue.

I have done two previous cruises with Norwegian and one with Carnival. With two school age kids I foresee a megaship in my future but I would consider HAL again for a multigenerational family trip or with the right itinerary/price. 

Things I liked:

Food quality: So much delicious food! I found the portion sizes to be just right.

Library area: It was relaxing to just sit here and catch up on some reading or work on one of the many puzzles scattered around.

Promenade deck: We had plans of walking here daily (to balance against the constant eating) but it didn't happen as often as we would have liked.

Smaller size ship: It was a short walk to get anywhere and it never felt too crowded/busy.

Staff: Everyone was friendly and helpful. 

Full Service Buffet: I liked that there was table service for drinks and that most areas the staff served you. 

I would have liked to have more evening entertainment options and varied dining but perhaps this is just a drawback of a smaller ship.

Cruising out of Montreal (easy drive from Ottawa) was the deciding factor for this trip as well as the itinerary with mostly Canadian ports. Any way to save a few dollars on the exchange 🙂.

9 hours ago, cgolf1 said:

 

It might be a good idea to show up early for the activities. We did less than normal since we were traveling with our in laws, so I can't say all were like that. It is possible that is just a popular one. I know that doesn't really answer your question, but hope it helps a little. The lady that sings at the piano by the shops and the casino is amazing and worth a listen if you enjoy that type of entertainment.

 

Thinking about it now, if an activity other than trivia is in a bar or smaller venue I for sure would show up early just in case. The events at the world stage we never had an issue with seating even getting there when it started due to dinner. This also being a port intensive cruise, the CD said they try to fit in some normal HAL activities at night, so maybe the fact that there aren't a ton of activities had a lot of people there.

 

Enjoy your trip, it is an incredible itinerary:)

Makes sense, I will show up a bit early then.

Love live music, I will check her out!

Thanks very much for your review and great pictures!! 

I'm on the next sailing tomorrow and it was a nice preview of what to expect! It will be my first HAL cruise.

For the activities and shows you saw onboard, would you recommend showing up early? I remember you mentioning the flower arranging demo was overflowing.

Thx for your reply @Navybikermom

Hi all,

I have an upcoming cruise mid-May aboard the Zaandam to C/NE and I have a pile of questions, wondering if anyone can help. 

Embarkation lunch: Is the MDR open?

Food off ships: Is this allowed? My travel partner has diabetes and I'm wondering if we should pack our own snacks from home for port days.

Cantare and Step One shows: Does anyone know how long these are?

Any packing tips for cruising this time of year? 

Navigator app: How accurate is the Daily Program? I was a bit bummed to see Afternoon tea not listed and every night as Dressy Casual.

Thanks in advance!

I'll be doing the same cruise a few weeks following you!

Just a FYI, the Alexander Graham Bell Museum doesn't open until May 19th.

https://www.novascotia.com/see-do/attractions/alexander-graham-bell-national-historic-site/1562

I originally had a tour booked with this as part of the itinerary. Might be back to the drawing board for me.

This was our first major trip since COVID and our first family cruise! DH and I had been on the Breakaway about 5 years ago but this was a totally different experience with kids in tow(age 3 and 8).

Stateroom: 
Originally we were booked in an ocean view (5164) but got upgraded to a balcony (8164) a few days before sailing. I had booked the first room type for the bathtub but we made due without it. Our balcony room had an unfortunate location one level about the theater. The music from the theater was thumping almost until midnight so I went to guest services the second night to see if we could switch. They really worked hard to accommodate us but I found the offerings a bit strange. Instead of finding me another balcony room for 4, she offered side by side Mini Suites that were not adjoining. I realize two Mini Suites is an amazing upgrade but the logistics of it with two kids wasn't ideal. In the end we ended up with adjoining balcony rooms (12140 & 12142). Location was nice and quiet and also close to Splash Academy.

Dining and Specialty Dining:

Food was great! We were able to try out Taste, Savor, OSheehans, Manhattan Room, Cagneys, Noodle Bar and of course Garden Cafe. I wouldn't shy away from the sit down restos with kids, why limit yourself to the buffet? The same kids menu is available at all the restaurants and they provide a paper menu with crayons. Standouts for me were the Ahi Tuna appetizer, Veal Scallopini,  Indian food and Crispy Pork. Regardless of where we ate lunch or dinner we always ended up at the buffet for the soft serve ice cream.

Entertainment & Activities:

We were definitely not night owls this trip, but we attended an early showing of the comedy show and Burn the Floor. I also watched the late viewing of Six on my own and I really enjoyed it! DH and DS1 participated in the Thriller Dance and DS1 was also excited to dance during the Sailaway party. We watched the Eliminator game show and Battle of the Cake Masters and they were good to pass the time.

Some of the activities we liked were the ropes course (DS1 did the regular and DS2 the mini version), waterslides, ping pong and the sports court. 

Unfortunately the kids splash pad area was closed the whole cruise, I asked and they said for maintenance. The pool under the waterslides was well shaded and less busy than the activity pool. 

Ports:

Harvest Caye - We parked ourselves on the beach but also near the splash pad and this was the perfect location for us! Did a quick walkthrough of the Wildlife Experience before reboarding the ship.

Cozumel - Cabana beach was on my radar especially since entrance to Chankanaab was also included in the price. In the end we weren't willing to chance that they would be booked up (since we were arriving so late). We ended up at Playa Mia instead. The beach and facilities were ok, but nothing to write home about. 

Next time I would pay closer attention to the port times while picking a cruise. 

COVID related changes and observations: 

Definitely can tell that cruising isn't back in full force yet.  Aside from embarkation/disembarkation and the last morning at the buffet, the ship never felt busy. We made a few reservations for dinner and shows but I don't think they were needed really. For a really quiet experience check out the Waterfront, plenty of spots to relax with minimal people around.

I knew in advance that Splash Academy would not have their regular offerings but we still went several times during the the Feel Free Play hours. They had an assortment of video games, board games and some toys for toddlers and babies.

Aside from the pre cruise testing, my 3 yr old had to do additional testing on embarkation and the day before disembarkation. These tests were well organized and aside from the mandatory 15 mins wait didn't impede the vacation much. 

Staff was just as friendly as I remember from last time and on occasion really went the extra mile. On our first day I enquired about where I could get milk for my toddler, fully prepared to make the trek to the buffet or one of the restaurants. One worker told me not to worry and right away radio'd to get some delivered to our stateroom. FYI there are cartons of milk available in the kids corner of the buffet at all times. We would stock up and keep some in our fridge in the room. 

It was a nice reintroduction into the world of travelling! Now the struggle is to stop myself from immediately starting to plan another trip 😊.

Just got off the phone with Norwegian and I am pretty disappointed. I had read that others had received an email about this arcade credit for the kids and I was curious why I didn't receive one for my cruise next week. Apparently I would have had to book by Apr 6th to be eligible and we booked the 10th. 😑

Hi,

Looking for some advice or if anyone has past experience. 

Booked a last min trip and am looking into transportation between FLL and a Miami Hotel for my fam of 4 which includes a 3 year old.

I have contacted some shuttle companies that provide car seats but am wondering if there are any other options I am overlooking. I could also bring our car seat from home but I'm unsure if Uber/taxi would let us install it for the car ride. 

Thx in advance

We're headed to Bermuda in July. Where in Bermuda were these images taken? Would like to go on that hike. Thanks...

These pics are from inside Fort Hamilton. The entry cost is my favourite price, free! 😀

Thanks for writing a great review!!

Do they show any of the cruise entertainment shows on tv? How about cartoons?

Thanks again!

I think I remember seeing a replay of the newlywed game that had been held in the atrium, not sure about cartoons though.

I guess the only thing I forgot to talk about that might give more context to my (long-winded) review is to give a few details about myself and my travelling partner.

DH and I are from Ottawa, Ontario and are both 33 years old. With winters in Canada being what they are, we try to get away somewhere warm every year. We have a young son (3.5) who didn't come with us this time around but seeing all the families having a great time on this cruise convinced me that cruising can be kid-friendly!

Technically I still consider myself a newbie to cruising. This was my second cruise ever and my first with NCL. For DH it was his fourth and his second with NCL. I think it's safe to say that this cruise officially turned me into a cruise addict. When can I book my next one?!?!

Everyone who has upcoming cruises on the Breakaway!! Enjoy!!!

Thanks! Really enjoyed reading your review.

We have plans in June to see the Cirque show. Do you remember how far in advance you needed to line up to get good seats?

 

Sent from my Z970 using Forums mobile app

For the 5:15 seating we arrived shortly before 5, that seemed to be enough time to get a good seat. Maybe it was less busy because it was the early show and the last night? I'm not sure.

Found a few other pics from this I forgot to post, we weren't allowed to take any during the show of course.

Last posting I promise!

Things that I had read on CC that were totally true but didn’t bother me personally:

Uncomfortableness of the seats in Theatre –there really is a metal bar that goes right across your tailbone unless you sit slouched, so slouchy sitting it was!

Smoke smell in the common areas close to the Casino- Even when we had dinner at the Noodle Bar there was a vague smoke smell lingering even though the Casino had been closed all day!

Chair hogs in the Atrium – Arrive early if there is something you are interested in seeing

Lack of TV shows in the Stateroom - Fringe,Suits, and The Flash on repeat! Good thing I like all of these shows, we weren’t in our room much though.

Fave tip I found on CC: Take a picture of the Daily on your phone so you don’t have to carry the paper around!

Things on board I can’t comment on because I didn’t do/purchase:

Photos, Carlo’s Bake Shop, Bingo, Casino, Tastings(although I really wanted to do the Martini one but all the spots were full 15mins before), Ice Bar(I come from Canada so this isn’t a novelty lol), Art Auction, Painting Class, Arcade, Ropes Course, Water Slides, Mini Golf, 3D movies and regular movie showings.

Things I would like to do if I ever make it back to Bermuda:

Helmet Dive, Sunset Cruise (with a real sunset next time), Crystal Caves, and legit beach days at Tobacco Bay and Horseshoe Bay.

Final thoughts: We had a great week aboard the Breakaway! So-so weather aside we really enjoyed beautiful Bermuda and this trip was a good couple’s getaway for us. We were never bored and I am happy with the amount of things we were able to do,see and eat J.

Thanks to all for reading!!!

This review became a behemoth. Almost done!

Entertainment:

Welcome Aboard Show - This was held the first night and was kind of an introduction to all the entertainment that would be offered on board. They had an audience participation bit and a few people wonsome t-shirts.

Burn the Floor – Booked in advance for Monday night. It was very entertaining; I don’t think there is a story line, just several different numbers set to different types of music. Very talented dancers and we would see some of the couples around the ship during their off hours throughout the week.

Rock of Ages – Was on the fence on whether my DH would be interested in seeing this, but he was OK with it so we booked it when we boarded on Sunday. Definitely worth seeing, we both enjoyed it even not being big rock music fans.

Cirque Dreams – Booked in advance for Saturday night. Probably my favourite entertainment of the cruise! I have been to other Cirque shows before but this was nice because there really weren’t any bad seats in the room. I am still awed that they could perform all their stunts when the boat was rocking so much!

Broadway Singer – There was one performing our last night, no reservations necessary. She had a beautiful, powerful voice and she sang one of my favourite songs from Les Miserables. J

Howl at the Moon - We ended up hanging out in Headliners to watch this a few nights! I actually think they were funnier than the Second City troupe. The last night turned out to be kind of an open mic show and some of the performers from the other venues showed up to belt out some tunes.

Bliss Nightclub - We were in and out of here a few nights, stopped in for some drinks and a bit of dancing. Not sure if the DJ was the same person all the time or not, but his choice of songs and mixing skills left a lot to be desired, or maybe I am just getting old!

Spice H20 - We went to a few of the theme parties, the Latin (Tues night) and the Glow Party (Thurs night). The Latin was ok, we missed the dance lessons at the start from the Burn the Floor dancers because we were still watching Rock of Ages. The Glow Party was really well attended! I really wasn’t expecting it since the weather was so blah but there were tons of people out there for it.

Escape the Big Top – We booked this through the box office on Sunday, it is not available to book online or through the monitors around the ship. I think this is something relatively new on board and it’s held in the Spiegel Tent. You are placed into teams are given a bag of clues and a time limit to solve all the puzzles and “Escape”. If you have done any Escape Rooms locally the big difference is that you don’t really look for clues all around your surroundings, it’s solely based on what’s given to you inthe bag and the displays set up in the center of the room. We enjoyed this andi t’s a fun way to spend an hour during the day. During ours no team managed to escape.

Newlywed Not So Newlywed – Three couples were picked from the audience. This was actually pretty hilarious and each couple received a bottle of champagne at the end for participating.

Who Wants to be a Bazillionaire – Wish I had skipped it! The questions didn’t seem too challenging for the participant and the host kept making fun of the prizes that she was giving out. I know it’s hard to be hype over giving away a fan or a water bottle but still.

Deal or No Deal – Caught this once in the Atrium, you could purchase cards to play along with the participant and win $50, photos etc. I love game shows, so I liked watching this even though I wasn’t playing along.

Battle of the Sexes – The host said it was the first time he had seen the women’s team lose lol. I actually caught myself rooting for the men about half way through.

Second City and Liar’s Club – We saw the Adult Sketch of this and it was ok. Liar’s Club was two of the Entertainment Staff and one member of the Second City troupe, it too was just ok.

Is anyone still reading lol? More than halfway there!

Dining & Specialty Dining

Never had a bad meal on board! Here are the restaurants we were able to try throughout the course of the week.

Taste: I think this was my favourite restaurant out of the complimentary options. We dined here twice, once on our first night and another time for lunch. The first night we had a lovely table next to the window. Food was hot and presented nicely. Service was very quick, and I think we were in and out in about an hour for the dinner and even quicker for the lunch. At lunch I had a very tasty bacon wrapped meat loaf here.

Savor: We went here our second night and the service was slightly slower but still enjoyable.

Manhattan Room: We ate here the third night and we didn’t enjoy it as much. It’s a very nice space, much larger than Taste and Savor but we found it hard to have a conversation over the band playing. But I guess that is part of the appeal of this dining room, the additional dinnertime entertainment. The food seems to be shuttled in from another location and the lasagna I had was kind of bland and undercooked.

Moderno: We paid extra to dine here and I think it was worth it! Definitely had the “meat sweats” afterward lol. We started off with the salad/sushi bar. Once you are done with that you flip over your card to green and they start coming by with an assortment of grilled meats. To be honest, I don’t think it matters if your card is on green or red, every time they pass they will offer you more! It ends with grilled pineapple and an additional choice of desserts. Yum yum yum

Shanghai Noodle Bar: We came here twice for dinner, there are no reservations you just go by whenever between the hours are 5-10 (I think). You are seated in a line so the choices are to make polite convo or stare awkwardly at whoever you are eating across from. Luckily both times we were seated with friendly people. A couple the first night, and a solo passenger the second go around.

Spiegel Tent: We saw the Cirque Dreams show the last night and it included dinner. It consisted of an antipasti plate, surf and turf and then a trio of mini dessert. Enjoyed the food and the show! I think we ate again after lol….dinner was super early at 515 so don’t judge me.

O’Sheehan’s: Not much to say, standard pub fare, we ate lunch here a few times.

Buffet: We had breakfast every day and most lunches at the buffet. Food was good; my favourite was the raisin bread French toast. Never took much time to find a free table for two except on Embarkation/Disembarkation days when it was like a zoo in there! I have to give props to the buffet staff, I found them to be very hard-working and friendly considering the sheer volume of people they have to deal with day in/day out. They were always quick to clear the tables for the next guests and to clean up after people who would make all sorts of messes/spills and just walk off like nothing. I think most of the rude behavior I saw onboard was in the buffet. My DH witnessed a woman telling the omelet chef that he better make her eggs to her specifications “OR ELSE”. My DH was waiting for her to say that she had some kind of allergy or something…nope she was just being RUDE!

 

I know this isn't helpful to you now, but for future reference/future travelers: if you access TeleBermuda's website directly from your cell phone or tablet's web browser, the 72 hour wifi package is available. It was $15 last year, looks to be the same now. I had great service in Dockyard and various parts of Hamilton. Didn't make it over to St George, but access is available there as well.

 

If you have trouble accessing the site, use the free one hour of internet access, or buy something at just about any shop and they'll give you a pass for an hour's usage. Then go ahead and purchase the package!

 

I was actually able to access the TeleBermuda Wi-Fi from Maltings outdoor bar, which was a pleasant surprise.

 

https://telebermuda.com/residential/wifi/

Good to know if there is ever a next time! Thanks!

I know I said dining is next, but I am going to skip onto Bermuda for the moment.

I loved loved Bermuda! It’s definitely one of my favourite islands that I have been to. The weather did put a bit of a damper on the overall experience, it rained quite a bit while we were there. The first day was the worst of it; I learned my lesson and brought my umbrella around the other days. We found it super easy to get around and we used public transportation mostly. I wanted to purchase the 15 ticket booklet to use for the ferries and buses but because the variable weather we ended up purchasing tokens each day after we decided on a day plan.

I have seen that there is a new NCL ferry running to St. Georges. I wish that was available when we were there!

We lost out on some sunny beach time the first day because we were searching for Wi-Fi. This may seem a bit strange to doafter arriving on a beautiful island but our son was staying with my parentsfor the week and by Wednesday I was in need of some Skype time with him.

I had read about a 3 day Wi-Fi pass for Bermuda, but when I asked at the Visitor’s Centre I was informed that this had been discontinued. They did offer one hour free Wi-Fi around the main visitor’s centre and later that morning I learned about another deal where you purchased an item in the gift shop at the Visitor’s Centre for $5 or more and they would punch in their password into your device giving you access for the 3 days.

Once we got all that figured out, we headed to Horseshoe Bay by shuttle ($7/pp one way). Beautiful beach! I hope I can makea return trip there someday. We had about one hour there before the torrential rain started. L At first we contemplated waiting it out, but it kept getting worse and worse. It was a mass exodus from the beach so we had to wait a bit in the heavy rain. We had plans to head into Hamilton for Harbour Night’s that evening, but we were pretty miserable by the time we got back to the ship, so decided to nix those plans.

Day 2 in Bermuda was much more productive. We took the 930 ferry over to St. Georges and then enjoyed a guided walking tour. Some of the spots I remembered visiting: St. Peter’s Church, the perfumerie,the Unfinished Church and Town Hall. Our guide also showed us the road to get to Tobacco Bay beach. If it had been a nicer day we could have headed there but it was another overcast and rainy day. After that we took the bus (#10 or #11 if I remember correctly) towards Hamilton and got off at the Aquarium/Zoo. The zoo is a great size for those travelling with kids and all the animals seem very well cared for. We spent a few hours there and then took another bus into Hamilton. From the bus station we walked to see Fort Hamilton. Some nice views from there and there are lots of interesting trees and foliage growing within the moat. Thought it was worth it just for the photo ops. In the evening we went on a Sunset Swizzle Cruise aboard the Restless Native. We had a nice time although it was pretty cloudy and overcast so not much of a sunset to see! The swizzle drinks and cookies were quite good. I enjoyed both the walking tour and the sunset cruise and found the tour guides of both to be interesting to listen to and informative.

Day 3 was pretty much a shopping day. We took the ferry to Hamilton and shopped along Front Street, checked out Washington Mall. Queen Elizabeth's park and then headed back to do more shopping around Dockyard.

I would like more information on that too. We are doing a 14 day. I can't afford 14 days for the spa....so I am hoping I can get "day passes". What is the cost of those if you know?

I heard the day passes were $79 but I believe these were only sold if the week passes didn't sell out. Not sure if the prices would be different altogether on a 14 day cruise.

Great review so far, can't wait for the rest. Wondering how much did the thermal spa cost for the week and can you pre purchase the pass?

TIA

 

 

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Spa pass is $199 if you pre purchase it and $219 on board.

Looking forward to hearing more about your cruise. This is the exact cruise that I would like to take NEXT May, depending on what is going on in the family. Do you have any pictures of your stateroom? Or maybe you can give an idea of just how big/small it was? [That's actually also exactly the deck/location that I am contemplating.] lol

Surprisingly enough I didn't get any pictures in our room!

Here is a good resource though http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1843049

Click on the google doc in the first post, our room was an IA and there are several pictures if you click on the X under Visual Aid Links.

I found our room to be big enough for two adults but any additional people would be a bit snug I would think.