MITSUGIRLYS DAWN TO BERMUDA NOVEL (or review as some may call it)

I was just in Bermuda on Grandeur of the Seas last month. I'm very interested to hear someone else' take on the island. We did not go to any beach but took a 5 hour island tour, then a ferry to Hamilton & explored it, & explored the Dockyard area. Made sure we got a picture in the Moongate also. So our experiences are totally different. Can't wait to see the rest of the story.

How was the tour? Did you like it? Where did they take you to? I'm normally not a "tour" type of person, but always wonder what you might see on one of those that I normally would not get to see going to the beaches. I do have to say that a lot of the places we have traveled, where ever we are going, the person driving the taxi usually seems to give everyone a "personal" tour and tells us about things along the way.

I was under the impression that the Moongate was a big thing in Bermuda and they were everywhere. I did not see any other than the one at the dockyard. :confused:

I really like that you have OCTP and that you take the time to post not only all the info but also where you found it because then I DON'T HAVE TO!! Really saves me a lot of time so THANKS!

Awesome, glad I could help and save you time. ;)

 

 

(CAMZ-if you are reading this...notice that picture that's there after the last folder? That's Kev...sniff sniff. I still keep his picture in there because he started this)

Yes, I smiled when I saw that! When we were in Bermuda last month on the Breakaway I thought of Kev a couple of times. Once was while up on deck. I laughed to myself when I thought of him and his "people mover" lingo on his reviews. There are always so many funny people movers. Then I thought of him again walking through the Dockyard. He was all about Bermuda. RIP Kev!!

Great review, Kim! You really left me hanging, just about to depart for Warwick! So glad I have today off to keep reading! Your review has a tinge of "not quite right" about to come, so I am really, really curious!

 

I am a huge planner, not to your degree, but I have decided to start using the envelope system! I always had a page of notes for each port day, but what a great idea to put your notes, tickets, cash all in one place! That is brilliant! Especially for the cash...we use debit in our normal life so don't usually have a lot of cash with us. On cruises it is totally different, we are almost all cash in ports. I am always worried we will overspend in one port and be short on another. We end up taking out more cash than what we need, and I think we end up overspending too. Thanks for the idea!

 

Glad you appreciated the transportation tickets, but I am dying to know if they let you use them even though they were bought when the fares were cheaper! Nobody has reported otherwise, so hopefully the tickets were a blessing, not a curse!

 

Thank you again for such a detailed review of the Dawn, and to come, Bermuda!

 

Have you ever thought about cruising RCI? We just booked their newest ship, Harmony, for dirt cheap in Feb 2017! Prices are still super low! Sakari would love their Oasis class ships!

 

Lauri

Hi Lauri :)

You got that right...it was definitely a "not quite right" day for sure. :(

Glad to help you out to the envelope system I have. It just makes things easier for us.

More to come later today with our Day 1. However, Thursdays are my "busy" days for work. I leave 2 hours earlier than usual and come home a little later with tons of charting to do after that. So, I won't get to post more of the review this morning since I'm about to get ready for work. BUT, good news is I have my pictures ready to dig right in later today. :D

I think about booking with RCI ALL THE TIME. It's my dream/goal to go on either the Allure or the Oasis. I have looked at both of those each and every time I go to book a cruise. I have not been on RCI since the 90's. However, every time I look the prices are OUTRAGEOUS! Then I go back to NCL. I would much rather have 2 cruises versus 1 for that price. Plus, I'm not exactly sure what is up with their online booking. EVERY single time that I have ever did a search for pricing to book an interior room (because let's face it, I'm never going to pay the price they are asking for a room for anything above an interior) it always appears to be sold out or unavailable. So, I keep moving on. I find it very hard to believe that every single time I look, every single date I'm considering and every single interior is booked solid...like forever. Maybe I'm missing something? :confused:

Actually, Kim, the balcony rooms on Harmony (Oasis class but slightly Quantumfied) are cheaper than insides right now. We paid less than $800 per person for a hump oceanview balcony and the Boardwalk and Central Park are even cheaper than that. For a brand new ship! Our weeks are Feb 18 & 25 2017. Not sure if you cruise in the winter or not. We refused to pay the prices too, until we saw the current Harmony prices! We typically book insides too unless it is a special occasion!

I would love to cruise with Mitsugirly and family!

Lauri

Yep - my family says - Pop instead of soda, cellar instead of basement, and dinner and supper instead of lunch and dinner.

I'm reading some foreshadowing in you review. Anxious to hear how things wnt. We often travel with family - mishaps are not always funny when they happen - but we laugh later on - most of the time! My DD25, however, has not forgiven me for having to disembark in her bare feet because I packed all her shoes.

LOL, yea not sure about the pop vs soda thing. I just know I was raised saying "pop" and actually I was born (and so was all of my family) in Alabama, but was raised in Ohio. So it is a Southern thing then? I'm really not sure.

Here in Texas some say "Coke" which could mean Coca Cola, Pepsi, sometimes Dr. Pepper or any other cola type beverage.

Here in Texas some say "Coke" which could mean Coca Cola, Pepsi, sometimes Dr. Pepper or any other cola type beverage.

Yes, here in Georgia (home of Coca Cola) we used to say that you can tell a Yankee if they call a coke "pop."

Saving my place...great review. Trying to get hubby to go here soon[emoji57]

Here in Texas some say "Coke" which could mean Coca Cola, Pepsi, sometimes Dr. Pepper or any other cola type beverage.

Yes! Many times I've heard conversations that go like this:

"I'll have a Coke"

"What kind?"

"Mountain Dew"

:p

Loving the review, much better than mine lol. I chuckle every time you say the north says pop. Must be the north central, because in New England it's soda or tonic. Never heard it called pop by anyone local before.

The dunkies around here are everywhere. I recently refinanced my house and had to scan 7 pages of 2.56$ coffees at dunkies per month on my bank statements haha.

I think "pop" is more of a midwestern thing. I know folks here in Chicago say "pop".

I think "pop" is more of a midwestern thing. I know folks here in Chicago say "pop".

Yeah, upstate NY here and it's 'soda'. I have never heard someone call it anything else in RL.

Yes, here in Georgia (home of Coca Cola) we used to say that you can tell a Yankee if they call a coke "pop."

I was from Mass and we did not use the term "pop," but rather "tonic."

Yes! Many times I've heard conversations that go like this:

"I'll have a Coke"

"What kind?"

"Mountain Dew"

:p

LOL! this is funny!! :D:D

Really enjoying your review. We have been to Bermuda on the Dawn multiple times and always enjoyed ourselves. We will be on the July 24th sailing and I am looking for something new to do in Bermuda so am very interested in your experiences. I have a very mild touch of OCD and your organizational skills blow me out of the water! I am usually the one arranging all the schedules and just once I would love to cruise with someone like you where I could be the one that is led!!!!

Would love to hear more about your activities on shore for the three days. We have done the beaches and enjoyed Elbow beach the best. But would love to try something new this time.

Also want to hear more about "your machine" and fun in the casino:)

Thanks

Donna

I've been slowly reading your reviews, one by one and I love them. Such great details and photos (Plus, freaking funny sometimes!)

We are sailing NCL for the first time in April 2016 on the Getaway. I'm definitely planning on going back to read your review of that more carefully, especially where you talk about where you stayed the night before the cruise and was transportation you used from Fort Lauderdale to get to the port in Miami. Flying into FLL would be much easier for us.

I thought I was a planner, but I'm nothing compared to you! I might use some of those organizational tips.

We hung out for awhile, ate a little at the buffet, then headed to our rooms to put our stuff away.

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Now look at little Miss Cruising Diva!! She knows the drill, organizing her stuff for the week so she can go off and running to join the fun at the kids club. Too funny! Honestly, though my son at age 16/17 was too excited when he would first board a cruise ship to take time to organize his stuff. That was all on me. lol Maybe it is the differences between boys and girls, but this struck me as very responsible for her age!! :) Just saying........

Hey, Kim, thanks for reminding me about this review. For all of you, I am another Carnival strayer! After reading your great Pride review, I just knew I had to read this one, too! Spent the afternoon and night reading ALL 21 pages at a time and am HOOKED. Can't wait to hear about your Bermuda experience. Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise with us!

Actually, Kim, the balcony rooms on Harmony (Oasis class but slightly Quantumfied) are cheaper than insides right now. We paid less than $800 per person for a hump oceanview balcony and the Boardwalk and Central Park are even cheaper than that. For a brand new ship! Our weeks are Feb 18 & 25 2017. Not sure if you cruise in the winter or not. We refused to pay the prices too, until we saw the current Harmony prices! We typically book insides too unless it is a special occasion!

I would love to cruise with Mitsugirly and family!

Lauri

See, to me, that is expensive. At $800 a person, for us you are talking $2400 (plus tax, title & processing fees :p:D) and it ends up being A LOT. That's about twice the amount we would pay on NCL, using the KSF promo, which is always when we book. That's 2 different cruises for me and that's something I'm not willing to give up just to experience the Oasis. :)

Yep - my family says - Pop instead of soda, cellar instead of basement, and dinner and supper instead of lunch and dinner.

 

I'm reading some foreshadowing in you review. Anxious to hear how things wnt. We often travel with family - mishaps are not always funny when they happen - but we laugh later on - most of the time! My DD25, however, has not forgiven me for having to disembark in her bare feet because I packed all her shoes.

We do say basement and lunch and dinner...and POP. LOL Where are you from? Is it a south thing then?

I definitely laughed at the packed shoes. :eek: I have come close to no pants for me once. :p But was able to catch my luggage before they took it away from the hallway.

Here in Texas some say "Coke" which could mean Coca Cola, Pepsi, sometimes Dr. Pepper or any other cola type beverage.

Yes, here in Georgia (home of Coca Cola) we used to say that you can tell a Yankee if they call a coke "pop."

Funny thing is...when I order food, whether it be fast food or at a restaurant I always say "Give me a diet Coke"....whether they have coke or pepsi. It's just a habit. Some people know exactly what I'm talking about (even if they serve pepsi) and others will always come back and say "We only have pepsi products"....in which I'll reply "whatever it is" LOL :p

Saving my place...great review. Trying to get hubby to go here soon[emoji57]

Hi, glad you are here.

Yes! Many times I've heard conversations that go like this:

"I'll have a Coke"

"What kind?"

"Mountain Dew"

:p

Now that just sounds weird to me. :p

I think "pop" is more of a midwestern thing. I know folks here in Chicago say "pop".

Haha, I found someone else that uses that term. :)

Yeah, upstate NY here and it's 'soda'. I have never heard someone call it anything else in RL.

I remember the first time I heard a lady (from a different state and don't remember which one it was) come to work at the hospital with me and she would always ask me "I'm going down to get a soda, would you like one?" I had absolutely no idea back then what that meant (I was 18 years old). It was the first time I had ever heard that before. :p

I was from Mass and we did not use the term "pop," but rather "tonic."

I have heard the term "tonic" before, but I have always heard that meant carbonated water. :confused: As in WATER...not like, well pop.

Really enjoying your review. We have been to Bermuda on the Dawn multiple times and always enjoyed ourselves. We will be on the July 24th sailing and I am looking for something new to do in Bermuda so am very interested in your experiences. I have a very mild touch of OCD and your organizational skills blow me out of the water! I am usually the one arranging all the schedules and just once I would love to cruise with someone like you where I could be the one that is led!!!!

 

Would love to hear more about your activities on shore for the three days. We have done the beaches and enjoyed Elbow beach the best. But would love to try something new this time.

 

Also want to hear more about "your machine" and fun in the casino:)

 

Thanks

Donna

You see, I think I would be a nervous wreck if I just allowed someone else to organize and plan what we did in port. :o I know my adult kids said they'd never be able to cruise without me because they would have no idea what to do. LOL :p

I've been slowly reading your reviews, one by one and I love them. Such great details and photos (Plus, freaking funny sometimes!)

 

We are sailing NCL for the first time in April 2016 on the Getaway. I'm definitely planning on going back to read your review of that more carefully, especially where you talk about where you stayed the night before the cruise and was transportation you used from Fort Lauderdale to get to the port in Miami. Flying into FLL would be much easier for us.

 

I thought I was a planner, but I'm nothing compared to you! I might use some of those organizational tips.

Thanks for joining me with this review. We definitely like to have a good time.

We always fly into FLL...not by choice, but because since we use Southwest, that's as far as they go. So we will always stay in FLL and then use either MJS or SAS for our transportation needs.

 

 

 

 

Now look at little Miss Cruising Diva!! She knows the drill, organizing her stuff for the week so she can go off and running to join the fun at the kids club. Too funny! Honestly, though my son at age 16/17 was too excited when he would first board a cruise ship to take time to organize his stuff. That was all on me. lol Maybe it is the differences between boys and girls, but this struck me as very responsible for her age!! :) Just saying........

She definitely knows the drill. We have a system (she developed and insisted on). She takes the clothes out of the luggage and hands them to me to put them away. (Notice where "daddy" is, since he's the one taking the picture...on the bed of course...that's his system ;) Overseeing the project, and he wonders why he doesn't know where his items are put away at when he needs them :D).

She's very responsible for her age. She does her own laundry since age 5 (I just have to put the liquid soap in it and she loads it and pushed all the appropriate buttons), makes her bed each morning...complete with all her decorator pillows and all, and cleaning both living rooms down stairs and her playroom upstairs. Those are her duties. She's my little helper for sure. She likes to sweep with a broom, but it never works out too great. We're still working on those skills. :p

Hey, Kim, thanks for reminding me about this review. For all of you, I am another Carnival strayer! After reading your great Pride review, I just knew I had to read this one, too! Spent the afternoon and night reading ALL 21 pages at a time and am HOOKED. Can't wait to hear about your Bermuda experience. Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise with us!

Hi friend!! Glad you made it over and found the thread. Glad to have you here. :D All 21 pages at a time? That's dedication girl! :p

I have heard the term "tonic" before, but I have always heard that meant carbonated water. :confused: As in WATER...not like, well pop.

 

 

 

 

There is tonic water. But Boston locally tonic means soda/pop etc. although I think it's a dying term, I rarely hear it outside of my mothers family anymore.