!!! BREAKAWAY !!! To Bermuda ^_^ Our Ultimate Review and Complete Pictorial Guide!

[Mom2B&Z]

I am not going to re quote the person who is complaining about Gambee's review, but this is how it goes here. If it does not suit you, feel free to unsubscribe and read somebody else's review. This is Gambee's thread, and he does things the way he feels it should be done.

 

Ditto.

Be grateful that a complete stranger is taking time out of their life to give us detailed information that will help us have a better vacation.

Now, back to Gambee's review :)

[gambee]

 

Well what can I tell you about that week? For those of you who know me by now, I am a nervous wreck prior to any cruise. Something different happened this time around, for some unknown reason I was incredibly calm. I guess I was just ready for the cruise to start.

 

This trip was a little different since I had to fly to get to port so we were limited on what we could bring by weight. In addition to that, I did not feel like hauling too much stuff across New York. I also took advantage of a not so busy work week to get everything finalized and printing all the air, hotel and cruise documents.

 

Since my last review, I learned a lot about camera care. Now, my # 1 concern is to check everything before a trip and to make sure that I have all the essential cleaning equipment with me, just in case the problem appears again while in vacation. With all my camera equipment packed and double checked I was ready to go.

 

Those last days prior we were super excited, but it was a very different feeling from our previous cruises. I think it was mainly because we followed this ship building process and were involved with it at all times. It was almost like our baby, and I know it sounds silly, but that is exactly how it felt. I think more than anything we were proud of her and happy that it was time for us to be a part of that story :D. My bf on the other hand was very irritated with what he calls my obsession. I can't blame him really :D, I did spend an awful lot of time on CC with this ship ;).

 

Another important milestone was to see the Breakaway docking in Bermuda for the first time. Up until her first arrival to Bermuda her ability to dock was in question due to delays in the repairs of the dock. That Wednesday, both mom and I got up really early to see the Breakaway docking, and it was a very exciting moment! This meant the world to me as I had very little interest in tendering for 3 days in Bermuda. That made my day.

 

I also decided to do something special for my bf since he was not coming with us. I took of that Thursday, and we went out for sushi and to see the new Star Trek movie, we are both Trekkies :). It was a fun little date, I really could not remember the last time that we had a date like that one.

 

 

[gambee]

 

That morning was pretty uneventful, we woke up early and headed towards the Airport. It was the first time that I've ever flown on JetBlue, overall a great airline, definitely much better than Spirit!

 

We got to NY and took a cab to the hotel, the cab was awfully expensive at $55, there was just so much traffic. When we got to the hotel we were told that we had to wait until 3pm to get into the room, so we went out for a little walk. Originally I had big plans for NY, but once we got there we were very tired and with the weather decline, we decided to just take it easy. We went out for lunch and a short walk on time square. For lunch I had a delicious slice of pizza in a little shop, and it was actually priced appropriately.

 

While I was taking pictures my camera died on me, it took a little time to figure out that the memory card was the one that had given out on me. I was glad that it was not the camera, as I had no intentions on buying another system in New York. None the less I ended up paying $32.50 for a 8gb memory card, NY prices are just ridiculous. And originally they wanted $45, what a ripoff. Anyway with the new uber expensive memory card I took a few pictures. By the way I took a few pictures that got deleted when the memory card crapped out.

 

I did not take that many pictures, I don't feel safe pulling out my camera to often in NY. So the pics here are limited.

 

 

They had this avenue closed down with food and shops on both sides, mom got a skewer but she hated it since it was cold.

 

Notice the Colombian flag to the right?

 

 

 

 

Then we went to Times Square,

 

 

 

The weather was just horrible, I wished it had been better so I could of really taken advantage to get some great pics.

 

 

 

[gambee]

One block away from time square, Cake Boss has a store. I stopped by to take a few pictures to later compare with Breakaway. This guy must be a multimillionaire by now. I appreciate how beautiful his cakes are, but I am not a fan of the show. I also tried a couple of his goodies aboard Breakaway, but you will have to wait for that, lol.

 

Similar cakes to Breakaway,

 

Inside the store (I took this pics with the wrong lens)

 

Not happy with how this came out, but I rather share it.

 

 

We stayed there for sometime mom shopped around for some shoes, but never bought any. She also bought something for her eyes and I bought some redbulls for the cruise.

 

On the way back there was this bus with an entertainer outside of the bus. They seemed to be having a really good time inside.

 

 

You see the entertainer (rapper) in the orange hat. He walks as the bus moves, interacting with the public.

 

of course you can imagine Gambee running trying to hide from him so he would not interact with me, lol, =). Silly Gambee ^_^

 

 

I took a picture of this really cool building, How cool is that?!?

 

Maybe ill buy a condo there, Yeah right, lol. Dreaming is free right?

 

Then we headed back to the hotel to see if they would let us in our room early. Service in this hotel is top notch, the gentleman allowed us to have our room early so we could rest for a little before venturing out again.

 

So we took our bags out of their storage and headed towards the room.

 

[gambee]

 

When looking for a hotel I wanted one that had two beds and that was near to the port. Finding a hotel in NY with two beds at a reasonable price is not easy. As usual I did a large among of research and I ended up settling for a Brand New Comfort Inn, one block away from Pier 88. The funny thing is that when I booked it, the hotel was not even open, I took a big risk there.

 

Overall a great hotel, very comfortable, clean and roomy (unlike my last stay in NY). I was very happy with this hotel and would recommend it to anyone that wants to stay close to the ship, and is on a budget. Just keep in mind that you're a few blocks away from Times Square and moving back and forth can be tiresome.

 

Did I mention it has free internet & breakfast?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lobby also serves as the free breakfast venue.

 

 

[gambee]

 

Nice little lobby.

 

Our room was huge for NY inn standards.

 

 

Crappy view, but I much rather the nice room space.

 

 

The pillows were to die for, mom was in heaven.

 

 

[gambee]

 

 

 

And that is about it for the hotel, it was a nice stay. Although if I was to go back on Breakaway I might do a couple of days in NY instead of one and I might want to get a hotel closer to a subway. But overall highly recommended for Breakaway cruisers.

 

 

After a little refresher we decided to head back out and explore a little. With no real place that we wanted to go, we just started walking.

 

I took a couple of pictures before deciding to get into the sub and head downtown and see the Freedom Tower in person. It is a real shame that I never got to see the twin towers. I visited the memorial some time ago, and it was just a very sad place. I am glad that we stand united and now have another monument towering ski high to demonstrate who we are. I had no plans in entering the memorial as I knew it was sold out and it would be almost impossible to get the tickets that day. Either way I decided to head there and get some pics from outside.

 

Here are the two pics I took before entering the sub.

 

Love, love, love! This building!

 

 

I really do not feel comfortable with my camera outside of her bag in NY, so the pics of NY are rather limited. I am thinking on buying again my old HX so I can carry with me in places that carry a risk.

 

[gambee]

Ok, the Freedom tower. I took a lot of pics of her and I think I will post them all. She is just so impressive and gorgeous! Too bad the weather was not that good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then walked around the tower and ended up by a marina that I have been to, it was really nice there. We took some pictures but it soon started raining so we had to run towards shelter. At some point in time my mom bought a hair brush because she had left hers at home. I believe we found a hair shop and she got a good price on one. Thank God, after the hit I took on that memory card. You will be glad to know that the memory card did not crap out on me on Bermuda, I was afraid of that. I am starting to think that the error is in my camera, she has a tendency to create errors. Thinking about upgrading to the NEX 6 before its too late and she deletes an entire day of pictures.

 

Any way here is the park that I was talking about.

 

See that container? Ok. Just wait a second.

 

How cool looking is that?

 

 

[gambee]

 

A close up.

 

The other side of the container, I think it was something to do with art. :dunno:

 

And there she stands!

 

 

 

[Maryfrei]

<3 Gambee <3

[gambee]

I fell in love with this boat, I can only imagine the cost of having her docked there. But I am sure who ever owns her, does not care :D.

 

I always wanted to learn how to sail. I think am going to add that to my list of things to do. Living in South Florida, I should know how to do that already. Sarah are you in?

 

 

 

 

We then left that area and started walking to catch the sub that would drop us off directly by central park. Remember that I had woken up very early that day and the last thing I wanted to do was to walk a lot.

 

At some point my mom saw a nice little bakery and she stopped by to buy a croissant. So I am sure that you know that mom and I are a little clumsy, so I will ask you. Where do you think the croissant ended?

 

 

 

 

Come on you know…

 

 

 

yup as she was walking into the sub the snack somehow managed to escape out her hands and ended up here.

 

 

I then grabbed the croissant and moved it safely in a corner so someone could eat it later on. I am sure it did not go to waste, if anything the birds ate it. I just did not want someone stepping on it, I left it in the floor, but in the corner.

 

 

[sarahecohen]

Well, the review started off great, but now you've lost me. First, posters here quoting you with pics included over and over is tedious. I don't really need to see pics of the model ships three or four times in one thread or the same map of Bermuda over and over. Of course you cannot control what others do. I really wish people would learn to say what they want without quoting entire posts including photos over and over. Now, you want to personally address each poster and those posters are quoting your personal posts to them on top of it. One example is the recent post by capp. I am referring to post #127. It couldn't get any worse. Sorry, thanks anyway.

 

lol.

[BugsyCruiser]

lol.

 

I thought the same thing. Seriously, there's always one in every crowd! I would appreciate it if people didn't like the way a review was being done then just not follow it but refrain from making comments like that poster did. But that would make waaay too much sense.

 

I, along with the vast majority, appreciate Gambee's style of review. Awesome pictures of NYC by the way! :)

[gambee]

She was pretty bummed about it, she claimed it was really good. But she was out of luck, the bakery was blocks away, so she would have to wait until we got off at central park.

 

Side note: It was kind off weird, the night before for some odd reason I was watching a video of lucky people that survived accidents on the subway. The odd thing is that I rarely watch videos online, it was scary thinking that could be you in there. So I was always telling my mom to stay a few feet away from it and closer to the wall. I know I am a bit paranoid.

 

The sub rides all were uneventful. Although I love people watching in the sub :D.

 

After the sub ride was over we got off on central park and walked towards the Apple store.

 

 

 

 

 

We went downstairs and bought a set of headphones for mom, she then traded her new ones for my old ones. So now I have a new set of headphones bought in NY :D

 

Picture taken from the inside elevator.

 

 

[gambee]

So while we waited for a friend of mine to get out of work to go for dinner, we noticed a commotion going on.

 

What looked to be like a robbery and a subject avoiding arrest was actually a sick person. After some talking I was told the individual had not taken his meds and he went crazy up there. It was pretty chaotic and he was eventually taken in a ambulance.

 

 

 

Then we just sat there and waiting for my buddy.

 

 

That is where he was taking us for dinner in the Plaza hotel.

 

 

 

Since he was running a little late we went into FAO Schwarz to take a look.

 

 

That is such a cute picture, if you know what I mean. Perfect timing.

 

 

 

[gambee]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok folks, that is it for now. New York is almost over, I only have a few more posts to write. Like I said NY was a fast day for us, plus I know we are all here for Breakaway anyway. I should be able to finish NY today at some point after work.

 

Thanks for keeping up with me =)

 

[sarahecohen]

I always wanted to learn how to sail. I think am going to add that to my list of things to do. Living in South Florida, I should know how to do that already. Sarah are you in?

 

Heck yes! But who will be the captain? Hmm is there such a thing as co-captains...

[boyreporter]

I'd hate to be the dink who tells you New York is safe and then someone steals your camera, but I really think New York is safer than you've been led to believe. Certainly the chances of someone stealing one out of your hands is statistically almost zero; if you were willing to carry it in a bag or backpack the rest of the time, something with a thicker strap that won't just rip off, I can't imagine anything happening. I lived in the city for over a year, have worked there for more than 11, and visited for much longer, and nothing's ever happened to me.

 

And since this is my first post here, allow me to join everyone else in saying this thing is awesome, it's going to be very entertaining and superinformative for me in a few weeks, and thank you very much for doing it.

[gambee's_mom]

Great start on the review. You rock. Did you see this photo? Is that you on your balcony during sail away from BDA?

 

 

 

Thank you so much for the picture, that it's me. :) I always wanted a picture of us in the balcony but my son was not there at that moment. :(

 

I really appreciate to all the persons, who support Gambee in his thread. Let's continue traveling with us, in this great adventure. Yayyyyyyy it was great, and we also met very nice CC members.

[gambee]

cap:That is the way I usually do it, I respond to everyone. I figure if you take the time to post here then I should do the same. Thank you kindly for your kind words =)

 

Chimimi69: Thank you very much, you have no idea how much work and dedication I have put into this. So glad that you like it, that makes it all worth it.

 

IndyKat: Thank you, nice to see that I have a lot of followers :).

 

#55worktoplay: Thank you so much for following all my reviews, it is very much appreciated. Hope your hubby does not get to upset since I will be keeping you occupied for the next couple of weeks, lol.

 

Bugsy: Well thank you, I always appreciate your posts. It was my pleasure meeting you.

 

juniorsmom: Welcome aboard, glad to see you here.

 

mickanddoe: Thank you.

 

Bear3412: Great picture, thank you. That is my mom in the balcony, I was out having dinner with Shaun. Awesome picture, thank you.

 

kendevjay: Thank you, glad to know that you like it so far.

 

grover39: Yes they close the stores and the casino. All the restaurants and bars are still open.

 

Tink35: Thank you Monica, I hope you have a great cruise. I would think that after I am done with this review. This will be pretty much all the info that most cruisers will need to travel. Lets hope that I can finish as strong as I started.

 

SissesMemE: Welcome Welcome =)

 

macfin: I got some Splash info and some dailies. I think I also got the ones from the second half of the week. But the info is buried in my pics, so it is easier to post them as time goes by and I start finding the info.

 

cabincop: Well hello there nice to see you here. You are in luck, we saw that cabin in our cabin crawl. I think I got a few pictures, not many, but a few yes. I will tell you that the room looked great! My only issue with it was the smaller balcony, almost like a slanted hull balcony. I will post the pics. We did the cabin crawl on day 2.

 

workingmom200112: Thank you for your kind words, that is very nice of you. Glad to know that I have a large fan group =).

 

iceburg1: It was cold, I did snorkel and swim. But mom was not able, they said it was about the same as the air temp, but I don't think so. It was pretty cold, I went on it to get pictures of the fish. You will see later on by how many people were on the beach and almost none in the water. But your screen name is iceburg, so you should be ok :D. Just messing with you, where dod you live? we live in fort lauderdale, so the water here is almost always nice and warm and we are used to that.

 

amg68: You should be able a good amount of about the ship before your cruise, but I think I will just be getting started with Bermuda when you board. I did not get Vibe, but from what I hear it was great! I believe they also said that it was closed for 3 day due to bad weather. But the thing is that the weather was not horrible during 2 of those days. I would recommend getting the day passes instead. Which by the way you can buy ahead of time. All that said I am grateful I did not get either the spa or vibe, H2O did us just fine.

 

Beachlover1964: You're very welcome =)

 

Bellaloomp: I tried to get those pictures, I went there 3 times and the doors were locked all 3 times. Sorry :-/.

 

Wriggler: Thank you for that, a very sweet response. :)

 

alg7334: Thank you, we will see what the future has setup for me =)

 

Maryfrei: I had to research what <3 meant, thank you :). I am not up to date with internet lingo.

 

Boyreporter: I am just paranoid, I know everyone walks with their cameras and stuff. Just the way I am I guess :D. Glad you like the review so far, thank you for joining in.

[NayRN]

Gambee!

I for one want to thank you for the NYC information! We will be arriving two days prior to our Bahamas cruise! I've been before, but my niece and her two girls haven't!! I'm too worried about figuring out the subway lines....so we will be doing the 48 hour HO/HO for transportation!! I wish I had know about the new Comfort Inn! I booked the Staybridge Suites before they were open for a great price! I will look into staying there when I book my Breakaway cruise for next summer....and it ALL thanks to you!!! ;)

 

PS...thanks for not letting that mean-spirited person stop you from posting!! I know it takes different people to make the world go around........

Edited May 27, 2013 by NayRN

[Kennedysa]

Whoo Hoo another Gambee review!

[English101]

We have been waiting for a week to start reading this...this is amazing....any chance u got any of the daily from splash?..thank you again...

 

Yes! I would like that info also! :)

[Cruisegirl6]

Gambee

 

I lived in Coral Springs for over 20 years now in northern Florida but my heart always remains down there, family still there....anyways, your photos of NY (I was born and raised in Nassasu/Queens) brought me back from a long time ago. Honestly I never miss it up there and hate the weather up there, but it was joyful to see the photos for old times sake. Living in Florida, we never taken cruises from the north in over 25 years, but we will be flying up there next Saturday for our cruise on the Breakaway.

JetBlue is my favorite airline, my brother in law is captain and they were the first ones to install cameras inside their aircraft immediately after sad 9/11. They are a wonderful airline overall and so glad to hear you liked JetBlue.

I can't wait to hear more about your cruise, and Sara thank you for your time in the editing for Gambee.

Gambee, here is your trophy from my house to you.

[SissasMomE]

Well, the review started off great, but now you've lost me. First, posters here quoting you with pics included over and over is tedious. I don't really need to see pics of the model ships three or four times in one thread or the same map of Bermuda over and over. Of course you cannot control what others do. I really wish people would learn to say what they want without quoting entire posts including photos over and over. Now, you want to personally address each poster and those posters are quoting your personal posts to them on top of it. One example is the recent post by capp. I am referring to post #127. It couldn't get any worse. Sorry, thanks anyway.

 

Go away.