June 8, 2014 Breakaway Cruise to Bermuda with the Kids!

[ShellDil]

Do you remember the name of the Helmet Dive excursion? Cost? Was it a cruise line excursion or third party?

 

It was Hartley's Helmet Diving. http://www.hartleybermuda.com/

 

$95/person and it was a private excursion. We booked it the afternoon before we went. I called him right from the dock and booked for the next day.

 

It gets really good reviews on trip advisor and I had read about it, maybe here before we went. But like I had mentioned, it wasn't something we had planned to do before we went. But we were looking for something a bit different once we got there. It definitely fit the bill!

[ilovetotravel1977]

Thanks for the info! I gotta admit, I've never even snorkeled before as thought of fish around me like that makes my skin crawl. But this seems way more controlled...

[ShellDil]

Thanks for the info! I gotta admit, I've never even snorkeled before as thought of fish around me like that makes my skin crawl. But this seems way more controlled...

 

I'm not sure if this will work or not, but here is a short clip of the video from the dive. We got a CD with a few pictures and each of us were on a little video.

 

Let's see what happens!

 

[YOUTUBE]p0osRtppX-8[/YOUTUBE]

[LazyDays64]

Oh I know exactly what you mean about the lens fogging up! For some reason that didn't happen to me this time. I do have a lens filter on it - just a clear one, to protect the lens. Now I have no idea if that helps or not. And I can't remember if it fogged up much on our last trip to Europe, because it certainly was hot during that trip! But my old camera would constantly fog up and yes, made me crazy! One thing you could do if you remember is to put it out on the balcony for a few minutes to let it adjust before you go outside and start taking pictures.

 

Check the camera forum here too. I seem to remember reading a thread with posts on how to prevent the lens from fogging up. :)

 

Have a great cruise!!! And I think you'll enjoy the golf! It was a nice way to finish up our time in Bermuda and no real stress to rush back to the ship.

 

I'm so glad it wasn't just me that happened too. lol I'll have to check the camera forum and see if I can find something about that.

 

Do you remember how long it took you to play at Fun Golf? It didn't look crowded when you were there. I can't believe we leave in three days! :eek:

[ShellDil]

I'm so glad it wasn't just me that happened too. lol I'll have to check the camera forum and see if I can find something about that.

 

Do you remember how long it took you to play at Fun Golf? It didn't look crowded when you were there. I can't believe we leave in three days! :eek:

 

Hmmm - I would say it took us between 1 and 2 hours for the golf. No more than 2 hours. And it wasn't crowded at all when we were there. There were maybe a couple of other people playing. There's a little bar there as well. I'm not sure if they serve food, but they might. I know we had lunch on the ship before playing and afterwards we had maybe an hour or so to browse some shops at the dockyard before heading back to the ship. We didn't really feel rushed at any time. I think you'll enjoy it!

 

Have a great trip! Come back and tell me about it! :)

[leekh]

Thanks ShellDil for the review so far. I got the UDP plan as part of the promotin and I want to make reservation for the Cirque Dream the first night. However when I try to reserve it online prior to my cruise, it is asking me for my credit card. Do I have to pay for it first for my family of 4 and then they reimburse me or is there some other way to make the reservation? Thanks in advance.

 

Once we were moving we got ready for dinner. I'll mention now that based on our past experience on Norwegian we knew going in that we would want to eat most of our dinners at the specialty restaurants. We knew that the main dining rooms weren't going to have the variety that appealed to us. Their menu doesn't change during the week and they only offer one or maybe two changing menu items each night. Taste, Savor and the Manhattan Room all have the same menu, so even though they are in three different spaces, there's no variety in the food.

 

Knowing we'd want to eat at the specialty restaurants we decided to purchase the Ultimate Dining Plan. For us, this definitely worked in our favor. If you plan to mainly eat in the main dining rooms, it may not benefit you.

 

So, with the UDP, the Cirque Dreams and Dinner Jungle Fantasy is free the first night. Now, Megan is 12, so she was not on the UDP. We had to pay for her. No big deal. At the specialty restaurants she is 1/2 price, so less expensive than the UDP anyway.

 

The other thing we learned from our past NCL cruise was that the specialty restaurants fill up quickly, so plan ahead. Even if you change your reservations later - make a plan! So we pre-booked dinners Sun - Thursday before we sailed. We left Friday and Saturday open to decide where we'd go once on board.

 

In a way, I think this sort of defeats the entire Freestyle concept, but this was one of the things I really disliked about our cruise on the Epic. We only pre-booked one meal and no shows. But every night when we'd try to see a show it was sold out and every night where we wanted to go for dinner was booked until 9:30 or 10:00 at night. Waits for the main dining rooms were nearly an hour. So, in order to avoid feeling a scramble to find where to go, we planned ahead and it worked like a charm for us.

 

Our dinner at Cirque....we found the food to be fine. I'm not sure what the complaint is with filet and shrimp, but there was plenty to eat. My son doesn't like shrimp, so we asked for no shrimp and double meat and he was accommodated. There was a caprese salad to start and a dessert trio to finish. The show was good. However sometime after dessert was served there was a technical difficulty and they had to cut the performance short. I'd guess it had to be towards the end of the show since they were already onto coffee. They refunded all paid tickets, so my daughter received a refund and we were told we could make a reservation for another night. We decided what we saw was fine, and we didn't need to come back. We were all glad we went, we enjoyed the meal and the show. I'd recommend going for sure!

 

You can't take pictures during the show, so I don't have any, other than the kids in the crazy mirrors outside the theater!

 

 

One other comment regarding meal plans and such - the drink plans.

 

I would have liked to have gotten the beverage package since there were quite a few sea days. I probably would have lost money on it, but it would have been nice to not have to think about the money spent on each drink I did get. I also do like a lot of coffee drinks from the cafe, so they would have been included. I understand the concept that each adult in the cabin has to get the package, but I was the only adult. I have a problem with forcing my kids to get a soda package if I choose to get a beverage package. Neither of my kids drinks soda. I feel that I shouldn't have to pay for a package they won't touch if I want to get a package for myself. Obviously I am not sharing alcoholic drinks with them, so why do they have to get a soda package? Their packages don't include coffee drinks, bottled water or sparkling water - so I think this is a bit ridiculous. Well, actually, maybe the teen package does include extras, but my son doesn't drink any of that - my daughter would, but her package wouldn't include the extras since hers would be the basic soda package. That honestly is my only real complaint about the cruise - I think. But I think it's pretty valid. ;)

 

 

[sjde]

That really surprises (and disappoints) me. I have sailed on quite a few different cruise lines and every other one has a dinner menu that changes nightly in the main dining room.

[ShellDil]

Thanks ShellDil for the review so far. I got the UDP plan as part of the promotin and I want to make reservation for the Cirque Dream the first night. However when I try to reserve it online prior to my cruise, it is asking me for my credit card. Do I have to pay for it first for my family of 4 and then they reimburse me or is there some other way to make the reservation? Thanks in advance.

 

I would maybe call NCL to ask them. I did have to use our cc when booking Cirque the first night because Megan wasn't on the UDP since she was 12. The UDP is only for ages 13 and up. So her meal was charged, but my meal and Alex's wasn't. But when we reserved it, we were only charged for 1 and not 3.

[ShellDil]

That really surprises (and disappoints) me. I have sailed on quite a few different cruise lines and every other one has a dinner menu that changes nightly in the main dining room.

 

We didn't check the menus every night, so there may have been some changes. I do know they had one or two options that were added as the "special" so there were slight modifications. But there are three MDR's and the menu at all there is exactly the same. From what I recall on other lines, one half of the menu would be the nightly specials and the other half was the standard menu. This didn't seem to be the case here. Someone may recall differently????

[Amo57]

Thanks ShellDil for the review so far. I got the UDP plan as part of the promotin and I want to make reservation for the Cirque Dream the first night. However when I try to reserve it online prior to my cruise, it is asking me for my credit card. Do I have to pay for it first for my family of 4 and then they reimburse me or is there some other way to make the reservation? Thanks in advance.

 

I also have the UDP as part of the promotion. I tried to call and make reservations (for 9) and was told that i would have to pay for everything now and apply for a credit on board. Online everything comes up at $0.00 (including Cirque for the 1st night) but i can only make reservations for 8.

[ShellDil]

Again...sorry for the long, long delay! We're up to day 7...the last day....It's a bit foggy as to what exactly we did that day, and I don't have many pictures. So, here's what I think we did!

 

I got up early and went out to my usual spot on deck. Grabbed a "to go" breakfast from the Uptown Cafe and went back to my chair to eat it. Some sort of egg breakfast sandwich I think. And I read. I met a lovely group of people who were sitting next to me and we spent a good deal of time talking about their time on the ship and what they had done and got to know one another.

 

My goal for the day was to do the ropes course :D and I really wanted to do that big slide that has the drop! When the kids showed up, Megan and I went off to do the slide, and wouldn't you know it was closed! I knew I should have done it earlier in the week! I'm not sure why it was closed - it didn't seem windy or anything. So, I never got to do it. Bummer!

 

But I was determined to do the ropes course! You can see from the pictures, no, I'm not the picture of fitness! So my kids thought there was NO way in the world their mother could do it! I was going to prove them wrong. How hard could it be afterall - adults of all ages and shapes were up there! I generally don't have a fear of heights for the most part, so off we went! :eek:

 

I'll admit, once up there and getting ready to step out onto that tiny little bit of metal, I felt like changing my mind. But once I started walking around, I got my footing and it was a lot of fun! I didn't do the more challenging parts and stuck mainly to the stable metal parts, but I was proud to say I did it! And I did go out on the plank! Freaked me out a bit - I did look down...and sure you're harnessed in, but you know - no one is really watching up there and something can always go wrong! That's the mom in me I guess!

 

I think the picture you take on the plank, by pulling the rope is sort of lame because the perspective doesn't really show "you" over the water....and it's a horrible picture - but it's my proof that I was there!

 

 

And here are the kids on the zip line

 

 

 

 

 

It was a relaxing day, and I'm sure somewhere along the line I went back to the cabin and did the dreaded packing! We were doing self walk off the next morning, so I didn't feel rushed to get the luggage out in the hall.

[ShellDil]

Oh my gosh...I almost totally forgot! Megan and I got a mother - daughter massage! The Breakaway is one of the only places I've ever seen a massage offered for someone as young as 12 years old. They have a "teen" menu of spa services and some are available for pre-teens, and the mother/daughter massage was one of the items available. She was SO excited for her first massage! It was a really nice end to a fantastic week!

 

I'll say, true to form as on my past NCL sailing, they are a bit over the top with the sales bit with the spa services. That just bugs me to no end. When I get a massage especially, I really don't need to end the relaxation trying to justify why I really don't need to purchase an endless supply of oils, lotions, potions and whatever not at over inflated costs. Not to mention being told that my skin, my muscles etc are in such bad shape that without their products, I could have serious problems. But we got out without buying anything...the massage was really pretty good and Megan loved the experience!

 

We decided to go to Moderno for dinner again. Since we had the UDP, we definitely didn't want to go to one of the MDR's and there was very limited availability anywhere. We began looking for where we'd eat starting Wednesday night and Moderno and Teppanyaki were the only restaurants with

openings for Saturday night. I can't say how glad I was that we made our reservations for the other nights before we boarded!

 

Once again we thoroughly enjoyed our meal....we had an amazing cruise - we loved Bermuda and were definitely not quite ready to go home!

 

 

 

Gotta always love Spongebob!

 

 

 

 

I have a few things left to post on our overall trip, as well as our day in NYC before going home! I just have to upload those pictures first!

 

[LiveFreeLoveTrue]

Thank you so much for such a detailed review! I am now even more excited for my turn! I have a question about Hartley's helmet dive. My daughter (she is 8) has pretty sensitive ears. She gets ear infections and swimmers ear more than your average child and is bothered by more high frequency sounds than most. What was it like adjusting to the pressure underwater? I've tried to research and haven't found much about it other than what to do (hold your nose and slowly blow out). But I also don't want to pay for something that she won't be able to tolerate or would hurt her. How was it coming back up to the boat? Did it take your ears a while to adjust? Thank you!

Edited July 24, 2014 by LiveFreeLoveTrue

[ShellDil]

Thank you so much for such a detailed review! I am now even more excited for my turn! I have a question about Hartley's helmet dive. My daughter (she is 8) has pretty sensitive ears. She gets ear infections and swimmers ear more than your average child and is bothered by more high frequency sounds than most. What was it like adjusting to the pressure underwater? I've tried to research and haven't found much about it other than what to do (hold your nose and slowly blow out). But I also don't want to pay for something that she won't be able to tolerate or would hurt her. How was it coming back up to the boat? Did it take your ears a while to adjust? Thank you!

 

I'm glad my review has helped you!

 

For the helmet dive, we walked down a ladder to get down to the bottom where we stood, so there was no quick drop. I think maybe the last few feet we floated down. We were only 10-12 feet underwater so, not more than a deep swimming pool. And you can put your hand into the helmet to touch your nose, or face or whatever you need to should she have to blow while holding her nose to adjust the pressure. Coming back up, again - just go to the ladder and step out. So there was no real pressure - not at all like diving. I did scuba one time, one of the DSD (discover scuba dive) courses and that was a much different sensation.

 

Megan stayed down for only 15-20 minutes - like I said she felt claustrophobic, so I sort of felt like we paid for something she didn't enjoy. But she did get down there and get to see the fish and see what it was like.

 

It's a tough call though!

[Amo57]

Quick question if you could. Something I would never have thought to look into to but just noticed a comment on another page. The main pool is for adults only? And kids are only allowed in the pool in the back by the kiddie area? If so do you know how deep that pool is?

 

 

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[ShellDil]

Quick question if you could. Something I would never have thought to look into to but just noticed a comment on another page. The main pool is for adults only? And kids are only allowed in the pool in the back by the kiddie area? If so do you know how deep that pool is?

 

 

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Sure thing! I had to check with my kids because I hadn't heard about this. According to them, you could go in any of the pools any time of day - except the hot tubs at Spice H2O. BUT they said that the pool towards the front, where the DJ, music etc was had a lot of "adult" activity - as they referred to it - grinding - as they said! :eek: going on! Then there is the "kid" pool where there the kid zone type is - and then the pool by the slides - which was more family friendly. That one was between 3 and 4 feet deep if they remember correctly!

 

I hope all that is accurate - but for sure, they felt uncomfortable in any pool other than the one between the slides!

[Amo57]

Sure thing! I had to check with my kids because I hadn't heard about this. According to them, you could go in any of the pools any time of day - except the hot tubs at Spice H2O. BUT they said that the pool towards the front, where the DJ, music etc was had a lot of "adult" activity - as they referred to it - grinding - as they said! :eek: going on! Then there is the "kid" pool where there the kid zone type is - and then the pool by the slides - which was more family friendly. That one was between 3 and 4 feet deep if they remember correctly!

 

 

 

I hope all that is accurate - but for sure, they felt uncomfortable in any pool other than the one between the slides!

 

 

Thank you for the info.

 

 

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[092306]

Really enjoyed your review! You took some amazing pictures, thanks for sharing!

 

 

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[ShellDil]

Really enjoyed your review! You took some amazing pictures, thanks for sharing!

 

 

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Thank you!

[ShellDil]

And I did it again, left you hanging on -with barely anything left to post even! I'll finish up the review now! I promise!

 

So - our last night ended and really, the final morning is always uneventful. I mentioned we decided to carry off our own luggage. It's just so much easier! We went to the buffet for breakfast and then went back to the cabin to pick up the luggage and just walk on off the ship. Always just so sad!

 

We had train tickets for around 2:00 pm, and it was early, around 9:00 or so. So, we went to Penn Station and found out we could store our bags for a really inexpensive rate! I think for 3 suitcases and 2 of our carry on bags it was like $30? Maybe less, maybe more. I know it was cheap and we didn't have to walk around the city with luggage or even backpacks!

 

So, off to Time's Square we went! I may have mentioned this, but Megan is a NYC nut! She loves everything about the city. She wants to live there when she's old enough. She wants to go to college there and she can navigate the subway as if she's been living there her entire life!

 

So - here we are waiting to get into Toys R Us....we played tourist for a day!

 

 

You can see how much Megan loves the city, and well, how much Alex just doesn't care so much!

 

 

 

 

 

Oh no, not the scary dinosaur!

 

 

And the Hulk has her now!

 

 

Is this even necessary?

 

 

 

 

 

[ShellDil]

After Toys R Us, we tried to get to the BIG comic book store, which I can't remember the name of right now, but wouldn't you know it wasn't opened yet! It was only 11:30 and it didn't open until 12:00! What a disappointment!

 

So we walked to Bryant Park and hung out for a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

Then we made our way back through Time's Square, grabbed lunch and took the subway to the train station to catch our train home....

 

 

 

 

Our trip had come to an end....I can say that while we were all a bit hesitant and not sure how we'd like the Breakaway after not loving the Epic as much as we wanted to last year, we could not have had a more amazing time! There will always be little things that are not amazing, but this was a wonderful trip! We prepared for it in the short time we had before going. We set our expectations and this trip went far beyond them, and Bermuda was way more than we could have imagined!

 

If anyone has any questions - just ask away! Thanks for following along!

 

And as I mentioned, in November, we'll be sailing again, on Celebrity this time, one of the Top Chef cruises - this time to the Caribbean! Can't wait!

 

[DaisyL]

Thanks for the review... loved it and all the pix!

[ShellDil]

Thanks for the review... loved it and all the pix!

 

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it all!

[cruiselife4me]

Ok, here's my third of your reviews..one at a time...lol! I think it was great you went only with your kids, sometimes you get a different perspective on the cruise. I went with a girlfriend twice and we did have fun in a different way than going with my hubby although I do prefer to cruise with him.

 

GREAT review..can't wait for more!

Mary in Michigan

[ShellDil]

Ok, here's my third of your reviews..one at a time...lol! I think it was great you went only with your kids, sometimes you get a different perspective on the cruise. I went with a girlfriend twice and we did have fun in a different way than going with my hubby although I do prefer to cruise with him.

 

GREAT review..can't wait for more!

Mary in Michigan

 

Thanks! I was a little nervous to go away for a whole week just the kids and I, but in the end we had such a great time! It's definitely a different perspective. I love traveling with my husband, but I know now that I can have really, just as good a time with the kids, especially at the ages they are now.

 

Thanks for reading along! :D