Breakaway (May 31) Loved it!

[TraJon9]

Let me start by saying I have been to Bermuda on a land vacation before but never on Norweguan. We had a casino offer so we took the chance knowing the island would be perfection.

 

Regular balcony room 11300, Aft.. Loved the location. The elevators were so convenient. Everything we needed to get to was right there since we did not do the spa. We did however do Vibe and we did the cabana since we knew the 100 dollar credit would be used. We did not have the liquor or dining package with our offer. I was bummed about not being midship but this worked out so much better for us.

 

Vibe made our trip special and low key but that is what we were looking for. Just the two of us, in our 40s'.

 

I tipped Miguel our room steward 20 dollars first day, told him my requests: extra towels, lots of coffee and some room in the fridge. He was just fantastic the entire time! We found the room roomy with just 2. So much space for storage once you start to look around. Suitcases under bed, tons of hangers. Now we did have not the greatest of neighbors. One side was a baby and I actually felt sorry for the parents. I wonder if the baby had colic, it was that bad for them. The other side their balcony was where they talked so loudly about everything personal. I found 2 mornings for a cup of coffee in peace..

 

The ship is beautiful and upscale like a lovely hotel. I am sort of a clean freak and they exceeded my expectation. Our least favorite was O' Sheehans, the main dining room (food was bland) and Ocean Blue Raw Bar.

 

Casino: I did well on slots, my other half did awful so that evened out. lol

 

Now let me say I am not a fan of buffets BUT I thought it was just great. I was actually shocked how good it was. We did breakfast 3 times and lunch 2 times there. Once we stopped in early dinner time for cheese, crackers , antipasta since we had a late dinner.. It was really good and much more flavorful then the sit downs. But this is my opinion only.

 

I will continue on.. I read so many reviews to help me so I wanted to pass it along.

[TraJon9]

So as for specialty dining. We did LeBistro, LaCucina, Moderno and the Japanese.

 

LeBistro was our favorite. It was just delicious.

 

Now I was hesitant to try LaCucina but there was no reason to be. It was so nice. Outdoor table while in Bermuda late in the evening. Everything was really good. We were surprised!

 

Teppan: hysterical chef, food really good. Lucky enough to have a fun crowd!

 

Moderno: now I like meat but in small portions. Jon on the other hand loves meat and potatoes. The salad bar is worth the price so I was thrilled. The fried bananas made us both happy.. So don't worry if your going with a meat lover and you are not. You will have way too much to eat as well..

 

We decided before dinner one night to stop off at the raw bar and it was comical. We got crab toasts (so so) and cheese plate. It was the smallest thing I ever saw. 6 tiny (smaller then a dice) items. Including one walnut. A little fig gel square. We could not stop laughing.

 

In our area we live at home. One of the casinos we visit used to have a Ocean Blue. It was the only place that was not successful. All others remain, Bobby Flay, wolfgang, homestead. I see why!

 

We never waited even 2 minutes to be seated with reservations.. I booked LeBistro and the Japanese before hand.

 

Shainghai now free we had 2 times.. Small menu but tasty and prepared quickly.

[TraJon9]

Shows: we only saw Howl at the Moon.. Fun! Otherwise we enjoyed the smaller acts like at the Martini Bar or whiskey bar.

 

We were excited about the 80's party and had a blast. I must say Julie is just fantastic as a cruise director.. She is pure fun, pleasant and really keeps her eye out to make people who others might ignore feel special..

 

I wish we participated in more activities but like I said we went to relax and set and for our first time on Norwegian we ran into no problems.. A few things I mentioned above were such small issues that we could work around it was close to perfect.

[TraJon9]

Bermuda:

 

Guest services on the ship sells the ferry/bus pass for one and 2 days. So were ready to go!

 

First day we took the ferry to St George. Bought the fun bus pass for 6 dollars. Went to Tobacco Bay and snorkeled. The water was cool and calm. Saw so much beauty.. Lots of nook and crannies to search out.. We purchased snorkel and mask before trip on amazon and brought water shoes..

 

Visited the fort and St Catherine's Beach.. Wish we had more time.. Loved St George..

 

Stopped off at Kelly's in town.. Got a seaglass bracelet made and a pair if earrings for Mom. Kelly is a lovely person..

[TraJon9]

2nd day... Highly recommend if comfortable on water..

 

We took the bus to Sommerset Bridge.. Just tell the bus driver to stop there.. Little walk down the hill to Sommerset Bridge Watersports.. Such a great company to work with and reasonable. They have a website if interested.

 

Rented a boston whaler for 4 hours for 140 dollars in the afternoon. The gas cost was $18. It can hold up to four people.

 

They give you all the info you need and a map of where to go.. Best places to snorkel and a loaf of bread to feed the fish..

 

We enjoyed every minute on this boat.. Going along the coastline and coves.. Little shallow water islands we pulled up, anchored, hopped off and snorkeled.. We did run into the giant glass bottom boat excursion out by the shipwreck and some of the excursion boats for snorkeling..

 

So if anyone knows about the shipwreck they know the thousand of fish out there waiting to be fed.. I was too chicken to jump in there with them but not my boyfriend.. I laughed hysterically the entire time, thinking he was nuts . He was in there with his snorkel gear as I threw the bread by him.. Then he was hand feeding them.. He said it was AMAZING.. He did hold on to the boat, the current out there is strong..

 

I HIGHLY recommend this if you are comfortable on water.. We spent 79 a person to have 4 full hours on the water exploring on our own.. My favorite thing was going slowly along and seeing the stingrays gracefully swimming along. And the beautiful homes along the coast. They don't count the minutes getting prepared for the boat ride as part of your time..

 

They do jet ski tours there and kayaks to play around with..

 

The last day we walked around the dockyard, mall and dolphin area.. I really wish we would have headed to another beach for the morning instead..

 

Spent sail away at Vibe.. Such an amazing cruise!!

 

 

*** as for the cabanas I would only do it again if the weather was mid 70s' like ours.. It can get warm in there.. Perfect for this cruise or cooler months..

[umakemyheadhurt]

Thank you for this interesting informative review. So many people that write reviews seem to let minor annoyances ruin their trip.

 

Did you already have experience driving a boat? Renting a boston whaler sounds like so much fun, but we have never done it before. Their website makes it sounds easy but I wonder...

[sonntags]

Bermuda:

 

Guest services on the ship sells the ferry/bus pass for one and 2 days. So were ready to go!

 

First day we took the ferry to St George. Bought the fun bus pass for 6 dollars. Went to Tobacco Bay and snorkeled. The water was cool and calm. Saw so much beauty.. Lots of nook and crannies to search out.. We purchased snorkel and mask before trip on amazon and brought water shoes..

 

Visited the fort and St Catherine's Beach.. Wish we had more time.. Loved St George..

 

Stopped off at Kelly's in town.. Got a seaglass bracelet made and a pair if earrings for Mom. Kelly is a lovely person..

 

Was it easy to locate the ferry and find Tobacco Bay and St. Catherine's Beach? This sounds like something I would love to do! As well as stop by Kelly's :)

[TraJon9]

Thank you for this interesting informative review. So many people that write reviews seem to let minor annoyances ruin their trip.

 

Did you already have experience driving a boat? Renting a boston whaler sounds like so much fun, but we have never done it before. Their website makes it sounds easy but I wonder...

 

We have both spent our time on small boats before but really it is not necessary. The markers in the water are very easy.. There is a green arrow pointing the direction to go and a red arrow pointing where not to go.. As for the throttle just push forward to go, middle neutral and pull back for reverse. Basic as can be. You arrive a half hour early to get prepared. They go over everything and supply a safety box with cell phone. Life jackets as well. As long as you do the scenic map route you are mostly in calm bays going slowly.. The boats in the harbors and homes are beyond gorgeous

 

As i said Jon was crazy and jumped into the water around the shipwreck.. Now that is deeper so before doing that he tried out how comfortable he was with the ladder in shallow waist deep water.. LOL

 

I would 100 percent go even just to enjoy the boat with no swimming.. But there are so many little areas to get out by a beach or little island. I love snorkeling by land. Open water is not for me..

 

They have 3 hour trips as well.. It was just the best!

[TraJon9]

Was it easy to locate the ferry and find Tobacco Bay and St. Catherine's Beach? This sounds like something I would love to do! As well as stop by Kelly's :)

 

Oh really easy! When you get off the cruise ship behind the taxi area on the water is the ferry system. There are signs posted if it's St George or Hamilton. Now I printed off the ferry schedule before I left so we could prepare our day. It is a 45 minute ride to St George. When exited head to the main center of the historic town.. There is a booth set up that sells a beach bus pass 6 dollars all day.. They make I believe 6 different stops along St George and we never waited more then 10 minutes for a minivan to come around. A good amount of people walked up the hill to get to Tobacco Bay but to me the 6 dollars was worth it so we could venture to St Catherine's fort and beach.. Plus no walking in the heat lol

 

Tobacco Bay was everything I wanted.. I heard the south beaches (horseshoe were not calm this week and had a few man o' war and ummm no) the south beaches are gorgeous with the light pink sand but St George has it's own beauty.

Completely calm, no waves, just a few areas over 6 foot. Most are waist deep.

 

 

Bermuda is an expensive island and shopping is not like it is in carribean islands so I was excited to get something special in sea glass.. Everything ran from 15 to 80 dollars there is sterling sliver or 14kt over silver.. So it was a special piece that reminds me of Bermuda that was affordable and my Mom loved her gift. She watched our pups..

 

Anything I can answer let me know.. Without these forums I would have missed so much!

 

One of the areas the beach bus takes you to it is legal to take the seaglass from.. So you might even find your own collection if you have the time..

[meatball_nyc]

Thanks for the info on renting the boat. Next time we go, we are definitely going to try it out.

Glad you had a great cruise!

 

Nice review :)

 

~Robin

[Dorhead1230]

Thanks for the review! Glad you had a nice time! My turn soon! [emoji1][emoji1][emoji1]

[hansolosmom]

thanks for the review - I enjoyed it. Sounds like you had a great time.

[tiggrbaby]

Thanks for the review! We are headed out 6/28 and we are planning St. George the first day and have a ressie for the whaler at Somersetbridge Watersports the second day! We always bring our own snorkel equipment, so we are ready. My sister will be thrilled to know that you can snorkel by the shipwreck; I wasn't sure if that was possible.

 

I think that you have me even more excited!!!

 

BTW, which bus did you take to SBW?

[Squirty27]

Was Kelly's in St. George or in town where the ship is docked. I would like to get a sea glass bracelet

[ncklhaus]

Loving the review!

Thanks for sharing.

[TraJon9]

Thanks for the review! We are headed out 6/28 and we are planning St. George the first day and have a ressie for the whaler at Somersetbridge Watersports the second day! We always bring our own snorkel equipment, so we are ready. My sister will be thrilled to know that you can snorkel by the shipwreck; I wasn't sure if that was possible.

 

I think that you have me even more excited!!!

 

BTW, which bus did you take to SBW?

 

The bus pickup at the wharf is behind the building of bonefish restaurant. We took the 7 and as we entered we told the bus driver "Sommerset BRIDGE" not Somersett village.. Sit towards the front of the bus if you can, it's about 15 minutes away. The bus fare is only $3.75 cents each way per person. As you exit the ship the building you first exit will have the tokens you need. I do believe bus 8 will get you there as well.

 

My advice is to print the bus schedule and ferry before you go. They did not have any available.

 

You are going to have such a incredible time! Now when you visit the shipwreck if the glass bottom or snorkel boats are there, just boat away till they leave so the water is calmer. Jon held on to the boat for the most part as he fed the fish..

[TraJon9]

Was Kelly's in St. George or in town where the ship is docked. I would like to get a sea glass bracelet

 

Kelly's is located in St George as you exit the ferry, stay to the right and walk to main square through Water Street. Her shop will be on your right. If you google Kelly's seaglass bermuda her small website comes up. She is so nice that if you want to inquire beforehand I would do just that.. She added the seaglass pieces I wanted on the bracelet as I waited..

 

If I figure out how to post pictures here I will put the pieces up I bought..

[TraJon9]

Thank you to everyone who sent a message about the review.. I really wanted to share what an amazing time we had. Bermuda is so special and so was the ship..

 

And anything I can help you with I am more then happy too. I love traveling and doing all the research before I go as much as the trip.

 

Oh and because we lost track of time in St George the first day we missed our plans for Harbour Nights on weds.. The ferry runs late weds nights directly to Hamilton during the summer months for the festival. It looks like it would have been a great time... Gives me another reason to go back soon...

[makunc1]

In our area we live at home. One of the casinos we visit used to have a Ocean Blue. It was the only place that was not successful. All others remain, Bobby Flay, wolfgang, homestead. I see why!

 

I can only assume you are talking about the Borgata in AC, which used to house a "Seablue" by Michael Mina. That is in no way affiliated with Ocean Blue by Geoffrey Zaccharian on the ship. We did not eat at the Raw Bar, but ate at Ocean Blue and thought it was far and away the best meal on the ship.

[cruisin0504]

Great info - thanks! :D

[alibubba]

So enjoyed your review. We leave next week for NY and had everything booked for every day but one. Thank goodness we have time to rent a Boston Whaler and play around Bermuda my husband has been missing the boat we used to have. Contacted them right away. Hope we have as much fun as you did.

[Kenlorz]

We were on the same cruise, also had a cabana in Vibe, also went to St. Georges the first day, Boston Whaler the second day, and Dockyard the third day. ALSO LOVED IT! I'm curious what time you got to the pier and what your boarding number was to get a cabana. We had priority boarding, so didn't have problems getting into Vibe, but know that it did sell out very quickly.

[TraJon9]

So enjoyed your review. We leave next week for NY and had everything booked for every day but one. Thank goodness we have time to rent a Boston Whaler and play around Bermuda my husband has been missing the boat we used to have. Contacted them right away. Hope we have as much fun as you did.

 

Enjoy every minute! I'm jealous! :)

[TraJon9]

I can only assume you are talking about the Borgata in AC, which used to house a "Seablue" by Michael Mina. That is in no way affiliated with Ocean Blue by Geoffrey Zaccharian on the ship. We did not eat at the Raw Bar, but ate at Ocean Blue and thought it was far and away the best meal on the ship.

 

Oh I stand corrected! I really thought it was the same place. After seeing the new dining options I would give the Ocean Blue a shot for 15 dollars extra. I would try anything over (well maybe not the cheese plate) even O'sheehans which was our worst bite.. But all of the food opinions are just my individual thoughts for the experience we had the one time.

[TraJon9]

We were on the same cruise, also had a cabana in Vibe, also went to St. Georges the first day, Boston Whaler the second day, and Dockyard the third day. ALSO LOVED IT! I'm curious what time you got to the pier and what your boarding number was to get a cabana. We had priority boarding, so didn't have problems getting into Vibe, but know that it did sell out very quickly.

 

We got there and through check in about 10:15. We thought that would be a early arrival but plenty of people were already there. The difference for us was being casino invites. They boarded after Haven I believe. It was our first time so we did not know how convenient priority boarding was.

 

Funny our itineraries were almost identical! Good choices! I do wish I would have gone back to St George for the morning on Friday.. Next time I suppose