MITSUGIRLY BREAKAWAY's 1 last time for the year-review/pictorial

[mitsugirly]

The Moongate. You are supposed to stop and kiss under them when you see one. It is supposed to give couples a long happy life together.

 

We did stop and get pictures on our way out when we were all together. I forgot to share them at that time, so I'll share them now. (It's a good thing we did this on our way out since we were now separated from the kids).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poor Kendra, Billy did not come off the ship with us, so she doesn't have anyone to kiss.

 

She's very good at pretending though.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 2, 2015 by mitsugirly

[mitsugirly]

Our love, the Breakaway:

 

 

 

We were thanked for visiting.

 

 

 

It was officially 4:29pm. YIKES!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ncklhaus]

I just love reading your review because I always learn something new. I especially enjoy when you post the snorkeling photos. I had no idea what most of the coral and fish were called. Thanks for the education. :D

[mitsugirly]

One thing I love about NCL is their welcome back party at the last port on the last leg of the cruise. They always make it fun to come back to the ship (as much as you don't want to and continue spending time on the awesome island) with lots of singing and dancing and the red carpet. They give you cold towels and drinks. It's just a nice awesome touch!

 

 

 

Even Dora and Diego was there dancing this time around.

 

 

 

 

We dinged ourselves in and we dropped to the ground and kissed it. We had made it in time. I have NEVER came back that late before. I plan on never trying that again. Just saying...

 

But where are the kids? I know there's no way they passed us up. :confused:

 

We figured we would head straight to the room and people watch the pier runners, which I was sure would be 3 of my own children.

[mitsugirly]

We made it up to our room, out to the balcony and I spotted a turquoise shirt giving their keycard to security. Yep, the kids had made it. They looked up at us and waved and Kendra gave her 2 finger solute and they were on the ship.

 

Once they made it to the room, we headed to get the kids and off to get a bite to eat. I decided I wanted to head to Uptown to see what they had for lunch.

 

 

 

 

It was a little more crowded today than normal, but still plenty of seating. We managed to snag a table over by the window.

 

Today they were having hamburgers made your way. You give them everything from a list on a huge board (and there was a lot!!) and a lady takes your order and hands you a thingy ma bob to put on your table.

 

They also had a salad bar and you tell them everything you want in it and they make it for you there on the spot. I have to say this was YUMMY TO THE TUMMY! Like seriously.

 

 

 

When our order was done, they brought it out to us, complete with fries. It was all SO GOOD!

 

 

 

The beef patty was HUGE and I had it loaded with a lot of goodies. Man someone was going to have to roll me out of here.

 

 

We noticed the tug and we were pulling out. We actually left at 4:45pm instead of 5pm. I guess they had the head count and everyone was on board. Away we went.

 

[mitsugirly]

After getting our bellies full, what better thing to do than...."Let's go rock climbing!!" Say what? You kids have energy for that? Gasp! So rock climbing it was. Sakari had been begging all week to do this and she wasn't about to miss out.

 

We made it up there and stood in line. Once Kendra and Brayden got up there, they said they were closing! WHAT?!? They explained that they thought it was about to rain and they would have to close. Kendra and Brayden walked off....and disappeared. We stood there and watched. Then they said "Oh why not...we'll go ahead and let a few more, but if it starts to rain, we'll have to close it."

 

Sakari was the first up. She was so excited. She had never done this before.

 

 

She did watch another little girl on the other side do it and this little girl was just a little taller than Sakari. So I think it was like a challenge to herself to make sure she did it as well. She's very competitive.

 

Away she went. My heart was pounding.

 

 

 

Ok, good start. At least you got the hang of how to do it and you made it off the ground.

 

 

Ok, here's the point where I wondered if she was going to keep going. She looked down once and had "that look" on her face. Courtney cheered her on and told her which foot to move next. I sat there speechless. Geesh, what a great mom.

 

She kept going.

 

 

I was completely stunned at this point. I NEVER dreamed she would make it this far at all. I figured after looking down and seeing how high she was she would freak out and give up. But then again...we are talking about my dare devil child since the age of 3 right?

 

 

SHE MADE IT!!! She rang the bell and she was happy as can be.

 

Then down she came like a pro bouncing off the walls with her feet.

 

 

I was so proud of her and everyone was giving her a high five. The smile on her face was priceless.

 

 

[Debala715]

I was so proud of her and everyone was giving her a high five. The smile on her face was priceless.

 

 

 

Please say you got a picture of that smile?!

[mitsugirly]

I was so busy celebrating with Sakari that I didn't even notice Kolin was on his way up. Bad mom again.

 

 

 

He made it to the top in no time flat. So, I didn't get many pictures. LOL He should know better...you have to slow down, stop and pose for a picture for mom, then carry on. Didn't I teach you anything Kolin?

 

He rang the bell and down he came.

 

 

 

 

 

Well crap, I was busy running over to take a picture of Kolin in his rock climbing "uniform" that I completely missed Kenny all together. Thank goodness Michelle got a pic for me.

 

 

I know he made it up there even quicker than Kolin. He may be a skinny dude, but he has some muscles after working in construction for the last 13 years. He's always the skinny dude in the gameroom that can hit the punching bag harder and make it go the most pounds against the big muscular dude that stands there in awww trying to figure that one out. He throws a lot of people off with how little he is but yet strong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 2, 2015 by mitsugirly

[mitsugirly]

Since this seem to be another sports day, we decided to play some golf. It was a little more low key and something i felt I could do after eating such a big meal.

 

Now Kenny, Kolin and the girls all played a few days ago, so they decided to go up and play some basketball while we played golf. They shared a picture with me of their day golfing.

 

 

 

Yep, that's the extent of their pictures. Obviously they do not take after me. I have to take a picture of almost every hole. LOL

 

 

 

At this point I noticed we were passing by St Catherine Beach. I tried to get a picture between the fence, but it wasn't working very well for me.

 

 

 

You see the lady standing there? There was a whole family with a child that was maybe 2 years old. They weren't playing golf, they were using this as a playground. The kid was running back and forth and climbing on things. Obviously we were playing golf, but they weren't moving...at all. We stood there and stood there. They didn't even grab the child up and hold him so we could play on this one. At one point the hubby said "Let me go first, they'll move" and he put the ball down and gave it a whack. Oops....my bad, did that almost hit you? I guess you shouldn't be just standing there while we're trying to play a game. This isn't a playground.

 

 

Of course what did they do? They move on to the next area...the area we would go to the next round and the same thing would continue. Sigh.

Edited November 2, 2015 by mitsugirly

[mitsugirly]

 

 

We were passing the beautiful pastel homes now.

 

 

 

Sakari found a treasure chest. I didn't even realize this thing opened up. But she did for some reason.

 

 

 

 

 

We had a good time and I'm sure that we let Sakari win (I mean she won fair and square) and we were off to find the boys at the basketball court...who was no longer there.

 

[mitsugirly]

I decided I wanted to head down to the Latitudes desk and check out this new booking while on a cruise thing called Cruise Next. We always buy a future cruise certificate. It's just such a great deal and too good to pass up. I love free money.

 

So me and the girls headed down to inquire about it and buy a FCC.

 

The person at the desk ask if I was aware of the FCC...LOL, do you have any idea who you are talking to? (Of course you don't, but it was just a funny question to me). We did know about that, but I wanted him to explain the Cruise Next to me.

 

 

The more certificates you buy, the cheaper it is.

 

Flip the paper over, and watch the pen go back and forth like a commentator describing a play by play on the football field. Uh, ok.

 

 

So pretty much: You book a cruise while you are on a cruise and you get to keep whatever CURRENT deals they are running at the moment. So, the current deal they had going was to pick from the various packages. For instance the UBP. If we booked now, we would get to keep this package for our next cruise, even if they no longer offered the package.

 

You are allowed to change the booking only once and still keep this same deal. That's it. That's the deal for booking while on the cruise.

 

If you know the cruise you want to book, you can do so then. If not, they'll book a "dummy" cruise for the latest date and then you change it from that date to what you want it to be. So, he booked us for March 26, 2017. I had no idea what ship or to where until I got home.

 

Now that I'm home...it looks like we are going on a Mexican Riviera cruise on the Jewel. Well we all know that's not going to happen since I have already been on the Jewel.

 

We headed back to find the guys and I had the biggest grin on my face. Of course it's one of those grins that makes the hubby say "What did you just do?" I screamed..."I BOOKED A CRUISE!!!" Woo hoo! :eek: "Um what?" LOL. He just shook his head and knew I wasn't kidding. I told him I would give him the details later when we got home. Haha. How many of you can throw something out there like that to your spouse, tell them I'll tell you about it when we get home (because of course I didn't even know what I had actually booked) and them just roll with it. :p He knows it's just me being me and he'll be along for the ride no matter what I just did. No complaints from him.

 

I picked up one of these just to look it over and contemplate.

 

 

The following day I would get one of these in our room confirming it was no lie.

 

 

But I wasn't the only one remember...the girls are with me and they did the same. We put it all under my name (the FCC) to save money (which ended up costing us $125 each certificate worth $250, and we each got a room under our own names using the certificate. How easy is that?

 

 

 

[WinstonsMom]

The HOHO bus arrived with the same funny surfer driver guy. We knew all 10 of us would pile in, sitting on each others laps and getting really close and personal. BUT, remember this time there was the elderly couple waiting too...who would also need a ride...a ride with us...sitting on top of each other. After we all got in and told them "come on, you can do it, plenty of room still" they walked around to the other side and the gentleman sat in the bench seat next to me and said "hop on honey" and put his wife in his lap. Awww...we all cheered them on and we all laughed and joked about how lovey dovey they were and how much he was enjoying it. It was going to be a great ride back! :D

 

The driver did say that they decided to change the HOHO bus stop to down by the building at Tobacco Bay. It just didn't make any sense to have everyone having to walk up and down the hill to get there and they "want to make everyone feel as comfortable as possible...even when you have to sit on each others lap." wink wink. LOL He said they were still learning what works best for them and everyone using the system and still making "tweaks" to it and this was one of the improvements they had made. GOOD FOR THEM! Love this bus! We were off and headed back to town. But, instead of making the circle like they do, he headed right and back the way he came cutting off a lot of time. I mean after all, he did know we were all going to the ferry and it was pretty obvious there were no laps left to put anyone on.

 

Now, wait a minute...we just passed the street to where we get off at. He turned right, um... ok, I know this street of course, then a quick left off the main street...HE WAS TAKING US STRAIGHT TO THE FERRY DOCK!! Wow, even better service. He was the greatest! He went as far as he could to the gates and we all piled out like the circus clowns you see get out of the small bus...wondering how we all fit in there. He did make the comment that this was probably the most he ever had in there at one time. I'm not sure if this was also part of the "added service", but I sure liked it. We didn't have to walk all the way from the town center back to the ferry dock and that was perfectly fine with me since we had done just about all the walking we wanted to today.

 

 

We had the same HOHO driver last week while on the Splendor. He was pretty goofy but also very nice and took the time to give us a little history as we drove back to town from Alexandra Battery Beach. We were there on Tuesday when the ferry doesn't run as often and decided to take the bus to Hamilton and then the ferry back to the Dockyard. He took us directly to the bus stop which was truly wonderful of him!

 

Loving your review (as usual). So glad you had a great time. Bermuda was our destination on my first ever cruise and the Splendor cruise was our third time to Bermuda. DBF says he's had enough of Bermuda so as soon as I got home I started working on convincing my sister that her first cruise should be to Bermuda! LOL!

Edited November 2, 2015 by Winston'sMom

[mitsugirly]

Since this is my first time cruising as Platinum, I'm not too familiar with how everything works and what all you get. But I did know that you get a free dinner for 2 at a specialty restaurant.

 

So, we had booked with La Cucina for 7:30pm. After eating that huge cheeseburger, fries and a salad, there was no way that we were going to be hungry now. We stopped by to ask if we could post-pone our reservation. No problem! So we made it for 9:45pm hoping that we would be hungry by then.

 

Now we did try throughout the week to get into Second City for a show, but they were always booked up for when we wanted to go. We couldn't go during the adult shows because the kids club closed at 10:30pm, unless you wanted to pay for sitting.

 

So tonight was the night that we managed to get in to Second City, but only because we booked on Wednesday.

 

Our show was at 7pm and we all went back to the room to get dressed up. We sent the kids off to the kids club and away we went for the show.

 

It was an improv show. It was pretty funny and the kids enjoyed it. Every time I looked over at the boys, they were laughing.

 

After the show, we headed to the casino to donate our money for the evening...and donate we did.

 

Then we were off to our dinner at La Cucina at 9:30pm. We still really wasn't very hungry, but figured we'd just get something small.

 

 

 

 

We seen they had pizza on the menu and decided that would probably be the quickest to get and the least amount and most of all, we could share it.

 

 

We ordered the Salsiccia pizza and told them that we would like to be done by 10:30pm so that we could pick up our daughter from the kids club.

 

Now we are not really wine drinkers. I wish I could find a wine that I liked. I hate beer. I hate anything that has a bitter taste to it. However, we did get 1 free bottle of wine with our Platinum dinner. So, I was bound and determined to find something that I could drink. Now since we aren't wine drinkers, we have no idea what to order. I ask our waiter to make a suggestion. I told him I wanted the sweetest wine he had. He came out with something and as I looked at it on the menu, it did not sound appealing to me. I ask about the Rosemont, which said it had a touch of sweetness to it. The word "sweetness" caught my eye and I ask him about it. I basically wanted to know if it was "SWEETER" tasting than what he had brought us and he said "yes". Um...ok. So I ask for the sweetest wine you have because I don't like bitter and he didn't bring me the sweetest wine? I'm confused.

 

 

 

 

So that's what we ended up ordering and he brought it out. Remember again, we don't drink wine, but I do watch movies. He opens the bottle and pours some in a glass and hands it to me. Oh gosh, this is the part I have seen in the movies where I have to taste it, give him a reply, then he pours more in it and proceeds to the next glass. Sigh. I try it, I'm sure my eyes squinted, eyebrows up and a weird look on my face. Ewww! Yuck! Just like any other wine I have tasted in the past...bitter, bitter, bitter. Sigh. I'm never going to find a wine I like.

 

I nod my head as if "Ok, it will have to do" and he pours some for the hubby. He said, "hmm, pretty good" and the waiter finally walked away. Had I still had the wine in my mouth, I think I would have spit it out in my water cup. The hubby said it was pretty good and he could taste the peaches in it. But then again, he can drink beer with no problem.

 

[mitsugirly]

I always take the same picture of the hubby on every cruise when we go out to dinner. This time would be the same.

 

 

Our "yummy" wine. Yes, I did drink about 2 glasses of it. I suffered, but I did it. Notice in the picture above I have a glass of diet pop next to it as well. Take a sip, wash with pop. I'm good.

 

 

 

Our pizza came out and I think we had about 2 slices each.

 

 

It was good and we knew we needed to feed Sakari, so we ask if we could take the rest back with us. They gave us something to put it in and then he proceeded to ask if I wanted dessert. Although I was STUFFED, I noticed cheesecake. I will NEVER pass up cheesecake. So that's what I ordered.

 

 

I could have done without all the fancy stuff on it. I don't like chocolate, so I didn't eat that and the fancy swirls of strawberry sauce I did my best to scrape off.

 

We headed back to the kids club, picked up Sakari and let her eat the rest of our pizza. She loved it and ate every last bite. Then back to the kids club she went so that we could go to the 80's party. She was reluctant to go tonight (notice a pattern every time there's a party going on?) She came up with the excuse that she wanted to draw instead. We convinced her that she could take her tablet with her and sit off in the corner and draw and I'm sure the counselors wouldn't mind. We confirmed once we got there and they said she could so all was good and off she went.

 

 

[mitsugirly]

When we were on the Getaway, we all bought "80's" outfits. We went all out. We did our hair with a ton of aquanet and it was flipped to the side and big. This time, I told the kids I wasn't dressing up because...well to be honest, I've gained too much weight since then and couldn't fit in the same outfit. They brought their outfits though.

 

We headed to the party and waited on the kids to come.

 

 

I love the 80's and the music. It was my favorite time ever. We have a couple of 80's radio channels and Kendra and I listen to them all the time. She knows all the songs as well even though she wasn't born until 88.

 

 

The party was going and the music was playing. It wasn't as crowded as it was for the Glow Party.

 

This guy was hilarious. He was one of the workers on the ship and always involved in everything. Tonight he had the tightest pants on, big pink hair and omg the shoes. They were so tall and he wore them well!

 

 

The party went on and they played a lot of the rock bands. The people that were there enjoyed it...you could tell by the fist pumping again.

 

Then came the "show". It was the exact same show they had on the Getaway. They had guys dressed up as various 80's people like Madonna, Tina Turner, Kiss and so on. They mocked the band, they paraded around, they acted like they were singing the song. I had seen it before, it did not thrill me too much the first time, although it was funny, but the second time around seeing the same thing was just too much for us. So, we decided to leave. The kids never showed up. Kendra fell asleep, I believe Kenny wasn't feeling well again and I think Kolin headed to the casino with Billy. Sigh. I'm glad I didn't go out and purchase another 80's outfit and take the time to make my hair 2' tall and them not show. Momma would have been a little hot. :mad:

[mitsugirly]

We picked up Sakari by 11:30pm and only had to pay for 1 hour of sitting and headed back to the room and watched a movie before going to bed.

 

We had a seal this time.

 

 

Sakari did her nightly drawings, even though she had spent the last hour in the kids club drawing, she needed to do a few more before falling asleep. LOL

 

 

 

 

Then off to bed we went. Thank goodness tomorrow was a day we didn't have to get up early or be anywhere at a certain time. Zzzz....:)

[mitsugirly]

I am done for the night. I will try to work on Day 7 pictures tomorrow, but can't promise anything since I have work and it's also my first day back to school for the semester. (Yikes :o). I have absolutely no idea what to expect from this class, but I just know they say it's the hardest and is very time consuming. I do want to finish off this review and don't want to leave anyone hanging. So I'm going to try.

 

Hope you are still enjoying it.

 

Have a good night. :)

[perfect match]

Definitely still enjoying your review!

 

Thanks for sharing the snorkel park pictures. I was surprised to see that so much coral managed to survive there considering the large number of people thrashing around on a daily basis. I was surprised that you found an octopus there! Sure wouldn't be where I would expect to see one, so that was a great find! I was glad to see that you shared the picture of the fire coral because I'm sure a lot of people don't know what it looks like. Hopefully your picture will save someone from a painful sting.

 

Sakari was awesome climbing that rock wall! She sure was not going to let her big brothers leave her behind! In fact, seems like she lead the way.

 

I was hoping you would show the moongate because I think they're really cool. I understand there are others located in other places around the island. Did you happen to notice any of them in your travels?

 

Your pizza in the specialty restaurant looked good, but I sure wouldn't want to pay an upcharge for it. Then again, we don't normally eat in specialty restaurants anyway.

 

Smart move the way you and the girls used the Next Cruise booking to get the best deal. I think if I'd surprised my DH by telling him I'd booked without him he would have thrown me overboard! No, not really, but he does like to be involved in the decision. Fortunately for me, he does enjoy cruising. :D

[Birdnutty]

I have been enjoying your review so very much. Thank you for the very many hours it takes to prepare. I can't believe you are managing this as well as all the other things you have to do in your life. The adventures and misadventures your family has had has kept me quite entertained and wanting more. I will be very sorry when your trip report is finished.

 

Reading your review has me longing to return to Bermuda. Our first trip there was 40 yrs ago (gasp) and we stayed at was then the Sonesta beach Hotel, which had an amazing underwater bar called the Obso Lounge. Like a reverse aquarium, you could have a drink while watching the underwater community swim by. The most amazing thing I remember were groupers the size of doors! I kid you not. These things were at least 6' long and massive, and there were many of them. I wish we had spent much more time there. Shortly after our trip, it was destroyed by a hurricane and never rebuilt. Now, of course, with overfishing, we're delighted if we see a huge fish of 24". I wish I could return those times with the appreciation I have now.

 

We will be on the BA for the first time soon, and are curious about the iconcierge app. You mentioned it briefly, unless I missed something. Did you text with other members of your family on board? I find that to be a wonderful resource, especially on long voyages where you might be doing different things than your partner and wonder where he/she is. If you did use it, did you have to pay for it? My daughter (she's addicted too) was on the GA 2 years ago and it was free at that time.

 

I loved your report on Tobacco Bay as that brought back fond memories too. Our last cruise to Bermuda was about 10 yrs ago on the Norwegian Majesty, and it docked in St George's so we were able to scoot over there easily. The big ships can't go there, so they built up King's Wharf since then. Many changes have occurred.

 

Sorry to hijack your review. Thanks again!

[Aturnee]

Your wonderful reviews either bring back memories or fuel the fire for future Travel! I love to snorkel and your fish pictures are amazing! Thanks for telling us the names of the fishes; I saw those squirrel fish in Bermuda and wondered what they were! I recently bought a paddleboard cause once you try it you are hooked! You would love it! Question was the old style cruise reward still available ?

[CAC104]

I hope your first day back at school went well and you have found that you are going to like the course you are taking. Thanks again for spending the time and effort to post your fabulous review.

 

I was wondering if the free tram was still running around the dockyard? I noticed you never had a picture of it, and that was one nice thing for many of us who don't like to walk too far.

[njhorseman]

I was wondering if the free tram was still running around the dockyard? I noticed you never had a picture of it, and that was one nice thing for many of us who don't like to walk too far.

 

If you'll excuse me for breaking in on the thread...yes, there is still a free tram.

[mr&mrscruiselover]

Love your reviews. They make me want to go to the beach even though I don't like the sun (too fair skinned) and I am not much of a swimmer. I cruise for the ship, which I normally stay on, when in port.

[SuiteTraveler]

Kim,

Next time you HAVE to order wine, ask for White Zinfandel. This is a blush colored wine that tastes more like fruit punch than wine. It is very easy for a wine beginner to drink White Zin and enjoy it from the first time they drink it and it is widely available in the US and on cruise ships. White Zin is really considered a gateway wine - that is a good first type of wine to drink for someone who has not had wine before. As a wine beginner, you don't want the sweetest wine - it will taste absolutely horrible to you. White Zinfandel contains less alcohol and doesn't typically have an aftertaste.

 

What you could have done in La Cucina with the wine you didn't like was order a ginger ale or 7Up or Sprite and combine that with the wine 50-50 or 70-30 depending on what you prefer - just pour the soda pop and ice into the wine glass. This is called a wine cooler. Some people add fruit juice to this as well such as orange juice.

 

Loved seeing the octopus photos. They are so cute!

 

Anyway, hope my wine advice will help you sometime in the future.

 

I love that Sakari made it up the rock wall! That was awesome!

Edited November 2, 2015 by SuiteTraveler

[relic2]

Kim, your best choice for a sweet wine, of the wine selections you showed, would have been the Moscato.

 

Great review! Thanks.