nassau vs bermuda for 300 more? 1st and only cruise

[bbryan5]

You cannot even compare Bermuda and Nassau.. 2 different worlds. Bermuda is wayyyy nicer and safer.

[megansdad1]

well so far no one said oct 16 week has any holidays so i think i'm safe..cant wait to go.

 

http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/october.htm

 

i did find these though

 

16 Bosses Day

 

16 Dictionary Day

 

17 Wear Something Gaudy Day

 

18 No Beard Day

 

19 Evaluate Your Life Day

 

If it sails october 16th, that should be fine. Just make sure that you purchase cruise insurance to guard against hurricanes and pick up overseas medical insurance. Good call to go to bermuda and I hope you have an awesome time.

[luckyinpa]

thanks trip insurance store is where i was looking and thankfully id didnt buy yet. i'm definitely getting the CFAR reason rider as well so after looking at the policy i should be covered for medical etc.

[luckyinpa]

If you cancel one cruise and book a different cruise (same or different itinerary/ship), for the new one, you'll get whatever pricing and perks are *currently* offered on the day you make the new reservation.

Whether you had special pricing or perks on the previous reservation won't matter.

 

If you are going in the Haven, you'll be buffered from a lot of the crowds (esp if there are lots of children).

There may be children in the Haven, of course, but it's a restricted entry area, with a much smaller number of passengers allowed in - only those who are booked in Haven category.

 

Haven suites will give you a *wonderful* "one and only" cruise.

You might get hooked :)

 

you've used steve for insurance before. if you click through his site to buy global plus do you get him for customer service and claims issues or do you have to call him to become 'his' customer.

 

i did notice when i clicked on it , the global site said welcome trip insurance customers.

[GeezerCouple]

you've used steve for insurance before. if you click through his site to buy global plus do you get him for customer service and claims issues or do you have to call him to become 'his' customer.

 

i did notice when i clicked on it , the global site said welcome trip insurance customers.

 

I cannot emphasize enough that you should CALL them, as stated before on a different thread.

 

It is simply not possible to read ALL of the "fine print" for these policies online.

 

When you speak with them, there is some 'back and forth' that with Q&A, etc., that can't be matched by going online yourself.

 

There's no extra charge, so why not call?

(Do you have any special condition that makes speaking on the phone difficult? If so, I'd still suggest contacting them by email, and not "signing up online" for a policy.)

 

Note: You will continue to get the same answers whether you post these same questions on the NCL sub-forum or on the Travel Insurance sub-forum (which is where these details belong, and you'll get the broadest response, because your questions are not specific to "only NCL travel".)

[luckyinpa]

he already told me thats the policy for me on the phone

[GeezerCouple]

he already told me thats the policy for me on the phone

 

You could have called them and had your policy already in place by now, rather than continuing to ask these same questions here.

 

Up to you.

[luckyinpa]

he said they help all their customers, even ones who just click through their site. now thats customer service indeed!

[Gershep]

8 minutes on hold..2 minutes to transfer to new cruise..now THATS easy

 

bye bye bahamas. hello bermuda

 

thanks to all who helped make this decision so much easier and id love to hear any more experiences about what to do in bermuda. now i can begin my 1000 page spreadsheet on where to go. what to eat. what to see

 

and nothing else better come to my attention about the week of oct 16..if anyone has any holidays they are canceled this year!

 

You will absolutely love Bermuda. Were you able to keep all your perks for the Haven?

 

We love to just walk around, especially in St. George. We also jet ski and sometimes rent a pontoon. There are caves, botanical gardens, forts, shopping and don't miss Horsehoe Bay Beach.

 

You have plenty of time to research and plan. Don't forget to come back and let us know what you thought of Bermuda and your first cruise.

 

Enjoy!!

[luckyinpa]

since they did renew later in the morning today (dang their site is slow to update) , I was able to keep them all. the little color coded thing on the price list finally did appear later in the morning. I even got a separate email spelling out what was free. im' just assuming the 250 minutes will let me do the 1 gig of data once on the breakaway.

 

i'm glad the jet skis are safe there. I read online about the Bahamas one and bad things happening down there sometimes.

 

oh one additional thing. since the haven spa was more for Bermuda than Bahamas, turns out we could have gotten a forward penthouse cheaper . but we really value the 400 spa passes and tub in the room and will deal with the tiny balcony and being away from the main haven.

[Yorkvillain]

bye bye bahamas. hello bermuda

 

 

Excellent decision.

[bobg529]

If you'd like to keep the Bahama's trip you could buy your girlfriend and yourself a spa pass. The spa is adults only and will be an escape from the little kids if you feel that you need one on a sea day. Yes it's $179 a head which is not cheap, but it's cheaper than $600. Spice H2O is also available for free as an adults only deck option. The kids aren't really an issue in the evening unless you insist on eating dinner in the buffet (do NOT do that!), and you can choose to avoid them when you're in port without much of a problem. I don't think you need to obsess on the kid thing anyway. If you choose to have a good time, you will have a ball! :). Just as a point of information I always sail solo and have sailed Thanksgiving week in the past and am scheduled to do so again this year. It's a nice way to spend the holiday week. A hell of a lot more peaceful than braving the mall!:rolleyes:

[Elainemh]

I know on the Breakaway that the king beds do not separate. Does the

Haven spa have a sleep sofa?

I have stayed in the forward penthouse suites on the Breakaway and loved

the space. Separate living room, bedroom and bath.

You will love Bermuda. I have been there several times and would not hesitate to go back.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Elainemh

[Nola26]

Any cruise out of NYC is going to have an element of hectic. If your date is flexible consider some cruises out of Miami. The week after Labor Day is usually cheaper and kids are back in school. Same for post Thanksgiving and early December.

 

My concern with the Bermuda cruise is it isn't a traditional cruise experience that takes your from port to port. As a first time and maybe only time cruiser I'd suggest a multi port trip. That said the Breakaway is awesome as is Bermuda so you be in much worse places for 3 days.

 

If you're going to Nassau for the first time, just book a an Atlantis experience and be done with it. Nothing scary about that and you'll see the big deal there. I walked solo through the center of town and there were friendly police visible throughout my walk. I never felt unsafe. Any other NCL excursion will also be fine in Nassau.

[luckyinpa]

I know on the Breakaway that the king beds do not separate. Does the

Haven spa have a sleep sofa?

I have stayed in the forward penthouse suites on the Breakaway and loved

the space. Separate living room, bedroom and bath.

You will love Bermuda. I have been there several times and would not hesitate to go back.

 

its either a lounger type sofa or 2 chairs and a tiny table. i forget which. or maybe it varies. there's a review of 14128 and 14136 on youtube and i think they said it's a king bed but i am not positive .

 

the official occupancy is 2

 

the forward penthouse was actually cheaper on the dates i was looking but we value the included 400 spa passes we got with the spa room and also the jet tub next to the window.

[vince_g]

If you don't mind me asking, how much less is the FF penthouse? Thanks.

[Barb Nahoumi]

Another option to consider for Bermuda would be the Dawn out of Boston. It's a smaller ship than the Breakaway, but will be undergoing a major dry dock this spring.

 

We have sailed on this ship many times, and I do like it. I have done both itineraries-----Bahamas and Bermuda. Three days on Bermuda and 4 sea days make a very enjoyable vacation. We've done the Bermuda cruise multiple times, Bahamas only once. Bermuda is far superior to Nassau in our opinion.

 

Yes, the summer Bermuda Season does attract many families, but we have never run into any problems.

 

The only thing about September and October could be hurricanes. On those occasions, the captain has the option of changing itineraries.

[luckyinpa]

If you don't mind me asking, how much less is the FF penthouse? Thanks.

 

on 10/16 to bermuda the haven spa is 2499

FF pent is 2349, aft 2849 but did you see the size of that balcony!!:eek:

[luckyinpa]

Another option to consider for Bermuda would be the Dawn out of Boston. It's a smaller ship than the Breakaway, but will be undergoing a major dry dock this spring.

 

We have sailed on this ship many times, and I do like it. I have done both itineraries-----Bahamas and Bermuda. Three days on Bermuda and 4 sea days make a very enjoyable vacation. We've done the Bermuda cruise multiple times, Bahamas only once. Bermuda is far superior to Nassau in our opinion.

 

Yes, the summer Bermuda Season does attract many families, but we have never run into any problems.

 

The only thing about September and October could be hurricanes. On those occasions, the captain has the option of changing itineraries.

 

i priced gem out of NY.much more money. i priced grandeur out of baltimore. probably about even money compared to the BA so the haven swung me to the BA decision

 

i wont fly to any cruise and the idea of driving to boston didnt excite me so i didnt look at those prices.

 

regarding hurricanes there's a recent history of a bit in october but going back years nothing really too bad . so we are getting the insurance and taking a gamble

[mking8288]

Bermuda is the place to go - mid October is a nice time, nights are cool and days are warm, not humid - temps' in the 80's and ocean waters a tad on the cool side, but you gotta love those pink beaches with fine sand.

 

We've cruised to BDA 3X and done the Florida-GSC-Nassau (place is a poor dump !!) "milky run" 5X - would do BDA without thinking, and it has a great public transport of buses & ferries, absolutely easy DYI tours and most places have no admission fees whatsover, if any. Tried doing that going to KSC or Atlantas, etc. plus the transfer costs.

 

Don't think of BDA costing $600 more, look at your total costs or out of pocket - super friendly & helpful locals. Standard of living is high on this British colony - checkout the Bermuda forum here on CC for lots of useful info, links & tips, etc. Comfortable walking shoes are must to stroll the little hills @ downtown Hamilton - fast ferry to St. George's on the other side of this 27 miles long chains of islands is scenic & nice, checkout the boutique shops & then ride the bus back leisurely.

 

Now just a bit of caution, October is stil hurricane season and seas can be rough but you are on one of the biggest mega ship - crossing into the deep Atlantic, 700 miles away from nearest land. Good news in that ships can often go around & avoid approaching storm sailing around - if you are prone to motion sickness, Bonine taken as a precaution will make it easy.

 

We are (95% positively sure) likely heading back to BDA this Spring (never done it on the BA, last visit was on RCI's EOS in 2012) - you are docked for 2 nights with your floating hotel resort, come & go, eat & go out, walk around and a paid WiFi pass for 3 days is dirty cheap compared to ship's package.

 

Good choice & stop worrying about the "kids" on your cruise - start planning on your dream cruise.

[vince_g]

on 10/16 to bermuda the haven spa is 2499

FF pent is 2349, aft 2849 but did you see the size of that balcony!!:eek:

 

Yes, you are better off keeping the spa suite. Too bad the price difference wouldn't cover the cost of 2 spa passes. I have been on the Florida and Bahamas cruise a couple of times, and you are not missing much. We couldn't go to GSC either time, because of wind. I am not a sit on the beach all day kind of person either, but I certainly would have gone ashore after the rush, just to check it out.

 

I went to Bermuda once and would love to cruise there, but my other half has absolutely no interest whatsoever in Bermuda.

[tempus137]

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1350

 

Check this link for Bermuda tips.

 

We've cruised there 3 times (starting 40 years ago) and flew in 6 times more. This is one of my favorite places.

 

As far as getting around, get the 3 day transit pass, which covers the buses and ferries for unlimited rides. You can't rent a car on Bermuda, you can only rent motor scooters. You drive on the left which can be tricky, especially when making a right turn or going around a rotary (traffic circle). The roads can be hilly & twisty, but the speed limit in most places is 35KPH (about 20 MPH).

 

Bermuda is great shopping for UK or Irish goods, like Waterford crystal, Wedgewood china, Irish linen goods, Scottish woolens, and clothing like Burberry.

 

Enjoy yourselves!

[Chesneygirl]

We've done both itineraries on the Breakaway and the Dawn.

Bermuda wins.....it's not even a contest in my opinion. Check out my 2 vacation videos for both itineraries and for more videos check out my signature below. Happy planning! :)

https://vimeo.com/99728946

https://vimeo.com/93081544

Edited March 2, 2016 by Chesneygirl

[mcsb11]

I haven't really seen this posted but the "Jersey Week" you speak of is nothing more than the NJ teachers convention on Thurs & Fri Nov 10th & 11th. All public schools are closed on those dates.

 

In theory, there shouldn't be any more kids on the ship then there would be in the summer. Don't forget, that parents would still have to pull their kids out of school Mon, Tues & Wed that week.

 

Unless you'd really want to go to Bermuda, I wouldn't change your plans out of fear of this. To reiterate.... it will be nothing like the horror people have shared during the Hassidic week people experienced recently

[luckyinpa]

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1350

 

Check this link for Bermuda tips.

 

We've cruised there 3 times (starting 40 years ago) and flew in 6 times more. This is one of my favorite places.

 

As far as getting around, get the 3 day transit pass, which covers the buses and ferries for unlimited rides. You can't rent a car on Bermuda, you can only rent motor scooters. You drive on the left which can be tricky, especially when making a right turn or going around a rotary (traffic circle). The roads can be hilly & twisty, but the speed limit in most places is 35KPH (about 20 MPH).

 

Bermuda is great shopping for UK or Irish goods, like Waterford crystal, Wedgewood china, Irish linen goods, Scottish woolens, and clothing like Burberry.

 

Enjoy yourselves!

 

thanks for the info and ill ignore on that link it saying october is the rainiest month. i definitely wouldnt even attempt to drive in a foreign country.