It was awesome - Bermuda Breakaway Review from the perspective of a 10 year old

This is a review ofour August 13, 2017 Breakaway cruise to Bermuda written by my 10 year old daughter who has cruised on Disney, Carnival, and NCL in the Nickelodeon at Sea days. I will add some additional comments at the end.

Okay, first when we got on the ship, we went to sign up for the Splash Academy. If your child chooses to take part there are five separate groups: guppies 🐟 which is six months to three years, turtles 🐢which is three to five years, seals 🦐 which is six to nine years, dolphins 🐬which is ten to twelve years, and then Entourage which is the teen group. I was a dolphin and usually when you first arrive it is free play with toys or Wii. My group usually hung out in the Bliss lounge and played games. Some were better than others. One day we went to the sports deck.

The first day we ate lunch at Savor which had good food, but also had some ups and downs. For lunch,I ordered a cheeseburger off the adult menu and it was really good. But then for dessert when I ordered cookies and vanilla ice cream, I got six huge cookies which was way too much. Another day we had lunch at O’Sheehans. The nachos were cold but the Caesar salad was good. The other days we ate at the Garden Café for lunch and I really liked the kid’s corner because it had mac & cheese and fries. I got to eat ice cream or sherbet every day. We ate breakfast at Margaritaville because the Garden Café was too crowded. They had pancakes, French toast, bagels, and bacon which were good, but the eggs were always cold.

My parents got me a 6 Specialty Dining package so we could try lots of new things. The first night we went to the Cirque du Soleil dinner and show. I didn't like that you could not chose your meal, but the show was amazing. The performers were really flexible and strong. My favorite par twas the tight rope performance. Before the show, we got to take pictures with different characters. Another night we went to see the Second City improv show and it was outstanding. You get to yell out words and then they use them to make up skits. I was even chosen to go on stage and help move the actors around. I loved it so much, we went back for two other shows using the stand by line. At another show, I was picked to answer questions about my life and family and then they made it into the Dana show. A few nights, they had family karaoke at Fat Cats and I got to sing two songs. I sang For the First Time in Forever from the movie Frozen and Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. It was lots of fun but they did not have enough current popular songs for kids my age.

The other restaurants we went to were Moderno, Teppanyaki, Cagney’s, Le Bistro, and La Cucina. I liked trying the different meats at Moderno but it was still way too much food. At Teppanyaki, you sit with other people and the chef is really interactive and funny. We played a game where she tried to throw food into our mouths. Make sure you order the noodles because they are scrumdiddlyumptious. My parents really liked Le Bistro but I did not really understand the menu because it was in French. I loved everything about La Cucina - great bread, pasta, and shrimp. The night we went to Cagney’s, I was notfeeling well so my mom and I left but my dad said it was excellent.

In Bermuda, we went to the Crystal Caves which were amazing even though you had to climb lots of steps. Right up the path is the Swizzle Inn and the nachos were beyond yummy. Bring a sharpie because you can write your name or message anywhere you want. The second day we got to see them feed the turtles at the aquarium, we did some shopping in Hamilton and ate lunch at Flanagan’s Irish Pub. I liked the pink buses because they went as fast as a rollercoaster. The last day we hung out in Dockyard. In the end, I would recommend this trip and already told my mom that I want to go on the Escape next year!

A few notes from the parents: We were a little apprehensive with so many negative reviews out there but we booked with an open mind and had a fantastic trip. Margaritaville for breakfast is highly recommended for those who want to avoid the crowds. Some may say limited selection but everything you need to start your day. Heard horror stories about the deck chairs but if you don’t need to be poolside, there are various options. We loved the enclosed area in the middle of Deck 16 - had view of the slides to keep tabs on our daughter and could still hear the music from below. Also, a short walk to Margaritaville to get a drink using the UBP and bathrooms close by. Had UBP as a perk and it definitely worked out for us. Also, got 3 SDP as a perk and used on board credit to purchase 3 more. Purchased 6 SPD for daughter in advance. Loved going to a different restaurant each night. Ate in Manhattan room one night and the food was good but each of us ended up choosing from the always available side as we did not care for the featured specials of the day. As Dana mentioned, Cirque de Soleil was amazing and we fell in love with Second City. Since you can only make 1 reservation to see them, if you line up 30-40 minutes in advance, you should have no problem getting into the show. We had a mini-suite with large balcony on deck 8. We loved the location and the size of the balcony with 2 lounge chairs, 2 upright chairs, and large round table. The large bathroom with oversized shower and extra jets were amazing. Our only complaint is with our cabin steward. Although we tipped him generously on the first day, our requests were not met: the mini bar was not emptied until day 2 and beach towels were not provided until day 3. Also, we learned it you do not activate your make up room button, your room will not be serviced. Final tip, if you like coffee in your room in the morning, fill out the breakfast service card the night before and you can have coffee and treats delivered to your room with no charge. This was one of our best vacations and we will definitely consider cruising with NCL in the future.

Loved your review. One day I want to take my nephew on a cruise and it sounds like he will enjoy having unlimited ice cream.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J327A using Forums mobile app

What a great review!!!

Forgot to add- we are happy to answer any questions from parent and kid point of view!

Never understood the "upfront" tip thing...on cruise ships, tipping is done on the last night...not upon arrival!

Wow! Your daughter wrote a great review! Kudos to her for writing in such a clear style. She certainly writes as well as any of us here on the board (and better than most!)

That was an impressive write-up by a 10 year old! Excellent!!!

You have a promising daughter/author in a few years!

Great review!

Loved this review! My little nephews in first and third grade want to cruise. Someday!

Is Margaretta Ville a free breakfast or is it a fee per item?

Free for breakfast - if I remember correctly opens at 8. The bar I believe opened at 12 - can use UBP. Always found a seat & saw very few people there.

Free for breakfast - if I remember correctly opens at 8. The bar I believe opened at 12 - can use UBP. Always found a seat & saw very few people there.

Thank you for the very informative, well written review. Your daughter did a great job! We'll be on the Escape to Bermuda next August with an 8 year old. I know your daughter was a [emoji227] and my son will be a seal, but he is wondering if the WII games are only offered at certain times or can they be played whenever?

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Dana was not really sure but in her group it was on the schedule each day. As she explained it to me, the different age groups were in different rooms. Perhaps you could do a search for a sample schedule. You get it for the week when you sign up. Sorry I did not save it. She usually went in the afternoons on sea days. She did ask to try the night activities but we were always busy with shows and dinner.