tantine

We are just off the Escape (7/22-7/29). This was our 6th time in Bermuda and we love it.

Here is some info based on what we did which I hope someone will find helpful!

Bermuda

Horseshoe Beach

We took a taxi ($32 each way) to Horseshoe Beach as soon as the ship was cleared. We were at the beach by 8:20am. Beach was completely empty except for a few people walking. Guys were there for chair rentals but we didn't realized that chair rentals didn't start until 9:30. We tried swimming but it was very, very rough. We finally got our chairs and umbrellas at 9:30ish. There is a line that builds up very quickly once people start arriving on the beach. Even though the staff is there they don't start putting chairs out until exactly 9:30.

$45 for one umbrella and 2 chairs. Additional chairs: $18, Additional umbrella: $15. So we did 4 chairs and 2 umbrellas for $90. It got extremely crowded by 11:30. Tried swimming on and off but the waves stayed rough and lifeguards were in and out warning people about undercurrents and trying to keep people safe. We enjoyed our day and this is still one of my favorite beaches, but I've never seen Horseshoe so rough. We couldn't even walk through the coves like we usually do because the water was slamming against the rocks.

Elbow Beach

We got day passes to Elbow Beach Resort ($276 for 4 people). Took taxi to and from the resort (I think $44 each way). We signed in an got chairs and umbrellas. There is bar service to the lounge chairs. The beach was amazing and we spent most of the day in the water. I love this beach!

The desk where you check in with the day pass has noodles, pool floaties to use in the ocean. They also have books to borrow and read for the day. With the day pass there is no access to the pool. I knew this but one couple next to us go very annoyed when they found out they couldn't use the pool.

Hair Braiding

My daughter really wanted to get her hair braided and our plan was to return to Horseshoe Bay our last day in Bermuda. DH and I got so sunburned the day before at Elbow Beach that we were in no shape for a beach. I remembered that there was a tent in the dockyard not far from the ship on our last trip, but we couldn't find it. We asked onboard and were told that there was someone who used to do them in the salon, but she was not currently on the ship. Then someone mentioned that they do the hair braids in Snorkel Park. So we tried that. You have to pay the entry fee for Snorkel Park ($5 each) even if you are only going for hair braiding.

There were 6 people in front of us. There is a list to put your name on and then you can go do other things and check back to see how many people are in front of you if they are busy. Cost is $8/braid or there was a special 5 braids for $25. It took us about an hour and a half total to wait and get them done. Not my favorite way to spend a morning but DD was very happy.

Did Elbow beach have food service as well?

Yes, drinks and food service to the lounge chairs or you could go to Micky's on the beach level for sit down service.

Was Horseshoe Bay any less crowded toward the end of the day? I'm from LI also, is it as crowded as the beaches here can get? Just trying to put it in perspective. Did you think the Haven was worth the money? I'm sailing to Bermuda on Sunday and still have my fingers crossed for an upgrade.

Because we went to Horseshoe so early, we weren't there for end of the day so I don't know if it gets less crowded toward the end of the day but I would assume so. As for crowds, yes, if you are used to the main Long Island beaches, it's pretty comparable.

We do think the Haven is worth the money. We've done it several times and the separate area and extra space in the cabin make it well worth it to us.

Have a great cruise - I hope you get the upgrade!!

Thanks for your review. I took the Escape late last year, for a different itinerary. We are about the same age, though your kids are older.

 

Here's my review: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=54583062

 

A few comments:

 

- Glad you had fun in the casino, but the slots are much tighter than you'll find at land-based casinos. If you still enjoy playing them, that's fine, but I just wanted you to know.

 

- Deal or No Deal is a borderline scam, as are all of the "game shows for pay" onboard. Glad you opted to skip playing it.

 

- Every experience of mine at Moderno has been negative. The meats simply aren't very good, and I've found it was slow and the meats were often overcooked. I'm glad you enjoyed it, but I stopped going there, and this is coming from a guy who loves to eat meat!

 

- Next time try Food Republic (a la carte Asian tapas). It was surprisingly good, and most people overlook it.

Thanks for your comments!

- I definitely know the casinos are much tighter on the ship. And moreso it seems on the return trip.

- Deal of No Deal is a scam - it was fun to watch but at $35 for the cheapest option, it wasn't something I wanted to try.

- We've done Moderno a few times on NCL. We've usually found it to be slow, but this time the pace was quick. We were in and out in an hour. The meats kept coming and after reading reviews about the possible decline of quality, we were pleasantly surprise.

- Food Republic we will definitely try on the next trip. It was on my mind to do this time but we never got around to it.

Do you make reservations for 'Howl at the Moon' once on the ship? What was it like on the waterfront at lunch time? Are all the specialty restaurants open for lunch?

 

Thank you for your report!

No reservations for Howl at the Moon. It was full but people came and went so you could find a seat when someone got up.

Waterfront at lunch time is pretty quiet. Whenever we were there it was peaceful - it's a great area to enjoy a drink and the view.

I know Moderno and Margaritaville are open for lunch. I don't think the others are.

Great review. Thanks for posting. How do you transfer the canvas painting back home? Is it rolled up in a cardboard tube?

The canvas is not that large - I want to say maybe 16" x 20" - and it is a hard canvas so it can't be rolled. I put it in the inside pocket of the suitcase once they dried and they were fine.

Bermuda

Horseshoe Beach

We took a taxi ($32 each way) to Horseshoe Beach as soon as the ship was cleared. We were at the beach by 8:20am. Beach was completely empty except for a few people walking. Guys were there for chair rentals but we didn't realized that chair rentals didn't start until 9:30. We tried swimming but it was very, very rough. We finally got our chairs and umbrellas. $45 for one umbrella and 2 chairs. Additional chairs: $18, Additional umbrella: $15. So we did 4 chairs and 2 umbrellas for $90. It got extremely crowded by 11:30. Tried swimming on and off but the waves stayed rough and lifeguards were in and out warning people about undercurrents and trying to keep people safe. We enjoyed our day and this is still one of my favorite beaches, but I've never seen Horseshoe so rough. We couldn't even walk through the coves like we usually do because the water was slamming against the rocks.

Elbow Beach

We got day passes to Elbow Beach Resort. Took taxi to and from the resort (I think $44 each way). We signed in an got chairs and umbrellas. There is bar service to the lounge chairs. The beach was amazing and we spent most of the day in the water. I love this beach!

The desk where you check in with the day pass has noodles, pool floaties to use in the ocean. They also have books to borrow and read for the day. With the day pass there is no access to the pool. I knew this but one couple next to us go very annoyed when they found out they couldn't use the pool.

Hair Braiding

My daughter really wanted to get her hair braided and our plan was to return to Horseshoe Bay our last day in Bermuda. DH and I got so sunburned the day before at Elbow Beach that we were in no shape for a beach. I remembered that there was a tent in the dockyard not far from the ship but we couldn't find it. We asked onboard and were told that there was someone who used to do them in the salon, but she was not currently on the ship. Then someone mentioned that they do the hair braids in Snorkel Park. So we tried that. You have to pay the entry fee for Snorkel Park ($5 each) even if you are only going for hair braiding.

There were 6 people in front of us. There is a list to put your name on and then you can go do other things and check back to see how many people are in front of you if they are busy. Cost is $8/braid or there was a special 5 braids for $25.

It took us about an hour and a half total to wait and get them done. Not my favorite way to spend a morning but DD was very happy.

Ok, I think that's it - I thought doing our trip report this way was easier/shorter than doing day by day, but now I'm not so sure! Thanks for reading! If you've made it this far and have questions, please ask!

Ship Activities

Escape the Big Top

We did this as a family and enjoyed it. They group you with other people to make groups of 10-12. There are 10 groups total. You are given a bunch of items and there are items around the rooms which are supposed to help you figure out 6 words that help you unlock a chest. The clues are very challenging. None of the groups got them all. Our group got 4 out of 6. But we had fun doing it. There is no additional charge for this. You should make reservations but there were some people on standby for our time and they were able to participate.

Canvas by U

This is like a Sip n Paint where everyone paints the same picture on a canvas and the instructor walks you through it. Cost is $35 per person. I knew my daughter would love it but my son decided to do it too. You don't know what picture you are painting ahead of time - you see it when you get there. We painted a guitar - not my favorite, but we still had fun. I love to paint and never do it so it was fun. My suggestion would be that they get someone with some artistic ability to lead the class. Jojo from the entertainment staff was the instructor and he didn't seem like he knew what he was doing. He told us that he had never done this painting before. A couple times he stopped and we asked for the next step and he was trying to figure out what it was. We still had a fun time doing it but I'm sure it would've been better if someone who knows something about painting led the class.

Deal or No Deal

Fun to watch but we didn't play. Doesn't seem like there is a big chance of winning. But it is fun to watch the contestant and see what they choose to do.

Bingo

We played the last day for the 'Jackpot'. We didn't win but the kids had fun. It is amazing how much money the ship makes off of Bingo - this is a huge moneymaker. The theater was full and the line to buy tickets was long!

Howl at the Moon

I had never been before but kept reading how great it is and it did not disappoint! What a fun upbeat time! We were singing along and having fun. It is amazing how talented these piano players are!

Atrium Shows/Games

We didn't go to as many events as we usually do, but stopped in and watched while we walked by and there was something going on. There seems to be something for everyone - games, music, movies, trivia. We did a couple of late night movies in the Atrium which the kids liked.

Spice H2O Movie

We had reservations for Brat Pack but the kids wanted to watch the Spice H2O movie and I agreed. I love this every cruise! Sitting outside watching a movie as it gets dark. We really enjoyed it - weather was beautiful so it was really fun.

Casino

We spent more time here than we probably should have! They have some great slot games which is my thing. Won a bit the first couple of nights to keep me going but gave it all back the last 2 nights. I've noticed it on other cruises too - I think it's probably wise to stay away from the casino the last couple of nights - especially if you've won. My husband plays blackjack and was up and down most nights.

It is smoky like everyone says, but I smoke when I drink/gamble so it didn't bother me. But there were a LOT of people smoking. Numerous people came in just to smoke, not gamble. And I spoke to a few who said that there aren't enough smoking areas on the ship so they stop in the casino to smoke.

Kids Clubs

*Splash Academy - My daughter was a Dolphin (10-12) and she had fun. One night she stayed late night ($6/hour after 10:30pm). One night she stayed an hour and didn't want to stay longer. It depended on the activity. She usually went for a couple of hours after dinner each night. She made some friends and said the counselors were fun. She was old enough to sign herself out after 2 hours, but when the ship is in port they cannot sign themselves out. This is to avoid someone signing out and leaving the ship while their parents think they are at Splash Academy.

*Entourage - This was my son't first time in Entourage and I was a little nervous because it is different than Splash. He had a blast! He went every night - made some friends and had a great time. They would have a choice to stay in Entourage or go to the Spice H2O parties and he loved the parties. Entourage was definitely a hit!

Thank God for iConcierge App. Calling was terrible as usual from the app, but the texting worked great. He would text me what time he was going to come back and I would meet him and walk back to the cabin with him.

Haven Area

The Haven area is truly a treat. It is so peaceful to sit in the lounge chairs on the upper level and listen to the water in the waterfall feature. It is less pleasant when there are kids running through the Haven area screaming, but thankfully that did not happen often. I am an early riser so I was usually the first one up there and got a few good hours of total quiet to read my book or nap. One of my favorite parts of the cruise. On Sea Days, mid morning it would start to get crowded but was never close to full on the second level (deck 19). Deck 17 area got more crowded for sure.

The outdoor area was nice but was too windy one of days and the lounge chairs were tied down. There is a sign right on the door stating that the outdoor deck is for children over 16 or 18 (I can't remember). There were a couple of people who ignored the sign and went outside anyway with their kids but not many. I had told mine ahead of time that they couldn't go outside like they did on the Breakaway.

There were a couple of times that it got extremely loud with screaming/running kids. I will say what's been said before here on CC. Some parents are looking to have a good time and let their kids do what they want. Thankfully this is not the majority and it is only a few people.

We are back from an awesome week on the Escape from NY to Bermuda! Here are our thoughts on the cruise...I have a feeling it's going to be long - I apologize in advance! I'm going to break it into a couple of posts to make it easier...

Cruising were myself (44), DH (47), DS (14) and DD (11). This was our 9th cruise, 6th on NCL. We have done the Dawn, Jewel twice and Breakaway twice. We are from Long Island so we took Uber too and from the ship. We had UBP and 3UDP.

Travel (and especially dining), is very subjective however, as with most things, I think attitude has a lot to do with overall experience. You can choose to go into things with a negative attitude and you will find things to complain about. Or you can just enjoy being on vacation and not let the little things bother you. I will say that there were very few things to complain about - here is our story!

Embarkation

We arrived at 10:00, went through security and Haven check-in and were escorted onto the ship at 11:00. After a brief Haven talk by the Concierge, we checked out the Haven area and went to Margaritaville for lunch. Very smooth embarkation!

Service

Generally service on this ship is very, very good. Employees are friendly and nice. Most staff we saw in the hallways greeted us. Some didn't. All the employees we engaged with were very courteous and happy to talk about their families and their ship experience.

We had Nadia for our Room Steward who was awesome! She was never intrusive and our room was always spotless. Even though we woke at different times in the morning, she managed to come in and do her thing both morning and evening. She is always smiling and very pleasant - really brightened our day!

Samir was our butler. Not at all warm and fuzzy like our last few butlers, but he was good. Took care of 2 room service orders for us and delivered snacks daily. My kids were bummed because the first day when he introduced himself, he asked if they like candy and he told them there would be M&Ms and gummy bears in the room and we could call for a refill. We never got them. I could've called to remind him but I felt bad and trust me, we were not starving, but a minor annoyance.

Concierge was Patrick. He never introduced himself to us and I think I spoke to him once. I spoke to one of the assistants to book the Escape the Big Top and Canvas by U and that was it.

Stateroom

We were in Cabin 11706, a Forward Facing Penthouse Suite. The cabin is not in the Haven, but a short walk to the Forward elevators and up to 17, and we were easily in the Haven. The stateroom is beautiful. Separate bedroom with king size bed, and a sofa in the living room that comfortably slept both my kids. Balcony is small but adequate. We didn't spend much time on the balcony because the Haven area is so spacious we hung out there a lot. The cabin has a LOT of storage - closets and drawers. We are not light packers and still had a few drawers we didn't use even after we all unpacked.

Bathroom is huge. One difference from the Breakaway is that the bathroom does not have windows to outside - I loved that in our Breakaway suite - huge windows.

The room was great - it allowed us to spread out in the room and not be on top of eachother (although more than a couple times it was the 4 of us all piled in bed watching a movie!). We spent time in the room each afternoon - there was some movie watching and some napping which was great!

Dining

We had the 3UDP for DH and myself and paid for the kids in the specialty restaurants we did. We ate most breakfasts in the Haven restaurant and a couple at the buffet. Lunch was Margaritaville, buffet, room service and once in the Haven restaurant, Dinner was Haven restaurant, Moderno and Teppanyaki. If you can't find something to eat on this ship with all the options available, I'm not sure where you will be happy.

Margaritaville

We took advantage of the embarkation day special which waives the fee for suite guests. We split the nachos and conch fritters - both were good. We had burgers and salads. All were good - exactly what you get at any Margaritaville restaurant. We planned to go back another day for lunch but didn't make it.

Moderno

We go to Churrascaria restaurants on Long Island and Moderno did not disappoint. I have read bad reviews but I'm not sure where the issue is. The salad bar has so many options - salads, cheeses, sushi, soup, bread - it was really good. The meats were very good - we didn't try anything that was bad. The best is the bacon wrapped chicken and bacon wrapped filet. We probably should have skipped lunch that day because we called it quits earlier than we thought we would. We did save room for the grilled pineapple which is as good as everyone says. Really delicious! We didn't have dessert at Moderno.

Teppanyaki

We always love Teppanyaki on NCL ships. It's fun to watch the chef and the food is usually great. In this case the chef was a lot of fun - they really everyone going and the kids had a blast. The rice, steak and shrimp were so good. But the chicken was not cooked. I bit into the first piece and couldn't eat it. I tried on more piece just to make sure and then told my kids not to eat it. Not a big deal because there was more than enough food but disappointing. Dessert in Teppanyaki is never good. My kids tried the green tea cake because every time we go they convince themselves they will like it - they didn't.

Buffet

The buffet was great for quick breakfast and lunch. There are so many options and the food is good. Is it gourmet, no, but at a buffet we are looking for quick. And it delivers. They really do have so many options - if you don't find something you like, try something else. They always have pizza, burgers and a salad station. It's also a great place to grab cookies or ice cream when dinner was early and you find yourself needing a snack at 10:00.

O'Sheehans

We went to O'Sheehans once for late night snacks. It is a place for a quick snack - not gourmet dining, not spectacular quality food. Just easy, quick food. As on the Breakaway, it wasn't great, but it filled us up. I like the previous menu better, but this one is fine. It gets very crowded after midnight - a couple of nights I went by and there was a line of people waiting to get in.

Haven Restaurant

The service in the Haven restaurant is really impeccable. The hostess and maitre'd were so pleasant and the waitstaff was really great. Cristian in particular made our week so special - he was always happy to see us and just a genuinely nice person. My son asked for mashed potatoes with his steak and when dinner was served Cristian apologized for it being late bc he had to run to O'Sheehans for mashed potatoes. I told him he should have just said no mashed potatoes. They really do go beyond to make everyone happy. We ate outdoors a few times which was really nice. At see there is a breeze and is so nice to be outside to eat. If you time it right you can be there during the sunset and it is gorgeous.

Breakfast is so good regardless of what menu item you choose, and the mini buffet has some great offerings.

Lunch we did one time but took so long we decided not to go back for lunch.

Dinner was very good. We didn't have one bad thing - we ate there 4 nights and loved every meal. A couple of night we were so full, Cristian sent the desserts to our room which was great for a late snack.

Room Service

We ordered room service twice (burgers, pizza, sandwiches). The food is ok. Burgers were very undercooked and inedible. Pizza was good one day, not great the next time. Cobb Salad, BLT were good.

Just off the Escape yesterday - hope you had as much fun as we did!

1. Do you mean you got prepaid gratuities as a perk? That means that you will not be charged the daily service fee. The daily service fee is per person per day, so if you got that perk you wouldn't pay that.

2. My son is 14 and this was his first time in the Entourage teen group. He had a blast - met a lot of people, went to every party. He was there every night. Every group is different, but on our sailing, seemed like a good group that had fun together even though they had never met before. I hope your daughter has the same experience!

Have never been on the Gem but have cruised to Bermuda several times (going again on 7/22!). We are usually there during summer so we go to Horseshoe Beach and Elbow Beach. If the weather is cooler, I would still check out Horseshoe Beach even if you can't swim. You could take the ferry to St. George and check out the caves - we did Crystal Caves and it was amazing. There is Gibbs Lighthouse which you can climb and there are always island tours you can book. Bermuda is beautiful - enjoy!

Though I have never been on the Star, we have cruised NCL 5 times with a 6th cruise planned for July. My kids were 2 and 5 when we went on our first family cruise and they love it! It's a great family vacation!

Food in dining rooms is good. There is always a hit or miss item, but you can order something different if your entree is not what you expected. We have never had a night where we went to bed hungry. We do specialty restaurants probably 3 times on a 7 day cruise but main dining room is definitely good. If you are doing specialty, my kids love Teppenyaki which is the hibachi restaurant where the chef puts on a little 'show' while cooking.

As others have mentioned, shows are generally family friendly. If they are not, there is a note in the daily that notes the show is adult themed.

Splash Academy, the kids club on board, provides a large variety of activities throughout the day and evening. They have their own separate schedule so your child can decide what they want to go to. Sometimes my kids go every day for a bit, sometimes they don't go as much. Depends on the activity and whether they find friends and like the vibe of the group that week. Not sure if its on every ship but on the Breakaway there was a circus the last sea day where the kids performed. They go to a rehearsal earlier in the week and then perform the last sea day. If that's something your daughter would like, you might want to look into it.

Have a great time!!

You can definitely do this on your own. There are two options - Crystal Caves and Fantasy Caves. We did Crystal Caves because it seemed that most reviews found this option to be better. We thought it was worth it - really pretty and something we had never seen befor. You can take the ferry to St. George and a taxi to the caves. They are open 9am-5pm. Admission is $22 adult, $10 child for one, or you can do a combination ticket and see both caves for $22. The caves are deep so there are a lot of steps down and then of course back up again at the end. They can be slippery when wet (they get wet from water dripping in the caves).

I don't think there is a beach within walking distance. We arranged with the taxi who drove us there to come back in an hour and he drove us to Tobacco Beach - this is a shallow beach with good snorkeling and very kid friendly. Another beautiful beach on that side of the island is St. Catherine's. To go back to the Dockyard to the ship you can take the ferry.

We were in 12304 (Aft Penthouse) on the Breakaway in August. Great room, amazing balcony!! My two kids(9 and 12) slept on the fold out sofa in the living room and there was more than enough room for them both. I slept with them for a couple of hours one night when we fell asleep watching a movie. There was room for the 3 of us and we are not small!

I didn't notice another bed that would come from the ceiling in that cabin.

As mentioned above, movies were shown almost every night(may have been every night) in the Atrium. Movie usually started around 11pm.

On the nights were were docked in Bermuda, there were also movies shown in Spice H20. It was nice to sit outside and enjoy a movie.

On our recent Breakaway cruise, iConcierge was $9.95 per device. Texting worked great! Calls did not work at all - the call would go through but you could not hear anything on either end of the call. We were told that it was a microphone issue but that it was resolved at the end of the week. It was never resolved - we texted all week but couldn't make calls.

Thanks for the great review, tantine. I was wondering, with your day pass to Coco Reef Resort at Elbow Beach, did you get that through NCL?

Not through NCL, we emailed the resort directly reservations@cocoreef.bm. We let them know what day we wanted and they reply to you whether there is availability. No payment needed prior; we paid when we got to the resort. You can book the Elbow Beach chair rental through the site resortforaday .com.

Great review! Thanks! We are planning a cruise on the Breakaway to Bermuda for next year. We went to Horseshoe Beach about 7 years ago when we were on the Dawn. Where are these coves you speak about? We just sat on the pink sand and enjoyed the waves in the main part of the beach. We'd love to explore the coves at Horseshoe Beach the next time we go. Can someone point us in the right direction?

When you are at Horseshoe, facing the ocean, you walk to the right or left(we went to the left so I can only speak for that). At the end of the beach you can walk through the rocks to a little cove. You can keep walking(depending on the tide) into the next cove or you can walk the path. You can go to one or two or keep walking and end up at Warwick Long Bay(we didn't get that far). They are beautiful little spots for swimming or pictures. If we hadn't rented chairs and left our stuff we would've just claimed a spot in the sand and hung out there - it's beautiful.

Did your kids enjoy the Teppanyaki. I'm considering taking my three year old who would likely enjoy the show but not sure he will sit still for the entire meal. Are the chefs with you most of the time?

My kids loved it. We have done Teppanyaki each time on NCL - even when they kids were really little and they've always enjoyed it. You get your drinks, order dinner, have soup and salad and then the chef comes to the table and begins. He is there until all the food is cooked. They are there for a good portion of the meal.

We have done day passes to both. Coco Reef includes lunch and use of the pool area. Elbow Beach Resort you rent just the chairs and umbrella. No pool access.

Both are fine being that you are on a beautiful beach. We prefer Coco Reef because the kids like to use the pool for awhile and lunch being included is a plus. Last year we paid $75 for 2 chairs and lunch ran around $140 at Elbow Beach. This year Coco Reef was $140 for the passes and we paid an additional $40 for the kids' lunch.

Hope that helps.

That's her! Ramona from Romania! She does a phenomenal job!

We just returned from an Aft Suite cabin on the Breakaway and loved it! I would not give up the cabin or AMAZING balcony just to be in the Haven. We spent all of our sea days there (went up for breakfast, got seats, and stayed all day). On port days, we went there in the evening but didn't use the pool or loungers because we got off the ship.

Best route from aft cabin to the Haven for us was to take aft elevator to deck 15, walk across the pool deck and use the deck 15 door to get into the Haven. Walk up to 16 and you are in the courtyard. Other times we would walk to the middle and then take the elevators up. I preferred walking across the pool deck because(depending on how crowded it was) there was more space to walk than in the narrow hallways on our deck.

Walk is 5-7 minutes - really not a big deal.

Being aft, the area is not keycard protected but the service is still amazing. Room steward wonderful and butler really really amazing.

I hope this helps.

Just got off the Breakaway and noticed a couple of doors decorated on our deck. Two or three were decorated with Birthday decorations - I didn't notice them missing the whole week. One was decorated with a cruise critic username telling others that a cruise critic member was on board. That one stayed there all week too.

1. To us, Haven was totally worth it. We didn't use it on port days because we got off the ship but spent the entire days there on sea days. The only time it got crowded was on the last sea day where people were holding chairs and we had to look for seats. Otherwise it was not a problem.

2. We have eaten at most venues on the ship and the food varies from good to amazing. In the Haven restaurant, we found the food to be amazing. It is prepared well and quality ingredients. You can order an extra entree to try if you want to. We really enjoyed every meal we ate there. When we couldn't eat dessert at dinner, we had it sent to our room.

3. You would not feel left out at all on Deck 15. You walk up stairs and you are in the Haven Lounge which leads out to the courtyard and pool. We were in an Aft Suite on Deck 12 and had to walk there and still didn't feel left out. It required more of an effort to get there but definitely didn't feel left out.

4. Not sure how it works - if you DSC would stay the same or you would have to pay the difference - sorry!

We were on the Breakaway 8/7-14 for our second time on this same itinerary. We love Bermuda!! Here is how we broke out our three days - hopefully it will help some of you planning your trip...

Day 1 - We did a day pass at Coco Reef Resort on Elbow Beach.

Taxi is approx. $43 each way. Day pass is $69 for adults and includes lunch and a glass of wine or soft drink. Kids are free but you pay for their lunch.

We have done this a couple of times before and love it here. You receive towels and your lunch ticket when you check in.

Walk past the pool area and down a bunch of stairs to get to the beach. There are lounge chairs and umbrellas. If it is windy, make sure your umbrella is anchored well - we saw a few fly away.

Beach is perfect. Water was very wavy and we had a great time.Lunch was good. It took a very long time and the kids had eaten their meals before ours were delivered but it worked out fine. They went to swim in the pool and we could watch them from our table up above. Warning about sunscreen - It was very cloudy all morning. My son didn't put on sunscreen and learned the hard way that sunscreen is a must even on cloudy days.

There is a bus that goes there but drops you off on the main road and you have to walk up the hill to the hotel.

Day 2 Horseshoe Beach

Taxi is about $35 each way and drops you at the bottom of the hill. You can take the shuttle from Dockyard to Horseshoe for $7 per person. We learned from our taxi driver, that there is no more shuttle taking passengers from the beach to the main road(used to be $2 I think). He said they stopped running it this year.

This beach is always amazing. Because of the wind (which was much less than the day before), they were not renting umbrellas which makes it much hotter.

Cost to rent two chairs was $40. In hindsight we should have skipped the chairs. Without the umbrellas, we couldn't sit for too long. We spent a lot of time in the water and exploring the coves which are beautiful.

Also, a note about the chairs, when the people next to us left, they gave us their chair so one of our kids could use it. The guy from the rental place came over in seconds and took it away. We couldn't use it unless we paid to rent that one too. We saw this happen a few times around us.

We ate lunch at the snack bar (burgers, chicken fingers, etc). Lunch for the 4 of us was about $40.

On the way back to get a taxi, my daughter had her hair braided. It was $20 for the one side of her head. The ladies were very nice and very quick.

Day 3 Fishing Trip with Jolly Roger Bermuda. I booked it with Barbara via email and paid when we got there which was convenient. If the wind had kept up I would have cancelled Friday morning. The tour is from 9-1 so it is perfect for the last day when all aboard is at 2:30. The boat is docked right by the ferries so very close to the ship. It is a 20 minute boat ride about 3 hours of fishing and 20-30 min back. Fishing time was a little less for us because we were not catching anything so they moved to a different spot a couple of times. The kids each caught a couple which made them happy so the trip was good. It was $99 for adults (and kids 12 and over) and $69 for kids.

As in our other experiences in Bermuda, we were impressed by the beauty and ease of the island. Hop in a cab, bus or ferry and you can go anywhere. The taxi drivers that we experienced were all pleasant, informative and safe. One our first day our taxi driver stopped at the Sno Cone stand across from the Horseshoe Beach bus stop and bought us sno cones which we thought was so nice!

Another great time in Bermuda - I hope this helps some in their planning!