CruisFran

It was great to be back, however briefly.

Yes, even brief is good! We were there near the end of a repo cruise for 1/2 day! Anchored in Hamilton, so tendered in. Barely time to look around, but did enjoy a nice lunch on the porch of The Pickled Onion on a beautiful April day! That made it worth it! :)

The Swizzle Inn doesn’t include the gratuity. I used to live on the island, so I’m used to driving a bike there. It’s definitely not for noobs, though.

Having lived there makes a world of difference! :) Glad you enjoyed your brief return visit!

We had a one-day port call in Bermuda yesterday. We rented a scooter and drove up to St George’s . . . through torrential rain. It was raining so hard I could barely see. Now that was fun. At least we had rain suits. The rain did stop by the time we got to St George’s. Sad to see that Pub on the Square is closed, but the White Horse is still going strong. Lunch at Swizzle Inn. Rum Swizzles still awesome. Two Swizzles and two fish and chips was $60, plus tip. Swung by Hamilton to drop in at Hog Penny. By now sun was out. Beautiful drive back to King’s wharf on South Road. Despite the rain, still a great, quick visit. You’ll love it.

A one day visit...not fair, but it sounds like you did quite a bit! We avoid the scooters at all costs, you were very lucky to have a safe trip, especially with torrential rain!...eek. Love the Swizzle Inn, friends with Carolyn, mgr. of gift shop/s! 😊. Hog Penny in Hamilton, is another favorite...they have the best Bermuda Fish Chowder! Restaurants can be pricey...hope you checked, the gratuity is usually already added to the bill, you most likely double tipped! Frog and Onion at the Dockyard is another interesting spot too, within the thick walls of the Keep (fort).

Can’t wait for our return!

It may have been late, but it is never too late to do the right thing!!! Koodoos to NCL for coming good to their passengers!

That is not completely true...they were more than a little slow in doing something! As an example I will share our story, back in 1998 we were on the NCL SKY, 10 day Canadian/N.E. Cruise...we went aground in the St. Lawrence Seaway at about day 7. BEFORE we left the ship we had a letter, in hand, stating we were entitled to a cruise worth 100% of what we spent, plus of course free transportation home.

Understand that there are sometimes delays in completion of redos during drydock time, but see no excuse for so much! We have seen some things unfinished, like the Mexican restaurant on the Dawn a couple of years ago, with workers about, but it was not an intrusion on our cruise! They should have canceled the first couple of cruises scheduled after drydock from the sound of this mess! Of course then the scheduled passengers, with no cruise to go on, would be upset also.

I do agree canceling costs the line and the servers a lot of money...in our situation the crew were sent home for 6 weeks.

What media? Doing a google, other than this forum and Canadian media.... I saw little media attention.

 

I'm kinda puzzled why the original threads were closed.

Just heard about it on GMA a few minutes ago! No idea when it was first mentioned anywhere else!?

Our cruise in May will be our 11th sailing on the Dawn, so we have seen her since she was new, and through all her renovations, large and small. All are interesting and most make sense, but the Redo of the paintings in the Venetian are RIDICULOUS! Make absolutely no sense,....wish I had a clue what they were thinking...Picassoish!? Agh...for awful! They should either have left them alone....or replace them, IMHO!;p

Congrats on booking the Dawn for your honeymoon....believe you have chosen wisely as Bermuda is perfect honeymoon destination!

Come over to the “Roll Call” for the Dawn May 11 cruise, and join the chatter!

We have sailed the Dawn, well this our 11th time. We did the Disney Fantasy last summer with the grandkids, loved it...it was our 1st. The Dawn and NCL are a little different, freestyle everything (resort casual dress), dining...and the entertainment is good, but not up to Disney level!

It won’t be long now, almost time to pack 😊

Hi! Check out the excursions for Curaçao in the tour list. If you want a private tour of the island I believe there will be taxi drivers at the pier that you could chat about what you want, and agree to a price. We are on the same cruise, and have signed up for the Beach Express tour.

Happy planning!

All these decisions are personal of course, so it's difficult to choose. I would not go through the Crystal Caves while on a cab tour...takes too much time, and tick, tick goes the clock. Take a good long look at Horseshoe Bay beach, Gibbs Lighthouse, Mangrove Bay, and then let the driver be your guide...he will point out all the interesting spots (so many), make note of any you want to return to on your own. You could have him go from Dockyard, out and around St. George, then end your tour in Hamilton (just not on Sunday)...you could then shop and take the bus or ferry back to Dockyard from there. So many choices!!

Happy planning!!

One thing I will mention is that when we took the ferry to St. Georges, one of the "ambassadors" discussed the history of St. Georges, told us what to see when we got there, and answered questions during the entire 40-minute trip. I think his name was Michael, and he was a former mayor of St. Georges and was obviously proud of his city. Oh yes, keep in mind that this was a public ferry, not a formal tour. It really made the experience great.

 

I must say that I've rarely been to a place where the folks were so genuinely happy to help out the visitors. It was a real pleasure.

You had the pleasure hearing from Mr. E. Michael Jones, former mayor of St. George's and prior to that the best Town Crier ever!!:D

Someone just told me that he is also doing free tours around St. George's at certain times...we have to check that out, as we'll be there again in Sept.! If true, you will be escorted by the best, and super nice guy to boot!! Some years back we had the good fortune to be loudly welcomed to Bermuda by Michael (as Town Crier), from his perch at the Town Cut, as our ship cruised through...a very special memory we will never forget!!! It also made us quite popular with our fellow cruise passengers...LOL:)

Nicole

Thanks for your review, enjoyed it very much, especially the food pics.

I may have missed this in your review, but can you tell me what time did they start boarding ? And, did you see anything regarding VIP boarding ?

Thanks in advance.

Ed

To be sipping either of these right now.....:cool:

At the famous Mai Tai Bar, at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Honolulu!!