MsAnnMcD

I do not recall if they had them at Gombey's. They had paddle boats that I saw. Also, there may be other rentals right on Clearwater Beach. Sorry I don't have more details but it wasn't the best beach day but still fun and absolutely gorgeous there.

Our night at Moderno was part of our dining package and booked in advance via phone call. I did book the other 4 nights online in advance for the MDR's and Los Lobos (a la carte).

The free NCL "tender" to St George does not operate on Sunday. Monday and Tuesday only.

I actually found out about this via Peter Greenberg's tweets ( https://petergreenberg.com/ and @PeterSGreenberg ) ! Last fall he had a tweet/article about how fall is the best time to renew US passport in a reasonable amount of time. He mentioned in the article about the 3-6 month restrictions. So even though my passport was good for another 11 months I went ahead and renewed it in the fall. Had it back in 2 weeks!

Found the actual article that clued me in here: https://petergreenberg.com/2015/09/16/travel-tip-get-new-passport-fall/

Glad it worked out okay for you though. Safe travels and happy cruising!

My husband and I were on the NCL Dawn May 19-26 cruise. On Monday May 22 we took the new free NCL "tender" to Saint George. What a bonus! We jumped on the 9 AM tender with no issues. It was an overcast cool day and a bit of chop when we set out. The only issues I heard about were that the bathrooms on the tender were not the cleanest and lacking in toilet paper.

We arrived at Fenno's Wharf just before 10 AM where you head right after exiting to go to the town center. This is a public street and one should be reminded to walk to the side in order not to impede actual road traffic.

I went to the Information Center near the public restrooms and requested 2 tickets for the beach bus. It was $9 each way. You receive tickets to give the driver on the way to Clearwater Beach and a wristband on the way back that the driver will snip off when you return to St George. We were directed across the square to several park benches near where Freddie's used to be. Within 5 minutes our white beach van backed in and Cal the driver welcomed us. It was about a 20 minute ride to Gombey's Bar at Clearwater Beach and Cal provided us with lots of information along the way.

Upon arrival we stopped into Gombey's to let them know we would be back for a fish sandwich after our exploration of Coopers Island which was a former NASA tracking station. It was a short walk up to the entrance just after Turtle Beach. We spent a few hours exploring all the nooks and crannies, observation tower and beaches. What a jewel of an area! There was a beach on the windward side that had a gorgeous pink beach but on the leeward side was a blue lagoon type beach that would have been a great spot to snorkel. We saw a few other couples and some joggers but it was pretty quiet, probably due to the weather.

We headed back to Gombey's at around 12:30 and one other couple was there that we had seen earlier. Our driver Cal arrived to pick them up and asked us when we would like to be picked up. We told him 2 PM. Marlon, the proprietor, came over and asked if we wanted a "Yummy" or their version of the Bermuda fish sandwich (fried wahoo served on raisin bread with tartar sauce, local seasonings, lettuce and tomato) and we agreed. It was delicious! Totally hit the spot. The bill for 4 beers and 2 sandwiches was $54 which was totally reasonable.

Clearwater Beach is right before Gombey's and is a nice stretch of sand as well. You can rent lots of equipment, chairs and umbrella's at Gombey's. It's a great spot off the beaten path. Maybe next time I go there the weather will be better. :D

Cal showed up at 2 and we had plenty of time to do a little shopping in St George before the 3:45 PM tender back to the Dockyards. Great day out and about in Bermuda.

Just did Moderno on the Dawn last week and LOVED it. Enjoy!

We took the 9 AM NCL "tender" to St George on 5/22 and there was not a huge line. We walked on around 8:50 and we sat together on the main deck. We returned on the 3:45 and deliberately did not stand in line but waited til near the end and sat apart on the main deck. They do track how many people are boarding with a clicker device but I did not see them actively looking at cards to board. Alain did say that other cruise line passengers did try to board our tender but were refused.

Ship - Norwegian Dawn

Deck - 9

Stateroom # - 9230

Stateroom Category – BC

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Yes as it was the last cabin on the starboard side

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – No obstructions

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Normal - with 2 chairs and a table

Was wind a problem? - No wind on the Boston Bermuda cruise

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - NA

Any specific problems with this cabin? - Only issue was the bottom drawer in the credenza never stayed completely shut but it didn't interfere with our enjoyment.

Any other comments? - You do feel the motion this far aft

Excellent! Thanks for taking the time to do this. Much appreciated.

I think I found CC when organizing my first cruise which was also our wedding. We have gone on 7 cruises total. We attended 2 or 3 meet and greets and plan to attend the next one. Our main reason is to meet the ship personnel. We enjoy talking to the chief engineer, executive chef, hotel operations manager and beverage manager. As far as the roll calls go its kind of fun to put the face with the name but to date haven't stayed in touch with anyone we've met. I would be interested in organizing shore activities with fellow roll call folks in the future. I find CC boards a great source of information, amusement, amazement and inspiration.

Majesty Boston to Bermuda. First cruise ever and held our wedding in Frame 52 with 50 family members and friends before departing on our honeymoon. Straight to life boat drill after the reception. Then we ate at the Italian restaurant in the bow while sailing out of Boston harbor. Loved it so much we did it again on our 1st wedding anniversary as well as several other times since.

Heading out next week for our 5th Boston to Bermuda cruise and booked La Cucina for dinner. It's as close as we can get to revisiting our wedding experience. Can't wait!

Second would be the Sky weekend cruise. I ran a Navy Reunion on it in 2015. So I guess if you need help organizing a ship board function, know that NCL doe as a great job.

Thank you ESM! Would love to see the whales.

Was in aft balcony on the Jewel. I could offer a minimum of $500.00 pp for upgrade to a Penthouse suite aft. I called NCL to see if the minimum bids ever get lowered. They asked me to hold as they checked and come back to tell me they were upgrading me for free. Now that's customer service!

Good for you and happy sailing! Had you booked directly with NCL or through a TA? Wondering if that makes a difference.

Thanks for the update! I got locked out on our aft balcony on deck 10 a few years back. :o Thanks for the reminder.

We did Marriott Biscayne Bay before a reunion cruise that I organized and the staff there were great. There was also a good sports bar on the 9th floor of the tower next door that had great food and an outdoor seating area. It had happy hour prices but regular menu didn't break the bank either. Pretty sure we took taxi's to the cruise port and it was quick and reasonable.

We spent a post cruise night at the Marriott Stanford on South Beach and loved that, albeit a bit more pricey. They were walking distance to the Big Pink Diner which I loved.

Excellent! Really looking forward to this. Came very close to booking it for May but opted for Bermuda. Have fun and drink a Cuba Libre for me!

I've always printed mine in grayscale. You should be fine.:)

Thank you!

Found mine. Printed them but they aren't in color but BROWN is clearly on the label. Is that good enough? Appreciate the help!

I thought you could replace it with a bottle of sparkling water? Might want to call NCL and ask.

Excellent info! Do you know the name of the current cruise director by chance?

Hi Brown Eyes! Absolutely follow the links to the Roll Call thread provided by JCMass and sign up for the Meet and Greet. It is usually scheduled early to mid midday for the first sea day and you will get to meet a lot of the staff who can help you learn more about what is available on the ship. Also, you'll get to meet the rest of us, many of whom have taken this trip before. My husband and I are on this cruise, our 5th to Bermuda, and second time on the Dawn. We are looking forward to seeing her newly refreshed spaces. FYI - we took the Spirit in May 2009 there and had no problem with weather or rough seas. As I recall we had to go slow leaving as its whale season and until we were beyond their known areas we couldn't speed up. Covered coffee cups and water bottles are a good idea, as are magnets but they can be purchased on board as well and be a souvenir. Hope you have a great time! Ann

Yes please! Sailing in a month and would love to hear your impressions of the ship, current personnel, tips, hidden gems and dining experiences. Thank you in advance.

It's been 4 years since we were on the Dawn so this was a great read. Well done and thank you.

Thanks to you we will pass on the bus/ferry and just do a shared shuttle or taxi to the beach this time.

Also, the second time we cruised to Bermuda was in 2004. Dawn was sailing out of NYC at the time. We were in the Frog & Onion watching the Red Sox win the world series when the engineers from the Dawn were in there having adult beverages. They were talking about the problems with the toilets. So this is a long outstanding problem with the ship. I recall them blaming it on people putting things in the vacuum system that shouldn't be there. I hope it isn't an issue when we sail next month.

I ran a reunion of 24 people on the Sky last month. Many first time cruisers. Some cruisers who had never been on NCL. I've only ever cruised NCL.

The port is very well organized so getting on and off the ship was a breeze.

The ship is older with small cabins but honestly you won't be spending much time in them on a 3 day cruise. The common areas and both dining rooms are in good shape. I thought the food in the MDR's was excellent. The prime rib on Sunday night was outstanding. Sugar free desserts were the only ones that drew a complaint. The chocolate lava cake was a big hit. The buffet was good. I'm not big on buffets as a rule but the one lunch and one breakfast I had there was fine. I opted for coffee and pastry or muffins delivered to the room each morning at no charge.

The crew were excellent. Everyone I dealt with at the excursion desk was fine. Bar staff and our event coordinator Jenny were very good to our group.

I was afraid it was going to be a frat party boat. While I saw several wedding parties and bachelor parties it wasn't a party boat.

Great Stirrup Cay is phenomenal. By far the highlight of the cruise for me. Make sure you go all the way to the end to the lagoon. The kids will love it. Get the yellow float matts. I enjoyed just floating around the lagoon in the warm sunshine.

With kids, I recommend an excursion in Nassau so the kids can get their water slide fix. Nassau didn't do much for me. I think next time I'd stay on board and hang out at the pool.

At under $500 per person with all beverages, taxes and fees included - sounds like a good vacation to me. Go for it and have fun!

Good question! We've been cruising since our on board wedding in 2003 and always on NCL. Up to 6 cruises with them now - almost every other year. We are Silver and 8 points away from Gold but it really doesn't get us much. I saw that Gold and Platinum cruisers were welcomed on a TV screen displayed by name at guest services. I also saw that the platinum folks at guest services were upgraded to a suite.

I think it is about comfort level returning to the same provider.

However, after finally sailing out of a port other than Boston (Miami) I am open to going where I want to go on other cruise lines - with the exception of Disney. No interest in being surrounded by kids. It may be about value and ports going forward. Still, we like driving to Boston and going to Bermuda where the ship is our floating hotel.

Let us know what you decide!