ajtraveler66

Thanks for your post. Will be on the Breakaway to Bermuda departing on August 7.

We have the special restaurant package (pick 4) and had to pay extra beyond the package to do "Ocean Blue", but opted to do it anyway because of the owner from Food Network. Any recommendations on what or what not to order?

I have done La Bistro on another NCL ship, and it was a VERY WONDERFUL experience. We'll be doing it on this trip. The other two we've chosen are the Japanese and the Italian.

Wondering what we should do the day we leave Bermuda. On Day 1 we plan to go out to St. George's. On Day 2 we have an all-day beach package at Elbow Beach.

Knowing what we've already done on Days 1 & 2, what would you recommend for our last day (Day 3)--knowing that we definitely want to get back to the ship in time by mid-afternoon for our departure from Bermuda?

We won't have time for all of them....so WHICH pub/eating establishment is a MUST: Swizzle Inn, Wahoo, White Horse, Frog & Onion.....or maybe there's one I haven't mentioned. Tell me why it's a MUST!!! Thanks.

Going to be on the NCL Breakaway Aug 7-14. Can't wait!!!!!

Will be on the NCL Breakaway in August, and our first day we would like to spend a leisurely day at St. George's...and then come on back to the boat.

We are a party of four. First question: Ferry versus Cab Driver?

If we do the ferry, what is the best time to catch it for a leisurely day [Don't want to fight crowds getting onto the ferry from the moment we get off the cruise ship....wondering if it's better to wait a bit and catch a later ferry.]

Is the ferry direct to St. George's from the cruise ship dock? If not, what route would you recommend.

Also....while in St. George's where would you recommend we have lunch/dinner? What about high tea at the Perfume place (forget the exact name).

I've only been on Norwegian Cruise Line, and I love their informality and their freestyle dining.

My alumni group is offering a continuing education opportunity next summer on Holland America Veendam.

How does dining work for HA? If I eat in the main dining room, am I required to sit with the same people every night at a designated time? Can I dress informally?

Will I be required to wear a suit and tie at any time?

And while we're at it, how would you rate the food on HA, in general?

We made reservations for a day pass at the Elbow Beach Resort.

We did it through their website. We shall find out how it is, but I've read in some of these forums that it's a good way to avoid fighting some of the crowded beaches when some of the cruise ships are in.

Mickey's Beach Bistro is on the premises and it is supposed to be a pretty decent place.

On Day 2 of our Bermuda stay we have reservations at the Elbow Beach Resort. Hopefully this will give us some quality and quiet beach time.

Our time in Bermuda is going to be limited, obviously, and we will want to see some of the other sights on the island on Day 1 (Any suggestions, by the way....just for general sightseeing?)

Since we have good quality beach time at the resort on Elbow Beach ... and we want to see other stuff....is Horseshoe Bay going to be worth our effort since so many people will want to be seeing it.

I mean if Horseshoe Bay is all that much more scenic or better than Elbow Beach, we may want to try to include it at some other point in our trip. But if there isn't all that much difference, then we will probably choose to do other things instead.

We will be doing most of Bermuda on our own. However, for the last day I would feel much more relaxed if we did an excursion with the ship. [That way we will know we won't miss the boat. :D]

What excursion that does not involve getting INTO the water would be a good one to take?

Thanks.

Will be on the Norwegian "Breakaway" in August. Thinking we might want to take a ferry to St. George one of our days there. Perfect day to me would be to visit 2 (possibly 3) "must see" places in that area (along with a decent lunch) and then return to the ship.

What 2-3 places would you recommend visiting....and where would you suggest that we go for a memorable lunch while we are there?

Also: What about the ferry from the cruise ship area.... do ferries come and go throughout the day... or are there only a few specific times to catch them.

Thanks.... I look very forward to hearing from you all.

We will be at port for 2 nights and 3 days. On "Day 1" we would just like to take a tour that shows us the highlights of the islands. Then we could take it from there on "Day 2" and "Day 3". What 'introductory tour' would you suggest for us on "Day 1"? We will be on the Norwegian Breakaway".

:)

Hey...I paid for the food on the boat, so I'm going to take advantage as long as the daily schedules permit.

However....if I did want to experience a local place for lunch or a place for an evening seafood dinner, then which place(s) would you recommend. Thanks!! :):)

This August we plan to cruise out of New York for Bermuda.

The ONLY sightseeing we care to do in New York is to see Ground Zero.

What hotel(s) would you recommend for us: We want something nice, but not outrageously priced. And we want something that would be conveniently located for getting us both to Ground Zero and to the Norwegian cruise ship the following day.

Thanks.

What is the best window of time to go to Bermuda for 'beaching' purposes. We would like the water to be comfortable enough for swimming, but at the same time not so hot that it's miserable to sit out on the beach.

Also prefer a time when storms are less likely. [i realize that might be difficult to 'pin that down'].

Thanks

I'm planning a W Caribbean cruise out of New Orleans. They have two itineraries. The only difference in the itineraries is that when the ship ports in Belize one itinerary ports the ship at Belize City. The other itinerary ports the ship at Harvest Caye.

Which one would you recommend and why?

With only 5 cruise ports in Hawaii, for a 7 day cruise, the ship would need to double up at some ports.

 

In late 2007 the 7 day itinerary was the same as it is now. Fanning Island used to be included in the itinerary (per the Jones Act) - not sure exactly when the itinerary changed, but eliminating Fanning Island freed up 3 or 4 more days for the ship to be in Hawaii.

 

It's an excellent itinerary if you want to cruise ... the only thing better would be a land trip.:)

 

... oops, my mistake - there are 6 cruise ports, but PoA doesn't go to Lahaina for some reason.

I just checked with the other party that went with us, and they are certain that we did not port overnight at any of the sites. I guess we must have zig-zagged throughout the islands and had a day or two at sea.

Well at any rate, seeing that they port overnight in Maui and Kawai.....well it certainly makes me want to consider taking this cruise again.

I just checked out the latest NCL Pride of America itinerary. I noted that the ship ports overnight both in Kawai and Maui.

I cruised on the P of A about 6-8 years ago....and I don't recall us porting overnight. Does anyone recall that being the case? I know I would have remembered if we had.

Anyway, I love the idea of staying at port overnight and I'm anxious to hear everyone's thoughts on the advantages (maybe even disadvantages) of staying at port overnight.

I would think it would be GREAT for hitting the beaches and not worrying about getting back to the ship.

I assume that you can come-and-go as you please even if you come dragging in at 2:00 a.m.

Ready to read your comments.

Never been to the Marriott. But I've stayed at Hilton Hawaiian Village and I would never think about staying anyplace else. It was WONDERFUL. I hope to go again some day.

I really don't think we did an overnight. I think I would have remembered that. Everyday we had to worry about getting back on the ship on time.

In fact, I've been on three cruises and I've never done an overnight on any of them. That's why Bermuda has looked so appealing to me until I saw what looked to be a better itinerary for Hawaii.

Thanks for the input.

I took a Hawaiian cruise back in 2008 and it seems to me that we never had an 'overnight' at any of the ports.

The itinerary I'm looking at now appears to have an overnight on Maui and another overnight on Kawai.

Am I right on this?

Wow. This makes me want to take another cruise. Did the overnight stay at these two ports make a big difference? I would think it would be awesome.

I'm anxious to hear what everyone has to say.

Trying to determine our FIRST W. Caribbean itinerary. Lots of spots to choose from. We want the best itinerary. The ship/cruise line is secondary to some degree.

So...how does Costa Maya compare in relation to some of the other spots such as Key West, Honduras, Belize, Cozumel, Cayman Islands, etc.?

I don't give a hoot about shopping. Mainly scenery and nice beaches and a sense of feeling safe.

All input appreciated. Do not have to confine your comments to Costa Maya...as there (to my knowledge) is no general Caribbean forum.

Can anyone compare/contrast the 'Dawn' and the 'Sun' NCL ships. [i will assume that you have been on both].

Can't decide on a cruise out of New Orleans or one out of Tampa. Both have the same W. Caribbean itinerary. The only difference is the ship.

This may make a difference in our decision. We love New Orleans, but we have friends in Tampa. So the port we choose to head out on our cruise has advantages regardless of what we do. So as I said, it may come down to the ship.

Thanks.

I was browsing through NCL's Cozumel Shore Excursions. Saw one for 'Catamaran and Passion Island' that had rave reviews. [although only 8 at the time].

Sounds great, and I like the idea of going with the ship excursion so I don't have to worry about literally 'missing the boat'.

Any thoughts from anyone who has done this excursion or heard about it?

Or possibly some other beach suggestions.

If one is only interested in a day at the beach, which is the better choice....Cozumel or Costa Maya? Why? What beaches/day-pass resorts would you recommend?

If one is only interested in a beach day, which is better... Costa Maya or Cozumel? Why? Which beaches/day-pass resorts would you recommend for the day?

What major cruise lines port @ Costa Rica? What are your general thought on that cruise line?