Anyone else canceling their May/June Breakaway cruises?

[TravelDiva88]

Our final payment was this week for the Memorial Day sailing on the Breakaway.

 

I'm not convinced the dock is going to be completed in time, and the thought of having to tender is not appealing, so we ended up postponing our cruise until September.

 

I'd rather take the risk of a hurricane over having to tender, or having our Bermuda cruise turn into an east coast/Florida/bahamas itinerary.

[j603]

Nope, still going on the May 12th sailing. The government has assured everyone that the dock will be completed in time for the Breakaway. I say make your final payment and get ready to BREAKAWAY.....

[mcmomny]

Same here, were still going!

[camz]

Our final payment was this week for the Memorial Day sailing on the Breakaway.

 

I'm not convinced the dock is going to be completed in time, and the thought of having to tender is not appealing, so we ended up postponing our cruise until September.

 

I'd rather take the risk of a hurricane over having to tender, or having our Bermuda cruise turn into an east coast/Florida/bahamas itinerary.

 

It is very unfortunate that this problem with the dock even exists at this late date. You were smart in rebooking to a later cruise if the tenders are at all a concern for you. I agree that part of the beauty of having three port days in Bermuda is the luxury of going on and off the ship at your convenience. I am not sure if I would have rebooked, however, it certainly would have been contemplated until final payment time. Hope you have a nice cruise in September. We have sailed 4 times to Bermuda during August/September and have had calm seas.

[mom2tcdx2]

Though I am not booked for the Bermuda sailings, I would never let whether I had to tender at a port determine whether I sailed or not. I have tendered at Princess Cays, Belize, I don't see the big deal. But I guess that is just me. Though I am not am impatient person, waiting a few minutes for a boat doesn't bother me.

[camz]

The tendering doesn't really bother me. What concerns me is the passenger compacity of the Breakaway. At certain times, I am sure it will be complete chaos to tender into Bermuda. We were on the Gem and had to tender to GSC and the lines for that were crazy. On another note, there are folks with mobility difficulties which would make them afraid of the tenders. That being said, everyone has to decide what is right for their particular circumstances. I would be on the fence on this one. :)

[Scrappy cruiser]

Our final payment was this week for the Memorial Day sailing on the Breakaway.

 

I'm not convinced the dock is going to be completed in time, and the thought of having to tender is not appealing, so we ended up postponing our cruise until September.

 

I'd rather take the risk of a hurricane over having to tender, or having our Bermuda cruise turn into an east coast/Florida/bahamas itinerary.

 

Definitely still going. Final payment has been made.

[RareBird]

we're still booked for memorial day week, we paid final payment.

 

I think you're not doing yourself a favor by moving...

1. September is prime hurricane season, we got bumped in our ONLY sailing in Fall, went to Bahamas/Florida instead and baked in September heat

2. tendering is not an issue as they use a huge boat 'Bermudian' with 300+ pax capacity to tender

3. missing 3rd US Breakaway sailing with extra activities and guest [Rockets, etc]???? - priceless

[Single Cruiser]

Epics tendering operation into Cannes was flawless. Had two pontoons down, fwd dealt with tours. Aft with go on own. Just booked a time slot on tv for when wanted to get off.

4 tenders loading 150 at a time. Each did 6 trips to offload 3600 then they were hop on hop off

[dalgirl]

Taking a tender for one port is no big deal (we have done it many times), but for three days at your only port it IS a big deal IMO. We will be on Breakaway May 2014 and I could not imagine having to tender 2,3,4 times a day for 3 days. We would be stuck with getting off the ship in the morning and hanging around the whole day in order to avoid multiple tenders on the same day. It is a necessary evil once on a 7 day cruise, but not the WHOLE cruise:eek:

 

But I really hope for everyone staying on the May 2013 sailings that they have the dock completed:)

[mcmomny]

Epics tendering operation into Cannes was flawless. Had two pontoons down, fwd dealt with tours. Aft with go on own. Just booked a time slot on tv for when wanted to get off.

4 tenders loading 150 at a time. Each did 6 trips to offload 3600 then they were hop on hop off

 

 

We also had no wait on the Epic for Cannes, smooth and I liked the view and quiet of being that far out from the port! A different perspective

[nfglory1]

Taking a tender for one port is no big deal (we have done it many times), but for three days at your only port it IS a big deal IMO. We will be on Breakaway May 2014 and I could not imagine having to tender 2,3,4 times a day for 3 days. We would be stuck with getting off the ship in the morning and hanging around the whole day in order to avoid multiple tenders on the same day. It is a necessary evil once on a 7 day cruise, but not the WHOLE cruise:eek:

 

But I really hope for everyone staying on the May 2013 sailings that they have the dock completed:)

 

It all depends on the type of people going. Personally, my wife and I usually get off the boat at any port once and then spend the whole day on the island exploring. Therefore, one tender ride back and forth is no big deal. Also, it depends where we are tendered to anyway. If it was docked in King's Wharf and then you end up taking a local ferry/bus to Hamilton or St. George, what's the difference if they end up just tendering into Hamilton which has been suggested and done in the past.

 

And just to clarify on a previous posters comment about the Bermudian tender holding 300+ passengers...it is more along the lines of 700 passengers.

 

Don't worry, you are on vacation. Relax, sip a few and enjoy.

[TravelDiva88]

Taking a tender for one port is no big deal (we have done it many times), but for three days at your only port it IS a big deal IMO. We will be on Breakaway May 2014 and I could not imagine having to tender 2,3,4 times a day for 3 days.

 

That was my biggest concern. We normally disembark early AM, snorkel,

return to the ship for lunch and shower, and then back off for shopping and more touring.

 

That would be 4 tenders per day!

 

The hurricane risk is there, but it's low as long as we get out of NY.

[nfglory1]

That was my biggest concern. We normally disembark early AM, snorkel,

return to the ship for lunch and shower, and then back off for shopping and more touring.

 

That would be 4 tenders per day!

 

The hurricane risk is there, but it's low as long as we get out of NY.

 

You also have to realize that if you were docked you would have to make travel arrangements when you are on the island. You may have to take the local ferry to Hamilton and then a bus to the snorkeling location. Also, I heard that most of the shopping is in the Hamilton area anyway. What is the difference if your transportation time is spent on the NCL tender or the Bermuda ferry or the buses/cabs? Just my opinion.

[biker@sea]

That was my biggest concern. We normally disembark early AM, snorkel,

return to the ship for lunch and shower, and then back off for shopping and more touring.

 

That would be 4 tenders per day!

 

The hurricane risk is there, but it's low as long as we get out of NY.

 

Ya Won't get that " New Ship Smell " in September .;):)

[PinoyCruiser]

Assuming you did have to tender, the depth is obviously enough for the ship to anchor very close to the port. We are talking about a 3-5 minute tender ride, max.

[mking8288]

Looking at this from a different angle and vantage point - we haven't decided on our cruising plans for 2013 yet, going to BDA with NCL is certainly an option for us as we tend to take advantage of bargain last minute deals. We're on RCI last May with 3,500 pax at Dockyard, with the "smaller" Dawn alongside - suffice to say, that 6,500 pax plus crew members on shore leaves really tear on the infrastructure - especially the bus system that the locals relied upon. Unless you opted for ship-sponsored tours using chartered buses, you are still going to "tender" on the island's ferries to get into downtown Hamilton or out to St. George on the east end - fortunately, they have ferries with capacity for 100 to 400 pax and despite the long lines & wait, board everyone & run on schedule without leaving anyone on the piers = capacity matched to demands on the spot.

 

The Breakaway with 4,500 pax plus another ship like RCI's EOS with 3,500 pax would translate into 8,000 pax waiting for that one scheduled bus run that normally depart Dockyard every 10 or 15 minutes, and the ferries - and, NCL has no direct control on how that's run and I can just imagine the lines to embark & disembark the ferries - it's not going to be a picnic and fun at all. It might just feel like tendering after getting off the ship's gangway, a short walk on dry land to the pier ...

 

One might just prefer to "tender" directly from the ship's gangway to the boat and walk off into downtown Hamilton - especially if that's an option instead of being taken to Dockyard, only to line up again to use the island's ferry system. Heck, I would even pay NCL for a direct tender to downtown if I'm on the Breakaway in May/June ...

[time2cruise1]

One thing that will make tendering in Bermuda (if needed) is you don't face the most painful part. The long line at the pier waiting for tenders a 4:00 with 4:30 all aboard everyday. With passengers coming and going around the clock for 3 days other then a rush the first morning after arrival and the last afternoon it should be pretty painless.

[cruiser1955a]

ya won't get that " new ship smell " in september .;):)

 

So true

[HighVoltage#9]

Our final payment was this week for the Memorial Day sailing on the Breakaway.

 

I'm not convinced the dock is going to be completed in time, and the thought of having to tender is not appealing, so we ended up postponing our cruise until September.

 

I'd rather take the risk of a hurricane over having to tender, or having our Bermuda cruise turn into an east coast/Florida/bahamas itinerary.

 

I am on this May 26 sailing I have not even thought about tendering.We arrive on the 29th,that is 6 1/2 weeks after the first ship is scheduled to arrive at the island.If people wish reschedule that's better for me,I'll have more elbow room at the Frog & Onion Pub

[jdarch]

We're going on the Breakaway in June. Cancel? Nope.

No, we don't want to tender, and yes, it would be a PITA, and change how we plan our shore time. On the other hand...despite the articles in the Bermuda news sites, and the analysis of some posts, NOBODY knows what the situation will be in June.

If it stressed us out that much, and we had the option, maybe we'd change our sail date. We love Bermuda, but we booked the Breakaway almost as much for a unique ship experience as the itinerary. All we can do is wait and see - after all, it's still vacation!

[pyrrhus]

We also had no wait on the Epic for Cannes, smooth and I liked the view and quiet of being that far out from the port! A different perspective

 

Wasn't on a ship as big as the Epic (was on the Gem) but the Cannes tendering was actually a pleasant experience. Very fast service, hardly a wait, very casual. It was also nice because the Yacht Show was going on at the same time and was able to see many many boats that even most of th richest I know could never afford.

 

People were coming and going from Cannes all day, back and forth. But it was easy if you weren't doing tours or going to neighboring towns.

 

In Bermuda, if you aren't staying in the area of the Naval Dockyard is it really that convenient to just come and go? I have some friends and a soon to be former boss who have vacation home in Bermuda and have all said that even though the Islands are small, don't expect to get from St. George to the Dockyard very quickly. Plan to spend most of the day wherever I am going.

[Cruisegirl6]

No we going for the ship although if we have to tender I only getting off once and buying the UBP and getting my moneys worth

[bob brown]

Just a thought......if it does turn out that the Dockyards pier is not ready in time for the early cruises, and tendering is necessary.....what would the possibility be of anchoring close to Hamilton, and tendering directly to Front Street terminal. Yes, it would still be a pain to tender, but at least you would be right in the middle of the city, and not have to take a bus or ferry from the Dockyards to get there. It might mitigate the inconvenience some.....

[pyrrhus]

I have a feeling there are contracts in place that will force NCL to drop passengers off in one place or another.