MITSUGIRLYS DAWN TO BERMUDA NOVEL (or review as some may call it)

[Toola99709]

I enjoyed every word and photo from this review Kim! We booked on the BA to Bermuda Oct 2016. I know I'll count on this review to guide plans for snorkeling. We went on a 10 day Jade cruise from Rome in February. The Jade is wonderful. It made me want to sail on the Spirit. I loved your homage to Kevin. His reviews of Bermuda sparked my interest in visiting. Sakari's joyful attitude is so amazing! Way to give her a wonderful childhood! Please keep writing!

[cruisinsforme]

I really enjoyed your review and especially all the pictures.

 

I went out and bought myself an Olympus Tough camera...Olympus should pay you commission!

 

My question is, when using it in the water, how do you keep the lens clear and get rid of water spots?

 

I'm leaving on the Dawn in the morning with my mother and 2 sisters:) this will be my fourth trip to Bermuda and the third time out of Boston. It will also be my third time on the Dawn. The last time I sailed her was in January of 2014 and she looked like she was ready for dry dock then. She's still a beautiful ship.

[relic2]

Any ship is a beautiful ship if I'm on it! Have a great time. I, too, bought that camera and I bought a buoyancy strap for it. Someone mentioned using Rain-X on the lens. I should think that will work. I may try mine out in the pool before I take it cruising.

[Laszlo]

Any ship is a beautiful ship if I'm on it! Have a great time. I, too, bought that camera and I bought a buoyancy strap for it. Someone mentioned using Rain-X on the lens. I should think that will work. I may try mine out in the pool before I take it cruising.

 

Rain-X works great, been using it for a number of years on my underwater housings. The trick is to make sure you have it 100% polished off. If not you might end up with a haze or slight rainbow effect

[kcksk]

After reading your amazing review, I realized we were on the same cruise. I went back to look at your photos and saw that we arrived at the terminal at the same time. I traveled with my niece and her two girls so they were at the kids pool and kid club all the time. Thanks for the review.

[mitsugirly]

I enjoyed every word and photo from this review Kim! We booked on the BA to Bermuda Oct 2016. I know I'll count on this review to guide plans for snorkeling. We went on a 10 day Jade cruise from Rome in February. The Jade is wonderful. It made me want to sail on the Spirit. I loved your homage to Kevin. His reviews of Bermuda sparked my interest in visiting. Sakari's joyful attitude is so amazing! Way to give her a wonderful childhood! Please keep writing!

 

Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed the review and pictures.

 

I'll be on the Breakaway in 64 days so expect a review of that as well. :D

 

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Jade. That's one that I haven't been on yet. Maybe some time next year if things align up right.

 

Kevin sparked my interest in Bermuda as well. I sure miss him, especially now that I have been to Bermuda and could just imagine all the chit-chat we would have about my experiences there.

 

Sakari is definitely an awesome kid (and I'm not just saying that because she's mine :p). She has so much knowledge in that little head of hers about cruising, countries and wild life. She just amazes me. :)

 

I really enjoyed your review and especially all the pictures.

 

I went out and bought myself an Olympus Tough camera...Olympus should pay you commission!

 

My question is, when using it in the water, how do you keep the lens clear and get rid of water spots?

 

I'm leaving on the Dawn in the morning with my mother and 2 sisters:) this will be my fourth trip to Bermuda and the third time out of Boston. It will also be my third time on the Dawn. The last time I sailed her was in January of 2014 and she looked like she was ready for dry dock then. She's still a beautiful ship.

 

I'm so sorry that I'm just now seeing this so I guess you are already gone on your cruise.

 

I hope your Olympus treats you well and you figure everything out. If not, here's for the next time....the water spots on the lens when in the water is not an issue. It's after you've been in the water and come up over the water for a quick shot before going back under. I have a bad habit of forgetting to check my lens first. You can definitely tell if there's water on it just by looking at the front lens. I found it easy to just dunk it under water and pull it up real quick and it usually runs right off and out of the way. I'm going to try the rain-x and see if it works next time. :D

[mitsugirly]

Any ship is a beautiful ship if I'm on it! Have a great time. I, too, bought that camera and I bought a buoyancy strap for it. Someone mentioned using Rain-X on the lens. I should think that will work. I may try mine out in the pool before I take it cruising.

 

I agree...there's really no such thing as a bad ship for me and every ship is beautiful in it's own way. I don't think I could ever say I had a bad ship when cruising. I can only say which is my favorites and least favorites. :p

 

I'm definitely going to try the rain-x. Thanks for mentioning trying it out in the pool before cruising. We go jet skiing every Thursday and weekends now and I'll have to try it this weekend.

 

Rain-X works great, been using it for a number of years on my underwater housings. The trick is to make sure you have it 100% polished off. If not you might end up with a haze or slight rainbow effect

 

Thanks for the tip!

[mitsugirly]

After reading your amazing review, I realized we were on the same cruise. I went back to look at your photos and saw that we arrived at the terminal at the same time. I traveled with my niece and her two girls so they were at the kids pool and kid club all the time. Thanks for the review.

 

 

Oh how neat that you were on the same cruise! We probably ran in to them all the time then.

[relic2]

Kim, did you buy jet skis after your excursion, or do you rent? Where do you go? I remember you are from Ohio, but vague on city. (Columbus?) I zip through Columbus several times a year on business trips.

[JinxyB]

JinxyB,

I am on that cruise as well! I am super excited, just hope some of the issues I have been hearing about have been fixed.......

 

I hope so too! The Dawn doesn't really get the best reviews in the member reviews section. This trip will be the deciding factor on if I continue to cruise NCL anymore and/or if I will buy a future cruise certificate. I don't like all the changes recently with pricing and hearing about how difficult it is to get a drink at the bar really turns me off. I'm going with a group of friends and will have a blast regardless!

 

Kim, did you have to wait on long lines to get Sakari into the kid's club? I thought I read where they are capping the number of kids that can participate. If this is true, I won't be sailing NCL with my child. I hope you have a blast on the Breakaway-can't wait to read your review! :D

[mitsugirly]

Kim, did you buy jet skis after your excursion, or do you rent? Where do you go? I remember you are from Ohio, but vague on city. (Columbus?) I zip through Columbus several times a year on business trips.

 

 

Yes, we all have jet skis here. My oldest son has 1, Kendra has 2 and we have 1. All turbo and the hubbys is supercharged. He's looking for me one at the moment but I'm sure the season will be over before you know it. This year we have been going to Deer Creek or Alum Creek (mostly Alum) every weekend and on Thursdays. There's always a huge group of us there each time. :)

[Cruzoholic]

 

I'm leaving on the Dawn in the morning with my mother and 2 sisters:) this will be my fourth trip to Bermuda and the third time out of Boston. It will also be my third time on the Dawn. The last time I sailed her was in January of 2014 and she looked like she was ready for dry dock then. She's still a beautiful ship.

 

Make sure you're back in time to the ship. Evidently some people yesterday were left behind in Bermuda due to change of sailing time.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2241714

[mickev99]

So were you happy with the Dawn overall? How does it compare to the Jewel? Jewel is the only NCL ship I've sailed. We want to sail of NOLA and Dawn is there now.

[mickev99]

Never mind I just found your recap. I had missed it somehow when I looked before. Yikes! Carnival dream is our other choice out of NOLA, I might have to research that one.

[mitsugirly]

Never mind I just found your recap. I had missed it somehow when I looked before. Yikes! Carnival dream is our other choice out of NOLA, I might have to research that one.

 

Yea, glad you found it. I'm not swaying anyone away from the Dawn. There's a lot of people that love her. I didn't really have a problem with her, she just happens to be my least favorite out of the rest of the fleet so far (with the Star being next on the list). It's probably just me. :p

 

As for the Dream...I LOVED THE DREAM!!! She's one of my favorites right behind the Epic. If I had my choice..AND sailing out of NOLA...yep, I would do the Dream. But, that's just me. :D

[nancynana9950]

Hi Kim. I guess we're going to rent a boat from H2O in Bermuda. But I'm hoping you can tell me if my Mom who is 89 and 98 pounds will be comfortable in one of those Whalers? She needs a comfy seat.

[mitsugirly]

Hi Kim. I guess we're going to rent a boat from H2O in Bermuda. But I'm hoping you can tell me if my Mom who is 89 and 98 pounds will be comfortable in one of those Whalers? She needs a comfy seat.

 

Hmm, from what I remember they had cushions (removable) on the seats but I would have to ask the rest of the family to confirm. I was busy having a great time to pay too much attention to the seating. LOL If not, have her sit on some towels folded up. I know me and my oldest daughter ended up sitting on the front of the boat for a great view, yet it was hard of course, but then again we didn't care where we sat. :p

[nancynana9950]

Thanks. I will have to check back with you when you return from Bermuda to see if the HOHO bus in St George has improved. Hope we can use it to get around that area.

[BingoSlots]

AWESOME review!

 

BF and I are going on the Dawn out of Boston in October. Counting down the days..

 

We are staying in an inside "sideways" cabin 9115, and we booked it based on your review and the others who prefer sideways cabins. The layout we think will work best for us.

 

The pictures are awesome and I will be posting my own review upon return.

 

Thanks again! :D:D:D:D

[mitsugirly]

Thanks. I will have to check back with you when you return from Bermuda to see if the HOHO bus in St George has improved. Hope we can use it to get around that area.

 

I certainly hope they get something worked out before we go. I really want to go to the St David area and visit the beaches. We really enjoyed the St George area and could do that again, but would really prefer something different this time around if we can.

 

AWESOME review!

 

BF and I are going on the Dawn out of Boston in October. Counting down the days..

 

We are staying in an inside "sideways" cabin 9115, and we booked it based on your review and the others who prefer sideways cabins. The layout we think will work best for us.

 

The pictures are awesome and I will be posting my own review upon return.

 

Thanks again! :D:D:D:D

 

I hope you enjoy the sideways cabins as much as we did. They may be the same size but they seem a lot bigger because of the layout. The cabins on deck 9 will probably have different (older) interiors, which is usually the same colored "wood" as the regular cabins and not like the newer ones we stayed in this time (with the dark wood). But it should still be nice. Have a great cruise!

[Boscodog]

Hi there:

 

I just found your review yesterday and have spent the better part of 2 days reading it. It was fantastic and your pictures, planning and organization were awe inspiring.

 

I am leaving for Bermuda on the Breakaway in 11 days and have a question|. Is the Saint Grorge area walkable? Can we get to Tobacco Bay on foot from the pier? Our plan is to take the 9:30 ferry over and spend the day touring St. George and then relax at the beach. I really don't want to spend time waiting for HOHO buses and would rather just walk .

 

Thanks so much for your input. I also see you are going on the Breakway in October- I think you will love it as it is a beautiful ship with great amenities.

[mitsugirly]

Hi there:

 

I just found your review yesterday and have spent the better part of 2 days reading it. It was fantastic and your pictures, planning and organization were awe inspiring.

 

I am leaving for Bermuda on the Breakaway in 11 days and have a question|. Is the Saint Grorge area walkable? Can we get to Tobacco Bay on foot from the pier? Our plan is to take the 9:30 ferry over and spend the day touring St. George and then relax at the beach. I really don't want to spend time waiting for HOHO buses and would rather just walk .

 

Thanks so much for your input. I also see you are going on the Breakway in October- I think you will love it as it is a beautiful ship with great amenities.

 

Glad you found my review and liking it.

 

Yes, St George is walkable. Many people on here walk to Tobacco Bay with no problems. Here's a map that I made up to help me when I got there in case we decided to walk that day.

 

 

 

We have been on the Getaway last year and she's a beauty, so I'm sure we will enjoy everything the Breakaway has to offer us.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise in 11 days. :)

[mickev99]

Yea, glad you found it. I'm not swaying anyone away from the Dawn. There's a lot of people that love her. I didn't really have a problem with her, she just happens to be my least favorite out of the rest of the fleet so far (with the Star being next on the list). It's probably just me. :p

 

As for the Dream...I LOVED THE DREAM!!! She's one of my favorites right behind the Epic. If I had my choice..AND sailing out of NOLA...yep, I would do the Dream. But, that's just me. :D

 

Well, we decided on the Dawn. Just couldn't beat the special they have with free ultimate drink package!!

 

I am excited because I have been dying to go back to Honduras so I can go to Little French Key after reading your review and checking out their website, I am booking that immediately. Then we're going back to Chankanaab in Cozumel. We did Paradise the last time we went to Cozumel and loved, loved, loved, it, but want to do Chankanaab again. Now to read about Belize excursions...we've already done cave tubing so I need to scour the boards for something new, hopefully involving snorkeling. Thanks again for your fabulous reviews!!! One day we'll make it to Bermuda....

[Boscodog]

Glad you found my review and liking it.

 

Yes, St George is walkable. Many people on here walk to Tobacco Bay with no problems. Here's a map that I made up to help me when I got there in case we decided to walk that day.

 

 

 

We have been on the Getaway last year and she's a beauty, so I'm sure we will enjoy everything the Breakaway has to offer us.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise in 11 days. :)

 

Thanks so very much for this info!!!

[mitsugirly]

Well, we decided on the Dawn. Just couldn't beat the special they have with free ultimate drink package!!

 

I am excited because I have been dying to go back to Honduras so I can go to Little French Key after reading your review and checking out their website, I am booking that immediately. Then we're going back to Chankanaab in Cozumel. We did Paradise the last time we went to Cozumel and loved, loved, loved, it, but want to do Chankanaab again. Now to read about Belize excursions...we've already done cave tubing so I need to scour the boards for something new, hopefully involving snorkeling. Thanks again for your fabulous reviews!!! One day we'll make it to Bermuda....

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise and wonderful time in the Caribbean. I would like to get back there next year since we are doing the 2 Bermuda cruises this year and only the 1 Caribbean that didn't involve those ports.

 

I would like to try Paradise and will probably go there when I return to Cozumel since it seems to be a popular place here on these boards. I would also like to return to Chankanaab since so much has changed and been added since we were there last. It is my favorite place in Cozumel to date.

 

As for Belize, if you are looking for some snorkeling...why not try the shark ray alley excursion. Snorkel with the sharks and rays. It is amazing! It another one of those "must do and experience" type of things. We had an amazing time and would love to do it again (but with a private vendor next time around). :) Check it out...seriously. Give it some thought. :D