TRIP REPORT Fresh Off Breakaway to Bermuda {First Time NCL, Upsell, Spa, Vibe}

[Dismomx5]

Great review! Bermuda is on my bucket list, and I hope to do it sooner rather than later. The more I read, the more eager I am to head south!

[Viva_la_Vida]

We went to Gibbs Hill Lighthouse next . It was raining pretty hard, but we still got out to take some pictures.

 

 

 

The ad is for the upcoming America’s Cup which for the first time, is being held in Bermuda.

 

 

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

 

Another view of the lighthouse:

 

 

Dean showed us where the cruise ships would typically be visible if conditions were better. It was still a lovely view.

 

 

We then went to the smallest church on the island. It was beautiful.

 

 

 

We got to see the water system up close with the pipe leading down to the tank.

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

Dean dropped us back at the dockyard slightly earlier than our two hour mark, but we were grateful to be back as we were soaked and hungry. We headed straight for the buffet once on the boat. We had a bit of a snack - pizza, salad, fries, mac n’ cheese, etc. and then sat at the pool bar and enjoyed some beverages.

 

I believe this one was Pisco Punch, it was strong and good.

 

 

And of course my favorite, the Mango Meltdown!

 

 

 

When we got back to the room we had this waiting on us

 

 

We have no idea what we did to deserve that! We didn’t complain about anything, ha! The only thing that we could think of was that we had made a withdrawal (nothing crazy at all!) from the ATM in the casino. We didn’t even use it in the casino, we had just forgotten to call our credit card companies and were worried if we used them in Bermuda, we would have them shut down due to potential fraudulent activity, so we needed the cash for small souvenirs. Has anyone else had this experience? We didn’t ask questions, we were just grateful!

 

I headed to the spa and it was cool to see the updated view of the Summit docked right in front of us. I then got ready for dinner. For dinner we tried Savor. We did not have reservations I don’t think, but we didn’t have to wait more than two minutes. They really should have had us wait one minute longer, the time it would have taken to make sure the table was ready completely. We sat down and there was no wine menu, no candle, and no bread plates. From what we had gathered, each restaurant had at least one waiter coming around taking drink orders but as usual, we never got ours taken. We requested a wine menu and finally got wine after our entrees arrived. This is an area that needs a lot of improvement on the Breakaway. Celebrity always had a sommelier come around even in the MDR. They were top notch and would suggest the best wine pairing from your package with your meal. The wine selection on NCL was terrible, at least the selection of what came with the package. I can’t speak to what wasn’t included as we didn’t give those a second look.

 

I don’t remember what I had as an appetizer but DH had very good escargot in puff pastry with mushrooms. He also had the veal. I really wished I had gotten it. I had the Chicken Kiev. The chicken itself was ok, but it had rice and chinese-style veggies with it - totally bizarre and not a good combo at all. Since my entree was a wash, I decided I’d get two desserts instead ;-) I ordered creme caramel and chocolate raspberry torte. I didn’t take more than one bite of the creme caramel, but the raspberry thing was fine.

 

We spent some time in the casino and had some drinks, then it was onto Headliners for the Second City comedy show. We had reservations and good thing, there was a huge line at 20 til 11. Headliners is not a great venu. There are these huge pillars that block your view of the stage. They cram the chairs in to maximize the people they can get in as well. We opted for a seat on the side. We knew what to expect from Second City - they’re a troupe that specializes in improv comedy - but I don’t think a lot of people get that from the start and are therefore disappointed. DH and I found them funny and definitely entertaining. I don’t think I would wait in line an hour to see them though.

 

Back to the room to get our snooze on because we had a big day ahead of us in St. George (finally!).

[grandmarnnurse]

We went back to Vibe for a continuation of cabana-bar time.

 

Look, Richard put a heart in my Mudslide <3

 

 

 

YUM! Those are sinfully good. I posed the above pic so you could see the cabana in action and the shade/sun. I wish I could tell what time it was taken, but I can't figure that out.

 

A side note about the per-day service charge/gratuity. We know that the beverage package supposedly adds the bartender gratuity in, but the per-day charge of $13.50 specifically excludes these hardworking people! That being said, give a little extra for great service!

 

We mixed it up with some daytime casino and then went to the spa, which was as amazing as always. There is one part of the spa I don’t understand. There is a shower labeled “aromatherapy shower”. There is no aroma to it, just a regular shower with some fancy jets. Maybe I missed something?

 

We got ready for dinner, and kept it very simple tonight as we decided to do buffet. It was disappointing. We expected a bit more variety, but it was basically just like it had been for lunch the previous day. There was a meatball entree with mashed potato and also a pasta station, otherwise just the regular stuff. There was someone making crepes, which was nice. We took our ice cream back to the balcony and then called it an early night since we have a very early morning in Bermuda.

 

 

There were very rough seas! Lots of shaking of the boat! I see why Summit went around that. I’m glad our Captain navigated wonderfully and we arrived to Bermuda safely.

 

 

That Mudslide looks heavenly!! Exactly what goes into it? I think I will have to try it! I have the UBP for our Getaway cruise in January. I know it covers wine, beer, cocktails, but what about soda and water. I heard it does not cover specialty coffees. 😢 What other great cocktails do you suggest for me to try? My hubby is strictly a beer drinker.

[Viva_la_Vida]

That Mudslide looks heavenly!! Exactly what goes into it? I think I will have to try it! I have the UBP for our Getaway cruise in January. I know it covers wine, beer, cocktails, but what about soda and water. I heard it does not cover specialty coffees. 😢 What other great cocktails do you suggest for me to try? My hubby is strictly a beer drinker.

 

They are so so yummy! They contain vodka, Kahlua and Bailey's Irish Cream. I think the breakaway staff used this carton that said "ice cream mix' or something like that as well.

 

You are correct that the UBP doesn't cover specialty coffees and it also does not cover water or soda. What's really dumb is that you can trouble the bartender for a soda in a glass and it's free, but the can is not covered under the package. :confused:

 

The Mango Meltdown was my favorite, it's mango and strawberry with rum. I also tried the mango meltdown substituted with banana for the strawberry. It was awesome. I loved cherry limeade, dark 'n' stormy, rum swizzle, and a good old fashioned gin and ginger! Your husband is going to be disappointed in the beer selection if it's anything like Breakaway and if he's anything like us. We are beer drinkers, but enjoy IPAs and Belgians.The beer selection was awful, just run of the mill American stuff you can find at any gas station.

[grandmarnnurse]

They are so so yummy! They contain vodka, Kahlua and Bailey's Irish Cream. I think the breakaway staff used this carton that said "ice cream mix' or something like that as well.

 

You are correct that the UBP doesn't cover specialty coffees and it also does not cover water or soda. What's really dumb is that you can trouble the bartender for a soda in a glass and it's free, but the can is not covered under the package. :confused:

 

The Mango Meltdown was my favorite, it's mango and strawberry with rum. I also tried the mango meltdown substituted with banana for the strawberry. It was awesome. I loved cherry limeade, dark 'n' stormy, rum swizzle, and a good old fashioned gin and ginger! Your husband is going to be disappointed in the beer selection if it's anything like Breakaway and if he's anything like us. We are beer drinkers, but enjoy IPAs and Belgians.The beer selection was awful, just run of the mill American stuff you can find at any gas station.

 

I'm going to jot down these cocktails to try!! I also love Mojitos and I saw there was a Mojito bar on the ship! Can't wait!! (Don't mean to sound like a drunk--lol--but after a summer of watching 3 grandchildren daily, and adding in 2 more for 1 month, and 3 more one week---that's a total of 8 at one point--I am going to need this vacation!! Lol!!)

[meatball_nyc]

Really loving this review. Thanks for taking the time out to share and looking forward to more of Bermuda. The walk from Horseshoe to Warwick and Jobsons Cove was amazing for us too. Glad you did it even in the rain!

Cheers!

P.S. Glad to hear Leon is still in Vibe ;)

Edited June 21, 2016 by meatball_nyc

[bjinouno]

Great review and Wonderful pictures, espeially of the Vibe in the evening with the lights on... Been on the BA a few times waiting again for end of Jan for the 14 days, Only way for me to fully enjoy all the BA has to offer!

[Viva_la_Vida]

Day 5, St. George

 

 

 

 

 

Finally some perfect weather from our balcony!

 

 

We had ordered room service breakfast.

 

 

I was really surprised to see such slim pickings for free. Carnival and X both have a way more substantial free room service option, or at least used to.

 

We ordered coffee, pastries, and OJ. The coffee was not drinkable, no better than the room coffee maker, just in larger quantities. My only experience with room service on every cruise has been that it comes earlier than the window you select. There was no difference on this cruise, and it came about 10 minutes early.

[Viva_la_Vida]

We had originally wanted to take the 9:30 ferry, but I had a small headache that was threatening to turn into a migraine and felt I needed to wait until I was feeling better. The next ferry was at 11:30, so we planned on that one. We lounged around for a couple of hours and after getting ready, we made our way off the ship and stood in line to purchase transportation passes. I really did not think this one through enough. Last time we were in Bermuda, we purchased 2 day passes because we used the ferries and buses both on one day to visit Harbor Nights and to the beach both days. This time, we just purchased one day passes without thinking that we would only be using the passes to access the ferry round trip. We would have saved a lot of money by just purchasing tokens. That being said, I told the lady at the counter what I was using them for and she didn’t pipe up to suggest tokens instead. Everyone in Bermuda was very helpful and friendly both times I’ve been there - with the exception of the people working at the Visitor Information Centers at the dockyard, and I’ve visited all three locations you can purchase tickets. You’d think that a friendly personality would be a priority for that position, but I guess not!

 

There’s a lot of conflicting info about the transportation system with recent changes, and I don’t find it particularly easy to understand without those changes. The zone thing is confusing for the buses. Once I studied a map in person though, it became a bit more clear.

 

Here is the ferry schedule to St. George’s. It is by far the fastest way to get there.

 

 

Here’s the bus map with the zones marked. It’s so big I had to split it into two pictures.

 

 

 

Bus run times:

 

 

Bus Schedule:

 

Fare info:

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

We cut it a little close but made it to the correct line by 11:25. The line was long and there was another line of people for the ferry to Hamilton. Make sure you are in the correct one! Once the line started moving, it was fast. There were people counting to make sure we could all make it. The ferry holds 400 and we were #333 and 334 or so.

 

Here was the line with the Hamilton line to the left.

 

And we were off at 11:35!

 

We ended up standing right at the bow and it was a windy but very lovely place to be. Of course right after taking this next picture, we realized we had not charged our camera battery. Eek! Luckily we had the charger with us.

 

 

The rest of the pictures on the ferry were taken on my iphone - not the best but better than nothing!

 

 

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

It was not that long of a ride. 35-45 minutes I would estimate.

 

I knew when we passed the fort that we were nearly there.

 

 

 

 

When we got off the ferry there were stands selling reasonably priced water. We stocked up and then followed the crowd into town. In a block or so, we came to the Conscious Vibes Cafe - labeled “CV Cafe” on the printed map we were using. We were in search of a place that 1. Had an outlet and 2. Had coffee. This place was perfect!

 

 

This place had a great menu and decent prices. The coffee was excellent!

 

 

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

And boom! Mission accomplished :-)

 

 

As we waited for our camera to charge, we enjoyed an iced coffee and a bacon, tomato, and cheese panini.

 

 

We were also able to use their wifi since we purchased something. I just asked the cashier for the code and it was all good. I did hear them turn away people who weren’t purchasing anything and not allowing them to have the code.

 

After our camera had charged enough, we made our way down the street towards King’s Square, but we had a destination to see to first. The Bermuda Perfumery! It's the white building on the left just up the street.

 

 

 

 

We purchased a nice men’s cologne for DH and I got a bodywash in their most popular “coral” scent. I actually liked the “pink” better, but they only sold the bodywash in coral.

 

 

[JimnSuzie]

Hi Viva la Vida,

 

I just want to say thank you for all of your postings. I look forward to reading the new ones. My husband and I are going in September and I have learned so much from reading your posts!

 

Sue of JimnSuzie

[Viva_la_Vida]

Hi Viva la Vida,

 

I just want to say thank you for all of your postings. I look forward to reading the new ones. My husband and I are going in September and I have learned so much from reading your posts!

 

Sue of JimnSuzie

 

 

Thank you so much, Sue! I am so glad it's been helpful.

[Viva_la_Vida]

Next we kept heading in the direction of King’s Square and stopped on the way to sse St. Peter’s Church.

 

 

Established in 1612, it’s the oldest continually used protestant church in the western hemisphere, so definitely worth a look!

 

The grounds were beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

The cemetery path wraps all the way around the church.

 

 

 

We loved the organ!

 

 

 

There was a guide inside who gave a bit of history on the church. It is free to enter, but donations are encouraged.

 

 

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

Then we finally made it to King’s Square! It’s really such an incredibly short walk from the ferry, we just made so many detours :-)

 

 

We went into the visitor’s info center there. The lady was very nice and super helpful! I asked what would be the best deal between a cab and a mini-bus and she suggested the mini-bus. There is one that goes directly to Ft. Saint Catherine and you can pay for admission to the fort too, but since we wanted to do both Tobacco and St. Catherine’s Beach she suggested we take the Tobacco-bound mini-bus because it comes more frequently. It was $7 round trip per person. I have no idea how much a cab would have cost, but we liked the mini bus even if it meant having to walk both to and from St. Catherine’s Beach.

 

Here’s what the inside looked like. There was also free wifi. We were the only passengers on the way there.

 

 

This was the only pic I snagged of the Unfinished Church. I do think next time we’ll either walk or take a cab so we can make a stop on the way.

 

 

We were dropped at Tobacco Bay around probably 2pm. It was packed with people. We decided to go ahead and walk over to St. Catherine’s Beach in hopes it would be more empty. We had gotten some vague directions from the mini-bus driver to just keep walking down the road we turned off of. We started out and here’s what the road looks like to begin with.

 

 

I love the unique paint on this house!

 

 

There’s a little inlet you pass and these huge fish were just swimming practically on shore!

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

Here’s a map of the route. Sorry my red labels are so tiny, you’ll probably have to zoom in to see them. Notice I have the first path labeled as going to the Fort. Yeah, you definitely don’t want to take this one if you’re trying to get to the beach.

 

The distance is about a third of a mile one way.

 

 

We met some people coming from the direction of St. Catherine’s Beach and they confirmed we were headed in the right direction and that we’d see the fort just over this hill:

 

 

You’ll also see in the pic above the path that veers off to the left. It’s not marked in any way, but it’s not the most direct path to the beach. DON’T take this one if you’re trying to get there directly.

 

Yup, fort in view!

 

Oh, we met some little feathered friends on the way!

 

 

Chickens are a very common sight in Bermuda!

 

OK, we reached the correct path to take and it’s pictured here. You could actually keep going, but this path was nice in that it’s pedestrian only.

 

 

You can see the two people in the grass ahead. That is the well-worn cut through to the beach.

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

And we’re there!

 

 

It had a few people, but nothing even close to Tobacco.

 

 

We got in the water. It was pretty chilly, but nothing we didn’t get used to in a minute.

 

 

It was an absolutely beautiful day!

 

 

We walked the beach a bit and explored the rocks near the fort.

 

 

 

According to a poster over on the Bermuda forum, St. Regis is opening a resort just off the beach. The beach will still be public but the view will be very different. I'm glad we got to see it without a resort on it!

[riclop]

Thanks for the report.

[Viva_la_Vida]

It was getting a little cloudy as we made our way back to Tobacco Bay. We saw a couple of people almost have a scooter accident. They seemed to be tourists. They were traveling the road we were walking and the man didn’t make a turn correctly and almost crashed into the railing near Tobacco. It was a long drop, so I’m glad he got it under control. We made it and saw it had emptied considerably! Unfortunately we were paranoid about missing the last ferry out (5:30pm) and had agreed to take the mini-van at 4:30 to make sure we would get a spot on the ferry. I would have loved to stay longer!

 

Look, almost empty!

 

 

 

You could see our ships just over the rocks:

 

 

I did get some nice underwater pics. These little guys were not shy at all.

 

 

 

[mom2tcdx2]

You mention the last ferry being at 5:30, are there other ways that will still get us back to the ship if we stayed out for dinner? Or would we be better to be back over closer to the ship in the evening?

 

Also I see you mention things about either tokens or passes, we were thinking the passes might be the easier way to get around. Just figured it didn't really take any thinking on it and only the need to purchase once? If you don't know where you would like to go (as we have no clue), would the pass be a better option? I ask as you seemed to have many places that you were already aware of exactly where you wished to go.

[Viva_la_Vida]

You mention the last ferry being at 5:30, are there other ways that will still get us back to the ship if we stayed out for dinner? Or would we be better to be back over closer to the ship in the evening?

 

Also I see you mention things about either tokens or passes, we were thinking the passes might be the easier way to get around. Just figured it didn't really take any thinking on it and only the need to purchase once? If you don't know where you would like to go (as we have no clue), would the pass be a better option? I ask as you seemed to have many places that you were already aware of exactly where you wished to go.

 

You can get a bus back from St. George's, but I've heard that takes about two hours. For dinner off the ship, I would opt for Hamilton, where the ferries run later, a bus ride is shorter, or a cab would be less expensive.

 

Passes are less to think about for sure, no worrying about zones or anything like that. I did have things planned out pretty well, but the weather threw me off. My mistake, always have a solid rain plan or two! If I had been on Celebrity again I think the two day passes would have been great because that ship leaves later on Friday, but as it was with NCL, I was afraid to leave the dockyard since BA all aboard was 2:30. If you want to be more spontaneous with plans and don't mind if you waste a little money, I would opt for the passes. The lines were never long to purchase transportation though, so I wouldn't worry about that eating up too much of your time.