Disappointed with Bermuda 2026 Itineraries

[luckyinpa]

7 hours ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

I normally cruise and post about Royal Caribbean but I am intrigued about the Jewel coming to Philadelphia and decided to get some information and read past cruisers' critiques about the itinerary.

 

The size and the age of the ship does not put me off but barely 24 hours in Bermuda is a negative considering the only other stop is Charleston, SC.

 

The cheapest price so far I can find for an interior is about $2,300 for two plus $280 gratuities not including parking (and or airfare/hotel).

 

I do not need the drink or dining package (they are reasonably priced but the base room price is high).

 

Royal's Vision of the Seas out of Baltimore is one of their smallest ships so comparing it is not true Apples to Apples but it is going for about $1,600 plus $288 gratuities for an 8 DAY cruise not including parking, airfare, or hotel. Buying a drink package will normally go for at least $80 (including 18% gratuities) per person per day which adds a whopping $1,120 to the tab IF YOU GET IT AHEAD of time on a special pre-cruise sale. Unlimited specialty dining will be at least $300 per person if you get a good pre-cruise sale. Internet will set you back about $19 per device per day if you buy a package.

 

Getting the Norwegian would be cheaper at a total of $3,000 for two people to include drinks, specialty dining, internet, and excursion discounts. The hook is you need to normally add the drink and dining packages to most of your meals because the base price without them is a bit high.

 

I thank everyone here for their comments. I will keep my eye on prices and might try something new just to give other cruise lines a try.

 

you mention interior. then adding things. you get for 1700 PP in MSC YC the interior with all the booze you want. refilled fridge daily. great pool deck buffet, great lounge and suite deck.wifi. great suite restaurant etc etc. if you can tolerate interiors you can sail so often in a suite on MSC and im pretty sure you will love it. it's more than a step up in service and perks from all you mentioned above.  and 2 nites in bermuda. it's awesome. im sold!

 

 

 

[Illbcruzn4life]

4 hours ago, LisaDee said:

I’m excited about the option to sail from Philadelphia.  I would actually have to travel through Baltimore to get to Philly but the ships in Baltimore are just too old for us.  I haven’t sailed the Jewel yet but I heard that the recent refurbishment was pretty extensive.  We are considering booking the 11-night Canada itinerary, just waiting for it to get loaded into my preferred travel booking site.

don't you think that RCI have updated their ships too?

[Illbcruzn4life]

1 hour ago, luckyinpa said:

 5700 sept 29 to bermuda in YC...the extra 1000 is well worth it.. free booze.wifi..butler..great pool buffet. join us! makes the boring NY itineraries soo much better. just did it in May and we are sold!

my last 3 cruises have been on MSC. I'm not a Haven or Yacht club kind of person. I stick to the cheap seats

[Retired-N-Happy]

12 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

don't you think that RCI have updated their ships too?

The Jewel was fully refurbished in 2022.  But, it was still built in 2005.

[Illbcruzn4life]

Just now, Retired-N-Happy said:

The Jewel was fully refurbished in 2022.  But, it was still built in 2005.

It is still old as cruise ships go

[LisaDee]

3 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

don't you think that RCI have updated their ships too?

 

The ship currently sailing from Baltimore (Vision of the Seas) was built in 1998 and refurbished in 2018.  There are only 234 verandah cabins and 98 suites. 

 

The NCL Jewel was built in 2005 and renovated in 2022.  It has 542 verandah cabins and 182 suites.  Passenger capacity is similar on the two ships.

I’d prefer to sail from Baltimore and we’re Diamond on Royal but we prefer a more modern ship than what sails from Baltimore.

[Retired-N-Happy]

Just now, Illbcruzn4life said:

It is still old as cruise ships go

I know, trust me.  The last 30+ cruises we have gone on have all been on ships that are younger than 4.  That's the conundrum we're facing.  The positive is an Uber to the ship to get to a few ports we've never been to including Quebec.  The negative is getting there on a 21 year old ship in two years.  

[Engineroom Snipe]

58 minutes ago, LisaDee said:

 

The ship currently sailing from Baltimore (Vision of the Seas) was built in 1998 and refurbished in 2018.  There are only 234 verandah cabins and 98 suites. 

 

The NCL Jewel was built in 2005 and renovated in 2022.  It has 542 verandah cabins and 182 suites.  Passenger capacity is similar on the two ships.

I’d prefer to sail from Baltimore and we’re Diamond on Royal but we prefer a more modern ship than what sails from Baltimore.

My quandary also. The Vision has so few balconies that they can charge 250% more in general than an interior room. I enjoy a balcony but I can easily adapt to an interior at the right price.

 

I am keeping an open mind and wallet for a new experience, even if it is only a one time try. I can only repeat the same cruises so many times.

 

I have read many quality posts on this topic. At this time, I am hesitate to try MSC because my wife only has a limited amount of vacation days and it seems as if you either love them or you hate them. I do not feel comfortable gambling with her vacations days until she retires,

 

Again, thank you all for some great advice and opinions.

[HowardK]

Its like put the dumpy NCL Jewel in the dumpy Philadelphia port. The city is really unsafe (and I was born there and would go in often for concerts and games) and the Jewel was the worst ship I ever went on. 

If the Breakway were going from Philly then I would be a little more excited. 

[Retired-N-Happy]

3 hours ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

My quandary also. The Vision has so few balconies that they can charge 250% more in general than an interior room. I enjoy a balcony but I can easily adapt to an interior at the right price.

 

I am keeping an open mind and wallet for a new experience, even if it is only a one time try. I can only repeat the same cruises so many times.

 

I have read many quality posts on this topic. At this time, I am hesitate to try MSC because my wife only has a limited amount of vacation days and it seems as if you either love them or you hate them. I do not feel comfortable gambling with her vacations days until she retires,

 

Again, thank you all for some great advice and opinions.

As you probably know, there isn't much gray with MSC.  It's a black or white situation and many people either love them or hate them.  Try an inside cabin in the Yacht Club.  It will be your best choice to possibly like them 

[Retired-N-Happy]

1 hour ago, HowardK said:

Its like put the dumpy NCL Jewel in the dumpy Philadelphia port. The city is really unsafe (and I was born there and would go in often for concerts and games) and the Jewel was the worst ship I ever went on. 

If the Breakway were going from Philly then I would be a little more excited. 

Was your experience on the Jewel before the 2022 refurbishment?  Philly is just as safe to embark from as Baltimore, NYC, Bayonne or Boston.

[Engineroom Snipe]

6 hours ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

As you probably know, there isn't much gray with MSC.  It's a black or white situation and many people either love them or hate them.  Try an inside cabin in the Yacht Club.  It will be your best choice to possibly like them 

Yes. It seems that the MSC experience is good if you do not have any issues that need guest services to correct. The staffing ratio seems to be a bit leaner than other lines which could be a result of their very competitive pricing.

 

I will eventually be trying MSC but NYC is not as easy for us as compared to Bayonne or Baltimore.

 

Good or bad, I like the idea of having another port option within driving distances. We might wait a season to get some feedback on the Philly experience. I live about 25 minutes away and as you say, Philly overall is comparable to Baltimore or Bayonne for safe transit. 

[Laszlo]

11 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

It is still old as cruise ships go

Just off the Gem, same class and about the same age. It was looking really good. Granted it doesn't have all the new things the newer and larger ships have but its still a great ship. My wife and I live in the Philly suburbs and we could have sailed the Joy to Bermuda. However we wanted a smaller ship and went out of Boston. 

[Laszlo]

9 hours ago, HowardK said:

Its like put the dumpy NCL Jewel in the dumpy Philadelphia port. The city is really unsafe (and I was born there and would go in often for concerts and games) and the Jewel was the worst ship I ever went on. 

If the Breakway were going from Philly then I would be a little more excited. 

Lol.... Philly doesn't even make the top 20 list for unsafe cities.... However NYC and Baltimore do. I can also think of a lot worse ships than the Jewel 

[7Trainguy1951]

Just booked the Jewel out of Philly for late May 2026. We've been to Bermuda a few times with Celebrity and wanted to try NCL again. I knew the itinerary wasn't great, but don't enjoy the mega ships because of mobility issues (we're in our 70's). We live in the South Jersey so it's much easier to get to Philly. I don't expect the ship to look modern and that's OK for us. We like to cruise just to enjoy the sea and experience different ships. We've been cruising over 30 years on most of the major lines and find mostly positive things on each.

[mking8288]

NCL shifting some of the older but somewhat modernized ships among the 3 Northeast ports ahead (dropping Baltimore ??) reflecting the changing & dynamically, competitive cruise market among mass lines - and MSC pricing coming straight for Norwegian is both good & bad.  One thing for certain, prices are trending higher & higher, not just Haven and the sometimes "wild" roller coasting crossing aren't for non-seasoned cruisers expecting calm seas, fair weather & other stormy surprises.  With fewer berths available out of NYC (looking at the Aqua) - NCL is going to look for max return on fares & revenue per pax sailing with the ship, good for the corporate bottom line and shareholders return in paying down the debts pumping out new ships.  

 

We've stopped counting the # of times we've sailed Bermuda over the last 25+ years, recognizing that ships can only go that far on their weekly donut loops on a seasonal basis ... having also done shorter 5 days run to Dockyard for just an overnight stay.  The other alternative is the return of the NY-Florida-Bahamas-GSC runs and 8 days instead of 7 ... actually, NCL and others have done 7 days but nowadays, newer ships are cruising slower to "sail and sustain" using less fuel - port times are better than getting into Cape Canaveral at noon to 1 PM and then all abroad by 8:30 PM.  Once the GSC pier is finished, the odds for ships to dock at the private island will be more assured & definite than nowadays - and the quest for warming weather & sunny days in the colder months are good for those of us that hate flyer in a narrow tin can - airfares are going up, etc. etc.  

 

The other trend, which hasn't been tossed out here is that, NCL apparently losing their share of casino players onboard with most land-based gaming partners dropping the brand and going with Royal, Carnival and MSC ... I know our best friends have been booking on RC out of Cape Liberty ... it's a bit of inconvenience for that extra 45 minutes of driving across the Hudson River to NJ vs. a short car service/Uber ride to MCT on midtown west, Manhattan (NY)  Going to see them less on NCL except on select & different sailings ... and, their offers have been good to very good - and, zero administrative fees with the competition, enough to pay for DSC and/or port parking. 

 

Interesting dynamics in play here, different strokes for different folks about the joy of cruising ... just read an article in Cruise Hive that RC is also shifting focus and coming up with shorter cruise itineraries with their jumbo mega ships.  

 

 

[Illbcruzn4life]

12 hours ago, mking8288 said:

NCL shifting some of the older but somewhat modernized ships among the 3 Northeast ports ahead (dropping Baltimore ??) reflecting the changing & dynamically, competitive cruise market among mass lines - and MSC pricing coming straight for Norwegian is both good & bad.  One thing for certain, prices are trending higher & higher, not just Haven and the sometimes "wild" roller coasting crossing aren't for non-seasoned cruisers expecting calm seas, fair weather & other stormy surprises.  With fewer berths available out of NYC (looking at the Aqua) - NCL is going to look for max return on fares & revenue per pax sailing with the ship, good for the corporate bottom line and shareholders return in paying down the debts pumping out new ships.  

 

We've stopped counting the # of times we've sailed Bermuda over the last 25+ years, recognizing that ships can only go that far on their weekly donut loops on a seasonal basis ... having also done shorter 5 days run to Dockyard for just an overnight stay.  The other alternative is the return of the NY-Florida-Bahamas-GSC runs and 8 days instead of 7 ... actually, NCL and others have done 7 days but nowadays, newer ships are cruising slower to "sail and sustain" using less fuel - port times are better than getting into Cape Canaveral at noon to 1 PM and then all abroad by 8:30 PM.  Once the GSC pier is finished, the odds for ships to dock at the private island will be more assured & definite than nowadays - and the quest for warming weather & sunny days in the colder months are good for those of us that hate flyer in a narrow tin can - airfares are going up, etc. etc.  

 

The other trend, which hasn't been tossed out here is that, NCL apparently losing their share of casino players onboard with most land-based gaming partners dropping the brand and going with Royal, Carnival and MSC ... I know our best friends have been booking on RC out of Cape Liberty ... it's a bit of inconvenience for that extra 45 minutes of driving across the Hudson River to NJ vs. a short car service/Uber ride to MCT on midtown west, Manhattan (NY)  Going to see them less on NCL except on select & different sailings ... and, their offers have been good to very good - and, zero administrative fees with the competition, enough to pay for DSC and/or port parking. 

 

Interesting dynamics in play here, different strokes for different folks about the joy of cruising ... just read an article in Cruise Hive that RC is also shifting focus and coming up with shorter cruise itineraries with their jumbo mega ships.  

 

 

good thinking on their part IMHO. Offer a new ship with all the amenities and have fresh , full wallets coming on every 3.4.or 5 days.

[mking8288]

43 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

good thinking on their part IMHO. Offer a new ship with all the amenities and have fresh , full wallets coming on every 3.4.or 5 days.

CNBC's article on RC's leaning into shorter cruises - make sense for the millenials in the workforce ... given their age cohort, longer and B2B cruises are mostly out of the question except for the few self employed, not so easy to attempt remote work / WFH even with "better" satellite technologies ahead. 

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/16/royal-caribbean-leans-into-shorter-cruises-more-experiences.html

[kelib]

On 7/17/2024 at 1:29 PM, Laszlo said:

Yayyyy we get to pass all of the refineries Lol

 

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/norwegian-cruise-line-homeport-philadelphia/3914870/#:~:text=The Port of Philadelphia announced,2026%2C welcoming Norwegian Cruise Line.&text=Norwegian will dock it's Norwegian,offering cruises to various places.

Don’t forget the Salem Nuclear Power Plant

[Engineroom Snipe]

9 hours ago, kelib said:

Don’t forget the Salem Nuclear Power Plant

Instead of multiple refineries, you get a nuclear power plant view. Another reason to save money buying an inside cabin without a view.

 

If a local Uber driver says he can get you tour tickets, it's a scam.

[CPT Trips]

On 7/17/2024 at 7:16 AM, Laszlo said:

The Boston schedule is lousy. Philly Lol...... I'm 45 minutes from the cruise terminal but 29 hours in Bermuda is a hard pass

Do the 9 day that includes an overnight in Charleston. 😎

[CPT Trips]

On 7/17/2024 at 2:23 PM, www3traveler said:

Should be a very interesting 2026 Summer in Philadelphia:

    (1)  250th Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence

 

    (2)  Major League Baseball Game All Star Game and all the events that go with it.

 

Hotel rooms will probably be at premium prices.  

 
Don't forget the World Cup. 

[CPT Trips]

On 7/18/2024 at 11:31 PM, Retired-N-Happy said:

Was your experience on the Jewel before the 2022 refurbishment?  Philly is just as safe to embark from as Baltimore, NYC, Bayonne or Boston.

Or Miami . . . plus you won’t need your waders in PHL. 

[herbanrenewal]

Unless cruise lines start to invest in building new smaller ships if you want to sail from ports like Philly and Bmore you have to sail on older ships. Personally I like the convenience of cruising without airfare and hotel costs, and I'm not cruising to ride gocarts or waterslides, so the older ships suit me very well. I'm booked for Sep-Oct 2026 b2b Philly-Quebec-Philly.

Philly locals - is there a Septa train station near the port? I would love to visit my siblings then take public transportation  to port (leaving my car at their house and avoiding parking fees too)

 

Edited August 8 by herbanrenewal

[Retired-N-Happy]

1 hour ago, herbanrenewal said:

Unless cruise lines start to invest in building new smaller ships if you want to sail from ports like Philly and Bmore you have to sail on older ships. Personally I like the convenience of cruising without airfare and hotel costs, and I'm not cruising to ride gocarts or waterslides, so the older ships suit me very well. I'm booked for Sep-Oct 2026 b2b Philly-Quebec-Philly.

Philly locals - is there a Septa train station near the port? I would love to visit my siblings then take public transportation  to port (leaving my car at their house and avoiding parking fees too)

 

Yes, the train goes right to the airport.  You can get there from the city as well as the suburbs north and south.