Bermuda/Crown Trip Report - My first!!!

[jackdis]

Hello Fellow Cruisers, including Experienced Cruisers, New Cruisers, People Who Want to Cruise Someday, and Everyone Else!!! After NUMEROUS requests (Well, it was actually just from a few cruise critic friends ….you know who you are!!) I present to you my very first trip report, review, etc. I have picked up so many helpful tips from so many people on this forum for our recent cruise that I felt like the least I could do to show my thanks was to share a little about our great vacation.

 

**Disclaimer: I didn’t take any notes, since I did not know I would be doing this when I returned, so it won’t be too chock full of details, but I don’t want to put anyone to sleep anyway!!!

 

Background information: My husband (who does NOT want to be mentioned in this report!) and I went on the Norwegian Crown from NY to Bermuda from 7/15/07-7/22/07. It was a last minute kind of vacation…..well, not exactly last minute. It was planned about two to three months beforehand, but when you have two young children, that is last minute!!! Basically, my mother offered to watch the kids for a week and that’s all we needed to hear. We hadn’t been on a trip without them, so a “grown up” vacation seemed like an unheard of thing. Not wanting to fly anywhere without the kids, this seemed like the perfect alternative for us, since we live within driving distance of the Greatest City in the World, NYC! (Most of our vacations are spent at Walt Disney World, the next Greatest Place in the World.)

 

We booked the lowest of the low, the cheapest inside cabin we could get. We did get a two level upgrade, still inside, but on a better floor. More about the stateroom later, aka The Cave, but having spent a few weeks agonizing over “Should we have gotten a window? Should we have upgraded? But on the Disney cruise we had a balcony, dear.” we remained in our inside cabin and prayed for the best. “Do not fret,” as the girl on our catamaran snorkel tour told us, it was FINE!!! It was perfect for us. Will I book at least a window next time? Yes! But I am sorry we didn’t this time? No.

 

Anyway, back to the trip: Embarkment at Pier 92 was smooth and painless. Before we knew it, soda card purchased and drinks in hand, we headed to the Seven Seas Restaurant for a sit down lunch. (There was also a buffet lunch going on at the Yacht Club one floor above us.) As were all the meals we had at the Seven Seas, this was a great one. The Seven Seas would end up being our most frequent place to go for a meal. The service was wonderful, too!

 

After lunch we went to check out our “home” for the next week. Our Cabin Steward greeted us. We would grow to love him over the next seven days!! (I offered for him to come live with us, promising that his only responsibility would be to provide us with turndown service each night.) Our first part of the Romance Package we booked was waiting for us, along with our bar set up. (Thanks, CruiseCritics!!) We then headed to the Sailaway Party by the pool and couldn’t believe we were on our way to Bermuda, another Greatest Place in the World. I had my tropical drink with the umbrella in hand. How better could it get than knowing we had this great week ahead of us?? (There was a temporary loss of this wonderful feeling when the ship started moving and my drink slid off the table, but within a few minutes, I had a new one!!)

 

My husband and I had both been to Bermuda before, over 10 years ago (With different people! He wasn’t my husband then, obviously!!) So we both knew that the departing from NYC is almost like a trip in itself. We both love the City and visit frequently, but sailing past the amazing skyline and the Statue of Liberty and under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge truly takes my breath away!!

 

We really just spent the rest of that day exploring the ship. We had dinner at Chopsticks that night. (The three restaurants that take reservations are definitely outstanding, especially Le Bistro.) We went to a show that night. The performances that we went to were all very good. That night we saw the comedian, Dave, for the first time. He was great. And then the waves began…….

 

Up next: Day Two – At Sea – It’s a little bumpy, isn’t it???:confused:

[maurick]

Thiis is a great review. Looking forward to the next part.

[neverthought]

Jackdis,

Nice review...keep it coming! DH & I leave on the Crown 9/9...if you would be sure to mention any excursions you might have done. Also if you went to the Casino, were there any winners???? :confused: We are so looking forward to this cruise, just being in Bermuda several days is a treat in itself.:D

Thanks,

Neverthought

[Smellytoes]

More, more!!!!! I just made final payment for our Oct. Crown cruise a few minutes ago. I want to hear everything:D

[jackdis]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, for your kind words....said in my best St. George's Town Crier voice!!!

 

I'm so happy to have my first followers of my first trip report. The smile on my face is almost as big as when I first stepped onto the Crown last Sunday.

 

Neverthought - I will definitely post about our excursions! They were wonderful!! We also loved the fact that we were in Bermuda for several days again. We also loved being able to dock at St. George's and Hamilton.

 

I won about $65 one night in the casino. I was happy with that. But most nights I would just play my money I set aside and see how long it could last, and always try to leave with what I came in with....didn't always work by the way!! LOL.... My husband did ok on one of the tables. (Anytime you don't lose money is fine with us!!)

 

But we did meet one wonderful lady who got lucky in the casino. She won the slot tournament and hit on one of the machines, and also won at one of the Bingos! (By the way, the slots tournament is fun. It's $15 to enter and you play for 5 minutes against 5 other people. The person with the highest amount at the end moves onto the next round, with the final being on the last at sea day. We tried it, and didn't move on, but it was still fun!)

 

Smellytoes...how exciting that you will be going in a few months!!! I have to admit, I'm a little sad that it's over for us. This is fun coming back to these boards, though.

 

Thanks, Maurick. I hope you enjoy the next part. I will post it after this.

:) :) :)

[jackdis]

DAY TWO:

 

I must say, I slept really well on every night of our cruise, inside the cold and dark cave, as we called our inside cabin. But this was NOT the case on our first night aboard. The ship was moving about quite a bit, and when I woke up in the morning, I wasn’t feeling too well. I wasn’t really nauseous. I just had a throbbing headache. I should have known it wasn’t just me when I saw the seasick bags out by the elevators. (They weren’t there the night before on our way back to the cave for the night.) I should have also know when the person in charge at the Yacht Club kept walking over to people and asking if they were feeling ok. I saw a lot of green people that day, and I had my share of ginger ale until about noon. Thank you, Bromine!

 

Word of advice: If the Captain even mentions rough waters, take a pill! I did this on the way back….our at sea day was rainy all day….and I didn’t have a problem. The waters were not as active as on the way to Bermuda, though.

 

Back to our day at sea…..I have to say, I took it pretty easy that day. Luckily, I didn’t get very sick, but I took advantage of the headache and took a few naps. Thank you, dear husband! I didn’t make it to the first Bingo, but made up for it later in the trip! (No….I didn’t win! But as always, it was a blast!!)

 

That night we had dinner at LeBistro with a nice bottle of wine. It was wonderful…from the service to the food to the dessert (Thanks you, Crème Brulee!) to the special anniversary cake and a rendition of “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” by the servers that I have never quite heard sung like that before!!!

 

We went to the show again. The dancers were great! We checked out the selection at the buffet line. There was not much going on there, which seemed to be the theme of the late night buffet each night. There were a few warm things and some cheese and sandwiches and some desserts. And after that, we pretty much called it a night. We were getting up early on St. George’s day to see the Crown go through the Narrow Strait. Even though I had been to Bermuda a long time ago and didn’t remember a lot of things, this stood out in my mind and I didn’t want to miss it.

 

Up next – Day Three – Let the fun REALLY begin! We’re in Bermuda!!

[kayleycat]

I'm really enjoying your report! We leave Oct 7 and have an inside cabin too. Can I ask where your cabin was (mid, forward or aft)? We're in 5094 - hopefully that's a good location. We have our Bonine ready just in case. Thanks for posting your review!

 

Laurie

[maurick]

You are doing great. Sorry you didn't feel well going.

 

Did you notice any sugar free desserts at the buffet and dining rooms?

[Coolcruise02]

Thanks for doing the review. I told you it would be good for you. :)

[jackdis]

Hi! Thanks for the nice comments. Keep them coming!! To paraphrase Field of Dreams (and TPK, who really got me going with this!)

 

If you say nice things, I will keep writing. :)

 

MAURICK: Yes, there were sugar free desserts at the buffet and on the menu each time in the Seven Seas. I didn't taste them, but some of them looked delicious!

COOLCRUISE02: You were definitely right!! This will be great to add to my scrapbook, which will probably be done five years from now, so thank goodness I will have all these details!!;)

KAYLEYCAT: I think you'll be in a good spot. We were in 4080, mid-ship, so we weren't too far away, one floor below and we thought it was fine. Take the Bonine. That's what I took, even though I called it Bromine in my report earlier. (I guess I combined the names of Dramamine and Bonine and came up with a new thing!)

 

**Does anyone know how I can go back and edit that? I don't see the edit options for earlier posts that I have written, only for the current one.

 

Little warning - nothing major - I took one tablet of the non-drowsy Bonine and it still had a little Benadryl type sleepy effect on me, if you know what I mean.

 

I have more of my trip report to add. The baby must be tired from our vacation....LOL...she took a great nap!!!

[jackdis]

DAY THREE: Welcome to St. George’s!!!

 

We got up early to make sure we would see the ship’s passage through the Narrow Strait. Just as it’s always breathtaking to see Lady Liberty, coming into Bermuda is an amazing vista!! The beautiful water and pastel houses take my breath away each and every time I see them. Even on our last day in Bermuda, I would marvel at the views each time as if it were the first time I was seeing them!!

 

I didn’t remember the Town Crier from my last trip. That’s part of what I love about Bermuda, besides the beauty of the island and the friendliness of the people there, the historic elements of the island are so interesting and amazing. After hearing the Town Crier’s welcome, we made our way to the dock at St. George’s. I think we got a quick breakfast and then headed off the ship at about 10:00. We walked around a bit and then took the trolley tour of St. George’s that was offered through the cruise. Now, I know many people (especially the taxi cab drivers!!!!) do not recommend booking the excursions on the ships because of the cost. We had booked the Fantasea Snorkel Cruise out of Hamilton in advance our of sailing date. We ended up booking this trolley tour once we got off the ship, as a last minute thing, but still through NCL. Could we have probably done it cheaper on our own? Probably a definite yes!! But was it convenient for us and worth the money we spent? Absolutely!!! I am so glad that we did this.

 

The driver was very knowledgeable. Obviously, he was a resident, all be it a part time resident. He lives in England but comes “home” to Bermuda during the high tourist season. These are the kinds of things I love to learn on these guided tours, in addition to learning about the history of the island, along with seeing the famous sites. The trolley tour took us all around St. George’s, including past our first glimpses of the beautiful Bermuda beaches and past the old Club Med. We also were able to pull over and he showed us some herbs that can be found alongside the roads. (Not THOSE kinds of herbs!! I think one was Rosemary and the other was Thyme. I don’t want to call the husband at work to ask him this, because as you may recall, he didn’t really want to be any part of this trip report! I know you’re out there, secretly reading this, hanging on my every word!!) Anyway, you could use one of the leaves to clean your teeth!) These little facts are the things that I use in my classroom to make our studies more interesting. At least I think it makes it more interesting!!!

 

Going through the narrow roads on the trolley was exciting. Here I was in awe of the beautiful scenery and then you look up and a big bus is coming in your direction, of course, on the wrong side of the street! LOL…. Hindsight is 20/20….since we were on this trip without the little ones, all I talked about was renting a scooter. We were going to do it in Hamilton and go all over the island. Well, common sense prevailed for this young mother of two/teacher and we never did. Someday!!! And it will definitely have to be in St. George’s or the Dockyards, where there seemed to be less traffic to start off.

 

The trolley tour ended back at the boat. I really felt like it was a great way to see the most of St. George’s in a relatively short amount of time. We made our way back on the Crown for an early lunch. (We are on a cruise after all. It seemed like every few hours we were ready to eat!!) After our quick lunch we hopped in a taxi and headed over to Tobacco Bay. ( I really wouldn’t have minded taking the bus, but for the cost and the convenience, we took the cab.)

 

 

Up next – Day Three continued – Is everyone on the island at Tobacco Bay?

[ddoll]

Hey cool! I was on the same cruise and just came back to write a review myself.

 

I wonder if we met at all? We were a rowdy bunch. My friend kept wearing the beer helmet on his head and we were the loud ones in karaoke every night as well in the talent show. :D

[jackdis]

ddoll -

Wow! I wish we would have known. Were you loud anyplace else on the ship? We never went to karaoke. We did have a nice collection of helmets in our cabin though!! I'll have to check out your report!!

[jackdis]

Wait a minute.....my husband, who does not want to be mentioned in my trip report, just asked if you were at the anniversary champagne party? We were there.

[ddoll]

Wait a minute.....my husband, who does not want to be mentioned in my trip report, just asked if you were at the anniversary champagne party? We were there.

 

Nope. :o We missed that. We had the anniversary package, but we had too many other things going on to make it to the party that night. (and let me tell you: that little photo woman was not happy about me asking for another photo for free instead of the one from the party)

 

We went to see Allen Roman almost every night in the Lido bar and we went dancing up at the Top of the Crown a lot. We spent a lot of time by the pool too.

 

I'm surprised...most everyone remembers seeing my husband. He's 6 ft 3 with white hair, a super dark tan, and looks a little like Steve Martin. :D

I thought for sure we would find out we met each other somewhere. It really did feel like we kept running into the same people.

[Writeratsea]

Jackdis, aren't you having a blast writing this review? Myself and TPK were right in encouraging you to take a chance and express yourself. Some very funny and interesting comments. A lot of other readers are getting a kick out of the review as well. Keep up the good work.:) This is like the oldtime serials. A different part each day to keep the reader interested. You need more cliffhangers to tease them with. LOL.

[NY2NH2008]

I can't wait to hear more! DH and I are going in 40 days (I can't believe it!) and we are spending so much time reading up on what people have been doing in Bermuda.

 

Please let us know if you ate at any places on the island or if you missed a place that you wished you had gone to.

 

I'm glad to hear you thought booking w/the ship was a good alternative. Since this is our first trip, we are going to do most things throught the cruise line (except for a few suggestions from people here) and then next time we will try to coordinate things on our own.

 

Keep it coming! I was hooked! It was like reading Harry Potter and I am waiting for the next chapter :D

[jackdis]

Nope. :o We missed that. We had the anniversary package, but we had too many other things going on to make it to the party that night. (and let me tell you: that little photo woman was not happy about me asking for another photo for free instead of the one from the party)

 

We went to see Allen Roman almost every night in the Lido bar and we went dancing up at the Top of the Crown a lot. We spent a lot of time by the pool too.

 

I'm surprised...most everyone remembers seeing my husband. He's 6 ft 3 with white hair, a super dark tan, and looks a little like Steve Martin. :D

I thought for sure we would find out we met each other somewhere. It really did feel like we kept running into the same people.

 

LOL.....I think they were annoyed that we showed up late!!!! Meanwhile, that is our picture - the freebie - that I love the most!!! We were at the Top of the Crown a few nights. (I became friends with Bill from TwoTones at the almost non-existent midnight buffet! LOL.) I will have to show my husband your pics to see if he recognizes you. I must have been focused on my drink of the day!!! We were also at the pool a lot.

[jackdis]

Jackdis, aren't you having a blast writing this review? Myself and TPK were right in encouraging you to take a chance and express yourself. Some very funny and interesting comments. A lot of other readers are getting a kick out of the review as well. Keep up the good work.:) This is like the oldtime serials. A different part each day to keep the reader interested. You need more cliffhangers to tease them with. LOL.

 

Thank you! Yes, I am loving it. I am glad to hear that you like it. I hope I am not getting too long winded about things. I'm halfway there. I'm committed. I'm finsihing this baby up in the next few days!!! More cliffhangers?? Hmmmm....let me see what I can come up with! ;)

[jackdis]

I can't wait to hear more! DH and I are going in 40 days (I can't believe it!) and we are spending so much time reading up on what people have been doing in Bermuda.

 

Please let us know if you ate at any places on the island or if you missed a place that you wished you had gone to.

 

I'm glad to hear you thought booking w/the ship was a good alternative. Since this is our first trip, we are going to do most things throught the cruise line (except for a few suggestions from people here) and then next time we will try to coordinate things on our own.

 

Keep it coming! I was hooked! It was like reading Harry Potter and I am waiting for the next chapter :D

 

Thank you so much, NY2NH. Harry Potter??? What a great compliment!!! I was like that too the month before we left. I would read anything I could find online. This board was great. I read my Bermuda book from cover to cover. I would go to the bookstore regularly to see if any new books came in. Wow....I guess that makes me sound Bermuda obsessed!!!

 

We didn't eat off the ship. We just never got around to it. What did I feel like I missed? I definitely would have loved to have some more Horseshoe Bay time! We didn't take our digital camera with us that day. Only the disposable. Take the good one with you. It is truly breathtaking. I also would like to have done the Segway Tour at the Dockyards since we didn't have the kiddies with us. (My husband has done one at Epcot and really enjoyed it.) And, as corny as it sounds, I would have like to have taken a horse and carriage ride in Hamilton, but we never did. But I know that's something we can always do on a future trip, even with the girls! They would love it! Oh, one more thing. I wish I bought more rum cakes from teh Rum Cake Factory at the Dockyards!!!:)

[jackdis]

DAY THREE CONTINUED:

 

We arrived at Tobacco Bay. Everyone must have had the same idea. It was packed!! We went to do a little snorkeling first (jelly fish alert!!) and then we found a spot on the beach and did some more swimming. It was very nice there. I wish we would have gone either earlier or later in the day to avoid some of the crowds, or at least to have an inch or two between us and the neighbor on the beach!!!

 

Crowds and all, it was still a beautiful place. The water was so calm. I kept thinking how much the girls would have loved it there. I really could see them playing in the sand by the water and totally loving it. When we go back there someday – notice I am not saying “If we go back” that will have to be one of our stops with the girls.

 

After a short taxi ride we were back to the ship. We took our time getting washed up in the GIANT bathroom…..actually, it wasn’t that terrible. But I do recommend bringing a hair dryer. A friend of mine went on the Crown a few weeks before us. I talked to her the day after she got back. She loved the trip, too. But the FIRST thing she mentioned was to bring a hairdryer instead of fighting with the hose contraption they provide you with. Great suggestion!!

 

We then went off the ship to the St. George’s street festival. It’s held on Tuesday nights. It starts at 6:00. I can’t remember for the life of me what we rushed back to the ship for, but we wanted to be back for something at around 7, I think. Maybe the dear husband can help jar my memory about what it was. Probably Bingo, knowing me….LOL…..

 

The little we saw of the street fair was very nice. But we had already been told by own of the shopkeepers that there would be a bigger one called Harbour Nights the next night (Wed.) in Hamilton, so we knew we would be there for that. We bought a beautiful calendar in St. George’s (that can be found in Hamilton and the Dockyards as well) with amazing illustrations and information about Bermuda. (You can PM me if you want the name and artist.)

 

It just came to me out of nowhere….we definitely wanted to get back on the ship to see Dave’s show again. He was so funny! I really want to see him again when he comes to NYC. That’s how great he was!!! It was another great day and it ended with some great laughs. Thanks, Dave!

 

Up next – Day Four – Hamilton here we come!!!

[cruzluvr54]

Jacdis,

I'm really enjoying your trip report! We leave on the Crown on 9/9 and this is our 6th cruise to Bermuda, but the first on the Crown. One of the things DH and I love to do is eat our breakfast and lunch outdoors on one of the terraces or decks. Does the Crown have outside dining areas near the buffet?

 

Also, we love to dance at night in the discos or lounges. How was the DJ and/or the band?

 

Thanks,

Karen

[B4andAFT]

jackdis~

 

I'm lovin' your report. We leave on the Crown in October and look forward to hearing more of your experience! Sounds like we need to make sure we catch the shows. Do they offer them twice each night or only once?

[jackdis]

Jacdis,

I'm really enjoying your trip report! We leave on the Crown on 9/9 and this is our 6th cruise to Bermuda, but the first on the Crown. One of the things DH and I love to do is eat our breakfast and lunch outdoors on one of the terraces or decks. Does the Crown have outside dining areas near the buffet?

 

Also, we love to dance at night in the discos or lounges. How was the DJ and/or the band?

 

Thanks,

Karen

 

Karen, Thanks!! Yes, you can walk outside from the buffet right to the pool and there are tables all around there where you can eat breakfast. Or from there you could go up with your food a deck or two, if you want someplace quieter. We had our afternoon snacks by the pool quite a few times.

 

The Top of the Crown had music and dancing every night. It was a lot of fun. There are other lounges/bars also. I wish I could be going with you. You will have a great time!

[jackdis]

jackdis~

 

I'm lovin' your report. We leave on the Crown in October and look forward to hearing more of your experience! Sounds like we need to make sure we catch the shows. Do they offer them twice each night or only once?

 

The shows were usually offered only once a night, but I think a few times they were twice. There was also a late night comedy show on one night.