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Bermuda/Crown Trip Report - My first!!!

jackdis

By jackdis,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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jackdis

jackdis

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Up next – Is it still the same day??

 

Day Six continued (still!!) Last installment of this day, I promise!

 

We stayed by the pool for several hours. My husband earned the official title of “Mr. Sexy Legs” in a contest by the pool!! He had to wear a sash with his newfound title for the remainder of the day. If he was spotted by someone without it, he would have to buy that person a drink, as per Julie, our Cruise Director. Needless to say, my husband took his newfound role on the ship very, very seriously!!! We had a lot of fun with it!

 

We went to the Stardust Lounge for Bingo. Did we win? Nope, nothing, nada, zilch……but once again, it was fun! We actually ended up being about a half hour late for the champagne and cake party we were invited to, which was part of the Romance Package we had purchased. There were several couples there. We had a little champagne and cake, had our picture taken (the best one of the week!) and had a nice talk with someone we had met earlier in the week. The package was a good deal. It included the following, as per NCL’s website:

 

• Sparkling wine and strawberries in your stateroom upon embarkation

• Canapés delivered to your stateroom one evening

• Complimentary sparkling wine and cake party

• A keepsake photograph

• Romantic dinner for two in Le Bistro with a complimentary bottle of wine

 

We enjoyed the farewell show later that night. (Yes, it wasn’t on the final night.) The Cruise Director and some other staff gave us an interesting finale. I don’t want to ruin it for future Crown-ers. Take your cameras! You’re guaranteed to laugh.

 

Up next – Our Last At Sea Day

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jackdis

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Saturday, July 21 – Rain, rain, go away….

 

I have to admit, except for a few naps on that first rocky full day at sea, we were up each morning around 8 or 9 to start our day. This was the first day I slept in! My husband aka Mr. Sexy Legs went to the disembarkation chat with Cruise Director Julie, and I rolled over and went back to sleep. He came back to get me for breakfast, only after calling the room, pretending to be the captain and telling me Mr. Sexy Legs himself had fallen off the ship. Nice!!! (By the way, I think it was about 10:30 and sit down breakfast was no longer available and the buffet was already closed, getting ready for lunch. There were a few tables set up in the back, by where Chopsticks is, with some breakfast basics.)

 

It was cloudy and rainy, rainy and cloudy. And that’s pretty much the weather we had all day. We still got a table by the pool, under something, of course, and sat there for awhile, just talking and reading. People watching by the pool was at a minimum on this day, but it was still nice to sit there. In a way, it made for a very relaxing day at sea.

 

We went to cheer on the friend we had made on the first day at the Slots Tournament. This afternoon was the final tournament and she won!! We were so happy for her!

 

We went to the Crew Talent Show. It was really good. Our wonderful Cabin Steward, Hansel, performed again. (He had performed at another show we went to the night before. What a surprise to see him, and what a wonderful voice he has!!)

 

We stayed in the Stardust Lounge for the final bingo, where a FREE CRUISE was going to be raffled. We had all the tickets with us that we had accumulated. We didn’t win at bingo, so this would be a great “win” for this vacation. It would make for great reading in this trip report. Well, guess what????? I know you won’t believe it. Get ready….we did not win the free cruise!!! But we did walk away with $11 that we won on those tear off ticket strips you can purchase. (We like to call them rip offs, because that is what they really are.) So, $11 and that nice orange NCL bag that I forgot to mention earlier that Mr. Sexy Legs won for, well, having sexy legs. Not bad earnings for this trip. Ha ha…..

 

We ended up having an earlier dinner than normal (around 6) at the Seven Seas and went up to the hot tub, since we had never used it the entire week. We were alone up there, except for the deckhands working hard on cleaning the deck, surrounded by the wind and clouds from the rain all day. We also checked in on the girls once again. We were both excited that we would be seeing them tomorrow, even though this great trip would be coming to an end.

 

By the way, calling home was a lot easier than I thought it would be. (Then again, I haven’t seen the phone bill yet!!) We were able to call from our cell phone everyday we were away. (We have Verizon Wireless,) Just a hint to any other VW people out there. If the ship is in port, it is cheaper by about a dollar a minute to get off the ship and call. That’s what Verizon told us. We’ll see if it’s true when we get the bill!! In any event, the few dollars spent on each phone call gave us piece of mind that all was well at home. Money well spent, in my book!!

 

We had to finish up our packing. Suitcases had to be in the hallway by midnight if you were not doing the Express Disembarkation. We didn’t want to get off any earlier than we had to!! Once we were all packed up we went up to the casino, only to go back down to our cabin to put out the suitcases. (Why didn’t we just do that at first??) Then we went back to the casino and hit the “midnight buffet” one last time. I have to say, I thought this final night had the best selections of the entire week. (It still wasn’t anything super elaborate.) NCL probably wants people to end their vacation with the thought of that one in their minds.

 

Up next – Welcome home!!:)

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jackdis

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Sunday, July 22, 2007

 

We had a wake up call for about 8am and went to the Seven Seas for our last breakfast. As throughout the entire cruise, the service was wonderful and we had a nice breakfast. We went back to our cabin and waited to be called to get off the ship. We were orange and we knew the day before when the paperwork was left in our cabin that we would be called at approximately 10:20 or 10:30. (I can’t remember which…..see, it is a great idea to write a trip report. The details are already fuzzy not even two weeks later!!) Honestly, when we got back to the cabin, I took a little nap before we were called. We said our goodbyes to Hansel, and we were on our way to deck 6, where we would get off the ship, right by the reception desk.

 

One of us went to go get our luggage, while I stood with our carryons. We walked right through customs and we were back, just as quickly as it had all started a week ago.

 

I have to say, this was a great way for us to get off the ship. We didn’t have a plane to catch. We knew we’d be home before lunchtime, even without getting off the ship early. We did not need to take our carry ons with us to breakfast. Our cabin was ours until they called our color. I believe that one of the bars was still open in the morning, cash only, and the pool was open as well.

 

Speaking of the bars, we got our final bill under the door on that last morning. We knew it was coming and we knew approximately what it would be, so it shouldn’t have been a shock. but seeing it on paper is always a surprise somehow, isn’t it??? We had a great time and we had our final bill to prove it!!! Ha ha….At least it wasn’t all bar charges…there were excursions, the soda card, and of course, bingo!! Ok, the majority of it was from the bars. Ha ha….

 

Before we knew it, we were back on the streets of NYC, looking for our ride, wishing we were still in glorious Bermuda, until we saw the smiling face of our eight year old sitting in the car waiting for us!! I have to say, to me, the smile she had on her face was just like the day she found out she was going to be a big sister, and like the picture we have of her holding her baby sister for the first time. What a nice feeling!! I got a big hug from her and of course, Daddy got the running, jump into his arms hug, when she saw him!!

 

This great feeling continued when we pulled into our driveway about 90 minutes later and our 22 month old daughter was standing there, jumping up and down, laughing, as we got out of the car. She didn’t forget us!!! It was good to be home.

 

Up next: Some final thoughts…..

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jackdis

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Final thoughts: “When is our next cruise?”

 

Well, we’ve been home for 7 days….the same amount of time we were on that fantastic cruise! In some ways, it seems like the cruise was ages ago. Strolling along the narrow streets in Bermuda, just the two of us, has been replaced with the four of us going to the county fair tonight. Enjoying drinks on the deck by the pool with the ocean surrounding us has now turned into trying out our new slushie maker last night with our excited eight year old. (The lime one is pretty good! Hmmm…I think Mom might need to add a little vodka to hers next time.) In other ways, I have felt like I was still there this past week as I was writing and recording all our wonderful memories in this trip report. I am so proud that I did this. Thanks to those who have read and to those who have commented along the way. I can’t believe I have over 2000 views! Wow!

 

Three out of our four postcards made it home to the kids a few days after we returned. The other one arrived a few days later. It turned out to be the same one we had already sent. (My husband picked out two in St. George’s and I picked out two in Hamilton. Funny how great minds think alike!!)

 

The cellular phone bill has arrived……$40 for the first four days. (Those were the short conversations, too!) Ugghhhh….what will next month’s bill bring? Those updates from the 8 year old about what happened on Big Brother were a little costly!! Ha ha….doesn’t matter. We got to talk to the girls. That’s what mattered.

 

We ate our Rum Cake the other night. Not as good as when you are actually eating it in Bermuda, but still mighty tasty!

 

We started watching the videos last night, and the pictures are ready to be picked up today. (I went to order them online and found out that you can have them done in a hour to be picked up at a location near you! Woo hoo….) So now, let the scrapbooking begin! Much easier said than done, as many of your out there know!!!

 

Bermuda is a beautiful place. I will always hold the memories of this trip close and dear to my heart. I hope to be back there again soon! The cruise was great, too. Definitely something I’d like to do again in the near future with our family. (And Mommy and Daddy trips are definitely in the works for the future, as well!)

 

Thanks again for reading….all good things must come to an end. I’ve enjoying writing it, and I’ve enjoyed reading each and every one of your comments. Thank you! Now I can put these cruise withdrawals behind me and get into Disney mode. Our family is going to the beach for three nights and then onto Disney for 5 nights at the end of August, before we go back to school….family tradition. Let the next trip report begin!!:) :)

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jackdis

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Nice TR! Still waiting to see what you and your DH look like. I know I saw all the guys that won the leg contest...now to figure out which one was yours. :D

 

ddoll- If you were looking at where Julie was, from the buffet area, he was standing all the way to the right in a maroon shirt. He was the first person up. I was sitting at the opposite end of the pool. They were closer to the ocean, if that makes sense.:)

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jackdis

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Just giving this a little bump so any other future Crown-ers can take a peak. I wish we could go once more before her final sail. The more I look into other cruises to Bermuda, the more I wish the St. George's and Hamilton sailling we did would continue!

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snickerscat

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Wonderful reveiw! My husband and I leave on Sept. 16th. It's our first cruise

and you helped us alot. My kids are much older-college and high school-

but I'll be calling them with verizone too. Thanks again and I'm getting

more excited as Sept approaches.

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jackdis

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Thanks, snickers....

 

I hope you have a wonderful trip! You must be so excited. I know I was in the weeks before we left. I just looked at all my pictures again yesterday of our trip. Bermuda is such a beautiful place! I can't wait to go back someday!

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  • 2 weeks later...
kruiser68

kruiser68

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Thank you, Jackdis, for your very informative review. My husband & I will be on the Crown in two short weeks (9/9), can't wait. Seeing that you are a fellow scrapbooker, did you happen to bring home the 'Dalies'? I'm wondering which days are formal dress for dinner, I 'LOVE' to dress up and I have heard conflicting stories as to whether there is one or two formal nights. Also, interested in what activities are offered on the ship during full days at sea. Would you be able to scan them? We too are staying in a 'cave' stateroom, as my husband also calls it, this cruise. It does make for a good nights sleep, you just need to be sure to set an alarm or you could sleep the next day away.

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jackdis

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HI Kruiser,

Thanks for the compliment! I am on vacation right now, so I'm trying to answer this from my memory. I think the two optional dress up nights were MOnday and Friday. (Definitely Monday, because we were at Le Bistro that night. NOt sure about the 2nd one though.)

 

So I can't scan any dailies for you, but there were definitely activities to choose from on the at sea days. There were things by the pool (contests and such), Bingo, art auction, trivia, margarita tasting, presentations, spa specials, and probably a lot more that I can't think of. I know that some people have posted their Dailies, but I can't remember where I saw them...maybe photobucket?

 

WE definitely had wake up calls set to awaken the sleepers in the cave. IT's amazing how you lose your sense of time in there. For our next cruise, we have booked a penthouse suite....should be different! But I have to say, we loved our trip, cabin/cave and all!!!!

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  • 1 month later...
smg53

smg53

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Wonderful review! You really brought the trip alive for me and answered lots of my questions. I'm sure I'll be referring to it numerous times over the next 3 weeks before we leave:) You really made my mouth water with your menu from the Pasta Cafe! That is the one specialty restaurant that we decided we HAVE to try!

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jackdis

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Thanks, SMG53. I can't wait to hear about your trip. You must be so excited. I remember being disappointed when it was over, except for the fact that we missed the girls so much!

 

Yummmm....you've got me in the mood for Pasta Cafe right now!!!:)

 

Wonderful review! You really brought the trip alive for me and answered lots of my questions. I'm sure I'll be referring to it numerous times over the next 3 weeks before we leave:) You really made my mouth water with your menu from the Pasta Cafe! That is the one specialty restaurant that we decided we HAVE to try!
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