bermudafan8

I miss the MDR lobster also. For us it was a special vacation meal, not something we would have at home at the local restaurants. The cruise lines are really pushing passengers to use and pay for the specialty restaurants. If there was still lobster in the MDRs they probably wouldn't make as much money that night in the specialties. However, so many people eat at those places on the other nights that you'd think they could have lobster in the main dining room for one night and the cruise line wouldn't lose money. How long until we have to pay to use the main dining rooms?

Dolphins -

We did the Roatan Dolphin swim and snorkel last year and highly recommend it. The setting could not be more beautiful. You walk into the water from a sandy beach instead of standing on a platform, which many of the other dolphin experiences have. We opted for the swim & snorkel - you do the usual meet and greet with your dolphin in a small group, have your pics taken and then get your snorkel gear and swim with the pod for about 30 minutes. Really great! There are lockers and changing rooms & they provide the snorkel gear. We reserved this as a shore excursion thru the ship - took a van thru the city to Anthony's Key Resort.

Ruins -

-Tulum is a beautiful setting, with stairs to access the beach (this was not always the case). However, expect LOTS of people touring the heavily excavated ruins. Opt for the little wagon ride to the entrance due to the heat / humidity.

-Chacchoben (Mexico) & Lamanai (Belize) are not as excavated. We really enjoyed Lamanai last year - walking thru the tropical forest with it's huge palm canopy and howler monkeys howling. It's been about 5 years since Chacchoben so I suppose it may be more excavated as well.

-Xunantunich (Belize) Really enjoyed this but it seems the cruise lines don't visit here any more.

Whatever you select I'm sure you'll enjoy!:)

The shuttle was $16 roundtrip per person / they can point you to the boarding area - next to the line of taxis - just off the pier. When purchasing the tix we were told the shuttle would leave when it was half full at dockyard, but it left with just the 2 of us within 5 minutes. When departing Horseshoe, several shuttles were leaving so we boarded and departed immediately.

Also, if you want your passport stamped, go to the Customs House (40 Front Street) (water side) in Hamilton for the free stamp. You can also do this in St. Georges but I don't remember where.

We took the shuttle on Thursday sometime in the afternoon. It was like a large mini van, maybe seating 15 passengers? We departed HB at maybe 5:30.

We didn't spend much time in dockyard to notice how the shuttle situation was any other day or time, but we found it convenient and fast.

On Friday we took the wildcat jet boat that completely circled Bermuda and stopped at St. Georges for around 1 & 1/2 hours - very nice! We were back early enough that we had time to go thru the maritime museum before we had to reboard the BA. That was better than staying in dockyard on Friday.

We were amazed at how the dockyard area has built up in the 10 years since we were last there. Lots more shops, water sports and restaurants etc. When we were there 10 years ago, our cruise ship (Majesty) docked in St Georges. I remember taking the ferry from Hamilton to Dockyard and we were practically the only people on it. It also wasn't a straight shot - it stopped at little docks along the way. There wasn't much in the Dockyard area at the time but we wanted to see it anyway. We also had some type of coupon from the cruise line for eating ashore - Bermuda was considered very expensive for meals so we either purchased the coupon or ncl gave it to us to allow people to eat in a selection of restaurants on land and not have to pay a ridiculous price. How times have changed!

We sailed on the Breakaway to Bermuda Aug. 10 - 17, 2014.

We took the shuttle bus to Horseshoe - buy your ticket at a stand just off the pier between the Breakaway and whatever other cruise ship is docked. Tickets are sold until 2pm and the last shuttle leaves the dockyard at 3. We were told at the ticket stand that we might have to wait for awhile for the shuttle to become half full before it would make a run to Horseshoe. We walked over to the shuttle - we waited less than 5 minutes to depart even though it was just me and the hubby - the driver said she didn't want us to have to wait any longer. It was a fun ride to Horseshoe on the small curvy road, past colorful homes, churches, small harbors full of boats etc.

Didn't have to wait at all for a shuttle back - there was 1 boarding and we left right away. Drivers were friendly. Would use this service again if we were going to Horseshoe.

The Wednesday night street fest in Hamilton is on Front Street, right by the water. The Gombey dancers will parade down the street and various tables are set up selling food and products. I suggest taking the ferry back to dockyard afterwards because Hamilton looks pretty all lit up at night, with the lights reflecting on the water etc.

I would also suggest visiting St. Georges and doing an island tour if it's your first trip there. Definitely get out of dockyard and see the real Bermuda. Do a sunset sail and also the wildcat jetboat around the islands.

Enjoy!

We were on the Breakaway last week - Bermuda cruise -

Our balcony cabin deck 12, port side - cabin size and storage fine, balcony width fine but depth was too small. Smallest balcony we've ever had

Food - we were disappointed with the quality. Also disappointed with the blah decor in the buffet and main dining rooms. The specialty places had great decor - NCL knows how to decorate a ship, so why not make the included restaurants also look nice?

Crowds - the only place we felt crowded was during the muster drill. We feel they really did a good job managing the crowds. All ships are crowded in certain areas (outside theaters etc after shows, last morning buffet), the sun deck chairs were really packed but we don't usually hang out on the sun decks

If you like to walk laps on an open deck with ocean views, you are out of luck on this ship. On deck 8 you can walk both sides and in the back to see the ship's wake, but the sides are not good for walking because it's just a narrow area with most of the deck being used for the 'waterfront restaurants', and the lifeboats are perched off the ship between decks 7 & 8, completely blocking ocean views on 7 and providing not clear views on deck 8 (unlike all the other ships I've been on). Also no deck chairs on 7 or 8. A few (very few) seating areas on 8 and you can sit at the waterfront chairs / tables when those restaurants are closed but it's not the same as relaxing on a deck lounge chair listening to the ocean. Also sometimes there are LOUD bar patrons during the day using the waterfront bars. Deck 7 outside has shuffleboard and nothing else - the lifeboats block the ocean view - there actually is room for a few deck chairs near the back end of each side but there are none.

I just feel since this is a cruise ship, there should be a designated deck where you can sit and relax instead of being bombarded with the inside hubbub - but NCL has taken this away.

I think NCL has forgotten that they are a CRUISE LINE not a land resort, and are trying to get passengers away from the water (free areas) - passengers who are doing laps etc are not buying drinks etc.

If you want a quiet area, good luck. Lots of loud music in public areas (we love music, we are musicians, but please NCL, get ride of Fire and Ice in the Atrium....).

Our balcony was small but there wasn't good deck space where you could see and hear the ocean - I suppose if you are sitting on your balcony you are not spending extra money - so NCL made the balconies small so people will go to other areas and end up spending extra money.

We would not sail on the Breakaway again unless it was the only option for our selected destination or time frame. We like hearing, seeing, and walking by the water on the sailing days and NCL has eliminated that from this ship. We signed up for a cruise, not a land resort.

Thank you for the info!

Has anyone done the Mini Jeep adventure thru NCL in Costa Maya recently?

If so, can you describe the jeep ride area, the beach area, the views, the excursion in general?

We are having trouble deciding which excursion to do on Costa Maya.

Thanks in advance for your input!!!

I have also posted this under the Costa Maya port board.

bermudafan8

Has anyone done the Mini Jeep adventure thru NCL in Costa Maya recently?

If so, can you describe the jeep ride area, the beach area, the views, the excursion in general?

We are having trouble deciding which excursion to do on Costa Maya.

Thanks in advance for your input!!!

bermudafan8

Great! Thank you for the info!

Thank you for the info!

:confused:

Just wondering if anyone has done the Dolphin swim and snorkel at Anthony's thru NCL recently.

I am getting conflicting information and am hoping fellow CC members can help. I have posted this on the port site as well.

Here are a few questions...

-Are cameras allowed during either portion of this excursion?

-Are guests allowed to wear sun protection such as hats and sunglasses?

-If so, is there an opportunity to put the hats / sunglasses on dry land before the snorkel portion?

-Is there an area to lock up purses etc? and if so, how large are the lockers etc?

-Is there an area for changing into dry clothes after the excursion?

-Is there an optional photo cd for purchase afterwards?

-Should surfshoes be worn during the first portion of the excursion? is the beach rocky etc.

Thank you in advance...

bermudafan8

:confused:

Just wondering if anyone has done the Dolphin swim and snorkel at Anthony's thru NCL recently.

I am getting conflicting information and am hoping fellow CC members can help.

Here are a few questions...

-Are cameras allowed during either portion of this excursion?

-Are guests allowed to wear sun protection such as hats and sunglasses?

-If so, is there an opportunity to put the hats / sunglasses on dry land before the snorkel portion?

-Is there an area to lock up purses etc? and if so, how large are the lockers etc?

-Is there an area for changing into dry clothes after the excursion?

-Is there an optional photo cd for purchase afterwards?

-Should surfshoes be worn during the first portion of the excursion? is the beach rocky etc.

Thank you in advance...

bermudafan8

How about any song from the group Od Tapo Imi - midwestern steel drum band that has opened for Jimmy Buffett and has performed on a couple cruise ships. Great music. Their name stands for "Oil Drums That Are Pounded Out Into Musical Instruments". Love their CD "Instant Vacation."