BeachMartini

We are sailing in 12006 and 12008 Friday. Hoping for fog free Windows!

Yup, since we booked an interior cabin we got the UBP and that's all we're getting in the suite.

Just a word of caution, we booked with an outside agent and also got insurance with her. I happened to let her know that we did an upsell and she was thankful that I told her, because we needed to add onto our insurance policy. We would not of been covered if we had sailed and not done this.

Thanks everyone for the tips!

I am looking forward to a cocktail party with the captain! Do people usually dress up for this? Any clue which night it is on this sailing?

Thanks, all! Great info.

So if we are exhausted after a day of fun in Bermuda, we can order dinner to our suite? Will the butler have copies of the MDR menus? No fee for MDR delivery?

I understand they will bring you drinks... assuming you pay for those and they won't be covered by the UBP?

I read somewhere that there is a preference sheet you can fill out and send to NCL before you cruise. Any idea where I can find that?

And, dare I ask... what are the odds of getting some bottled water? ;)

And yes, we will of course tip our butler and concierge.

So beyond excited! We sail next Friday on the Dawn to Bermuda and initially booked a mid-ship interior room, traveling with another couple who is next door to us.

I called the Upsell department 3 times - and this last time was the charm! We were upgraded to an SJ Family Suite for $250 per person, cabin 12008. Our friends are right next door. I think this is a great deal! We keep our UBP promo but don't get any of the others unfortunately.

I haven't traveled in a suite since the 90s when Mom and Dad paid for it, so not sure what to expect! Has anyone sailed in one of these suites that can provide some useful info? Tips, tricks, etc? What do I do with a butler? :) Is the food in Cagneys for breakfast and lunch better than the buffet? What time can we board? (What time should we get there?)

Seriously dancing around the house I'm so excited. Not telling hubby until we arrive at the pier!!

That's not the menu I posted. It's a photo on my phone, let me try again.

Here you go!

Another live report said no karaoke on the ship :mad:

Thanks! Hadn't checked the photo bucket in a bit. Dawn is looking great!

Menu is not nearly as extensive as the Escape but the breakfast is a nice addition.

A member of a Facebook group I belong to who is currently on board said that O'Sheehan's has the same menu as the Blue Lagoon did. Was so disappointed to hear this as we were looking forward to trying some of the larger menu that the O'Sheehan's have on other ships. Especially breakfast in a new location.

Maybe this is just a first run thing? I'm hoping that the menu will change before we sail at the end of July.

The same pool towels :eek:

Picture showing is not of Black Falcon area but is of the dry dock area they have been in the past two or three weeks.

The ship is definitely in Boston. I saw a live broadcast on Facebook of her pulling around Castle Island.

 

Day 2, Monday

First ferry to St. Georges

Taxi to Tobacco Bay (when the men get restless they can explore the Fort!)

**This is where I have some trouble. We want to get to the beach before it fills up but also want time to explore St. Georges. We plan to head to The Original Swizzle, just not sure if we should walk (will be hot!) or taxi to St. George first before we taxi to Swizzle**

Lunch at Swizzle Inn

Taxi (or bus?) to Hamilton

Shop/explore Hamilton

Ferry back to Dockyard

 

Hi all again, I'm hoping someone can help us with our second day plans to go to St. George's and then onto Hamilton.

We are planning to take the earliest ferry from the dockyard over to St. George. I'm nervous that Tobacco Bay will fill up so I want to get there as soon as we can. We will be there at the end of July so it will be hot, I was planning to have our group of four take a quick cab to the beach from the ferry.

After we're done with the beach, I'm not quite sure what to do. We want to eventually end up in Hamilton to walk around, do some shopping and then take the ferry back to the ship. My friend wants to have lunch at the original Swizzle Inn on the way. We went to the South Shore location last year. Is it much different or is it kind of like you see one you've seen them both?

I'm asking because I'm not sure if we are better off having lunch and walking around the town of St. George instead before heading to Hamilton. If we do go to the Swizzle, I'm not sure how to time it. We will be running to get to the beach as quickly as possible in the morning so we won't see much of the town. Should we head back into the town of St. George before heading towards Hamilton or should we just go right there? Is there a lot to see in town? It's been many many years since I have been in St. George when it wasn't a Sunday.

If we do decide to hang out in St. George instead of going to the Swizzle, what's the best way to get out to Hamilton? Take the bus? How much would a cab be?

Thanks!

Hi all, I'm hoping you can help me out with a recommendation for a digital camera. I know nothing about photography except to point and shoot!

For the most part I take pictures with my phone, and while they come out decent enough, they pale in comparison to those of friends with SLR cameras. I've avoided buying one those because I know nothing about photography, they're bulky/have lots of pieces and parts, and expensive.

Of course I'm not expecting a small camera will be able to give me the same quality, I'm wondering if there's anything out there that might be closer than my phone.

Criteria:

Small enough to fit in an average size purse or tote

Waterproof (snorkeling and beach, not diving)

Have an image viewer

Hopefully under $300

We will primarily be using this when we go away on vacation. We have looked at the go Pro but the only one with the viewer is very expensive. I know there a lot of action cameras out there now, not sure if we need to go this route or not.

I hope I'm being clear, haven't had my coffee yet! Would appreciate any feedback. Thank you so much!

Hopefully it's a few steps up from Salsa that was once located where either Moderno or Blue Lagoon is now (don't remember which side) but it was awful back in 2006.

"The cruise company will sponsor two catamarans from Dockyard to St George’s as part of the package."

 

I wonder how this will work. The ferry to St. George from the dockyards isn't expensive, so I'm not sure how good of a perk this is.

The St. George's ferry does not run from the Dockyard on Sundays. It would be great if this new service could run passengers from the Dawn to St. George on the weekend.

We love the Old Town Boston Trolley Tour - you can hop on and hop off at several points of interest and the narration is excellent - even as a local we always learn something new! Great way to see the entire city!

We do!

The number one reason is that we live in Boston, and being able to take the T or an Uber to vacation is amazing. The second you walk on the ship and get a drink in your hand, vacation has started and you haven't had to get on a plane.

We like the size of the ship. We never feel rushed or crowded and we love being greeted by name and a smile when we sit down at Gatsby's (to be fair we go there a lot ;) )We have never had any issues finding a lounge chair by the pool or the surrounding area.

Bermuda is amazing! The water is so many different shades of blue. Three days in port and coming and going off the ship at your leisure cannot be beat. We love the British influence, and the locals are so polite and friendly. And then there are the beautiful beaches!

We also really like that we have two days coming back from Bermuda at sea (as opposed to Breakaway having the two days on the way down). It seems to make the trip feel longer, like there is still some vacation to be had even after we leave gorgeous Bermuda.

If you are looking for lots of bells and whistles this isn't the ship for you. That's not to say that the Dawn doesn't have fabulous entertainment and activities (trivia, music, DJs, games, comedy, Broadway-style shows). But if things like waterslides, rope courses, etc. mean that much to you, the Dawn doesn't fit the bill.

If your idea of a good vacation is relaxing in the sun, reading a good book, enjoying a few cocktails, trying lots of different restaurants, seeing a show or two, and exploring a beautiful island (just to name some of the fun) then you won't be disappointed!

How does a slot pull work?

We will be heading back to Bermuda on a shiny and fresh Dawn in July.

We don't arrive in BDA until 1pm now, so we want to get off the ship ASAP and hop a cab or shuttle to the beach.

Arriving in BDA is definitely a spectacular sight. I'm thinking we will watch from the promenade instead of on the top deck.

Does anyone have any tips or pointers on how we can quickly disembark and try to beat the chaos at the pier? The Dawn in particular?

And no, we can't upgrade to a suite and get priority disembarkment :)

Thanks!

Go to Port Bermuda Webcam dot com for a live look @ Heritage Wharf, portside to the terminal building (starboard facing into the harbor) ... local time is one hour ahead of EDT (3:45 PM in New York & 4:45 PM locally in Bermuda). Folks returning to the ship - early bird dinner :p

 

Summit will be arriving tomorrow using King's Wharf, ferries & especially buses will be packed - it will be our turn to sail the BA in about 3 weeks :D

What kind of camera did you use? GoPro? Which model? Looks great!

Thank you!

Hi all,

Hoping the BDA pros might want to comment on our plan for late July on the NCL Dawn. I have a couple of questions too. Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Two couples in our mid-30s, did this cruise last summer, for me and my husband, out 4th trip.

Day 1, Sunday, arrive ~1pm

Taxi to and from HSB (25% surcharge Sunday but want to maximize time)

Have a few off ship drinks in the Dockyard after dinner on ship

Day 2, Monday

First ferry to St. Georges

Taxi to Tobacco Bay (when the men get restless they can explore the Fort!)

**This is where I have some trouble. We want to get to the beach before it fills up but also want time to explore St. Georges. We plan to head to The Original Swizzle, just not sure if we should walk (will be hot!) or taxi to St. George first before we taxi to Swizzle**

Lunch at Swizzle Inn

Taxi (or bus?) to Hamilton

Shop/explore Hamilton

Ferry back to Dockyard

Day 3

Taxi to Somerset Bridge Watersports

9:45 am-1:45pm Boston Whaler rental

Taxi back to Dockyard

Afternoon tea at Dockyard Pastry Shop/shopping at Dockyard

All aboard by 5pm

Thoughts? Thank you!

I choose Princess any day over NCL.

What a super informative post. Did you come here just to tell us this?

Has anyone tried this restaurant? Marcus Samuelsson is one of our favorite chefs and we are considering going to dinner here one night.

Just curious if anyone has any feedback. Menu looks small and we are wondering if it would be worth it after a full day at the beach. We'd have to get back to the ship, clean up, then hop a ferry to Hamilton and walk to the hotel. Taxi would be our only option back. I'm thinking it's more trouble than it's worth.

OK, so I may have already talked myself out of it :rolleyes: