NH Cruisers

I have been to Bermuda 5 times on cruises. I have yet to see a lot that place has to offer. Plus the places I have seen... I would love to see them again. Bermuda is a place I personally could visit yearly and not get bored. Breakaway has a lot to offer too. I really enjoy the two sea days in a row, very much less hurried feeling than on a 5 day cruise. NCL actually won me over from RCCL due to the fact they have so much choice in Bermuda 7 day cruises. HAL has 4 days in Hamilton, that too is awesome, but the ship is much smaller and subdued than a NCL ship. I like HAL, but I can enjoy myself in a suite for only a little more money than a balcony room on HAL's Veendam. Anthem is quire the ship, but 5 day cruise? That's a tease!!!

67 days! Dawn to Bermuda!!!

 

3. FARTS: here's a hint (and you probably know this, being in Med School) but the best cure for motion sickness (ship or car, or plane) is to fixate on the horizon. The main cause of the nauseated feeling is a disconnect between what your eyes are seeing, and what your inner-ear perceives. You feel like you're moving, but your eyes see everything near you as being stationary. Fix on the horizon & your eyes will SEE the same movement your balance is identifying...and your stomach will mind it's own business.

 

 

 

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Do blind folks ever get sea sick?

While I agree to a point with the horizon thing you speak of, I don't think it is the main cause. If I fall asleep in the back seat of a car with my mother-in-law driving, I get severe motion sickness. In the front seat I don't, i don't know whats up with that. I am sleeping and not looking around.

Some folks I know of actually have actually gotten seasick prior to even getting on the ship, just thinking about it. Now they do them dramamine patches behind the ear a day or two prior to the cruise.

All I can say is, I am super happy I am not prone to seasickness. That feeling I get in the backseat of a car with my mother-in-law driving will ruin any fun and good times I could possibly have.

By sailing inside I can take 3 times as many cruises. For me the adventure is going to see new places all over the world. I sleep, shave and shower in my cabin, do everything else in other places on or off the ship .

If I had the time to take 3 cruises a year in an inside instead of one every year or so in a suite, I would maybe book an inside. But I have a very busy work schedule and with life in general... 3 cruises a year does not work out. But one cruise a year does work out, I spare nothing and get the most for what I am willing to spend. I have been blessed to be able to cruise in suites 4 times in a row including a Sept. 8th cruise to Bermuda. Just as folks with a balcony tend to spend more time in their stateroom, I spend a lot more time in my suites. I usually have a get together with the family with food catered in by the Butler. Good times!!!

Just curious. What demographic is willing to pay extra for these restaurants and are they really worth it? We live in a metropolitan area with tons of nice restaurants, including steakhouses, hibachi, Brazilian BBQ, and French restaurants. Wondering if they would be worth it for us since its something we also have access to at home. It the food in the main dining rooms that bad?

I am middle class and prefer the specialties. I live near a small seaport New Hampshire city, Portsmouth. We have a lot of nice restaurants, in the 10's not 100's. Seafood, italian and gourmet burgers are the specialty in the area. Lots of micro-brew pubs.

I personally like the specialties and feel they are worth the expense for the ambiance and food choices that I prefer over the MDR. Less crowded and usually a higher level of service. Plus the fees are less than mainland restaurants. The few Brazillian Restaurants between Portsmouth and Boston I have been to were no better than Moderno, I actually feel Moderno has the best salad bar. Less expensive at $20 compared to $30 on land. I don't pay extra for the most part, I get them as a perk, maybe pay for one or two nights. My visit to the MDR is pork chop night, the waiters get me a plate with nothing but six of those thin cut chops. I am in Heaven when I eat them. I head up to the buffet later and grab another plate there. Really I am not a glutinous pig, just resemble one that night.

To bad the specialties kitchens are not featured on any Behind the Scene tours I know of.

The Veendam out of Boston docks in Hamilton. That's a thought.

I booked a Lanai Stateroom on the Veendam a year or so ago. 4 days, 3 full nights in Hamiton. Was really looking forward to it. Was forced to cancel due to a work conflict. Bummer!!! Now, currently it is as expensive to sail in a HAL Lanai stateroom to Bermuda as a Penthouse Suite on NCL Dawn. NCL for me!

Sixty Eight Days!!!

Getting excited for Sept. 8th to be aboard the Dawn. If the weather is not cooperating... the loungers in the spa will be an excellent place to be during sail away. Great idea you had!

I believe the room service fees are waved if you sail in a Full-Suite (not a Mini-Suite). A TOP to the delivery person is still in order though.

I cannot add to the NCL vs Carnival discussion, but I have been on the Norwegian Dawn and found it to be a good ship and would sail again on her if the opportunity arises. It does not have all of the entertainment options available due to the smaller size, but I prefer the smaller ships over the crowds on the bigger ships and find the smaller ships much more enjoyable and personable. There is still plenty of fun on the Norwegian Dawn and the pool area seems as large as the bigger ships. There are also plenty of restaurant selections for me on the Dawn.

 

Alan

The Titanic with half the space as the Dawn must have felt overwhelmingly small and boring due to lack of non stop activities.

Any way Dawn is the way to go. Book a suite!

The hydrotherapy pool is a giant jacuzzi. Hot, bubbly water. Very relaxing after being out in the heat.

 

Wet sauna, dry sauna, and steam rooms are hot. Salt bath is like warm.

 

The lounge area is cool. You can lay on the hot stone loungers, which are warm. The rest are nice padded loungers.

Breakaway has two unheated stone loungers too, they feel pretty cool to the touch. I laid on it for a while wondering why it wasn't getting warm. It was just unheated, wished at the time they would have clearly labeled it.

Last time to Bermuda there was a bar and miniature golf a short walk from the ship. It was open till well after dark and into the night. Frog and Onion was busy too. there are night excursions too. It is nice to walk around the Dockyard at night. It feels relatively safe and the ships look beautiful all lit up.

Bermuda is my favorite port for this reason, staying a couple nights.

I would prefer to be docked in Hamilton, but the ship is much to large for that.

Siddy nine!

I don't understand why there is a fee for showing guests the kitchen and behind the theaters.

The same reason Cagney's is a extra fee restaurant. If it were free, folks would complain about not being able to go on it do to 800 or more people wanting to do it because it's free. If you want to do it enough, you'll pay to do it. If it is just a fleeting interest, you won't. Like Cagney's, most folks on the ship would like to eat there at some point during the cruise. Only those willing to pay extra or get it as a perk will visit. It is a good thing they have a fee tacked on. Less competion to see and eat where you want.

That's too bad. :( Have you considered eHarmony?

Burn!!!

Hi NH Cruiser,

 

Hi to you and Patty! We are on the week after you and would like to know who is on! Hope Alain is on! He is one of my favorites!

I hope he is on too! Last time we cruised on the Dawn he was. Very good to hear from you. Would have been a blast to be cruising the same week. Our cruises to tend to be at the same time the past few years.

Our dinner with Alain ,and you too, is a high point that we still speak of today. That Osso Bucco in La Cucina was perfect.

I'm new to cruising, but I would think that while the number of people on a ship wouldn't fluctuate greatly, the number of children might depending on the time of year.

Certainly true, NYC departures for "Jersey Week" in November have a lot of kids as passengers.

Last cruise was on the Breakaway. I had a great time. I was a suite guest in the Haven. While that was great... I prefer the non Haven suites on the Dawn. I personally feel the service is more personal. No Haven on Dawn, but they do have a spa area. I am a Dawn fan I guess and am biased. But the Breakaway is a big beautiful ship with a lot of activities available. I did not see any reason for complaints. NCL delivers a great product at a reasonable price IMO. The Breakaway is no exception.

you can't replicate vip services. One of the best perks of being in a suite.

like!!!

My last 3 cruises have been in suite. I loved them all. I do prefer non Haven on the Dawn to Haven on the Breakaway, but I would still sail in an inside stateroom with no regrets or problems if it was all I could afford. Cruises are what you make of them. The ship to me is the destination. If I were to book an inside, I would spend more time in the public areas or in the Spa.

Who needs a dozen pieces of bacon?

I will easily eat 2 pounds. Bacon is my weakness, but I will still maintain or even lose weight on a cruise.

I have sailed in the Haven on the newer NCL ships (Epic, Escape, Getaway) and have looked hard at Royal's suites.

 

We've enjoyed our Haven experiences on the three ships we've been on. As an FYI, ranking the Havens, the Epic is the best followed by the Escape and then the Getaway. Ship-wise, we enjoyed the Escape the most. We are going back on the Escape in February. Before then, we are trying out our first non-Haven experience in a suite on the Dawn.

Have sailed a few times on the Dawn in suites, once on the Breakaway in a Haven Suite. I actually prefer the Dawn with no Haven. The Courtyard Haven area and lounge was way underutilized. No one ever there except for the first day and last day of cruise. We hung out there one afternoon, we were the only ones there. Relaxing... but not the most fun.

When I sailed in non Haven on the Dawn we were treated more so like royalty. Much more personal service. The Suites restaurant is not a dedicated one, at the time it was in Cagney's at breakfast and lunch (now in Moderno). It was great. Our concierge visited us every morning and talked with us. On Breakaway we saw the concierge only the last day of our cruise, though we see his assistants daily at the concierge desk. On Dawn we had a velvet roped off area that suite guest could use to see all the shows in the main theater. By the way, the Dawns theater is IMO much nicer than Breakaway.

Any one know the werebouts of concierge John D'Sousa?

Any clue Who may be Staffing the Dawn on September 8th Cruise? I know... it is still 75 days away.

I have seen the duvet covers in laundry bags on more than one occasion. I would imagine it is no more unclean than any good hotel room.