figment9999

Great review, Thx for posting. We had gone on the Regal Sept 29; great cruise. One item you mentioned about the wine gave me a smile though. I'm usually a beer drinker, but on the last night I decided to order a glass of wine with dinner. I ordered a Pinot Noir, the waiter came back sorry we're out; so I ordered a different vineyard's, sorry out. OK ordered a Riesling, out. Ordered a Merlot , out. He advised at that point the wine steward offered to open a bottle of pinot noir; I declined and ordered a Grolsch; which they brought; and we all relaxed. We had a great cruise, sounds like Princess needs to get it's wine act together though.

We had anytime dining, ate in the dining rooms three times. We suggest not arriving when the rooms first open. Hundreds of folks at the same process stage simultaneously. The rooms open at different times; suggest you go after the room's been open for awhile.

I went thru 9/29. Scheduled for 2 arrived 13 was on ship 12:30; best ever. Getting off was great too. The difference was the ship not the port as far as I could tell; the other lines should study and copy.

We've taken NCL to Bermuda a number of times and love it. Two nights / three days in port (with casino open at night) gives you time to both enjoy the island and have time at sea.

NCL docks in the Dockyard allowing good access to: the islands major cities by ferry, to Horseshoe bay by shuttle, and to the Frog and Onion for a pint :)

One point; the shops in the dockyard close early, 4 or 5; so getting in at 6 allows you to go to a restaurant, etc. but not much else within walking distance.

On the bright side the Escape is a great ship so you'd have add'l time for things on deck like the ropes course, slides etc.

Personally I'd change to a sailing with more time in port; if I couldn't just enjoy.

Have a great cruise!

1. WRT the weather got to a website like AccuWeather & check out the map, Bermuda is off the coast of NC so judge from there. Also, if you use their app on your smart phone you can add locations (upper left of screen), like Hamilton, to see their forecasts. Check it out the weeks before you go to get a feel, also look at their 25 day forecast.

2. Forecasts are notoriously bad. We were in Bermuda on the May 6 sailing; if we listened to the forecasts we would not have gone to St Georges or Horseshoe Bay, both were great days.

3. Don't let shipboard "must do's" like the ropes course, slides, etc go till the trip home; stuff happens (weather, maintenance, etc.)

4. Stuff happens, shows get canceled, a waiter is bad, etc.; never let anything anoy you to the point it detracts from the sum of the cruise experience.

Hi when you took the first ferry out what time did you arrive in St George's

The trip was slow on our visit about an hour and a half. My understanding is that the current ferry will be replaced with a faster one when it comes on-line.

Overall the cruise was great. NCL staff was consistently great and the Escape a wonderful ship.

A couple of thoughts.

Embarkation hit a snag because of a Coast Guard drill and everything was pushed back a bit. We arrived at the pier early and were checked in by 10:30. Received our boarding group #8. They announced a Coast Guard drill was in progress and there would be delays in boarding. At some point they stopped allowing folks into the terminal to check in due to crowding. A little after noon they announced they were going to begin boarding. Unfortunately instead of using the PA system a NCL staff member shouted out boarding groups; so you had to get close enough to hear him. Pretty lame; a couple of thousand folks pushing in trying to get within earshot. Not pleasant. I think they called our group to board around 1:00.

We were on board, grabbing a champagne (UDP) around 2:00 . Went to Headliners to adjust our dining reservations. The Coast Guard drill pushed everything back though. Rooms were not ready as in the past, luggage not delivered until after the life boat drill @ 3:30. With muster completed, bags delivered and dining plans fixed all the "business items" were completed and we were able to start to relax.The ship pulled out a little past 4:00

The weather wasn't good Monday & Tuesday so we used the gym, shopped, and gambled. We saw the shows: After Midnight and For the Record; both were great.

Wednesday we were in Bermuda and decided to take the NCL free ferry to St Georges. A little confusion here since they did not advertise it on the ship or in the dailies. I grabbed an officer on the pier and he gave me a sheet with the schedule for our our visit (file attached); first ferry was 9:45 (later that the schedule posted on line). Also it took a while to find where the ferry would dock. We finally found it would dock just off the roadway feeding to the dockyard on the Heritage Wharf side (a different loc than the map indicated). Norwegian's free ferry to St Georges was a great benefit. Docked close to the ship it relieved all the hassle of getting ferry tix, etc. The schedule I attached was for our visit, recommend anyone visiting get one for their visit.

We always enjoy walking around St Georges; shopping and exploring. Stopped at the World Heritage Museum to learn a few historical facts, watched a video. We had lunch at the White Horse Inn. On the way back to take the last ferry to the Dockyard (5:30) we stopped into the newly renovated "The Warf" for a cool adult beverage. The place looked great. Worth noting that on the ferry back we chated with a couple that had rented a scooter to tour the island. Quite a few folks offered bandages for the road rash they both had gotten form that experience. Recommend you do not rent scooters.

Back at the Dockyard most of the shops were closed and we were hungry so we stopped a Frog & Onion for diner. Its a brew pub with excellent amber ale & porter. We ate there a number of times during our visit; Jerome on staff was great.

Thursday was time for a trip to Horseshoe Bay. We used the mini-buses to go to there and back; it costs $7 each way (replaced the shuttle from 2 years ago). We rented 2 lounges and an umbrella for $45 and relaxed. The water was comfortable, just under cool. Walked up the beach towards Warwick and marveled at the huge rocks & cliffs in the water. Noticed that the lifeguards had picked up the odd Portuguese man-o-war that was on the beach. No problem, in our experience they're always in the waters.

Friday was a dreary day so we shopped a bit in the Dockyard. Around the corner from the Frog and Onion is an Arts Center, local artists work, very well done and reasonable prices.We've always found a painting & craft work to take home.One last pint at the F&O and back on board.

Saturday turned out to be mild so up to the pool deck. Tried the ropes course, very nice; larger than the one on the Breakaway. The tube slide was a hoot; unfortunately the drop slides were down for maintenance. The ship was full but found 2 deck chairs without much trouble. The pool was small but not packed so we enjoyed it. Unfortunately no one was enforcing the "no one under 13 in the hot tub" rule. Appeared to me that a number of young mothers thought is was a day care option; I guess they thought we wouldn't let the kids drown so they dropped the kids in and drank/danced nearby. I got tired of telling the kids (4 to 8) not to splash so I left. I really wish NCL would enforce their rules.

We love Bermuda, this was our 5th NCL cruise to the island and we think they do a great job.

Bermuda is a pretty island, do some homework before you go and it'll cut down on confusion there.

This was our first time on the Escape, last three Bermuda visits were on the Breakaway. Although we missed the NY vibe on the Breakaway the Escape had some improvements. Our cabin steward Rose Marie was great; we particularly loved her towel animals.

One item worth noting was the Escape's wifi, it was great, better than Breakaway (or Anthem). I had received a 250 min wifi plan when I booked; I backed that up with a cruise package from AT&T. The package covered on ship as well as on Bermuda, for $100 it gave me 200MB data, unlimited talk and text. Best practice to minimize conflict on the iPhone was when using wifi turned off cellular data roaming. When using cellular turned off wifi.

Disembarking was pretty simple, I'd grabbed pink luggage tags in the atrium and that gave me an approx time to leave of 9:20. If I would have read the dailies I would have noted I could have had yellow tags based on Latitudes category with a 9:05 call. The line to get off was basically a tour of the whole deck front to back, no problem. I do think the NCL folks we past should have pulled a couple in their 80's off the line to the assisted exit; he was really struggling. We were off the ship, found our luggage, used a porter, and were on the street by 10:30, excellent. Just a point, Customs no longer require a declaration form unless you exceed allowances. This might be highlighted better in the disembark aid; I spent too much time trying to verify I didn't need the form.

Net-net the cruise was great, the Escape a great ship with an amazing staff. We look forward to our next voyage.

We like to stay close to the ship on the last day; normally an NCL ship. Snorkel Beach is usually part of the solution since it's adjacent to the ship & dockyard. We go for a swim, visit the Bermuda Arts Center (maybe buy a local painting ( reasonable$)), and just do some last minute shopping. Maybe a lat pint at the Frog & Onion. Because it's next to the ship; a good, no stress, choice. An alternate choice has been the "Famous Homes & Hideaways cruise" offered by NCL. It's three hours. Nice & informative; and since offered by the line the ship won't leave if there's a problem.

We've done the tour w Crystal twice, definitely recommend it.

Availability of shows requires some thought, so book ahead. Prioritize then book to accommodate activities in port. Once you lock these down you can schedule restaurants.

Don't let activities (like water slides, the rope course, etc.) that you want to do go till the last day, stuff happens (weather, maintenance).

Breakaway is a great ship, enjoy.

Great video. A really interesting perspective on the Dockyard we don't usually see.

I agree about the bikes. Been to Bermuda a number of times on cruises; each time we've met someone on the return that had an arm in a sling & road rash. Traffic, narrow twisting roads & wrong side driving; even the locals have seen an increase in accidents / fatalities in the last couple of years. Don't risk a lot for a little.

Bermuda is a pretty island, do some homework before you go and it'll cut down on confusion there. Ferrys are a good choice to get to Hamilton or St George. If time allows spend afternoon at Horseshoe Bay, very pretty; watch out for a deceptively strong sun, the tops of my feet got blistered. You can get transfers to the beach; it'll save you a long walk up/down the hill that a bus will result in. Make some time to visit the Bermuda Museum in the Dockyard, great place to see history. There's a brew pub in the dockyard, the Frog & Onion, excellent amber ale and large portions of good food. Around the corner is an Arts Center, local artist’s works, very well done and reasonable prices. If you visit St George, take the ferry. first timers I'd recommend a tour. If not you can book a carriage ride thru Bronco Stables, an hour is$100; Crystal does a nice job. Lunch at the White Horse Pub is great, eat on the porch, by the rail & feed The fish:) Since it's your first visit I don't recommend the AC, it'll take the whole day. If you do go pre-purchase grandstand seats; they'll keep you out of the sun. Also there's a trolley from the clocktower mall to the AC villiage quicker/easier than walking.

If time permits visit the Bermuda Museum in the Dockyard, great place to see history. There's a brew pub in the dockyard, the frog & onion, excellent amber ale. Around the corner is an Arts Center, local artists works, very well done and reasonable prices. Horseshoe bay is a beautiful beach, but if you need to "fit-in" a swim Snorkel Beach is just around the corner from the pier. St Georges is worth a visit; try a carriage ride (Bronco Stables takes reservations). The White Horse Pub is nice for lunch.

there's a free trolley that runs fro clock tower mall to the AC Villiage. When you face the mall go around to the left side, across the street from the anchors you'll see a sign for the event pick up.

recommend you get tickets for the AC beforehand on their site. We thought the grandstand was good. you can bring food & drink into the grandstand from villiage vendors. the pizza was good. As was the moet & chandon rose ice.

Just off the Breakaway. The ferry was great, no issues at all. Went to St Georges on Thursday; the ferry left on time at 9:00 AM. Returned via the 5:45 from St Georges; right on time. Thank You NCL :)

The Breakaway is home ported in the NY metro area and a good % of passengers are local. As a group we folk raised complaining to an art form. But if you're from here you understand it doesn't mean anything. Listen to a Giants or Yankees fan talk about their team; a constant stream of complains, but they will their season tickets to their children. Our norm is very different from say Baltimore, Atlanta, etc.

Read the negative reviews to learn things +/-; but if you read one that goes on & on, don't worry about it.

The Breakaway is a great ship, enjoy it.

The Bermuda Craft Narket & Bermuda Arts Centre are in the same building as the Frog and Onion. Both have great items.

We did a 5 hr island tour w Byways Tours, just great. Eight passenger vehicle so no crowding; Heidi is the granddaughter of a lighthouse keeper, and that family trade reached back quite aways (based on the plaque in the Gibbs LH); she had a wealth of insights to share

I've read the comments about the seats in numerous posts; but have sailed Breakaway three times and never found any issues. My view just go & enjoy the show. Book ahead, go early, get a good seat mid theater, and if you're one of the folks that finds the seat less comfortable let it go & just enjoy the entertainment. Never let trivial items distract you from enjoying your cruise.

when you go to the summary section you'll see individual tabs for each day of the cruise. your booked activities should show on the appropriate day.

We've been on the Anthem, Oasis, and Breakaway (and others); all are great ships with distinct personalities and +/-. If you program yourself to be "to be horribly disappointed" you will be. If you sail with an open mind it'll be a great cruise.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year:)