OceanBlue123
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Posts posted by OceanBlue123
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Orchid Garden's Banana Pancakes w/ Coconut Ice Cream is the most amazing dessert on the ship.
I would say the classic Creme Brulee in Le Bistro is the best dessert.
Second would be the aforementioned Banana Pancakes from Orchid Garden.
Third is the Cheesecake/Brownie at O'Sheehans.
In a class by itself though, is the make your own version of dessert available at the buffet. The variety of ingredients makes the selection endless. My favorite is to get a bowl, add a muffin or biscuit, add a generous scoop of the strawberry topping, followed by a scoop of whipped cream. It is what cruising is all about.
And speaking of buffet "secrets" ...
Want a nice latte in the morning but feel charging for specialty coffee is just wrong on a cruise ship? Then grab your prefered size empty glass from any bar and head to the buffet. Fill it about 90% of the way to the top rim with ice. Next fill about 70% with coffee (this is where the ridiculously strong coffee on NCL actually shines -- it is almost like adding espresso and will not get overly diluted by the melting ice). Now fill to the top with half & half. Finally add one Equal packet or, if it is during breakfast hours, use maple syrup instead. Best latte I have been able to find at sea. And did I mention it is free? :D
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On the last afternoon at sea there was a crew talent show in the theatre. This was fun to watch. At the end of the show the Cruise Director's staff performed Fountains. If you have never seen Fountains performed live you simply must make it a priority to be there. This is a performance, like that of the Magician, that is best seen from the center of the front row. Remember, these things are always best the very first time you see it, so do yourself a favor and do not ask anyone about the show beforehand, other than to confirm the time of its performance.
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Get the UDP. Not only do you get to eat at all the pay restaurants, you also get to order the upcharge items, like lobster, for free! And you can go to more than one restaurant per night. Twice I had the Schezuan Lobster at Orchid Garden at 5:30, then saw the show, then had Filet Mignon at Cagney's at 9pm. Without the UDP those 2 nights would have been $55 each.
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You can bring your food into the La Cucina restaurant during the Breakfast and Lunch buffets. Less crowded and more quiet than the regular buffet seating.
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thanks for letting us know, how was he as CD or was your lack of saying the answer?
Gio was good. At first I was a little disappointed, but as the trip progressed I liked him more and more. Maybe it just took me a little while to get used to his Costa Rican accent? Or maybe I held a grude after he welcomed us all aboard the Norwegian Spirit at the first night's show? :D Overall I would say he was better than average, but not the best.
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Anyone know if you need water shoes at megans beach?
No water shoes needed. Nice sand and calm water. A very beautiful beach. Great for swimming, but not great for snorkeling.
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I was also on this last sailing of the Gem. The Tortola dock looked a very long way from finished, so we tendered.
Just saw in the CC Tortola section that a Carnival ship did dock in Tortola a few days before we tendered!? I do not know how as the dock did not look too good to me, but maybe the dock will actually be ready soon?
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Bowling was a rather pricey $9 per game, although they occasionally ran 2 for 1 offers. Times and offers were always listed in the Daily.
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There is a bridge viewing room on deck 11. I think it might be port side.
Correct, deck 11 port side. All the way forward, of course. :D
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Just got off the Gem today and our CD was Gio. He said it was his first cruise on the Gem after coming over from the Spirit.
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Did the ship dock at the pier in Tortola or did you tender? Thanks Carol
I was also on this last sailing of the Gem. The Tortola dock looked a very long way from finished, so we tendered.
We had the UDP and our dining was glorious. I am not a fan of Freestyle dining as the MDR often disappoints with waits to get in, slow service and reptitive menus. The UDP made all the difference. I highly recommend it.
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Just spoke with the Manhattan cruise terminal staff. Coupon states 9 day cruises on the gem thru 4/24. However they will honor it for the 10 day cruises on the gem for the same time period. So that means our cruise leaving this Friday is included. CANT WAIT!!!
Thank you so much. Just printed the coupon.
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So I just found out that in the 4 years since I've been to Bermuda there is now a mini golf course. At the dockyard! Does anyone know the price? The course looks really cool.
It is cool.
On the Bermuda forum there are a couple of "Fun Golf" threads you should look for.
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I would be very interested to see the dailies too!
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June 7th is before most kids are out of school, so the overcrowding that Breakaway is known for should be less of an issue. Definitely get the UDP dinning plan to bring the food level closer to Celebrity.
To enjoy the Breakaway you have to appreciate all the extra things that more passengers allow a cruise ship to provide (like more dining and entertainment choices, livelier parties), and overlook the problems that the extra people cause (less pool and deck space per capita, standing room only venues, altering schedules to avoid crowds). In short, my teenagers preferred the Breakaway because it offered more things to do. My wife and I prefer traditional cruising and liked the Summit.
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This thread is creeping me out.
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I'm on the ship now in St. Thomas and the rock wall is closed. I would think that by summer it would be opened
That is dissapointing, but thank you for the update.
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Yes, was there earlier this month and Grand Pacific is open for lunch on embarkation until about 2.
Wonderful, thank you!
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The main dining room (Grand Pacific) is open during embarkation. The buffet becomes extremely crowded (especially with everyones carry-ons).
Since it has been a few years since the above was posted, does anyone know if the main dining room is still open for lunch on embarkation day?
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On the Breakaway especially, try to take advantage of the time docked in Bermuda to enjoy the ship's ropes course and water slides. Those annoyingly long lines on sea days usually disappear when docked!
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This past summer we had a good time taking the train to Daniel's Head Beach and Paddle Boarding there. Here are a couple of threads giving more details:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2086719
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Three years ago there was free wi-fi in the Bermuda National Library on Queen Street in Hamilton (and in the adjacent park), but I don't know if it still is free since TBi finished wiring the island in 2012.
From the Bermuda National Library's website:
Internet
There are 5 Internet terminals available for public use. Please enquire at the Circulation desk about reserving time to use any one of these internet terninals. Customers do not have to be members to use the Internet. The rules are posted on the bulletin board next to the Circulation desk. All machines print at a cost of 25 cents per copy. Free unsecured wireless internet access is also available.
http://www.bnl.bm/adult/adult-services/
It is in Hamilton rather than the Dockyard, but at least there should be one place in Bermuda still offering free WiFi.
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Even in the summer there are not many people there. Maybe your business would be very important to them?
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We had a good time paddle boarding at this place in August.
We rented the paddle boards from this guy:
http://www.surfsupbermuda.com/contact-us-1.html
And had some of these hot dogs:
https://www.facebook.com/bermudasuds
I think it was the cook who was the keeper of the bathroom keys and free wi-fi password. Off-season I definitely recommend contacting them first. It seemed to be an informal operation.
Booking free dining
in Norwegian Cruise Line
Posted
Just off a 10 day cruise on the Gem with the UDP, so my answers are not Breakaway specific, but ...
You can get a Filet Mignon / Tenderloin in Cagney's ($30), LeBistro ($20), and Moderno ($25). I cannot remember the last time I saw one offered in an NCL MDR. :( All 3 restaurants appeared to serve equally excellent cuts of meat. Moderno's is off the skewer, but when I asked for something rarer -- on the Gem Moderno's served the beef medium-well, while on Breakaway 2 years ago Moderno's was serving it very rare -- our goucho soon brought a plate with a beautifully cooked rare Filet on it. That was a wonderful surprise and we took advantage of the custom order option once more before the cruise was over. Cagney's gives you a wide selection of toppings and sauces to choose from. Of course, plain is also an option. LeBistro served it only with a nice peppercorn sauce.
So, for a Filet/Tenderloin, Le Bistro at $20 is your best value, while Cagney's gives you the most options, but all 3 can give you a great piece of meat.
Moderno's also offered 2 sirloin choices, and with their serving style you get to try all their meats side by side on your same plate. Both sirloins were good, but sirloins just don't compare to a filet/tenderloin for me.
Cagney's offers a Ribeye off the normal $30 menu. LeBistro has a 32 ounce Ribeye for 2 that costs an extra $10 for each of the 2 people it serves, so that effectively makes it also $30 per person. We found Cagney's a bit dry and LeBistro's a bit fatty. In other words, good, but not great. The filet/tenderloins were great.
Cagney's also offers a very nice NY Strip and a Bison steak. I never would have risked a $30 upcharge dinner on Bison but with the UDP I figured it was worth a try. It was another wonderful surprise. Not quite as nice to my taste as their NY Strip, but pretty close and well worth it.
Is there anything you wanted to know about the lobster options? :D