NCL bermuda or bahamas with teens in summer...

[kkttc]

thinking about a summer 2012 cruise on ncl from either boston or nyc to celebrate our 20th anniversary with the kids, 2 boys 16 and 13, 1 girl 11 in July.

 

thinking either boston to bermuda on ncl dawn or nyc to bahamas. having a tough time deciding what would be more interesting and fun for the kids, they have never cruised but my wife and i have on rccl and carnival.

 

any suggestions? if bahamas, gem or jewel? i seem to recall reading that gem has the bowling and rock climbing but jewel doesnt?

 

comments on bermuda for teens?

 

any comments on dawn vs gem/jewel for teens? kids clubs?

 

thanks...long time planner but havent been able to pull the trigger on booking!

[Essiesmom]

Just from an economic perspective, I would go for the Bahamas. Kids are always hungry, and unless you head back to the ship every time they want something to eat, you are going to spend a fortune on food in Bermuda. A burger, fries and coke for two was $42! And there are six of you...With the sjip in port in Bermuda for several days, you are going to be doing a lot of eating on shore...EM

[Pikaia]

We've taken a few "traditional" cruises with a different port each day, and we're taking our second Bermuda cruise this summer. We loved docking for three days in Bermuda. We got a chance to really move around the country and see several attractions. Public transportation is easy to use and cheap, many interesting places are cheap or free, and you can book excursions privately if desired.

 

With a family of five, I'd strongly consider Bermuda over the Bahamas just to control excursion & transportation prices. However, the point the previous poster made about food is well-taken. We ate big breakfasts on the ship and made efforts to seek out inexpensive food for lunch, like stopping in at a grocery store to buy lunch at the salad bar. We also brought some pre-packaged food ashore (allowed as long as it is still sealed) for those of us with food allergies. Finally, we returned to the ship for dinner before deciding whether to go out again in the evening. During our port days we ate only one restaurant meal, at the Swizzle Inn, which was actually pretty reasonably priced.

 

My kids are younger, but I know there's plenty for teens to do in Bermuda. Check out Hartley's Helmet Dive and Jessie James snorkeling for starters. The caves would also be of interest. I'd probably skip the zoo/aquarium with kids that age. And of course there are many beaches worth visiting.

 

And BTW, unless you're much closer to Boston, you might want to compare prices on the Star (sister to the Dawn) out of NYC. Sometimes the NYC fare is a little cheaper, and the ship sailing out of NYC seems to fill slower than the one sailing out of Boston. However, parking at the pier is cheaper in Boston.