Another Breakaway Review (Sept 1-8, 2013)

[qvenedandan]

Good morning everyone! Happy Friday!

 

Horseshoe Bay

It was our first time visiting Bermuda, so our first stop was Horseshoe Bay. We walked off the ship on first day at port around 9am without any waiting in line. Stopped by the Transportation Center purchasing 2 booklets of tickets (15 tickets per booklet, $30 for adult booklet, $7.50 for student booklet). We decided not to purchase day passes because we won't hop to multiple locations each day.

 

There's "Special" bus (Dockyard <--> Horseshoe Bay). The ride took around 20 minutes, and there was a five minute walk from the bus stop to the beach. By the time we arrived, the beach was not packed at all, so we got a pretty good, partially shaded area to settle down.

 

Horseshoe Bay is beautiful, smooth sand, clear water. For the main beach, it was a bit "wavy" as it's openly facing the ocean. There's also a little cove area where kids can walk along the cliffs and see fishes up close.

 

We spent 6 hours in Horseshoe Bay, and we enjoyed every moments of it.

 

Regards,

Mandy

[qvenedandan]

Tobacco Bay

 

On our second day in port, we visited St. George's and snorkeled in Tobacco Bay (several of my colleagues highly recommend to go there for novice snorkeling). Since the ferry service between Dockyard and St. George's is not as frequent, lots of people made sure that they could get on the first ferry departing at 9:30am. The ferry ride lasted approximately 40 minutes each way.

 

It was quite a walk from the ferry pier to Tobacco Bay (combined with uphill slope). We purchased some drinks on the way (a local deli, similar pricing to New York, like $1.25 for a 20-oz soda), and made a "pit-stop" at the Unfinished Church.

 

By the time we arrive Tobacco Bay, it was raining (scattered showers with occasionally lightnings spotted from afar). We waited for 20 minutes before hitting into the water.

 

Comparing to Horseshoe Bay, Tobacco Bay is much smaller with rough sand (we "ouch-ed" our way walking into the water :rolleyes:). Also, there's no washing facility like Horseshoe Bay, just a place to change your clothing, and two water faucets for you to wash sand of your feet.

 

Since it's surrounded by cliffs, the water is extremely calm. Both my tweens learned how to snorkel that day, and they loved it!

 

Wished we could stay longer, but we aimed to catch the 3:30pm ferry back to Dockyard.

Regards,

Mandy

 

[qvenedandan]

Fort Hamilton

 

On the last port day, we decided to visit Bermuda's capital. We walked through several streets getting some souvenir gifts, then we headed to Fort Hamilton. There are several forts in various spots of Bermuda, and we gotta visit one, right?

 

The views from Fort Hamilton are breathtaking! The fort looks like a garden itself. The only "downside" is that there's minimal shading areas. (Actually it's my fault of not wearing my hat that day...)

 

Regards,

Mandy

[francina]

Thanks for the great review. I wouldn't realize English wasn't your first language if you didn't say anything. I am not currently book for the Breakaway, but hope during their next Dash or kids sail free.

[qvenedandan]

Thanks for the great review. I wouldn't realize English wasn't your first language if you didn't say anything. I am not currently book for the Breakaway, but hope during their next Dash or kids sail free.

 

Thansk Francina! I need to be a better planner in order to get the Dash or Kids Sail Free promotions. Both my work schedule and my kids' school schedule leave us no options but traveling during peak seasons. :(

 

Regards,

Mandy

[jdvmd]

Glad to see another positive review! Thanks!

[qvenedandan]

You are more than welcomed, jdvmd!

 

Don't think my review is 100% positive though. ;) There are some areas in which I wish NCL would keep what they used to have/offer. Guess I just can't get the best of both worlds (mega ship vs. smaller ship). Nevertheless, my family had a great time and enjoyed the trip cruising Norwegian Breakaway. :)

[sbwmail]

Great review Mandy! ...really enjoyed reading it! We were on the same sailing, attended the CC meet and mingle and had a wonderful week.

[bingo3]

Thanks again for a great review and much information to help the rest of us!!

 

And I had no clue what a "melvin" was and been in US all my life! We call it a "wedgie" down here, LOL! So, I would not have understood the joke either!

 

And, I would be more inclined to buy photos with Kids involved too! I still think they would sell more if they offered more choices and lower pricing.

Debbie

[mresend]

Great Review, always nice to hear how other peoples cruises went

[qvenedandan]

Happy Friday everyone!

 

sbwmail: Glad to hear you had a wonderful week also! :) Unfortunately I could only participate the M&G (then gotta ran back up to Aqua Park checking out my kids). Did you participate other CC activities like cabin crawl and such?

 

Debbie: Somehow I feel like left out when my colleagues talk about classic TV shows or movies, well, can't be talking all the time, right? :rolleyes:

 

M%M's: Guess I have just replied to your other thread inquiring about photos.

 

Have a great weekend,

Mandy

[sbwmail]

Yes! The cabin crawl was a lot of fun with quite a variety of different types, from the singles to the suites - all beautiful! That gift exchange was fun too!

[Plainmom]

Thank you for this thread. Hubby and I will be on the breakaway next week. I am so excited