First Time Adult Cruiser and New to CC

[TomatoandBean]

Good afternoon,

 

I'm Will (the Bean half) traveling with my girlfriend, C (Tomato) on my first adult cruise in October on Norwegian Breakaway out of NYC (where we also live) to Bermuda. We've both been lurking around for reviews and any info we can find on our trip and cruising in general and have decided to join up and learn more. I've only been on a cruise and out of the country once back when I was 9 (Oceanic), so I'm looking forward to this trip quite a lot.

 

Any tips/advice are totally welcome. :)

[paul929207]

Welcome to cruise critic.

 

Some places to help you plan your trip:

 

Visit the NCL section. There you will find others who have/will sail NCL and can help with your questions.

 

Visit the Roll Call for your cruise. Here you will meet others sailing with you.

[cb at sea]

And, get a guidebook on your ports...it will really enhance your time ashore!

[TomatoandBean]

And this is Christine - the Tomato of the pair :D

 

I have been on 3 cruises - a Disney cruise in 2000, Carnival to Mexico/Belize/Caribbean in 2004, and Norwegian out of NYC to Canada/New England in 2009.

 

We are both crazy planners, so we are having a great time reading everything we can get our hands on and deciding which restaurants to hit, what shore excursions are worth it, where to curl up with a book and a glass of wine (ok, that one may be more my concern than his...haha!), and where to find the best trivia games. If anyone has any suggestions, particularly in Bermuda, we would love to hear them. We were thinking of renting scooters one day and getting around to see all the historic stuff, beach one day, and a Segway tour the last day.

 

Thanks all!

[Mollydog5]

How do I get guide books? So very new.

[cruiserking]

Welcome to Cruise Critic TomatoandBean.

 

For our upcoming Bermuda cruise after an lengthy search I booked my wife and I on a tour with http://www.bermudafootsteps.com/

 

Heidi has received numerous rave reviews here on Cruise Critic and on http://www.tripadvisor.com as well.

 

We are really looking forward to discovering more of this beautiful island with Heidi and her dog Buddy.

 

You will be in Bermuda for two full days and change. I always book with the cruise line but, as the ship is in port for an extended visit I thought I would switch it up.

 

Whatever you choose for Bermuda try and book your excursions soon. I contacted Heidi back in May for our upcoming cruise and she was almost sold out for the tour we wanted.

 

Another great site with pictures, menus and daily programs is:

 

http://www.beyondships.com. Here you will find dozens of ships including the Breakaway.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

 

Jonathan

Edited August 5, 2015 by cruiserking

[cruiserking]

How do I get guide books? So very new.

 

You can find guide books at the book store or in your local library in the Travel Section.

 

Jonathan

[Sauer-kraut]

3 days in Bermuda and you can do it all on your own. Buy a transport pass for the 3 days it covers the ferries and the buses, go to the beaches, the maritime museum, the Swizzle Inn.... and the list goes on!

 

Check out the PORTS OF CALL board for Bermuda as well as coming on over to the Norwegian boards ....there are a lot of reviews on the Breakaway!!

 

Have a great time :D

[rakuroda]

Good afternoon,

 

I'm Will (the Bean half) traveling with my girlfriend, C (Tomato) on my first adult cruise in October on Norwegian Breakaway out of NYC (where we also live) to Bermuda. We've both been lurking around for reviews and any info we can find on our trip and cruising in general and have decided to join up and learn more. I've only been on a cruise and out of the country once back when I was 9 (Oceanic), so I'm looking forward to this trip quite a lot.

 

Any tips/advice are totally welcome. :)

 

Aloha TomatoandBean/Christine & Will :D

 

I'm surprised nobody suggested you read the Ports of Call thread for Bermuda at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=196 Also, use the search tool near the top of each page.

 

Aloha, Randy :):D:):D

Edited August 5, 2015 by rakuroda

[Cruisin' Chick]

How do I get guide books? So very new.

 

Whenever we decide to book a trip, I will go to the library and borrow guide books for the area we're going to. If there's a book or two that I like, I'll try to buy the latest edition. Nowadays that will mean an online store like Amazon, but there's a tiny bookstore in my area that tends to have older books (maybe a year or two which still may be good). Not a great selection, but sometimes I'll find something I can use. The closest Barnes and Noble is now a distance from me, but they do sell books online. Not going to take a library book on a trip as they charge a lot if the book gets damaged or lost.

[editor@cruisecritic]

Welcome to you both!

 

Thought I'd weigh in and recommend you take a look at our review of Norwegian Breakaway (in the editorial section of the site -- there's lots of other stories on Norwegian, Breakaway and Bermuda). I was the last person on the team to update this review; sailed last Sepember on the ship. Had a blast.

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor in Chief

Cruise Critic

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=642

 

 

Good afternoon,

 

I'm Will (the Bean half) traveling with my girlfriend, C (Tomato) on my first adult cruise in October on Norwegian Breakaway out of NYC (where we also live) to Bermuda. We've both been lurking around for reviews and any info we can find on our trip and cruising in general and have decided to join up and learn more. I've only been on a cruise and out of the country once back when I was 9 (Oceanic), so I'm looking forward to this trip quite a lot.

 

Any tips/advice are totally welcome. :)

[Flatbush Flyer]

Get downloadable versions of guidebooks that are "stand alone" apps. Rick Steves has many of his guides now in app form. However, I don't think he does Caribbean or anything near there

[TomatoandBean]

Thanks for the input everyone! We are certainly doing lots of reading on the CC Boards about Bermuda and the ship, and we will check out some guidebooks and see what they have to say. We also decided against renting scooters on the island, after reading so many horror stories about traffic and dramatic wipeouts...we will leaving the driving to the professionals! Anything that you would consider a "can't miss" experience for a first time (adult) cruiser like Bean here?

 

~Christine (Tomato)

[George C]

The ferry is a great way to see the mansions on the coast and also to go from Hamilton to St George etc. We also enjoyed a carriage ride around Hamilton. Tripadvisor is good to review restaurants in the area also. Bermuda is a beautiful island.

[Seago2]

Definitely visit the ports of call section and also post on your roll call. Are you going 10/11? I'm on that cruise. The ports of call board has answered a few questions for me-

[navybankerteacher]

Do not spend too much time at Dockyard (where your ship moors) - it is really just a large tourist trap. You might want to have lunch at the Frog and Onion Pub there - best hamburgers on the island. In Hamilton, the Hogpenny, on a side street half a block up from Front Street is a fun and reasonable place to eat.

 

While most people on cruises go to the south shore beaches, I would recommend Fort St. Catherine's beach at St. George (by ferry or bus), for great swimming as the bay is somewhat sheltered.

 

Finally, if you want a special meal, Tom Moore's Tavern is worth checking out one evening - reservations required.

 

If you are experienced on motor scooters/motorcycles, I would recommend renting them for your entire stay - best way to get around without wasting time waiting for buses/ferries - but not a goid idea for amateurs to try to cope with left hand driving on unfamiliar equipment.