Are you ready for a really long Dawn report?

[ThatBrunette]

I spoke to a woman in one of the St. George shops and she looked at me funny when I said I wanted to go to Alexandria Battery. "Why would you want to go there?" She told me there was a shuttle but it doesn't always remember to pick people up. Since this was the last day at sea, I opted for a bit of shopping and going back early.;)

[ThatBrunette]

During our dinner there, a rather old man in his robe walked right through the middle of the dining room and he was wearing......FLIP FLOPS!!!!!!!!

 

Yes, but did you like MY flip flops!?!?

[bahama2]

loved your review. Thanks.:)

[andychris]

thanks for your review!! Sounds like you had a great time.

One question: What is/where is sea glass beach in bermuda?? My kids collect sea glass, I am sure that they would love to go there.

Thanks

[ZoneHPH]

Yes, but did you like MY flip flops!?!?

 

hey, thatbrunette...your motherinlaw was really nice. and she's making you a wig! that's so sweet! was nice meeting you both!

[boobooka]

Thanks for the info on the aft cabins, I did mean BA not AB. Already changed my cabin to 10730 - Aft. We just love the bigger balcony.

[CaptainChoppers]

We will be on the Dawn on 7/27 in an AB Balcony. Did you have a refrigerator in your cabin? Also, you mentioned fruit delivered to your room every day. Did you have any daily snacks delivered to you as well?

Thanks for your help! :)

[Cruzin2paradise09]

Hey Lorie! Wonderful review! Wish I could have cruised with you again - I know the CC'ers you met are very lucky to have met you and hung out with you!

 

Glad you had a good time. Thanks for sharing!

[catlady461]

We were in that same room(10230) on the Dawn 5/11 cruise and loved it even though we didn't get to use in while at sea due to the bad weather.

 

Glad to hear about your AMTRAK experience since we are planning on taking AMTRAK Cleveland to NY Penn Station on February 3rd for the Gem cruise on February 4th.

 

Any details you could give me about the train would be appreciated.

 

What time did you arrive to the train station and did you take the AM train direct to NY?

[eyesofbrown]

Yes, but did you like MY flip flops!?!?

 

You had GORGEOUS flip flops. :p

[lil buddy]

Great read......We will be on the Dawn ,again, in August and

I'll think of you with every sip of my various drinks.

Thanks for such a great report.

[coka]

Great review!

coka

[chrisbd1]

What type of a view did you have from the EconoLodge in NYC?

[musicgirl63]

We will be on the Dawn on 7/27 in an AB Balcony. Did you have a refrigerator in your cabin? Also, you mentioned fruit delivered to your room every day. Did you have any daily snacks delivered to you as well?

Thanks for your help! :)

 

I'm not sure if BA and AB are getting confused here. We were in BA, 10230. We did have some fruit delivered on request from the form left in the room. I asked for one of each. I really didn't each much, the pear was awesome. They didn't automatically replenish it so I guess you are suppose to ask.

 

No snacks delivered daily as we were just in a balcony cat.

[musicgirl63]

We were in that same room(10230) on the Dawn 5/11 cruise and loved it even though we didn't get to use in while at sea due to the bad weather.

 

Glad to hear about your AMTRAK experience since we are planning on taking AMTRAK Cleveland to NY Penn Station on February 3rd for the Gem cruise on February 4th.

 

Any details you could give me about the train would be appreciated.

 

What time did you arrive to the train station and did you take the AM train direct to NY?

 

 

Cleveland to NY was 6:05 am to around 8pm due to it being delayed right at the end. We arrived around 5am to check in and get tickets (we already had them reserved). There was virtually no one there.

 

NY to Cleveland was 3:45pm to 4am We checked the baggage around noon. It will be right next to where you claimed your baggage on the way to NYC.

 

The trains do not go directly to NYC. There are tons of stops. There is only 1 train that goes each day.

 

The train was packed. You will be given a seat assignment upon entering the train. You are not guaranteed to sit next to your party. As we got closer to NY, more seats opened up and we were able to have our own seats for the last 2-3 hours.

 

Most of the seats have outlets, but not all.

 

Plenty of room for carry ons.

 

As I mentioned, there is a "fast food" restaurant. You can bring your own food and drink and have it in your seat. There is also 1 car that has around 8 tables booth style. People eat there or play games there. There are also outlets here and many used computers to work or play movies.

 

Some cars were very cold. On the way, ours was cold so I made sure to have long pants and a sweatshirt for the way home. Of course the way home our cabin was warmish.

 

It was even more packed on the way home. Everyone shared seats. I ended up trying to sleep in the fast food car/game/computer table room. My family had played seat tag and the girl who was with my dh ended up taking over his seat. It was ok, she would have given it back up in a heart beat. DS was in the entertainment room talking to his girlfriend so dh came and sat with me as I cried over the passports. Of course ds got tired and the other girl was fast asleep so I gave up my seat to my son and went up to the tables and tried to sleep.

 

If you are given any choice on the way home, stay away from the bathrooms and the doors that lead to the other cars. They are extremely noisy, even in the evening when people are trying to sleep.

[musicgirl63]

What type of a view did you have from the EconoLodge in NYC?

 

We were on the 5th corner room. We could see the Grease marque and a bunch of others. It was fun to watch the people as well. When it started to rain, the umbrellas sales went up!!!

 

DH is working on the pics. I think he has around 2000 to go through if not more. As soon as he is done, I'll post the pictures.

[twinky53]

What an awesome review, musicgirl! I kept coming back to it while I worked today.

 

We did the 9 Beaches Beach Break. It was a gorgeous day and we liked several of the beaches at the resort. They are small, but my husband got some snorkeling in and I just watched the fish around my toes and fingers. It seemed like a nice resort and we may try it one day down the road - but I did think the cottages were rather smaller than they looked in the brochure, but the people we spoke with there were very nice and welcoming. A guy we met in a shop in Hamilton said it had a very good reputation.

 

It did help that it was such a beautiful day - the best of the three we had in Bermuda.

 

Thanks again for your fantastic review - I loved it and it made me feel like I was there again! :)

[musicgirl63]

Few more details. I know I rambled pretty well earlies and I forgot some things.

 

The scooter story I mentioned earlier. On our last day in Bermuda, this guy who is at least 60 if not older is getting on a scooter for the first time. Think little kid learning how to ride a 2 wheeler. As he takes off just in front of us, he yells, "Heaven help me". If that was his prayer, we needed to pray louder and more often!!

 

As I was sitting waiting for the clocktower mall to open, I see the same guy drive past. The entire side of his leg (ankle to knee) is a complete mass of red. Later I was behind his wife who mentioned her husband's accident. I talked to a guy who rides motorcycles and had rented scooters 5 years ago. He said he would under no condition rent scooters in Bermuda these days.

 

The clocktower mall doesn't open until 10am....ish. It depends on when they open the doors. The ship customer service said 9 or 9:30. There is not a sign that notes the opening time. The glass works and the rum cake factory open around 8am.

 

Also not noted very well, the shops at the Clocktower mall were open until 8pm when a ship was in port at the Dockyard. There was a big sign that said this. No opening time, but a closing time. With as much research as I had done, I never stumbled on this. I had heard that they would be open until 6 instead of 5, so perhaps this was even more of a bonus.

 

Not many people buying things in Bermuda, it is just too expensive.

 

I also had heard the there was a late night party at Hammerheads at Snorkel Park on one of the nights. I don't know if this was an every night occurrence while ships are in port or not. But nothing was advertised. I heard about it from my ds who was watching all the people coming in at 3am. It sounds like they had a good time based on his description of their walking and talking ability!!!

 

I'm guessing that with more ships docking at the Dockyard, that Bermuda is adjusting some of its policies (ie the ship's casino will be open late at night....not now, but sometime in the near future.) They need to get the info out in a better way than just on a banner or word of mouth. They need to hand out info sheets so that visitors know where to go in the evenings. NCL didn't seem to have all their ducks in a row in sharing correct information.

[Bobbye]

We checked 7 bags and had 5 carry ons.

 

I enjoyed your review, thanks for sharing. But I will admit to going to the beginning about 4 or 5 times rereading how many bags and carry-ons you took. And I yell at dh for all his stuff ;D He's a real rookie!

[chrisbd1]

We were on the 5th corner room. We could see the Grease marque and a bunch of others. It was fun to watch the people as well. When it started to rain, the umbrellas sales went up!!!

 

DH is working on the pics. I think he has around 2000 to go through if not more. As soon as he is done, I'll post the pictures.

Thanks for the info :)

 

I'm, still, looking for an inexpensive hotel in NYC fo November, is why I asked. I don't mind staying in Econo-Lodges. We stayed in one in Ft Lauderdale that fit our needs, quite right nice :) I'm just trying to find something that's near most stuff in NYC and has some sort of cityview.

[flashdog_1]

Thanks for your fun review. I could go for a mojito tasting! We won't be on Dawn until January so probably everything will have changed by then, but I've noted some stuff.

 

What do you get with a spa pass? Is it a super dooper T pool with strong jets? Or is it just an indoor pool with whirlpool tubs separate? What was the cost, please? I haven't seen any photos of it, so I await yours.

 

I'm amazed that you were able to walk into the dining rooms without a wait. What times did you go at night? Oh, Bermuda, maybe lots of people were eating on land. It was a nightmare on Majesty to Bermuda in April (the wait).

 

Glad you were able to recover your passports!

[Maryfrei]

Loved your review, thanks!:)

[debshomespun]

Lorie: Great Review. We just booked the Dawn for 5-17-09 to celebrate my 50th birthday. How were the seas to and from Bermuda? I know it is hit or miss, and they can be flat or rough at any given time. I have to research Bermuda to see what all there is to do. We love the beaches. I have lots of time now.

 

What part of Columbus are you in? Our DD lives in Dublin. She just got married 6-14. I am hoping we can find a decent deal on Air Tran from Akron/Canton Airport into Laguardia. They have non-stop flights there. Don't think I could take the looonnnnggg Amtrack ride. Like I said, I have lots of research to do for this trip. We are planning on arriving a few days early to enjoy NYC along w/DH brother & wife. :)

 

Glad you had a wonderful time. A cruise is a great way to celebrate an anniversary! ;)

[musicgirl63]

Thanks for the info :)

 

I'm, still, looking for an inexpensive hotel in NYC fo November, is why I asked. I don't mind staying in Econo-Lodges. We stayed in one in Ft Lauderdale that fit our needs, quite right nice :) I'm just trying to find something that's near most stuff in NYC and has some sort of cityview.

 

Well it was certainly right in the middle of everything!!! We were only a few blocks from Grand Central Station. It was tons cheaper than anything else around. It was tons smaller too! I'm not complaining, the room was fine and served it's purpose. We slept, showered and stored our luggage!!!

 

DH was the one to "complain" about the noise. Actually it wasn't really complaining, it had turned into a bit of a joke.

[musicgirl63]

Thanks for your fun review. I could go for a mojito tasting! We won't be on Dawn until January so probably everything will have changed by then, but I've noted some stuff.

 

What do you get with a spa pass? Is it a super dooper T pool with strong jets? Or is it just an indoor pool with whirlpool tubs separate? What was the cost, please? I haven't seen any photos of it, so I await yours.

 

I'm amazed that you were able to walk into the dining rooms without a wait. What times did you go at night? Oh, Bermuda, maybe lots of people were eating on land. It was a nightmare on Majesty to Bermuda in April (the wait).

 

Glad you were able to recover your passports!

 

The spa pool ranges from 3-4 feet and is a lap pool, rectangle shape. There are no jets or anything. The hot tub and jacuzzi are in the same room, but are separate and pretty large. This room also has lounge chairs in front of the large windows and has an area with fruit, water, teas, juice (free) Dh said there were some japanese style "baths" in the sauna area for the men. I guess one bath is hot and one is cold. I really don't know if there is one in the women's sauna area. I never went in there!!!

 

When I asked dh if he had the pics ready, he just gave me the look......:rolleyes:

 

The cost was $75 for one or $140 for a couple for the week. You could also get a day pass for $20. I think the week pass is better because you don't feel like you have to "get your money's worth in a day". We only stayed for 30-45 minutes each time. Some days we used it more than once.

 

Since there were only 3 of us, sometimes only 2 we never waited for the dining rooms. We normally tried to go around 5:30-6:30. There was no walking into the specialty restaurants and hoping for an opening.

 

Less crowded while in port...no. I think most people actually came back to the ship for dinner and then some would go back into Bermuda afterwards. Eating dinner in Bermuda is around $50 per person. I've already paid for my dinner and I'm not paying another $100-150 for my family to eat in Bermuda!!

 

I am patiently awaiting the arrival of the passports!! I'll feel better when all is in my hands!!!