Saturday, June 5 and Sunday, June 6
Saturday was our last full day on the magnificent Norwegian Dawn and we spent the full day at sea cruising back to New York. We made a point of just relaxing and enjoying our last day on the cruise so we did not get involved in many activities. We mainly walked around, took pictures and just relaxed by the pool listening to the steel drum band.
The important thing that we had to do on the last day is to pack our bags, put on our luggage tags and set the luggage outside our stateroom door. NCL disembarks by a colored luggage tag system and each color has an approximate time that it will be disembarking the ship. Basically 6 colors with 2 color tags departing every 20 minutes with the first time approximately 9:00 am and the final 2 colors at 10:00 am. The colors are so you know where your luggage will be in the baggage claim area. In our case we had lime green and we were the 10:00 am time. You are able to select your preferred color/time that meets your schedule.
We were in no hurry to disembark so we selected 10:00 am. We get our tags, fill them out, place them on the handles of our luggage, pack them up and set them outside our room. They also provide us a U.S. Customs Declaration form that we have to declare any items that we purchased while on board or in Bermuda. Basically just a couple gifts so nothing major for us to list. As a U.S. Citizen, you are permitted $800 per person of purchases to be brought into the USA without paying taxes on them. Anything over $800 and you pay a duty/tax on them. (Different regulations when it comes to limits on alcohol and tobacco but we did not have any to worry about those regulations).
Sunday
7:30 am
We are asked to be out of our staterooms by 9:00 am so they can start getting them ready for the passengers arriving this afternoon for the next cruise. Breakfast is being served until 9:00 am in the Garden Cafe but first we head out to deck #13 to watch us pull into port. Since our luggage has already been moved on Saturday night all we have is our carry-on bags which we are using backpacks so our hands are free. The captain and his crew dock the ship perfectly even though we have our doubts as to how he is going to steer this big ship into that slip. Pretty interesting to watch.
8:20 am
Now that we are docked and waiting for immigration and customs to clear the ship for disembarkation, we have nothing better to do than to go eat! Food selection is not limited and they have the same spread that they have had all week long. We have a 12 hour train ride ahead and seeing as food is not real cheap on the train, we eat a good breakfast.
** With over a dozen restaurants to choose from on the Norwegian Dawn, one can eat at just about any time of the day or as much as they want. And eat we did! Too much to account for as we ate probably 25 ice cream cones each! That's just the ice cream that we remember! We must have eaten 4 or 5 times each day because the food was just great and we had to taste different things all the time.
On May 30 they loaded me as a passenger but on June 6 they unload me as cargo!!!
9:00 am
We grab some iced tea along with a deck of cards and head to the pool deck to relax. We play some cards and leisurely wait our turn to disembark.
10:00 am
When it is our turn, we proceed to the gangway and swipe our room card one last time to exit the ship. We then pull out our passports and the U.S. Customs declaration form and get in line for customs. When we get in the terminal there is a backup before we get to the customs area. This is due to the fact that there were 2 other cruise ships; Carnival Glory and Holland America Veendam, at the pier with us. The port authority just does not have enough manpower to handle all 3 vessels at the same time. However, the wait is not very long and we make our way downstairs and find our luggage in the proper color coded area.
After clearing customs, we proceed outside and climb in a taxi to take us to New York Penn Station to catch the train. We arrive at the train station and head inside.
10:40 am
Even though we have about 5 hours until our train departs, tAmtrak takes our bags and checks them in for the train. Thus again we are left with just our backpacks. Very nice!
Note: Even with the delay in customs, it only takes 40 minutes to exit the ship, claim our luggage, clear customs, find a taxi, get to the train station and check our bags. Only 40 minutes total for all of that. We are pretty impressed. (To get from the pier to the NYC airports is about 40 minutes alone).
11:00 am
We have some time to waste so we go catch a sightseeing tour of downtown Manhattan. The tour is on one of the two level open air buses and takes about 2 hours. We are treated to picture stops at many of the better known sites in town and we are happy we did this tour.
1:20 pm
We still have just over 2 hours before our train is scheduled to depart. We walk around the train station and find a TGI Friday's restaurant and grab some food. Double the price of what we pay at our local TGI Friday's; welcome to NYC!
3:00 pm
We find the station has filled up considerably now. We try to find out which track number our train will be departing from but Amtrak does not give that out until it is posted on the schedule board in the center of the station. The track number posts when boarding is available, about 15 minutes before departure. Once you see it posted you then have to navigate your way downstairs under the station to one of the fifteen or so tracks at this large station. Not a tough process but can become a bit nervous trying to make sure you are in the correct spot as you only have 15 minutes maximum to get to the right escalator and get downstairs to the correct track.
3:35 pm
We have no problems and are among the first group to board thus giving us our choice of seating as seats are not preassigned. Sorry to those who sit around me and listen to me snoring all night!!!
3:45 pm
Prompt again is Amtrak and we pull out of the station. Good bye New York, we hope to come back and visit again soon!!!
Quick Recap:
1 day and 1 night on Amtrak trains
1 night in Times Square hotel
7 nights on a beautiful cruise ship
1 ocean view stateroom
Watching dolphins playing outside our stateroom window
1 island tour of Bermuda
1 catamaran sailing trip and snorkel
1 round trip transfer to one of the gorgeous beaches
Shopping in Bermuda
Tasting free samples of rum cakes in Bermuda
25 ice cream cones each (give or take a couple)
4 gourmet meals in the main dining rooms
1 excellent meal in the alternate (cover charge) restaurant
Too many meals in the buffet and 24 hour restaurant to list
1 extremely patchy sunburn while laying poolside
2 comedy shows
2 Las Vegas style entertainment shows
Multiple nights listening to live music
1 hour of Cha Cha Cha dancing lessons
3 movies on the big screen cinema
Several games of shuffleboard
Many walks on the deck taking in the sights and the sounds of Bermuda
Many nights spent watching the sunset over the ocean
These are just a handful of the many activities that are offered on a cruise like NCL's Norwegian Dawn to Bermuda. Even though there are many more activities to do, you can do as little or as much as you want.
On behalf of Palmer Travel, we hope you have enjoyed reading this blog and following us on this awesome cruise to Bermuda. Hopefully you are ready for your own cruise vacation now. Call or email Palmer Travel today to plan your own cruise to your own paradise!!
Don't forget to check out all of our pictures over on www.facebook.com/palmertravel
Thanks for coming along!
Todd and Jackie Langenek.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Blog at Sea: Friday, June 4
Friday, June 4
3rd and final day in Bermuda
9:00 am
Up and at it so we can eat breakfast before we hit the beach. We hit the buffet for the usual scrambled eggs, bacon, corned beef hash, etc.
10:15 am
Meet the bus driver for our excursion to the beach. This time we have a small mini-bus and 18 of us load up for the 25 minute ride to Horseshoe Bay. The beach is surrounded by coral and rock formations that make up the shape of a horseshoe. This is one of the more popular beaches in Bermuda and has full facilities. Cold drinks, food, showers, restrooms, changing stalls, and even beach chair and umbrella rentals were there at our disposal.
We pick a location about ½ way down the beach, spread out our towels, spray on some sunscreen and jump, err slowly creep, into the 78 degree water. We swim for about 20 or 30 minutes and then lay out to get some sun.
1:15 pm
Time to hit the showers and wash the sand away so we can get changed for the bus. We have to meet the bus at 1:45 pm so we can make it back to the ship before it departs at 5:00 pm.
1:45 pm
The bus makes a stop back at the Clock Tower Mall located at King's Wharf just down the street from the cruise ship so we can get in some last minute shopping.
3:00 pm
We are back on the Dawn and getting ready to sail for home. Well New York but then the train ride to Cleveland followed by the car ride to home.
3:30 pm
Note to self: don't wear sunglasses at the beach unless you like the white circles around your eyes.
4:30 pm
We grab a bite to eat before we watch the ship depart the beautiful island of Bermuda.
5:00 pm
We are delayed from departing as a passenger needs medical attention and we have to wait for an ambulance. This is the 2nd time on this cruise that we are delayed from departure due to a passenger needing medical attention. The first one was in New York and delayed us approximately 30 minutes.
5:25 pm
We watch as the lines are untied and the engines come alive. Within minutes we are cruising along sailing up the coast of the island. It was interesting how quickly the water changed from the bright, turquoise color to a darker, bluer color once we left the tip of the island. Many passengers are on deck to get some last pictures of beautiful Bermuda.
6:30 pm
Grab a quick sandwich in the Garden Cafe and head to a show called Bollywood, a dancing, acrobatic show with an India theme. Grab our usual ice cream cone on the way back to the room. It is a requirement for walking the ship, or so we hear.
6:45 pm
Note to self: spray on sunscreen is not as effective as lotion sunscreen. Burnt in some places and white in others. I look like a cross between a red & white checker board and a raccoon. Nice tanning dork.
7:30 pm
The Bollywood show is amazing. When the acrobat on bungee cords dropped from the ceiling, I thought the lady in that row was going to have a heart attack. Funny from our seats though.
8:30 pm
After the show they bring up a lot of the ship's crew so we can give them some love for taking care of us this week. Pretty nice to see the standing ovation for the crew. I would like to think that the crowd really appreciates the captain and his staff, however I think they cheer the loudest for the bar manager.
9:00 pm
Jackie let is slip that the movie Eagle Eye is playing in the cinema. She regrets this as now I am committed to watching it and she either has to spend the next 2 hours alone or watch it with me. She comes with me and then immediately wants to get rid of all of our cell phones, GPS, laptops and move to Amish Country.
11:00 pm
No big dinner tonight as we were busy so we grab some grub from the 24-hour eatery known as the Blue Lagoon. Burgers, paninis, fish and chips, hot dogs and wings are their main items. We order some nachos along with an order of fish & chips and a chicken strips basket. Wash it down with an ice cold Pepsi and now we are ready for a walk and the bed.
11:30 pm
Good night Atlantic Ocean.
Note: This will be our last blog entry while we are at sea. Today is our last full day on the ship and we have some activities such as towel folding, trivia, comedy show, food and of course some ice cream as we enjoy one last day aboard. Once we get home (Monday) we will sort things out and post a conclusion including our disembarkation process.
3rd and final day in Bermuda
9:00 am
Up and at it so we can eat breakfast before we hit the beach. We hit the buffet for the usual scrambled eggs, bacon, corned beef hash, etc.
10:15 am
Meet the bus driver for our excursion to the beach. This time we have a small mini-bus and 18 of us load up for the 25 minute ride to Horseshoe Bay. The beach is surrounded by coral and rock formations that make up the shape of a horseshoe. This is one of the more popular beaches in Bermuda and has full facilities. Cold drinks, food, showers, restrooms, changing stalls, and even beach chair and umbrella rentals were there at our disposal.
We pick a location about ½ way down the beach, spread out our towels, spray on some sunscreen and jump, err slowly creep, into the 78 degree water. We swim for about 20 or 30 minutes and then lay out to get some sun.
1:15 pm
Time to hit the showers and wash the sand away so we can get changed for the bus. We have to meet the bus at 1:45 pm so we can make it back to the ship before it departs at 5:00 pm.
1:45 pm
The bus makes a stop back at the Clock Tower Mall located at King's Wharf just down the street from the cruise ship so we can get in some last minute shopping.
3:00 pm
We are back on the Dawn and getting ready to sail for home. Well New York but then the train ride to Cleveland followed by the car ride to home.
3:30 pm
Note to self: don't wear sunglasses at the beach unless you like the white circles around your eyes.
4:30 pm
We grab a bite to eat before we watch the ship depart the beautiful island of Bermuda.
5:00 pm
We are delayed from departing as a passenger needs medical attention and we have to wait for an ambulance. This is the 2nd time on this cruise that we are delayed from departure due to a passenger needing medical attention. The first one was in New York and delayed us approximately 30 minutes.
5:25 pm
We watch as the lines are untied and the engines come alive. Within minutes we are cruising along sailing up the coast of the island. It was interesting how quickly the water changed from the bright, turquoise color to a darker, bluer color once we left the tip of the island. Many passengers are on deck to get some last pictures of beautiful Bermuda.
6:30 pm
Grab a quick sandwich in the Garden Cafe and head to a show called Bollywood, a dancing, acrobatic show with an India theme. Grab our usual ice cream cone on the way back to the room. It is a requirement for walking the ship, or so we hear.
6:45 pm
Note to self: spray on sunscreen is not as effective as lotion sunscreen. Burnt in some places and white in others. I look like a cross between a red & white checker board and a raccoon. Nice tanning dork.
7:30 pm
The Bollywood show is amazing. When the acrobat on bungee cords dropped from the ceiling, I thought the lady in that row was going to have a heart attack. Funny from our seats though.
8:30 pm
After the show they bring up a lot of the ship's crew so we can give them some love for taking care of us this week. Pretty nice to see the standing ovation for the crew. I would like to think that the crowd really appreciates the captain and his staff, however I think they cheer the loudest for the bar manager.
9:00 pm
Jackie let is slip that the movie Eagle Eye is playing in the cinema. She regrets this as now I am committed to watching it and she either has to spend the next 2 hours alone or watch it with me. She comes with me and then immediately wants to get rid of all of our cell phones, GPS, laptops and move to Amish Country.
11:00 pm
No big dinner tonight as we were busy so we grab some grub from the 24-hour eatery known as the Blue Lagoon. Burgers, paninis, fish and chips, hot dogs and wings are their main items. We order some nachos along with an order of fish & chips and a chicken strips basket. Wash it down with an ice cold Pepsi and now we are ready for a walk and the bed.
11:30 pm
Good night Atlantic Ocean.
Note: This will be our last blog entry while we are at sea. Today is our last full day on the ship and we have some activities such as towel folding, trivia, comedy show, food and of course some ice cream as we enjoy one last day aboard. Once we get home (Monday) we will sort things out and post a conclusion including our disembarkation process.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Blog at Sea: Thursday, June 3
Thursday, June 3
Our second day in Bermuda
9:00 am
Ordered room service for breakfast today. Hmm, should have rethought this one. There is bacon, eggs, corned beef hash, etc on the buffet yet we ordered muffins and fruit from room service. Well, at least the orange juice cocktail was pretty good.
10:00 am
We go ashore to walk around the King's Wharf area and see what is here. We find the Glassworks and Rum Cake Factory especially interesting. We watch 2 ladies make a glass pitcher. Fascinating how they make it and how they work so well together to do so. We decide to look at all of the glass items that are for sale. A thought occurs to me, am I coordinated enough to be over here? What the heck am I doing in a store with glass items costing this much????
On the Rum Cake Factory side of the building they are passing out free samples of the different kinds of rum cake so we visit there. Coconut is Jackie's favorite and the Swizzle is mine. (Babysitters: please don't read this! Rum cakes make nice family gifts).
12:00 noon
Head back to the ship for some lunch before we have our excursion today. We hit the pasta bar and have them saute some pasta with our choice of ingredients. Pretty tasty. I had to go back a second time just to make sure that they are able to saute it the way I want it twice in a row. Tempted to go back a third time just to test their culinary skills but afraid of going swimming with a belly full of pasta. I might become part of the next snorkeling tour; “Look everyone, here is the newest edition to the coral reef, a fat cruise passenger who couldn't walk away from the pasta bar and decided to swim afterwards.”
1:45 pm
Meet the rest of the group and board the Rising Son II catamaran for our (sing it with me) “3 hour tour.” We have 75 people on board for our sailing trip and snorkeling excursion. We get a good background on the Bermuda lifestyle from our captain on the way to the cove. We anchor in 7 feet of water and everyone jumps in. I was more interested in jumping on a kayak than snorkeling but the 4 kayaks go fast so I wait. We grab snorkel gear and see what is happening under water. Once I see the first fish, I am hooked. The 1-1/2 hours of water time is gone before we know it and I never did get to kayak. We saw all kinds of cool looking coral and plant life plus several different kinds of fish. Pretty amazing under the water. Check out the cool pics on Facebook.
5:00 pm
Back to the ship to wash up and hit Aqua, one of the main dining rooms. Tonight we have bay shrimp and potato salad as a starter for Jackie and wild mushroom quesadilla for me. Jackie orders a roasted lamb shank with fresh vegetables and I have sea scallops with cheddar cheese grits. No dessert for us tonight as we are saving room for the Chocoholic Buffet.
7:30 pm
Hello Chocoholic Buffet!!! The Garden Cafe occupies the mid section of the ship on deck 12. It has 3 large sections of buffet tables on each side of the ship. The Chocoholic Buffet takes up one entire side of the cafe and all 3 buffet tables are packed full of chocolaty goodness. I can't even tell you what all we ate but it was pretty good. Chocolate cheesecake was my favorite.
I cannot believe the amount of people that were showing up for this! Each buffet table has a line of at least 30 people waiting to get their hands on the selections. Most of the tables were occupied already so not sure where everyone was going to sit. Heck the dining room tonight was not even this crowded.
8:45 pm
Walk around the pool deck and listen to the steel drum band tonight as we walk off some of that chocolate.
10:00 pm
Okay, chocolate walked off, time to head back to the Chocoholic Buffet. Hey! Don't judge until you have been confronted with such a thing as the Chocoholic Buffet. Chocolate covered bananas from the fondue fountain are Jackie's favorite.
10:30 pm
Walk around the deck some more. We find another couple and their teenage kids that we meet the other night and talk to them about their excursions. We enjoy a nice conversation poolside while we listen to the steel drums.
11:30 pm
Off to Dazzle's Lounge to listen to the band, Next Stage. Tonight is Rock the Ship night and we enjoy their musical gifts again.
12:15 am
We are really tired after a day of shopping, swimming and eating. Good night Bermuda.
Our second day in Bermuda
9:00 am
Ordered room service for breakfast today. Hmm, should have rethought this one. There is bacon, eggs, corned beef hash, etc on the buffet yet we ordered muffins and fruit from room service. Well, at least the orange juice cocktail was pretty good.
10:00 am
We go ashore to walk around the King's Wharf area and see what is here. We find the Glassworks and Rum Cake Factory especially interesting. We watch 2 ladies make a glass pitcher. Fascinating how they make it and how they work so well together to do so. We decide to look at all of the glass items that are for sale. A thought occurs to me, am I coordinated enough to be over here? What the heck am I doing in a store with glass items costing this much????
On the Rum Cake Factory side of the building they are passing out free samples of the different kinds of rum cake so we visit there. Coconut is Jackie's favorite and the Swizzle is mine. (Babysitters: please don't read this! Rum cakes make nice family gifts).
12:00 noon
Head back to the ship for some lunch before we have our excursion today. We hit the pasta bar and have them saute some pasta with our choice of ingredients. Pretty tasty. I had to go back a second time just to make sure that they are able to saute it the way I want it twice in a row. Tempted to go back a third time just to test their culinary skills but afraid of going swimming with a belly full of pasta. I might become part of the next snorkeling tour; “Look everyone, here is the newest edition to the coral reef, a fat cruise passenger who couldn't walk away from the pasta bar and decided to swim afterwards.”
1:45 pm
Meet the rest of the group and board the Rising Son II catamaran for our (sing it with me) “3 hour tour.” We have 75 people on board for our sailing trip and snorkeling excursion. We get a good background on the Bermuda lifestyle from our captain on the way to the cove. We anchor in 7 feet of water and everyone jumps in. I was more interested in jumping on a kayak than snorkeling but the 4 kayaks go fast so I wait. We grab snorkel gear and see what is happening under water. Once I see the first fish, I am hooked. The 1-1/2 hours of water time is gone before we know it and I never did get to kayak. We saw all kinds of cool looking coral and plant life plus several different kinds of fish. Pretty amazing under the water. Check out the cool pics on Facebook.
5:00 pm
Back to the ship to wash up and hit Aqua, one of the main dining rooms. Tonight we have bay shrimp and potato salad as a starter for Jackie and wild mushroom quesadilla for me. Jackie orders a roasted lamb shank with fresh vegetables and I have sea scallops with cheddar cheese grits. No dessert for us tonight as we are saving room for the Chocoholic Buffet.
7:30 pm
Hello Chocoholic Buffet!!! The Garden Cafe occupies the mid section of the ship on deck 12. It has 3 large sections of buffet tables on each side of the ship. The Chocoholic Buffet takes up one entire side of the cafe and all 3 buffet tables are packed full of chocolaty goodness. I can't even tell you what all we ate but it was pretty good. Chocolate cheesecake was my favorite.
I cannot believe the amount of people that were showing up for this! Each buffet table has a line of at least 30 people waiting to get their hands on the selections. Most of the tables were occupied already so not sure where everyone was going to sit. Heck the dining room tonight was not even this crowded.
8:45 pm
Walk around the pool deck and listen to the steel drum band tonight as we walk off some of that chocolate.
10:00 pm
Okay, chocolate walked off, time to head back to the Chocoholic Buffet. Hey! Don't judge until you have been confronted with such a thing as the Chocoholic Buffet. Chocolate covered bananas from the fondue fountain are Jackie's favorite.
10:30 pm
Walk around the deck some more. We find another couple and their teenage kids that we meet the other night and talk to them about their excursions. We enjoy a nice conversation poolside while we listen to the steel drums.
11:30 pm
Off to Dazzle's Lounge to listen to the band, Next Stage. Tonight is Rock the Ship night and we enjoy their musical gifts again.
12:15 am
We are really tired after a day of shopping, swimming and eating. Good night Bermuda.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Blog at Sea: Wednesday, June 2
Wednesday, June 2
Our first day in Bermuda
7:30 am
Breakfast buffet again today. We consider room service but head to the 12th deck for the Garden Cafe.
9:00 am
Head down to the 4th deck to walk the plank and head for shore. They scan our room key which has our picture attached to it in their computer system. They verify our identity and let us leave. We find the line for our tour and begin to board one of the bright pink buses that will be our transportation for our 5 hour island tour.
Here are some of the highlights:
The island is shaped like a fish hook and is 22 miles long by 1 mile wide (up to 3 miles wide at it's widest point). As small as this island is it can have approximately 75,000 people per day during the summer months and about 60,000 people per day during the winter. The capital has been moved to Hamilton though St George was the original spot where settlers first landed and was the original capital city. St George is where most of the island's history lies including St Peters Church which is the oldest Anglican Church outside of England.
We start in King's Wharf where our ship is docked; this used to be the old Naval Dockyard. It has been converted into a cruise ship pier and shopping complex.
Travel across the world's smallest draw bridge. The opening is only big enough for a sailboat's mast to fit through.
Next up is Gibb's Hill Lighthouse on the south shore. This lighthouse is one of the last remaining cast iron lighthouses.
Our next stop is at Horseshoe Bay Beach. We don't actually walk on this beach we just stop at the overlook for pictures. (We will actually be heading to Horseshoe Bay Beach on Friday for some beach time.)
We now cross over to the north shore and and along the way we get a lesson on the houses and how they are designed. The white roofs are made of limestone and the gutters are designed to collect the rain water and empty it into their water tanks for general use including drinking.
During our architecture lesson we learn that the minimum price for a home on the island is $1 million!!! Does not matter how small! Most homes are passed down from generation to generation due to the high cost of purchasing a home.
Good grief these streets are narrow!!!!! When another bus tries to squeeze by us and our bus driver who is used to this actually says “Mercy!” you know it is time for me to duck and cry!!!!
There are a decent amount of cars still on the road but a common method of travel is a motor scooter. With narrow streets and driving on the left, I don't recommend renting one. One of the reasons for using scooters is that GAS IS ABOUT $25 PER GALLON!
We stop at the top of the island at St George's for a lunch break. We just grab a quick snack and walk around the town square to see all of the sites.
On the way back we see a home on the market for $57 million dollars!!! This home has a crystal cave in the living room!!!
We stop at John Smith Bay to walk on the pink beach. Pretty cool.
We drive by the road where Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones live with their children. Michael Douglas is a native of Bermuda so he is permitted to own as many houses as he wants. Their children attend private school here and Michael drives them to school himself almost every day. They live in an area (buses are not allowed) called Tucker Town and the minimum price for a home here is $45 million.
3:00 pm
We return to the ship. To pass through the security at the pier we need to present our driver license of passport. Then we get to security on the ship and they scan our room keys to view our picture and allow us on board.
3:30 pm
We grab a quick bite to eat at the Garden Cafe buffet.
4:00 pm
Jackie takes a nap and Todd heads to the cinema to watch James Bond: The Quantum of Solace. Have seen it several times but it is so much better in the theater.
6:00 pm
Head to the deck to walk about the empty ship and enjoy a game of shuffleboard. Jackie loses a “close” match. Eating an ice cream cone is required (or so we think).
8:00 pm
We grab a couple deck chairs and watch the sun set. Awesome sunset over the wharf and we had a front row seat.
8:45 pm
A game of shuffleboard. For Jackie's pride we will not publish the score here.
9:30 pm
We love finding sandwiches and BBQ chicken wings at the buffet! We take our food outside to the pool deck as they are having country music night with the band Next Stage.
10:30 pm
We were not planning on sticking around and listening to the band all night but they are very, very good. They switch over to rock and roll and this is also very enjoyable.
12 midnight
Good night Bermuda.
Our first day in Bermuda
7:30 am
Breakfast buffet again today. We consider room service but head to the 12th deck for the Garden Cafe.
9:00 am
Head down to the 4th deck to walk the plank and head for shore. They scan our room key which has our picture attached to it in their computer system. They verify our identity and let us leave. We find the line for our tour and begin to board one of the bright pink buses that will be our transportation for our 5 hour island tour.
Here are some of the highlights:
The island is shaped like a fish hook and is 22 miles long by 1 mile wide (up to 3 miles wide at it's widest point). As small as this island is it can have approximately 75,000 people per day during the summer months and about 60,000 people per day during the winter. The capital has been moved to Hamilton though St George was the original spot where settlers first landed and was the original capital city. St George is where most of the island's history lies including St Peters Church which is the oldest Anglican Church outside of England.
We start in King's Wharf where our ship is docked; this used to be the old Naval Dockyard. It has been converted into a cruise ship pier and shopping complex.
Travel across the world's smallest draw bridge. The opening is only big enough for a sailboat's mast to fit through.
Next up is Gibb's Hill Lighthouse on the south shore. This lighthouse is one of the last remaining cast iron lighthouses.
Our next stop is at Horseshoe Bay Beach. We don't actually walk on this beach we just stop at the overlook for pictures. (We will actually be heading to Horseshoe Bay Beach on Friday for some beach time.)
We now cross over to the north shore and and along the way we get a lesson on the houses and how they are designed. The white roofs are made of limestone and the gutters are designed to collect the rain water and empty it into their water tanks for general use including drinking.
During our architecture lesson we learn that the minimum price for a home on the island is $1 million!!! Does not matter how small! Most homes are passed down from generation to generation due to the high cost of purchasing a home.
Good grief these streets are narrow!!!!! When another bus tries to squeeze by us and our bus driver who is used to this actually says “Mercy!” you know it is time for me to duck and cry!!!!
There are a decent amount of cars still on the road but a common method of travel is a motor scooter. With narrow streets and driving on the left, I don't recommend renting one. One of the reasons for using scooters is that GAS IS ABOUT $25 PER GALLON!
We stop at the top of the island at St George's for a lunch break. We just grab a quick snack and walk around the town square to see all of the sites.
On the way back we see a home on the market for $57 million dollars!!! This home has a crystal cave in the living room!!!
We stop at John Smith Bay to walk on the pink beach. Pretty cool.
We drive by the road where Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones live with their children. Michael Douglas is a native of Bermuda so he is permitted to own as many houses as he wants. Their children attend private school here and Michael drives them to school himself almost every day. They live in an area (buses are not allowed) called Tucker Town and the minimum price for a home here is $45 million.
3:00 pm
We return to the ship. To pass through the security at the pier we need to present our driver license of passport. Then we get to security on the ship and they scan our room keys to view our picture and allow us on board.
3:30 pm
We grab a quick bite to eat at the Garden Cafe buffet.
4:00 pm
Jackie takes a nap and Todd heads to the cinema to watch James Bond: The Quantum of Solace. Have seen it several times but it is so much better in the theater.
6:00 pm
Head to the deck to walk about the empty ship and enjoy a game of shuffleboard. Jackie loses a “close” match. Eating an ice cream cone is required (or so we think).
8:00 pm
We grab a couple deck chairs and watch the sun set. Awesome sunset over the wharf and we had a front row seat.
8:45 pm
A game of shuffleboard. For Jackie's pride we will not publish the score here.
9:30 pm
We love finding sandwiches and BBQ chicken wings at the buffet! We take our food outside to the pool deck as they are having country music night with the band Next Stage.
10:30 pm
We were not planning on sticking around and listening to the band all night but they are very, very good. They switch over to rock and roll and this is also very enjoyable.
12 midnight
Good night Bermuda.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Blog at Sea: Tuesday, June 1
Tuesday, June 1
10:00 am
Breakfast buffet. Today is another day at sea so we decide to sleep in again since we don't have to be anywhere at any certain time. Wednesday will be our first day in Bermuda and we have a 9:00 am shore excursion so we have to be up early to eat breakfast first.
10:30 am
Time to finally lay on the deck and soak up some rays. Grab a peach ice cream cone on the way. Yum. Already by 10:30 am most of the deck chairs have been taken. We find 2 of them on the top deck and settle in. We enjoy pleasant conversations with the couples on either side of us about our experiences on board so far and the upcoming shore excursions. We stay for 2 hours and decide it is time to go when we can fry an egg on our skin. Note to self: spray on sunscreen does not work real well for us...next time go for the lotion type.
12:30 pm
Every day so far there has been a poolside BBQ so we decide to eat there today. We grab a table by the pool and chow on some hot dogs, hamburgers and BBQ chicken.
1:15 pm
Seeing as we have not gotten crispy enough today, I decide to get in the pool. Let's add a little salt water to the burning flesh. Not in very long as it gets busy and Jackie is really starting to feel the sunburn.
1:45 pm
Browse the photo gallery for our portraits from Monday night. We find ours and decide we need to hide them out of sight!
2:30 pm
We decide to go for a walk in the shade on the Promenade and we come across an available shuffleboard set. We have never played before but the rules listed on the wall seem fairly simple. We try a game and enjoy it but we stop after just 1 game and let others who are waiting in line to play.
6:00 pm
Tonight in the Cinema they are showing Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr. This movie has been on my rental list for some time now, but we have just never got around to see it yet. Feeling we have had enough sun for the day, we decide to go watch the movie. It was very good!
8:30 pm
Dinner in the main dining room; Venetian. FYI to those, like me, who are not educated in the gourmet food styles, a shrimp summer roll is not a piece of bread with shrimp baked in. It is something that looks a lot like sushi. Thankfully I con Jackie into ordering those and I order some sesame chicken skewers for an appetizer. She follows up with her appetizer with an order of grouper with lobster tail, mashed potatoes and asparagus. (My thought is that she orders the lobster so that she is not the reddest thing in the room!) I order a steak with onions, baked potato and green beans. For dessert we select apple pie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate mousse with caramel sauce.
10:30 pm
We head to Spinnaker's Lounge for the adults only Dave Hennan comedy show. This place was packed tonight! They filled the lounge so they showed a live feed into the cinema and filled that and then had people standing in the doorways listening too! He was worth it as he was entertaining and funny.
12:30 am
Off to bed we go! Excursion day on Wednesday so we need to be up early. Good night.
10:00 am
Breakfast buffet. Today is another day at sea so we decide to sleep in again since we don't have to be anywhere at any certain time. Wednesday will be our first day in Bermuda and we have a 9:00 am shore excursion so we have to be up early to eat breakfast first.
10:30 am
Time to finally lay on the deck and soak up some rays. Grab a peach ice cream cone on the way. Yum. Already by 10:30 am most of the deck chairs have been taken. We find 2 of them on the top deck and settle in. We enjoy pleasant conversations with the couples on either side of us about our experiences on board so far and the upcoming shore excursions. We stay for 2 hours and decide it is time to go when we can fry an egg on our skin. Note to self: spray on sunscreen does not work real well for us...next time go for the lotion type.
12:30 pm
Every day so far there has been a poolside BBQ so we decide to eat there today. We grab a table by the pool and chow on some hot dogs, hamburgers and BBQ chicken.
1:15 pm
Seeing as we have not gotten crispy enough today, I decide to get in the pool. Let's add a little salt water to the burning flesh. Not in very long as it gets busy and Jackie is really starting to feel the sunburn.
1:45 pm
Browse the photo gallery for our portraits from Monday night. We find ours and decide we need to hide them out of sight!
2:30 pm
We decide to go for a walk in the shade on the Promenade and we come across an available shuffleboard set. We have never played before but the rules listed on the wall seem fairly simple. We try a game and enjoy it but we stop after just 1 game and let others who are waiting in line to play.
6:00 pm
Tonight in the Cinema they are showing Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr. This movie has been on my rental list for some time now, but we have just never got around to see it yet. Feeling we have had enough sun for the day, we decide to go watch the movie. It was very good!
8:30 pm
Dinner in the main dining room; Venetian. FYI to those, like me, who are not educated in the gourmet food styles, a shrimp summer roll is not a piece of bread with shrimp baked in. It is something that looks a lot like sushi. Thankfully I con Jackie into ordering those and I order some sesame chicken skewers for an appetizer. She follows up with her appetizer with an order of grouper with lobster tail, mashed potatoes and asparagus. (My thought is that she orders the lobster so that she is not the reddest thing in the room!) I order a steak with onions, baked potato and green beans. For dessert we select apple pie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate mousse with caramel sauce.
10:30 pm
We head to Spinnaker's Lounge for the adults only Dave Hennan comedy show. This place was packed tonight! They filled the lounge so they showed a live feed into the cinema and filled that and then had people standing in the doorways listening too! He was worth it as he was entertaining and funny.
12:30 am
Off to bed we go! Excursion day on Wednesday so we need to be up early. Good night.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Blog at Sea: Monday, May 31
Monday, May 31
Note: We entered a new time zone so we set the clocks forward one hour.
9:00 am
Good morning and Happy Memorial Day!
9:15 am
Until now, we could not “feel” that we were even on a boat of any kind. We felt the ship rock for the first time this morning but it was so slight that it was no big deal.
9:45 am
Breakfast time!! We head to the Garden Cafe to enjoy the breakfast buffet. Everything you could imagine for breakfast was there. The made to order omelets and corned beef hash are among our favorites.
11:00 am
Still exploring the ship. There is so much to see and do here. Thinking about bingo (chance to win a free cruise, trying our luck in the Dawn Club Casino or even ball room dancing lessons.
11:50 am
Watch a pod of dolphins jumping and swimming past our stateroom window.
12:15 pm
Grab an ice cream cone and head to the sun deck for some sunning and relaxing.
1:15pm
Stroll through the Garden Cafe and grab a Caesar chicken salad wrap and ice cream to hold us over for our dancing lessons.
2:00 pm
Ball room dancing lessons is our afternoon activity choice today. Two of the professional dancers from one of the shows are here to teach us the Cha Cha Cha. Believe it or not, I am able to handle most of the steps. Until they decide to put the music on turbo speed then it is just all legs and arms flying around. Anyone within 3 feet of me was running for cover.
3:15 pm
Cha Cha Cha; nap nap nap
5:00 pm
Tonight is “Formal or Not” night. NCL is very informal and laid back, shorts and jeans are acceptable at most restaurants for dinner. Tonight however is the night that the captain is available for pictures with guests plus they have photographers available in the Grand Atrium for formal pictures. Yeah, I am not very photogenic as evidenced by the fact that the photographer kept asking me to tilt my head and then would follow that up with “I said tilt your head not pretend you have a broken neck”.
6:00 pm
Tonight we have dinner at one of the restaurants that charge a cover. We have chosen Salsa, the Tex-Mex restaurant and they have a $10 per person cover. Pretty nice place on the 8th deck located in the Grand Atrium. We get a table for 2 right by the large picture windows overlooking the sun shining on the beautiful ocean. Just gorgeous.
Jackie orders the tortilla soup along with their signature dish the warm lobster tacos with Pico de Gallo and Jicama Salad. Wow! They are just fabulous. I order the chicken quesadilla along with Mariscos en Banderilla: Shrimp and swordfish skewers, Pico de Gallo and Mexican rice. I have never had swordfish before and this was just wonderful and I am very glad I tried something different. We order Torta de Chocolate Mexicana: rich cinnamon-chocolate cake with caramel glaze for dessert.
I have never really been a big supporter of the cover charge restaurants. However for only $10, I felt this was a very nice experience. The wait staff, the food and the ambiance were well worth the $10.
7:30 pm
We go to enjoy our first entertainment show (with our dance instructors from earlier today) called Band on the Run. This is held in the Stardust Theatre and is a 70's themed music, dance and acrobatic show. Did not realize how many 70's songs I knew. Oh how Macho Man by the Village People brings back visions of my dad dancing around the living room when I was a kid.
9:00 pm
Ice cream...notice a theme here?
10:30 pm
We go check out the duty free shopping at the Galleria Shops. Find a couple post cards to mail to the kids. They have a special on vodka so we might be heading back!!
11:45 pm
80's music night is on the schedule and keeps me awake tonight. We make our way down to the Dazzles Lounge but Karaoke is still going strong. We grab the only two seats left in the lounge and those are on the window seats along the far wall. Something is just wrong with a mid-20's male singing Cindy Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Yes, I may look like I'm in my mid-20's but NO it was not me singing that song!!! We are not big karaoke fans but it was enjoyable. Finally at 12:10 karaoke ends and they move on to 80's night. 2 songs later it turns into some funky techno club music. So much for jamming to the 80's music.
12:45 am
We stroll along the promenade on deck 7 and find a chair so we can talk and listen to the waves.
1:15 am
Good night.
Note: We entered a new time zone so we set the clocks forward one hour.
9:00 am
Good morning and Happy Memorial Day!
9:15 am
Until now, we could not “feel” that we were even on a boat of any kind. We felt the ship rock for the first time this morning but it was so slight that it was no big deal.
9:45 am
Breakfast time!! We head to the Garden Cafe to enjoy the breakfast buffet. Everything you could imagine for breakfast was there. The made to order omelets and corned beef hash are among our favorites.
11:00 am
Still exploring the ship. There is so much to see and do here. Thinking about bingo (chance to win a free cruise, trying our luck in the Dawn Club Casino or even ball room dancing lessons.
11:50 am
Watch a pod of dolphins jumping and swimming past our stateroom window.
12:15 pm
Grab an ice cream cone and head to the sun deck for some sunning and relaxing.
1:15pm
Stroll through the Garden Cafe and grab a Caesar chicken salad wrap and ice cream to hold us over for our dancing lessons.
2:00 pm
Ball room dancing lessons is our afternoon activity choice today. Two of the professional dancers from one of the shows are here to teach us the Cha Cha Cha. Believe it or not, I am able to handle most of the steps. Until they decide to put the music on turbo speed then it is just all legs and arms flying around. Anyone within 3 feet of me was running for cover.
3:15 pm
Cha Cha Cha; nap nap nap
5:00 pm
Tonight is “Formal or Not” night. NCL is very informal and laid back, shorts and jeans are acceptable at most restaurants for dinner. Tonight however is the night that the captain is available for pictures with guests plus they have photographers available in the Grand Atrium for formal pictures. Yeah, I am not very photogenic as evidenced by the fact that the photographer kept asking me to tilt my head and then would follow that up with “I said tilt your head not pretend you have a broken neck”.
6:00 pm
Tonight we have dinner at one of the restaurants that charge a cover. We have chosen Salsa, the Tex-Mex restaurant and they have a $10 per person cover. Pretty nice place on the 8th deck located in the Grand Atrium. We get a table for 2 right by the large picture windows overlooking the sun shining on the beautiful ocean. Just gorgeous.
Jackie orders the tortilla soup along with their signature dish the warm lobster tacos with Pico de Gallo and Jicama Salad. Wow! They are just fabulous. I order the chicken quesadilla along with Mariscos en Banderilla: Shrimp and swordfish skewers, Pico de Gallo and Mexican rice. I have never had swordfish before and this was just wonderful and I am very glad I tried something different. We order Torta de Chocolate Mexicana: rich cinnamon-chocolate cake with caramel glaze for dessert.
I have never really been a big supporter of the cover charge restaurants. However for only $10, I felt this was a very nice experience. The wait staff, the food and the ambiance were well worth the $10.
7:30 pm
We go to enjoy our first entertainment show (with our dance instructors from earlier today) called Band on the Run. This is held in the Stardust Theatre and is a 70's themed music, dance and acrobatic show. Did not realize how many 70's songs I knew. Oh how Macho Man by the Village People brings back visions of my dad dancing around the living room when I was a kid.
9:00 pm
Ice cream...notice a theme here?
10:30 pm
We go check out the duty free shopping at the Galleria Shops. Find a couple post cards to mail to the kids. They have a special on vodka so we might be heading back!!
11:45 pm
80's music night is on the schedule and keeps me awake tonight. We make our way down to the Dazzles Lounge but Karaoke is still going strong. We grab the only two seats left in the lounge and those are on the window seats along the far wall. Something is just wrong with a mid-20's male singing Cindy Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Yes, I may look like I'm in my mid-20's but NO it was not me singing that song!!! We are not big karaoke fans but it was enjoyable. Finally at 12:10 karaoke ends and they move on to 80's night. 2 songs later it turns into some funky techno club music. So much for jamming to the 80's music.
12:45 am
We stroll along the promenade on deck 7 and find a chair so we can talk and listen to the waves.
1:15 am
Good night.
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