Have you been on a Norwegian Cruise Line Cruise?

Question

I am going to Bermuda. Can you tell me your experiences going from the U.S. to Bermuda...what you did on the boat, what you did for 2 days in Bermuda...NCL Freestyle cruisers only please. I always resolve my questions within 2 days...so you are guaranteed 10 points within 2 days if best answered is picked.

Answer 1

Yes and they are great to travel with! For pictures of their Norwegian Dream, which I went on check out my site!

http://www.nmtravels.sampasite.com/

Answer 2

No, but if you go to CruiseCritic.com, you'll find lots of people who have.  Click on "Boards" at the top of the page, then go to "Norwegian" under the Cruise Lines section.  You may also want to check the "Review" section [especially "Member Reviews"].

Answer 3

I have been on many NCL cruises since they started the freestyle cruising.  It basically means that you do not have a set dinenr time, table or waiter.  You just go to dinner any time you want after about 5:030 to 6:00 PM.  They will seat people as they arrive and most times ask if you care to share table.  Some days you may have to stand in line awaiting a table and or seating.  You can also reserve a table for your party in advance in the main dining room. We found that your could only do this for two days at a time.  If you decide to eat in the alternative dinner restaurants you must make reservations in advance and there will be a fee of between $10 and $25 per person for each visit.   The daily cruise news that you receive in your cabin each evening will list all of the specialty restaurants and the fee to eat there is there is one. We usually skip these specialty places and just eat in the main dining room.  The dining room food is always good enough for me and there is plenty of variety.

I am not sure which ship you will cruise on but all NCL ships have pools, hot tubs and gym, plus a walking/jogging track.  There will also be a game room with games provided and internet access for a fee.

I have been to Bermuda twice on cruise ships and my first cruise there was on a NCL ship. So I will tell you what I know based on my two trips there.

Bermuda has some of the best beaches anywhere; pink sand beaches that you can easily find a deserted spot on. In my two visit it seemed to me that the majority of the people visiting the island were those on the two or three cruise ships which docked there during my stay. There are a few hotels in the town of Hamilton and about a dozen other properties/beach hotels, but they are nice. There are NO slums and ghettos in Bermuda like you may see on other islands like the Caribbean. It's a very safe island to travel around, even on the buses. All of the houses are well maintained and painted in pastel colors. All of the public beaches are great. Be sure to go to Elbow Beach and Long Bay Beach. When you cruise there its less expensive than flying and staying in a hotel because, you stay and eat on the ship. We ate on ship and that was good because meals (and everything else) are expensive since everything has to be imported. In fact Bermuda is an expensive place for about everything.

There is not a lot to do in Bermuda other than water sports and golf. There are two main towns Hamilton, the largest (where most cruise ships dock for at least a day) and St George (also a port stop) which is like a small town.

St George is like a small new England town with a small town square and a few shops. But it has bus service that will take you anywhere on the island, and since the island is pretty small (about 22 miles long) it only takes a few minutes to go other places. You can visit one of the many forts on the island like Fort St Catherine , its walking distance from St George also. If you want to the beach from St George you have several options within walking distance of St George and if you want to snorkel, the Tobacco Bay Beach near the town of St George is great, and its walking distance (about 3/4 mile from town).

The third place ships may dock while there is The Kings Dockyard.. The Dockyard is on the far end of the 22 mile long island and has a small mall with shops and a museum. It also has a new attraction called Snorkel Park Beach. The Crystal Cave and Fantasy Caves are worth visiting as a tour, or on your own. I also visited one of the lighthouses.

In the town of Hamilton we took a walking tour from our ship which took us to the Cathedral of the Most Holy, a maritime museum and a nice garden/park a few blocks from the port. There is shopping in Hamilton and restaurants, but not much else.

The best way to get around in Bermuda is to buy a transportation pass (sold in stores and the bus station) which will let you take the buses, and the ferry, all over the island. We bought our bus pass at a store in St George, near where the ship docked. There is a big bus depot just a couple blocks from where ships dock in the town of Hamilton. You can take the buses to the beach, they are not very far away and easy to get to from the bus stop. You want to go to Elbow Beach and Long Bay Beach, both open to the public.  If you were considering renting a scooter to get around the island remember that they drive on the opposite side of the roads and its can be really dangerous if you are not used to that, especially at turns and circles; you will end up going the wrong way.  You will  even have to watch yourself crossing the street because your tendency will be to look the wrong way for traffic coming.

The thing not to miss in Bermuda is the beaches. Its not like Caribbean islands with a lot of bars and clubs, maybe a couple on main street in Hamilton and that's it. Its a safe place to go and you don't have to worry at all about riding the buses or ferry anywhere on the island. 3 to 5 days there is plenty enough time to see all that you will want to see and do.

Answer 4

yes, ive been to bermuda from nyc on a norwegian cruise line ship. On the ship, I played cards with my friends/family, played board games, went to the buffet and bars, and tanned. At night there are shows. There is also a casino, but I didn't go to it so I'm not sure how good it was.

Bermuda was beautiful, I spent a lot of time on the beach, and I also went to a very interesting museum that featured treasure  recovered from shipwrecks as well as underwater life and a very expansive collection of sea shells.