Wow...we booked a non Disney cruise....

[TChrist05]

Hello fellow cruisers.....my DW and I have cruised Disney 22 times.....have the 14 night Westbound transatlantic in September booked and a 3 night in December....and we wanted to cruise in May.....the Magic is overseas and the Wonder is way overpriced for that time of year.....so we started to look around for a cruise we could take out of NY where we live....we ended up booking the NCL Dawn....a 7 night to Bermuda.....we have never been there and the itinerary is a little strange for us....You leave on Sunday....cruise at sea for Monday and Tuesday then dock for 3 days in Bermuda.....guess we are gonna see the island.....kind of nervous since we have done so many Disney we don't want to be saying all week....if we were on Disney it would be better....and on and on.....has anyone ever cruised the Dawn and also has anyone experienced Bermuda?
Any info would be appreciated!
Tom
(I still cannot believe we are cruising some other cruise line)!

 

[clawmachine]

wow - you are an expert by now, I'm sure! We took a Baltimore to Bermuda cruise on RCCL a few years back and docked in Bermuda for 2 days. Bermuda is very charming and well-kept, but extremely expensive! You will find it a very different atmosphere than on Caribbean islands. Lots of very wealthy people live there and you can take a boat tour to see some of their homes, which we did and was fun. My best tip is that if you dock in King's Wharf, make sure you leave a few hours to just go into the nearby fort on your own to explore. It was so much fun and cost us virtually nothing. In the middle of the fort there is a hidden courtyard where people can swim with dolphins, but it costs nothing to just watch. We were surprised that more people didn't take advantage of this attraction which was just a short walk from the boat...

 

[momofsamandeden]

I have not sailed Disney yet but have sailed to Bermuda and it was quite relaxing beach vacation. I sailed the Dawn and felt nickled and dimed the whole time. The decent food is in the pay restaurants and the beds were horrible. However a cruise is what you make of it and we did have a good time. The White Hot party was fun one night. This however was a few years ago and I know that NCL is trying to overhaul their fleet. I will try the Epic with an open mind so just have fun on the Dawn. A cruise is a cruise and as long as I do not have to cook and clean it is good for me!
I will say be prepared for a tiny cabin after being on Disney

 

[Disneymoon0909]

I have not sailed there but my husband lived in Bermuda for 5 years. He suggests renting a moped to get around, much cheaper and quicker. Also, you should be able to see most of the island in the time you are there, it is very small. Crystal caves is beautiful as are the bermuda botanical gardens (BBC). Check out Gibbs Hill lighthouse, Horseshoe Beach, and for food the Hog Penny and The Porch in Hamilton are good. There is also a top 10 in the world thai restaurant in Hamilton (VERY spicy!). PM me with any personal questions hope that helps!
Holly

 

[NancyIL]

I haven't cruised with NCL, but I cruised to Bermuda for one day on a repositioning cruise last year. If you go on the cruise looking for all of NCL's shortcomings compared to DCL, you'll surely be disappointed. Enjoy it for what it is - a nice vacation to a new destination at a reasonable price.

**One suggestion if NCL makes you too nervous: HAL Veendam is doing 7-night cruises out of NY beginning this spring:
http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-...=1&voyageCode=E038&destCode=B&dateCode=5_2010

 

[annmorr]

I've vacationed in Bermuda many times (and my daughter was married there).... if you're uncomfortable on a moped, there is a great bus and ferry system that covers the island in many directions and will get you very easily to all of the very many interesting places. I agree with the other posters that dining there can be expensive, but do some research ahead of time. The beaches are beautiful and the towns of Hamilton and St. George are worth spending a day exploring. And most of all, you will feel extremely safe and secure, and the residents are happy to have you visiting them!

 

[MelissaE1]

I know how you feel. For a long time I just couldn't get myself to book anything else. However, we are cruising Oasis of the Seas this November. Not because of the itinerary, which is standard Caribbean, but because of the ship itself. My kids are teen/preteen and wanted to try the rock climbing, ice skating, zip lining, diving shows, etc. We are not leaving DCL, just branching out.

Think of it not as "instead of" DCL but "in addition to". Not a comparative thing. Besides DCL we also love the Disney parks, but a few years ago we went to Cedar Point in Sandusky and had a great time. It was a different amusement park product, fun for its own reasons.

Maybe check Cruise Critic or other reviews to see if the ship you are taking will be acceptable to you. I bet Bermuda will be amazing!

 

[TammyAlphabet]

I cruised on the Dawn over Christmas. I found it to be a great experience. No, the ship was not as nice as Disney, and no, the shows were not as good. But I found that for the price, the food was really good, the staff was pretty friendly, and we had a great time. The cruise director was hilarious! He did use some foul language from time to time so that is totally different from Disney. As others had said, if you don't expect the Disney experience, you will have fun!

 

[aurorafan65]

we did a 4 day Bermuda a couple years ago - along with others I suggest checking out Cruise Critic for info on Bermuda. We ended up getting passes for the local transportation - buses & ferrys which allowed us to explore the island at our own pace. We did the Segway tour - it was alot of fun, the really funny part was were were expecting a local guide & the guy who runs the tour is originally from Brooklyn who's lived in Bermuda for the last 15 years - he was a wealth of information! Part of the tour was the dockyards which really are fascinating

 

[disney minnie]

i was engaged in Bermuda while on a cruise. The wonderful thing about Bermuda is that it is not trashy and it is small. You are not rushing to see everything because you can easily see almost everything in the three days that you will be there. My mother-in-laws family is from Bermuda and there is a cannon at the fort in honor of his grandmother. Have a wonderful time, it is relaxing.

If you don't normally ride mopeds, i would suggest renting a taxi. There were quite a few moped accidents by cruise people while we were there.

 

[sayhello]

You might also want to check RCCL. They have 2 5-night Bermuda cruises in May, sailing out of New York on the Explorer of the Seas. It's a Voyager Class ship, not as massive as the Oasis of the Seas, but still one of their larger & relatively newer ships.

Sayhello

 

[Im_A_Princess]

Going to have to explore some new options with the Magic gone to the Med