Cruising to Bermuda with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)

Summer is our time to travel. My husband is a teacher so that gives us a couple of months of freedom. We try to take a month away every year. So this year we packed up the car and drove to Boston to catch the NCL Spirit to Bermuda. The weather was perfect. Not too hot. Being from Florida, it was nice to be able to go outside and not wilt.


Our cruise left from Boston Harbor and took us to Bermuda. Now if you are looking for somewhere to just have R & R this is the place. There are plenty of excursions so you won't be bored but if you just want to stretch out on the beach and relax, Bermuda is perfect. The main beach is call a "Pink Beach". Chips of coral flake off and mix with the sand to give it a pink look. It is secluded and not very busy. The whole island is only 20 miles by 3 miles. Hard to even get lost there. Everything is very clean and tourist friendly.


We took a ferry to one end of the island, then we caught a bus back to the other end while seeing the sights. The architecture is quaint. All the building are done in bright pastel colors, the roads are narrow, most of the tourist transportation is on mopeds. Our return trip was via the bus. We try to take public transportation when we travel. It allows us to see more of the actual area. The tours are good but we like to see how the townfolks live.


Shopping is also very relaxed. No hussel or bustle with lots of shops. My favorite shop was Hat Lady. She had some great looking hats. Remember the hat that Audrey Hepburn wore in "Breakfast at Tiffany's"? She had one just like it. I would have picked it up but not sure I would have had anywhere to wear it. You could also find anything you wanted at any of the local merchants. We stopped by the rum cake shop and brought home several rum cakes. You have to taste one to understand. Make it a must on your tour. There were lots of shops to visit. Anything you needed could be located.


The cruise itself was a lot of fun. We played Bingo, ate, went to an art auction, ate, went to an emerald presentation, ate, played trivia, ate.... There are always things going on when you cruise. And at the end of the day we called room service and ATE! The only thing we did as much as eat was played Bingo! Prizes were good if you are a little lucky. They played twice a day so it can become a little addictive. We won the first game out so we were hooked for the rest of the cruise. If you are into the casino thing, it was open 24/7 as long as we weren't in port. We weren't any luckier there either.


If you enjoy eating (we did) you have plenty of choices. NCL if freestyle dining so you can eat whenever, wherever you choose. We usually ate the main dining room. Had a seat by the window, a great server and wonderful food. And the service.... whatever you wanted all you had to do is ask. They also have a buffet style dining area and several specialty restaurants. You can eat Italian, Sushi, Japanese Steak House or by the pool. You were never more than an arms length away from food. We had escargot, lobster, prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, shrimp cocktails, strawberry soup, hot dogs, hamburgs, barbeque lobster tails, salmon, talapia.... and the Chocolate Buffet.. need I go into details!? The list goes on and on.


If you have never cruised before and aren't sure if you will like it, start small. Take a 3, 4, or 5 day cruise. Most the lines offer them. You can take the kids. The cruise lines will entertain them for the entire trip. Just the two of you, talk about romantic. Hubby likes golf, they have golf on board and golf excursions. You name your desire and I'm sure we can find something out there for you. It won't be long before you are an avid cruiser.


Upon our return, we drove back to Florida and now back to our normal routine. Let's see, how long until Thanksgiving holiday?

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