NCL Dawn Bermuda - Cagney's Steakhouse

I hope you are enjoying your virtual tour of our Norwegian Dawn cruise to Bermuda. So far, I've discussed our first days onboard the Dawn, the various Bermuda attractions that we saw on this cruise, and some of our onboard experiences.

As we sail away from Bermuda, back to New York, the good times are not over by any means. We still have two nights with a full day at sea before we return to New York. So, let the party begin!

I don't know about you, but one of the other highlights of traveling is the possibility of enjoying a nice meal in a restaurant that wouldn't be found in my hometown area. You might be thinking, that's pretty easy to accomplish when you're on a cruise ship. None of those restaurants will be found in your hometown. Ok, you got me there.

Humor me for awhile as I search out our dinner venue. Just like you might do in a popular dining area, you go from restaurant to restaurant, checking out the menu before making your selection.

As I've mentioned in an earlier post, there are many choices onboard the Norwegian Dawn. All the menus are posted so you can go "shopping" for your dinner choice. Once you've made your selection, you can make a reservation (either for the same night or the next).

We made a reservation for Cagney's Steakhouse. This isn't the first time we've gone to Cagney's onboard a NCL ship, so we were already familiar with the menu and the atmosphere.

Cagney's is decorated like a speakeasy from the Roaring 20's. There are various size tables to accommodate your group. After being escorted to our table, our waiter greeted us and took our drink order. He answered our questions about the menu and disappeared to get our drinks.

As you probably suspect, the meal consists of several courses. You can have as many of the selections as you like. Click on the menu above to see all the choices. The starters we had included the jumbo shrimp cocktail, and salads.

There are several main course selections that you can chose from. These range from a 10 ounce New York Steak to the 32 ounce Porterhouse Steak. If you don't want steak, there are several fish selections, veal, and even a vegetarian selection. We have a theory that hasn't failed us over the years. If you go to a Steakhouse, order steak. If you want seafood, go to a Seafood restaurant. In this case, you wouldn't go wrong with any selection. We chose the New York Steak and T-Bone Steak - both of which were fabulous.

To complete the main course, you can add as many side orders as you like. Our selections included sauteed mushrooms, onion rings, Cagney's Fries (you've got to try those if you like fries - they are made with white truffle oil and Parmesan cheese), and mashed potatoes. There were three of us dining together, thus the large selection of sides. You get your own order of Cagney's Fries and you tell the waiter which of the remaining sides you want him to serve.

Assuming that you still have room, the waiter will present the dessert selections for your final choice of the meal. We definitely left Cagney's feeling very content.

As with the other specialty restaurants onboard Norwegian Dawn, there is a cover charge added to your account. It is $20 per person, but is well worth it. The attentive staff, the nice atmosphere, and the wonderful food made for a very enjoyable meal. Where could you get a steak meal like that for $20 in New York or wherever home is? If you were only going to one specialty restaurant during your cruise, I would definitely put Cagney's on your short list to consider.

Now that dinner is complete, we're off to a show. See you next time.

NCL Dawn Bermuda - Night Snorkeling

Do fish swim at night? Are fish active after the sun goes down? Do fish have their dinner when we do? Have you ever wondered about things like that? If so, then perhaps a Night Snorkeling excursion could answer those questions for you.

When reviewing the possible excursions available on the Norwegian Dawn cruise to Bermuda, we were intrigued by the Night Snorkeling excursion offered while we were in King's Wharf.

The Night Snorkel excursion description was as follows:
A ratio of one instructor to six snorkelers ensures your personalized attention and safety. You'll see a variety of sea creatures that normally hide during the day and marvel at how the beautiful coral formations come alive in our beams of light. Then for a real treat we turn off our lights to discover the extraordinary effects of bioluminescence microscopic creatures that create light as we swim through them. Experience a whole different type of Bermuda nightlife. Note: Participants under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. All participants must know how to swim. This tour is not recommended for those with limited mobility and back problems.

After reading that description, we had some preconceived notions about this tour. We expected to be snorkeling off of a boat that provided the lighting. It turned out that we would be providing our own lighting using underwater flashlights.

Our tour began with a short taxi ride from the pier to 9 Beaches Resort. After a short briefing, we were given our gear which included partial wet suits, snorkel mask, snorkel, fins, life vests, and a flashlight. We were paired into groups of two swimmers and given one glow stick which would serve as a locator in the dark.

After everyone had their gear, we entered the water from the beach near to the equipment shack and made sure that our masks and snorkels were working and adjusted properly. I was a little leery, despite having snorkeled before, we never had done so at night. Most of our snorkeling was done by jumping into water from a boat which was anchored nearby the snorkeling area. That gives you the opportunity to rest for awhile and rejoin the snorkeling when you want. This was obviously not going to be the same experience.

The tour guides assured me that we'd stay together and make frequent stops to be sure the group was together. He also said that I could stay close to him if that helped. Unfortunately, he took off and staying with him wasn't really practical. My husband stayed with me and that had to suffice.

The water was cold despite the wet suit. We did make several stops to keep the group together. I only saw a couple fish the whole time. My husband didn't see any at all. He was too busy keeping tabs of where my light was and where I was. Our son was with us too and he did see a few fish.

I started to get a cramp and decided that I'd had enough. A few of us got out near a landing and walked back to the equipment shack. The rest of the group continued for 15 or 20 minutes more, so we could have made it the whole time, but I didn't want to risk it due to the cramps.

Some people might enjoy this tour, but we weren't very happy with it. The description was misleading to us and the tour guides could have been more sensitive to the abilities of the group. If you are good swimmers / snorkelers, you might enjoy this experience. For us, we'll stick with day-time snorkeling.

Even though we had underwater cameras, we took no pictures, so I have nothing to share with you from this tour. Do come back next time for some of our other activities in Bermuda.

NCL Dawn Bermuda - Hartley's Helmet Dive

If you weren't human, would you want to be a fish? What if you could talk to a fish and ask them if they had a good life? Sounds a little fishy to you perhaps. Well, once you meet Greg Hartley, the owner operator of Hartley's Undersea Walk Bermuda, you might think that he and his family had these strange thoughts many years ago. He calls each fish by name and they eagerly come to greet him as he enters the water with his guests.

Greg's father started the family business over 50 years ago. He invented what is known as the Hartley Diving Helmet. It works like a glass turned upside down in water. There is a constant supply of fresh air pumped from the boat and the excess bubbles freely flow out the bottom. Your head stays dry and you can reach in to touch your face or adjust your glasses. You can even wear your prescription glasses or contact lens.

The helmet dives occur on the same reef every day and the fish have become used to the visitors. Some of the fish are so tame they'll let you pet and hold them. They might even do tricks for you (such as swimming through a hoop). They pose for underwater pictures with you and your companions. For a small fee, Greg will take digital photographs of you and your companions during your underwater sea walk. You'll have a copy of your pictures on CD, along with some marine pictures that Greg and his family have taken over the years, to take home with you as a lasting souvenir of your adventure.

The great thing about helmet diving is that you don't need to be certified or even be able to swim. Greg leads you around the sandy bottom in about 10 feet of turquoise water, between coral reefs and waving sea fans as tropical fish swim all around you. With Greg's various props, he actually instructs you as he points out the various marine life.

Our first helmet diving experience was actually in Tahiti. Since we had enjoyed that experience, we put Hartley's Helmet Dive on the top of our must do activities for our Bermuda cruise. You can purchase your tour through NCL or directly with the Hartley's. Since the ship's excursion was in the morning, we decided to book that tour instead of doing it directly with Greg.

Both our helmet diving experiences were fabulous adventures. Of the two, we liked Greg's tour better since it was educational in addition to being recreational. He and his family have a deep love and respect for the eco environment and strive to educate each visitor. With people like Greg providing these tours, we hope that the reefs will stay protected so that many generations will be able to enjoy their beauty.

I encourage you to check Greg's website for more information about the undersea walk. It is fun for the entire family, for young and old. Remember, no special skills are needed. All you need to be able to do is walk and follow directions to have a great time.

This tour was one of the highlights of our Bermuda cruise. I strongly encourage you to consider this tour while in Bermuda. There's still more to come, so be sure to visit my blog again.

NCL Dawn Bermuda - Glass Bottom Boat

The sun is just starting to cast its shadow on the water as the glass bottom boat sails away from King's Wharf, where the Norwegian Dawn is docked. It is a beautiful night as we sail past several little islands that collectively make up the Bermuda Islands.

We sail past beautiful beaches with umbrellas still open. Gorgeous homes, worth several millions of dollars, are seen along the banks as the glass bottom boat makes its way to the site of the Vixen shipwreck.

The time from leaving the pier until we arrive at the site of the shipwreck is sufficient for the crew to explain what we are about to see. One might think that a "glass bottom boat" would be made completely of glass and that you could see the water the entire time. That of course isn't the case. At the speed we are currently going, there wouldn't be anything to see, so the glass bottom viewing area remains closed until shortly before arriving at our destination.

The boat slows down as we approach the reef near the resting place of the shipwreck Vixen. We've just entered the world of the fish once again, and this time we aren't even getting wet.

We gather around railings which are put up around the glass bottom viewing areas. There are several locations, so everyone is easily able to gather around one of the openings to peer into the waters below. The boat circles around the reef so that everyone is able to view the fish and marine life below.

Seeing the fish though the glass bottom is OK, but not as good as the view we were about to get. The crew had a supply of day-old bread with them. We were each given a supply and instructed to throw the bread overboard. A school of fish immediately surfaced and began feeding on the slices of bread. It wasn't even necessary to break the bread up - they would do that themselves. It was amazing to see these large fish fighting each other over the bread.

The captain then moved further out from the reef and once again a crew member threw some bread overboard. To our amazement, no fish retrieved the bread. The fish have been trained over time that it is safe near the shipwreck since fishing is not allowed. However, once outside the boundaries, all bets are off and they know they could be caught.

After the fish were fed, we headed back to the Dockyards. We were able to take pictures of the Norwegian Dawn from our boat as we approached the pier. The sun was low in the sky by now and the lights of the ship reflected in the water as we approached.  Bermuda Glass Bottom Boat

This tour was enjoyable. There are several tours offered throughout the day. We had decided to do the early evening excursion. I suggest taking this or similar tour so that you see Bermuda from the water. If you don't want to take an organized tour, at least take a ferry to either Hamilton or St. George so that you see Bermuda from this perspective.

Next time, we'll continue with more attractions. I think you should be starting to get the idea that there's many choices in Bermuda. There is definitely no reason to be bored on this cruise.

NCL Dawn Bermuda - Aquarium

Since we had gotten an earlier ferry to St. George, which saved us time getting to the Crystal & Fantasy Caves, we had some extra time in our schedule. We planned to spend the morning and early part of the afternoon in Hamilton.

The Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) can easily be reached by bus #10 or #11 from the Hamilton area. We walked out the entrance way of the caves and weren't sure which way to go to catch the bus. We stopped at the entrance trying to get our bearings and a taxi driver asked where we were trying to go. We told him where we were headed and that we were looking for the bus. He said we could catch the bus right around the corner.

We walked down the street and found the bus stop. You'll recognize them pretty easily once you see them. They are cement structures with a bench. They can also be a blue metal post. A bus came within a few minutes. Our timing all day was very good (catching the ferry, then the bus to the caves, and now the bus to the aquarium).

Boarding the bus, we showed the driver our passes and asked to be told when we got to the aquarium. It only took 10 minutes or so to get there. The bus stops right in front of the building.

As you can see, it is pretty easy to get around Bermuda. What makes it even easier are the people. We've been all over the world and I don't think we've found more helpful or friendly people than we did in Bermuda. When we asked someone where some attraction was, they would stop what they were doing and give specific directions. In many cases, they practically took us to where we wanted to go. The people really made the trip to Bermuda enjoyable.

The admission to the BAMZ is $10 per adult. It is not a large facility, but it is a worthwhile attraction, especially for anyone that loves seeing fish. There's a Discovery Room where children of all ages can gently handle sea urchins, sea stars and sea cucumbers, along with conch, sponges, chitons and other marine creatures.

There are over 200 species of fish and marine life in the various displays. The angel fish, octopus, eels, and spiny lobster were our favorites.

After we completed the indoor aquarium exhibits, we went outside to the zoo portion of the facility. Since it was past lunch time, we decided to get sandwiches in the outdoor cafe. There wasn't much of a selection, but it met our needs.

We completed our lunch and continued our self-guided tour of the BAMZ. A peacock greeted us and joined us as we walked along the path. It would later spread it's feathers for the photograph above. There were several species of birds and animals including Parma wallabies, tree kangaroos, and Asian small-clawed otters. A pleasant surprise was a Galapagos turtle. Our next planned cruise is to Galapagos Islands, so this gave us a glimpse into our future.

Our goal was to catch the 2:30 ferry back to the Dockyards, so we bid farewell to the BAMZ and headed for the bus stop. We didn't have to wait long for the bus. This time the bus was pretty crowded and we had to stand. Make sure to hang on tightly if you ever stand on a bus in Bermuda so you don't end up in the driver's lap. The bus ended at the Hamilton terminal. We asked a pedestrian for directions to the ferry (it was only a couple blocks away). Once again our timing was excellent - the 2:30 ferry was about to depart fo the Dockyards.

We'll look at other Bermuda attractions in my next posts, so be sure to check back for updates.
Here's a link to some pictures from the Aquarium visit.

NCL Dawn Bermuda - Freestyle Dining

I've talked about Freestyle Dining before, but in case you have forgotten, NCL is the only cruise line that offers up to 13 different restaurants on board a single ship. You can dine where you want and select from Steak, sushi, Teppanyaki, tapas, French, Mediterranean, Asian Fusion, Italian, Tex-Mex, buffets, pizza.

In addition, you can dine when you want from 5:30 PM to midnight with seating until 10:00 PM. You have the option to decide last minute or make reservations 24 hours in advance. Certain cabin categories allow you to make reservations further in advance.

When we boarded the Norwegian Dawn, we made our dinner reservations for Monday night at Teppanyaki. This is a Japanese style restaurant where your food is prepared in front of you. If you like restaurants like Benihana, you'll love Teppanyaki. Let's take a closer look...

You'll be seated at a table for 10 with a large cooking area surrounding you. The waitress takes your drink order and brings you a salad. While you are eating your salad you decide what you want to eat. Choose from Chicken, Jumbo Shrimp, Filet Mignon, Lobster, Calamari, Scallops or various combinations of these items.

Next you'll be given your cup of soup along with various dipping sauces for your meal. The fun is about to begin as the chefs enter the room. Knives and other cooking utensils are tapped on the cooking service or twirled as the show unfolds before your eyes. The chef begins by making a vegetable appetizer for the entire table. Items like onions, squash, carrots, peppers are sliced and cooked. He divides the food into individual servings and moves onto the next dish.

More acrobatics as he makes fried rice with scrambled eggs and all the trimmings. Of course he doesn't simply crack the egg, anyone can do that. How about catching the egg in his chefs hat and then cracking it open after that. Who knows what your chef might do to entertain you. Every dinner could be entirely different. They thrive on your involvement and really seem to enjoy their "work".

After verifying each dinner entree order, the main cooking begins. Our table had a mixture of chicken, shrimp, steak, and lobster. Each meal is cooked to order as you continue eating the vegetables and fried rice. If you had a combination meal, such as shrimp and steak, the chef will prepare part of your meal and place it on your plate while continuing to cook the rest of the food.

When everyone has received their complete meal, the chef bids farewell with some flare as before, to the applause of an appreciative audience. The waitress reappears to clean up and to settle your bill (there is an extra gratuity for this freestyle venue). Since you have been entertained, I would say that they earn the gratuity in this case.

We enjoyed our meal at Teppanyaki. The choice is yours on your cruise. Since, as NCL says, you are free to whatever - that includes dining with whom you want, where you want, and when you want (obviously within limits).

Next time, I'll start discussing the various attractions we visited in Bermuda.

NCL Dawn Bermuda - Sail Away from NY

When we awoke the sky was a bit threatening, but the sun came out and burned the clouds away leaving a beautiful blue sky with billowy, puffy white clouds. The New York City skyline is magnificent especially when it is framed by clouds.

The railings along the pool-side decks were lined with passengers as we sailed past the NYC skyline on the port side and New Jersey on the starboard side. Off in the distance, on the starboard side stood the Statue of Liberty, torch reaching into the blue sky. The highlight of the sail-away was sailing close to the statue as we headed out to open sea.

We have had several opportunities to sail past the Statue of Liberty, the first being upon return from a Trans-Atlantic many years

ago. That time, the sun was just rising and the torch really glowed in the morning light. Perhaps a more striking image was that on that past cruise, the World Trade Center buildings were still standing and they too were glistening in the morning light.

On that day in September, 2001, the New York skyline was changed forever, but through it all, the Statue of Liberty still stood fast in the harbor with her torch lighting the way to freedom for so many people that have come before us, and those that will follow. How fitting that we had visited Ground Zero on this trip so that we were now reminded about what the Statue of Liberty reall means to all of us.

After passing the Statue, the crowded thinned out and the party kicked into full gear. The band played on the stage by the pool and the BBQ was ready to be served. The menu consisted of hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken along with all the trimmings. Since we hadn't had any food when we first got onboard, we were starting to get hungry, so we decided to partake in the BBQ. There's nothing like good old outdoor cooking - and to think it wasn't in our backyard, but on a cruise ship. We'd actually have BBQ lunches several times throughout the cruise, since we spent some of our free-time poolside.

The cruise was officially started; we looked back in the distance and saw the New York City skyline fade away. In my next post, I'll take you inside the El Dorado Spa for a closer look.

NCL Dawn Bermuda - Welcome Aboard

We arrived at the pier around 11:30 AM, checked our baggage with the porters, and entered the cruise terminal to check in. As usual, we had done our pre-cruise paperwork which makes life so much easier when you arrive at the pier. The only documentation we needed was our cruise ticket and passports.

The embarkation process went quite smoothly. There were separate lines for Latitudes (NCL loyalty program) guests, Balcony cabins, and other higher category cabins. When we arrived the special lines were short and the regular lines seemed to be moving pretty well. I didn't hear any guests complaining about the embarkation during the cruise, so I'll have to assume most people had no problems with the boarding process.

Once onboard we were greeted with a glass of champagne and told that the cabins weren't ready yet. One of the stewards took our carry-on bags and escorted us to a lounge where they were storing bags until the cabins were ready. After dropping off our bags, we headed off to explore the ship.

My husband and son wandered off to take a few pictures of the atrium area while I waited in line to make dinner reservations for the first sea day night. When we had been on the Pearl, we hadn't made a reservation for Teppanyaki restaurant and I wanted to be sure we'd get there on this trip. I made the reservation for Monday at 6:30 PM and then joined the rest of the family to continue our exploration.

One of our first stops is always at the spa to see what is offered, and to make our appointments so that we get our first choices. One of the therapists was demonstrating the Aromastone therapy, which is my favorite treatment. She gave all of us a taste of the treatment and we then made our appointments for the first sea day. We also purchased the cruise pass for the relaxation area which included a thalassotherapy pool. The spa warrants a separate post, so stay tuned for more details.

After leaving the spa, we headed to Spinnaker Lounge to relax for awhile before the mandatory lifeboat drill. As you can see in this picture, we decided to take advantage of one of the unique chairs in the lounge. A passing couple just had to take our picture because we looked so comfortable (which we were).

You'll notice that I've not mentioned food at all yet. Yes, there was the usual welcome aboard buffet in the Garden Cafe, but since we had had a buffet breakfast at our hotel, we weren't quite ready to eat at this point in time.

We left Spinnaker Lounge, picked up our carry-on bags and headed to our cabin. A couple of our suitcases arrived shortly after that, so we unpacked a little before heading out again.

The cruise was off to a good start and we were getting into the swing of things. In my next post, I'll talk about the sail-away party which included Statue of Liberty viewing and a cookout on deck.

Greetings from NCL Dawn

I am writing this from the Internet Cafe onboard NCL Dawn. We sailed last Sunday from Manhattan Cruise Terminal (New York City) for a 7 night cruise to Bermuda. The weather was great and the cruise was terrific.

We had two sea days before arriving at King's Wharf, Bermuda where we docked for two nights. On the third day in Bermuda, the ship relocated to Hamilton, Bermuda where we tendered.

Some of the highlights were Crystal and Fantasy Caves, Helmet Diving, Fort Hamilton, Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, and the Aquarium. Come back in a couple days to start reading all about our trip. Each post, we'll take a closer look at the ship and the various attractions we saw.

If you've not done a cruise to Bermuda yet, I'd suggest that as an alternative to the Caribbean as I've mentioned before.

I'll have plenty of pictures to share with you and provide our impressions of the NCL Dawn.

So, come back to read the entire story.