Here’s what I learned on my family vacation this year: when you’re traveling with six senior citizens, one electric scooter, two nervous moms, four kids and two hard-working dads, a cruise to Bermuda from a drive-to port is a wonderful stress-free option. One hour-long Uber ride delivers you to the door with as much luggage as you require; the less mobile can rent an electric scooter; and if things go really wrong, it’s comforting to be in the British Empire. (More on that later. The point: stuff happens. Always take the travel insurance.)
But first, the good news: for a grandma like me, there is nothing more fun than a seven-night pajama party with your grandkids, kids, and good friends. With an itinerary that spent three days on the island—and seven straight days of great weather—we ate, we drank, we swam, we toured. We saw the lighthouse and the stalactites. We tried the slightly pink sand at two beaches, one with waves and one with fish. We rode the cars around the racetrack, we played laser tag and ping pong and skeeball.
So first off, thanks to Norwegian Cruise Line, whose Joy did indeed bring us all the happiest of weeks (and to the PR team and our best onboard buddies, GM Rohinton Mottahed and his assistant Rienalyn Lagarde). She’s not a new ship, and she doesn’t have many bells and whistles; indeed, she is headed to drydock and refurbishment at the end of this season. But yesterday, our 11-year-old Caitlyn asked me if you get to pick the ship you go on every time you cruise, and when I said yes, replied with relief that she always wants to sail Joy. “There are bigger ships that have lots more stuff on them,” I said. “But Joy feels like home,” she answered.
Bermuda as a Destination
Now that we’re home, I’m surprised by the number of people who have told me they’ve never been to Bermuda. So, I’ll start by saying it’s a beautiful island off the coast of South Carolina, colorful and clean, as much British as Caribbean. With the highest per capita income in the world and a banking system that’s friendly to big business, it’s home to financiers, sports figures and celebrities. Michael Douglas, Ross Perot, and Michael Bloomberg have homes here. The minimum price for a home sold to non-residents is $3 million. And it’s a quick cruise down from New York harbor, where the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty serve as a beautiful backdrop for a sailaway party under the Verrazzano Bridge.
We Ubered over from our home on Long Island, but our Boston contingent parked at the pier (no problem if you arrive early) and shelled out the hefty $45 a day fee. We all boarded at 11 am, our traditional cruise start time, no problem.
Honestly, we chose NCL Joy for its affordable price point. It was not a luxury experience, but no one cared. We played Deal or No Deal and Bingo, we enjoyed the buffet (where we always managed to find 14 seats together in the very back) and the girls mooned over the cute young star of Footloose. That show was great, and we are sad to hear it is being discontinued. The staff at How to Run a Floating Hotel said it is being replaced by another show, yet to be announced; when I asked NCL for details, a spokesperson replied:
“We remain committed to providing the best vacations by delivering the experiences our guests look forward to most. As part of our regular business operations to refine onboard offerings by taking a guest-first approach, we have spent the past several months evaluating our shipboard entertainment program, as well as the experiences our guests want to enjoy while at sea with us. As such, our team is focused not only on delivering high-quality theater productions, but also more robust daily activities for guests to enjoy throughout their NCL cruise journey. This multi-year initiative will roll out first-at-sea productions and original programming on an ongoing basis across the fleet. With our guests at the forefront of these new enhancements, and the talented team we have in place driving these exciting new developments, we are confident our legacy of offering best-in-industry entertainment will continue to elevate the NCL experience.”
Sounds like it will be replaced by an original production rather than another Broadway show.
Thanks to our Three at Sea promotion and our travel advisor Gary E. Smith, we enjoyed four meals in specialty restaurants. The crew voted Ocean Blue the winner, with top honors going to its amazing cioppino. (The kids voted for the beef bolognese at la Cucina.) But the food was good across the board, everyone agreed, including the buffet, the restaurants and the specialty dining. Perhaps the least successful specialty food was at Q, but the kids loved the chili and the country-western show served on the side; Le Bistro won over most of the adults but not the picky eaters, who sneered at escargots and duck a l’orange.
Norwegian prides itself on its entertainment, and it shows in the productions. In addition to the 90-minute Footloose, don’t miss the afternoon Broadway Review. I skipped Elements, not being a lover of Cirque du Soleil-style shows, and The Beatles show in the main theater was a bit of a disappointment, but the comedians were very funny and the magician amazed.
We didn’t get around to reserving excursions until too late to book what we wanted for 14 people through NCL, so we tried Viator. The full-day Crystal Caves, Hamilton Shopping and (Horseshoe Bay) Beach Tour covered the basics and delivered the big waves the older kids craved—though the seats on the minivan were awfully uncomfortable. At our Royal Naval Dockyard pier, the kids loved the bouncy excitement of sliding into the sea off the Party Boat, and we walked over to Snorkel Park Beach to spend a day in the calm waters, feeding cereal to schools of fish by the jetty and catching crabs in the rocks. Admission there is $15 per person; the music adds a nice vibe and there’s food for sale, a bar and a sports area with a basketball hoop and a jumpy house.
Of course, the best part of the trip was the unplanned stuff, the gooey goodness of the midnight run for hot crepes rolled with M&Ms and topped with whipped cream, hide-and-seek in the Observation Lounge, watching the sunset together from our adjoining balconies.
Code Alpha Times Two
No trip of 14 is complete without a little drama, and ours had its fair share. Two accidents, one minor and one major, sent members of our party to the medical office, where three doctors and an x-ray machine came in handy. One was a bad fall that resulted in a broken nose and lots of blood. It brought 10 staff members and emergency equipment running within seconds. Both times NCL waived the fees, following their policy regarding accidents that occur onboard the ship. I have to say it was a relief not to worry about the cost and the insurance forms in an emergency. (And when I got home, I upped my annual travel insurance policy to a higher coverage level, just in case. Life is a crapshoot. Be prepared.)
Drydock on the Horizon
Guests sailing Norwegian Joy after January will find a slightly different ship from ours, thanks to a three-week drydock and retrofit. NCL will add an expanded spa and thermal suite, two new three-bedroom Premier Owner’s Suites with a separate dining room overlooking the Haven Horizon Lounge, and 24 new balcony staterooms. Laser Tag will be no more, replaced by an expansion of The Vibe Beach Club that will add private deluxe cabanas. The Galaxy Pavilion virtual-reality complex also will be replaced, ceding its space to a Thermal Suite with hot tile loungers, a sauna, an ice room and an aromatic steam room.
My family is hoping they also will add a sports deck with a basketball hoop, more space to run around, and another pool with a shallow end in which children and short adults can stand. (Surprisingly, neither of the current pools have that, likely as a way to keep the crowds down.) Honestly, I think we will be back on Joy one day no matter what. Like Caitlyn, we all felt the love here. There’s just no place like home.
Cheryl’s 40-year career in journalism is bookended by roles in the travel industry, including Executive Editor of Business Travel News in the 1990s, and recently, Editor in Chief of Travel Market Report and admin of Cheryl Rosen’s Group for Travel Professionals, a news and support group on Facebook. As an independent contractor since retiring from the 9-to-5 to travel more, she has written regular articles about the life and business of travel agents for Luxury Travel Advisor, Travel Agent, and Insider Travel Report. She also writes and edits for professional publications in the financial services, business, and technology sectors.