Our boat, the Norweigan Breakaway, was HUGE! It is a newer boat, and had lots of amenities, such as 4 water slides, a rock wall, a ropes course, etc. We had a fairly easy time getting boarded, and I was very impressed with our room size! We got a balcony, which I'm very thankful for...always nice to step outside for a breeze. The boat embarked at 4 pm, and we sailed right by the Statue of Liberty! The kids studied it in school this year, and it was neat to see the awe in their faces when they saw this piece of history in person.
On Mon and Tues we were at sea all day. We introduced the kids to Splash Academy Kids Club on the first day. They were in separate groups (Alannah in 6-9 year olds and Arahn 10-12 year olds) and really enjoyed themselves! Each day, the Kids Club was open from 9-12, then 2-5, and then 7-10:30. It was great. Most days, they wanted to go for each session. We took lots of naps the first 2 days, and then had reservations for the specialty restaurants each night together. (My sister Jill is a travel agent and got us a GREAT deal, which included all the specialty restaurants!) It was nice to try something different each night, which included Hibachi, Italian, French, Brazilian, Steakhouse, & Sushi. The kids enjoyed several soft serve ice cream cones a day...and thought they were in heaven, LOL! The adults saw 3 shows while we were there...Rock of Ages, an 80's rock band musical; Cirque Dreams, and AMAZING acrobatics show (the kids saw this too); and Burn the Floor, a dance review of several dance styles. They were all great! Each night when we picked the kids up from Splash Academy, they wanted to go to the buffet for late night snacks, which included pizza, nachos, chips, etc. We told them not to get used to it, but spoiled them while were there....hey, it was included, right??!?
On Wed morning when were woke up, we were pulling into port at Bermuda. The water there was a bright aqua, and just beautiful. The port is right next to an old fort and museum. The whole island is very clean, friendly, and beautiful. Our ship stayed ported all day Wed, Thursday, and didn't leave until 3 pm Friday. I loved this itinerary, as you could come and go as you please, without being worried about the boat leaving. On Wed it was raining most of the day. We got off after lunch and walked around a bit, just seeing what was nearby. The boys enjoyed looking at all the fish, and we found an place that sold Wi-fi with the purchase of a frozen yogurt, so my sisters bought one so we could all look at our email, etc. We got back on the ship after that for the day.
Thursday was our excursion day. Mom treated our group to a catamaran cruise. It left at 9 am and was a 3 hour excursion. We had SO MUCH FUN! There were about 25 other people on the boat. It was a 45 minute drive to the area we went to, at which point we could get out to swim, snorkel, kayak, and stand-up paddle board. We all snorkeled, then Arahn paddled Jill around in the kayak. Mom and Alannah got back on the boat to take pictures and hang out. Arahn tried the stand up paddle board and was an immediate pro. He ended up doing a back handspring and then a back tuck while on the paddle board!! The employees were so impressed that they videoed it and put it on their Instagram page! Meri then tried the stand up paddle board, and so did Tony. They both did great and stood up! The rule of the boat was that once you swam and were back on the boat for good, their rum drinks and fresh baked cookies were free! We had a blast hanging out, drinking, eating, and getting some sun. It was a great time.
On Friday, we split up. Mom and Jill went to St. George to do a historical tour on the other side of the island. Meri, me and the kids went to Horseshoe Bay to see the pink sand beaches, and Tony stayed on the boat to rest and relax. We all enjoyed our short day, as we had to be back by lunchtime since the boat was leaving at 3 pm.
We were at sea the rest of Friday and all day Saturday, and pulled into port at NYC on Sunday morning at 8 am. On Friday we went to see the Crew Talent Show, which was really good, and Alannah was in the Sea Superstars Show with her Kids Club friends! On Saturday, I participated in Karaoke Idol. I didn't win, but had a great time. =) The kids did the rock wall, and everyone but me and Mom did the ropes course. I think we definitely utilized most of what they had available on the cruise, and definitely enjoyed ourselves. We joked that if we were in the room, and opened the sliding door to the balcony, that it was like being drugged...we almost immediately fell asleep for a nap!
The rest after a BIG week of moving was so needed, and was perfect timing. What a great start to our new life together!!
