4/20/06

By hamster92256

• February 8, 2007

We will start it off by saying that a good time was had by all!!!!! Getting to the pier was easy as pie, we drove straight there from upstate NY, NYS Northway to the Thruway. From the Thruway to the Palisades Parkway, over the George Washington Bridge to the Henry Hudson(9A South)followed the signs to the pier. Unloaded our baggage and parked the car - Big drawback is the cost of parking, $24/day - OUCH!!!! Total 5 1/2 hours.

Arrived at about 1 PM and walked right in to the checkin line, wait time approximately 15 minutes, and on to the ship!!! Found our cabin and dropped our carryon bag and went for a quick snack and tall fruity drink. We stayed on the Lido deck and took in the sights of the NY harbor, of course there was the mandatory drill before leaving the dock, but then it was back to the Lido deck to see NY as we set sail. The weather was fantastic, the sun was just starting to set as we left, got some great pictures of the skyline, bridges, Staten Island Ferry, and of course the Statue of Liberty!!!

The first dinner was great - my group of 10 met Maria and Ken and her friends so there was a total of 14 of us. The company, the food and the service made for an enjoyable time, so much so we did it every night of the cruise. We went to all the shows, saw the comedians, and would have to say that the enertainment was right up there.

After a day at sea doing all the things that we do on board, eating, drinking, seeing the shows, eating, a couple more drinks, and did I say eating!! We arrived at the Naval Dockyard in Bermuda, while waiting to tie up we had something to eat then went ashore. Six of the 14 headed for their motorscooters to see the island on two wheels and brave the wrong way traffic, while the rest of us headed to the ticket counter and purchased bus passes for both days at the cost of $20 each. This is a great deal as the buses will get you just about anywhere and they are good for the ferries also.

Our group went to the Zoo and Aquarium where we spent most of the afternoon, then it was back to the ship to eat and trade stories, have a couple of drinks, see the show and rest up for the next day. Our next day consisted of taking the ferry to Hamilton and then the bus to the Crystal Caves, our daughter and her boyfriend went to Jacobs Cove(pink sand beach) to go snorkeling. They were the only ones there and had the beach to themselves, they did mention that the water was a little cool but the sun was warm and they both have a sunburn to prove it. After the caves we went back to the Dockyards to see the Maritime Museum, the Dolphin Adventure, and the shops that are located there.

We returned to the ship with a 1/2 hour to spare, had something to eat and a nice cold one and bid Bermuda farewell and headed to Newport RI.

We had another day at sea and we spent it eating, having a couple of cold ones and trading stories with each other. We arrived in Newport the next day, it was cooler but this is to be expected as this is spring in New England, the sun was out and there was a breeze. We ate an early breakfast, had to stand in line for immigration as we were going to land on US soil, went ashore as we had booked an excusion to Rose Island Light House with the Harbor tour by boat. While waiting for our excursion we walked around town looking at the shops and doing a little sight seeing. Newport is a very quite town at this time of the year so it was nice. After the excursion we returned to the ship and headed back to NY. The last night was topped off with eating and a few more cold ones.

We arrived in NY harbor as we were eating breakfast, what a sight!! Then it was time to say our goodbyes and to start making plans for the next cruise. Debarkation was simple as we had done Immigrations the day before, we found our bags with no problems and walked back to our cars although with a slower stride then when we first arrived six days earlier.

Any specific questions you might have about this review feel free to PM me!!!!!