A big birthday for my husband was approaching, and as we considered our options about how to celebrate, the one thing we knew was that we wanted to be with our family. So, we settled on revisiting my husband’s decades-past college spring break destination – Bermuda. And we decided to get there on an NCL cruise from NYC. It was a very different kind of trip for us.

Overall, we had some great family time and moments we will treasure forever. The NCL Aqua (a one-year-old ship) was great for the kids and not so great for the adults. I guess I’ve been spoiled by travel on smaller ships with more attention to detail.

A New York State of Mind

It was a nice start to be back in NYC to catch our cruise. We arrived by train at Penn Station and selected a hotel within walking distance of the New York Port on the Hudson. Ink48 was just OK; one of our rooms wasn’t ready at check-in, but rooms were comfortable, and the location was convenient. BTW – after the cruise, we departed from Penn the same day as the Taylor Swift wedding.  In case you don’t know, Penn Station is under Madison Square Garden. Despite the street closures and general chaos, we didn’t have any issues.

That evening we all had fun at Jamie Allen’s AMAZE magic show. You have to be at least five to attend, and our grandson proudly made the cut. Allen’s combination of narrative and magic wove an interesting personal story, and his tricks were truly amazing and entertaining.

Three Generations in Bermuda

We really enjoyed our three days in Bermuda. The ship docks all the way at the tip of the 21-mile island at the Royal Navy Dockyard. It was easy for my daughter and her family to take a shuttle to the famous Horseshoe Bay Beach, and NCL does offer a complimentary ferry to St. George (a fact not well publicized in advance).

For $5, you can take a 20-minute ferry ride into Hamilton, which is what we did (exact change or buy a token in the ferry office). My husband and I spent a nice day in Hamilton. We had a tasty lunch at the breezy, open-air 1609 restaurant at the Hamilton Princess, and then, with the help of their kind and capable Bell Captain, secured a car and driver to see the island and revisit some special spots.

After a brisk morning walk, we relaxed in Victoria Park, Hamilton’s first public park dating from 1889.

Of special note, the cottages where my husband stayed – Mizzentop, were still there and had clearly been well-maintained. But sadly, his recollection of partying at the resort on Elbow Beach will have to remain just a memory. The resort is slated to be torn down, and its beach access has been closed.  There was one narrow access point to the Beach, which was unsurprisingly not at all crowded on this day.

I really enjoyed getting to see this beautiful island with its pastel homes and British Colonial style. It was clean and safe, and we felt very welcome (even though we were off a cruise ship!)

The only excursion we took through the ship was a glass-bottom boat/snorkel trip billed as kid-friendly. It was kid-friendly until our granddaughter saw an eel and had a bit of a meltdown – but the very nice Captain Zoe helped calm her down. We were not too impressed with the coral reef or wreck we saw, but that’s probably because, being from Florida, it was not an unusual sight.

A hit for the kids was a visit to Dolphin Quest and a chance to spend some time with dolphins Juniper and Ely. It was pricey but well worth it. I included the prepaid photo package. I feel like photos are always the best souvenirs of any trip, and we got 147 pics! It’s an impressive operation.

Back to My Thoughts About the NCL Aqua

We chose regular connecting cabins vs the more exclusive option, The Haven. It seemed like a bad idea to take a 5 and 7-year-old into that presumably quieter area. The ship did not have family-style options. The cabins had good storage for two, but a challenge for four. They did have unusually comfortable, well-padded seating on the verandas.

The kids’ club, Splash Academy, for their age group was terrific, and they loved going. The miniature golf, game area, and arcade were all huge hits with our grandkids. The small pool and baby-oriented splash areas were not. Fortunately, the kids forgot about the winding water slide; they were under the 48” requirement to go (even with an adult). One rainy sea day proved to be a challenge, and we were thankful for the Splash Academy.

There is one kids’ menu, and it’s the same in every venue onboard. If kids eat from that menu, there is no charge for them in the specialty restaurants. That would be if you could actually book the specialty restaurants. We could not book any we wanted (even though we had paid). I guess the lesson here is that you need to book ASAP. Among our group, we finally were able to try two and also ordered from the steakhouse menu while dining in the main dining room. All were very uninspiring. The best thing I had on the ship was the hot fudge sundae in The Local.

The venues on board don’t seem to be able to accommodate the number of passengers. You can’t reserve a table in one of the two main dining rooms, and on the final night of the trip it was an hour wait for a table. Dining and bar areas always seemed congested, and getting a seat was a challenge.  Staff at the included Indulge restaurant, in which diners order from food-hall-type options on a computer screen, seemed confused by our request for a kids’ menu.

The cabin bathroom was very well done with a large shower and plenty of storage. But no amenities such as conditioner or body lotion (only shampoo and body wash). Bring your own because they don’t sell any in the on-board shop either. Prepare for individual bottles of water that are $4.50 each. We could get a cocktail with our package, but not a bottle of water.

It was really annoying that you had to pay for the on-board Wi-Fi service to use the ship’s app. In my experience, ships’ apps work independently of the paid service, so you can get news info and often even communicate with other travelers.

Crew members were nice, but seemed overworked. Our attendant had 24 cabins to handle, alone. As a result, there is no evening turndown service and often late clean-up.

In summary, this was a great family trip and a disappointing cruise for the adults in our group. We chose this ship because of the itinerary. Next time for the family, it will be Disney or Celebrity.