Conference abbott::cruise_travel

    Can't help with specific information about the Bahamas cruise, but can
    help with info on clothing.  I've been on two cruises, and in both
    cases, there were at least 2 "dressy" nights on board.... usually the
    evening of your first full day at sea there is a "Captain's Welcoming
    Party".  This is generally very dressy -- cocktail dresses for the
    women, dark suits or tuxes for the men.  Depending on the length of the
    cruise (I was on a 7 day and a 14 day) there is a "farewell" party the
    last full night of the cruise which is again dressy.  Prior to both
    cruises, I received a little booklet which told all the events that
    would occur on the cruise, what the "dress code" is for each night.  I
    did notice that on the dressy evenings, the women especially dressed
    up.  I also understand that there are cruise lines where it is normal
    to "dress up" for dinner every night.  Not having been on a RCCL trip,
    I don't know if they fall into this category.  
    
    Hope this little bit of info helps.  Your travel agent should also be
    able to give you some ideas on how to dress  -- they'll know each of
    the cruise lines and the events held on each.
    
    Pat
    

    I just returned from a RCCL cruise.  They have the usual two 'formal'
    nights, a couple of shirt/jacket nights, and some 'casual' nights.
    You can't go wrong with RCCL, enjoy!
    
    Ro
    

    
    
    Has anyone recently taken this New York to Bermuda trip?
    I know Bermuda is expensive, but I would think that with
    food and entertainment included in the cruise, the actual
    island excursions could be done reasonably?
    
    Any information on this type of cruise and particularly
    the Royal Caribbean one would be appreciated.
    
    

My husband and I have taken four cruises from NY to Bermuda cruises and 
absolutely love this itinerary.  Even with several Caribbean cruises, the 
Bermuda cruise is still our favorite.

You get the best of both worlds - the cruise and Bermuda.  It definitely is the
best value for your money because you don't have to worry about food and
entertainment.  One note about entertainment - government laws prohibit 
'professional' entertainment while in port.  This means that the cruise line
cannot hire well known acts to entertain during these days, however, the cruise
staff usually entertains the passengers and this entertainment is fun and often
time excellent.

We just cruised on the Song of America this past August and had a wonderful 
time.  I can't say enough about the service, food, room steward, and the cruise
staff.  It was all outstanding.  The other cruise lines going to 
Bermuda are also great (see below for the list).

While in Bermuda, we docked in St. George for a day/night and the next morning
sailed over to Hamilton and docked right on Front Street for 3 days.  There is
so much to do in Bermuda - shopping, golfing, shopping, beaches, shopping,
snorkling, shopping, mopeds, shopping - sorry, I got carried away with 
shopping...

At night, you can take advantage of the shows offered by the different hotels.
Tickets usually run about $25 depending on the show.  Or you can walk around
St. George or Front St.  The beauty of Bermuda is that it is safe!  The people
are extremely friendly and no one bothers you at all.

The Bermuda season for cruising is between May and October.  The ships with 
weekly sailings to Bermuda from New York in 1994:

	Chandris Celebrity - The Horizon
	Chandris Celebrity - The Meridian (docks in Somerset)
	Norwegian Cruise Lines - The Dreamward
	Royal Caribbean - The Song of America

NEW for 1994 is a weekly cruise from Boston to Bermuda on The Royal Majesty -
Majesty Cruise Lines.  The Royal Majesty will dock in St. George for the 
entire stay.

If you would like more information on these ships, drop me a note. 
	

    
    My wife and I are comtemplating taking a cruise to Bermuda Oct. 8th-14th. 
    We are looking at NCL's Dreamward, leaving from NYC.
    
    I was interested in knowing if anyone has any comments regarding this
    ship, and what we can expect in the way of entertainment, dress codes,
    and other activities.
    
    More importantly though I have a concern around the cooler temps in
    October, and whether we'd be able to spend much time lounging around
    the pool on our way to and from Bermuda.... Also, was curious to know
    what the temps are like in Bermuda around Oct.
    
    Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
    
    

    Myself and 5 others are taking this very cruise.  Our first time on
    this ship so I can't help you there other then to tell you that the
    video our travel agent gave us looks great!!!
    
    We went on the Royal Majesty last year the last week in Oct. (I think I
    sent someone a trip report, if I can find it, I'll post it) The sail
    out was a little rough (it was raining when we left Boston) but the
    weather in Bermuda was beautiful (80's).
    
    Roberta

I had planned on lounging around the pool sipping pina coladas on the way to
Bermuda in May.  What a disillusion that was!  We had very rough seas (swells
10-20 feet) and it was very windy.  So windy that the stacked trays for the
buffet on the outside deck were blowing away, these were heavy plastic trays.
One crew member had to stand there just holding the trays!  We took RCCLs
Song of America, and it was wonderful. Food was very good, service was 
absolutely excellent and the entertainment was great.  

Laura