Bermuda is one of those places  that is pricy to go to. Flights to get there are a lot and hotels are also. I never understood why until I realized that, duh, it’s nowhere near the Caribbean! It gets lumped into Caribbean conversations bc it is an island, but it’s pretty special and very different. Bermuda is famous for being the tip point of a famous triangle of terror: the Bermuda Triangle. Ships go missing here, a lot. In fact, divers love Bermuda because they can explore over 300 wrecked ships off its shores.  Bermuda is 650 miles off the coast of North Carolina.

When you take  into  account  the location and how unique Bermuda is, with it’s legendary pink sand beaches, it makes sense that it is a very expensive place to travel to. There is a really fun and affordable way to get to Bermuda, however, a cruise!

Cruises to Bermuda are usually 7 days and often leave from NYC, or Boston, or Baltimore, or New Jersey. Cruise lines which sail this route are Celebrity, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean.  The route is always the same: leave w two days at sea…straight to Bermuda, then arrive at 8 am and stay in Bermuda for 3 days then sail back with one day at sea for a very early return to your original port.

When a cruise states that its 7 days, it’s really more like 6. You get on the ship in the afternoon and leave that night. There’s something very relaxing about the sail off…leaving land behind. Sigh. The last day of the cruise the ship always arrives at port super early, like 7 am, so feasibly if you live in the city, you could be at work that day! We usually catch a flight at 1 pm if we are doing a caribbean cruise. If we are in Europe we will stay a day or two before flying home, of course!

So these Bermuda cruises that have been catching my eye seem to drop to ridiculously low fares if you wait until the last minute to book them. I mean one week to one month in advance. Since flights become dramatically more pricey at the last minute it makes sense to book the cruise at a slightly higher rate (50-100$ more then it will eventually drop to) to save on the airfare and break even, also, flights often go up as they become more full and this can happen literally while you’re booking. Flights are tricky like that. best to plan with flights. Although most travel agents will try to convince you that a cruise might sell out, IT Rarely happens.  They also try to convince you to buy it 6 months in advance. I have been watching the 6 month out prices vs the last min deals for a long time and the last min deal is always better IMO.

The ship I am most interested in is the Norwegian Breakaway. I like it because its new, modern, sleek, and HUGE. I also like that Norwegian has freestyle dining and a ton of added fee restaurants. The food in these is really good and it just feels fun to go try different spots instead if the routine of the main dining room.  The fee for these is usually 10-30$ per person

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Another reason I am interested in the Breakaway is that it sails from New York. My sister lives in the city and it would be v convenient for her to just hop on and go! Hint hint 😉

 

I also love that it has a 23,000 square foot spa! An excellent way to spend the day with a sister, or a boyfriend, or friends, or all of the above. It’s like a modern and luxurious hotel at sea with amenities, entertainment (Rock of Ages, the musical!) restaurants, gambling (you know I love that Sex and the City slot machine!) and sea views. It’s an ideal vacation really.

 

I was pricing vacations to Bermuda from atlanta and the lowest I found were around $1500 pp for 3 days. Not at a great place either. This of course doesn’t include food, though the cruise does. The cost of the cruise that I’m looking at? Starts at 500$ pp with a last min purchase. I have even seen a balcony cabin go for 750$ at the last min. (I don’t think a balcony is necessary though…just nice. It really depends how much time you want to spend in your room.)

The thrill of arriving rested and with a base tan started (from laying out on a sunny deck and enjoying the sea air) seems reason enough to use the cruise as a floating resort plus transportation en route to a pink Bermuda beach! Somehow it is also a practical choice! This  rarely happens in life, but I Love when it does.  Why am I taking a cruise to spend a few days in a place that seems designed for the bombshell traveler? Because I’m saving money, that’s why. Hahaha! Incredible 🙂

Update: Did the cruise and were able to get a cabin with a view! That part was fabulous, as was the ship (sans passengers), as was Bermuda!!

Everyone should sail out of Manhattan at least once. And EVERYONE should go to Bermuda at Least once. I will write more about why soon!