Me and my boyfriend just returned on 9-7-03 from a 7 day cruise on the Norwegian Majesty from Boston to Bermuda. Going into this trip, I had some concerns. I read reviews about people who were extremely happy with their trips, then I read reviews about people who were extremely unhappy. The majority of these negative reviews, we feel, were exaggerated. We had a wonderful time, and our review is a positive one.

Embarkation was your usual registration process, checking of documents and luggage and opening your onboard credit account. The ship left at 4 PM as scheduled. Leaving Boston, the weather was cold and windy, we wore pants and long sleeve shirts. All activities and restaurants were open and in full swing aboard the ship. We called it an early night.

Monday was spent at sea. There was a dramatic change in temperature, so we put on our swim suits and headed to the Sun Deck and took in the sun. You will never have to get up to buy a drink. The bar staff is walking around every few minutes with drinks in hand. We found that being on the Sun Deck, was where they really pushed to sell you drinks. A simple “no, thank you”, seemed to work. Drinks were reasonably priced. Mixed drinks were $5.95, water was $3.00, beer varied in brand from $3.50 to $5.50. All drinks will have a 15% gratuity included. Monday night was Captain’s Dinner Night. We ate at the Seven Seas Restaurant, in which the dress code was formal that night. Lobster tails were served, my boyfriend had 4, so don’t hesitate to ask for seconds. Dinner menus include appetizers, salads, main courses, desserts, and beverages. You will never go hungry. The food was great, the desserts were unbelievable. You will have a choice of eating at the main restaurants, in which the dress code is resort casual, or the buffets, or cafes. There are day and night shows, and those are ok, but you make the most of it.

Tuesday, we arrived in Bermuda at 10 AM. You must go to the top deck of the ship, and watch the ship pull up into Bermuda. The sight is breathtaking, and you won’t want to miss it. We spent all day on the island. We went to Tobaco Bay, it’s about a 10 minute walk from the port. The beach is amazing. The water is beautiful. My boyfriend spent most of the day snorkeling. He took me out snorkeling with him once, and it was amazing to see these fishes. You will also see Fort St. Catherine’s, and the town of St. Georges. In St. Georges, there are souvenir shops, a few restaurants and a few bars. It’s a quiet little town. We decided to buy bus passes, which cost around $50 for 2, and headed off to Hamilton to see the Crystal Caves. It was a great sight to see. There was a street festival that night, with local arts and crafts vendors. We were back at the ship around midnight, and called it a night.

Wednesday, was by far the best day we had on the island. My boyfriend decided to rent a scooter, since someone lost one of our bus passes. This was the best idea. We were able to see the island at its best, and stop at St. Georges, Hamilton and Somerset. If you’re going to rent a scooter, remember to stay on the left side of the road. The speed limit is 44 Kilometers, and the streets are narrow. The local drivers will pass you once in a while, so be patient and give way to them. You must make it to Hamilton, and stop at Elbow Beach and Horseshoe Bay, it’s amazing. Due to the approaching hurricane Fabian, the waves at Horseshoe Bay were well over 10 feet, which made it impossible to swim, otherwise the water is gorgeous and the pink sand is unbelievable. We had lunch at a local restaurant, the Pickled Onion, and the food was just as we have back in the US. We drove back and forth all day and loved it, my boyfriend was a great scooter driver, we rented a double seater with a lock box. At night we headed back to Hamilton for a street festival, went to a few bars, and called it a night around 1:00. There is not much to do in Bermuda at night, there is a noise ordinance after 10 PM, and that was ok.

On Thursday, we were advised by our Captain, that we had to leave Bermuda at 8:00 AM, due to Hurricane Fabian heading towards Bermuda. We were scheduled to leave on Friday at noon, so we lost a day and a half on the island. We were extremely disappointed, and were looking forward to seeing more of Bermuda, but Mother Nature had other plans. Thursday was spent all day at sea. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner as usual, and lots of drinks and snacks. We baked in the sun, and made the most of it.

Friday was spent at sea as well. The weather was not good, it was foggy, cloudy and a little drizzle here and there, no sun. We explored the ship, ate and drank, played at the casino, saw a comedy show, saw a song and dance show and passed the time. There is always some sort of a buffet at midnight, every night, and on Friday it was the Chocoholic Buffet. You must not miss this! Everything is covered in chocolate and champagne is served. Needless to say that neither one of us could fall asleep that night.

Saturday was spent at sea, and the weather was sunny. We caught some sun, ate some more and drank some more. Due to a change in schedule and having to leave Bermuda early, the Captain spent the day circling around Cape Cod, Nantucket and Chatham areas to slow down our arrival into Boston. We saw whales, dolphins and a shark through out the day. There was a sushi buffet, and if you like sushi, you must go. It was all you can eat, and a great variety, all food on the ship is all you can eat. There were farewell shows at night, which we attended. Afterwards, we called it a night and prepared to arrive in Boston early on Sunday morning.

Sunday, we arrived in Boston around 7 AM. We had breakfast and prepared to disembark the ship. Disembarkation was long. They started calling passengers by color, and it was 10:30 by the time our color was called. We were done by 11 AM and headed back home.

To sum it all up, we had a great time. This was our first cruise, and it won’t be our last. The staff in the ship was great, they tried really hard to make you happy. The food was incredible, and Bermuda was a little slice of heaven. Our only complaint was the smoking situation aboard this ship. We avoided the casino and the piano lounge, because you could not breathe anything other than smoke, every time you passed by. There should be better ventilation on these parts of the ship, so non-smokers like ourselves could tolerate it. You will come across some people that are loud and obnoxious, after all this is not a luxury liner, but you make the most of your vacation. We would have liked to have spent more time in Bermuda, so, make the most of your time there. Do rent a scooter, and do see the island. Go to the beaches, go shopping, and relax, you’re on vacation. All in all we had a great time, and recommend this trip.