Cruising Bermuda

Where can LGBTQ families go to have a good time? Turns out Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is a pretty good option.

We are not big cruisers. We kind of thought cruises to be the kind of thing you do when you’re physically done hiking and camping and zip lining. We cruised twice before: once when we were just too pregnant to fly and once when we were anxious to snorkel Bermuda again. We wound up feeling like cruising is just the sort of thing straight people do. It turns out though that cruising really is an awesome way to travel with family - and yes, even our LGBTQ families!

When my wife and I cruised the first two times, it was in NCL’s Dawn, and we remember leaving NYC to immediately find ourselves by the pool, listening to reggae music, which is what lured us back. This was our third cruise, and our first on the NCL’s Breakaway.

First impressions - It was crowded! The first day after the safety test, there was at least one fight. Hard to avoid though when you scoop 5,000 people from Downtown Manhattan and pour them into a few large rooms. Despite the size of the boat you’ll find there’s usually not a lot of free space. But the space is utilized very well and once some order is established at the buffet bar, and drinks are served, most things run pretty smoothly. I’m told the Bermuda cruise is the least confined because both the NYC and Bermuda Ports are less restrictive. You also have time (usually an overnight or two) in the Bermuda port which helps to spread out the crunch of people. You learn a lot about yourself or your family when you’re a week off mainland.

During our third cruise, we brought our kids with us. Our first day, I was horrified at my sweet Niky’s inflexibility. When asked if he would like ice cream, he invariably requests “vanilla with rainbow sprinkles.” (My kid loves rainbows!) Well there is a huge array of food choices, but rainbow sprinkles haven’t quite made the cut on the Norwegian Breakaway. Our waiter, Edwin Hernandez, seemed as horrified over this, even though I was embarrassed over my son’s ridiculous tears, but before we knew it, he’d found rainbow M&Ms, and we had a family talk about manners and gratitude! Edwin went completely out of his way to make sure Niky could enjoy his ice cream.

The service is impeccable. We found that all crew members will bend over backwards to do their best for you. Cruises, we find, are a nice option if you just want to feel pampered. There are so many nice touches that we find intriguing and fun, from towels folded into different animals every evening, fun games like Family Pictionary and giant chess to pass the time.

Nobody batted an eye at the many times we mentioned we were a couple, or when we danced together, and there were no specifically labelled “his/her” towels or robes in the closet to annoy us or make us feel unwelcome. There were in fact a few other LGBTQ couples on board and all seemed perfectly happy with our general treatment and accommodations.

Overall, it was a really nice week. There’s the immediate jubilance of boarding right from Manhattan that launches you poolside within minutes that is nice; the expectation/exploration of the ship the first few days, the sheer beauty of Bermuda’s famous Horseshoe Bay that simply cannot be missed; and the slow return/appreciation of the comfort and coddling that last few days afford you.

My family was treated like gold and my oldest was literally famous by the end of the cruise just from all the live shows he was able to join and participate in while we were there. My emotional youngest literally cried as we left the Bermuda port for the last time, but was able to adjust over the last couple days as we sailed home so that eventually he was happy to return to his video games as we disembarked.

Things to keep in mind:

Pack sneakers: some ships have zip lines, but you an only use them if you are wearing sneakers.

If you think you may drink more than 5-6 tropical concoctions a day, then spring for the alcohol package. It’s so much easier to try new drinks and not care if they suck when you are not worried about the cost.

Disconnect! It’s surprising how liberating it is to be cell-free. Bring a walkie talkie with a decent range to stay in touch with family on the ship. It’s fun and different enough to be cool for the kids.

You can honestly skip all the expensive specialty restaurants and still have great meals. They are alluring, but you can get a buffet, and different sit-down options We did do one night of specialty French (just because it is rare for us), so if you are going to do it - then make it count!

Schedule excursions for your last days or your shortest port days. It takes the stress out of getting back to the boat on time.

Wear shorts under sundresses on deck. It gets windy!

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