Although we live in Boston, we have never sailed out of our home port so why not try it out? We decided on a Bermuda cruise out of Boston on Norwegian Cruise Line and the Dawn and I am so glad we did. As mentioned in a prior post, we decided to spend the night before the cruise at a hotel in the Seaport district and it was a great choice as always. We stayed at the Westin Boston Waterfront and took a cab to the port the next morning. The reason I stayed in a hotel the night before and why I always recommend it to my clients is that you get the opportunity to start your vacation early by relaxing in the hotel at your port destination. No running around the day of the cruise to get there on time because you’re already there. I felt relaxed and not rushed and that is truly the best way to start a cruise.
We had a leisurely breakfast (thanks Starbucks!) and took our cab to the port. Once there, we dropped off our checked bags and made our way inside to get on the ship. We arrived at the port at around 11 am and it was already busy, far busier than you would ever find from any of the Florida ports at this same time. In hindsight, I would have arrived even earlier although I’m not sure how much earlier they would have allowed us in. We went through security and then waited just a short time before checking in. We were given our cabin cards along with a number and told to sit and wait until our number was called. We went over to the area with the chairs behind the photographer’s area and waited not more than two minutes before we were told we could join the line.
We were ushered onto the gangway, which was completely packed and moving slow, which in the hot weather was not much fun. Then someone behind us with a baby stroller started pushing through the crowd to get past us, including someone in a wheelchair in front of us. Naturally, I thought there was an emergency of some kind, but no — they apparently didn’t like the long line and wasn’t into waiting like the rest of us. While I waited in this slow moving line, I was able to take a few pictures of the ship at the dock like this one.
Once we went through security again on the ship, we were able to do whatever we liked onboard. We took a quick look around and then, of course, had to find lunch. We opted for lunch in the main dining room, the Venetian, and we were given a great table right next to the window. It was a ghost town in here as I suspect everyone went to the buffet at the Garden Cafe. I’m glad we decided to do something different because it was quiet and the view was great. We then went to our cabin to unload our bags and went right back out again to explore before the muster drill. The muster was held inside and our muster station was in the other main dining room, Aqua, which later became my favorite dining venue.
As our time to set sail approached, the captain informed us that we would be delayed sailing out of Boston, but I don’t think anyone cared, especially those with drinks in hand who had already started their vacation hours earlier. The pool area was packed as was nearly every square inch of open deck space. We ventured to the forward deck and waited for our exit from Boston. The skyline never looked better as we began our journey out of Boston Harbor and on our way to Bermuda.
On our way out, we sailed right by Boston Logan International Airport. We watched planes land and take off and I love this picture of the runway as it looks close enough to reach out and touch. It’s amazing that things you see on a daily basis look so different when you’re on a cruise ship. Our slow sail out of Boston with time to admire our surroundings was a perfect way to begin our 7-night Bermuda cruise. Next time I’ll share information about the entertainment, food, our cabin, and more on the NCL Dawn.