The plan:   Costa Magica departing Fort Lauderdale and going to Bermuda for two and a half days and Nassau for one day,  departing on tax day April 15, 2007<br /><br />From:  CruiseCrazie member &quot;CruiseDuo&quot;<br /><br />The reality:<br /><br />Great deal &quot;free bus ride from &#39;selected Florida cities&#39;.  Who could refuse such an opportunity?  We sailed on thTe MSC Lirica in December 2006 and drove to Ft. Lauderdale. Since I drove the entire round trip a free bus was a great deal. <br /><br />WRONG&#33;<br />We arrived at the McDonald&#39;s in Daytona Beach, Florida at 7:00am. Plenty of time for the 7:30 Cruise Connections bus. In fact, the bus was there at when we arrived so we boarded it as soon as we arrived. <br /><br />It left Daytona Beach at 7:30 with our drivers anticipated ETA at Port Everglades of 1:00 PM.  Great News&#33; We can get on board, have lunch, relax and get ready to depart for our cruise to Bermuda and Nassau. <br /><br />WRONG&#33;<br />We arrive at Port Everglades at 3:30pm&#33;  This was the eight-hour bus ride from HELL&#33; We went everywhere. Picked up passengers who were going  to Miami. <br /><br />We then had to rendevous with another bus to release the Miami passengers. This, of course, was after driving up to the Port Everglades gate and making a U-TURN to then spend another hour trying to find the bus for the Miami customers. <br /><br />4 o&#39;clock pm:<br />OK we got on board not in time for lunch, but in time for the &quot;LifeBoat Drill&quot;.  Great planning  . . . . starving since 7:30am and now we have to wait until the drill is over&#33;<br /><br /><br /><br />On our way:<br />We are on our way at 6pm. Heading to Bermuda for a two-and-a-half day stay in Bermuda and then sail to Nassau for a one-day visit there. Life is good. <br /><br />The Captain Speaks:<br />Oh No&#33;  The &quot;nor&#39; easter&quot; in the US has caused extreme conditions at sea so we are reversing our itinerary. We will go to Nassau first and then to Bermuda later in the week. <br /><br />We think:  Good deal. One day in Nassau now and two+ days in Bermuda when the storm passes. Great Captian.<br /><br />The Reality:<br />We spend on day in Nassau and buy &quot;stuff&quot;. Then start our trek to Bermuda. On Wednesday night we arrive off the coast of Bermuda. We&#39;re ready to see Bermuda the next day (Thursday).  However, fifteen foot waves and &#39;gail-force&#39; winds cause us to spend the entire day looking at the island of Bermuda. Good thing the bars are open&#33; <br /><br />We finally dock at the Royal Dockyards on Friday morning and get to spend one day in Bermuda. It&#39;s OK we see as much as we can visiting Hamilton and the sights at the Royal Dockyards. However, we miss the opportunity to see St. Georges. <br /><br />As experienced cruisers, this is what happens and we accept the situation. No one can control the weather.<br /><br />At 6am Friday we leave Bermuda and start our journey to Ft. Lauderdale, arriving at about 7am on Sunday. <br /><br />The Final Analysis:<br />I can?t wait to sail on the Costa Magica again. The personnal were courteous and professional;  the food was great; the on-board activities were fun; and in spite of all of the weather problems, it was a great trip.  <br /><br />I have had a sign on my desk for the 30 years I worked. It stated, <br />&quot;LIFE IS 10% WHAT HAPPENS AND 90% HOW YOU REACT TO IT&quot;<br />The Costa Magica team reacted in a very positive and customer friendly way. I&#39;m ready to book a cruise with them again. Weather is something that you cannot predict. Costa Magica did what was right and gave us a great cruise. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />