This vacation was part of my mother's 60th birthday present from me, which was her choice for vacations. We procrastinated until about June and decided to go on a cruise to Bermuda. We set sail on Saturday, August 2, and returned home this morning.
I loved it! This is my second cruise, the first on Carnival, but it was nice to be on a smaller ship (NCL Majesty), and really be able to enjoy everything on board. I have a week's worth of stories to share, but here are some of the highlights:
Things I learned about Bermuda:
- It was formed by a volcano a really long time ago, and there are 2 other similar islands about 30 miles south that never broke the surface of the Atlantic.
- It has one of the healthiest coral reef systems, and they are transplanting it to other parts of the world to help local reefs.
- It is a British Colony, and was originally used as off-shore farm land for the American colonists... but because it's made completely of limestone, farming wouldn't work, so they became ship builders.
- They do not have any fresh-water sources on the island, so they rely on rain water to supply them. They collect the rain water through limestone roof systems which purify the water.
- The American dollar and Bermuda dollar are equivalent, so you can use American money interchangeably on the island.
- The cost of living on Bermuda is extremely high! A loaf of bread is literally $5.00, and you can't buy a house for under a million (even the one room shacks).
- The average salary is roughly $60,000, but when people can finally afford their homes, they live in an attached apartment and rent the rest of the house out to pay the mortgage.
- Stores close at 5pm and open when the owner gets there.
- They are very proper and British, and do not bombard travelers with local treasures as soon as they get off of the plane/boat. You actually have to go to their shops to find local goods.
- Their famous drinks are called "Dark and Stormy" and a "Rum Swizzle". I can attest that the Rum Swizzle is amazing! But I'm not sure if I would like the Dark and Stormy as it's made with Ginger Beer (which does not taste like Ginger Ale). I tasted it during a local festival, and it has a very strong ginger taste.
- Business men really do wear Bermuda shorts and matching knee-high socks with dress shoes.
- The Port of Hamilton is closed to cruise ships, and as both of the smaller NCL ships which travel to Bermuda are being decommissioned next year, this is the last year St. George's will accept cruise ships. The ships are entirely too large to enter the Towne Cut of St. George's, and will have to dock at the Naval Dock Yard.
- The buses are actually Pink - but you take your life in your hands when you ride one. The roads are extremely narrow and winding, which makes for interesting scrapes along the sides of trees and buildings. There aren't any sidewalks in St. George's, so say a little prayer before walking anywhere.
- They drive on the left, and unless used to that, it's highly advised not to rent a scooter.
- NCL is the only cruise line that travels to Bermuda, and everywhere one turns will find matching blue and white beach towels from the ship. There are normally 3 ships in port at one time, totaling over 4000 travelers during the week.
- For a foreigner to move to Bermuda, after buying the house, setting up the roofing system, taxes, and every other fee as a non-native, the cost is roughly 11 million.
In my humble opinion, the beach alone is worth the 11 million.
Highlights from the trip on Bermuda:
- We took a glass-bottom boat, and got to see a natural turtle habitat! They would surface for air as we cruised along, which I have some pictures of. We also saw the coral reef system, and I have some pictures of that.
- We went to Horseshoe Bay with one of NCL's trips, and had a great time. They have full facilities on the beach, with rentals, showers, etc. There is a "private" lagoon off to one side protected by rocks, and then the main beach with the waves. Most of the 4000 NCL travelers made it there that day! The water is clear, except for where the current stirs up the sand, but utterly beautiful.
- Tobacco Bay is in St. George's and within walking distance of the cruise ship port. This is a larger protected lagoon, with crystal clear water, and no waves. Actually, during low tide, the water only gets to about chest level all the way out by the rocks. However, this is the first beach that walkers come to, and the strip of sand is so small by mid-afternoon one is literally sitting next to other people on the towels. This is a great spot to snorkel and I saw a lot of fish by rocks.
- St. George's hosts a street festival every Tuesday night with local crafters and entertainment, with a DJ - for dancing in the streets! They re-enact an old tradition of dunking the town nag/gossip in the harbor, and have a show from the local tribal Gombey dancers.
- Hamilton, the capital of Bermuda, hosts a Harbor Nights party on Wednesdays. Larger than St. George's party, there are lots of local vendors, and great restaurants to try. We tired an Irish Pub called Flanagan's, where I had a tasty Rum Swizzle!
- The people are amazingly friendly, with saying "Good Morning" and "Good Evening" to everyone they see. They are also great at giving directions... and since our ferry back to St. George's from Hamilton was canceled due to poor weather, one gentleman even walked us to the bus terminal and assisted with navigating the bus system. And you could tell that he was doing it out of the kindness of his heart, not for money.
Highlights from the NCL Majesty:
- The food! Every meal in the dinning room has courses with fine china. There are different selections each night, plus a few standards, so there is always something new to try. It's also included with the price of the cruise, so you can pretty much eat everything and anything you want. There's a 24 hour grill and buffet on the Aft of the ship, plus a buffet at various times on the upper deck. Made to order pasta, stir-fry, waffles, omelets, desserts.... you name it, you can find it! The only things not included are the alcoholic drinks and soda.
- The cruise director's staff plans a day's worth of activities, including: educational seminars, exercise classes, games, bingo, raffles, or you can just find a nice couch to take a nap between all of the eating! (I won once at Bingo, but had to split it 14 ways!)
- We met some really great people who were retired teachers from Massachusetts. They were a riot, and always up for a good laugh.
- There's always nightly entertainment, with a comedian or magician on board, plus production shows from their crew.
Without more ramblings... here's the first set of pictures taken with the digital camera. I didn't take the digital off of the ship, except for into the Tuesday night party at St. George's. But there are some videos and pictures of various happenings!
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| Bermuda Album 1 |
This is the 2nd photo album, taken with the disposable cameras. Hind-sight is 20/20, as the clarity of the water doesn't come through as clearly as it would with my digital! (And my photo processing people owe me another CD of photos, as they made two of the same pack... more pictures to come tomorrow!)
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| Bermuda Album 2 |
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