Greetings from the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, which most people, including me, think of as a lonely speck of land in the North Atlantic Ocean, 650 miles east of North Carolina. And lonely it may be, but to my surprise Bermuda turns out to an archipelago of 181 islands, though most are so small that it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that some of them don’t even have names.
The whole place only totals 21 square miles, so you’d think this would be a port where you could walk right off the ship and into Hamilton, the capital, but that’s not the case, at least for larger cruise ships. Bermuda is shaped very much like a fishhook, and cruise ships dock at the Royal Naval Dockyard, which is all the way out at the hook’s pointy tip. Hamilton is located halfway up the shank, fully 24 kilometers away, and well beyond walking distance. That wasn’t an issue for me though, because I was looking for an easy day after my recent bout with Covid, and there was enough to keep me occupied for an hour or so right off the pier.
Bermuda isn’t all that close to the Caribbean, but it feels like you’re in the Caribbean when you first walk off the ship. The warm temperature and humidity, the blue waters, the palm trees, the souvenir shops, and the watering holes right off the pier were all strongly reminiscent of many Caribbean ports we’ve visited in the past. There’s also an old fort at the Dockyard, as there has been at so many other harbors around the world. I spent a happy hour soaking in the relaxed vibe, and dropped a few dollars in the souvenir shops (they cheerfully accept US dollars here), before working my way back to the ship.
It was scheduled to be a short stay here anyway, with time onshore only from 10:30 to 4:30, though I’m not sure why. Sometimes it has to do with the tides and water depth, sometimes it’s how much time we need to reach the next port, and sometimes it’s just money, if we are paying by the hour for docking privileges. I long ago gave up trying to guess. At any rate we’re now off to Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas, which will be our last stop before we return to Miami, where it all began, on Tuesday. We have two sea days between now and Coco Cay, which most passengers will be using to pack up nine months worth of stuff for the trip home. Happily, Michele and I have already done most of that, so hopefully we’ll be able to spend most of those two days enjoying our last time aboard the Serenade of the Seas, a ship that has been a true home away from home for us.
I’ll be back with a report from Coco Cay, so stay tuned. It’s not over yet, faithful readers.
We shared the pier with a Carnival ship this morning.
That’s one rusty tug.
In contrast, the party boat looks ready to go. I wonder if that says anything about Bermuda. 🥃🍺🍹
The harbor at the Royal Naval Dockyard is very picturesque. Look at the color of the water.
I’ve become quite a connoisseur of souvenir shops over the past nine months, and Bermuda’s are first rate.
If you can’t find it in this one it probably doesn’t exist.
The barracks at the nearby fort are definitely in fixer upper shape.
The walls, on the other hand, are in great shape, and the place does come with cannons. I’d rate it a buy. Too bad it’s not for sale. 😂
There’s a little mall over by the clock tower. Michele checked it out but came back empty handed.
Hand rolled Bermuda cigars, anyone?
I found it! Now what do I do with it?
The harbor at the Royal Naval Dockyard from our ship. Talk about a pretty view. This view alone says a lot about why Bermuda is so popular.
The end-of-cruise festivities have commenced. Here we’re all gathering on the pool deck for a group photo. The drone is about to launch.
Michele and I scored prime spots on the stairs leading up to the sky bar.
The gentleman between Michele and me is Michael Bayley, the CEO of Royal Caribbean.
Komen