Wanderlust Date: April 2012. Bermuda cruise. I would pack my bathing suit and go to Bermuda this instant if I could. The clear, blue seas, the fine, white sand. Bermuda is a little piece of heaven here on earth.
Being spoiled by the beautiful beaches in the Philippines, this is actually the first country I’ve been to where it felt like home. I know I haven’t been to a lot of places like this but when you’ve seen the beaches in the US (and maybe even Canada) and they’ve all disappointed you, Bermuda is a breath of freshness for me for a long time running.
My husband, Fuji, and I took a 5-day cruise on the Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Sea from Baltimore. It was my first cruise trip and I enjoyed it tremendously. We left Baltimore on a Sunday, cruised at sea for two days, landed in Bermuda on Tuesday morning, stayed on port overnight, left Bermuda early evening of Wednesday, cruised the open seas Thursday and was back to Baltimore on Friday noon. It seems quite hectic listing it down this way, but it was a very laid back trip. The days we were at sea, I thought I was going to get bored, but there were so many things to do and watch – live bands, theater plays, shows, games, karaoke, the time flew fast. There was also an abundance of food that I think Fuji and I both gained a few extra pounds when the trip was over.
The accommodations on the cruise ship were sufficient. We only got a stateroom. A tad small but we were thinking, what do we need a big room with a balcony for when the action was outside? You don’t go on a vacation like this and just stay inside your room. That would be a waste of time, money and the opportunity to immerse yourself in the place. So whatever money we saved, we spent it on booze (the lush that we are, ha!) and some went towards our next trip somewhere else after.
This is a huuuuuge ship! And to think they said, this is nothing compared to the other cruise ships the RC has. Excuse my ignorance, but once we got in, it was like I was in a huge hotel somewhere on the strip of ‘Vegas. It was that huge! So many floors, about 3 pools, one of them almost olympic-sized, an outdoor theater. Man, the works! I swear, I got lost the first time we boarded.
There were a lot of Filipino staff aboard the ship. They were working everywhere – engineering, housekeeping, the restaurants, the bars, the bands, the entertainment casts. It made me feel proud of them because they’re proving that Filipinos are world-class professionals and at par with the other international staff on the ship. It’s no joke going thru the rigorous hiring procedures/auditions and being part of an international working crew like the Royal Caribbean staff. So hats off to these kababayan’s.
There was a bit of an overcast when we docked at the Royal Naval Dock Yard in Bermuda and the breeze was cool. It wasn’t bad, it was just not the humid temps of the tropics. The naval dock was full of character. With the tall walls and old windows and stately doors, it felt a little like Vigan, Ilocos Norte, but not quite. Maybe it was the huge cinder blocks that reminded me of the Vigan houses. This place had a charm that was really enticing. I am a sucker for vintage places. We went around for a bit, took some pictures, walked towards the market side where the little shops were located at. Then we took a bus going to the beach.
The beach, like I said, was something I would not tire of being at. There’s something about beaches that I will always be drawn to. Nevermind that I don’t know how to swim. (I tried to learn, was good for a few months, and then I had a relapse and now I don’t know how to anymore. I’m sticking to that story.) The natural rock formations on the background reminded me of gigantic marble quarries of Romblon when my family used to visit relatives during my younger years. The water was a little cool, that’s because we went in April. But it didn’t matter much to Fuji. He just went on, dove head first into the water and came up… with a huge smile on his face. I, on the other hand, decided to take a short dip then went to get a light tan line. Too bad we only had a few hours to spend here. I’d love to wake up to this view in the morning.
I have to admit, Bermuda, tho, is not the most frugal of places to go to. The items they have for sale at the tourist shops were price-y. Even the food prices were not cheap. But then again, Fuji already told me about this. And he knows that since, did I tell you, he used to visit this place when his sister, Edna, was still living here with her family. So going there via a cruise ship is actually a smart thing to do since you don’t have to worry about accommodations and food as opposed to going there by plane and looking for a place to stay and paying for all the food you’ll be having while you’re there.
Would I do Bermuda again? In a heartbeat, I would. Most specially if I only have a few days left in my vacation time and just want to get away from it all. Royal Caribbean Bermuda cruises sometimes go on sale for less than $500 per person for an interior stateroom. I’d grab that anytime.
Altho… there’s so much of the world I still want to see with Fuji. And schedule-permitting (his more than mine) and vacation-days-allowing (mine more than his) and budget-non-restricting (ours, both), our suitcases shouldn’t be kept downstairs in the basement for long.
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The once named “godmother of the Philippine Blogosphere”, Gigi Manaloto-Refugia, known by her pen name “Ate Sienna” has been blogging since 2002 in her old pansitan.net community where she housed famous bloggers. She now writes about being 50-something and shares her tips on fashion, makeup, skincare, travel, food and thrift-store diving.
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