Three topics this week, two of which
are related.
First, we present a new photo essay on
Serenade of the Seas. Serenade is one of Royal Caribbean's Radiance
class ships. These ships are known for their maneuverability and
their speed. In fact, Royal Caribbean's Captain Herman Zini called
them “the Maseratis” of the RCI fleet.
When I first went aboard Serenade a
few years ago, I saw that there is much to like about this ship
besides its mechanical qualities. The layout and the décor were
well-thought out and eye-pleasing. In addition, although she is
somewhat bigger than RCI's Vision class ships, she carries a similar
number of passengers so there is more space per passenger.
Overall, Serenade reminded me of the
Celebrity ships. This should not be surprising considering that she
was made by the Meyer Werft shipyard, which built Celebrity's Century
class and which is building the Solstice class.
Serenade spends time on both sides of
the Atlantic and in this new photo essay, we see her in Venice, Italy
and in St. Thomas, USVI. She has nice lines and so is a pleasure to
photograph. The photo essay is posted at
http://beyondships.com/RCI-SOS-photos.html
Next, we return to one of my favorite
cruise destinations - - Bermuda. This island, actually a series of
small islands, is unique in several respects. With regard to
location, it is not in the Caribbean or in the Bahamas but rather off
by herself in the Atlantic, a day's slow sailing from the U.S. east
coast ports. As a result, the weather is more moderate than other
islands.
While the island is very tourist
friendly, it also derives income from the financial services
companies located in Hamilton, the island's only urban area.
Consequently, you do not see the severe poverty that one sometimes
encounters in tropical paradises.
These factors combined with beautiful
scenery and a culture that is a unique mix of its British and African
heritages have attracted visitors since the earliest days of
cruising.
Our photo tour of Bermuda has been
updated and expanded with new photos and information. It is at
http://beyondships.com/Ports-Bermuda-1.html
An activity that is growing in
popularity in Bermuda is beach tennis. In fact, Bermuda just had its
fifth annual beach tennis tournament, in which professional players
from a number of countries competed for cash purses. I had had the
opportunity to attend the tournament and talk to one of its
organizers about beach tennis in Bermuda. That article is at
http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-destination---beach-tennis-in-bermuda.html
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