Visiting Windsor Castle and The Beatles' Liverpool

As  summer begins, so does the British Isles cruising season.  Even in summer, Britain is not like a Caribbean island and thus the focus of such cruises is not on beaches and fun in the sun.  Rather, it is on the rich cultural heritage that you can experience going ashore in the various ports of call.  This week, we present articles on two quite different aspects of that culture.

The first article is on visiting Windsor Castle.  It is the largest castle in England and has been a royal residence since the 11^th Century.  Naturally, quite a lot has taken place there and you can see where kings, queens and statesmen lived and did things that changed the course of history.  In addition, a fabulous art collection is housed there.

What makes Windsor even more interesting is that it is still a royal residence.  The Queen lives there and state occasions still occur there.

Windsor is located near London and while it is not on the sea, it is not far from the major cruise ports.  It thus is a good day trip before or after a cruise.  Some ships also offer organized shore excursions there.

Our article on visiting Windsor Castle is at http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-article---windsor-castle.html

Cruise ships calling in Liverpool usually offer a tour focusing on The Beatles.  Liverpool was the rock group’s hometown and the town very much remembers them.

While a visit to Windsor is all about the splendor and glory of British culture, a Beatles tour takes you to quite ordinary places.  Indeed, that is what is so interesting about it - - four people with backgrounds just like millions of others were able to have such a tremendous impact not just on music but social mores and thought.

Our article on touring the Beatles’ Liverpool is at http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-article---beatles-liverpool.html         

John Lennon in Bermuda; Talking with the Captain and Hotel Director of Crown Princess

I have posted two somewhat different items this week:  One is about a ship and the other is about a cruise destination.

            Continuing with our coverage of Princess Cruises’ Crown Princess, I have posted an interview with Captain Nick Nash and Hotel Director Richard Harry.

 One of the questions that I like to ask the seniors officers of each ship is why should a person who is thinking about going on a cruise select your ship for his or her vacation?  To my surprise, this question sometimes stumps the people that I am interviewing but not so with Captain Nash and Hotel Director Harry.

 They did not focus on Crown Princess’ physical plant.  Crown Princess is a very nice ship with excellent public areas, restaurants and accommodations.  However, as Captain Nash pointed out, having great features is not enough.  You also need consistency and quality in the delivery.  This requires a good crew.

How a crew is motivated to become in the words of Princess’ promotional slogan the “consummate hosts” is a family matter according to Captain Nash and Director Harry.  It is a matter of making the crew feel that they are part of the Princess family.  Our conversation is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/crown-princess-captain-hotel-director-interview.html

Bermuda is a unique cruise destination.  It is not in the Caribbean but rather in the Atlantic far from any other island.  As a result, it is a blend of British, American and African cultures that exists nowhere else.

The beauty and atmosphere of the island has inspired many writers and artists over the years.  But unknown to many, it played a significant role in the life of John Lennon.   After suffering from writer’s block for some five years, the former Beatle traveled to Bermuda in 1980.  What he experienced while he was there unleashed his creativity and he wrote numerous songs during his visit.  These appeared on his Double Fantasy album and on an album released after his death called Milk and Honey.  In my opinion, these include some of the best work of his post-Beatle solo career.

Like me, many cruise passengers are fans of John Lennon and the Beatles.  Moreover, quite a few cruise ships call regularly in Bermuda during the summer including Celebrity Summit, Norwegian Star, Norwegian Dawn, Enchantment of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas.  So I wondered whether it is possible to see some of the places that Lennon saw and to try and see what inspired him about this place.

So enlisting the aid of popular Bermuda entertainer Tony Brannon (stage name “Tony B”) who actually saw Lennon during his visit, we drove around the island to some of the places Lennon is known to have seen.   It has been more than 30 years so things have changed but there is enough left to get a feel for what it was like.

One place that still exists that Lennon particularly liked is the Bermuda Botanical Gardens.  It was there that he saw a flower called the “Double Fantasy”.  Thinking that this symbolized his relationship with his wife Yoko Ono, Lennon adopted the name for the first album of songs that came from his Bermuda visit.

Soon Lennon fans who visit the Botanical Gardens will be able to see a memorial commemorating Lennon’s visit to the island.  On June 21, a statue and a dedicated garden will be unveiled.  On that day, there will be a concert on the grounds which will include some of the performers who have recorded songs for a tribute CD.  There will also be an exhibit of Lennon’s lithographs at the Masterworks Museum, which is on the grounds of the Botanical Gardens.

My experiences following Lennon’s footsteps in Bermuda are posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-article---following-john-lennons-footsteps-in-bermuda.html