Bermuda's Horseshoe Bay, Royal Princess, Celebrity Constellation

 I've just returned from Bermuda where I was again struck by the beauty of the island's South Shore beaches. These lie in a line along the south west coast and have the island's patented pale pink sand. The waters that lap upon the beaches are turquoise in color. To add some drama, there are periodic rock outcroppings that rise up vertically from the water and/or sand.

The most popular and best known of the South Shore beaches is Horseshoe Bay. It is quite large and has the most facilities of this group of beaches including a place to snack and a place to rent umbrellas and beach chairs.

Horseshoe Bay is not far from the Royal Naval Dockyard where essentially all the cruise ships dock these days. The cruise lines offer transfers to Horseshoe Bay. However, there are a number of other alternatives. Therefore, I've put together an article with some information about how to get to Horseshoe Bay. It is posted at http://www.beyondships3.com/getting-to-horseshoe-bay.html

While Horseshoe Bay is the most popular of the beaches, some of the neighboring beaches are even prettier. Chaplin's Bay, Stonehole Bay, Jobson's Cove and Warwick Long Bay have the pink sand, the dramatic rock formations and the added advantage of being more secluded. They are linked together by a sand trail that I've walked many times. I've put together a video showing some of the vistas along the way. http://www.beyondships3.com/bermudas-south-shore-beaches.html

Last Friday was the first anniversary of the naming of Princess Cruises' Royal Princess by the Duchess of Cambridge. Accordingly, in honor of Royal Princess' first birthday, we present a photo feature showing the ship in St. Maarten and in Southampton during her recent eastbound transatlantic crossing. http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-princess-photo-feature.html

We also have a photo feature and video showing Celebrity Constellation leaving Fort Lauderdale and sailing out at sea. The photo feature is at http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-constellation-photos.html and the video is at http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-constellation-video.html

Bermuda Revisited

I have just returned from a cruise to Bermuda - - something I have been doing once or twice a year for more than 20 years. Despite having been there so many times, Bermuda remains an attractive destination.

For people like me living along the East Coast of the United States, Bermuda is a convenient destination. There are cruise ships leaving from Boston, New York City, Bayonne (N.J.), and Baltimore for Bermuda just about every week during the summer. It is only a short distance so the ships drift along at a slow speed in order to give the passengers a few sea days as well as time on the island.

Bermuda is different from the Caribbean Islands and from The Bahamas. For one thing, it is out by itself in the Atlantic on the same latitude as North Carolina. This isolation has given it a unique charm that is a blend of traditional British customs and African culture. In addition, it has a higher standard of living owing in part to the international financial business that takes place in Hamilton, the only true city on the island,

So what does Bermuda have to offer? To begin, there is the subtropical weather - - not too hot, not too cold. Then there is the natural beauty of the island. It really does have pink sand beaches lapped by unbelievable turquoise water. Add some history, visitor-friendly attractions and nice people and there is more than enough to do during a few days stay on the island. (Actually, Bermuda is more than 100 islands but everyone refers to it as the “island”).

One of the things that I like to do in Bermuda is walk along the interconnected South Shore beaches. You start at the world famous Horseshoe Bay beach and then continue along a coastal trail in the South Shore National Park to Warwick Long Bay. Not only is this good moderate exercise but you get to see some beautiful secluded beaches set amidst giant rock formations where you can swim or just relax. An account of such an excursion is at http://www.beyondships3.com/walking-bermuda-beaches.html

A quite different place to visit is the National Museum of Bermuda. This is located inside The Keep at the Royal Naval Dockyards where virtually all cruise ships dock these days. The Keep was the fortress built to defend the dockyard when it was used by the Royal Navy. It has been restored and is full of exhibits about various aspects of Bermuda's history. It is also now home to the Dolphin Quest, where you can interact with or just watch dolphins. A slideshow is at http://www.beyondships3.com/bermuda-national-museum.html

I was in Bermuda this time on the new Norwegian Breakaway, which as will be discussed in future postings, is a fabulous ship. In company with Breakaway throughout the entire trip was another good ship, Celebrity Summit. As a result, I was able to take quite a few photos of Summit. I've put the best of these together in a photo essay at http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-summit-goes-to-bermuda.html

All of this is in the context of a new and expanded section on Bermuda that includes additional photos and pages. The new Beyondships Bermuda home page is at http://www.beyondships3.com/bermuda-home-page.html

Enchantment of the Seas Photos and Review

Two weeks ago, I returned from a cruise on Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas. Enchantment is not the newest ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet - - she entered service in 1997 and was extensively refurbished in 2005. She is also not the largest ship in the fleet although she is significantly bigger than RCI's other Vision class ships - - the result of the insertion of a 73 foot section into her midsection during the 2005 refit. Still, she is nonetheless capable of providing a very nice cruise experience.

In some ways, the cruise experience reminded me of how cruising used to be before the turn of the Millennium. Although some very good things have happened to cruising since then, some things have also gotten lost along the way. Take Enchantment's theater for example. In the 90s, the primary entertainment venues on ships were changing from show lounges to theaters. On Enchantment, the theater still has traces of its show lounge antecedents with large padded chairs and comfortable arm rests. They are like living room lounge chairs. In addition, the room has a bright, roomy atmosphere.

The activities onboard are traditional cruise ship activities. There are the captain's reception and past passenger receptions, trivia contests, cooking demonstrations, enrichment lectures, bingo, etc. You also have Royal Caribbean staples like the Quest game and the Love and Marriage game. Although the newer ships have the same or similar activities, the scale of Enchantment makes these events somehow more intimate.

The entertainment could also be described as traditional. Like the cruise directors of old, Cruise Director John Blair seemed to be everywhere and not only took on the role of emcee but also performed a concert of Neil Diamond songs and gave an enrichment lecture. We had two production shows by the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers during this eight night cruise. Three of the singers also did a cabaret concert and displayed impressive strong voices. During the course of the voyage, we had two stand-up comedians and a comedy juggler. I enjoyed Carl Banks' performance the most. It was an adult show but did it relied on clever material rather than four letter words for the humor

I like to watch big screen movies. Enchantment does not have a big movie screen. But using a large gauzy backdrop that was designed for the stage shows, the staff has improvised a big screen in the theater that works quite well. On it, they showed a series of recent releases each afternoon and on various evening after the stage show. I thought this was very clever and showed initiative.

Food is always a big part of cruising. Enchantment's main dining room, the My Fair Lady Restaurant, is quite charming with a décor themed after the musical of that name. Service at dinner was very good as was the food. Breakfast and lunch (sea days only) was good but the service and food was not as consistently good as dinner.

The buffet restaurant, the Windjammer, is located at the forward end of the superstructure. This initially confused some of the guests who, familiar with the larger Royal Caribbean ships, headed towards the back of the ship. The room offers great views but was always too crowded for me. I found a better alternative to be the light meal venue in the Solarium, which offers pizza, burgers, sandwiches, salads and desserts. Another nice room underneath the retractable glass roof that covers this pool area.

A dining venue that I found myself going to several times was Cafe Latte-Tudes. This is a specialty coffee bar that also sells Ben and Jerry's ice cream. I am not a coffee drinker and while I did indulge one afternoon in some ice cream, what drew me here again and again was the pastries. The muffins and cookies were excellent and better than anywhere else on the ship.

At this time, Enchantment has one specialty restaurant - - the Chops Grille. This is a steakhouse with a sophisticated urban atmosphere. The food is good quality and it provides a change of atmosphere from the main dining room on a longer cruise.

I booked this cruise late on a guarantee basis. As a result, I was assigned an inside cabin on one of the lower decks. It was clean and surprisingly large with with a surprising amount of storage space. The safe and television were older models but worked well. There was an initial problem with the telephone set but that was remedied before the ship sailed.

Enchantment sailed from Baltimore, Maryland. The rationale for basing a ship in Baltimore is to attract people who live in the surrounding area. However, I was impressed in talking to my fellow passengers at how many were not from the Maryland or mid-Atlantic region. There were quite a few from the mid-west and many from Canada. A large percentage of the passengers were repeat passengers. Thus, it was something more than the convenience of proximity that drew people to this cruise.

The itinerary was an interesting one. First, the ship sailed to Bermuda, where she spent two days. Then after a sea day she was in Boston and then in Newport, Rhode Island. This allowed passengers to have the island experience of Bermuda, the history and sophistication of Boston and the unique resort atmosphere of Newport. Thus, it was not a single vacation experience but a combination of experiences.

The weather throughout the cruise was good. We experienced a rain storm one night but the seas were calm. As a result, there was no real test of Enchantment's seakeeping abilities. She ran smoothly throughout.

I have re-done Beyondships' profile of Enchantment, adding copies of daily programs, information leaflets distributed onboard, and menus. http://beyondships.com/ENOS-Profile.html In addition, the photo tour of the ship has been updated and expanded. http://beyondships.com/ENOS-tour.html Finally, there is a new photo essay showing Enchantment in each of the ports of call she visited during this cruise. http://beyondships.com/RCI-ENOS-Bermuda.html

Serenade of the Seas Photos; Bermuda Travel Guide Update and Bermuda Beach Tennis

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

Photo Guide to Bermuda; Review of Portofino Restaurant; Inside Shore Excursions

The Bermuda cruising season has begun and is actually well underway. Although Bermuda is sometimes grouped together with the Caribbean islands, it is actually much further north - - about on the same latitude as North Carolina. Consequently, it is not a winter cruise destination. But, during the Spring and Summer months, it does not get as hot as the islands further south. This is one reason why it is a great summer cruise destination.

Another reason is the beauty of the island. It has a bevy of world class beaches - - many with pink sand and artistic looking rock formations. In addition, the landscape is charming with brightly painted houses nestled in amongst the sub-tropical foliage.

A Bermuda cruise is a short cruise from the US East Coast - - there are ships that leave regularly from Boston, New York and Baltimore. The first day is a lazy sail as the ships have to travel at a slow speed to avoid arriving too quickly. Then, most ships spend at least a couple of days in Bermuda. Not only does this allow guests to see the sights during the day but one can sample the island’s culture in the evening.

The culture of the islands - - Bermuda is actually a chain of small islands linked together by bridges and causeways - - is a unique mix. For example, there is the traditional business attire of a suit jacket, tie and shorts. One can see British influences and African influences.

Bermuda is an international business center. As a result, although the island is tourist friendly it is not as commercialized as some of the Caribbean ports. Most shops have a Bermuda flavor and the chain stores that one sees in every Caribbean port are conspicuous by their absence.

Bermuda is home to a sizeable number of billionaires and film stars. Their mansions are sometimes visible perched along the shore. Similarly, there are resorts such as the Elbow Beach Club that cater to the rich and famous. Perhaps it is the romance of the islands combined with its scenic beauty and easy lifestyle that attract them. In any case, it is a good recommendation for Bermuda that people who could spend their time anywhere in the world choose to spend time in Bermuda.

Beyondships’ new photo guide to Bermuda is at http://www.beyondships.com/Ports-Bermuda-1.html

One ship that is a regular visitor to Bermuda is Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas. The specialty restaurant onboard her is the elegant Italian-style Portofino. My review of this specialty restaurant is at http://www.beyondships.com/Explorer-Review-Portofino.html

Finally, most people who cruise take a shore excursion purchased through the ship’s shore excursion office. Accordingly, I spoke with Beatrix Bense, the Tour Office Manager on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 about how a tour office works and how shore excursions are arranged. That interview is at http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-art-Bense.html

Profile and Photo Tour of Holland America's Veendam

Holland America’s Veendam is one of the first ships that was profiled on Beyondships. She is a relatively small ship in comparison to today’s mega-cruise ships but she has elegance and sophistication.

In 2009, Veendam underwent a major refit. The focus of the work was on the stern area where the aft pool was turned into a resort-style shallow pool and the surrounding area transformed into a retreat. In addition, a series of balcony cabins were added along the stern.

What I had not expected when I went onboard recently were the changes to the ship’s interior. The area that was the casino bar has been re-done into “The Mix”, which encompasses three different bars - - spirits and ale, champagne and martinis. In some ways, the concept is similar to the “Bar Central” area on the larger NCL ships. However, here the three bars are physically separate.

The Ruebens Show Lounge is now the Showroom at Sea. In addition to changing the name, HAL has changed the concept. Instead, of being a theater, there are nightclub like tables in front of the stage.

All of the changes to Veendam necessitated essentially redoing the Beyondships’s profile and photo tour. The profile page is at http://www.beyondships.com/Veedam-Profile.html and the new photo tour begins at http://www.beyondships.com/HAL-Veendam-Tour1.html

In addition, Veendam now spends her summers cruising from New York to Bermuda. This has produced several opportunities to photograph her in one port or the other. Accordingly, I have added a new page of exterior photos of Veendam to the profile at http://www.beyondships.com/HAL-Veendam-photo-1.html

Celebrity Summit - - new photos and interview

This summer Celebrity Cruises has Celebrity Summit doing cruises from New York to Bermuda. To a certain extent, one could say that Celebrity really got its start doing this run with its first two ships the Horizon and the Zenith back in the 1990s. However, it has been a number of years since Celebrity has done these cruises on a regular basis.

Bermuda is a natural destination for Celebrity. Like Bermuda, Celebrity is sophisticated but relaxed and traditional but not old-fashioned. Given this affinity, I booked onto the Summit for one of her week long cruises.

Summit is a Millennium class ship, which means that she is big but not quite a mega-cruise ship. She has nice modern lines but done in a way that suggest motion so that she always looks like she is speeding along. (That was a trick that the designers of the great ocean liners also used; the SS United States is a good example - - she conveys a feeling of motion even while sitting still). Inside, she has an elegant, contemporary atmosphere.

My cruise on Summit enabled me to obtain more material for the Celebrity Summit section of Beyondships. As a result, I have posted new menus, daily programs and other information about the ship at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Summit-Profile.html In addition, I have added about 50 new photos to the photo tour of the ship. http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Summit-Tour-1.html

Most cruise lines rank their ships based upon the results they obtain from the questionnaires that they ask passengers to fill out at the end of each cruise. Summit usually ranks first or second each time the results are tabulated. In addition, she does well in ticket sales both on her Bermuda cruises and on the Caribbean cruises she does out of San Juan in the winter.

Nonetheless, Celebrity is investing some $16 million in enhancements to Summit. The idea is to add some of the features that guests have found popular on Celebrity’s new Solstice class of ships. This "Solsticizing" of the Summit will be done during a refit next Spring.

I had the opportunity to talk with Julian Brackenbury, Summit’s Hotel Director, about this project. Julian is already working planning for the refit and preparing the ship to go into dry dock. I asked him to outline what will be done to Summit, how the officers and crew are preparing for the refit, and the role of the crew in doing the work. Our conversation is at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Summit-art-Solsticizing.html

There will be more about Summit next time, as I also did an interview with Captain Frantzis. I will also be posting a review of the Normandie, the specialty restaurant on Summit.

I would also like to mention two unrelated items.

First, Captain Nick Bates of Queen Mary 2 retired this week. I have had the privilege of knowing Nick for nearly 20 years and he has had a very interesting career including commanding the legendary Queen Elizabeth 2. (See my interview with Captain Bates http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-art-Bates.html ) He has a delightful sense of humor that anhances any occasion. This was reflected in his noon day announcements on QM2 and in his book “A Pinch of Salt.” All the best to him in his new life.

Second, ship enthusiasts in the New York area may be interested that on September 12, there will be six passenger ships in the harbor - - QM2, Celebrity Summit, Carnival Miracle, Norwegian Dawn, Veendam (HAL) and P&O Cruises’ Aurora. All of these are of significant size and from major cruise lines. While six ships is a weekly occurrence in ports like Fort Lauderdale and Miami, it has been a long time since so many ships called in New York on a single day. In fact, one might have to go back to the ocean liner era to find so many first-tier ships in the harbor.

Photo Tour of Bermuda; Cunard President Part II; and cruising with Charles Darwin

This time, we have three new items.

First, there is Part II of my interview with Peter Shanks, President and Managing Director of Cunard Line. We began this part of the conversation by talking about the new Cunard ship Queen Elizabeth, which is now in the last phases of construction in Italy. Mr. Shanks talked about the design of the ship, its interior décor and features as well as answered the question whether the ship is actually an ocean liner. The topic then moved to what type of ships Cunard might build after the Queen Elizabeth. Finally, Mr. Shanks talked about Cunard Line’s position in the Carnival Corporation family of companies.

Part II of the interview with Mr. Shanks is posted at: http://www.beyondships.com/Cunard-Shanks-2.html

Second, I had lunch recently with Jorge Rodriguez, the North American representative of Cruceros Australis, which is an expedition cruise line operating at the extreme southern tip of South America. With him was author John Worman, who has written a number of books about Charles Darwin. The topic of the luncheon was two cruises that Cruceros Australis will be offering this fall, which will explore some of the places in Patagonia and Tierra Del Fuego that were visited by Darwin. According to Mr. Worman, Darwin largely formulated his ideas about the origin of species will visiting this still largely pristine area. My article about these cruises is at: http://www.beyondships.com/Cruise-articles-CA-Darwin.html

Third, once again going beyond the ships and onto the shore, I have posted a photo essay on Bermuda from a cruise passenger’s perspective. This little chain of islands in the Atlantic is a frequent cruise destination from a number of North American ports. It was once a tourist destination just for the rich and famous and while there still are quite a few mansions and yachts to be seen around the islands, now the pink sand beaches are enjoyed by the general public. Still the islands have not been ruined by commercialization and maintain a charming lifestyle. The multi-page photo essay begins at: http://www.beyondships.com/Ports-Bermuda-1.html