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