Cruise Bermuda on Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas
Cruise Bermuda on Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas
Cruise Bermuda on Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas
by Elizabeth von Pier
Cruising to Bermuda on a Budget
At the last minute, I decided to join my friends on a cruise to Bermuda. Literally, there were two staterooms left when I made my decision. I joined six of my favorite people and we sailed off from Boston on Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas, an engineering marvel. With a passenger capacity of 2,500 and a crew of nearly 900, it was inaugurated in 2003, has since been refurbished, and is both elegant and fun.
This week-long cruise had just the right combination of time at sea and three days in Bermuda. I love the shipboard experience and I delight in the crew that hails from nations all over the world and is always ready to please. And Bermuda is small enough to visit in three days—unless, of course, you want to lounge on a pink-sand beach or tootle around in a Twizy.
Beach in Bermuda
With two pools, a spa and fitness center, beauty salon, casino, theater, ten restaurants and eateries as well as 24-hour room service, sixteen bars and lounges, a 756-person theater, computer center, card room, billiard room, conference room, art gallery, and sports court, this ship is a floating city. There are twelve passenger decks and a stunning nine-story central atrium which is decorated in pinks and mauves and lit up with mini lights. Glass elevators look over the Centrum atrium or outside the ship through a glass wall.
Maps are available in print and at every elevator station. But, even so, it takes time to learn how to find your way around this mammoth vessel so it’s wise to arrive as early as possible on embarkation day, have lunch in the Windjammer Cafe, and spend time familiarizing yourself with the ship. By mid-afternoon, most luggage will have been delivered to the staterooms, so you can unpack in your efficiently planned room, a good move so you aren’t living out of your suitcase or searching for your belongings in tight quarters for the duration of the cruise.
Early every evening we all gathered for beer, wine, and cocktails in one of the lounges. For dinner, my group chose the 8:00 pm seating in the dining room where we had the same table and waitstaff every night. We took most of our other meals in the buffet-style Windjammer Cafe which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner most of the day and evening. We dined elegantly on the likes of seafood ceviche, chilled mango and pineapple soup, and escargots; horseradish-crusted fillet of Atlantic salmon, steak Diane with brandy sauce and sauteed mushrooms, and roasted duck with black currant sauce; and, for dessert, bittersweet chocolate souffle, crème caramel, and warm pecan butternut tart with vanilla ice cream.
There were two formal nights while we were at sea, although the definition of “formal” has sadly morphed into “business casual” over the years. On one of those nights, there was a reception with the Captain in the atrium. Champagne was served and there were opportunities to have a photo taken with him.
Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas
Every evening, my stateroom attendant delivered a copy of the daily “Cruise Compass”. This gives useful information for the next day including the activities that are available as well as the weather forecast and suggestions for appropriate dress at dinner in the dining rooms and specialty restaurants. You could keep yourself busy every minute of the day with trivia, Pictionary, “Name That Tune”, classes in the fitness center, cards and board games, arts and crafts, wine tastings, sports competitions, variety shows, “The Marriage Game”, dancing, and karaoke. On this cruise, I learned how to fold napkins, create adorable animals from towels, and dance the cha-cha, and I attended classes on artists Peter Max and Thomas Kinkade and one entitled “30,000 Years of Art History in an Hour”. I also took time every day to work out in the fitness center and take a nap so I could stay awake late into the night.
On the third day, we docked in Bermuda early in the morning. The weather was sunny and balmy and I was scheduled to take a five-hour tour of the island, one of more than thirty shore excursions offered by the cruise line. There were cruises on glass-bottom boats, swimming with dolphins, scuba diving, and reef fishing. You could also hop a bus to a pretty pink-sand beach for a day of relaxation.
Exploring Bermuda via Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas
The island tour that I took picked me and 20 others up right outside the gangway and transported us by mini-bus all over the island. We traveled the entire length and width of Bermuda taking in gorgeous views of pink-sand beaches and turquoise waters. We delighted in the pastel colors and white-roofed homes that Bermuda is world-renowned for and we passed by neighborhoods of multi-million dollar homes and elegant resorts with golf courses that looked like plush green carpet. We were given free time in St. George’s, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in the colonial town of Hamilton at the City Hall and Arts Centre, and at the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse with its magnificent 360-degree views. Our tour guide was excellent and entertained us with his tales and interesting facts about Bermuda and its people.
Colorful buildings in Bermuda
I spent the next day visiting Hamilton. A ferry transported me in twenty minutes from the Dockyard into Hamilton and there I spent about three hours, visiting the boutiques on Front Street, the Queen Elizabeth Park, and the manicured grounds of the Cabinet Office and House of Assembly. Coming back, I hopped onto one of the frequent buses that takes the scenic route from the bus terminal near Hamilton’s City Hall & Arts Centre to the Dockyard.
Balconies on Serenade of the Seas
On the third and final day in Bermuda, it was “all-aboard” by 2:30 pm so I stayed close by and visited the Royal Naval Dockyard itself. This is a large area where the ships dock that offers a taste of culture, history, shopping, and adventure. There are restaurants, an arts center and craft market, the National Museum of Bermuda, the Vintage Transport Museum, a shopping mall, a tourist information center with free wifi, and more. There’s even Snorkel Park Beach for sun, sand, and snorkeling. A free tram circles the dockyard every 20 minutes.
Explore Bermuda via a cruise with Royal Caribbean
This was a magnificent vacation although I was disappointed that more and more of what is available on the cruise ship comes at a price. The two-hour tour behind the scenes of the ship that used to be complimentary is still available but now costs $89. And, while the dining room meals were excellent, there was an extra charge for certain premium dishes. Wifi and drink packages are outrageously expensive. And sessions conducted in the spa on Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture and the “free” ladies pamper party and footprint analysis are all geared toward selling you products or services. I’m afraid this has become the norm in this industry.
Elizabeth von Pier enjoyed the crew on Serenade of the Seas
I was able to keep my costs down by spending almost nothing beyond that which I paid for the cruise itself and the tour of the island, and I had a thoroughly satisfying experience. I enjoyed the spa sessions for what they were, and learned something in the process. I attended three educational art lectures by the on-board auctioneer and enjoyed free champagne at the art auction, was entertained by the bidding process, and spent nothing in the process. I posed for several photos by the professional onboard photographer but bought none of them, instead taking my own. I got my coffee at the cafes where it was provided free of charge. And I learned a very useful skill—how to fold napkins for my next dinner party.
IF YOU GO:
• Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
• Buses #7 and #8 run round-trip between the Dockyard and Hamilton about every 30 minutes. You can pick up a schedule at the Visitor Information building. The cost the for a one-way token that can be used either on the bus or the ferry is $4.50 each way.
• The Blue Route ferry from Dockyard to Hamilton departs about every 1.5 hours, from 7:30 A.M. To 9:45 P.M. There also is less-frequent service to St. George’s. You can pick up a schedule at Visitor Information.
BIO
Elizabeth von Pier loves to travel. After she retired from her lifetime career in banking, she has been traveling the world, photographing, and writing. She has been published in the Los Angeles Times, In the Know Traveler, Go Nomad, Wave Journey, Hackwriters, Travelmag—The Independent Spirit, and Travel Thru History. She also has recently published her first book, “Where to Find Peace and Quiet in London”. Ms. von Pier lives in Hingham, MA.
