Liene's Adventures

Our family determined it a long time ago that we enjoyed cruising. Thoughts on the subject among broader population can be divided. While this might not be everyone’s preferred travel style, it was definitely an activity we enjoyed. And with most cruise destinations from the USA heading to the warm waters of the Caribbean, who could say 'no' to that?! 

I had booked a 5-day cruise on Royal Caribbean from Baltimore, Maryland to Bermuda. Although we usually picked longer cruises for our travels, the ease and simplicity of this itinerary were the deciding factors. We could reach Baltimore in less than 3 hours by car, and 5 days were enough for me to get a well-deserved break.

Although I had been to 15 different Caribbean Islands over the years, Bermuda was a new territory for me. My first thought of Bermuda was, of course, the Bermuda Triangle stories of missing ships and planes... But on a more realistic note - Bermuda was a British Overseas Territory with deep historic ties to Britain, and plot twist: it was actually not in the Caribbean! It was tucked away in the North Atlantic Ocean and Sargasso Sea. However, with its island lifestyle and close ties to other islands, it was an associate member of the Caribbean Community. Hence, in its spirit, it was truly a Caribbean Island.

Another fact worth mentioning - Bermuda was not a single island but an archipelago consisting of 181 islands of various sizes. The most significant and bigger of the islands were connected by roads and bridges forming, what seemed like, one large landmass.

On this trip, however, our travel arrangement was a lot different than in the past 10 years. It was agreed that I was long overdue for child-free relaxation. Therefore, my husband was going to stay back home with the boys, while my travel companion was going to be my mom who had flown in from Latvia for an extended visit. At first, my kids were quite upset with this unfairness. Yet, they quickly realized that staying back with just dad might have some major benefits, so their attitude changed quickly. And on the morning of the cruise, the boys were almost pushing me and my mom out the door. They were ready for all the unrestricted movie nights and unchecked amounts of treats that mom’s (my) absence presented.

My mom and I got dropped off right at the Baltimore cruise port. We bid our farewells to my husband and kids, and headed towards the ship. Check-in and customs went smoothly, and less than an hour later we were taking our first steps on the ship.

Vision of the Seas was neither the biggest nor the grandest of the Royal Caribbean’s fleet. As a matter of fact – quite the opposite was true. This was one of the oldest and smallest ships. But that did not mean it lacked charm or character.

We headed to our room to put away the luggage. It was a simple interior cabin with two comfortable beds, a sofa, big closet and bathroom. The only thing lacking was a window… or a balcony maybe? But as we did not intend to spend our time sitting in the cabin, so paying the extra charge for a window room was not worth it for us.

After settling in and freshening up, we walked out to explore the ship – all 11 decks of it. I had seen many cruise ships before, so there were no big surprises; however, it was my mom’s first cruise, so I was very curious as to how she would perceive this big, floating city. 

Reaching the shores of Bermuda would take 2 days, so we had plenty of time to see everything on the ship without rush. The central atrium was the main gathering place for various activities and performances – singing, piano play, karaoke, and games, like bingo night or lottery. The main theater offered several main performances, along with magic shows and comedian nights. 

And all around the ship there were many other activities to enjoy – shopping, losing money at a casino, rock wall climbing, shuffle boards, and even a gym. Yes, I indeed took advantage of the gym during our sea days. I had to get my 10,000 steps in one way or another!

And, of course, let us not forget the swimming pools! Although leaving Baltimore in October was a tad chilly and people mostly just sat on lounge chairs dressed up, the closer we got to Bermuda, the more the air warmed up. And the pool got busy with water aerobic activities, water volleyball, swimmers and waders.

But, of course, I left the most important thing for last! The food! There was so much eating! There were buffets, and restaurants, and cafes, and coffee stands, and ice cream stands, and salad bars, and pizza shops… all included, of course. Besides the main dining halls available for breakfast, lunch and dinner, we could get food at any given place at any time. Sitting at a pool and feeling like pizza? It’s just around the corner. Coffee with dessert? It’s an arm’s reach away… No wonder I had to use gym 2 times a day while on the ship! All that eating had to be balanced with at least some activities! 

And with that, our two sea days passed by very quickly. The air had noticeably warmed up, and Maryland’s 60 (15C) degrees had become Bermuda’s 80 (26C) degrees. Just the color of the water alone was a tell-tale sign that we had entered a different climate zone. It was so turquoise, and so bright!

Everyone patiently watched as Bermuda’s Coast Guard approached and boarded our ship to check the necessary paperwork.

And once the green light was given, we were ready to dock at Bermuda’s Royal Naval Dockyard. I am not sure if we had a new captain or someone who was in-training, but the docking process was excruciatingly slow. That, however, gave us an opportunity to check out the port from up above. 

The Royal Naval Dockyard had plenty of activities within walking distance – restaurants, shops, galleries and stores. There was a beach with ocean-side lounge chairs and a bar. And one could even walk to a restored fort, National Museum of Bermuda, or a local aquarium with dolphin quest. Lots and lots of options right here within walking distance.

Nonetheless, this being my first time in Bermuda, I was interested in getting to see the whole island as much as possible. Hence, I had booked us a full day’s excursion that would take us to remote beaches, lively cities and give us a glimpse into Bermuda’s daily life.

The moment the ship finally docked and the gangway opened, we headed out to meet our guide and tour bus. It was a small, comfortable bus with about 15 of us from the ship who had (independently) booked the excursion. 

It was great to just sit back, listen to our guide talk about the history and life of Bermuda, and watch the scenery of this tropical island slowly slip by… The guide made short stops at many roadside pullouts wherever exceptionally beautiful scenery warranted it. So, everyone got a chance to take photos even if it wasn’t a major planned stop on the itinerary. One of the most popular beaches on the island was Horseshoe Bay. Although we did not go there, we did get a chance to see it from up above. 

Our first main stop was Gibb’s Hill Lighthouse – the oldest cast-iron lighthouse in the world. With 30 minutes of free time, we were off to explore as we liked. From here, we had beautiful views of the island.

Getting to the top of the lighthouse was another option, however, the guide warned us that the climb was steep and long, and 30 minutes might not be enough. That discouraged us from getting to the top of the lighthouse, although I would have really liked to. I bet the view from there was stunning!

Our next stop on the itinerary was pink-sand beach. It was a beautiful place with the most amazing color of the water, and large volcanic rocks.

However, it required some imagination to see the sand as pink. By our guide's suggestion - upon closer inspection, some sand pebbles were indeed pink, but the beach as a whole was not quite what the Instagram or TikTok portrayed. But we did not come here for the 'gram. We were just happy to be here.

Our next big stop was Bermuda’s capital Hamilton. A port city, Hamilton was Bermuda's financial and commercial center, and a popular tourist destination. Its population of 1100, and its small land area made it one of the smallest capital cities in the world. 

We were given an hour here to explore as we pleased. My mom and I started out by trying to find a souvenir shop to get our obligatory fridge magnets and some other knick knacks to remember Bermuda by. 

Once that was accomplished, we walked into the unknown. We had no idea where we were going – we just walked. The air was warm, the sun was shining and we strolled through a local park, along a promenade and by some pastel-colored houses. It was fun to just stretch our legs and get lost in the local crowd. 

An hour went by much too quickly and we all met up at the bus again for a long drive to the island’s easternmost point – UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Historic Town of St George.  Founded in 1612, St. George's was the first English settlement on Bermuda. It was the cradle of Bermuda's history. This charming destination was a living museum, where one could walk the same lanes that sailors and settlers had trod for centuries.

It was a place where every building told a story and the past felt incredibly present.

As we walked the streets of this amazing little town, we fell in love. It was quiet, calm and undeniably charming. The setting sunlight gave the town an aura of peace and tranquility. It felt like the empty city streets belonged to just us.

Unfortunately, the 40 minutes that we were given here were not nearly enough to immerse ourselves fully into the town’s charm. We barely managed to scratch the surface, snapped some photos, and it was time to leave. It felt like we just got here. But that was just part of the ''deal'' when traveling with a tour group – the schedule and timing weren’t ours to decide.  

My mom and I both agreed that out of all the sights we saw in Bermuda, St George’s was undeniably #1 for both of us.

It was already past 7PM and dark outside when our little tour bus got back to the pier. We walked back to the ship for dinner but afterwards we could not just settle down quite yet. We decided to go for a walk around the Dockyard and see its sights at night. The fort was closed, of course, but the beach, bars and restaurants were open – day or night.

That type of party atmosphere was not for us though (I must be getting old!), so after we had walked the territory, we went back to the ship for the night.

This was the first time I was staying on a cruise ship overnight while not changing ports. Usually, cruise ships sailed from one island to another overnight, however, next day was another half-day right here in Bermuda. For that, I had booked another excursion for us.

It was an early alarm with early breakfast type of morning. By 8AM we had disembarked the ship and ready for our second island adventure. Today’s tour was a little different and our mode of transportation was not a bus but a glass bottom boat. The captain took us to coral reefs and one of the many Bermuda’s shipwrecks (Bermuda Triangle, remember?). The wrecked ship had been overgrown with corals, seagrass and algae and fish loved it here. We could observe the marine life underneath without ever getting wet. In total, there were about 150 known shipwrecks in Bermuda's waters, with many more centuries old and undiscovered.

After that, the captain cruised the boat along Bermuda’s southern coast where we could see big villas, small local houses, fancy resorts and overwater bungalows. But the color of the water – it just topped the list again! So amazing!

The second half of the tour was a beach break. The captain steered the boat into a secluded cove where we could swim, snorkel, ride paddle boards, suntan or just sit on a rock with a drink in hand and relax… 

With that, however, our Bermuda adventure had come to a close. Our little tour boat cruised back to the big ship, which was ready to set sail and leave the island shortly thereafter. My mom and I walked up to the top deck to watch the Bermuda's tropical views slowly slip out of the view.

As always, it was bittersweet. We had had great time in Bermuda; we managed to see a lot of the island – the main sights as well as some less traveled areas. We also did not want to leave the sun and warmth of the Caribbean because there was no denying it – USA Northeast in October was getting cold and winter was approaching. We were not looking forward to it. However, we still had amazing 2 days left to enjoy the ship as it sailed back to Baltimore. 

And 2 fun days we had indeed! We watched more theatre shows, listened to karaoke finals, went for long walks around the ship decks, and spent hours by the poolside (with drinks, pizza, coffee and desserts never far away). A fun event on the last night was the ''Parade of Flags'' where cruisers could meet and greet workers from all the different nations that were assigned to Vision of the Seas ship. They were our room stewardesses, bartenders, waiters and waitresses, cooks, entertainers and many more! Our room stewardess was from the Philippines but our favorite restaurant waitstaff - from India. 

We also had a great time searching for little ducks that the cruise staff and some participating guests had hid around the ship in various places. By the time our cruise neared its end, we had quite a collection of duckies. 

But as all good things, this one came to an end as well. A chilly breeze hit our senses as we walked onto the deck on the final morning. Disembarkation time! My husband and sons had come to pick us up, and they had stories of their own to tell! They had pizza, and movies, and museum visits, and sleepover parties… With daddy in charge there had been no rules. But that vacation was over too. With mommy in town, we were all back to homework, and bedtime, and broccoli for dinner… 😊

 

About our other cruise ship adventures read here:

MOMMY'S DIARY OF CARIBBEAN CRUISING WITH 2 KIDS - WESTERN CARIBBEAN CRUISE ON NORWEGIAN GETAWAY

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (1 SHIP, 6 ISLANDS AND 13 DAYS)