Eight Times to Bermuda 1963-2019

17 November 2004

Motorcycle parking in Hamilton

Wednesday, we started out with our own walking tour of Hamilton. I was looking for a place to eat dinner and also shopping

Port Of Call Restaurant

Flannigan's menu

Black Seal shop

Kirk's and Rock On

Women's leather handbags

Crisson with lions guarding the Rolex watches

Bob outside of Crisson's

Alley between stores from Front to Reid Street

Bermuda House Lane (one of the little lanes in Hamilton)

We walked along Front Street,

Cenotaph

and saw the Cenotaph and the Government Buildings,

Cabinet Building and Senate Chamber

Police station in Hamilton

Restaurant patron

Water Catchment in Hamilton

Chancery Lane

and then walked back to the bus station

Water fountains at the City Hall in Hamilton

Vane face on the tower

Whole City Hall

Front of City Hall from temporary bus station

and hopped a bus out to the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute. Actually, we hopped on the bus but it let us off several blocks away - in Paget Parish because there's no stop nearer to the BUEI. On the walk we went past the statue of Johnny Barnes

Johnny Barnes

who waved to passing traffic at the Foot of the Lane roundabout in Hamilton, Bermuda, from roughly 3:45 am to 10 am, every workday, rain or shine. He was known for waving and saying "I love you, God loves you," to passing commuters during the morning rush hour into Hamilton. We also passed a boatyard

Rance's Boatyard

and took a picture of a kisskidee bird.

Kisskidee

Outside of the BUEI Building

(Non-Heritage pass admission $10.50 or $8.40 for seniors). Completed at an overall cost of over $16 million, it was officially opened on July 10, 1997 by His Excellency, Thorold Masefield , Governor of Bermuda. It is Pembroke Parish on the northern side of Hamilton Harbor . According to Bermuda Online "It is a major - a "must see" - cultural, sightseeing and scientific attraction for locals and visitors.

I personally felt that it was more expensive than it was worth. There were a lot of unconnected exhibits, some of which were sponsored by commercial interests and might not be completely accurate and unbiased. The BUEI website was EXTREMELY difficult to find information from as to where it actually was and how to get there by bus.

Velocity sailboat in front of the BUEI

Outside of the museum is the ship VELOCITY that Bermuda entered in the "Around Alone" race in the 2002 – 2003 school year, 18 Bermuda schools followed Alan Paris on his historic 30,000 mile single-handed circumnavigation.

Entrance to the museum

On the porch is this exhibit of SCARAB I, a deep water diver. You enter at the first floor level - they number the floors like they do in Europe so the first floor is really the second floor. What we call the first floor is Ground Level. On the first floor is an auditorium for large presentations and the gift shop where you pay your admission

Bob waiting for me to finish playing with the exhibits

First Floor exhibits on Bathysphere

On the first floor were exhibits explaining the Sea Mount that Bermuda is on, and various kinds of diving, including SCUBA, which seemed to be sponsored by a local dive shop. The lady in the picture is watching a movie about diving bells like the one to her right.

Then we got into what was basically a tricked out elevator, and 'dove' to the depths of the ground floor

Exhibits at the BUEI in the Shipwreck area

Exhibit in the Shipwreck area

Ship diagram

There were many exhibits depicting the lives and circumstances of the old ships and the men who sailed on them.

Important Note: If you exit from the museum, like to go to the bathroom - you won't be able to get back in again. The doors are set to be one way.

Shipwreck Map of St. Georges

Shipwreck listing north of St. George

The ground floor shipwreck gallery has a lot of information about treasure hunting around shipwrecks, and it has this map which shows the locations of the shipwrecks on the reefs around Bermuda.

In addition to the information on shipwrecks and diving, there was a large collection of shells. In 1968, Jack Lightbourn and his friend Arthur Guest were inspired by the fact that they hadn't found any new species in three years to try dredging and trapping in deep water – in depths of 300’ to 400’ and in depths of 800’ to 1,500’. Their efforts were immediately successful to the extent of adding during the next 20 years, 300 new species to the Bermuda listing, 10 of which were new to science. Of these 3 are named after Jack as follows: Pterynotus lightbourni, Fusinus lightbourni and Conus lightbourni. It was during this same period that Jack started to collect foreign shells comprising of cones, cowries, murexes and many other miscellaneous species. Jack and Arthur had from the beginning decided to pool the Bermuda species, which resulted in this collection numbering some 756 species – the largest ever in Bermuda

In his will, Arthur Guest left his entire collection to Jack, who in turn presented the large Bermuda collection to the Bermuda Zoological Society as a gift from Arthur and himself. Jack also presented a quantity of his collection comprising 1,200 shells of 1,000 species to the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute. Of these, 110 are from Bermuda, the remainder are foreign.

Shell Collection

After we viewed the exhibits, I got a recommendation for lunch from the guy at the gift shop and we took a bus out and stopped for lunch at the North Rock. This is the only brewery on the island that serves most, if not all, of its product on the premises. The setting is a smoky, and sometimes rowdy, replica of an English pub, complete with ceiling beams and paneling which is where locals spend their time in the pub section where views of copper-sided fermentation vats are visible through plate-glass windows. That's where we had lunch - not in the dining room.

Brewery

Pub

I had the Bermuda fish chowder which I would swear had beef in it and a side salad. I later found out that Bermuda fish chowder is a dark and spicy.

Bermuda fish chowder

Bob had a beef panini sandwich. Lunch was $31.50.

Bob's Beef Panini Sandwich

We took the bus up Collector's Hill and visited Verdmont. Although the Bermuda National Trust says that Verdmont is "easily reached by the #1 bus from either Hamilton or St. George's" that's not really true. It is really very difficult to get to on the bus. You have to get off the bus and walk up the hill. The buses run every half hour.

The 1710 Georgian-style house, with its 4 huge chimneys, never had electricity or any other modern amenities installed. No plumbing or running water, no electricity, no air conditioning, no ceiling fans and no heating (other than the eight fireplaces), even though it was a private residence until 1951. It was once the home of Hon. Thomas Smith, the customs collector (which is where the name Collector's Hill comes from.) I didn't regret not taking pictures inside except for not being able to take pictures of the children's dollhouse. Each room had a list with the provenance of all the furniture and other items in the room. Outside there are also rose and flower, herb and mixed period gardens.

Verdmont front walk

Entrance walk from inside Verdmont

Old glass in Verdmont House window

Their website said: The Verdmont Museum is a treasure trove of antique cedar and mahogany furniture. There is a fine collection of English and Chinese porcelain on display, portraits of former residents and a children’s playroom complete with original furniture and toys. While there, check out what is, arguably, the finest cedar staircase in Bermuda. In 2003, Verdmont was given a major award by the American Society of Travel Writers (SATW) recognizing its restoration. It is at the top of Collector's Hill, Sayle Road junction, Smith’s Parish

Verdmont front garden from upstairs

Attic rafters in Verdmont

Then we walked back to the bus stop. Since there was no room to stand on the side of the road at the bus stop for the bus in the direction we wanted to go, we sat on a wall on the other side of the road. When the bus came, Bob sprinted across the road to the other side to give me a chance to get over there.

Shore from the bus

On the way to Grotto Bay by bus

Same as above- note car driving on left and ped Xing

From the bus looking at the front of the hotel

Sign out front

Golf course from the bus

We took the bus out through the golf course, past the caves to the Glass Blowers (opposite Grotto Bay) and discovered it (like the Perfumery) had closed. I knew that the Perfumery had closed. So we started back for Hamilton, stopping on the way (at 4 pm) at the BAMZ (Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo) which is also on the Heritage Pass. Regular admission $10 or $5 for seniors. They were feeding the turtles at the outside tanks

Green turtles being fed

Green turtle

Harbor Seal Tank

We went to the Zoo first because that closed at 4:30

Galapagos Tortises

Bird eating food of Galapagos Tortoise

Golden Lion Tamarins

Turning his back on us

Flamingos in the zoo

Scarlet Macaws in the zoo

Peacock begging

Flowers in the Zoo

Sign on Oscar's cage (Oscar is an alligator)

and then we went to the Museum

Giant Pacific Clam Shell at the entrance

Exhibit on roof making from coral rock

Display in the Museum on island living

Display in the museum on invasive species (Bad Seeds)

Display on the disease that attacked Bermuda cedar

Roadside Geology exhibit

and after that the Aquarium

Scorpion Fish

Aquarium tank with fish school

Local lobster

Aquarim FIsh - Bermuda

Octopus

Aquarium

Reef Tank in the Aquarium

When the BAMZ closed at 5,

Road outside the museum and the porch

Rainbow

we got a bus back to Hamilton

Zoo sign and road with cars driving on left

Boats

2004 from the bus stop

Map of the village from Bermudatourism.com

Current flowing under the Flatts Bridge 2004

School kids getting on the bus

Golf Course from the bus

Motorcycle rider in the rain at a stop light from

and finished the walking tour and also did some shopping at Trimminghams on the way back to the ship.

Since the dinner coupons for the dining out in town were supposed to be a value of $50, I thought that I should really get our money's worth out of them. There's no point paying $10 for a $50 coupon and then buying a $20 dinner with it. That's why we didn't use it at the Hog Penny. The most expensive option would have been Tom Moore's Tavern, which NCL has mistakenly located in Hamilton. It is NOT in Hamilton in Pembroke Parish. It is in Hamilton PARISH which is a different location altogether. The problem with Tom Moore's would be that we would have to get a cab as the buses stop running out there at 6, and they don't open until 6:30. So that would not be economical.

We'd stayed at the Hamilton Princess on a previous visit and I figured that would be the best use of the coupon, and I was right.

Fireplace in the Fairmont Hamilton Princess

Dimly lit dining room

Posted menu

Decorative plates at Harley's

I had a 16 oz. prime rib which was delicious (but I couldn't eat it all and I couldn't take it back to my room and keep it for lunch the next day), which was listed on the menu at $29.50.

Soup, water glass, inset of prime rib and counter

I also had a Waldorf salad which was delicious and for dessert

chocolate mousse with ice cream which listed for $8.50

Bob a shrimp pasta dish ($29.00) and fish chowder. I can't remember what he had for dessert but it would have been $8.00.

We drank tea, and everything including the tips were included.

Rosedon at night walking back from dinner

Primavera at night

November 18, 2004

Thursday, since the seas had calmed, the ship motored around to St. George,

CSY Pilothouse on a mooring

St George's channel

Ship entering St. George

The channel to St George's is very narrow. On a subsequent trip this ship got stuck in the inlet, thus trapping all the ships that were docked there in the harbour

Little lighthouse on a little coral island as an aid to navigation (ATON)

Rocks along the channel

Channel marker

Lagoon

Ship coming into St. George

Sailboats med-moored along the waterfront

Boats tied to the wall in St. George

Looking at St. George over the bow

Pink Bus on the bridge from NCL Crown 2004

Cruise ship dock from the NCL Crown 2004

Glass Bottomed Tour Boat

Duck by a bollard

Pilot boat

We got off and did a little shopping.

Old Armory Building, 1 Water Street

Long House

Back of Four Star Pizza

Dowling's Shell station

Sign on the building

Then we got a taxi with 6 other folks ($4 for two)

Bob waiting for the taxi with a cat

Mini bus at the bus stop

to Ft. St. Catherine (admission $5 without the Heritage Pass).

To Ft St Catherine exhibits

Flag over the fort

Side of Fort

Fort Walls outside the fort

Bob walking into Ordance area of Ft St Catherine

View of main turret

Stairs to the Fort Walls

cannon on fort wall

Looking out to sea

Passageway

Compass Rose

Gun deck of the fort

Cannon

Shell lift

Shell lift closer

The exhibits in the interior were new to us.

Ammo handler

Shell handling

Mechanism to move shells

Model of the interior

Entrance to the Cook House

Cooks

Crown Jewel Replica Exhibit

Achilles Bay beach from Ft St Catherine

When we finished climbing around on the fort, they called the mini-bus for us ($3 each)

Cat on the wall

Old Club Med building and St. George golf course

Golf course from Ft. St. Catherine

Cat crossing the road

.. and we had an interesting ride back to town which included stopping to pick someone up at the condo.

Condo units from the minibus which were built on the site of the hotel where we stayed in 1963

There's almost no place to stay in the St. Georges area except for these condos, which are rarely available for rent. If you want to go down to town, you can call a mini-van which costs about $3 per trip.

There are three outdoor pools (one heated) and three tennis courts. The private beach and beach club are a mile away. The beach club is open seasonally and offers a restaurant, beach chairs, and water-sports equipment rental. The resort also offers on-site moped rentals. Griffins is the resort's on-site restaurant and bar and there is a mandatory $50/person (over 18) charge for the restaurant when you rent these condos. This can be used as a credit toward food & beverage purchases throughout the week. Each unit is air-conditioned and has ceiling fans and cable television. 1 & 2BR units have stereo with CD player. Laundry services are available on site. There is a housekeeping charge of $9/per person twice a week.

We ate lunch at Freddie's

Menu board

(I had the souper sandwich for $9.95 (the sandwich part was egg salad),

souper sandwich for $9.95

and Bob had chicken fingers

Bob's chicken fingers

Check

-total $21.01). We took the bus back towards the BAMZ and stopped at the Railroad Museum (admission free-donation requested).

Looking out from the Railroad Trail near the RR Museum

Sign on the Railroad Trail

Sign on the Railroad Museum

Exhibits in the museum

Silver Table

Showing how close the building is to the road

Former Railroad Bridge no longer on Trail

After we got back to St. George, we looked in the newly refurbished (after Hurricane Fabian) Town Hall especially the cedar woodwork (although we didn't see the free Bermuda history show this time)

Ceiling and light on the first floor

Bob in the Town Hall

Certificate in the Town Hall

Clock above the door in the Town Hall

Door to the City Hall in 2004

Plaque on Town Hall

Horse drawn carriage in King's Square

and made it to the Bermuda National Trust Museum at the Globe Hotel (admission $3 without the Heritage Pass).

Rum Runner Museum sign

We just had time to see the video tape before they closed.

Photo taken while watching video tape

Back of bench in the room where video tape shown

November 19, 2004

Friday, we walked around St. George and looked at some more historic buildings following somewhat the Fromer's Walking Tour

King's Square

We begin the tour at King's Square AKA Market Square or King's Parade, which is the center of St. George is only 200 years old. This was formerly a marshy part of the harbor. Next to the harbor and the war monument is a branch of the Visitors Service Bureau. You can buy a bus pass or a Heritage Pass here (cash only)

St. George Visitor's Center and War Memorial

Stocks in the Town Square

Also on the square there is a replica of a pillory and stocks in front of the Bank of Butterfield. Frommer's walking tour says You could be severely punished here for such "crimes" as casting a spell over your neighbor's turkeys. From the square, head south across the small bridge to:

2. Ordnance Island, so called because the British army once stored gunpowder and cannons here.

NCL Crown from Ordnance Island

A replica of the Deliverance, the boat that carried the shipwrecked Sea Venture passengers on to Virginia is here

Sign depicting the Deliverance spaces aboard

2004 photo of the ship

along with a ducking stool, a contraption used in 17th-century witch trials and which is used in reinactments by the Town Crier today.

Ducking stool

Also there is a statue on the island to .Sir George Somers, and also the dock where you can get the High Speed ferry to Kings Wharf.

Retrace your steps across the bridge to King's Square. On the waterside stands the

3. White Horse Tavern

It was once the home of John Davenport, who came to Bermuda in 1815 to open a dry goods store. Davenport was a bit of a miser; upon his death, some £75,000 in gold and silver was discovered stashed away in his cellar. Across the square stands the:

4. Town Hall (1802) (which we visited yesterday)

Souvenir Shop next to the Town Hall in 1995 and 2004

This is the meeting place for the St. George governing corporation. It has antique cedar furnishings and a collection of photographs of previous lord mayors. It was renovated after Hurricane Fabian and also has photographs of the damage that occurred then. One of the best budget attractions in Bermuda is Bermuda Journey, a multimedia audiovisual presentation, which is shown here several times a day. We saw this in 1995. From King's Square, head east along King Street, cutting north (left) on Bridge Street. You'll come to the:

5. Bridge House (1690s)

Closeup of sign

This building at 1 Bridge Street was formerly the home of several of Bermuda's governors. Now there is an art gallery and souvenir shop there. It is furnished with antiques. Near Bridge House are some things not included on the walking tour.

Buckingham

Buckingham has a bust of Irish poet Thomas Moore located in a triangular walled garden east of King's Square

THOMAS MOORE 1779-1852 IRISH POET AND LYRIST BYRON'S FRIEND

A 3' high life-size bronze bust of Irish poet Thomas Moore rests on a 3' high stone base. The curly haired poet is is shown from the mid-chest up. He is wearing a double breasted coat buttoned left over right, a neck scarf, and a bow tie. He is facing slightly to his left. A bronze plaque on the front of the base is inscribed:

THOMAS MOORE
1779-1852
IRISH POET AND LYRIST
BYRON'S FRIEND

THAT LITTLE BAY WHERE WINDING IN
FROM OCEAN’S RUDE AND ANGRY DIN

THE BILLOWS MISSED THE SHORE, AND THEN
FLOW CALMLY TO THE DEEP AGAIN.
Also Reeve Court is listed as a Bermuda National Trust building

Reeve Court

Return to King Street and continue east to the:

6. The 1620 Old State House

Old State House

The State House is at the top of King Street on Princess. This oldest stone building in Bermuda was originally the home of the Bermuda Parliament which first met here in 1620. Now it is the Masonic lodge. They pay the government a "rent" of one peppercorn annually for the use of the property - the payment is made at a yearly ceremony. Continue your stroll down Princess Street until you come to Duke of York Street and the entrance to:

7. Somers Garden (1920)

Somer's Garden

Monument in 2004 with inset from 1963

I've always thought the story about the heart of Sir George Somers, the admiral of the Sea Venture, being buried here was at once charming and macabre. The gardens, which were opened in 1920 by the Prince of Wales, contain palms and other tropical plants.

First and third visit to Somer's Garden 1963 and 2004

Walk through Somers Gardens and up the steps to the North Gate onto Blockade Alley. Climb the hill behind the garden to the structure known as "the folly of St. George's,". I didn't walk all the way up the hill to the unfinished cathedral, but I did get these pictures

8. Unfinished Cathedral (1874)

View from the road

Entrance pillars

This was to replace St. Peter's Church. Work began on the church in 1874, but ended because of infighting and financial difficulties.

9. St. George's Historical Society Museum

Historic Society Stairway

At Featherbed Alley and Duke of Kent Street, is the Mitchell House built c.1731 which is an example of 18th-century Bermudian architecture. It is now the St. George's Historical Society Museum. In both 1963 and 1995 we visited this museum. This is called the welcoming arms stairway. It is very photogenic, and I have pictures of it from both dates and some pictures inside of the collection of Bermudian historical artifacts and cedar furniture from the 1995 visit to the Historical Society Museum. But this time when we went it was not open.
10. Featherbed Alley Printery was also closed in 2004 because it is the same as the Historical Society Museum. We didn't see it in 1995, because it was being renouvated, and I don't think we saw it in 1963 either. If we had been able to see it would be a working replica of the type of printing press invented by Johannes Gutenberg in Germany in the 1450s. Go up Featherbed Alley and straight onto Church Street.
I took some photos along the way of some churches

Church

Church

And we passed Whitehall

Whitehall gate

Church steeple

At the junction with Broad Lane, look to your right to see the:

11. Old Rectory

Old Rectory c. 1699

The Old Rectory is at the top of Broad Alley, behind St. Peter's Church. It used to be that you could go inside and tour on Wednesdays from noon to 5 pm, but that was no longer possible at the time we were there because it is rented to someone. It is a National Trust property which was built c. 1705 by a reformed pirate. After seeing the Old Rectory, go through the church's back yard (where you will see the St. Peter's Church Thrift Shop sign) ,

Alley behind St Peter's (Church thrift shop)

opposite Broad Alley, to reach:

12. St. Peter's Church c 1713. You will be coming in through the graveyard.

St Peter's graveyard

In the churchyard, you'll see many headstones, some 300 years old. The assassinated governor, Sir Richard Sharples, was buried here. There is also a section for slaves

This Stone is erected in memory of THOMAS J STIRLING, Surgeon

This stone is for Thomas J. Stirling. It says:
This Stone is erected
in memory of
THOMAS J. STIRLING, Surgeon
of
Halifax Nova Scotia,
who Died on Board the
mail Boat Roseway.
off St. George's
27th February 1846.
Aged 32 Years
The main entrance is on Duke of York Street. The present church was built in 1713, with a tower added in 1814.

St. Peter's Church from Duke of York Street

Bob in St. Peter's church 2004

Organ inside the church

St. Peter's is believed to be the oldest Anglican place of worship in the Western Hemisphere. .In addition to the organ, there is an alter of Bermuda cedar and a lot of other woodwork also made of cedar in the church, including the stairway to where the slaves used to si

Chandelier in the back of the church

Balcony

Pulpit

closeup of wood

Interior walls

Looking down the stairs in 2004

Across the street is the

13. Bermuda National Trust Museum

Museum from the steps of St. Peters

When we were here in 1995, this was called the Confederate Museum.When it was the Globe Hotel, this was the headquarters of Major Norman Walker, the Confederate representative in Bermuda. Bermuda gave a lot of help to the CSA during the Civil War. Go west along Duke of York Street to

Scooter rentals near St Peters

14. Barber's Alley & Petticoat Lane--Barber's Alley honors Joseph Hayne Rainey. A former slave from South Carolina, Rainey fled to Bermuda with his French wife at the outbreak of the Civil War. He became a barber in St. George and eventually returned to South Carolina, where in 1870 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives -- the first African American to serve in Congress. Nearby is Petticoat Lane, also known as Silk Alley. I took a picture of Bob by the sign when we were here in 1963. According to legend, the name dates from the 1834 emancipation. Two slave women who were freed at this time and who had always wanted silk petticoats because of the rustling sound they made. They walked up and down this lane to show off their purchases.

Continue west until you reach:
15. Tucker House

Tucker House

I intended to go to Tucker House, but we didn't have time. It was on the walk up from the cruise ship dock. It was the family home of President Henry Tucker who was President of Bermuda c 1776. His was a prominent Bermudian family, whose members included an island governor, a treasurer of the United States, and a captain in the Confederate Navy. The building houses an excellent collection of antiques, including silver, portraits, and cedar furniture. One room is devoted to memorabilia of Joseph Hayne Rainey who was the first black member of the U.S. House of Representatives and who once rented space on this property for a barber shop. There is also a period kitchen, and an exhibit based on the archaeological excavation of the site. Open 10-4 Monday through Saturday.

Diagonally across from the Tucker House is the Carriage House, 22 Water St., Somers Wharf (tel. 441/297-1730), a former waterfront storehouse and also where the Carriage House Museum is or was that we visited in 1995..

Carriage house in 2004

The end of the tour is at

16. Somers Wharf, a multimillion-dollar waterfront restoration project.
We finished up our shopping before going back to the ship

Shop window

English Sports Shop in St. George

and then the ship left at noon.

The back of a range marker

Exit Channel

Town Cut -Gates Fort (R) and Higgs Island (L) 2004

On the way back, the sea was almost as smooth as glass and there was very little motion. One would almost not have known that we were on a ship. Bob was jealous because he says the sea is never that calm when we are out there.

After our cruise we went Migrating South by Car

Or you can read about our next visit to Bermuda in 2007 Grandeur of the Seas

We made our first cruise and our third trip to Bermuda on the NCL Crown. We took another cruise on the NCL Crown in 2005, but it didn't go to Bermuda - it was a re-positioning cruise. In 2006, we took a re-positioning Caribbean cruise on HAL (Holland-American Line) The re-positioning cruises tend to give you more bang for the buck. So in 2007 we did one on Grandeur of the Seas (Royal Caribbean Cruise Line) which stopped off in Bermuda. We will get off in Tampa and visit our grandchildren and then take another cruise out of Miami before we drive out to see grandchildren in Texas. We won't be home again for two months - until January 28th

Saturday November 24th
We picked up the rental car (a Ford Focus) and Bob started putting his luggage in it. He has FIVE bags. He is using my folding rolling cart so that he can take them all at once. I have the little red rolling bag that I used in June, the small black carryon that I used in June, a large yellow duffle (Bob also has a duffle which is red), and the bag I got to hold my new computer.

I used the ATM card at Cedar Point for the first time and got some cash, and also filled my car with diesel, and Bob winterized all of the cars and other rolling stock and took down the flag.

Sunday November 25th
Bob turned off the water and put antifreeze in the toilets, and I unplugged the TV and DirecTV and the modem and detached the phone lines except for the phone with the answering machine.

We left the house a little after nine. I wanted to go across 100 and up New Ridge Rd, but Bob said there weren't any gas stations there (although the mapping software says that there are) so he went around the airport access road and got gas at the Royal Farms station at 1100. The car cost us $20.59 including tax and we went 89 miles altogether. We got the shuttle van to the airport (the driver showed us how to put the luggage on the way we had it strapped together, and Bob tipped him $5.00.

We got a taxi and it cost not quite $27 to get to the cruise ship terminal. However, they had to sniff everyone with a police dog (including all the buses), and the driver had to show a photo ID. It took another $5 worth of waiting time to get through the line to leave our bags. So Bob gave him $40 (which considering that we had 9 bags plus the luggage cart which had to ride in the front wasn't bad).

We gave our luggage to the luggage people (6 bags), and Bob carried on two and I carried on my computer bag. We had to go through security to get into the terminal building - my laptop had to be taken out of the bag etc. Inside, I had done the on-line check-in, entering all our information, and all that worked well. About all he had to do was scan our passports. Then he gave us a Sea and Sail card, and gave us a boarding number of yellow 4. They were at that time calling red boarding numbers.

When they started calling yellow numbers, we went through the line to have our photo taken, and then walked on the ship. It was then about 1255. The signs all said that our rooms wouldn't be ready until 1300 (1:00 pm) but we pushed through the fire door and went to our room which is near the bow right behind the forward elevators on the third deck.

We have a queen bed with a mirror wall headboard, and what appears to be a real curtain so that we can curtain off the bed. There's the usual desk (which has TWO 110 plugs instead of just one), and a little couch. The TV is on a swivel so it comes out of the cabinet and rotates on a turntable toward the bed. The BIG problem (other than very little storage) is that Bob can't get out from his side of the bed with the TV out of the cabinet. Even with the TV in flat to the cabinet, he has to step over the end of the bed. The bathroom is QUITE small, with a round shower.

Bathroom_sink_in_the_cabin

We dropped our carry on bags off and went up to the buffet on deck 10. It was a zoo. I was not impressed. I got a little bit of pasta,

and a piece of dried out roast beef and some lemonade. I had a momentary brain fart and when the guy came by with the pina coladas, I got a virgin one. It was $5.95!!! Oh well. It was good.

We walked around the ship for a bit and found our table in the dining room and looked at the theatre and then went down and unpacked the suitcases that we had gotten.

Then at 1530, we had the lifeboat drill which is two decks up (no elevators). I took a couple of pictures afterwards.

Port of Baltimore - Nov 25th 2007

I wanted to take some photos of the city as we left, but we didn't leave right at the time we were scheduled to leave (someone suggested that it might be because people were having luggage problems with the heavy air travel on the Sunday after Thanksgiving), so by the time we left it was dark.

Leaving the Port of Baltimore - Nov 25th

The Cruise Critic people were going to be up at the Viking lounge (the very top of the ship on deck 11 which you can only get to by the atrium elevators which are glass) for the sail-away. I went up there - Bob said he'd seen enough of that kind of thing. We were supposed to be wearing Carnival beads so that we would know each other, but I hadn't found any. I sat down with some people who proved to be from Dunkirk (the next county to where we live. I did try to take a couple of photos, but it was pretty dark.

Police boat

We were early seating at dinner at a table of 10. One of the men at the table was in my Towson HS class '55. His name is Bill Fahey. He was in the print shop group - he didn't remember me at all, and I don't remember him, but his name is familiar.

Mr and Mrs Fahey

Sunday dinner was OK, but not real special. I had a quiche appetizer,

Quiche

Spinach salad

and a steak with some root vegetables and a baked potato.

Steak

Bob had fish. For dessert, he had

Apple pie a la mode

and I had something that was called "ivory chocolate fondue with berries and crunchy bits".

Ivory Chocolate Fondue

We had to set our watches back an hour so that the ship time would match Bermuda which is on Atlantic time.

Monday 26 November 2007
We went up to breakfast in the main dining room about at the end of the time that breakfast was served, and were seated at a table for 10. Service was a bit hit or miss. Bob got V8 juice and I got cranberry. Bob got his oatmeal first and I got my Eggs Benedict last.

Eggs Benedict

I thought the menu was duller than on Holland-American - there were no breakfast specials.

Right after breakfast we went up to Trivia - we had to leave breakfast to get there by 1000, and we had already missed 3 questions. One of the problem questions for me was "What non-aquatic mammal is the only one who can't jump?" Their answer was 'elephant', but I have since wondered about rhinos and Bobs answer was 'sloth'.

It was a little rough, and, although it didn't bother us too much, we saw barf bags stuck into the stairway railings for instant use. We went to lunch in the main dining room also, and I had something they called Panzanella Salad which was topped with two scallops on a skewer and ricotta and

Panzanella Salad

asparagus cannelloni (of which I could only eat one)

Riccotta and asparagus

and Bob had a burger. He asked them to hold the bun, and they did - they also gave him TWO burgers instead of just one because they were apparently worried that he would not have enough to eat. He had carrot cake and I had apple peach crumble for dessert.

Apple peach crumble

After lunch, we went up to the Viking Crown Lounge for the Meet and Mingle. I went out on deck to take a photo of a freighter that was crossing the ship's path and then came back to the M&M.

freighter - North Atlantic

Went down to sign on and get email. There was a certain amount of confusion about that. I was told that I would have to sign on with RCI's computers first, so I did that. There were no directions up there, but someone who was there (in ship uniform) told me that I would have to sign on to the wireless section and could not use the RCI computers and that since I had done it wrong, I'd have to go down to the purser's desk. So I signed on to the wireless, and then I went down to the purser's desk and she basically said - no problem. I also bought bus/ferry passes for Bermuda. ($20 @ for two days)

For dinner that evening (which was formal) I had the roast duck which had purple cabbage with it,

Duckling

and Bob had fish.

Fish

For dessert we both had sugar free coconut cake.

Coconut cake

Bob went back to the cabin and I went up to the internet cafe with my computer (which I took to dinner) and logged on and sent email etc. There is wireless in the atrium area, but I can't find anyplace to plug the computer in except under the desks in the computer cafe. There's a nice musical group playing in the atrium two decks down, and I can hear them in the computer cafe.

At 9 pm I went to the show. I looked for Bob but didn't see him. Found out later that he was down in the cabin glued to Bill OReilly whom I can't stand. The show was pretty good - it was three black guys in white suits doing Mo-town. I enjoyed it and the theatre was well thought out and had good sight lines and reasonably good lighting and stage effects. The band consisted of a piano/keyboard player, two guitarists, a drummer, two trumpets, a trombone and a sax. The one guitar player would stand with his back to the audience to start the band.

We will be in Bermuda on the 27th and 28th. The webcam TV channel does not show the webcam, and it has all the wrong information. It said that the water temp in Baltimore harbor was 82 deg F (NOT), and that our next port of call was San Juan. It has the wrong route on it.

The TV is a complete loss - it has two cartoon channels, ESPN, two CNNs and some amalgam of CBS, and Fox. We can't hear the announcements in the cabin and there's no way to turn them on.

Tuesday November 27th

Because the intercoms don't work in our room, and they made the announcement that we were coming in to Bermuda while Bob was in the shower, we didn't hear it. So we went up to the WIndjammer Cafe for breakfast, and it was again a disaster. I finally got something to eat. I had to wait for them to fix the machine for cranberry juice which was a viable option in the dining room. I saw that the ship was swinging around, so I went out on deck and took pictures of us coming in.

The markers are on the same side (red on the right coming into the harbor), but the numbers are reversed - odd on red and even on green instead of the other way around.

Green 24

Clocktower Mall Arriving in Bermuda

Bermuda looked beautiful and it was sunny and warm. One of the tugs that came out to the ship was named Powerful.

The water bottles Bob brought from home are too big to fit in either his fanny pack or mine, so I turned the plastic Royal Caribbean bag inside out and we put one into that.

Getting off the ship was a zoo. We followed a crowd down to deck one (which is all for the crew) and then the leader of the group realized that people were following that were NOT on tours, and he made us all go back up the steps to deck 2 and then we had to go back down to one and stand in line while they checked us out with our Sea and Sail card.

We were on the outside of the long dock. There was a shuttle bus to take us around the Dockyard, but we didn't find out about it until the last day.

Bob walking ahead of me

(Overcrowding in British Prisons led to housing convicts on ships where they were also readily available for labour)

Convict hulks sign on the way to the ferry dock

We walked to the ferry dock and I asked about the St. George ferries because Art (at our table) has a scooter and was told that he was told that he could take that ferry. But I didn't think it ran in the latter part of November. It turned out that they went ahead and ran that ferry anyway for the cruise ship, but they did the trip out and turned right around and ran back.

We got on the ferry to Hamilton and I was going to look for the CSY that we'd seen before, so I wanted to go out on deck. Bob said I couldn't do that, but I did anyway. However in doing that I missed seeing the CSY, and Bob saw it but failed to take a photo of it.

Ferry to Hamilton

Hamilton

Princess Hotel

Royal Bermuda Yacht Club from the ferry 2007

The Bank of Bermuda and the Ferry terminal from the ferry

When we asked the man at the ferry dock window where the Information Center was, he said it was the first pink shack. But we walked around and never did find it.

Empty birdcase in 2007

Whitewashing the roof

Post box in Hamilton

Eventually we walked up Queen St

Lemon Tree

past the gardens that were started by Perot

Par la Ville gardens

and stopped in the Perot post office. Perot was the person who made the first Bermuda postage stamp. I had never been inside, so we went in and I took some photos.

Perot Post Office sign

Stamps at Perot Post Office

Slots for Local, Boat and Airmail

Park from the side of the historical society

Then we went next door to the Historical Society Museum which is in the library. The reason I wanted to visit the information office was to find out whether Camden House would be open.

Historical Society Museum and Library

Historical Society Museum

The man at the historical society phoned for me. I activated my phone, but did not make many calls, as it said it was Cingular and I was afraid of high charges. I later found that I had about $6.00 worth of charges from Bermuda

Historical Museum

Historical Society Museum

Historical Museum

Bob sitting under Mrs. Perot's portrait

Sir George Somer's Portrait

We looked around the museum, and I saw a post card which I thought I would send to my granddaughter, but I didn't remember the zip code. So I took it thinking I'd send it later.

Walking to the bus terminal

We walked up to the City Hall

City Hall

City Hall statues and fountain

City Hall statue

Coat of arms on City Hall

City Hall wind vane

and got a bus map from the bus station and took the Route 1 bus to the Botanical Garden.

Botanical Garden sign

Botanical Garden landscape being renovated

Botanical Garden sign about Landscape Renovation

Chicken in the Botanical Garden

Botanical Garden cedar

Cat in Botanical Garden

Bob walking ahead of me in the Botanical Garden

It turned out that we got off at a stop that was a LONG way from the

Visitor's Center

Snack bar

We had lunch at the snack bar there - Bob bought a tuna salad sandwich and I had egg salad, and a drink and a cookie.

Our lunch

Hibiscus in the Botanical Garden

Then we walked over the Camden House, and went inside. The man explained that it was built c 1716 by a man from Camden in the UK, and that he had died in 1789 (or thereabouts) and was buried right between the front stairs. There's a hibiscus bush there now. He also said that the brochure was misleading because hurricane Fabian caused a bunch of leaks and they had to redo the furnishings, so the pictures that are in the brochure don't match what you see. They did allow me to take pictures.

Camden

Bob going up the steps of Camden

Entrance Hall

Dining Room with Bermuda cedar table

Living Room Fireplace

Living Room

Grandfather clock

Second Floor porch

View from the second floor

Front steps from above

Upstairs from the porch

Guide of Camden

Hibiscus outside Camden

from the Botanical Garden

Then we walked down a different way and got the Route 1 bus again going out to St. Georges.

bus stop

Shore from the bus

Shoreline

Swizzle Inn (Swagger Out Gift Shop)

We passed Spittal Pond, and two golf courses - one of them was Tucker's Point.

No parking at any time

Golf Course

Tuckers

We saw the sign for Crystal Caves,

Crystal Cave sign

but didn't get off.

Coming in to St. George

We got off at the end of the line just outside St. George,

St Georges Bus stop

St Georges

School girls at the bus stop

and waited right there at the bus stop because I didn't feel like walking the extra distance in to town. I told Bob that we'd take any bus except 1 or 3 (because those would be a repeat of where we'd just been).

St David_s bus trip

Police car

Double Dip Xpress

St David_s pre-school

School children

The first one that came was a 6, which went out to St. Davids, where we'd never been before. We picked up many of the school children (with the bus driver lecturing them all the way) and circled around the lighthouse.

St David's Lighthouse

I have never actually been able to visit the lighthouse - the best I have been able to do is to take a photo from the bus. St. Davids is one of two main lighthouses on Bermuda. It is the one most visible when you come in on a cruise ship. It is still active. Finished after three years in 1879. the tower also carries flashing red and green lights that cover nearby shoals. It is an octagonal limestone tower with lantern and double gallery; It has a 2nd order Fresnel lens. Formerly all white, the lighthouse is now painted white with a broad red band in the center. it acts as the finishing line for such major yacht races as the Newport Bermuda. The keeper's house is occupied by resident caretakers. The lighthouse is located on a hilltop on St. David's Island, in St. George Parish, near the northeastern tip of the islands. Open daily from 7:30am to 4pm between May and September. Admission is free. Sometimes it remains closed for maintenance. There are some 85 odd steps and the climb is relatively easy. This is a great place to see groups of humpback whales that pass through Bermuda waters in April and May.

We got to Kindley Field Recreational Facility (right next to the airport), and got off there and transferred to a number 11 back to Hamilton

Hamilton bus stop

Airport from the bus 2007

The bus to Hamilton was crowded when we got on. They are repairing the bridge to the airport so traffic goes on the temporary bridges.

Temporary bridges

I got to talking to three couples - one from Middletown DE and the other two from Sharpburg MD - all living in communities with covenants which I absolutely don't agree with. I mean - no clothesline?? How eco friendly is that??

We walked to the ferry, and there wasn't one to the Dockyard until 5:30,

Ferry Dock

and it didn't get there until after 6 and it was almost too dark to take pictures of the boat on the way back.

Hamilton at night from the ferry 2007

Ferry back to ship

Ship at night

They did tie up right next to the ship (on the other side of the wharf from it instead of our having to walk all the way around from the regular ferry dock which would REALLY have been too late. First we had to check in with security showing our sail pass and a photo ID (I used my PADI card). Then we had to take off hats (so they could see we didn't have anything concealed or so they could see our faces better to compare with our sail pass card) and go through ship security, and then put everything onto the belt to go through the magnetometer or whatever it is. A number of people have had knee replacements and the metal in their knees makes the beeper go off.

Even though Bob said it was too late to eat in the dining room, I went directly to the dining room and had dinner, and Bob went back to the room and then up to the Windjammer buffet which he said wasn't so bad when there weren't any people up there. I had a cold pepper soup, a lettuce wedge and a curry thing with asparagus on it in a puff pastry shell.

Curry Dinner

I didn't like the curry so I just ate the shell and the asparagus. For dessert I had Chocolate Marquise which was a chocolate cream pudding with a hard chocolate crust. Very good.

Chocolate Marquise

Meanwhile, we had saved the bottles that we bought our drinks in and washed them out and refilled them. They are small enough to fit one of them in my waist pack.

Wednesday November 28

We went up to the dining room for breakfast and I had a half grapefruit, cranberry juice, cream of wheat, yogurt and a roll. Bob had V8 and shredded wheat. The waiter told him they were out of skim milk, and also out of whole milk. He was joking. Sometimes the waiters open your milk cartons for you.

There was a young couple, and an older couple opposite us and a much older couple on our side of the table. The older couple opposite us said they were from West Point VA.

She had a white beehive bouffant type hairdo and chandelier dangly earrings. She said she was born in 1938. Hey - she's a year younger than I am. She looks like an old lady to me.

walking to the ferry

Bone Fish

We walked off the ship and took the ferry back to Hamilton so that I could take pictures of the CSY (a boat like ours) that we saw anchored from the ferry.

Green channel marker

CSY Pilothouse

whitewashing the roof

When we were here in 2004 Smiths and Trimminghams were one big store because Trimminghams bought out Smith's. Then it closed completely. I really liked Triminghams and was sorry to see it close. Even Coopers had greatly downsized.

A.S. Cooper children's clothes

Glassware

I looked in the linen shop thinking I'd get something for someone for Xmas, but tablecloths were $300, and everything else was similarly priced

Irish linen shop

I had written the card to my granddaughter who collects stamps, but hadn't brought it with me, so I didn't get a stamp or get it mailed, so we took the ferry back.

leaving Hamilton on the ferry

Entrance to the Victualing Yard

Victualing Yard sign

Dockyard Terrace

Craft Market

Then I walked around the craft market

Craft Market

Craft Market

Outside the Frog and Onion

and we went for lunch at the Frog and Onion which was next door.

Frog and Onion

Part of the Frog and Onion menu

water glass

Bob had a bunless burger and I had Shepherd's pie (or Cottage Pie)

Shepherd_s Pie

Bill for lunch

With tip this was $35.00.

I forgot my cane when I got up to go, and it had started to rain. We went across to a bus that was at the bus stop and find out that there was a shuttle bus to the ship so that all this time, we wouldn't have had to walk!!! Anyway when I started to get on the bus, I remembered that I had forgotten my cane, and so Bob gave me the bags with what we'd bought and went back for it. They had it at the front desk when he got there.

We were to leave at 3:00 and I thought I'd go up and take photos but I stopped (with my computer) at the internet cafe first, and when I looked out the window, it looked rainy and overcast. So I did the internet until I ran out of time.

There's no person in charge of the internet cafe to help people. I talked to a guy who was cleaning desks and he says half of the keyboards don't work because he's wiping them down with cleaning solution, but they have to do that. I also have heard that the internet is very slow on their computers.

There was a travel agent there who had a group of 20 people who flew from Manchester to Heathrow to the US to get on this cruise, and 18 of them did not get their luggage in Baltimore. Every day when we were coming back to the ship, we've seen luggage coming aboard so maybe that explains that. He said 16 of the people had gotten their luggage but two people had not.

I went down to dinner - almost none of our table mates had gotten off the ship today. Bob had soup and tilapia

Tilapia

and vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce for dinner, and I had

Breaded Mushrooms - dipping sauce

Tomato Salad

Pizza with goat cheese

White Chocolate Cheesecake

I find the decor of the ship vaguely depressing

Depressing picture_outside_our_cabin

Thursday November 29th - Sea Day - Bob got up and left this morning before I was out of bed. I went up to the dining room, but the line was so long that I decided to turn the tipping sheet authorization in at the purser's desk first. They said that if I turned in the sheet, the people would get their tips regardless of what we did. I also complained about the lack of a bow camera. By the time I was finished, the dining room service was finished for the day (9:05) so I went on up to the Windjammer and got a glass of water, a donut and a fried potato thing. There was a silly sign which said "In the interest of Public Health, the filling of water bottles is not permitted"

Bob had gone up and walked around deck 5 until he had done a mile, and then he sat and read a book. I went up and did trivia with a pick-up team, and we got 14 correct, but two other teams had 17 right and had a sudden death face-off. One of the questions which I knew was what ROM meant, and I also got correct the name of the oldest Beetle (Ringo) but the team decided that it was John Lennon.

We met up at lunch and I had a wrap

Tomato tortolli wrap

Banana carmel dessert

and a banana caramel split. We sat with a couple from California who said they liked lighthouses. She also said that her husband had been sick for four days in Baltimore, and now she had it.

Dinner was surf and turf (lobster) which we got. I had cream of potato soup and Bob had Manhatten clam chowder. We couldn't decide on dessert, so I had sugar-free rice pudding and strawberries and ice cream- they were supposed to be Grand Mariner marinated strawberries, but I didn't notice any difference from regular strawberries. Bob had the Boston cream pie and the strawberries.

Sugar free Rice Pudding

Boston Cream Pie

After dinner, I stayed in the internet cafe and also went to part of the show in the theatre until after 10 pm before I came back to the room. I looked up the size of the Crown, the Maasdam and this ship, and this ship carries about 1000 more passengers, which is IMHO too many. The steward had made a sting ray towel animal, and Bob had eaten one of his eyes (the chocolates that they put on our pillow each night).

They had the Dallas/Green Bay game on the TV so we watched (well I watched and Bob went to sleep) until the last 2 minutes or the fourth quarter with the score 34 Dallas to 27 Green Bay, and then the satellite cut off and never came on again.

Tomorrow we will be in St. Maartin

Our next visit to Bermuda was in 2011 Carnival Pride

Triangle Cruisers (Cruise Critic's Group)

Comedy of Errors

Cruise Prequel

We were supposed to leave on the Carnival Pride for Bermuda today (Sunday 6 November). We are in a hotel in Linthicum instead. Actually I am in a hotel in Linthicum - Bob is driving back to Leonardtown to get my passport.

I started to pack on Friday 4 November. I absolutely can NOT find my nice black skirt and jacket that I always wear for formal nights, nor can I find my shirt that goes with a cotton jacket that I wear during the day in the summer. I don't know where they can be. I finished packing Saturday - I have a small duffle and mother's red roller bag (carry-on size) and the computer bag. Bob has the big brown roller bag, a green bag and two black bags.

I have been expecting that our old cameras (Kodaks) were going to give out soon. They have been used a lot, and mine already has a problem turning off - I have to turn it past off, or it doesn't turn off. Now Bob was having a problem turning his on. So - Bob said that if I would get my act together we could go to Best Buy and/or the Exchange and look at cameras. I wanted one with a viewfinder (not just a screen), and a flash that was manually operated. It turn out that there are none of those small flat cameras that have a viewfinder anymore. So I got a Canon EOS Rebel

Saturday 5 November, after we picked up the rental car and loaded all the luggage into it, I got a robo call from Carnival telling me that the ship had been delayed and not to leave until I heard from them. Bob didn't pick up the phone so he didn't know this - I thought I heard him pick up, but he didn't. I tried to find the Pride on the charts but the only thing I saw was a little bit off Ft Pierce coming from Freeport on Friday. I went to the internet and other people were talking about it but there was no real information. Carnival wanted us to get text messages, but I don't do text messages. We called Bob's brother David who was also traveling with us, but his phone wasn't being answered.

Finally I got an email from Carnival stating that we would board Monday morning 9-12.

The ship ran into the big low - I guess off NC - with seas of 20 feet and the young teen club and the arcade room on deck 4 were damaged. The Pride is in Baltimore now and people are getting off but they can also wait until 7 am tomorrow to get off if they want to.

Sunday November 6

It would be difficult for us to get to Baltimore by 9 - I used to do it when I was working, but I had to leave by about 6. After a lot of discussion, Bob thought we should turn in the rental car and drive my car up. I found a hotel (Country Inn & Suites near BWI) that had free cruise parking and made a reservation there for tonight. She said we couldn't have a shuttle to the port because they weren't doing those reservations for new bookings. David called us back and said that he had gotten the message too - I was afraid that he had already gone to his daughters for her to take him to the ship.

We turned all the clocks back for daylight savings. Bob switched all the luggage from one car to the other and we returned the rental car. Bob wanted to do that at 9, but they don't open until 10 on Sunday. The man inside took the keys anyway - it cost about $33.00 to drive 20 miles - just to the house and back.

Bob wanted to leave about noon, even tho the hotel check-in wasn't until 3. So we left at noon. First we turned off the TVs, satellite, modem and water.

In the car 12:04

I took some photos on the way up to compare with the old camera. Although it was sunny today and it was rainy last week I think the photos are clearer with the new camera.

fall color

fall color

We had lunch at Boston Market. - pulled BBQ chicken sandwiches. Bob ate half of his and took half with him. I ate all mine.

Stop for lunch

The only Boston Market I know with a drive thru - used to be a Roy Rogers

Counter Boston Market

Chicken Carver Combo

half of a Boston Market pulled BBQ chicken sandwich

Check

We checked into the hotel and she said she could upgrade us to a port shuttle for an extra $20.00 which is a good deal. Then we sat around and watched football and I downloaded my photos from the new camera and Bob ate the other half of his sandwich and had a nap (good).

Bed

Sunset from hotel window

Off airport parking across the street

Sunset

BUT as we were leaving for dinner at Chilis (which is next door), I suddenly had a horrible thought - I had forgotten my passport. Bob drove back to Leonardtown to get my passport.

Chili's next to the hotel

Bob said the round trip was 175 miles and took 4 hours including getting gas and a hamburger en-route. He said he listened to NPR who were having old radio mystery shows - one every half hour, and it was very enjoyable.

In any case this hotel has free breakfast and we plan to eat that at 7 and then take the luggage down to the lobby and wait for a shuttle. Cross fingers that tomorrow will be better.

Embarkation 7 November

Bob set the clock radio to WTOP for 7:00 and it went on as programmed. It was then that we found out about the Ravens game result - I hadn't been able to find it on the TV the night before. I had hired a private guide who was to have met us in St. Georges. But we were going to be late and wouldn't have time to get to St. Georges. I looked at email but still have no confirmation on the change to our itinerary in Bermuda from the guide. We got ourselves out of the room by about 8 and went down to breakfast.

The elevator was a real Chinese fire drill. The elevators would not keep the doors open even if you pushed the Open Door button. Bob had two roller bags each with another bag or two on it, and I had the scooter with the computer bag and the cane bungee corded to the back of it. The elevator was too small to turn around in so I just had to go in straight and everyone else had to fit around me. Then I could back off straight. There was another lady there and she held the door for us to get on and off.

Now to see whether we could get the shuttle to the port. The port shuttle package is $139.00 plus tax etc. Breakfast was free. I had a muffin a small thin potato chip sized piece of sausage and a glass of cranberry juice cocktail. Then I went out to where Bob was waiting for the luggage, and sat with it while he went in to get something. The 8:00 van had already left and the 8:30 van had 10 people's luggage loaded into it but no driver. The driver eventually came and got everyone's bodies on board and left. Then other driver came back.

While we were waiting I talked to the people in the lobby - there was a big group from Myrtle Beach and I talked to them. We were all loaded into the third van about 8:45. He put me in the front seat and Bob was behind me. It didn't take very long to drive to the ship - since we aren't supposed to take photos inside the terminal, I took some from the van as we were driving up to it.

Hanover St bridge

Ship as we approach in the morning

The Carnival whale tail

Carnival Pride through the chain link fence

Port of Maryland

Bob tipped the van driver $5.00. We turned in three bags (Bob one and me two), and then we went into the terminal. They looked at our passports and boarding document, and sent us down to the middle of the lines. I walked through the magnetic doorway but I kept beeping and I couldn't figure out why. Bob went thru without a problem. I was waiting for a female wand person but no one appeared. Then Bob said - it's probably your watch, and so I took it off and handed it to the guard and went back through and that was it!! This was a watch I bought on board our last cruise when my previous watch gave out. I never had that problem with the plastic Timex watches!!!.

We signed in fairly quickly and went to get our photo. But Carnival has got a new ramp and they don't let anyone go in the lower entrance like we did last year on Enchantment of the Seas. So I had to scooter up, and up, and up the ramps. We came on board deck 2 and our room was deck 6 forward so we went forward to use those elevators. The elevators are tiny. On HAL I could drive into the corner to leave room for other people. I can't do that on this ship. I have to straight in, and then back straight out.

We went down the port side, but our room door was on the starboard side (it is in the middle but it is just one room wide in the middle and all the middle rooms have doors on the starboard hall). We got to our room before 9:30, so that was pretty quick. But the cabin door is EXTREMELY narrow. Much more so than HAL. I almost scrape the side and the scooter also has a little trouble with the threshold.

looking from the bathroom to the cabin right after embarkation

Bob taking the scooter in the door of our cabin

The cabin steward had not done the cabin completely and he wanted to vacuum. The beds on the side of the cabin and run fore/aft of the ship, not athwart as they would be if the beds were directly ahead of you coming in the door.

Sitting on the bed in our room

nightstand they moved to the center to make room for the scooter

Bob manuvering the scooter from inside room

There is a tiny bathroom with a shower in the corner, but there IS space to put stuff on shelves.

bathroom mirror

Bathroom sink

There are three closets (one with shelves)

Closets past the TV area

and there is a desk with 9 drawers (4-1-4 configuration) and a small round table and a waste basket which was under it, and a chair and a stool.

TV with safe under it

Route - crappy graphics

Above the section with the ice bucket is the TV which seems to have the Florida Channel 7 as well as Fox News. There is also a fridge but it is a good thing we don't want to use it because it is behind the scooter. We put the stool sideways under the desk with the table. Each bed has a small nightstand, but they do not have drawers.

We told the stewards that we wanted the beds separated. Bob put the scooter against the wall at the end of the beds. The Lifeboat drill was to be at 12:15. So about 11:00 we decided to go get something to eat, and we went up to the Lido

Mermaid on the ceiling of the Lido

as the regular dining room isn't open. My red bag came before we left. We got some chicken nuggets, potato salad and a hot dog,

Hot dog, chili and potato salad from the grill by the pool

Pool area snack bar - Bob at the drinks area around pool

and ate out by the pool. We also got some ice cream. There were some musicians playing.

Who's that behind me?

We found the computer cafe, and I tried to sign in, but it wouldn't let me, and the same for other people.

Sunset Gallery - closed

area where we waited for lifeboat drill

Then we went to where the lifeboat drill was to be. Bob went down to the room and got my coat - I went out on deck. The scooter hangs up on the ramp as it is too high - the wheels at both ends are off the deck. We can go around the whole deck from behind the main theatre all the way around the stern. I took some pictures.

Parking lot at the pier

Fork lift (powered industrial truck)

people walking into the boarding ramp entrance

Boarding ramp

When he got back Bob said all our luggage had come.

Me on the scooter, reflected in mirrors on stairs

When the lifeboat drill started, they told us we had to go inside -people on scooters couldn't be outside. So we did the drill inside. There was also a girl putting mandatory wristbands on all children under 12. (Even one little boy who was 11.5) After the drill, Bob went down to unpack, and I went out to see the sail-away and take pictures.

Me in outdoor gear to take photos of sail-away - in the handicapped stall prior to going outside

I got pictures of them taking off the lines,

Last load of luggage being put aboard

Boarding ramp pulled away from the ship

Taking the protective nets off the side of the luggage ramp

Man getting ready to take off lines (his car)

Taking off a line

Lines being reeled in

Removing another line

Ship flag

Life raft signage

Two crew on platform supervising the removal of lines

Pulling away from the dock

One employee on platform - reflected in the side of the ship as we pull away from the dock

Roofing workers on adjoining warehouse

Backing out and got REALLY CLOSE to this buoy before we stopped and turned

Freighters

I took photos of of Fort McHenry,

Fort McHenry - little bridge on the edge of the river

Fort McHenry with 1812 flag

1812 flag and Natty Boh

Flag on Ft McHenry

Passing Ft McHenry

And I got quite a few of the Lazarette lighthouse

Lazarette Light on Lehigh Cement property

Lazarette Light

Lazarette Lighthouse - dwarfed by the Leigh cement silos

green-red buoy - channel split marker

Looking back at the city

Wake

South side of river

Key Bridge ramp

and the red, white and blue buoy that marks where Francis Scott Key was anchored during the battle.

F S Key marker

F S Key marker

F S Key marker

F S Key marker

F S Key marker

Key Bridge and Ft Carroll

Key Bridge and Ft Carroll

Key Bridge

Under the Key Bridge

Key Bridge

Key Bridge

Ft Carroll

Ft Carroll

Ft Carroll

Ft Carroll and CG boat

CG boat and Key Bridge

Ft Carroll

Ft Carroll and the old lighthouse

Ft Carroll

Also the Key Bridge and Fort Carroll. By then I was cold, so I came inside. I have a chock I put in the door and then I have to lift the scooter over the threshold. I was able to use the elevator by myself, and even got down to our room although I overshot it and had to back up.

Bob plugging in the scooter under the desk

They had separated the beds which was good. Bob put the scooter back in at the bottom of his bed and put it to charge as it was running down a bit with all the activity. I unpacked. I wanted Bob to hang up the dresses (he took the long hanging closet but since he brought hangers there were some for my dresses) but he was so neat, that he folded all the shirts and put them in drawers too.

I think we should have gone and gotten some more lunch at this point.

I downloaded my photos, and started editing them, and then tried to sign on again without luck. Finally I called the front desk, and was put on hold for a LONG time. Finally I got someone and complained that I couldn't log on. She said she couldn't find the computer guy. Eventually he came on and he said they didn't download the new people until they were underway. But we were underway. Eventually we figured out that the reason I couldn't log on was that while my Sail card has my name as Rosaliean (without the final N), the computer desk has my name as just Rosalie. So when I wrote RosalieAnn or Rosaliean, it wouldn't take it.

I logged on, bought a package and picked up email and then logged off. Then I continued editing photos. Bob got hungry and ate some brownies and eventually went up to the Lido but all he was able to find up there was olives, cheese and bread. So we ate that while we waited for dinner time which is 2015 (8:15 pm) because we are eating with a group of Bob's brother David's friends and they want late dining. David has a total of 26 people in his group including some people who used to live next door to them.I looked at the menu system on the TV which is good except I can never exit from the damn thing. It has the menu but it looks like the menu on there is a formal night menu. We will see what we get.

Bob waiting for an elevator

Atrium elevators

Atrium

Huge statue of David in the atrium outside the Steak House

Looking down from our deck (6) on the Atrium

We finally got word from the guide that he would meet us in Kings Wharf. The Florida TV station told us that the storm had become a tropical storm named Sean, and that Bermuda was under a tropical storm watch.

Tonight was not formal night, so we didn't have the menu that was on the TV. Bob had gazpacho andalouse and we had the first experience with the way Carnival does soup. They give you a little cube of something (in this case diced tomato, pepper, cucumber and herbs)

Bob's gazpacho cube - pre soup

with soup

and pour the soup over it. I tried the didja (as in did you ever - food you always wanted to try but did not dare..) In this case it was cured salmon and candied tomato, which I didn't care for.

Cured salmon and candied tomato, stewed apples and grapes with dill cream

Sweet and sour shrimp

We both had sweet & sour shrimp, and then Bob had ice cream with chocolate sauce and I had chocolate melting cake.

Chocolate melting cake

Scooter parked in front of the fridge - Fun Times on the bed

Towel walrus

At Sea 8 November - We forgot to set the clocks forward to Atlantic time, so we woke up at 8 instead of 7. But breakfast in the dining room was 8-10:30 so we still had time. Bob had what is his normal breakfast - raisin bran with 2% milk, yogurt and bacon. I had 2 poached eggs on toast and potatoes and bacon. And we both ordered cranberry juice which wasn't on the menu, but the waiter gave it to us.

We had missed one trivia so we went to the next one but it turned out to be song trivia. I got 11 right out of 25 and two of them were gifts. I think we are in the gulf stream and it is becoming rough. I have noticed that the elevators and art work on the starboard side of the ship has a red tone, and the port side artwork has a green tone. This is helpful, but backwards.

Green side and Red side elevators

At lunch in the dining room I was still trying things I hadn't had before so I tried a California Roll, but I really did NOT like it. Bob and I both had avocado soup - again the little cube of stuff and the rest of the soup poured over it. I didn't like that either. Bob had spaghetti and I had a baguette with shrimp and crab meat and that was good. Bob had chocolate gateau, and I had creme caramel for dessert. His was chocolate cake and mine was pudding with caramel on top. There were two Ukrainians at the table and they didn't talk much, but they had Mongolian steak salad and asked me to take a photo of it so I did. The man of the other couple at the table had been in the AF in upstate NY when Korea started.

I switched my camera to manual focus but forgot that I'd done it so when we joined Uncle David's group pre-dinner, the camera didn't focus. It took me a little bit to figure out. Bob had two shrimp cocktails which were supposed to be tiger shrimp, but were just regular shrimp. Then we had strawberry soup and they did the same thing with the little cube.. We had the lobster as the entree, and I had caramelized apples on puff pastry for dessert. Bob had ice cream and chocolate sauce. Our towel animal was an elephant.

--------------------------------------------------

Boy leaving the dining room - Bermuda

November 9th

This time we got to the dining room for breakfast at 8 and ate with two ladies. Bob had his usual and I had grits (which came with no accompaniments) and eggs Benedict.

Close to 11:00 I put on a coat and went out on deck - the bow camera had raindrops on it, but it was sunny out and warm We could see Bermuda in the distance. We went up to deck 10, but they had the forward part of the decks blocked off due to 'wind'. Eventually we saw Fort St. Catherine and the pilot boat came out and we started around the island to get to the Dockyard.

First view - St. David

St David

Lighthouse from the ship in 2011

Going around Ft. St. Catherine

Fort St. Catherine

past the entrance to St. George

Marker from the ship

We went to eat lunch and our table companions were a lady with two walking crutches from Annapolis and a girl (maybe her daughter) who we had eaten breakfast with on Tuesday. We both had a seasonal fruit platter with sherbet, and then I had the spinach and ricotta ravioli and Bob had fish 'n chips. I had pears Helene for dessert.

We could see that we were at the Dockyard but it was 1300 and we still weren't docked. We saw sand stirred up in the water and speculated that we had run aground, but we found out from Bob's brother David whose stateroom was on the other side of the ship that it was too windy for the boat to dock so that it was pushed sideways into the pier by the tugs.

At lunch the next day someone said that they didn't want to let the Pride dock at all - they were going to close the port because of the impending storm. Apparently Carnival said that if we didn't dock, the pax would mutiny.

It was now 1330 when we were supposed to meet our guide, but the ship didn't even have the gangways out yet. We went down to deck 3 and watched. You might have thought they had never done this before.

Figuring out how to arrange the gangways

Finally the ship was cleared and we went down to A deck and walked off the ship. We didn't take the scooter because we thought there wouldn't be that much walking so I just had my cane. We met Duke, our guide and had a three hour tour of the various places that I wanted to go and hadn't gotten to on previous visit.

The first thing he showed us was a wall as we left the dockyard which had the logos of all the ships that had docked there from early in the 1900s to the present. We paused briefly at the Royal Navy Cemetery (burials of the British Navy dating back to 1700). We drove thru Somerset and he asked us if we had seen the Heydon Trust Chapel, which we had not, so we stopped briefly there. This small chapel dates back to 1616. It had a partly above ground cistern.

Heydon Trust Chapel

Heydon Trust Chapel

Prop-open window blinds on Heydon Chapel

Heydon Trust Chapel

Partly above-ground cistern for Heydon Chapel

We crossed the smallest drawbridge without stopping - our next goal was Gibbs Lighthouse because Duke said that if we waited, the parking lot would be too full to even get the taxi into.

2011 from the van

Here we got out and walked around and Bob and I both took photos. He got one of Duke which I meant to do, but forgot. We could see the Pride across the sound.

Gibbs Hill Lighthouse

Gibbs Hill Lighthouse

me

Close-up of the top of Gibbs Lighthouse

Map at the lighthouse

Map at the lighthouse

Top of Gibbs Hill lighthouse

Looking up at the lighthouse

Lighthouse sign

Map of the St. George's Parish end of Bermuda

Looking Up from the the bottom

Pride across the sound

We followed the South Road along the shore, past Horseshoe Bay, Warwick Long Bay, and all the famous beaches. There was a lot of surf even though we could see the surf line on the reef offshore.

Driving along the coast road

Then he showed us a HUGE banyan tree which had taken over a whole block and was trying to cross the road.

Huge Banyan Tree

Large non-native Banyan tree (taking over)

Our next stop took us by a beautiful nursery with all kinds of flowers, but our destination was Waterville,

Entrance to Waterville

which was a private residence is now the headquarters of the Bermuda National Trust. This was originally a place where sailors could come in to shop - I think.

Water access for boaters-docking area at Waterville

He said it was owned by Trimminghams, which is no longer in business because the children aren't interested in running it. What he wanted to show us was a water lily pond which had the islands of Bermuda in it. (He said if it could grow a tree, it was an island - otherwise it was a rock).

Lily pond with the islands of Bermuda

Waterlily pond with map of Bermuda at Waterville

map of Bermuda in the Waterville lily pond

statue of herons in the pond

Part of the house

Old office at Waterville

Waterville old part of house

There was also a little zoo.

small zoo on the grounds

Then we went past the Botanical Gardens, Collector's Hill and stopped briefly at Spittal Pond parking lot where there were a bunch of chickens running around.

Spittal Pond Sign from the road 2011 -

Entrance sign 2011

Roosters at Spittal Pond Reserve - coming for food

We kept going along South Road, past John Smith Bay Park (which he assured us was a different John Smith)

Road, rocks and surf near John Smith Bay Park

and drove thru Tucker's Town, which isn't really a town at all and paused by the beach of the Mid-Ocean Club which had a lot of surf. Some people that tried to go to the beach the next day said that they closed the beach and wouldn't let them go

Mid-Ocean Club with a tropical storm approaching

Looking along the shore 2011

Another photo from the beach road

From the van 2011

Golf course in 2011-Tucker Town

Birdcage with policeman 2013

He said he didn't recommend Devil's Hole which was something you had to pay to see and there wasn't that much to see (it was an aquarium type place and not a place where the water squirted up through the rocks), so we just drove by, and then we went thru the Flats and passed by the BAMZ which had a new statue of a sea turtle out front - Duke said they made it out of the roof tiles when they repaired the cathedral. He said the railway museum is closed now - that maybe the lady that ran it died.

We went along the north shore - tried to get a photo of the Black Watch well, which that regiment dug during the drought of 1849, but I didn't really see it and don't think I got a photo. We went through Black Watch pass down into Hamilton, past Victoria Park and the cathedral, and circled the City Hall and headed for Fort Hamilton.

Here he let us out because the van was too heavy to go over the moat bridge. We walked around the fort and took photos.

Bob on the Moat Bridge

Bob's photo of me at the fort

View from the fort

Tower from Fort Hamilton

Guns on the ramparts

We headed back for the ship - back thru Somerset on the road next to Great Sound. I took a photo of the moon rising.

Lighthouse from the road

Lighthouse shining it

He let us off at the ship, and we paid him for 3.5 hours plus tip. Now we had to get back aboard. They were X-raying everything which made it slow. I sat on the benches along the line and Bob stood in line for us.

Before dinner, David's group takes over a section of the lounge outside the dining room where the band is playing. The was a little girl in pink with a pacifier affixed to the mouth standing in front of the band watching the girl singer - she was so cute.

Little girl dancing to the band

Bob didn't like anything on the menu so he ended up with fried chicken and of course ice cream with chocolate sauce. I had French onion soup, braised short ribs and diet lemon cake.

Note - the bathrooms are half way across the ship from the dining room - just behind the atrium.

Our towel animal was a monkey

November 10, 2011

Ferry from the ship 2011

Fast ferry from the ship 2011

Ferry gangway 2011

Bob's brother's group (which numbers about 26 counting us) all eat together at adjacent tables and one of them mentioned that they saw my name up in the computer/library room as having won a raffle. It is good that they mentioned it as otherwise I might not have known about it.

Local Boys

Victualing Yard

Returning to the ship - Bermuda

Blue vases and plates - Sandys Parish

Statue outside - Sandys Parish

Storefront of Bermuda Clayworks - Sandys Parish

Clocktower mall from the ship on the first day - Sandys Parish

artwork - Bermuda

Christmas ornaments and dolls - Sandys Parish

Cuban Cigars and Bermuda sweatshirts - Bermuda

one of the stores opening up - Sandys Parish

handmade jewelry - Sandys Parish

Coffee cups and pitchers - Sandys Parish

Troll outside davidsons in 2011 - no longer bites - Sandys Parish

Haagen Dazs and Perfume shop signs - Sandys Parish

Bermuda preserves and rum cake - Sandys Parish

Nannini Haagen-Dazs - Bermuda

Best of Bermuda 2011 award jellies - Sandys Parish

Pottery is on the right of these buildings - Sandys Parish

A S Cooper storefront - Sandys Parish

davidson - Sandys Parish

A S Cooper sign - Sandys Parish

Davidson - Sandys Parish

Fairtrade Bermuda - Bermuda

Calypso - Bermuda

One of the display racks in the Craft center - Bermuda

Bermuda Arts Center sign - side of the Cooperage - Bermuda

Side door of the Craft Market - Bermuda

Lattice tower in 2011 - Sandys Parish

Top of the 1960 marker - Sandys Parish

sign about the light - Sandys Parish

Dockyard marina from the ship 2011 - Bermuda

Street by the side of the craft market/cooperage - Sandys Parish

Thursday we were originally supposed to leave at 3:30 and be back on the boat at 3. We saw that the storm had been named Sean and was now a hurricane or tropical storm and Bermuda was under Hurricane watch.

So they changed the time of leaving to 1300 and we had to be back at 1230. We got off the boat about 9:15 to walk/scooter around the Dockyard area and maybe do some shopping. The sidewalk on the other side of the street from the ship had no cut-outs, and the waves were coming across the sea wall over the sidewalk at the bow of the ship on the near side, so I had to cross the street to avoid getting wet. We had to lift the scooter up over the curb.

Waves blowing water across the sidewalk at the bow

The little train going around the dockyard was operating. We also could have bough bus/ferry passes right at the ship, but they no longer have 2 day passes - only one and three day. We went past the ferry dock, and looked at the three masted ship which Duke had told us was built for local youth to serve some time on. We passed the line handling boat PRINCETON which had helped us tie up - it was up on blocks as this was the last cruise of the season. We passed the yellow Segway tour bus (a bus parked which rented Segways), and the Marine and Port Services shops. I decided to go in and see what there was in Bermuda Clayworks, and bought my daughter a house number for her anniversary.

Then we headed for the Clocktower Mall but were caught in a rainstorm. We didn't have our raincoats, but I put my sweatshirt over the camera and kept going. In the Clocktower Mall we saw that the Cafe Amici was still there. We could also have bought Cuban cigars, clothing, perfume, Haagen Dazs, art, and jewelry. Davidson's still had the troll outside the door although the sign no longer says that he bites.

By that time the sun was back out (there had been a rainbow but I didn't see it), and I wanted to go over to the Cooperage which is called the Bermuda Arts Center where they have The Bermuda Craft Market and the Frog and Onion (owned by a Frenchman and a Bermudan). We went past the old North Rock Beacon - this beacon was built originally in 1912 and rebuilt in 1960 and 1990, and this was the foundation of the 1960 beacon.

I had to go thru the Victualing Yard to get to the Bermuda Arts Center. The path was widely separated concrete blocks. The joints were jolting on the scooter, so I went around the edge on a very rutted and puddley road of part coral sand and part cobblestones. I still had to go on the grass some.

I did some shopping but when I went to pay I couldn't find my credit card. So Bob used his and he was annoyed and told him to look for mine. But I couldn't find it so he said we should go back to the ship or we would get caught in the rain again. We had the same problem with the curb as before.

Entry was much easier today as not everyone was trying to get on at once.

I got off and walked thru the magnet archway and I think my watch beeped but they were too occupied with getting the scooter thru to notice. We went to the room and put our stuff out to dry and then I took everything out of all my pockets and bags, but could not find the credit card.

If we had looked at our phone, we would have seen that we had a message that someone picked the card up on the gangway and turned it in - it must have fallen out of my stuff when I got my passport and my room key out to check back onto the ship. But we didn't look at the blinking phone.

So I tried to call Navy Federal CU (which issued the card) and I could not use the 800#s so I had to use the 703# and reverse the charges. The phone company still charged my phone roaming. It took me 3 or 4 tries on the phone to get to the person I needed. She asked if we didn't want to just put a hold on the card but Bob said no. So we deleted the card and have to have a new one sent, and we won't get it until we get home.

The problem is that Verizon (cell and landline) and the internet are all on that credit card. One of the first emails I got after I got back to the room was one for the Verizon landline bill. Bob insisted that I come down to the Customer Service desk to explain what had happened. That's when we found that the card had been turned in. I also found that I could have called from there without paying any charges. Due to the fact that I have a credit for owning stock, and they refunded our port fees and one day of the cruise, we actually had a credit on our bill, and we switched it to another card.

We had lunch, up in the Lido - it makes my back hurt to think of it. They do have trays, but I have no way to get close enough to serve myself and no place to put the tray if I did. I went to the International section and got some things to eat and Bob went to the National section. I think I should have gone to the Deli section and that's what we did on the next cruise.

The buffet is actually called the Mermaid Cafe and has mermaids all over the ceiling which I took photos of. People were in the hot tubs.

We went up on deck 10 to see the sail-away. They had all but one gangway taken away. We saw the pilot come on board. Line handlers were waiting at various stations, and the line would be slacked and they would remove it from the bollard and it would be reeled in. Since the wind had us pinned up against the dock, the lines weren't really doing anything for us anyway. Finally the engines started churning up the water and we moved very very slowly away from the dock. I went over to the other side and saw the tug POWERFUL pulling as hard as it could on the bow.

We got far enough out so that we wouldn't run into the jetties and the tug disengaged and went back, and I took the last photos of the Commissioner's house.

We went down to the library and found the computer manager and he said I had won 500 free minutes on the internet. I had been rationing myself, and had gotten extra minutes for signing up on the first day etc, so I had 83 minutes left off my package I had bought of 250 minutes and now I have a lot more to use up.

I went all around outside on deck 3 and took photos and then I took a couple of pictures of Bob going thru the cabin door to show how tight it was and saw that the arm rests stuck out farther than the wheels of the scooter, and the wheels have only about 2" clearance on each side.

We went to dinner - I had asparagus vichyssoise and oyster's Rockefeller. I liked both but some people reported that they got bad oysters that weren't cooked. I'm not sure that not cooked = bad, but I don't know. Bob had turkey and I had a filet mignon and short ribs.

The waiters do a little dance every night but it doesn't interfere too much with dinner. One of the group said it was the best show on the ship. We all had apple pie for dessert. One lady we met today said that she was on the Pride in April and the food was much better then - they have changed the menus and apparently not for the better. Someone also suggested that the waiters were the rejects from other ships.

As we left dinner I saw a cute little boy playing some kind of game on a small cell-phone like device - I took a picture of him coming past a giant nude. Our towel animal was a frog and he had the mint in his mouth.

The ship was doing about max speed - 22 knots - to get ahead of the hurricane. After the ship got into the high pressure (wind from the north) the track turned west, and then south and the speed was reduced. There were white caps and it was colder outside.

They have a stern camera which apparently has a lot of salt and stuff on the lens as it is cloudy, and a bow camera which isn't much better, but at least they are on a dedicated channel. There is also a channel that shows the ship direction and wind direction and shifts to closer or farther away, but other than the wind speed and direction there is no other information and the graphics are crappy. They update the weather at 9 and 4 and at no other times. Weather changes faster than that. I should be able to wake up and see what the weather is before 9 a.m

Sea Days - November 11th and 12th

Not much is happening.

In the morning (11-11) I had cream of wheat which came with milk and a cheese omelet which was OK. Bob added prunes to his breakfast instead of yogurt. I asked to ride in the glass atrium elevators and I took a picture of the statue of David up at David's steakhouse. They had a big US flag hung across the lobby for Veteran's Day.

For lunch we all asked for cream of spinach soup. And we got the Carnival cube and a tomato type soup - so we complained that it didn't look like spinach and they finally brought the right soup.

I had chicken parmesan and Bob had some salmon thing which didn't have much salmon. He had an eclair for dessert and we both had pina colada cake.

Someone asked if we were going to afternoon tea which we had not even noticed on the schedule as it didn't seem like a really Carnival type thing. We turned up in the upper dining room at 3:30 and everyone filed in and filled up the tables. They came around with a box of tea to pick from, and then a cart with cheese cake, a chocolate cookie sandwich with fudge in the middle, the chocolate putting, a cheesecake and some strawberries, plus something which I had and was good but I don't know the name of it. This carried us over until dinner.

November 12th
This morning, I asked for oatmeal and poached eggs on toast. This time the oatmeal came with brown sugar and raisins and milk (last time I just got the raisins). I had to ask a second time for the eggs as they were not brought right away. So I think that there is something to the untrained waiter thing.

I've used up some of the minutes I won by putting photos up on facebook.

We came back to Bermuda again Grandeur of the Seas #2 in 2013

After the Disappointing Disney cruise with my granddaughter in June, we had a fairly peaceful summer. In October we were

Part of the Wall of logos in the Dockyard

starting on another cruise - To Bermuda - a cruise on the Grandeur of the Seas. Bob has decided that he only wants to be gone on trips of a week.

Tuesday October 30
Bob decided to take the big brown suitcase, but he didn't pack way in advance as usual. Lynde came and we packed me in the little red suitcase. We went to the Plaza Azteca (next to the Hampton Inn) for dinner because I had a coupon and it said on it that they had trivia. It was terribly LOUD even before the trivia started. Bob had his usual (#17 - although he got #7 last time) and I had a beef fajita

The trivia lady said there were 10 rounds and would be a total of 100 questions. I did pretty well on the first round 4/7. (I find myself unable to think of words now which I know I knew at one point, so I couldn't think of the metal band around the end of the pencil and 2 other words). Second round was food and drink, and again I got 4 out of 7 - didn't know that Bananas Foster was named after some official in New Orleans and did not know that Earl Grey tea was named after a Prime Minister. Third round was music . Ack. There were 10 selections and you got two points for each if you knew the name of the tune and the artist. I did not know any of them. I didn't even recognize any of the music.

Fourth round was Star Trek. Now I have NEVER EVER watched any Star Trek and am totally not interested in ever watching it. I don't remember if we watched when it was originally broadcast or not. (The same BTW for Harry Potter- I did read some of one of the books that Beth had, but I'm just not really interested in doing any more) I actually got two points here for complete WAG's. Well actually one of the questions was a complete give-away - where was Jean Luc Picard born. (France in case you didn't know)

We left when they got to the round where you identify people's faces. I know from past trivias that I suck at identifying people. I knew Frank Sinatra (as a young man) and I think Gregory Peck. Partly this is that I don't watch TV - I just listen to it. This is not good for identifying photos of people. It was just too noisy. We had finished eating, and Bob didn't really want to be there, and I was tired.

October 31, 2013
Wednesday Bob packed, and I put things in the computer bag. I decided to take the pocketbook my sister gave me and put all my medications in that.

My new pocketbook

I electronically stopped the mail and the Washington Post. Everything starts back up on Nov 8th - the day we get back. Bob also ordered a leaf blower which should be delivered while we are gone (actually it was shipped by USPS and so it was held until we got home). I forgot the Wall Street Journal though and by the time I remembered it, it was too late to do it by phone and we didn't know our ID number to do it by computer. Thursday morning, when I finally remembered to do that, it was too late to stop it coming on Friday. Bob wanted to print out a map of where the hotel was and he couldn't get his iPad to do it, so I did it from my computer.

Road to Leonardtown

We left the house about one o'clock after we had lunch (we both had the salad that Bob made for dinner the previous night.) after Bob put the suitcases in the car and also the new scooter.

We checked into the motel (the Hampton Inn at BWI) but when I got out of the car, I found the lens cap had come off my camera. We couldn't find it anyplace.

Lens cap

It was interesting to see the Baltimore stations instead of the ones from D.C., but they didn't have the HGTV channel and for some reason I could not find the Thursday night football channel.

Baltimore channels

When I asked, the hotel desk person said that they have limited numbers of DishTV channels and they don't carry football unless it is on one of the Baltimore channels. Bob set the TV to go on and off by itself, but it didn't and he couldn't turn it off afterwards either. I didn't do any computing when I got back after dinner - just went straight to bed.

We have the cruise rate which includes the shuttle to the port. I made a reservation on Weds for the next trip in Feb and got a rate of $70 plus tax, but parking is $5.00 a day. That's still cheaper than the Cruise rate which is about double that.

Olive Grove sign

We went to dinner at the Olive Grove (not the Olive Garden but a separate local restaurant)

Breadsticks

Salad

Bob had MD crab soup and a half rack

Maryland crab soup

Bob's ribs

and I had the single crab cake with a pasta side.

My crabcake

Side of pasta

It was, as usual, too much for us to eat, so we didn't have dessert.

Dessert case

===Embarkation - November 1===

In the morning, Bob went down to breakfast and brought me back a hard boiled egg and a banana. So I continued using the computer until about 9:30 when I stopped and had a shower.

Lobby of the Hampton Inn

Bob went and got a luggage cart and we got into the van about 10 (I had said 10:30, but Bob was impatient.). It was raining a little bit

Rain

Grandeur

We've always liked going to Baltimore for a cruise because usually it is a pleasant and easy embarkation. But this time our expectations were dashed. I went through on the scooter and someone wanded me, but they did not investigate my pocketbook or coat. OTOH, Bob went through the regular screening and they took two tiny pocket knives away from him (as if there weren't plenty of big steak knives on the boat). Whereas, I could have had 10 knives in my pocketbook and nobody cared. They also made him empty the water out of one the bottles we brought so that we would have water. This made Bob understandably grumpy. You can't hijack a cruise ship with a pocket knife (or really - any knife). It took about half an hour to get through the procedures

waiting to board

Cruise Compass

After we signed in, we sat in the holding area for about another half an hour and then they let us go on board the ship. I knew that while the wheelchair people go in on deck 1 and take the elevator up so that the wheelchair pushers don't have to go up the ramp, but a motorized scooter or wheelchair has to go up the ramp. He was annoyed when I obeyed the directions to go up the ramp. We did meet someone on the ramp who had one of those back pack oxygen things and they were resting before they went the rest of the way up. But the scooter was really fine with it.

boarding ramp

We went up to the Windjammer, but it didn't open until noon. Bob and I sat at a table in a covered location - I took my coat and cane and left them there with Bob and the carry-ons, and went in (they let us in a little early) to get something to eat. Bob thought that the scooter would have trouble with the big gap going into the Windjammer, but it was OK.

Dirty floor drain by the table (my cane leaning on the wall)

I got a plate and found the iconic honey stung chicken. I was able to carry a plate in one hand and maneuver the scooter with the other. But I couldn't see some of the labels as they were eye level with a standing person. So I got a piece of cake, a piece of bread and a little pasta, and then went to get something to drink. I could not carry a plate and a drink

honey stung chicken and other items I was able to gather

and no one offered to help until I got to the drink lady, who took my plate and a glass of tea and a glass of water for Bob.

Bob got the chicken and some rolls and a cookie. We sat and ate and talked to the people at the table next to us, and then they left and we talked to the man of the next couple that sat down - they were from Montreal and she only spoke French. They did not know that Grandeur had been upgraded (he didn't remember things like the big movie screen

pool deck

and they didn't know about the fire either). At one, we went down to deck two and very shortly thereafter we were able to get to the room.

hallway with cane and hat on hook

But the bed was made up as a double. We could get in with the scooter, but there was no place to park it. I called and asked for the beds to be separated and they said they would do it during the drill (and they did).

I'm on the bed with the computer

The beds are under the window with two nightstands - 2 drawers each We have an ocean-view and since we are on deck 2, we are quite close to the water.

ocean from our stateroom (droplets on window)

There is a couch and little round table which I wish we could get rid of (I eventually put it in the closet).

couch and small table

Bob lying on and me sitting on my bed and TV reflected in mirror

There is a flat screen TV instead of the old one, But it was fortunate that we had an ocean view because the bow camera was out of focus for the entire cruise. It took us awhile to find the safe in one of the cabinets over the TV. The desk has 3 wide drawers (one of which doesn't 'glide' at all, and three narrow ones (one of which has the hair dryer. There are closets which also have drawers in one end. There are tiny triangular cupboards on each side of the mirror over the desk, and I ended up putting the mini-bar stuff in there.

The bathroom is really tiny. There is a tiny circular shower. I can sit on the toilet and reach the sink (which I like). The shelves and cabinets on the side are so shallow that you can't put a hairbrush or toothbrush unless it is diagonal.

Selfie in the bathroom

space under the sink

So the only place we can put our pill boxes is on the shelf under the sink where the bathmat stays. I moved it.

We went down and found our table which the maitre d' said was a table for 6, but it had 10 chairs. We got our bags before the drill and unpacked at least the hanging stuff. But I didn't want to put the stuff in the drawers until the beds were separated.

We had the Drill at 3. We had to listen to the spiel on TV a couple of times and still did not know if we needed to take the life jackets. Eventually the cruise director came on the horn and said that we did not. We took the elevator up to deck 5. The scooter could get out on deck OK.

They put me back against the wall, and scanned our room keys to log us in. Of course with people standing in front of me, I could not see (if I had needed to see) the life jacket demonstrations. The captain said he would be leaving port in 15 minutes. So I stayed on deck.

deck after the safety drill is over

I took some photos including of a police helicopter

police helicopter

Bahamas flag on ship (not much wind)

Ft. McHenry Row water tank

I-95 expressway heading for tunnel

Looking down on gangway

fork lift driver 'resting'

Royal Caribbean worker on dock

now some people are leaving

They had the bow blocked off for embarkation so I couldn't go all the way around.

Closed sign

sunlight through the bow portholes

porthole in the bow of the promenade deck

City through the porthole on deck

officer on deck at sail-away

Francis Scott Key bridge in the distance

I took some photos and then it didn't look like we were actually going to get underway in 15 minutes and my back hurt so I lay down on a lounger. When we did get underway,

Shore

I took photos of the usual suspects (Lazarette Lighthouse,

Lazarette lighhouse

lazarette lighthouse

Lazarette Light

Safeway smokestack

Ft. McHenry with the flag on the flagpole limp because of no wind

Fort McHenry

tug coming around Ft. McHenry

and the FSK buoy where the boat was that Francis Scott Key was on during the bombardment of Ft McHenry

FSK buoy

FSK buoy

FSK buoy near FSK bridge

Approaching Key Bridge and FSKey buoy

going under Key Bridge

Key Bridge

Going under the FS Key bridge

Johns Hopkins Bayview

and Fort Carroll).

Ft Carroll

Fort Carroll

Fort Carroll

I also got a photo of the Natty Boh sign,

Natty Boh

the Bromo Seltzer tower,

Bromo Seltzer tower

a marina that was on the other side of Ft. McHenry (name unknown),

marina by terminal

two guys in a bass boat,

the statue on Ft. McHenry,

statue of Orpheus

the Domino sign from the back,

Domino burnt out silos

and the WBAL and the Channel 13 (WJZ) helicopters.

WBAL news copter

WBAL helicopter

WJZ

I had trouble getting back over the threshold to get back into the ship - I could get out on deck OK, but the scooter hung up on the ramp going the other way.

stairs

By now it was almost 5 and our dinner was at 5:30 so I went down to the room and retrieved Bob and we went up to the dining room. They were going to show us to our table, but Bob was already halfway down the dining room (since we had been that afternoon and already knew where it was). We put the scooter next to the window. but after this I usually left it at the dining room entrance.

Eventually there were 10 of us. Two of them at the other end of the table I didn't get their names. She came in a wheelchair which they parked behind Bob. Next to me were Jan and Del and I don't think they've been together long. Next to Bob were Robert and Melba - they are from Highlandtown/Camden and they are doing a B2B to the Bahamas. At the other end are Skip and Dara - they came last but they talked loud enough so I could hear their names.

I got the spinach salad

spinach salad

and Bob got two starters - shrimp and they gave him horseradish to add to the cocktail sauce,

shrimp cocktail

and the watermelon raspberry soup.

watermelon and raspberry soup

Then he had the salmon

Bob's salmon

and I had prime rib.

prime rib

I really couldn't eat that much because my back was really hurting. Then we both had the blueberry peach crumble for dessert,

blueberry peach crumble

but I didn't eat much of that either. I took photos of the bay bridge at sunset from the table.

going under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (from dining room)

going under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (from dining room)

going under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (from dining room)

Looking up at the Bay Bridge

Bay bridge

Sunset from dining room table

We came back to the room and basically went to bed. I couldn't do anything but lie there and try to get my back comfortable. It didn't hurt to move. It just hurt.

I woke up again about midnight, and wanted to go to the bathroom. I saw a red light and wanted to know what it was - it turned out to be the TV and I could do it with a touch screen. The other light turned out to be the peephole to the corridor.

I decided as long as I was awake, I would download and edit my photos. So I found my glasses and got the computer out of the drawer where I put it, but I didn't want to have it directly on the bed, so I thought I would put it on a book like I did on Disney. But the information books were soft cover. So I took the tray that was under the sodas and water that you have to pay if you use, and I used that. I had 174 photos (that I kept - I deleted some).

Then I went back to sleep

November 2 - Sea Day

Things that we have forgotten - Bob forgot to bring a laundry bag and the scrubbies. He almost forgot his dark glasses which live in the car. The room steward gave us a really big chock that will work in the door so I don't have to run over Bob's feet each time. She also gave me an extra glass

I waked up about 7:50 and Bob was in the shower. Eventually I was able to get into the bathroom too. We went down to breakfast about 8:30 and were seated at a table for four, but no one else came so we ate alone. I must say that the dining room staff do NOT know how to organize seating people efficiently. There were long lines for the dining room at both lunch and dinner, and this is in spite of the fact that the seas are very rough and a lot of people are remaining in their rooms.

Bob went and got himself cereal and said it was not well organized and he would just get things himself from now on. He also got scrambled eggs.

I got the onion and bacon quiche - there wasn't a lot of bacon in it. It came with hash browns and a tomato. The tomato was on the menu but the hash browns were not.

onion and bacon quiche

Apparently it it mandatory to have hash browns and a tomato with whatever you have for breakfast. I also got tea.

There was no cranberry juice so we got apple. After the first morning, I brought my cranberry juice to the table. (We brought a bottle of it with us)

By the time we got done eating it was almost 10 am (the dining room is not very quick either). I went up to the camera shop to see if they had a lens cap, but they did not.


Bob went down to the room to get his Cruise Critic's invitation but I had mine with me already.

stair with sick bags for immediate use

It was rainy and windy so when we got up to deck 10 and needed to get to deck 11 for the meeting we couldn't go out and around on deck 10 because they had it closed. and the pool almost had white caps when we saw it.

Bob with cruiser called Radio behind his hand

They gave us the little neck pocket things and also name tags to put in them. Then they had a raffle for some T-shirts and wine. What they did NOT do - which they should have done IMHO - is have us introduce ourselves to the group. After that they had a line dancing class

and so we left and went down to have lunch. The chandeliers in the main atrium were swinging like pendulums.

Atrium

We were too early for lunch and there was a sushi demonstration in the atrium.

sushi demonstration

Great Gatsby

I got into a conversation with a lady who was using another kind of scooter and I got Bob to show her how it folded up. I found that the dinner menus were no longer paper ones posted in a display case - they are now on touch screens. But they only have the dinner menu for the main dining room on the touch screens.

dining room before lunch

For lunch I had the Royal Beefburger (which was a cheese burger with mushrooms)

Royal beef burger with sauted portabella mushrooms

Atlantic salmon for Bob

and Bob had the pan seared salmon with a fennel orange salad. For dessert I had two scoops of coffee ice cream and Bob had a sundae.

We were possibly going to trivia at 2, but we went down to the room and I got involved with writing up the previous day, so we didn't go. It was formal night, but not with lobster (although you could pay extra and have lobster. I had the shrimp cocktail and then a dish of shaved cantaloupe and honeydew melon with yogurt.

shaved cantaloupe and honeydew

Bob had the shrimp cocktail

and chilled banana rum soup.

banana rum soup

For the main course I had shrimp ravioli with spinach

shrimp raviloi

and Bob had salmon.

Atlantic salmon

The salmon looked very good, but he started having a swallowing problem and didn't eat it all. I had what was billed as Sky High Lemon Meringue Pie. But what it really was, was a small lemon tart with meringue.

sky high lemon meringe pie

atrium at night

Atrium

November 3 - almost to Bermuda

I got a call on the phone this morning - room service wanted to make a delivery. WHAT? I didn't order room service. He said it was room 058 (which is us) but he also said that there was coffee and we don't drink coffee. Someone is going to be mad that their room service hasn't come.

For breakfast, I decided to have Eggs Benedict without the ham which tends to be too salty. I prefer Eggs Florentine (with spinach). When it came, it was bitter. I thought they had put mustard in it but the man across the table said that he thought it was Tabasco sauce. I ate the eggs out from under it.

Probably should have gotten the orange pancakes

Bob went and got his cereal and figs - I really object to having to go to a buffet in the dining room - I think it is a cop-out. But service is so slow that may be the only way to get something reasonably quickly. Anyway they had some really good raisin bread this morning. Bob got scrambled eggs and bacon also but he couldn't get them to leave off the obligatory. hash browns and the tomato

They came and asked if it was good, and since they asked, I said no it wasn't. (Otherwise I wouldn't have said anything - it is probably not a good idea to ask me if I am satisfied as I usually able to find something that could be improved.) They were all apologetic, but I didn't need that. It was OK - I just didn't like it.

The ocean has a lot less motion to it this morning. At lunch some of the people went to the buffet salad bar, but there again they are making you wait on yourself. I had the roast beef (which was good)

and Bob had a chicken slider and his vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce,

and had a praline crunch bar. It had what looked like an oreo bottom, and then a very hard crunchy middle (which I couldn't cut with a spoon so eventually I picked it up to eat), and the top was a kind of chocolate mousse with a chocolate icing top

praline crunch bar

Bermuda

We could see Bermuda from the window at lunch and then it disappeared around to the other side of the ship. So when we left the dining room, I took the scooter up to deck 5 (the promenade deck) to take photos of the arrival. I got some photos of St. David's lighthouse and Fort St. Catherine.and the pink sand beach next to it.

Fort St. Catherine with St. David's lighthouse

Lighthouse from a cruise ship in 2013

PWCs

The excursion I had booked for this afternoon was a horse and carriage ride of about a hour

Carriage pulled by a Pair of black horses

which took us all around the Dockyard area. Bob parked the scooter

Directional sign

Where you can rent Segways

Bike rentals

shuttle train to the Clocktower mall

Bus stop

Taxi

Ambulance

including a slow passage along the walls where all the ships painted their logos.

Wall with ship logos

Then he took us outside the dockyard area and told us about the cost of living in Bermuda

Chasing the Carriage

Flyboarding

Spectators watching fly-boarding

Royal Naval Cemetery from the road

We got back to the dock

Kings Wharf carriage

I stopped on the way back to the ship and took a photo of the (real) watergate.

We got back just about in time for dinner. Bob had three starters - shrimp cocktail, mango pineapple soup (which I had also and which was very good),

and clam chowder (and I had that too). He tried the salmon again and this time was able to eat it all. I had a beef sliders.

Then I had the strawberry kiwi pavlova,

and a chocolate praline finger which I thought would be like what I had in the afternoon

but this one was soft.

Chocolate Praline Finger

And Bob had his usual

When we got back to the room, we had a sting ray towel animal. We could see the end of the afternoon game (NE and Pittsburgh) and then I watched (or listened to) the Sunday night football.

November 4

Today I had booked a private guide through the internet (Lewis Foggo).

Our goal was to do some cemetery documentation on Bermuda. Lewis took us to several cemeteries. We had, of course seen the Bermuda Royal Navy Cemetery

Bermuda Royal Military cemetery

But we were able to find Watford Cemeterymemorial marker]

Military Cemetery Watford Island

And the Somerset Military Cemetery which was sort of around the corner

Mrs Coombs in the Somerset Military Cemetery

And we also visited the Somerset Methodist Church Cemetery (the second oldest in the West End, having been established in 1861)

Somerset Methodist Church

Church Cemeteries in Sandy's Parish

and we also visited St. Josephs - which was yellow when I saw in in 2011, but had been re-painted salmon

statue in Saint Josephs Roman Catholic Church Cemetery

St Anne's Church

Another view of St. Anne's

Part of the cemetery

Grave marker for three drowning victims

Captain Bell's grave

Saint Marks

then we went to Hamilton -

Cenotaph in 2013

Where the policeman was in the Bird Cage.

Policeman in the Bird Cage

We had lunch at the Lobster Pot in Hamilton.

Some of the lobster prices

The sign at the entrance said 2-3 lb lobster whole boiled $79.00 We didn't have lobster.

I had complained to Lewis that the fish chowder I had before did not taste like fish, it tasted like beef. But Lewis said that the Bermuda fish chowder was a dark soup so I had the fish chowder $7.00,

and it did taste like fish this time. Bob had,the Lobster Bisque $7.50. Then he had a lobster seafood slider $13.75

and I had Peach Melba $7.50.

After that we went through Black Watch Pass out to St. George.

I asked Lewis where Durnford House was, and he didn't know, so he called the Historical Society, and she told him. It is a historic house but it is privately owned and not open to the public.

Historic Durnford House

We stopped at

One of the graves at Ebenezer Methodist Cemetery

And then went to the St. George Military Cemetery.

Military Cemetery Grenadier Lane

Sir Richard Sharples grave

and the Parish Cemeteries which were out in the same area

Secretary Road and St. George Parish Cemeteries

Parish Cemetery

We just barely made it back for dinner. Service was so slow that we did not have a chance to see the Cirque de Soliel type show in the atrium. We had mixed berry and yogurt frappe,

Brie and asparagus quiche,

and I had Chocolate Sensation for dessert

towel animal

November 5

We were to leave Bermuda at 5 and to be back to the ship at 3:30. We were meeting Lewis at 9:30. It was blowing really hard and also raining a bit. We met Lewis (our guide) at 9:30. Lewis took us to the Moonlight Church (aka Cobb's Hill) which was built by slaves at night (sometimes by moonlight) in 1827.

So today we mostly looked at the cemeteries around Hamilton - St. John's and the Methodist parish cemetery next to it

Hamilton City Methodist Church sign in Hamilton

Sign between St. Johns and the Parish cemeteries

St Johns church topped by the bell tower

Sign showing times of services

Sign outside the cathedral

Then we found Calvary Cemetery which had an iron gate that you could walk through, so we took the scooter and passed it through the gate and I got to take some photos too.

Road (inside a gate) up to Calvary Chapel

Priest's grave

KENNEDY, RONALD Pvt Queens Own Cameron Highlanders

Dr Gordon's grave

Wall tile on the side of a grave

Our last stop was at the Convict Cemetery

Then it was 12:35 and I thought we might stop for lunch but Bob said we had to be back on the ship by 2:30. So we went back to the ship.

Fountains in front of CIty Hall filled in because men were peeing in them

We got back by two.

After we checked in, we had to go to the Windjammer for lunch. Again no one offered to help.

We went back to the cabin

With some effort, the ship pulled away from dock about 4 - churning up the water. We took naps and just woke up in time for dinner.
I had scallops au gratin and the cold fruit soup,

and then the tiger shrimp and sticky bread pudding.

Bob had the same soup, and tiger shrimp


and then strawberries and ice cream.

November 6 - Sea Day

We went to breakfast early and I tried the eggs Benedict again and they were bitter, but not as much.


For lunch I got the salad on the buffet for the first time. Someone did help me here


I had the corn chowder which was OK
and then Turkey Scallopine

which was supposed to have asparagus and had spinach instead. I didn't like it. Then I had the Raspberry Chocolate Ganache Tart and that was good.

Most of the time we stayed in the room and Bob watched and I listened to TV. The TV is basically useless - has only CNN international news and weather and nothing from the US, (not even the D.C. temperatures). And some old movies and stuff from RCCI, plus re-runs of Seinfeld, Thirty Rock, The Big Bang Theory and Whose Line is it Anyway.

It was formal night and we had the peach soup,

and then the Royal seafood salad (which had a big king crab claw and then a mishmash of other seafood).

The lobster was called Fisherman's plate and had a lobster tail but I told them to leave the garlic shrimp off. As usual the vegetables were some kind of root vegetables. I didn't eat them.

We had Baked Alaska for dessert.

When we got back to the room, the room steward used Bob's sunglasses on the towel animal.

Dog wearing Bob's sunglasses - Bermuda

They had the checkout procedures on the TV but failed to mention what time we have to vacate the cabin, or how they decide when we disembark.

November 7 - Sea Day and Disembarkation

We got our luggage tags (green 5, but only the number matters as all of the tags are green) and the customs form and the form to evaluate the ship after lunch yesterday. They gave us two customs forms but only one evaluation form. Bob wanted his own form and he went up to the desk and they made him sign for it. Green 5 is supposed to debark at 8:10 and wait for the announcement on deck 6. Dining room opens at 6 am. Nothing anywhere said when we had to be out of our room. The customs form was easy to fill out as the only thing we bought in Bermuda was lunch, and the only other money we spent was for the guide.

On my form I said that I loved going to Bermuda but Grandeur of the Seas was my least favorite way of doing it. They also gave us three WOW envelopes (for good service), and Bob gave one to each of the dining stewards and one to the room steward.

After dinner I tried to use up the internet that I bought (it was about 25 hours total at 25 cents a minute but we got a 15% refund on the price because of our RCCI status) and I was just too sleepy. I was too sleepy even to watch the game.

I woke up at about 4:30 and finished up the internet that I had left. After about 45 minutes the website stops calculating the price and goes to "you have used 231576628 minutes for $N.00" If I really want to know how much I've used, I have to sign off (and the sign off page does NOT give you the amount left OR the amount used) and then sign on again at which point it tells me how much I have left.

I also got the final bill which was stuck in the door. Since we prepaid the one excursion and also prepaid the tips,and we didn't buy anything on the ship, or go to the casino and gamble or drink, the only thing on it was the internet.

Bob got up at 6 and after he finished in the bathroom I had a shower and we went up to breakfast at 6. Well we TRIED to go up to breakfast - had trouble getting an elevator. Finally got up to the dining room

Dining room for breakfast the last day

Shuffled in and Bob went to get his cereal and I ordered us scrambled eggs. When we were finished breakfast, Bob said for me to go up to 6 and he would go down to 2 and get the bags. I had a hard time getting an elevator, and when I did get one, it opened and shut the doors about five times before it went up the two floors. Bob said the same thing was happening and he walked up the last floor.

Then we had the same problem getting down. The wheelchair people got off on deck one - everyone else on deck 4. So I thought we should get off on deck 4 and that's what we did. When I went to hand the man my card for the final scan, I accidentally goosed the scooter and dropped the card which the scooter then ran over it.

heater in the roof

Bob retrieved his pen knives (they had a note on his record when he signed out). and he left the carry-ons with me and went and got our bags. He strapped the big brown bag and my smaller red bag together so he could pull all of them.

We got outside and sat on a bench in the sun and called the shuttle driver.

He came and picked us up (after getting yelled at by the police for picking us up in the "wrong" place)

last look

We were back at the car and loaded up and on the road before 10.

We got down here about 11:30
Stopped for lunch in town just before we got home

There was a funeral for a firefighter next to the fast food place

I'm mostly unpacked and Bob has reset the clocks. Crunch has thoroughly inspected all the luggage and the scooter.

My next visit to Bermuda was also on Grandeur of the Seas with my sister in 2018, The Beginning

Our next trip was February 2014 for a week in St Croix, USVI