Sitting in for me this week, my colleagues from Cruising Done Right, Bob and Nancy Dunn, with a fresh look at beautiful Bermuda
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BERMUDA 鈥� On a map, this loosely connected island, shaped like a left-handed fishhook, is too far north to be Caribbean and too far east to be North American. It鈥檚 an island the poor are dying to leave and the rich are dying to inhabit and, while that鈥檚 not totally unique, its reputation as the 鈥渕ost expensive place in the world鈥� may be.
It鈥檚 an island that gave the world shorts, a triangle and a national drink locals call a rum sizzle.
A place where cruise passengers can taste 鈥渋dyllic-try鈥� they can鈥檛 find at home.
Defining 鈥渋dyllic-try鈥� means it rarely rains, crime is low, unemployment is below six per cent and a national treasure named Johnny Barnes sits on the sidewalk everyone morning waving at passersby and calling 鈥淚 love you鈥� as he has for 70 of his 90 years.
This is Bermuda.
Of the 23 cruise ships visiting the Atlantic鈥檚 most famous island and the northern tip of the so-called Bermuda Triangle (Miami and San Juan are the other points) this year, Royal Caribbean鈥檚 Explorer of the Seas was here the most. By November, its 26 visits will have brought 85,000 tourists (including us) from its New Jersey home, with every second cruise continuing to the eastern Caribbean.
After 2014, the ship will hand off this popular run to the new arrival, Quantum of the Seas. When Explorer arrived 13 years ago, it was the world鈥檚 biggest cruise ship, a title that鈥檚 changed hands seven times, six to Royal Caribbean fleetmates.
Like all big ships, it docks at King's Wharf, the tip of that geographical fishhook. Smaller ships can dock in the cities, Hamilton and St. George鈥檚, both readily accessible to King鈥檚 Wharf passengers. On our maiden visit, we found the best transportation bargain was a ferry ride from there to Hamilton, a public bus to St. George鈥檚 and another ferry back 鈥� all for $15 each.
Hamilton is a city drenched in history and white roofs, designed to collect the rainwater on which Bermuda subsists and topping buildings mostly pastel in colour.
Some architecture goes back four centuries and there are, predictably, heritage sites and museums commemorating that. Hamilton鈥檚 a great place for walking streets clean and free of traffic congestion 鈥� most vehicles are parked underground.
We didn鈥檛 see Johnny Barnes. His workdays are 4 a.m. to 10, about the time cruise-ship passengers are still getting their bearings, and Bermuda is already prepared for the day he鈥檚 no longer here 鈥� a bronze statue of Mr. Happy Man already exists.
St. George鈥檚 is quaint. There鈥檚 little you can鈥檛 see during a short visit and Bermuda hired ambassadors (retirees) for $22 an hour to point tourists in the right direction, although it was Renalda Bean, a friendly cab driver, who directed us to Wahoo鈥檚 for a chance to savour tasty local Wahoo (from the tuna family) chowder.
Ambassadors happily drop the names of Bermuda鈥檚 famous landowners 鈥� politician Ross Perot owns two places and actor Michael Douglas, allowed to buy from locals because his mother was Bermudian 鈥� and point with justifiable pride to the still-developing King鈥檚 Wharf area that offers passengers plenty of entertainment just steps from their ship.
鈥淢y motto,鈥� Renalda says, 鈥渋s that no visitors leave our country saying they鈥檙e not coming back.鈥�
For cruisers, coming back is easy.
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Phil鈥檚 Pick of the Week
Could it be great deals like this exist because the completion for the new Panama Canal, originally spring 2014, is now said to be 2015?
For just $899, you can take Norwegian鈥檚 Star from Los Angeles to Miami on April 20, 2014. Ports are Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Huatulco, Puerto Chiapas, Puntarenas, Cartagena, Key West. That鈥檚 $60 a day!
Check ncl.com.
