All Aboard! My First Cruise to Bermuda

I recently returned from my first ever cruise vacation; destination Bermuda. I went with my family: two younger siblings, my mother, and my stepfather. We were sailing with the Royal Caribbean cruise line upon the Empress of the Seas. We had four days at sea for either full or half days, and spent Monday through Wednesday in ports of call in Bermuda.

Before I went away, I knew I wanted to write a journal of my first cruise for AC. So hopefully you will be able to picture my trip and even want to book a vacation with Royal Caribbean yourself.

Day 1: August 11, 2007

First thing's first: Get to the cruise terminal in Philadelphia. We live about two and a half hours from there and instead of driving ourselves; my mother hired a limousine service to take us to Philadelphia. No, we did not get an actual limo; we got a passenger van. However, with three kids who can no longer squish in the backseat of the car, a van was the perfect solution. Plus, our driver packed our luggage in the back.

Once we arrived at the terminal, we had to pass by a customs officer and show our IDs. For my family, it was passports but for me, a birth certificate and my state identification card had to do.

After we completed that, we went over to check in. Everyone had to have their travel documents out, plus their online check in forms if they had checked in online. Once that was over, we got our Sea Pass cards to enter the ship. This would act as our room key and our means to purchase everything onboard. The security officer took our picture which would not be on our card, but would show up in the computer system when a staff member scanned it when we made purchases.

We passed through more security, and then it was on to the ship. On our way in, we got our first of what would be several photos taken throughout the cruise. These photographers take your picture for EVERTYHING. So we got our picture taken and then proceeded inside on to one of the middle decks. The entrance and exit to the ship are known as the gangway, which is when we scanned our Sea Pass cards to get on and off. Our rooms weren't ready yet, though, so we headed off to a welcome aboard lunch.

Lunch was in the Windjammer Café, Royal Caribbean's casual dining/cafeteria restaurant. I don't remember what I had but I do remember that pretty much everyone boarding was heading up this way. My brother proclaimed he didn't feel well in the middle of the meal (we weren't even sailing yet!) and had to leave for a minute. He came back fine, though.

After lunch, we were able to check in to our stateroom, also known as our cabin. Hopefully if you've looked at the brochure pictures of a cruise ship room, you haven't gained too much hope. The rooms look nothing like they are in the brochures. Some rooms have amenities such as private balconies or pull out sofas, but those cost more. Our room had two twin beds (no bigger than college dorm size) and one Pullman bed that resembled a top bunk bed. Unfortunately I would be stuck on that one. I didn't feel that was fair to me, but what were you going to do?

Near 3:00, we had our emergency drill. Everyone had to participate because it was required by international law regardless of how many times you cruised. Everyone had to put on a life jacket and proceed to their muster station (a meeting spot on deck in case of emergency) when the emergency signal sounded. We stood on deck in our life jackets and listened to announcements from the captain. It was over within 15 minutes, and then...

The ship left Philly at 3:15! We were off to Bermuda!

Day 2: August 12, 2007

We spent all of Sunday at sea. Up on the pool deck was our first meeting with Phil, a videographer for the cruise line. He would be filming footage of our cruise all week for a "Cruise in Review" DVD which guests could purchase near the end of the vacation and remember all the fun activities that went on during the week. There was a little dance party where some of the staff taught group line dances and of course, you could always get videotaped chilling in the pool or catching some sun.

This was also the first day I played the cash prize Bingo. We purchased six chances on five games each. The first four games were for cash but in the last game, one person would upgrade to a suite room for the rest of the cruise. Unfortunately for us, we walked out with no cash and no suite. It was disappointing but a lot of other people walked out empty handed as well. Besides, there would be more Bingo during the week.

Sunday was also our first formal night; everyone gets dressed to the nines for dinner in the dining room. The men wear suits or tuxedos; the women wear everything from nice tops and skirts to ballroom gowns. Before dinner, there were three photographers taking formal portraits. We could either pose by ourselves, with a significant other, or with the whole family (someone got four generations of family in a picture).

There are two dinner seatings: 6:00 and 8:30; we had the 6:00. On our way in, there were wait staff at the door to greet us as we proceeded to our pre assigned table. The service in the dining room is second to none. The waiters establish rapport with everyone at the table, place your napkin on your lap, and if anyone is disabled, they put their walkers or wheelchairs at the front to keep other guests from falling on them. There are even assistant waiters who handle tasks such as pouring water glasses and dishing out the bread. There is a different menu every night and we would have a four course meal: starter, salad, entrée, and dessert.

Of course, our ship photographer was present to take pictures of all the guests at dinner, either individually or in groups.

We went to a comedy show featuring a hilarious woman named Judy Kolba. She did a musical comedy show that had everybody rolling in laughter. When my parents cruised in October, she performed for that crowd as well. Her jokes are appropriate to the ship she is performing on and she has great interaction with the crowd; even heading on to the upper level of the lounge (referring to them as the cheap seats of course) and towards the back area. She even wore a pink fringe dress and changed into matching slippers.

Upon coming back to the room, we found a towel buddy on our bed. The stateroom attendants take the towels and make them into different animals. Tonight, we had a dog accessorized with my sister's sunglasses. My mom said these guys take anything they can find and accessorize the towel buddy with them.

When our beds get turned down for the evening, we also receive a Cruise Compass, which is a daily newsletter for the next day on board. It describes tips for that particular day, specials going on throughout the ship casino, day spa, and photo gallery; activities for morning, afternoon, and evening; upcoming shows, drink specials...whatever we needed to know about the next day, we could find out in the Cruise Compass.

Day 3: August 13

We docked in Hamilton, Bermuda on Monday. It seemed like everyone was getting off the ship at the same time. Upon exiting, we had to punch out our Sea Pass cards, walk through the gangway, and into the terminal. We had to show our photo ID and Sea Pass before heading out on to the town.

My stepdad and sister were off snorkeling, so my mom and brother and I explored the town. We checked out the shops on Front Street, saw the Bermuda Parliament building, and observed the cultural differences around us. For example, Bermudians drive on the left side of the road instead of the right. Therefore, their driver's side is on what would be the passenger side in American cars. Mopeds, or motor scooters, are also a popular transportation option. Bermuda also featured horse and carriage rides, a bus line, and a ferry.

The shops were pretty much standard for any tourist town: souvenir t-shirt shops, jewelry stores, and a bookstore. However, there were stores I knew I wanted to come back to (we would also be in Hamilton on Tuesday).

Day 4: August 14

Today, my mom, brother, and I headed out on a trolley tour of Hamilton. Our guide took us through the area introducing the different shops and taking us past City Hall. Once we were out of the main part of town, we started heading upwards towards a more residential and business area. One area, for example, had almost every kind of health care facility grouped together: pediatrician, cancer treatment center, eye surgeon, and the main hospital; just to name a few.

Our guide also gave us an idea of some of the restrictions in Bermuda. Residents are only allowed to have one car per family due to strict anti-pollution laws. The local officials truly enforce this rule. If a family wants to have more than one car, someone has to move out and go get their own place; or move in with someone who doesn't have a car. However, the residents can have as many mopeds as they want.

We also toured the botanical gardens and some historic homes. Afterwards, our guide dropped us off at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute. I did not care for this stop. I don't like museums and aside from taking pictures of some funky looking sea shells, there was not much for us to do. So we bought some drinks and went outside. Other people were bored as well.

In the afternoon, I went back to Front Street with my mom and sister to get some shopping done. We each walked out with some souvenirs and my mom managed to get a Bermuda lucky stone jewelry that she had her eye on.

On Wednesday morning, we would be leaving Hamilton for St. George, Bermuda.

Day 5: August 15

We arrived in St. George around 9:30 this morning, but did not leave the ship until about 10 or 11. Once we got off, we got a taxi and went to Tobacco Bay, one of Bermuda's best beaches. It is a small beach, but with crystal clear water, it is the perfect place to go snorkeling, swimming, or dip your feet in and look at some of the small fish swimming by. There is also a concessions stand and gift shop.

Due to high humidity, I didn't enjoy being outside very long. Once we got back to the ship and ate some lunch, we hung out on board until later in the evening; when we headed back out for more shopping. Most of the shops in St. George close at 5, but a few were still open until 9:00. I didn't do a ton of shopping, but picked up a couple extra souvenirs.

Before I knew it, our time in port had come to an end. Thursday was when we would start heading back towards Philadelphia.

Day 6: August 16

As most of the guests were sound asleep, the ship headed back towards Philadelphia. Since we would be at sea until early Saturday, there were plenty of activities planned for the day. In the morning, we took another venture down to Bingo. This time, I was one of the winners on a railroad track game where we had to have all our numbers down the "I" and "O" columns. My mom, stepdad, and I were going to be splitting $135.

Tonight was the second formal night, but I didn't feel like attending. I was going to, but at the last minute, I decided to go to the Windjammer with my brother; who also opted not to attend. I didn't mind much at the time, but later on, as I looked down at the guests who were decked out, I felt guilty; especially since I had a second formal outfit that I hadn't gotten to wear.

This was also the last night to qualify for the finals of "Karaoke Superstar". It was about as hysterically bad as any karaoke bar. One guy sang "Jessie's Girl" and was totally off the beat. Another girl sang "Fallin'" by Alicia Keys and sounded like she was painfully moaning the words rather than singing them. My mom sang "Unforgettable" and didn't make it; while people who knew the judges got passed in to the finals.

I also checked out sales in the shops onboard; looking into jewelry, clothing, and purses. I didn't really find too much, but later on, I'd be spending about $68 to put some jewelry and a shirt on my Sea Pass.

Day 7: August 17

So today was packing day and I was half sad but half relieved. I could not wait to get back to my house and sleep in my own bed, be in touch with my technology, and not experience the rocking of a cruise ship. We worked on some in the morning so later in the evening, we could have our luggage in the hall between the designated times of 7 and 11 p.m.

When we put our luggage in the hall, we had to tag it with the colored tag we were given. These tags would be used for departure order on Saturday morning and we could not leave the ship until our colored tag was called.

Tonight was also tipping night, which is a pretty big deal. All the guests are given tipping envelopes for staff members who served them during the vacation: dining room waiter, assistant waiter, head waiter, and stateroom attendant. Royal Caribbean gives suggested tipping guidelines, but we can tip more than what is suggested. After dinner, everyone presents the wait staff with their tips; stateroom attendants are given envelopes when the guests see them in the hall.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day; seeing as we had to be out of our rooms and in to public lounge areas by 7:30 a.m.

Departure Day: August 18

Departure took a lot less time than expected. My mom, sister, and I had the purple luggage tags while my stepdad and brother had light blue. Tag colors were called about every 10-15 minutes. Within a half an hour, though, everyone had been called into a lounge area. Once we got there, we had to walk to the front; and then turn and walk back out the other side. What was the whole point of the color coded system then?

Once we punched out on our Sea Pass cards, we exited down the gangway and into the terminal; where our luggage was waiting based on the colored tags. Going through customs was a joke since all they did was take our customs declaration form and send us on our way.

Unfortunately, we were stuck outside for over two and a half hours because the cruise line told us not to arrange transportation until 11 or later. Our driver did not show up until 12 because there was so much traffic and he had a little difficulty locating the terminal. However, the important thing is that while we were tired, we got home, unpacked, and got back to reality.

So there's my cruise story. I hope to be cruising again in the future. This time, though, I think I will be off to Canada and New England if possible. I hope you enjoyed reading this and will want to plan a trip to Bermuda yourself.