It goes without saying that a cruise to Bermuda is special, but my cruise to Bermuda was special covered in frosting and sprinkles and topped with dripping wax candles: “blow, blow!” This cruise was a celebration!
But my fellow NCL passengers, upon seeing my enthusiastic, albeit stiff and uncoordinated dance moves in the embarkation line smacked their companions on the arm and whispered, “oh crap, it’s that Prof. Cruise.” Probably in anticipation of the inevitable dessert shortage.
Then upon noticing I was one of fifteen people wearing matching cobalt blue tee-shirts reading “Next Chapter: #teampoppi” they followed up with, “oh gawd, there’s a whole army of them” and called to inquire as to whether this situation was covered under their cruise insurance policy.
We barely noticed the throngs of people exiting the line and yelling “TAXI!” as they sprinted in the direction of home. We were too excited! Most in our group were visiting Bermuda for the first time and several were going on their very first cruise. But all of us were deeply thankful for a chance to celebrate Poppi, my father-in-law, and his second chance at life. We came frightfully close to losing him to a genetic liver disease before he received a successful transplant.
There are a wealth of informative blog posts that could be inspired from the lessons we learned on this trip such as:
Seriously, isn’t that the whole point of having children, so that someday you can send your adorable, but loud and smelly grandchildren home when you tire of them?
“Are you going to finish that martini?” “I haven’t even removed the garnish yet!” At which point I sucked the raspberry off its little plastic sword and followed up with, “how about now?”
And finally,
We can only assume that one of the newbie cruisers in our group thought the scheduled activities listed in the Freestyle Daily were mandatory because literally every time we’d walk by one, he’d be participating. “If you’re looking for Lewis, I just saw him at the Ladies Pamper Party.”
But for this post I’m focusing on the three best beaches in Bermuda for cruisers.
Here are three options for a spectacular beach day in Bermuda. If you’re lucky enough to be there over multiple days like we were, you can hit all three!
Horseshoe Bay is one of the most photographed spots in Bermuda and perhaps one of the most photographed beaches in the world. If you haven’t seen her clear turquoise waters washing over her pink sands and crashing through her unique rock formations in person, you’ve probably seen them on Instagram.
And if you haven’t seen them on Instagram, you need to follow Prof. Cruise. When it comes to beaches…and food, I’ll give you plenty of material to keep you distracted at work: “Shirley, that report was due an hour ago.” “Sorry boss, I’ll get to it as soon as I return from Horseshoe Bay.” “That’s where I’ll be sending your final paycheck if you don’t put down your phone and rejoin me here in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.”
Okay, you better get back to work. But when you find me again on your “bathroom break,” I’ll tell you how to get to Horseshoe Bay from the cruise pier.
There are a number of ways you can get to Horseshoe Bay, located on Bermuda’s South Shore, from King’s Wharf (the cruise terminal). There’s a public bus, bus #7, with a stop near King’s Wharf that can transport you to Horseshoe Bay for $4.50 if you pay with a token (available at the Visitor’s Center) or $5.00 if paying with cash . It takes 37 minutes to reach Horseshoe by bus. More information about bus passes and fares can be found here.
You can also take a standard taxi which will run you about $38 plus tip and shave off ten minutes or so of travel time. A third options, which is what we elected to do, is to take a shared mini-bus for $7 per person (tokens are not accepted). You may have to wait in line or until the bus fills, but this happens quickly and can save you money over a taxi and get you to Horseshoe Bay faster than the public bus. Look for this sign as you exit the terminal area:
Plenty of mini-buses will be available at Horseshoe Bay to return you to your ship.
While Horseshoe Bay is a public beach and free to use, there are a number of items including food and beverages, beach chairs and umbrellas, and snorkel gear, boogie boards and paddle boards available for a cost. There are also free changing areas and public restrooms.
Relax, snorkel, and explore the less crowded coves such as Port Royal Cove to the right (as you face the water) and Peel Rock Cove and Wafer Rocks Beach to the left.
My advice? Settle in and make a day of Horseshoe Bay!
If you have young kids who are eager to play with their sand toys and show off their cool beach gear, but your finely honed parenting instincts are predicting a heat induced meltdown at any moment now, consider the Snorkel Beach Park, a short walk from the King’s Wharf cruise pier.
While Snorkel Park Beach charges a fee ($5 for youth over 12 and adults; kids under 13 are free) and was our least favorite beach due to the small size, overall conditions, and large crowds, I included it because of its close proximity to the ship.
Because when that meltdown hits, one of you can grab his legs and the other his arms and be back in your stateroom in under 10 minutes with minimal judgement from your fellow cruise passengers because they’re either wrestling their own naughties or are at one of the nicer beaches.
In the early 1600’s a group of shipwrecked castaways discovered tobacco growing wild at what is now a popular national park and known as one of the most magnificent beaches in Bermuda. If you’re a smoker who feels oppressed by increasingly restrictive smoking policies on cruise ships, you’ll be disappointed at not finding a smoker’s sanctuary at Tobacco Bay either.
However, you will find clear shallow waters ideal for snorkeling and limestone rock formations perfect for daring your cruise mates to jump from. If your taunts don’t work initially, there’s a bar where you can load them up with liquid courage before resuming: “jump, jump, jump, jump!” Okay, don’t actually do that. Maybe buy them a drink after they jump though. Or make them buy you lunch for helping them conquer their fear of heights.
There are also chairs, umbrellas, towels, snorkel gear, water toys, paddle boards and kayaks available for rent at Tobacco Bay as well as restroom, shower, and changing facilities.
Tobacco Bay is located on the east side of St. George Island. St. George Island is accessible to cruise passengers via a 35 minute ferry ride at a cost of $4.50 with a token or $5 cash. To board the Orange route ferry, after you disembark your ship walk to the main dockyard area and it will be on your left next to the Bone Fish Bar and Grill and the Visitor’s Center. You can’t miss it. Purchase tokens at the Visitor’s Center.
Once in St. George, either hop into a taxi for a short ride to the beach or take a lovely, but uphill one mile walk through the center of town, past the Unfinished Church on your left, and through the St. George Golf Course.
Are you one to lose enthusiasm before your project can even be photographed as an amusing Pinterest fail with your mom commenting, “I think it’s lovely, sweetie!” then unfriending you on Facebook for fear her friends will wonder, “who raised that girl?”
Okay, maybe that’s just me. And William Hay of Edinburgh, the architect of this Gothic style church started in the 1870’s but never completed due to parish infighting, funding shortages, and weather. But this just goes to show that picturesque stone ruins can become tourist attractions in their own right. And that I’ll have the last laugh during the zombie apocalypse when I can heat my apartment for approximately 30 years with all the pieces of wood I’ve accumulated from abandoned IKEA projects.
But seriously, stop at the Unfinished Church to rest and explore around. An exterior void of finishes to shelter her from the sun or storms can offer a fascinating look inside. Maybe she’ll even inspire you to open up a little more yourself. Kick down a door and expose those parts of your insides that aren’t perfect, but make you even more beautiful. More vulnerable. More human.
Or you can just play an epic game of hide-and-seek. Either way.
Come up with a reason to celebrate, gather your treasured ones, bribe the teenagers with onboard credit for agreeing to wear the family shirt, and spend a few precious days of this too short, too unpredictable, too fragile life together at the spectacular beaches of Bermuda. Laughing, making memories, marveling at the pink coral sands and the turquoise waters. Appreciating all that you have – even finding beauty in the unfinished and imperfect parts. That’s my wish for all of you.
And in return, I ask that you consider doing a small favor for me. Think about becoming an organ donor and talking with your family and friends about it. It cannot be forgotten that our family vacation to Bermuda never would have happened if not for the choice of a shattered mother, who made the decision to donate her son’s organs so that another dear life could be saved.
That life, my son’s grandfather, is spending his “next chapter” soaking up every drop of each day and giving back to others. He dedicates much of his time volunteering with transplant patients and their families and working on behalf of those suffering from alzheimer’s. And in this way, his donor lives on, keeps contributing. I hope this brings his mother some small comfort in the midst of her grief.
Interested in learning more about organ donation or signing up to become a donor? Go here.
Thank you! And class dismissed.
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