Our ship had left the west side Hudson Piers and crossed the Atlantic in three days to bring us into port at Bermuda.
Having been there many years ago, I previously experienced the thrill of coming into Bermuda and seeing rows of homes painted in pastel colors that made me feel I had just opened a Crayola box. I got up early hoping to relive the experience.
To my disappointment, since I was there last, the country built a new entry point that was a former Royal Navy base, redesigned and renamed as Kings Wharf. At the dock, they built a shopping mall and tourist excursion buildings. Being in the Haven on the Norwegian Escape we were given an expedited exit ramp, but alas, no colorful houses to see.
My disappointment was brief, as a taxi ride to the beach provided us a bird’s eye view of the island as we passed through towns of colorful homes, where no one can paint their house the same color as their neighbor.
We had decided to do our own tour and picked up a taxi at the pier to take us to Elbow Beach Resort, where we rented chairs and umbrellas to day visitors.
Silky, soft sand led into the calm, turquoise blue waters, where we delighted in being thrown by little waves from the Atlantic Ocean.
Waiters brought us food and drinks for lunch, making it easy for our group of 12 to enjoy the day on the shore.
Hard as it was to leave the beach, we departed for the ship, as we had a reservation for the onboard magic show by the talented Matt Johnson. I’m glad we didn’t miss it! He was remarkably talented and entertaining for our 3- to 12-year-old kids.
Exhausted, we went back to our cabins to look forward to another day at another beach. This one, Horseshoe Bay, lived up to its name. It was shaped like a horseshoe, included rental chairs and umbrellas and featured a beach concession with live music and the best fried chicken wings I ever ate! It was yet another delightful day of romping in the beautiful blue waters.
We would have stayed till dark, but at 5 p.m., they literally took the seats from under us, along with the tent we had rented. It would have been comical if I hadn’t been so disappointed to leave! We went back to the ship and planned for our last day in beautiful Bermuda.
The kids were excited to snorkel or scuba dive, but we were too slow to make a reservation. Instead, our concierge suggested the appropriately named Snorkel Beach Park, located within walking distance of the ship.
Green feet were painted on the sidewalk from the ship. Dutifully, the kids jumped from one set of feet to another as we entered the park.
They charged $5 per person to enter, $10 for an unpadded lounge and $15 for padded one. A chair was $5. Considering there was no taxi cost, it was a certainly reasonable price. We then rented snorkels and we were in the water floating for views of the pretty fish around the coral reefs a little way out.
Unlike Elbow Beach and Horseshoe Bay, Snorkel Beach had quite a rocky surface, as we discovered when we went into the water. Two of the kids cut their feet on the rocks, but they were still smiling as we applied first aid to their injuries!
We headed back to the ship for lunch and reluctantly said goodbye to Bermuda — a friendly, picturesque island with crystal clear waters where we swam with the fish and walked on silky soft beaches, making memories for a lifetime!
