My uber-Last-Minute Solo Bermuda Cruise! - Page 11 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Did I miss your birdcage picture?
Interested in seeing what the most photographed thing is...
Your park pictures are gorgeous!
you only missed it because 1. i took a crazy wide shot and 2. it is really small and boring. it's in the first photo from my last post. look to the left of the car driving towards me. that little cage thingie in the middle of the street. honestly, i didn't even know i was taking a photo of it (i was just sort of taking a shot of the buildings) until after i took it!
The bus from Hamilton to Horseshoe Bay was not crowded. Not at all. It was actually kind of a nice trip—I’m glad I chose to not take the ferry back, as I would have missed out on seeing a good deal of the island. I was afraid I’d not know where to get off—which was a silly fear. Not only did the bus driver shout HORSESHOE BAY when he pulled up to the stop, but it was clearly the correct stop as it was the only one with something like thirty people waiting to board the bus (and they were all clearly tourists like me—I even recognized some of them from the ship!)
Of course I struck up a conversation with couple on the bus and of course they were also going to the same beach, so we all walked down the hill towards the beach together. I determined that I was most definitely paying the $2 for a ride back up to the top! While it wasn’t particularly long or particularly steep, it was a very warm day and the combination of ‘sort of long’ and ‘sort of steep’ made it seem worth the $2 shuttle fare.
I ducked into the restroom upon arrival but decided not to change into my bathing suit. I really just wanted to SEE the beach (and take a million photos) and walk to the other little coves beyond the beach (to take a million photos) so that’s what I did. I had no intention of laying in the sun or swimming—which was good, as the waves were HUGE and there were ‘caution—strong currents!’ signs everywhere. Of course there were still people in the water.
So I walked the length of the beach, admiring the sand and the blue water and the sun on my face. Here’s a quick iPhone pic of me…
…followed by a million photos of the beach itself…
There was a guy kite boarding—which I’d never seen before—so I stopped to openly take photos of him. I needed some practice taking action shots—and hey, if you don’t want people to take your picture, don’t do really awesome things at tourist beaches! I probably stood there watching this guy for at least ten minutes. It was pretty cool—and a completely free form of entertainment!
You’ll note that in that last one, he’s in the air. But he got MUCH higher up at times—I just wasn’t quick enough to get a good shot. Oh wait…there’s this one…
After the wind died down (and the kite boarder stopped kite boarding) I continued along the paths at the far end of the beach and discovered another little cove, and then another.
The second one required scrambling down some rocks to get there—and there was a guy with a camera taking what looked like modeling photos of this very attractive young girl. Because of them I didn’t stay very long, but did manage to get a couple (very non-model-esque) photos of myself—the first one taken using the self-timer with the camera balanced on a rock, and the second one a favor from a passerby.
As you can see, it was a lot bit windy that day! When I say that the weather was perfect, I mean it was sunny and warm AND had a nice breeze—that was occasionally more than a breeze!
A little while later I walked back to Horseshoe Bay Beach and sat in the sand for a brief time—I was getting tired!
One thing about the sand—yes, it is beautiful and yes it is nice to walk on in bare feet—but it is so fine that when the wind blows (like it was doing this day) it blows into your eyes! So if you ever visit, be sure to wear sunglasses!
Honestly, I hadn’t planned on visiting this beach because it was so touristy—I couldn’t imagine it living up to the hype. I also imagined it to be super crowded. Well, I guess I’m immune to crowds—as the main beach experiences of my childhood were in Ocean City Maryland, a place that needs a word stronger than ‘crowded’ to be invented just for it—but I didn’t think the Horseshoe Bay Beach was crowded at all. I mean come on, does this look crowded?
Additionally, I do feel as though it lived up to the hype. With the possible exception of a rocky beach on Cape Breton (Nova Scotia) that I fell in love with this summer, this might be the most amazing beach I’ve ever seen. And, of course, it had the added benefit of sand (not rocks) and warm blue water (as opposed to cold gray water.) But trust me—the beaches in Nova Scotia are pretty darn stunning. (While I don't have any photos of my favorite Nova Scotia beach uploaded to photobucket, you can see it--and me on it--in this post:Cape Breton, Nova Scotia: Sensory Perfection | The Suitcase Scholar --it is the first photo in the post) But I digress…
Before leaving the beach I took a moment to appreciate the cuteness of this couple, which warmed my heart (and made me want to bring my husband to Bermuda some day). How cute are they?
(note about the photo above—yes, I take photos of people. I feel like photography is the higest level of compliment. Additionally, I took that specific photo for a blog post about how even though I travel alone, I love seeing other people be in love!)
I was rather tired after all of this sand walking and photo taking, so I thought about just taking a taxi back to the Dockyard. The only problem was it was ‘just me’. When I asked the taxi driver what the fare would be to return to the ship he said ‘just you?’ Sadly, I said yes, just me. And he said ‘at least $27’ in a way that made me think it wasn’t worth it (though I kind of think it would have been) so I thanked him and continued on my way.
I did use the $2 shuttle to the top—he had no problem taking ‘just me’ and told me about island animals (or, rather, the lack thereof) on the way to the bus stop (which I found kind of strange—but whatever. At least I wasn’t walking up a hill!) The bus stop wasn’t crowded—but the bus that soon arrived WAS! Oh my goodness, I’ve never seen more people squeezed onto a bus! I was standing in the middle with people standing behind and in front of me. When someone in the far back wanted to get out it was like a game of vertical twister. Insane.
Though there is one reason I was glad I was on this crowded bus—I got to interact with a rather large group of Bermudian school kids. It seems they had been on a field trip and were making their way back to school for the afternoon (it was maybe 2:00 at this point?) which was why the bus was so crowded. However, I have never witnessed a more polite group of kids. I taught 8th grade for the last eight years so I can tell you that these kids were NOTHING like American school children. They called me m’am (I actually looked behind me first to see who they were referring to!) and when a rather short older woman boarded and couldn’t reach the hand-holds--and then the bus started moving and she almost fell over—five pairs of hands went out to catch her and then three different kids offered her their seat. All while it was clear that tourists had taken over what really should have been their bus.
I would teach in public schools in Bermuda in a heartbeat!
I think it was around 3:00 by the time the bus arrived in the Dockyard, and while the one side of my brain was yelling ‘It’s only 3:00 and you’re in Bermuda!’ the other side was yelling ‘but you are hot and tired and really, really hungry!’ Guess which side was louder? The hungry side! So I returned to the ship and hit the buffet for a very late lunch. I was so hungry that I failed to take a photo of what I had, but I think it was some sort of sandwich…? I know it wasn’t a lot of food, because it was so late in the day. But I did have something like three cups of iced tea. Here’s a tip—when you’re going out sightseeing all day—BRING A BOTTLE OF WATER! I think I could have continued frolicking on the beach for a bit longer if I hadn’t been so insanely thirsty!
When I returned to my room to get showered and changed, I encountered the biggest towel animal I’ve ever seen…
I guess I decided that you couldn’t quite tell how huge it was without some perspective, so I took this crazy photo…
Up next—my first (and only) solo dinner of the trip, and a fun night of entertainment.
Love the towel animal and am surprisingly really enjoying the Bermuda trip...not surprising that I am enjoying your TR, because they have become one of my favourite escapes (what was it someone called it here....a "brain vacation"? Love that too!)
Anyway, what I mean to say is that I have never had the slightest desire to go on a Bermuda cruise because they looked kind of boring with only one island to visit. They have just moved way up my to-do list! The price is often very reasonable and I have a hard time imagining myself being bored having seen what you've been up to. Hmm...if I get a third job and convince one of my kids to marry rich and skip university then maybe I can swing one in a couple of years....
What beautiful pictures of the bay! I, too, would have expected crowds, but there sure didn't seem to be any. I probably would've sat on a rock and just stared at the waves for hours!
It's so wonderful to see polite kids. How heartwarming! I'm a stickler for manners with my kids, but I'm not even sure they'd be as polite as those kids on the bus. Now I need to work harder with my own kids!
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Horseshoe Bay looks beautiful, but those were big waves! Sounds like fun on the bus with the school kids. I tend to think school kids anywhere outsidenof the US are more respectful.
Just got all caught up. Seriously, your beach photos could be postcards. It is so gorgeous there. And holy cow, that is a big towel animal. I think he's cute.
Postcard perfect beautiful!! I can almost hear the waves crashing at the beach. I was wondering if you would be stopping somewhere for a bite to eat.... glad you made it back to the ship for some nourishment!
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Love the towel animal and am surprisingly really enjoying the Bermuda trip...not surprising that I am enjoying your TR, because they have become one of my favourite escapes (what was it someone called it here....a "brain vacation"? Love that too!)
Anyway, what I mean to say is that I have never had the slightest desire to go on a Bermuda cruise because they looked kind of boring with only one island to visit. They have just moved way up my to-do list! The price is often very reasonable and I have a hard time imagining myself being bored having seen what you've been up to. Hmm...if I get a third job and convince one of my kids to marry rich and skip university then maybe I can swing one in a couple of years....
oh no--not boring at all! though i could see how someone might think that. if you want to check it out without committing three days to it, there are cruises that leave from NYC and stop at bermuda for only one day and then continue to the bahamas. just saying.
but the good thing about bermuda-only cruises are that you can sometimes get a REALLY good deal on them. thus you wouldn't need to, you know, prevent your kids from going to college to afford it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dlandmom2
What beautiful pictures of the bay! I, too, would have expected crowds, but there sure didn't seem to be any. I probably would've sat on a rock and just stared at the waves for hours!
It's so wonderful to see polite kids. How heartwarming! I'm a stickler for manners with my kids, but I'm not even sure they'd be as polite as those kids on the bus. Now I need to work harder with my own kids!
i've met kids that polite here--lots of them. i just think i'm shell shocked from teaching middle school for so long. plus i'm aware of the 'mob mentality' that often occurs when there are large groups of kids--that's never good. but in bermuda they were unchaperoned AND well behaved. wild, right?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
Horseshoe Bay looks beautiful, but those were big waves! Sounds like fun on the bus with the school kids. I tend to think school kids anywhere outsidenof the US are more respectful.
yeah, i was kind of afraid for the people who were braving the water! and i was glad that i went swimming the day before--in calm, practically wave-free tobacco bay!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lexiemom
Just got all caught up. Seriously, your beach photos could be postcards. It is so gorgeous there. And holy cow, that is a big towel animal. I think he's cute.
i loved the towel elephant (in case you couldn't tell!) i forgot to post the photo of my first towel animal (i think i forgot--correct me if i'm wrong) i was given a crab later in the week. i thought it was kind of funny that they did that even though i was clearly an adult traveling alone--but they still made me smile!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by disney_duke
Postcard perfect beautiful!! I can almost hear the waves crashing at the beach. I was wondering if you would be stopping somewhere for a bite to eat.... glad you made it back to the ship for some nourishment!
yeah--that's the thing you'll notice about any (non-disney) trip reports when i'm traveling solo--i don't really eat when i'm out and about. i don't even think about it, actually. if i traveled solo for weeks at a time, i think i might actually loose weight! hmmm...that would be a fun diet plan!
of course in WDW i eat constantly--i swear, i think they play subliminal messages that say something like 'tracy....tracy....you must eat a caramel covered cookie...you must eat one now....'
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Hi Tracy! I had to do a double take at the photos of you on the beach...I'm so used to seeing you in your dresses! Maybe with the wind the shorts were a better choice. Speaking of your dresses, I have been cruising the summer clearance racks in search of good deals. I bought a very cute sundress the other day that is already earmarked for our April trip, and strangely enough, I thought of you. You have inspired me to change my ways and become a "light packer". I too may soon be known for cute dresses! Can't wait to hear more about your trip! I love cruising and am rather sad that we don't have one planned at the moment!
Hi Tracy! I had to do a double take at the photos of you on the beach...I'm so used to seeing you in your dresses! Maybe with the wind the shorts were a better choice. Speaking of your dresses, I have been cruising the summer clearance racks in search of good deals. I bought a very cute sundress the other day that is already earmarked for our April trip, and strangely enough, I thought of you. You have inspired me to change my ways and become a "light packer". I too may soon be known for cute dresses! Can't wait to hear more about your trip! I love cruising and am rather sad that we don't have one planned at the moment!
yeah--i'm glad i wore shorts! the wind would not have worked well with a dress! i only brought two pairs with me, so don't despair--in tomorrow's pics, the sundress returns! i'm glad i inspired you--i LOVE packing light! though for this trip i did bring a wheely suitcase, not a backpack--but even though it was a cruise, i overpacked. for NCL you really don't need anything even remotely dressy. to be honest, the clothing i usually wear in life was almost too nice for the main dining room--that's how casual it is!
i'm sad i don't have another cruise planned, too. even though i'm price-watching two for the beginning of 2012....and about to go see if i can add one to the end of my februrary WDW trip!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
What beautiful beaches - and so quiet as well! I love how polite the kids were on the bus - such a pleasant change to hear that.
That towel animal is one of the best I've ever seen.
the crab towel animal at the beginning of the week was pretty cool, too. the elephant's body was made out of one of my pillows--which is how it was SO HUGE!
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I was wondering if you would be stopping somewhere for a bite to eat.... glad you made it back to the ship for some nourishment!
. Speaking of your dresses, I have been cruising the summer clearance racks in search of good deals. I bought a very cute sundress the other day that is already earmarked for our April trip, and strangely enough, I thought of you
. You have inspired me to change my ways and become a "light packer". I too may soon be known for cute dresses! Can't wait to hear more about your trip! I love cruising and am rather sad that we don't have one planned at the moment
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