Row, row, row your boat

I finally have a stamp in my passport. Well, not literally (but only because the country of Bermuda doesn't take the time to do it). Every year Stampin' Up! does an incentive cruise for demonstrators and whatever cabins are left over are available for employee purchase. A coworker, Kristina, and I decided that we couldn't pass up this year's trip to Bermuda and joined in the fun. What good is PTO if you don't use it, right?

Day 1: Friday, March 28th
Friday started early, 11:45 pm Thursday night to be exact. Because we wanted to have a full day in New York before the cruise, we caught a JetBlue redeye out of Salt Lake City Thursday night after work. Thank heavens it was a nonstop flight and, although I wasn't able to relax enough to get some sleep, the flight went by relatively fast. We arrived at JFK at 7:30 am and took a bus to our hotel. Since it was so early, we left our luggage in their storage and returned later in the day to check-in. We wondered around the city for a few hours; I haven't been back since I lived there and it was a surreal experience to think that I had once called that place home. Granted, I lived out of suitcases the entire time I was there so I never really "moved." We did some shopping at some super sweet stores around 1st Avenue and 59th Street, ate Lunch at Serendipity (a café made famous by such movies as “One Fine Day” and “Serendipity”), and eventually made our way back to the Time’s Square area where the hotel was located. After checking in, we took quick cat naps, showered, and got ready for an evening on Broadway. Kristina really wanted to see “The Little Mermaid” so I agreed. I have to admit that, even though it wasn’t even close to being my favorite play, it was entertaining and the actress that played Ursula was a-mazing. After the show, and keeping with the whole “fish” theme, we went to dinner at Bubba Gumps. It was after midnight when we finally made our way back to the hotel and I was so tired that I quite honestly don’t remember going to bed.


Days 2 & 3: Saturday, March 29th & Sunday, March 30th
We had to catch the ship relatively early Saturday morning so we didn’t have much time to anything other than make our way to the Port. We caught a bus and made it there with plenty of time to spare. The check-in procedures were slick and fast (obviously these professionals had done this before) and we were assigned stateroom #5143. We had signed-up for a room with a balcony and it was well worth the added cost. I wouldn’t do it any other way on future cruises. I spent a lot of time out there just enjoying the sea breeze. It took a few hours for everyone to get checked in before the ship left port. Until then, the view of Manhattan from our balcony was awesome. There is just something about the New York City skyline that is so beautiful. And as the ship got on its way, we were pleased to pass the Statue of Liberty on our side of the ship. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of room in our stateroom. There were two twin beds (they push them together to make a queen bed for couples), a small couch, and a desk/dressing table. We also had a television (Wahoo, they had ESPN on board!) and a DVD player. Every night they would turn down our beds and leave a towel animal for us to find. It was so peaceful and I slept so, so well. I think the subtle rocking of the ship affected me much like the rocking of Grandpa’s rocking chair when I was little. We were at sea all day Saturday and all day Sunday. I spent most of that time just relaxing and catching up on my sleep, occasionally joining in on the ship activities and visiting with other vacationing coworkers.


Day 4: Monday, March 31st
When I woke up on Monday the ship was a port in Bermuda. Remarkably, I didn’t feel like I was in a different country. In order to leave the ship, we had to have our passports and pass through a small customs building just outside. (But, dang it, they didn’t stamp my passport. Someone asked about it and they were told that there was a place in town that did it for “tourists.” And, because I hate looking like a tourist when I am, indeed, a tourist, I choose not to track down this place. Dang my pride.) Anyway, in Bermuda the main type of transportation is scooters and Kristina really wanted to rent them for a few days. So I agreed and the rental shop was the first place we went. They gave us a quick driving lesson and then we were off! They were super easy to maneuver and it was a beautiful way to explore the island. Kristina, on the other hand, couldn’t quite the coordination of it down and, after about thirty minutes, decided to take her’s back. I really didn’t want to loose my money and therefore decided to venture off on my own for the day. It was relaxing and I met some really nice locals along the way. They weather turned a bit cold and rainy so I turned mine back in later that afternoon and went back to the ship to relax.



Day 5: Tuesday, April 1st
Tuesday was jammed packed with sightseeing. We decided to participate in a couple cruise excursions. The first one we went on was a four-hour bus and shopping tour. I learned some amazing things about the culture of the island and saw some beautiful scenery that I may have missed on my own. It was extremely educational. I found their roof system particularly interesting. They don’t have a fresh water source there so they each have to collect their own rain water to use. All the roofs are white, extremely clean, and built with ridges for just this purpose. We also went into the towns of St. George and Hamilton and had a bit of time to do some shopping. I even spotted a man going to work wearing Bermuda shorts! Who knew? Later on we went to one of their lighthouse and found a spectacular view of the entire island. It was just gorgeous. The second excursion we went on was a glass bottom boat cruise later than evening. They took us a ways into the open ocean and we were able to see some amazing fish, reefs, and even a shipwreck. (It was great for those of us that don’t find snorkeling an attractive adventure. Personally I don’t want to be that up close and personal with actual living fish. ) While we were out there, we were able to watch the sun set into the ocean. It was so peaceful and beautiful.


Day 6: Wednesday, April 2nd
Today was the only sunny day of the trip so of course I spent it at the beach. Kristina didn't want to go, the loon, so I packed a bag, caught a bus, and made my way to what locals told me was the best spot. And they were right; Horseshoe Bay was gorgeous! From the bus stop, I walked down a trail through some of the most beautiful foliage. Amazingly, I had the place to myself for a few hours to enjoy the salt breeze, the ocean waves, and the pink sand in solitude. It was just me, my book, a $2.00 can of Diet Coke out of the mini-bar, and my iPod (a Barry Manilow tune seemed remarkably appropriate . . . Bermuda Triangle, it makes people disappear. Bermuda Triangle, don't go too near . . . Lying lost and lonely on the island sand, when a lovely stranger says hello and takes my hand . . .). I spent the entire blissful day there.


Day 7: Thursday, April 3rd
Because the ship was due to leave port early Thursday afternoon, I had only a couple of hours in the morning to do a bit of shopping. I wanted to bring back something for the fam and for my coworkers. (In other words, for the poor unfortunate souls who didn't get to come with me.) I went to the shops at the port and made it back to the boat in plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and cool breeze of Bermuda from our stateroom balcony. I spent the rest of the day there, really wanting to finish my book (a fabulous read by Dinesh D'Souza called Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader). I had also gotten some amazingly weird patches of sunburn from the beach and didn't feel the need show my face and consequently become a walking advertisement for sunscreen. But Thursday night's dinner was formal dress so I eventually got all gussied up and joined Kristina for a great meal of surf and turf and then joined another group of people playing Settlers of Catan.


Days 8 & 9: Friday, April 4th & Saturday, April 5th
The ship was at sea all day Friday. The water was extremely rough and, though I hate to admit it, I spent most of the day sick and not able to keep any food down. Dang that motion sickness. Actually, a lot of people got sick; at one point there were ocean swells close to ten feet. I was told that the passage between Bermuda and the US is notoriously rough and Friday proved that statement correct. I actually fell out of bed at one point Friday night because the ship was rocking so much. But when I woke up Saturday morning and the ship was at port in New York City, I couldn't have been happier and was feeling much better. Our JetBlue flight out of JFK was unfortunately delayed so we spent a good deal of time hanging out at the airport. On a positive note, however, because of the delay, I was able to watch both final four games, in their entirety, on the plane. Score! We finally made it back to Utah around midnight and my sister, bless her heart, was kind enough to pick me us from the airport. Needless to say, I slept extremely well Saturday night (and I didn't fall out of bed once).