Bermuda Cruise: From the Sea to New York and Will We Cruise Again?

We had two full days at sea for the return trip home... technically from 5pm Wednesday to 8am Saturday when we could get off the ship in New York.  Honestly those sea days are kind of a blur in my memory now but they were very relaxing and fun.  

The first sea day heading home was rocky, but the second day was perfectly calm because we were going so slow to not arrive in port too soon.  We tried to take advantage of the many events happening, like a cake decorating show with the chef and other participants (you can see the cakes set up on the deck below):

We drank our weight in frozen drinks:

It was chilly on the pool deck, but the sun felt good so it was a mix between bathing suits and sweatshirts all day!  

The little boys rode the AquaCoaster (rollercoaster waterslide) 13 times in a row on one chilly day because the sane people weren't in line.

You can take the man away from the ice cream shop, but you can't take the ice cream away from the man.  Or something like that.

I miss the salad bar with homemade (cruisemade) blue cheese dressing and mouth watering croutons.  This day had tuna as the salad bar protein - my favorite!

Maggie and I walked around the shops and ended up buying a matching bracelet (for her) and anklet (for me).

One night, the dessert choice was eclairs.  Declan asked me what an eclair was, and I described it to him and reminded him that he loved eclairs when he was little.  "Eclairs were your thing!" I said.  

Later I heard him turn to his friend "I'm going to order the eclairs.  Eclairs are my thing!"  He did indeed enjoy them :)

Brendan about to eat the mint? basil? parsley? I can't remember!

The last dinner had the most potential - Scallops as an appetizer and Nutella Creme Brulee for dessert - but both did not live up to the hype.  Ah well, we had lots of other great meals on board.

The smallest scallops in all the sea

The show was called Elements on the last two nights, a mix between dance and acrobatics and it was great!  We got there right when the theater opened, but it was already standing room only.

After the show, we went up to grab an ice cream and saw the most beautiful sunset!  

Phil was taking pictures when a couple with French accents approached and offered to take our photo.  Yes!  Oui!

I offered to  return the favor and take a photo of them, to which they replied "Ahh no thank you.  We are both photographers!"

Pinch me!  French professional photographers took our sunset photos?  I only wish Maggie was with us (she had gone back to the room after the show) and that we had dressed for the occasion!

When we told Maggie what had happened, she couldn't believe her bad luck.  Like Declan's eclairs, sunsets are her thing!  We promised to take more photos the next night at sunset.

On our second to last morning on the ship, Phil and I finally made it to the nice restaurant for breakfast, and I wish we had done that more often.  After waking up leisurely, working out at the gym and showering, we barely made it before they closed.  I had a grapefruit and eggs benedict mmmmm.  

The crew had a talent show that afternoon which was equal parts silly and talented.  Perfect for our crew!

We love Tahani, the Cruise Director

"This is my umpteenth frozen bevvie"

We packed up our rooms and then took advantage of the empty pool and hot tubs on the last night (because it was windy and cold) and got some more sunset photos as promised.

Then it was off to bed with an early 6am wakeup to get our suitcases down the elevators so we could disembark.  We were told that if we did it ourselves, our departure would be a lot faster, but that the elevators would be super busy.  We had no issues because of the early wakeup.  

Our friends were supposed to take the train back home, but got an email saying it was cancelled and the next train wouldn't be until 7pm that night.  We were so happy to have plenty of room for them in Vanna White, and we all drove home from New York to MA together.  We were back by noon, after a quick stop to pick up Lucy Doodle, and it was such an easy trip, thank God.

I did have sea legs for almost a week, but I seemed to be the only one in the family.  I googled it and found:

"Sea legs"—the sensation of swaying, rocking, or feeling as though you are still on a boat while on solid ground—can be a symptom of perimenopause, often linked to inner ear changes, vertigo, or anxiety. While typically associated with disembarking a ship, this dizzy, off-balance feeling is a common, though rarely discussed, neurological symptom of fluctuating hormone levels.

Yay!  Another weird symptom women have to deal with!  I definitely had sea legs from being on the ship, but think hormones had to play into the severity of it.

So!

Would we cruise again?

Absolutely!  I would love to be able to take all of the kids if the timing ever works out.  Cruises can be expensive, but when you price out renting a house, buying the food, paying for entertainment, it's not too bad.  Plus it's a REAL vacation even for the parents, and Phil kept mentioning that the level of service was so great that he didn't think we had paid enough!  It's a great way to travel the world for people who are afraid to fly (me!) and I'm glad I pushed myself to do it.  Exposure therapy, for the win.