Bermuda Cruise

Bermuda Cruise 07

Royal Caribbean International

7 Day Cruise from Norfolk, Virginia to Bermuda and return.

July 14 to July 21, 2007

MS Empress of the Seas

Length: 692', Beam 100', Gross Tonnage: 48,583 tons

Maximum speed: 19.5 knots

Passengers: 1,839 and Staff: 689 (from 50 countries)

Dining crew; primarily males from everywhere; our two were from India and Columbia

To speed up downloading time I have used small pictures in place of larger ones. However, please "Click" on any small one and larger pictures in the same group will appear. Click the "Back" button to return to this story.

The Empress was built in 1990 and is in good condition. Her registry is Nassau. Here she is docked in St. George, Bermuda. The photo was taken by fellow passenger and dinner partner, Ben Thomason of Virginia. The atrium is a beauty.

Our cabin was located on Deck 8, forward (X), and one deck below the top passenger deck. It was convenient to stairs and elevator and all the action on the ship. There was a large window but no balcony.

The Empress is just leaving the Norfolk Cruise Terminal at left. Notice the terminal is right next to Nauticus. The middle shot shows where we were docked and a Blue Angel A-4 aircraft atop Nauticus. A view of the aircraft is next. Wife Dotty is at right with Norfolk's Dockside in the background. We were turning around at this point so as to begin our journey past the Naval Base and out to sea.

After turning to sea we passed our berth again. A close up of the Battleship Wisconsin by Nauticus. One of the tour sail boats passed as we departed. The building at right belongs to the Corps of Engineers. There is an old fort on the site with guns pointing toward us.

As the sun set behind us I captured this unusual shot, unusual because of the road like boundaries of the very long wake left behind. Except for cropping, the picture is not edited.

We traveled approximately 750 miles, from Norfolk through the Bermuda Triangle (Wow!), to the Capital of Bermuda; Hamilton. CIA estimates of the 2007 population of the islands is about 66,000, of which nearly 55% are black and 34% white. Bermuda is a United Kingdom territory but there is increasing interest in becoming independent. Since it was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists headed for Virginia, and its proximity to the our mainland, ties to the United States are quite strong.

The main religions are: Anglican 23%, Roman Catholic 15%, African Methodist Episcopal 11%, and other Protestant 18%. Total land area is approximately one third the size of Washington, DC. Temperatures rarely rise above 90 degrees or below 40. Enlarge the pictures by clicking on either of them.

These are pictures taken as we approached Hamilton, Bermuda. At left is what was once a Club Med then a Holiday Inn but has been unoccupied since about 1995, except for an occasional homeless person. There have been purchasing enquires but no takers up to now.

It isn't difficult to visualize just how close the Empress is to the city streets.

There were lots of opportunities to show but it didn't appear that there were many from our ship engaged in that activity. Prices are generally high. Dotty always enjoys looking and the shops just a few feet from the Empress provided easy access. At right are the three agents of Park West Art Auction that were with us the entire trip. At left is Damian who is engaged to Jacqui at right of Dotty and Lauren. All three were from South Africa, knew their art, and were fun to be with.

These pictures were taken from the ship's deck looking down from left to right onto Front Street. Buildings, until recently, were identified by name instead of a number.

Almost abeam the bow on Front Street is the famous "Birdcage" barely visible in the left picture at the right side of the palm tree. Fellow traveler Ben Thomason kindly gave me permission to use his picture of a police officer at work in the cage.

These are views from the ship's aft and port side inside Hamilton Bay.

Night life aboard the Empress was varied, lively, and continuous. After the musical in the theater we ventured into the Boleros lounge where we watched dancing; Dotty had the right moves, and participated in a 50s & 60s Name That Tune game. Donald and Barbra Blevins, fellow Virginians and in the third picture, were really good at picking the right tunes. I guess staying busy and raising three young children kept us busy during those decades, hence we didn't get many right. The couple on stage with the caps were the winners of the "Twist" competition. She told the audience that they win all the time so weren't surprised they did it again.