Grandeur of the Seas to Bermuda -- 7 Days over Halloween

[coneyraven]

Howdy,

Just got back late last week, of course, it's raining now here in the mountains of Western Maryland....

To summarize things, this is the first 7-nighter that Grandeur has done in years ..... having 2+ days in Bermuda was AWESOME!!!

We booked this at 575 Days out (the minute we heard about it, we jumped on it).

Mike S. & CiCi are, by far, the BEST CD & AD I'd ever seen ....... Mike has a sense of humor that had everyone laughing ALL THE TIME!!! Including Captain Thor, which, to his credit, has a pretty wicked sense of humor too.  It was fun watching them play off of one another through the cruise.

Oh, and worth noting since today is election day --- NO POLITICAL ADS FOR 7 DAYS!!!!!  YES!!!!!! 

Day 1 --- Thursday 10/25

This was the smoothest we'd ever seen the Port of Baltimore (it's always been quick, but this was unprecedented in my book).

We arrived at the Port around 10:00 am to a small line of cars that weren't permitted to go into the lot, we waited about 10 minutes, then we were able to drop off

luggage, pay our parking fee and park .... The real surprise was when we walked into the terminal, the boarding process had already began.  By the time we got our SeaPass card, THERE WAS NO LINE..... JUST UP THE RAMP AND BOOM -- At the R bar for our first Bloody Maryland's

The weather was cool and breezy, not shorts and T-shirts, that's for sure ....

Sail away was smooth, the only real bummer was that the sail away party had been moved into the Centrum, yet, most folks were up top to witness going under the Key Bridge.  Oh well, the frozen drinks never ended so we were happy.

Day 2 --- Friday 10/26

What a blast, it was a little warmer, but was still pretty windy, we figure, due to the nor'easter that was due to form off the coast .... the seas, however, were surprisingly smooth.

Saw something I'd never seen, an airplane contest in the Centrum ..... too funny, those things were flying everywhere ....

The highlight of the day was that it was my 56th Birthday .... being also the first Formal Night, I chose to have my Birthday Dinner up in Izumi .... as always, that place does NOT disappoint ..... the real surprise for me was when a cake w/ candle showed up and they sang Happy Birthday to me.  Best birthday I've had in years.

Day 3 --- Saturday 10/27 -- arriving in Bermuda

One of the things that was interesting was that we weren't due to arrive until 4:00 pm --- The reason why was obvious when I checked Marine Traffic and noticed the P & O Arcadia AND, I believe, the Disney Magic.  We had to wait for the Disney Ship to leave so we could dock.  Those that were watching PtzTV could see how we pulled into the turning basin and waited on the Disney ship to leave ..... The hold-up there was, again, the wind, they needed help with tugboats to pull away from the dock, which took longer than expected, then the tugs had assist us pulling in (didn't want to slam into anything) -- we ending up docking at King's Wharf instead of Heritage Wharf (the Acadia was there) --- that was a new thing.  On top of it all, there was another vessel behind us --- A Viking Cruise ship that ended up docking in Hamilton.

Once we docked, getting off the ship was as smooth as always, not much was open that late so we ended up going over to the Bonefish for snacks and a few drinks .... which ended up costing $107 --- but, whatever, you're on vacation .....

NOTE to Future Bermuda Cruisers that we discovered later in the cruise, shopping is LESS Expensive in Hamilton vs. the Dockyard, that shouldn't surprise anyone.

Day 4 --- Sunday 10/28 --- Getting to Tobacco Bay

Transportation wasn't impossible, but it was a bit of a challenge if you didn't know what you were doing.  Our goal was to get to St. George and Tobacco Bay.  The only part of the island we hadn't been to.

The Ferry for to St. George wasn't operating due to its season being over (it won't be operating again until April 2019) --- and, being a Sunday worked against us.  We (a lot of us) rode the ferry to Hamilton, then walked a couple blocks to the main bus terminal --- multiple routes go to St. George (1,3,10,11) and each one seemed to arrive 15 minutes apart from one another --- the 11 was filling up when we arrived, then those in front of us got on a #10 15 minutes later, then we were able to board a #1 15 minutes after that.

Suffice it to say, St. George is, by far, our favorite part of the island ..... the walk to Tobacco Bay was a bit rough due to a hill you have to walk over (which takes you by church ruins which are stunning) --- when we left Tobacco Bay, we ended up taking a cab back to St. George to the bus stop --- $3 pp ---- worth every penny.

Also got a wicked sunburn ..... but isn't that what you're supposed to do?

Love, Love, Love Tobacco Bay.

Day 5 --- Monday 10/29 --- Last Day in Bermuda

Since the All Aboard time was 4:30 ---- it gave us time to not be in such a hurry ....

We ended up taking the ferry back to Hamilton just to do some shopping --- we spotted the Washington Mall the day before, so now, being a Monday, everything was open.  That's when we discovered the price differential from the Dockyard .... plus, seeing Hamilton on a weekday, boy, those businessmen can really sport those Bermuda shorts .... you know, I COULD DO THAT!!!   The real take-away was how nice everyone is.  Everyone says "hello" when you pass them on a sidewalk.  Very refreshing.

Day 6 --- Tuesday 10/30 --- Halloween -- 1st Sea Day

For us, today was Halloween, this way the party could go late into the night since the night of the 31st, that was the last night of the cruise.  All I can say is, I've never been a part of a party like the IN MY LIFE!!!!  We WILL do another Halloween Cruise one of these days....... SO much fun, I can't even begin to describe .....  Some of the costumes were unbelievable ..... the staff and crew all got into it ..... since this day also doubled as our 2nd Formal Night, they pretty much did away with the dress code and encouraged folks to show up in costume if they chose to do so.  Oh, and for what it's worth, Tyna and I went  as the Skipper and Gilligan (we were with another couple that went as Maryanne and The Professor) .... sorry, no Ginger.  For those that were a part of this and saw my Facebook posts, watching Gillegan attempt a portion of Michael Jackson's Thriller is the kind of thing you can't unsee.  BEST CRUISE EVER!!!!!!

Day 7 --- Wednesday 10/31 -- Second Sea Day

Amazing Weather, ended up spending a portion of it in the pool, however, you could feel the chill as the day wore on as we got closer to the Chesapeake.  Ended up having Lamb Shank in the MDR --- it really made us question why we pay extra money in the specialty restaurants some times, because, this was just that good.  Tyna ended up getting a steak .... she described it as being "like butta" --- best meals of the cruise.

Oh, and I don't want to forget this activity, they did an Egg Drop from Deck 8 in the Centrum to see who could land their egg, unbroken, closest to a target on the Centrum floor (Deck 4) --- every participant was given a kit with supplies and an egg, so it was just like a school science experiment as to who could build the best device to float it down. 

Who thinks of those things?  People were watching from all decks cheering everyone on .... We were on Deck 9 on the opposite side from where they were dropping them on 8 so we could see it all .... in the end, it was a young girl that won.

Getting off the ship ...

We all know it's like herding cattle .... but in all honesty, just like when we got on, it was the fastest I'd ever experienced .... the line never stopped moving.  In and out in a matter of minutes.

In the end, it's no surprise to anyone here ..... WE LOVE LADY G!!!!  She's due to go into drydock in March, so, perhaps that's a good thing ...... It'll feel strange that the next two cruises for us are NOT on her ...... but we know we'll gravitate back to her.

Below are a few random photos ..... if you need explanation on any of them, just ask ..... the dude as the GI Joe was, by far, the best costume of the night .... even the crew kept coming up to him wanting photos

[JLMoran]

Great recap, @coneyraven! Glad you had an awesome time, and belated happy birthday!

[WAAAYTOOO]

Mark, you and Tyna look GREAT !  Sounds like it was a blast.

On our last Grandeur cruise, they held the sail away in the Centrum, too.  It was...well....different.

We will be back on her over Christmas + NY.  Can't wait !

[CruisinUngs]

Happy belated birthday! Sounds like a blast. Love the egg drop contest and that a young girl won. 

[Matt]

Great recap!

[mbk999]

23 hours ago, coneyraven said:

cake w/ candle showed up and they sang Happy Birthday to me.  Best birthday I've had in years

Happy Birthday.  We celebrated my 50th and our 25th on the Allure and cakes/candles/singing accompanied each.  It was much appreciated.

On 11/6/2018 at 12:58 PM, coneyraven said:

of course, it's raining now here in the mountains of Western Maryland

As someone who also lives along the ridge in MD, I certainly hope this isn't the new norm.  This year has been too much...

 

Thanks for the recap!

[Boston Babe]

Mark, great recap, I could feel your enthusiasm and joy just by reading your update and Happy belated birthday!  Just got into Double digits today for our Grandeur in February, getting me psyched again!  there is just something special about her!! Welcome home and back to reality!!

[coneyraven]

41 minutes ago, Boston Babe said:

Mark, great recap, I could feel your enthusiasm and joy just by reading your update and Happy belated birthday!  Just got into Double digits today for our Grandeur in February, getting me psyched again!  there is just something special about her!! Welcome home and back to reality!!

I'd be curious to see if there's a way to rank the ships in terms of loyal following ...... You and I both know Lady G would be up there.

[Boston Babe]

14 minutes ago, coneyraven said:

You and I both know Lady G would be up there

I think it would be too.  I think @WAAAYTOOO might agree! There's just an "it" factor she has, I think it's the staff that really really makes you feel like you're "home"