I was looking for some down-time from my hectic schedule last month and Nancy suggested the perfect antidote – a 7 night cruise to Bermuda on the Azamara Journey! Bermuda was never on my short list of places to go, but what interested me most was the new Azamara Journey cruise ship. I had heard about the exceptional service, cuisine, and amenities that a ‘deluxe’ brand like Azamara has to offer – and was overdue for some pampering. This was my chance to experience a more ‘upscale’ cruising experience.

Azamara was hosting a ‘Seminar at Sea’ on the Journey in just two weeks, and I was going to be on that sailing. I made some quick calls for a possible cruising companion, but with work schedules and summer activities already planned – no luck. I was a little disappointed to be traveling alone, but then remembered how fun the solo trips that I had taken in the past had been.

I had an engagement to attend the night before the cruise, so I flew out to New Jersey on the sail date. This was risky, but short of an ‘act of God’, I felt comfortable that I could get there in plenty of time for check-in at the pier. I flew into LaGuardia (rather than Newark) on Saturday morning without incident. There were many more morning flight options to LaGuardia, which was convenient, but I paid dearly for a cab ride to the pier at Cape Liberty, NJ. Lesson #1: Prearrange the transfer to the pier.

Azamara’s check-in process was a breeze, perhaps due to my late arrival. The embarkation area was empty, except for the ship’s photographer, and administrative staff, whom were poised to check me in. I signed a credit card authorization form, and was on my way to the ship within minutes. I was ready to step onto that ship and escape for a week of indulgence.

Azamara didn’t disappoint. I walked onboard - into a handsomely appointed lounge and took in the stately décor. I was greeted by gracious wait staff, serving champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. I knew right then that this was going to be a great trip!

A short walk and I found my stateroom, located midship. I was initially disappointed to find that it was an inside cabin, but then opened the door to a luxurious sanctuary inside.
Dark wood cabinetry, soft lighting and oh, that bedding! A white down duvet, with pillows galore. (They actually have a pillow menu!) The bathroom was tiny, but spotlessly clean and appointed with Elemis toiletries. There were fresh flowers, fresh fruit, a pitcher of chilled water and a filled ice bucket. My luggage hadn’t arrived yet,
so I took off to do a little more exploring.

As I wandered the ship, I was amazed at how quickly one was able to get to the various public areas. Azamara seemed to be a ‘petite’ version of the larger ships I was used to, but it had more amenities, like cotton (rather than paper) hand towels in the public restrooms, etc. No endless hallways and lengthy elevator waits. After wandering through the casino, a few small show lounges, and then on up to the pool area, I found one of the dining venues, Windows Café, where several passengers were sitting down to a tempting buffet lunch. I suddenly realized that I was really hungry. There was way too much to sample. But sample, I did. I made my way to the open-air aft deck with a plate piled high. Lunch was delicious. There was a bar set up on the aft deck, so I enjoyed a strawberry daiquiri with my 4,000 calorie meal. I’ll work it off tomorrow, I told myself. (This same thought was to be repeated daily.) After lunch, I visited the spa, to make some appointments. There I received an escorted tour of all the spa facilities, including the salon, sauna, massage rooms, acupuncture rooms, and state-of-the art fitness center. A private deck with hot tub was also available nearby.

Back at the room, I started to unpack before the lifeboat drill. As the drill alarm sounded, I grabbed my stateroom key card, locked my wallet in the safe and proceeded to the assembly station. Upon return, I keyed in my security code to access the safe again. It wouldn’t open. After several attempts, I made a call to the front desk for assistance.
(I didn’t know how to reach the butler, whom I hadn’t met yet). Two polite gentlemen made several attempts/visits to reprogram the safe, to no avail. At long last, one of them was able to open the safe and he suggested that I change my security code to a different number, that didn’t include the number ‘6’. Otherwise, he said that it could take several more hours to fix the lock, so I went with his suggestion. After he left, (Murphy’s Law) the butler, Maria, arrived to greet me.

I had missed the sail-away celebration and viewing the Statue of Liberty during the safe cracking fiasco, but I wasn’t going to let that get me down. I brought my book up to the pool deck, and settled into one of their comfortably padded deck chairs to relax.

Azamara hosted a cocktail party and dinner that evening for travel agents onboard. As I arrived, most of the guests were seated at several small cocktail tables in the Looking Glass Lounge. I spotted a vacant chair, and asked to join the twosome seated at that table. To my delight, Carolyn & Jay were most engaging. In fact, we stayed on and chatted as we watched the sun set through the large picture window. Afterwards, we met our dinner group at Prime C steakhouse, one of the Azamara’s two alternative restaurants. This three hour dining experience was one of the highlights of my trip. Delicious food, free flowing wine, extremely attentive service, and lots of laughs all contributed to a really enjoyable evening. I met some wonderful companions, that I would meet up with again and again throughout our cruise.

I woke up to a slight headache (from the wine) the next morning and ordered room service for breakfast. It was just what the doctor ordered – hot and delicious. I attended the Celebrity seminar that morning, where we learned about the brand and how to build a marketing plan. Then I again spent the afternoon by the pool, followed by an indulgent pedicure. I returned to my stateroom for a nap afterward - a luxury that I don’t normally get at home. I ordered room service for a quiet dinner, and then attended the cruise staff show that evening. Their stage production was top-rate, as they sang and danced to old favorites from famous Hollywood movies. I popped into the casino afterward to pay my dues at the Black Jack table, as it would be closed for the next 3 days, while in port.

St George Island
On Monday, we docked in St George at 9am. I stopped for breakfast before my scheduled shore excursion, the ‘Panorama & Fort Bus Tour’. There I met up with another one of the travel consultants and lost track of time - talking. Once I noticed the hour, I rushed to meet my tour group at the pier. I just made it by the 10:15am tour time, but found that the group had already left! Come to think of it, the voucher did say to arrive at the meeting place 10 minutes in advance. Lesson #2: Heed instructions for early arrival! I was fortunate, because the local tour coordinator who was still at the pier offered to drive me in her car to catch up with the tour bus, which was about a mile away. The tour bus (actually a van) held 5 passengers. I politely squeezed in the middle of the back seat and apologized for my late arrival.

St George is a small, quiet town, home to St Peter’s Church, one of the oldest continually used Anglican churches, dating back to 1612. In St George, we visited Fort Catherine and then St. David’s lighthouse, which we were able to climb for a spectacular view of the island. I pulled my digital camera out to take some pictures from the top of the lighthouse and found that it was dead! Lesson #3: Always recharge camera batteries before a trip or pack the charger. Our tour guide took us to many more interesting spots that day, including Tobacco Bay and Carter House, the oldest dwelling in St David’s. We heard old tales of Bermuda’s infamous shipwrecks along the way. We also stopped in Hamilton Parrish at the Tucker Point Resort area, (previously called Castle Harbor) where starter home prices begin at around $5 million. Our last stop was at Tom Moore’s Tavern, est. in 1652, where the Irish poet used to write some of his poetry. This charming tavern looked like a place worth revisiting. After our tour, I wandered through the quaint shopping area back near the pier. I had dinner onboard that night and several other nights in the Discoveries Dining Room, and found the cuisine to be excellent each time.

Hamilton
I took the ‘Scenic Southern Shores by Taxi’ tour on Tuesday morning. It was a great way to get a feel for the west end of the island, before doing more exploring on my own. We were driven in a van by a very entertaining local, who gave us his perspective on Bermuda’s economy, politics and the ‘best places’ to go. We visited Gibb’s Hill Lighthouse, one of the oldest cast iron lighthouses in the world and stopped at several points along the south shore drive to take in the magnificent beaches and ocean vistas. The beaches really did have pink (coral) sand. We visited Somerset Village, to see the smallest drawbridge in world, just 18” wide! At the west end of the island, we were invited to shop in the pavilion at the Royal Naval Dockyard area (which reminds me a bit of Faneuil Hall in Boston). There is also a Dolphin Quest experience offered at the Royal Naval Dockyard area.

On our way back to Hamilton, we found most of Bermuda’s stone homes to be painted in pastel colors, with white lime-covered roofs. As we motored on, the skies opened up and heavy rain began to pour. Many of the streets quickly began to fill up with water. (I was very glad that I hadn’t rented a moped.) We saw first hand how all Bermuda’s household water is collected on the roofs of their houses. The rain water drains from their lime-covered roofs (lime purifies the rain water) into holding tanks, located under their houses. The rain tapered off a bit as we arrived in Hamilton, so I wandered along several blocks of pastel colored houses and ventured into many local shops. The next two mornings brought more rain showers, (I suspect this may be a typical weather pattern in this area), but that didn’t stop me from exploring the island more by bus. Hamilton has an excellent bus transportation system and the bus terminal is just a few blocks from the pier. I visited the regal Southampton Princess Resort, the historic Elbow Beach Resort, and walked along infamous Horseshoe Bay. The beach at Horseshoe Bay rivals those found in the Caribbean, for velvety soft sand and turquoise blue waters. This is truly a paradise in the Atlantic, and I would come back to visit again. On Thursday afternoon, I joined some of my new acquaintances for the ‘Famous Homes & Hideaways Cruise’. This was a wonderfully picturesque sightseeing tour, where we cruised past many homes of the rich and famous. Bermuda has quite a history of celebrity residents and visitors. Later that day, I treated myself to a relaxing massage at the spa.

On Friday morning, our travel agency group assembled for a seminar on the Azamara line, where our host welcomed feedback on our week’s experiences. Most of our group was in agreement that the ship was warm and intimate, the cuisine was excellent, and the ship was kept meticulously clean. (Some of the agents compared it to the Oceania line.) However, many felt that some services and amenities were either lacking or inconsistent. A few said that they felt that they were rushed through dinner in Azamara’s open dining venue. Some hadn’t encountered a sommelier at dinner, and in one instance, dinner was served without an offer of beverages whatsoever. Some felt that their butler was merely a room steward, whereas others loved their butlers’ added services. Some of the stateroom amenities were missing. Advertised minibars, umbrellas and stationery were on back-order. (Note: We received lovely complimentary gifts in staterooms most evenings, including a very nice retractable pen. However, the purser’s desk was the only place on the ship to get any writing paper.) The group consensus, however, was that the Azamara line will truly be a ‘deluxe experience’, given some time to work out the finer details. The Azamara Journey has certainly made me a believer in upscale cruise lines. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a relaxing and pampered vacation.