We won't tell you how many years it took us to discover Bermuda, other than to say "a lot." Our first trip there was on a cruise ship, earlier this year. As a tourist destination, Bermuda has been around for a few hundred years…or just a little longer than we have.
Now, and this year more than ever, others are discovering it as we did, on a cruise.
By year-end, there will have been almost 350,000 passengers to visit Bermuda, undoubtedly some of them for the first time. Next year, it will be more, and they'll come not just from all kinds of ships, but from all kinds of directions.
Ships…
There have been the usual ships, like Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas and Norwegian's Dawn, making regular calls to the Royal Naval Dockyard at this, Great Britain's oldest overseas territory. Then this year, along came the Norwegian Breakaway, from New York every week, ands with it another 90,000 tourists.
Princess will be making a stop with three ships next year — the Ruby Princess, Emerald Princess and Ocean Princess. Carnival will pop in with the Spirit and the Splendor for the first time.
Directions…
Most ships have been coming from the New York and Boston areas. In 2014, they'll also come from South Carolina, and Bermuda's plan to expand on that include courting Aida, a little-known German cruise line that has a limited presence in North America. The next thing you know, they'll be coming to Bermuda straight from Europe.
If you've been there that won't surprise you. If you haven't, go.
Carnival Sunshine
7 nights
February 2, 2014
New Orleans (return): Key West, Freeport, Nassau
Inside: $429
Cost per day: $61
www.carnival.com