Saturday, 29 November 2025
Departing from Bermuda 

This past Thursday, the Encore celebrated the holiday with a "Thanksgiving Market Dinner" in the Colonnade. Fresh roasted turkey with more side dishes than I could ever imagine are offered on buffet service. As usual there is also a large and varied display of desserts of every taste and kind.

We arrive in Bermuda a little ahead of schedule at noon on Friday. As I mentioned in the previous blog we are docked at the Royal Naval Dockyards at the very western end of Bermuda. As I have discussed in an earlier blog, Bermuda is actually a series of small islands connected by bridges and causeways rather than a single land mass as it is portrayed on maps. We were supposed to dock in the capital city of Hamilton, but because of inclement weather and iffy sea conditions we are re-routed to the safer port at the Dockyards.

Will and I have visited Bermuda several times. I have stopped at the Dockyards on more than one transatlantic cruise, and Will and I spent two days at the northeastern end, in the town of St George, for two days while on an Oceania cruise from Miami to New York by the way of several Caribbean islands. On that trip we enjoyed a tour that took us to all the high spots of Bermuda, including Hamilton.

In the spring and summer season, the Dockyards are full of tourists shopping and visiting the 18th-century structures that housed supplies and maintenance for the British navy. Today, at the very end of the tourist season, there are very few visitors, even with two cruise ships docked overnight, the Seabourn Encore and the Silversea Silver Ray. In fact, the place looks and feels rather dismal under dark skies and, on Friday, intermittent showers. The rain has ceased today (Saturday), but it is still windy and damp.

Yesterday, I spent a couple of hours visiting the shops in the Clocktower Mall. Most of the shops have already posted "closing for the winter" signs, and, after the two cruise ships leave, they will lock their doors until March of next year. Today, Will and I venture off the ship in the morning to explore other shops and some of the architectural remains of the British navy. 

Formerly the Governor's Mansion, Now a History Museum 

Three Views of the "Victualling Yards," Where the British Navy Stored Food and Supplies

The Encore sails at 1pm and all passengers have to be on board by 12:30. The Silver Ray will follow us soon afterward. The final sail away party of our 37 days of cruising begins just as we leave the port.

Really Great House Band and Singers, with Ross--the Over-Energetic Cruise Director-- in the White T-shirt

Scenes as We Sail from Bermuda