NY and Bermuda with John and Roberta Kallina
Thursday Aug 15
We left Kiowa at 10 am for a 1 pm flight which didn’t leave until 1:22. Pretty uneventful flight into LaGuardia Airport. The airport was surprisingly nice, looked recently renovated. We took the shuttle to Alamo and had our mini van quickly. Off to Long Island and our hotel at the Roslyn which is a Hilton. It was an older hotel but kept up nicely. The girls at the check in desk were very helpful. We decided to eat dinner at the hotel and food was good, not crowded, and good service. Off to a good start.
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| our hotel |
Friday Aug 16
Today was all about Teddy Roosevelt. We drove to Sagamore Hill in Cove Neck, NY near Oyster Bay which was Roosevelt’s home from 1885 until his death and was the summer White House during his presidency. His wife lived there until she passed. Edith, the oldest daughter was living there and put locks on the doors immediately after her mother’s death, keeping all the furniture and artifacts secure from relatives hands. It was amazing to see all the sculptures, paintings and original furniture and rugs.
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| Sagamore Hill National Historic Site |
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| Can you see how excited John is? |
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| view from the house |
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| library |
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| Sitting Room |
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| dining room |
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| entrance to the library |
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| North room |
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| elephant tusks |
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| kitchen |
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| linen closet |
After touring the house we walked down to the visitor center which is housed in Teddy Roosevelt’s oldest son’s (Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr) house. It was called “Old Orchard” because it was built in the Apple orchard. There are a few Apple trees left today. The bookstore was not open so we went into town for lunch stopping at Home Sweet Home. It was a small place and sandwiches were good.
We went back to the bookstore where our magnet was purchased and John bought souvenirs.
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| Old Orchard House |
Our next stop was Young’s Cemetery where Teddy Roosevelt and his wife were buried.
After the cemetery we stopped at the beach in Oyster Bay. Lots of sailboats on the water.
We made our way back to the hotel after a stop at CVS for a few needed items. Greg and Roberta researched dinner options and made reservations at Off The Hook. Took us about 45 min to get there. The restaurant was located in Freeport, on a strip a mile long of mainly waterfront restaurants called the Nautical Mile. While eating we saw many very large boats passing by. The food was excellent with us ordering clams, mussels, and octopus.
After going back to the hotel we went downstairs to the hotel for a nightcap.
Saturday Aug 17
Hamptons today. Our goal is to go the the Mantauk lighthouse. The girl at the hotel said it would be a 4 hour drive, Google said 2.5. It took us 3 hours. After a long line to pay for parking we headed to the bathrooms then paid to go to the lighthouse. The exhibits inside were interesting and the views nice. We made a stroll through the gift shop and off to eat.
We passed a couple of outside clam/lobster eateries on the way in so headed back to eat at one of them. The Clam Bar was packed but we found a parking place and put our name on the wait list. We saw someone with a Bloody Mary and all decided we needed one. $80 later we were enjoying our drinks and they called our name and our table was ready. Greg and Roberta had the fried clams and they were a bit overcooked but my BLT lobster was awesome.
After lunch we began our drive back.
We rested a bit and ventured out in the rain because the bar and restaurant in the hotel was closed due to a private party. We went to Barefoot Peddler. It had an Irish Pub feel. We had a couple of drinks and then some food: I had French onion soup, Roberta ordered ahi tuna and the guys had sliders. Roberta definitely made the best selection.
Back to the hotel where the party was still going strong. They assured us the music would stop at 10 and it was closer to 10:30 but we hadn’t gone to bed yet so all good. We all agreed that Long Island was not what we were expecting. It was much lower key and underdeveloped, however, we did not venture off the highway into the Hamptons itself. All of us were glad we came early to visit Long Island.
Sunday August 18
Up and checked out by 9 and headed to the airport to turn in the rental car. The way back seemed a lot shorter than the drive to the hotel. We turned in the car and then waited for our driver to pick us up to take us to the port. Roberta had reserved the transport but had a hard time communicating our pickup location. When the driver arrived we knew why. He spoke not a word of English, using a translator on his phone.
We arrive at the port around noon, dropped off our baggage, and found the Yacht Club check in station. Yacht Club on MSC is definitely the eay to go. A gentleman escorted us to a private checking area, then a small waiting area where we have a glass of champagne and then quickly escorted us onto the ship, straight to the Yacht Club area. The ship is MSC Meraviglia which holds 6000 passengers. The Yacht Club is an area at the front of the ship on floors 14-19 with a private living room, restaurant and bar. We have a butler, room steward, and a concierge desk. A ship within a ship. After going to our room, we went to lunch in the restaurant. After lunch, our suitcases had arrived so we unpacked. There is plenty of storage and the suitcases went under the bed. At 4 we had to watch the safety drill in our room then go to our muster station to check in. The four of us walked around the ship to get the lay of the land. So, so many people. We just wanted to go back to our Yacht Club sanctuary!
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| The atrium was beautiful. The scene on the ceiling changed throughout the trip. |
Views from our room as we sailed away
We changed clothes and had a pre dinner drink in the living room. Our plan was to eat and go to the 8:30 show but we couldn’t get a table for dinner. We put our name on the wait list and went back to the living room. The hostess came and got us quickly but we did not make the show at 8:30 but did make to the 10:00 show. Dinner was good, all had prime rib but the prime rib served to the couple next to us was definitely an upgrade and the chef came and personally visited with them. They must be “special”.
The show was “Disco” and not bad but several songs were not disco music but enjoyable. Called it a night.
Monday Aug 19. Greg’s birthday.
We slept until 8:30. The room was totally dark which made for great sleeping. We had a couple of pastries in the living room and went poolside to read. It was very windy but found a couch that wasn't too, too windy. Roberta and John joined us for hamburgers at the pool grill. Greg and Roberta’s meat could/should have been cooked longer - very, very pink.
Greg and John went to smoke a cigar and the girls returned to the room. It’s windy on our balcony too.
We went down to the atrium to listen to the steel drum player but it was so loud and screechy that we left. Ended up back in the Living Room where we read for awhile then back to the room. We went to the Living Room for before dinner drinks and then down to dinner earlier but still had to wait for a table but not too long. It was formal night and most were dressed nicely. Lobster was on the menu and we all had it. I had asked about a BD cake for Greg and the Concierge desk said it was already ordered but they didn’t bring it out and we had to remind the waiter which spoiled the surprise. Oh well. The cake was good.
We made it to the 8:30 show which was titled Journey through Europe. It was pretty good, starting with Ireland and Danny Boy. We went back to the Living Room for a nightcap and called it a night. We had chocolates, a dark chocolate bar, chocolate dipped strawberries, macaroons, champagne and a bottle of Jameson waiting for us in the room. We hit the jackpot!
Tuesday Aug 20 sea day
We had a time change, moved our clock ahead one hour so when we woke up at 9 but it was really 10. We had breakfast on deck 6 where there was a brunch. Should have stayed in Yacht Club. Greg’s omelette was very small as was his hash browns. My Eggs Benedict were fine but OJ was watered down and it took a long time to get served. We wandered the the stores for a bit before heading back up. After changing into a bathing suit I went in search for a lounger. Silly idea but I did find a couch that was mostly in the sun and read for a bit, enjoying a pina colada. It got very noisy around the pool area so I went back to the room and sat on the balcony until I lost the sun.
After dinner tonight we went to the theater to watch the magic show. Very amateurish.
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| enjoyed the bright moon from our balcony |
Wed Aug 21
Bermuda was hit with a category 3 hurricane earlier in the week. We were concerned about hurricane damage but no need. Bermuda's buildings are built to survive strong storms. We docked at 9 am in Bermuda at the Royal Naval Dockyards. The guys ate breakfast in the dining room at 7:30 and headed off at 9 to play golf at Port Royal Golf Course. Said the course was nice and the only damage from the hurricane was all the sand that was sucked out of the traps.
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| Sailing into the Royal Navy Dockyards |
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| Port Royal Golf Course |
Roberta and I ate breakfast at the pool grill and headed out to the beach. Taxis were vans and cost $7 per person each way. The cost for two loungers and an umbrella was $60. Pretty pricey. Horseshoe Beach is known for its pink sand which was not as pink as we were expecting. The water was amazing but it was super crowded. The crowd was a rough group, lots of four letter words being yelled behind us. It was two families with children. Kind of took away from the beauty.
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| Blow up loungers. They were more comfortable than they looked |
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| Our ship |
We stayed for a couple of hours and headed back to the ship and enjoyed a little time at the pool on the boat. We thought the pool grill was open so we could eat before our sunset excursion but nope, so we ordered room service. The pizza was good.
We met at the concierge desk at 6:15 and was escorted to our excursion on the gangway. We booked the pirate glass bottom boat and sunset sail. The captain gave some good info as we went out to the reef. The pier use to be in Hamilton but was moved to the Royal Navy Shipyard when the cruise ships started getting bigger than the port in Hamilton could service. The dockyard had been sitting vacant for many years and was perfect for the bigger ships. The reef was pretty healthy and lots of fish. Unfortunately the sunset was a bust but we had our first swizzle drink which is the National drink of Bermuda and consists of rum, fruit juice and a sweetener like grenadine or falernum. After returning to the ship we had a nightcap and headed to our rooms.
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| Ship as we returned to the dock |
Thursday Aug 22
Today we had an island tour with Bermudabyways. The owner is Heidi and she met us at 9 am. We lucked out and were the only 4 people with her today so a private tour. Heidi was recommended by a friend in Lake Kiowa who had used her a couple of months ago. We passed by the entrance to a resort. The moon shaped stone entrance was designed by a gentleman who had traveled to Japan.
Most of the buildings are over 400 years old and are made from limestone with limestone roofs. The island was rich with cedar so early buildings were constructed from cedar but after hurricanes destroyed buildings in the 1600-1700's they switched to limestone. Our first stop was Ft Scaur. The fort was built in the early 1700s after the Revolutionary War. England was unsure of the colonies and felt they needed to protect Bermuda from America. The views from the top of the fort were very nice.
We stopped at the smallest drawbridge where we fed the ducks and fish. There were hundreds of fish eating the bread we threw out.
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| Our guide Heidi |
Our first beach stop was Warwick Long Bay beach. We climbed to the top of the hill and saw a small lagoon. It reminded me of the Baths at Virgin Gorda. We saw a huge parrot fish here.
We drove through the outskirts of Hamilton to St George’s where the first settlements were founded. We toured the oldest Anglican Church outside of England and stopped at a perfumery which created all their fragrances in house. We walked by the White Horse Restaurant and Pub, the island’s oldest pub.
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| Whitehourse Restaurant and Pub |
After a bathroom stop and purchasing a magnet we were off. Before leaving St George’s we drove by Tabacco Bay, a shallow beach with great snorkeling.
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| This beach was much less crowded. If we came back for a land trip, might want to stay close to this beach. |
Heidi dropped us off at the park where we grabbed a picnic table while she went to pick up lunch, fried fish sandwiches on raisin bread. Strange combination but it worked. We saw fish as we waited, especially a colorful parrot fish.
Heading back to the port we stopped at the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. Heidi’s grandfather was the lighthouse keeper and she lived for a time in the house by the lighthouse. It flashed its first beam in 1846 and was one of the first lighthouses to be made of cast iron.
We asked Heidi to drop us off at the pharmacy. After the pharmacy we stopped at the Frog and Onion Pub, recommended again by our friend. I had a swizzle which was much better than the one last night and Greg had a red ale brewed on site.
The line getting on the boat was long and hot. We ate dinner late and ended the night after dinner.
Friday Aug 23
We were in port until 3 but had not booked anything. We looked at the options and decided on a boat ride pointing out the homes of the rich and famous. We saw the home of John Lennon where he wrote his last full album. The Douglas family (as in Kirk and Michael) has a large estate on the island and a resort. Our guide met and worked with Catherine Zeta Jones for a couple of weeks. Bloomberg, former mayor of NY, and the Ross Perot family own homes here. Perot had a reef blown up so he get his yacht into his dock. It caused lots of criticism and investigation but in the end nothing happened. Money talks??? It was an enjoyable boat ride, the guide was very informative, and we got to see downtown Hamilton from the water.
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| Dockyard from the water |
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| oops |
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| As we approached our ship. We are on the left. |
As a Diamond member I got one free reservation in a specialty restaurant. We went to the Mexican restaurant for lunch. It was surprisingly very good. After lunch I went to the pool and snagged an empty lounger and enjoyed the sun for a bit.
Sat Aug 24 Sea Day
We woke up to a very cloudy windy day, definitely not laying out weather. We went to Top Sail (the living room) to read so Ernie could clean the room. We ate lunch in the dining room and went back to the room to pack.
Last night dinner and then to see the show which was a showcase of the singers and magicians. Magicians we could have done without.
Enjoyed a nice sunset.
Unfortunately this trip will forever be remembered for the Covid that I brought home with me. It was a nasty case of long covid and I really didn't feel up to snuff for two months. The island was beautiful and worth seeing. I wouldn't mind going back for a land trip. Third time on MSC, twice in Yacht Club. The cruise ship outside of the Yacht Club felt terribly crowded, in comparison to Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Sea which did not feel crowded. Both ships had 6000 passengers. The service in Yacht Club was awesome and very reasonably priced. Would only sail in Yacht Club if we were tempted to sail with MSC again.
