azamara cruises, azamara journey, bermuda

Departing Hamilton

Having skipped a few days checking email and doing any real work, we decide we should check-in to make sure things are OK back home.  We've been told of a free internet cafe at a small coffee shop just across the street from the pier.  We enjoy a coffee at Common Ground and use their wireless connection for about an hour.  While WiFi is available onboard Journey, it's certainly not free (.48/minute) and it's not nearly as fast as the services onshore. 

After our coffee/internet cafe stop, we do some last minute duty free and souvenir shopping before returning to the ship for lunch and the sail-away celebration around 2pm.  The departure from Hamilton is very dramatic - beautiful pastel shaded homes and buildings on the lush green hillsides surround us as we make our way out of the narrow channel to the reef cut.  After nearly 2 hours of navigating the narrow channel, we watch as the harbor pilots leave the ship while we enter the open water of the Atlantic.  It’s about 660 nautical miles back to the New York area.  We'll have a full sea day tomorrow before arriving early Saturday morning at Cape Liberty.

Tonight we have reservations at the second specialty restaurant, Aqualina.  Located on deck 10, on the other side from Prime C, the views are magnificent.  While Prime C offers more selection of dishes, Aqualina offers a smaller menu plus a Tasting Menu consisting of 7 courses, paired with 7 different wines.  A $50 charge applies to this menu to cover the wine service.  Additionally, there is a $20 per person service charge that applies to Aqualina, since we used our complimentary reservation at Prime C earlier in the week. Our table enjoyed appetizers including a trio of scallops and white bean soup.  Entries included lobster, sea bass and sea scallops. 

The second production show, entitled "Sing it & Swing it" will be presented in the Celebrity Cabaret.  Again, this show is excellent, and we thoroughly enjoy the performance by the 5 very talented singers and dancers.  After the final show, the cast along with the cruise director take a few minutes to introduce themselves to the audience, share some of their past experiences and their aspirations and future plans.  These 5 performers are finalizing their contract with the final trip of the Journey to Bermuda that occurs in 4 weeks.  The show will continue with 5 new cast members arriving in 3 weeks to take over the show as the ship transitions to new itineraries including South America and then to Europe next spring.

After this production show, many of the staff and guests enjoyed themselves in the Looking Glass lounge for Karaoke.  This venue is on deck 10 forward, and is used for dancing with either the small Azamara Trio or a DJ.  It doubles as an observation lounge during the day with some of the best views onboard.