Normally I am accustomed to writing about a variety of the daily occurrences that occur throughout the Hudson Valley, namely the different crimes that occur as that is a subject I take great interest in. That being said, everyone needs a break and I was LONG overdue for one.
For the first time since I was hired to be the Producer on WPDH's The Boris & Robyn Show, I went on vacation. The vacation destination if it wasn't obvious enough by the title above, was the beyond beautiful and beyond peaceful island of Bermuda.
A Year in the Making
This family vacation was unlike any family vacation my family and I had ever planned before. The vacation idea was actually courtesy of my Uncle Kevin, my Mom's older brother. To make a long story short, a couple years ago my Uncle had some health issues pop up and gave him a glimpse as to what human mortality really is.
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This experience made my Uncle reassess some things in life and after a long and very successful career, he wanted to focus more on enjoying life as much as possible and that is exactly what he began doing.
It was in June of 2023 when my Uncle first contacted my mom and told him about this grand idea, this grand plan for siblings to reunite and take their families together on vacation. With some careful planning, the arrangements were made, my Uncle Kevin and his family drove down to New York from Massachusetts and my Uncle and Mom's little brother flew in with his family from Texas. Add some more aunts, uncles, kids and cousins to the list and the group was full, a grand total of 23 of us.
The Long Countdown and Departure
Once the plans were set in stone, the countdown was on. My sister took it upon herself to set a timer a year ago tracking every day, hour and second leading up to travel day. It became a weekly joke where someone would ask her "hey how long till we leave?" to which she'd respond with something like "227 days, 15, hours and 37 seconds".
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The clock eventually came down to zero which was on Sunday June 2, 2024. That morning the entire crew of nearly two dozen, made their way down to the New York State Port Authority and went the through the "super fun" identification and baggage check process. I say that sarcastically but honestly it didn't even take hour.
Once on board and settled into our rooms the exploration of the ship began...and then stopped 5 minutes later because everyone found the bar at poolside and the week long, never ending flow of alcohol began. It was a week of nothing but Long Island Bay Breeze's, Pina Coladas, Rum & Coke, Mojito's, every variety of scotch, bourbon and whiskey I/we could get our hands on, and a new drink I hadn't heard of before called a Dark & Stormy.
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The ship we were on, the Norwegian Joy officially set sail from the port in New York at 6pm that evening. By 7pm, we were sailing by the Statue of Liberty and waving goodbye to New York City.
The Cruise Experience
In total, it took about 2 and a half days to complete the journey from New York City to the island of Bermuda. Those days out at sea were filled with multiple trips to the ships buffet as well as the various restaurants and bars located throughout the ship. The staff on board also had planned an absolutely endless amount of entertainment for every single day, literally from sun up to sun down and beyond that.
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The ship also held parties at night a their main club, Spice H20 which was packed with people for various nights. After the club closed, my cousins, my sister and I set up shop at one of the ships best restaurants called, The Local. It was the location open latest at night and we happily closed the bar on at least three different nights, well three nights we can remember anyway.
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Early Wednesday morning while vacationers slept, the ship arrived in Bermuda. After waking up, refueling with a trip to the omelet bar for breakfast and the chugging a Liquid IV, it was time to meet up with the family for a trip the beach.
The Bermuda Experience
Bermuda is an island paradise but is ultimately not very large, spanning at 24 miles long and only about 2 miles wide, but regardless, you couldn't throw a rock without hitting some beach. The island on a map actually looks similar to a fishhook. After taking a taxi to the other end of the island, my family and I arrived at Horseshoe Bay. We spent the whole day at the swimming and sunning to our hearts content.
Day two consisted of my siblings, one of our cousins and myself, taking a tour of the entire island which included a trip to the famous Crystal Caves and a trip to the local zoo and aquarium.
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The Caves were made up of Stalagmites and Stalactites that over the course of millions of years had come together and formed these massive columns. With some specialty installed lights, illuminating the cave in different ways, it gave various different perspectives on how to view the cave itself. The pools in the cave were also formed via a mix salt water and the droplets of water that fell from the ceiling.
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A trip to the aquarium and local zoo was next and the experience was vastly different compared to a zoo here in the states. The main exhibit of the zoo actually allowed visitors to travel inside the animals massive enclosure. I was literally able to look up directly at a Red-Tailed Lemur, right over my head. Also had this cool moment when I actually said "bye" to a Giant Tortoise and it looked directly at me.
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It all sadly had to end though when the ship left Bermuda Friday afternoon. The remaining time on the ship was remarkably like the first time, as the days and nights were taken up with restaurants and bar trips. Everyone made it safely back to NYC, no luggage was lost and a great time with great memories was had as we all departed back to reality.
Ciders, Seltzers, and Spirits Festival
Here's a preview of a couple of the beverages you'll be able to taste at this year's ciders, seltzers, and spirits festival!
Gallery Credit: Arianne Rogers
2024 Vacation Inspiration-Top 15 Places to Visit in New York State
Gallery Credit: Google Maps-Canva
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