Bermudians have always had a love of the sea and this love affairs includes cruising.

Every year between 6,000 and 8,000 Bermudians take to the oceans of the world on board some of the most luxurious cruise ships, like the which made a one off stop-over in Bermuda this past week on her way to Lisbon. accompanied a handful of Bermudians on board the ship earlier this week to find out what the appeal was.

The is one of the newest cruise ships from Royal Caribbean and offers what the company describes as the ?ultimate at sea experience? by combining speed, comfort, greater space, sweeping ocean vistas and an exceptional staff who are committed to serving your every whim.

The 20 or so Bermdians who boarded the are all regular ?cruisers? and some boasted that they had been on every cruise ship sailing the oceans today except for the

The celebrates its first birthday on Sunday and with a passenger capacity of just over two thousand is one of the biggest, weighing a whopping 90,090 tons.

Glass elevators with ocean views speed you up and down the 13 floors which include caf?s, a ten-storey glass constructed Centrum, an indoor solarium, a sports court, putting course, a day spa and fitness centre that would put most gyms in Bermuda to shame, restaurants which offer a wide range of cuisine from Italian to Steak to a speciality coffee house, themed bars, two discos and an adventure ocean youth facility which includes an onboard water park for children.

The attention to detail is astounding with Swarovski crystals embedded in glass walls surrounding the disco on the top floor.

The indoor solarium comes complete with plants and recorded sounds of crickets and frogs. Even the air is kept at a constant humid temperature to create the effect of being in a jungle.

Each of the 13 floors has a different theme and the restaurant where the Bermudian tour group enjoys a cocktail before the tour has an African theme. Large wooden giraffes greet you at the entrance and the paintings on the wall are astonishing. The ship has its own art gallery boasting an original Picasso and black and white photos of some of the world?s most beautiful places and people.

The majority of the group are in the late 40s and 50s and this is apparently not unusual as they make up the majority of regular cruisers today.

Some of the men in the group are anxious to visit the ?Casino Royale? and Cheryl Hayward-Chew commented that for most Bermudians the casino is the number one attraction and in some cases their number one ?destination?.

Of course being docked in Bermuda the casino is not operating during the tour, but many in the group stop to look at the machines and tables and comment on the amount of money some pay out.

According to Meyer Franklin who organised the on-board tour, about 750 Bermudians took to the seas in 2004 ? an increase of 15 percent from 2003.

This number could be higher as children are not included in the number.

Another travel agency, specialising in cruise holiday, C-Travel said they sold 3,000 cabins in 2004 ? which can include up to four people in each cabin.

Choosing a cruise is like a visit to the supermarket.

Not only are there hundreds of destinations on offer, but prices also vary from $1,000 per person to $3,000 per person ? depending on the length of the cruise and the type.

Cruise ships vary from the super luxurious, premium brand to contemporary, the last being the more popular with young people and families while the older generation prefer the luxury cruises which have a certain ?old world style? to them and they have more historical destinations around Europe.

However Bermudians still prefer the Caribbean as their number one destination, followed by the Baltic, Alaska and the Mediterranean.

What no one expected was that at the end of the tour at least two of the group members remained on board ? their trip paid for and their luggage already placed in their cabins ? at least two other Bermudians were boarding as the tour group waited outside.