How does a cruise to bermuda work with the excursions?
February 2nd, 2010 4 Comments
Posted by admin
So im going on a cruise to bermuda this summer. What happens when the ship docks there. do you take all your stuff with you to a hotel for a day or something?? can u go in and out of the boat whenever you want during that time? If you don;t pay for the activities like snorkeling and stuff do they dock right next to the beach? Can you go into the ship whnever to eat or sleep? Basically anythign i need to know kinda new to this thanks!
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THere are 2 ports that I know of – King’s Wharf (also called Dockyard) and St. George’s. 7 night cruises give you about 3 days in port. You do not take your stuff with you. You ship basically becomes your floating hotel. You can come and go 24 hours per day. I left the ship as early as 6 am and came back after 2 am and there were always immigration folks and ship staff there allowing you to get back on board.
Beeches – in St. GEorges there are 2 beaches that I know of within walking distance. On is Tobacco Bay which is about a 10 minute walk or so. It’s very nice but a bit crowded. A few minute past that beach, at FOrt St Catherine is the other beach and it is stunning.
Neither of those beaches however are pink sand beaches. You have to go to the other side of Bermuda there. We went to Elbow beach and it was truly one of the most beautiful beaches I"ve ever been to. We got a three day unlimited bus/ferry pass. That system is highly efficient and inexpensive and will get you anywhere you want to go in Bermuda in a short amount of time. You can choose to take the high speed ferries or the bus or a combination of the 2.
Have a great time. It’s extremely beautiful (and expensive) in Bermuda
PS If oyu go to St. George’s I highly recommend going to the Crystal Caves,
When you cruise, to Bermuda or anywhere, the ship is your hotel for the length of the cruise. You can get off and back on the ship any times and much as you want. You c an go on ship sponsored excursions or book your own. There is a beach called Tobacco Bay that is great for snorkeling because it has flat water, no waves.
I have cruised to Bermuda twice in the past few years, once on NCL and once on Royal Caribbean. Both were about the same, both were from NY to Bermuda and back. A five, six, or seven day cruise to Bermuda is plenty enough time to see and enjoy everything there. If you have two or three full days there you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the beaches and some light shopping. The island is small so it does not take long to get places. There is not a lot to do in Bermuda other than water sports and golf. There are two main towns Hamilton, the largest, and St George.
There is really not much difference between a cruise that docks in St George or in the Kings Wharf. Those two places are on the opposite sides of the island but the island is only 22 miles long and so you can go to all of the same places and do all of the same things from either place. St George is like a very small town with just a few stores, shops and a cafe or restaurant. It has a town square surrounded by these. Its about a mile or less walk from there to a couple of beaches but the better and prettier beaches are on the other side/end of the island. If you want to snorkel, the Tobacco Bay Beach near the town of St George is great, and its walking distance (about 3/4 mile from town).
The Kings Wharf, also called the Royal Dockyard, is on the other end of the island and it is the terminus for the ferry and buses. So you can walk off the ship from there just about a block to either of these and go to the main town, Hamilton, or to the beaches. You do NOT dock at the beaches. There is also a small shopping mall, a museum, and a new attraction called the Snorkel Park, right where the ship docks at the Kings Wharf. If you want to take the bus to the beach you can do so from the Kings’ Wharf but be sure to get the bus that does the beach route; there are two routes from the Wharf to Hamilton. There is also a place called Snorkel Park which is near the Kings Wharf.
When you go to Bermuda the best way to get around is to buy a transportation pass (about $10) per day per person which allows you unlimited rides on the buses and ferry for the number of days that you buy. The buses are quick and safe; I have ridden them on each on my trips to Bermuda. They will take you all over the island, even to the beaches. Your cruise line may have the bus passes on the ship. What we did for an island tour was take the bus to the town of Hamilton and then take the ferry (using the same transportation pass) back to the dockyard. No need to book a sightseeing tour.
Bermuda has some of the best beaches anywhere; pink sand beaches that you can easily find a deserted spot on. In my two visit it seemed to me that the majority of the people visiting the island were those on the two or three cruise ships which docked there during my stay. There are a few hotels in the town of Hamilton and about a dozen other properties/beach hotels, but they are nice. There are NO slums and ghettos in Bermuda like you may see in the Caribbean islands. All of the houses are well maintained and painted in pastel colors. All of the public beaches are great. If you go there you want to be sure to go to Elbow Beach and/or Long Bay Beach; you can reach them by bus. The beaches will be about 15 to 20 minutes by bus from the Wharf. The have shower and changing facilities and a snack bar with chair and umbrella rentals. The scenery is absolutely beautiful, just as you saw in the magazines, and there is plenty of free space so its not crowded.
The Crystal Cave and Fantasy Caves are worth visiting as a tour, or on your own. I also visited one of the lighthouses and you can visit one of the many forts on the island like Fort St Catherine if you like that type activity. These all have an entrance fee.
In the town of Hamilton we took a walking tour which took us to the Cathedral of the Most Holy, a maritime museum and a nice garden/park a few blocks from the port. There is shopping in Hamilton and restaurants, but not much else. There are some souvenir shops but don’t expect great shopping places like you will find in a place like St Thomas.
Check out the web sites below. The second one has a wealth of information about cruising to Bermuda.
http://www.bermuda.com/
http://www.bermuda-online.org/cruises.ht…
As a cruise ship employee and avid traveler to Bermuda all the information that was provided is precise. I just wanted to add during the busy times of the year, July & August the public bus can be quite busy and some of the buses may lack air conditioning. The other new information is unless you are going on a small ship like Aida or Fred Olson cruise lines, all the major lines, Princess, NCL, Royal Caribbean will go to Dockyard. Holland America will go to St. Georges but will tender to the port and they will also stop in Hamilton (capital) and dock. This is where the premium shopping is and the main ferry terminal. I will tell you the best snorkeling is not along the beaches but as some of the previous posts, the water can be more calm. However, the better coral reef and fish will be at snorkeling sites accessible by boat only.
Hope this helps!
Hope this helps.
Nice post,
Thanks for the effort you took to expand upon this topic so thoroughly. I look forward to future posts.
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