rjac Posted January 5, 2019 Report Share Posted January 5, 2019 Looking at this excursion for our first ever trip to Bermuda. It's the 5 day out of Cape Liberty on the Anthem and we'll have two full days in Bermuda. One day for the beach and one day for sight seeing. This is a 5 hour excursion and pricey. Just wondering if it's worth it, 5 Hours? I didn't think Bermuda was THAT large. Would appreciate comments, especially if anyone has been on this excursion before. Thanks and Happy New Year!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted January 5, 2019 Report Share Posted January 5, 2019 Bermuda isn't that large, but because there is basically one main road that goes from one end of the island to the other, you're dealing with long drives to get from the dockyard to places like St. George's. My $0.02 -- Don't bother with this trip. Having the two days really does allow you just do things on your own. A better option (having done this myself) is to buy a 1-day transportation pass for you and your wife. Prices may go up for 2019, but last year it was $19 per adult (see this page at bermuda4u for more info). The pass covers not only the buses, but the ferries as well. So you can do something like the following: Get the pass as soon as you're cleared to leave the ship Walk over to the ferry going to St. George's -- it leaves at 9:30 AM sharp, so you have to be among the first off the ship to have enough time to get the passes and not be running to the ferry dock Take the 45-minute ride there and wander the town until lunchtime Take the buses back through the island and go to Hamilton for lunch Wander Hamilton for a bit Take the ferry from Hamilton to the Dockyard -- leaves at 4:30 and 6:00, IIRC I would also strongly recommend saving your beach time day for day 2, especially if you plan to go to Horseshoe Bay. This was the advice we got from our waiter and head waiter, as It's far more crowded on the first day than on the second with everyone wanting to rush over there. As a beach alternative, you could go to Tobacco Bay beach, just outside of St. George's. Fairly easy walk, just take your time going up the hills. You can see pictures of it in my live blog. If you did that, I'd advise just doing St. George's on day 1, then Hamilton or another spot on day 2. coneyraven 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted January 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 5 hours ago, JLMoran said: Bermuda isn't that large, but because there is basically one main road that goes from one end of the island to the other, you're dealing with long drives to get from the dockyard to places like St. George's. My $0.02 -- Don't bother with this trip. Having the two days really does allow you just do things on your own. A better option (having done this myself) is to buy a 1-day transportation pass for you and your wife. Prices may go up for 2019, but last year it was $19 per adult (see this page at bermuda4u for more info). The pass covers not only the buses, but the ferries as well. So you can do something like the following: Get the pass as soon as you're cleared to leave the ship Walk over to the ferry going to St. George's -- it leaves at 9:30 AM sharp, so you have to be among the first off the ship to have enough time to get the passes and not be running to the ferry dock Take the 45-minute ride there and wander the town until lunchtime Take the buses back through the island and go to Hamilton for lunch Wander Hamilton for a bit Take the ferry from Hamilton to the Dockyard -- leaves at 4:30 and 6:00, IIRC I would also strongly recommend saving your beach time day for day 2, especially if you plan to go to Horseshoe Bay. This was the advice we got from our waiter and head waiter, as It's far more crowded on the first day than on the second with everyone wanting to rush over there. As a beach alternative, you could go to Tobacco Bay beach, just outside of St. George's. Fairly easy walk, just take your time going up the hills. You can see pictures of it in my live blog. If you did that, I'd advise just doing St. George's on day 1, then Hamilton or another spot on day 2. Thanks Joe! Discussed this option with with She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed and we are going for your recommendations. So, if it turns out that she is not happy about this....watch your back...... JLMoran and SpeedNoodles 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted January 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 Hope to cruise with you and yours some day. JLMoran 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 Just now, rjac said: Hope to cruise with you and yours some day. Thanks! And likewise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 This is the tour I signed up for but couldn't find. I wound up finding a cheaper one minutes before - under $100 (I want to say $75) and it was 100% worth it. There was plenty to see and with the history it made for the time. The tour was from Viator and it was 5 hours and there were times we were rushing around. rjac 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coneyraven Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 Since Bermuda has become our second home (it would seem) --- @JLMoran is spot on in his recommendations. The walk from St. George over to Tobacco Bay was a bit strenuous, but not impossible .... going by the church ruins was the highlight of the walk with Tobacco Bay being, by far, our favorite beach. In fact, if you DO take the bus back, be sure to stop at The Swizzle Inn for a Rum Swizzle. That place is AWESOME, and so is the food, I had a shrimp & escargot dish that was unreal.... I couldn't stop talking about it. JLMoran and rjac 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidmag Posted January 13, 2019 Report Share Posted January 13, 2019 I did a Bermuda cruise last May and booked a tour of the island with Bermuda Byway Tours. It was a day tour and included lunch so was well worth it. Our tour guide and owner of the company is Heidi Cowan, a life long resident of the island so she was able to point out lots of interesting sites and stories. She met us at the cruise dock and returned us after the tour so no problem locating her. I found her on her website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted March 24, 2019 Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 On 1/6/2019 at 7:38 AM, ellcee said: This is the tour I signed up for but couldn't find. I wound up finding a cheaper one minutes before - under $100 (I want to say $75) and it was 100% worth it. There was plenty to see and with the history it made for the time. The tour was from Viator and it was 5 hours and there were times we were rushing around. Bumping this thread because I am now thinking of this tour. @ellcee, what did you mean by, “this is the tour I signed up for but couldn’t find”?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted March 25, 2019 Report Share Posted March 25, 2019 12 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: this is the tour I signed up for but couldn’t find”?? So when you get off of the ship it's super easy to find your tour company/leader....except that my particular tour was further away and even the tour leaders from the same company had no idea. It was my own fault because I never saw the directions on the email they provided, it's just weird that all of the other tours were directly off of the ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted March 25, 2019 Report Share Posted March 25, 2019 55 minutes ago, ellcee said: So when you get off of the ship it's super easy to find your tour company/leader....except that my particular tour was further away and even the tour leaders from the same company had no idea. It was my own fault because I never saw the directions on the email they provided, it's just weird that all of the other tours were directly off of the ship. So did you get a refund? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted March 25, 2019 Report Share Posted March 25, 2019 10 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: So did you get a refund? No, I tried but they said they gave me instructions...which they did. Couldn't find them day of though because I didn't have service off of the ship. Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruising to Retirement! Posted March 27, 2019 Report Share Posted March 27, 2019 On 1/5/2019 at 11:56 AM, rjac said: Here is my response! We had a great experience with Juanita from Bermuda Island Tours 3 years ago! We booked directly through her Website. She had been a police officer for over 20 years and boy did she know the island inside out! She was a wealth of history, knowledge, and information of the island, (ask her anything) that she shared throughout the tour with 6 of us total so we were in a spacious van. The tour was $75 3 years ago the same price as today! Her reviews were highly recommended! I just confirmed with Juanita a few days ago of our Wrap Around Island tour on May 25th on our Anthem 9 day cruise! This will be our 3rd time to Bermuda! We are so excited to do this tour all over again! She is so quick to respond always. She stopped for Bill and I ( a few others too) to jump out even and walk up and down the steps again of the beautiful St. Peter's Church in St. George's that my Dad took black and white movies of their honeymoon there in 1959 including a pic of my Mother at 21 years old walking up and down the steps of the church! Sorry got nostalgic for a moment. Juanita took us for a quick stop to quaint cafe there too. St. George's is so beautiful and such a charming town with lots of beautiful old buildings/architecture mixed with modern day flair. It reminds us a little of the charm of Carmel/Monterrey Ca too which made us think of home which was the Bay Area. Other great spots a must do is Tobacco Bay Beach and Horseshoe Beach are stunning! That pink sand looks even better in person than pics at Horseshoe. She drove by and stopped at many other sites around this huge beautiful Island. Hamilton is very beautiful too with a more modern flair! Heck its so different from the Caribbean islands. I wish we could spend the night in Bermuda to experience the night life especially in Hamilton. I bet it's epic! The very first time we went to Bermuda 10 years ago we used the bus system to get all the way to St. George's etc And the amount of stops and standing for hour and a half was not pleasant. The buses were packed with no air conditioning..... that was our experience! No way did we do that coming back from St. George's or we would not have had time to see anymore of Bermuda that's for sure!! We took a very expensive taxi which was for myself, my husband and 19 and 22 year old daughters at the time to get back! Hope they have updated that system! Sorry to ramble on! We are getting ready for our epic 9 night cruise leaving this Friday on the "New" Navigator in an Owner's Suite, (I'm pinching myself this will never happen again trust me)! So getting very "cruise" excited! You all are so helpful and great! Hope this helps everyone! Michelle P.S. La Bamba Thursday night! Can't wait! Ps. Our Embassy Suites 17th street Ft. Lauderdale (P.S. my favorite hotel) room went down $80 over last 14 days dropping way below $200 just like I like! Jiffy Jeffy $30 back and forth to Ft. Lauderdale to Miami in new Mercedes van just like last March on Navigator! Yippee! ellcee and Lovetocruise2002 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted March 27, 2019 Report Share Posted March 27, 2019 @Cruising to Retirement! Thanks for all the info! I will definitely have to check out Juanita from Bermuda Island Tours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted March 27, 2019 Report Share Posted March 27, 2019 @ellcee and @Cruising to Retirement!...about Bermuda Island Tours and Juanita, how does it work if you don’t have a party of 10? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted March 27, 2019 Report Share Posted March 27, 2019 9 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: @ellcee and @Cruising to Retirement!...about Bermuda Island Tours and Juanita, how does it work if you don’t have a party of 10? Hmmm....I used her through Viator. Found her business card (wasn't even looking for it!) yesterday. Maybe just email her and see if you can be added somewhere. Bermuda Island Tours [email protected] # 441 704 8477 Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruising to Retirement! Posted March 27, 2019 Report Share Posted March 27, 2019 Ellcee and Love too Cruise2002, Juanita did not mention a minimum of 10 people n our back and forth emails when we booked the tour a few years ago or for our upcoming Anthem in May and believe me I've done non ship tours that required a 10 person minimum upfront. Please double check directly with Juanita and let me know. I will reach out to her again to triple check when I back from our Navigator cruise! Thanks! Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted March 27, 2019 Report Share Posted March 27, 2019 Juanita falls at #2 on my top tours of traveling. She's that engaging and smart and a good driver. Jameson distillery in Ireland (I don't even like Jameson) was my #1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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