Jump to content

Help with Bermuda planning


Lovetocruise2002

Recommended Posts

We are visiting Bermuda for the very first time in July.  The ship docks there from 8:00am-4:00pm on a Saturday.  Originally, we were hoping to do the Crystal Caves excursion through the cruise line.  However, I messed up on that one and did not grab it fast enough and now it appears to be sold out.  Here are my questions:

a)  With the time frame that we are there for, can we do this one independently or is it not a good idea?

b)  What are some other ideas for us (Hubby, D10&12) as we know pretty much nothing about Bermuda or travel time around the island etc.?  To give some background info, Hubby and D10 enjoy the beach, D12 and I do not (unless a cabana is involved).  Historical tours will not interest D10.  I love shopping but the rest of my family will be bored out of their minds.

c)  Has anyone done the 5 hour bus tour through RC?  It's currently $98pp.  Thoughts, reviews?

Any help with any of this would be much appreciated.  I really am not sure where to go with this port.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Transportation around Bermuda is easy and safe  - either ferries and buses.  You could probably get to the Crystal Caves on your own.  I believe when I was researching it if you went to the website for Crystal Caves they told you the exact bus routes to take.  We chose to do the tour through RC because it was a holiday that day we wanted to visit the caves.   The second day we were there we traveled all around the island via buses and ferries and it was very easy to do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey there @Lovetocruise2002! I had a whole day-plan figured out for you until I realized that the Orange Line ferry to St. George's doesn't operate on the weekend. That threw a major wrench in the works.

Being there on a Saturday, the Crystal Caves is really tough make work while still being able to do anything else. The caves are located smack in the middle of the island; the only "fast" way to get there on the weekend is by taking the Blue Line ferry to Hamilton (30 minute trip, first departure at 9:45 AM*), followed by a short walk to the bus terminal and a ride on the #1 or #3 bus to the caves (about 35-40 minutes). Thankfully, by the time you're in Hamilton the morning commute will be done, and it should be reasonably easy to get a bus that isn't packed.

The actual tour of the caves is only 20 minutes, plus whatever time you need to wait for your group to go in, so you'll have to decide if over two hours round trip on a ferry and bus is worth that. And keep in mind that you have to take the 1:45 PM* ferry back from Hamilton to the Dockyard to make all-aboard, as there won't be another ferry until 3:15. So if you do the caves, that will most likely be the only thing you'll have time for in that window.

Hate to say it, but with everyone's widely varying interests I think this might require a day of just splitting up and doing two separate things so that everyone is happy. Your hubby and D10 can take the shuttle bus from the dockyard to Horseshoe Bay beach and make a day of it there; IIRC, it's $7 per person for the small shuttle buses / minivans that are lined up right outside the pier, price paid each way. There is a restaurant right at the entrance to the beach where they can grab lunch, and they should also bring cash for loaning a lounger or two and an umbrella.

Meanwhile, you and D12 can take the Blue Line ferry to Hamilton, where you can wander around, do some shopping and grab lunch, and hopefully find something of interest for D12 to enjoy there. I haven't yet explored Hamilton, so I can't really give advice on what to see or do. If you just don't think she'll enjoy it because of too many "ifs" and "maybes", might have to ask her how she'd feel about being in AO for the day. Your other option is to just explore the dockyard, as there is a museum, restaurants, shops, and more there. I recall there's also a "dolphin experience" kind of thing offered there, but I don't know the specifics around that; might be more to D12's liking though.

Sorry I can't be more help with this; I hadn't realized how much more restricted the transportation options are on the weekend; losing the Orange Line ferry really complicates things. ?

 

*Ferry times based on the 2018 summer schedule, as the 2019 schedule isn't released yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@JLMoran thank you!!  That is the answer I was expecting but also afraid of.  Hubby and I took a look at some transportation options as well this weekend and also figured that it would be 2hrs or more on public transportation.  In the end, we figured that might not be worth it.  So back to square one. 

Since none of us have been to Bermuda ever, we're thinking of maybe doing the Bermuda Island Drive-By Mini Bus tour.  It's through RC and gives us a chance to see quite a bit of the island as newbies.  That way, next time we go back we can pick and choose what we want.

Anyone ever do this tour and have reviews/comments about it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Since none of us have been to Bermuda ever, we're thinking of maybe doing the Bermuda Island Drive-By Mini Bus tour.  It's through RC and gives us a chance to see quite a bit of the island as newbies.  That way, next time we go back we can pick and choose what we want.

Anyone ever do this tour and have reviews/comments about it?

Pinging @ellcee. If I remember right, she went on a tour very similar to this one. Might also be covered in her live blog from her trip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Anyone ever do this tour and have reviews/comments about it?

After my mishap I found Juanita. She works for Viator. She ran one of the best tours (she runs a few) I've ever done. She's an ex narcotics cop (?) and do interesting. She's funny, smart and runs a great tour. I can't say enough good about Juanita Jones or her tour. She may run private tours too. I don't know if this is the right link because I knew her from the Viator tour.

You and your family can 100% do Bermuda without a tour but I really appreciated the information from a local.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, betatke1480 said:

We are looking at the Aquarium and Zoo.  Has anyone here done that?  I can't get a good feel from the website if the aquarium is worth it.  We just figure this will be something good for our daughter.  

That was another one I was looking at too but figured that the tour would give us a better feel for the island rather than an aquarium/zoo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/23/2019 at 10:29 AM, Lovetocruise2002 said:

We are visiting Bermuda for the very first time in July.  The ship docks there from 8:00am-4:00pm on a Saturday.  Originally, we were hoping to do the Crystal Caves excursion through the cruise line.  However, I messed up on that one and did not grab it fast enough and now it appears to be sold out.  

 

Hey @Lovetocruise2002! Don't assume that it is sold out. I thought the same thing one of our Alaska 2019 excursions. I contact shorex@rccl.com and asked them about the status of the excursion and explained that it no longer appeared on the cruise planner. Within 12 hours of my email, it was back on the cruise planner. So, you may want to shoot an email to them with your booking number and inquire. Hope this helps and you get your first choice!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

52 minutes ago, Baked Alaska said:

Hey @Lovetocruise2002! Don't assume that it is sold out. I thought the same thing one of our Alaska 2019 excursions. I contact shorex@rccl.com and asked them about the status of the excursion and explained that it no longer appeared on the cruise planner. Within 12 hours of my email, it was back on the cruise planner. So, you may want to shoot an email to them with your booking number and inquire. Hope this helps and you get your first choice!

Thanks. I will try but it is still on the cruise planner. It just says “not available for online reservations”.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, coneyraven said:

Here's the updated schedule for the Dockyard - Hamilton Ferry (at least as of November 1) --- they were literally installing these schedules while we were there.

schedule.jpg

Looks like it’s the same as last year. Let’s hear it for consistency! ?

 

4 hours ago, betatke1480 said:

We are looking at the Aquarium and Zoo.  Has anyone here done that?  I can't get a good feel from the website if the aquarium is worth it.  We just figure this will be something good for our daughter.  

The aquarium and zoo are located close to where the caves are, maybe 10/15 minutes away. I’ve read on TripAdvisor that the aquarium is “meh”, and IIRC neither has much in the way of native marine / land animals.

If you can snag it through the ship-hosted excursion then no harm going for it. But as with the caves, that will most likely be all you can do that day aside from wandering the dockyard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you are on Facebook join this group Bermuda Bound https://www.facebook.com/groups/886000204754846/?ref=group_header.  They have a number of locals on the page that do all different types of tours and will customize them just for you and your schedule.  This group is a wealth of information.  Since it is your first time to the island and you are only there for 1 day I personally think this is they way to go.  I think @JLMoran is also on the Bermuda Bound Facebook group.  My family has spent many summers (a month to 2 months) in Bermuda back in the 70's & 80's (Dad's work sent him there very often) and still try to spend at least one week a year.  We have rented houses, stayed with friends, stayed at resorts & have cruised.  My next trip I will be at Grotto Bay on April 7th for a week & I'm looking to do Anthem in Sept or Oct 2019.  You will love the island no matter what you do.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, MaryS said:

If you are on Facebook join this group Bermuda Bound https://www.facebook.com/groups/886000204754846/?ref=group_header.  They have a number of locals on the page that do all different types of tours and will customize them just for you and your schedule.  This group is a wealth of information.  Since it is your first time to the island and you are only there for 1 day I personally think this is they way to go.  I think @JLMoran is also on the Bermuda Bound Facebook group.  My family has spent many summers (a month to 2 months) in Bermuda back in the 70's & 80's (Dad's work sent him there very often) and still try to spend at least one week a year.  We have rented houses, stayed with friends, stayed at resorts & have cruised.  My next trip I will be at Grotto Bay on April 7th for a week & I'm looking to do Anthem in Sept or Oct 2019.  You will love the island no matter what you do.  

@MaryS is right --- it is an excellent page .... I believe both @JLMoran and I are participants in the page.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We're heading to Bermuda in less than a month and can't wait!  We've sailed there before...in 1997!  Small ship, docked in Hamilton for two nights then St. Georges for one night.  We went back in 2016 for a 5 day land vacation.  This time, we're in the Dockyard arriving at 1pm Saturday and departing 2pm Sunday.  

Since we've already pretty much done everything we'd want to do, and the hours really stink, we're just going to wander about the island.  Once we get off the ship, it'll be too late to head to the beach.  Plus it's late April and still chilly.  The ferry to St. Georges (orange line) doesn't run on the weekends, so it's a long trip to head to the other side of the island.  Sundays, a lot isn't open, plus all aboard will be around 1ish...so Sunday morning is useless.  And - there is a huge world triathalon in Hamilton that weekend.  

We have periscoper friends who live there, so they're going to meet us for dinner on Saturday night.  They are also going to pick up our favorite cinnamon rolls on Friday for us so we can get them.  They are best eaten fresh out of the ovens at the bakery, but we'll have to settle I guess.  I was hoping their Hamilton location would be open Sunday morning but my friends said probably not. Of course there is no website and their hours are not on their Facebook page.  We're going to attempt the ferry over Sunday morning to try anyway.  Their original location in St. Georges is way too far.

So Sabrina this is no help to you at all - LOL - as I didn't answer a thing about your stop there.  On our first visit to Bermuda, we did a bus tour of the island.  gave us a great feel for what the island has to offer.  We stopped at a few beaches to see the different colors of sand, we got to climb a lighthouse, wander the streets of Hamilton and have a picnic lunch at the Dockyard (yes, that was back when the ship would send box lunches on long excursions).  Day 2, we took a public bus back to see some spots we wanted more time at.  After and overnight sail to the other side of the island, Day 3 we enjoyed wandering St. Georges, walking up to the fort and just taking in the beauty of the island.  My recommendation would be to take a tour that hits the highlights as it will have a little for everyone without anyone getting bored waiting for others.  Then you can pick out your favorites for the next visit back. Once you've visited Bermuda, you are definitely going to want to go back! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...