CruiseRVA Posted May 5, 2019 Report Share Posted May 5, 2019 My husband and I will be cruising to Bermuda on Grandeur of the Seas in a week. We’ve never been to Bermuda, so would appreciate any input other travelers may have. From what I have read on this forum and other places, Bermuda is a port that can be enjoyed without signing up for excursions. 1) The first day we arrive at 1pm. We are thinking about taking the ferry to St. George’s and walking around. We enjoy historic sites and walking around new towns. Thoughts on this? 2) The one excursion we are considering is the Bermuda Triangle Nightlife Glassboat Cruise, but I am having trouble finding any details about when it leaves (after dark, I’m assuming, but not clear when) or how long it is. Has anyone been on this or know any details, including the vibe of the excursion?We’re 48 and 50 and are not looking for a party atmosphere, but the glass bottom at night looks like it could be interesting and fun. 3) We’re thinking about a beach for our second day. Maybe Horseshoe Bay Beach, but I’m open to other suggestions. It looks like many beaches can be reached by the bus line. Any experiences with that? (The ship is scheduled to leave at 2:30pm). I’m open to any and all suggestions about how to best use 24 hours in Bermuda! Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted May 6, 2019 Report Share Posted May 6, 2019 Hi there @CruiseRVA! Welcome to the boards! 1) This is a totally workable plan. You’ll want to take the Orange Line ferry, which is the first one to leave. You’ll want to be sure to get off the ship as soon as they clear people to leave, and scoot over to the ticket booth at the end of the pier. The first ferry leaves at 9:00 IIRC, maybe 9:30 (schedule wasn’t posted when I checked the bermuda4u.com site), so there’s not a whole lot of time to get the transit passes and get over to the ferry. If you miss that first ferry, the next one doesn’t arrive for about 90 minutes. Once you’re in St George’s, it’s very easily walked and there are a decent number of sights to see. You’ll also have a good number of food options and art / craft stores to check out. 2) I haven’t done this excursion, but I looked at it for our first trip last year and found reviews on TripAdvisor that indicated there really wasn’t much to see through the glass bottom, and it was a bit of an uninteresting trip. As always, take Internet reviews with a grain of salt. 3) Horseshoe Bay is perfect for day 2, as most passengers will try and get there on day 1. Don’t take the public bus line, take the small minivan shuttles that you’ll find right at the end of the pier. $7 per person each way, and the shuttles are constantly coming and going so you can leave whenever you’d like. And take a couple towels from the ship with you for drying off Once at Horseshoe Bay, find the shack by the beach entrance to get loungers and/or an umbrella and/or a bucket of beers. An employee will walk down the beach with you to set up the loungers where you’d like, and also dog a hole for any umbrella. You must pay cash for all of these as I recall. Rates are about $18 for a lounger, $15-ish for an umbrella, and they have package offerings as well. People there are good about not stealing your lounger or umbrella and respecting the space where it was set up. Hoski, PPPJJ-GCVAB, rjac and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseRVA Posted May 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2019 50 minutes ago, JLMoran said: Hi there @CruiseRVA! Welcome to the boards! 1) This is a totally workable plan. You’ll want to take the Orange Line ferry, which is the first one to leave. You’ll want to be sure to get off the ship as soon as they clear people to leave, and scoot over to the ticket booth at the end of the pier. The first ferry leaves at 9:00 IIRC, maybe 9:30 (schedule wasn’t posted when I checked the bermuda4u.com site), so there’s not a whole lot of time to get the transit passes and get over to the ferry. If you miss that first ferry, the next one doesn’t arrive for about 90 minutes. Once you’re in St George’s, it’s very easily walked and there are a decent number of sights to see. You’ll also have a good number of food options and art / craft stores to check out. 2) I haven’t done this excursion, but I looked at it for our first trip last year and found reviews on TripAdvisor that indicated there really wasn’t much to see through the glass bottom, and it was a bit of an uninteresting trip. As always, take Internet reviews with a grain of salt. 3) Horseshoe Bay is perfect for day 2, as most passengers will try and get there on day 1. Don’t take the public bus line, take the small minivan shuttles that you’ll find right at the end of the pier. $7 per person each way, and the shuttles are constantly coming and going so you can leave whenever you’d like. And take a couple towels from the ship with you for drying off Once at Horseshoe Bay, find the shack by the beach entrance to get loungers and/or an umbrella and/or a bucket of beers. An employee will walk down the beach with you to set up the loungers where you’d like, and also dog a hole for any umbrella. You must pay cash for all of these as I recall. Rates are about $18 for a lounger, $15-ish for an umbrella, and they have package offerings as well. People there are good about not stealing your lounger or umbrella and respecting the space where it was set up. This is great information. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted May 6, 2019 Report Share Posted May 6, 2019 We did the Bermuda Triangle glass bottom boat tour a year ago and we were very disappointed. It was pretty boring and you really could not see much of anything below. IF you're just looking for something to pass the time then this one will be fine. If you're looking to actually see something, I would not recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseRVA Posted May 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 8 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said: We did the Bermuda Triangle glass bottom boat tour a year ago and we were very disappointed. It was pretty boring and you really could not see much of anything below. IF you're just looking for something to pass the time then this one will be fine. If you're looking to actually see something, I would not recommend it. This is really helpful. Based on your experience and JLMoran’s feedback, we are going to skip it. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 You are welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 Very welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 Also, be sure to check out bermuda4u.com — lots of useful information for visitors. Sweety 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coneyraven Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 Truly our favorite island. Here's an aerial photo of the dockyard area and the Clocktower Mall. The place to get your transportation tickets for the ferry is literally at the "T" junction where both piers meet between the ships. The large building in the right/center of the photo (with the green courtyard in the middle), is where you'll find many shops, restaurants (like the Frog & Onion). You can barely see the corner of the Clocktower Mall in the upper right corner Sweety and rjac 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseRVA Posted May 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 These pictures are beautiful. Thanks for sharing. coneyraven 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coneyraven Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 17 hours ago, CruiseRVA said: These pictures are beautiful. Thanks for sharing. My pleasure ..... We love Bermuda.....been there multiple times ..... once you figure out the transportation, it's a very easy island to navigate. The only thing people don't seem to realize is that's it's bigger than you think, and the time that it takes to get from Point A to Point B can be longer than expected, although, as @JLMoran indicated, if you make use of the ferries, there are faster ways to get to different parts of the island than the pink buses (or any vehicle for that matter). You just need to know what those are. All the roads are narrow and windy. rjac 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted May 14, 2019 Report Share Posted May 14, 2019 But the buses are so much fun!!! We got a three day transit pass when we were there a hundred years ago (ok it was 2002) and used the bus to get to the aquarium, Crystal Caves and back from St George (took the ferry there). What an adventure!!! Narrow, winding roads and Nascar drivers behind the wheel. On the way back from St George we had a bus full of children on their way home from school. I think half of them were sitting in my lap! So friendly and curious. I highly recommend the bus as a great way to meet and interact with the locals. coneyraven and Hoski 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celestep Posted June 10, 2022 Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 What’s the best way to get to the Crystal Caves? We’d like to venture there on our own. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted June 11, 2022 Report Share Posted June 11, 2022 Take the bus! Peter D and Celestep 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celestep Posted June 18, 2022 Report Share Posted June 18, 2022 On 6/11/2022 at 8:28 AM, Pooch said: Take the bus! Thanks! I saw in an earlier post you visited the Crystal Caves. Did you do it via a cruise excursion or on your own? If on your own, any tips? I fear we may not have the opportunity to see it if we compete with cruise ship excursions, but it’s so much cheaper if done on our own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted June 18, 2022 Report Share Posted June 18, 2022 We did everything on our own. As I said, we got 3 day transportation passes. Both the aquarium and Crystal Caves are on the bus route. The bus driver can tell you when to get off. We took the ferry from Kings Wharf to St Georges and the bus back to Hamilton. PrincipalTinker and Peter D 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EQDong Posted June 20, 2022 Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 I’m traveling my with my parents and 2 young kids (3.5 and 7 months). Is there any recommended tours? Our cruise will stop at Dockyard for 2 days. Thank you! WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celestep Posted June 21, 2022 Report Share Posted June 21, 2022 On 6/18/2022 at 7:03 PM, Pooch said: We did everything on our own. As I said, we got 3 day transportation passes. Both the aquarium and Crystal Caves are on the bus route. The bus driver can tell you when to get off. We took the ferry from Kings Wharf to St Georges and the bus back to Hamilton. Thank you!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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