Xrayest

On 2/19/2021 at 8:54 AM, ace2542 said:

They should also not issue a refund for anyone who doesn't want the vaccination.

That statement is literally the rudest comment on this thread - and I have yet to read them all. Shameful to throw shade at other human beings who do not agree with your beliefs or simple train of thought.  

8 hours ago, BIG POOCH said:

With the reports of them requiring vaccinations, we will never be cruising on NCL again.  Hope they realize just how much this is going to hurt their business even more than it already has been.

Hello BIG POOCH, 

I can totally understand where you are coming from and in a way, can relate. I have cruised on NCL, and would love to again (we are not "big deals" with fancy gold stars near our names) but have had wonderful trips and would love to cruise again. That being said, I am not able to safely get this new vaccine and do not appreciate others knocking me nor insulting me because of it = YES, this would refer to anyone throwing shade onto others for whatever reason they chose to wait out the storm minus a non-FDA approved (except for emergency use) vaccine. 

I am hoping that in time, restrictions will be lifted for ALL people to travel and once again move about the countries. In the meantime, those who have decided to get the vaccine can travel and assume they are safe among their own kind when I know for a fact that immunity from COVID is not guaranteed even after being fully vaccinated. I do not place blame with NCL - businesses have been bled dry during this pandemic. This new policy is until 10/31/21 thus far. I have CruiseNext vouchers that we'd love to use eventually - but may never get that chance if the restrictions continue for years.  

Maybe we will cruise again, maybe not. If not, that's okay because we have seen the beauty of other wonderous places and as long as we are together (DH and I), then we are happy. It certainly would not be the end of my world - it's just not that detrimental to our lives and well-being. Just want you to know you are not alone in your feelings and to say ignore those who feel the need to knock you by calling you names, telling you that they are glad you won't be cruising with them, to vacation in the desert with other non-vaccinated people (that's rich. and shameful ), and other assorted condescending words of indignation. Not sure about you but I would not wish to be on a cruise, or any vacation, with those who treat others with such disrespect. I'm happy to sit this one out. Time will tell if we will cruise once again. If we do, I'd be absolutely fine if you were on the same ship.                  

11 minutes ago, taximom00 said:

 

we leave on friday! plan on going to horseshoe one of the days, renting chairs and umbrella.  can you also rent snorkel gear here?

any other suggestions? our first time (well my second...first was 25 years ago!) going this cruise with my 20 year old daughter. 

not doing an excursion to horseshoe bay...easy to get a taxi, right?

thanks!

 

Just returned from our cruise to Bermuda, visited 2 beaches while there. Our ship docked at the Royal Naval Dockyard - from there it was super easy to board a minbus to Horseshoe for $7 pp each way. Mind you this was on a Sunday afternoon and the ship I was on was the only one docked that day. We did not rent any chairs or umbrellas at Horseshoe, although there seemed to be plenty.

Instead we walked left once we arrived at the beach and kept walking. There are huge rock formations to the left and if you walk a bit (away from the crowds), you can find beach areas that are less crowded even with shade since the rocks cast a shadow onto a bit of beach. We sat on beach towels and enjoyed the beach and water from that vantage point. The fellas snorkeled and saw quite a bit of fish out towards the coral that jutted out of the waters. I cannot attest to snorkel rental since we brought our own - I don't care how they "clean" rental items such as snorkels, I'm not personally cool with that but you decide what works for you. 

Overall Horseshoe is a GORGEOUS beach with some of the best sand I've even seen. We did not do any pricey excursions to Horseshoe as it was super easy to board a minibus and easy to get there. We also used taxis when we had less choices - but knowing what I know now, will avoid those in the future whenever possible. I noticed their meters were set to $5 and change immediately upon sitting in the cab - and we didn't even go anywhere yet, haha.      

4 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

 

Thank you for reporting your experiences at Horseshoe Bay and Clearwater. 

YW Charles :). Hope I did not sound like a buzzkill re: Clearwater. Perhaps my expectations after visiting Horseshoe were just a little high? We have been to many, many beaches throughout the years with some beautiful ones being right in sunny FL (not where I reside but were my family is), and Clearwater seemed more like a cove to me than a beach. Since finding out it is actually man-made, that now makes sense.

I did not venture to Cooper's Reserve or what have you due to the time restraints at that point and not being too familiar with that area. Live and learn is what I always say ~ I saw it once so now I know what it is and won't go back. It was far from crowded for a Monday in July, but just not nice enough to see again. I will check out Tobacco Bay during my next trip - again just to see how that place is. Horseshoe is beautiful with some of the best sand I've ever seen. Clearwater - not so much (but still better than some beaches in New England).  

Just returned today (7/26) from our 1st Bermuda cruise. I'd say a "must see" if you love beautiful beaches as I do would be Horseshoe Beach which we visited on day 1 : docked at 1 pm, was off the ship within 20 mins, took a mini-bus directly there ($7 pp each way). If you do go and wish to get away to the crowds as I do, walk to the left and keep walking a stretch. You'll find some BIG rock formations with coves in between. Gorgeous teal and blue-green waters, nice waves (but not overwhelming), and even a bit of shade close to the rocky forms. If you do prefer a bit of shade and are okay sitting on towels, you can avoid the crowds and save yourself some money by not renting chairs and/or an umbrella. My husband and his friend snorkeled towards some coral patches in the water and saw huge Parrotfish, Angelfish, and various others at Horseshoe. 

We also visited Clearwater Beach the following day (after seeing the Crystal Cave) and talk about a disappointment. We arrived there at 2:30 - skies were perfect, lots of sun, but the beach itself left a LOT to be desired. There is a bar there and small snack area, but the place itself (building it was in) was dark and run-down appearing. We ventured out to the shore to see the beach, figuring it is Bermuda so the waters must be a sight to behold. Well...they were still a lovely shade of clear turquoise, however there was not a wave to be seen. There was seaweed and what appeared to be pine needles on the sand, but not a ton of it. Definitely a far cry from the pristine sands at Horseshoe. We approached a shack that rented umbrellas and chairs/loungers since the guys wanted to snorkel but the ladies wished to chill but not under the blazing sun. Mind you it is 2:50 or so at this point. The price of the "1 umbrella and 2 lounger rental" was $35 for the day, with a "discount" offered after 3 pm. We were offered a "discount" of $5 off for renting 2 loungers and 1 umbrella - but took it since we figured we at least enjoy them for 2 hours (Horseshoe rentals stated the rental booth closed at 5 pm, I thought Clearwater would be similar). The lady manning the booth then takes off, leaving a younger man to work it as it was not super crowded, yet there were plenty of people still enjoying the beach and TONS of vacant chairs and umbrellas.  Less than an hour later, the young guy approached to inform us that we have to pack it up because he has to take and stack the chairs and umbrellas. We were pretty much shell-shocked at this point but were not about to argue the point since the beach was not up to par anyhow. $30 for 1 hour of chair/umbrella rental is ridiculous ~ had we known that was going to be the case, we would never had rented anything. As far as snorkeling - according to the guys, there was minimal if any fish, but quite a few sea turtles were out in the deeper waters. We only bought a few beverages, so I cannot attest to the snack bar except to say the choices looked to be minimal and mostly fried foods. There are planes constantly flying to and fro from a local airstrip nearby - maybe a cool thing for kids to see but not impressive for many adults who wish to have a relaxing time at a beach (zero waves to drown that out).   The cab ride back to Hamilton cost a small fortune which is to be expected ($70) ~ something that I would not have minded paying for had the overall experience been pleasant. The workers at the snack shack were not helpful at all when I inquired on how to call for a cab - they basically told me to go outside of the building to look for one. That had to be a joke because cabs do not go out that far unless they have a sure fare waiting for them (they hang about the dockyard but not across the island). 

There were a few locals out front that were willing to take our group of 4 back to Hamilton for less than half the price of a legal cab (those are referred to as "gypsy cabs"), but we were not having that as all of those guys had beers in their hands or appeared to be sketchy.

 Conclusion: if you feel you may be missing something by not seeing Clearwater Beach, than definitely go. I went because I read many decent reviews here and on TripAdvisor, however I should have given more leverage to the less than stellar reviews.  After seeing it, sitting at it, and wading into the water, the experience if off my bucket list as we will not return to that stretch of beach. Not a "must see" in my book.