jdarch

Horseshoe Beach has some of the better beach facilities on Bermuda: large bathrooms, showers, concession, etc.

Enjoy Bermuda!

We've had some experience with both NCL and X to Bermuda :rolleyes:, and sailed the Breakaway her first season. All the posts here have good points, especially Oceanblue. For us, although we'll be in Bermuda less time (:(), next year we chose RCCL partially based on the Breakaway's crowds, vs. how relatively staid the Summit can be (also we found the food on the Summit this year not as good as previously). Tough call, but all considered, I think the variety of entertainment available on the Breakaway, particularly for your 20-30ish crew, gives it the edge.

If there is no ship scheduled to arrive at Heritage, they sometimes dock there instead of Kings. Don't know why they do but they just do. The Customs building is newer and nicer, I know.

Thanks. I've just never seen that happen. Heritage does have the more impressive building with a gift shop - guess it's that simple!

Curious: Anyone know why the Grandeur of the Seas is docked at Heritage Wharf this trip? RCCL ships usually dock at King's Wharf. Inquiring minds want to know!

.....kind of a little deceptive marketing. They could say that they are at Heritage Wharf now and you might get a lot of non-NCL cruisers wanting to try out the other dock who did not know they were next to each other.

 

:rolleyes:

 

wasiii

Hm...not really deceptive - all just shades of where it is.

As in saying the departure is from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal vs Pier 88 vs. New York.

Beautiful view once again.

But it looks like the damage (or the repair tech) left the camera off kilter - the image is not level. :eek:

My OCD is twitching!

Does anyone know what to expect if you sail in June from New Jersey to Bermuda? We love the sun and I'm worried the air might be cool and the ocean rough. Would it be rainy and cool?

Let's see. We've had a little experience with this cruise :rolleyes:...

We've found all the above to be true, so to put it in a clamshell:

June is a great month the go to Bermuda!

The seas are generally not bad, but can be. On any cruise, if you worry about heavy seas, get a cabin that's low and in the aft third of the ship - not as much motion there. Relax, you're going to Bermuda!

The weather is generally beautiful, but can rain. Check the Hamilton weather before you go; if you're worried just pack a windbreaker or light raincoat - and assume you won't need it. Relax, you're in Bermuda!

So, if you get showers or a bumpy day at sea, you're still going to Bermuda! :D

Enjoy your cruise!

Yes, and every other person gets a candle. :rolleyes:

Is Dockyard the same as King's Wharf :confused:

Gets confusing doesn't it? "Royal Naval Dockyard" is the whole area at the tip of Ireland island; King's Wharf is the historic dock area; and Heritage Wharf is the new extension to the northwest that was added a few years ago so Dockyard could accommodate two cruise ships at once. Heritage Wharf had some modifications two years ago to fit even larger ships like the Breakaway. Most of the time, the larger cruise lines each reserve a particular area: Celebrity/RCCL uses Kings Wharf, NCL uses Heritage Wharf.

Winsome Tours offer a five hour tour of the island for $60.00 per person.

They have a 15 person van. I am booked with them for cruise in October.

Just checked the Winsome website. All their tours look pretty good, but the Sunset Dinner Tour sounds awesome! Tom Moore's Tavern is about as historical as it gets and very well rated - we might have to try that ourselves next time!

Hi,

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic,

 

There are plenty of excursion that combines glass bottom and snorkeling, i.e. : http://www.jessiejames.bm/ , Chloe ( captain and owner ) was great with us !

That would save you some time.

Definitely agree. While fun, the afternoon snorkeling excursion is eating up your visit. There is so much to see above the waves! With limited time, I wouldn't bother with Hamilton - it's basically a business center - good for shopping, but you can do that in Dockyard your last morning.

We like to prowl on our own, so I'm not familiar with what excursions are offered; I think because they try to coordinate large groups (in addition to yours) they take up more time. For a beach, I would try to get to Horseshoe Beach (in the a.m - it gets crowded by midday); for an island walkabout in the afternoon, St Georges is beautiful. Perhaps you can get a tour that gives you time in each. At any rate, keep track of the threads on the local bus issues going to Horseshoe- waiting for a bus would be no fun.

Enjoy your cruise! :D

Temporarily .

 

Next year when HAL returns they dock for three nights in Hamilton , NCL & X only for two nights ,I think . Someone correct me if I'm wrong . :)

Kind of apples and oranges time-wise:

Veendam arrives 1:00 pm on Monday and leaves 1:00 p.m. on Thursday. So yes, three nights - but as far as visiting, only two complete days; one other day is half gone by the time you get there, and the last day you have only the morning - which pretty much limits you to Dockyard...

He's not exactly thrilled with the new beach shuttle service.

 

http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20140813/NEWS/140819894

Just for balance:

Regardless of the delays started by this change, where was Furbert's "concern" for the visitors when he ordered last minute BIU shutdowns that affected the bus AND the ferry every time he wants to have a meeting or he gets ticked at Government over something foolish? The shuttle buses have had delays and long lines also, but since BIU members were in the drivers' seat it was never a problem with him.

Thanks for all the input and info. My comment about not making the 9:30 ferry wasn't so much out of concern about the ship, as was a commentary on how slow my dd moves in the morning. LOL. I will definitely give more thought to my Wed itinerary as I would like to fit in some time in St George's.

I've been following the threads about the beach shuttle and am a bit concerned, but figure we'll wing it and take a cab if necessary.

 

What about going from horseshoe bay beach to the Gibbs lighthouse? Is that do-able?

Short answer: Doable, but not walkable from the beach. It is about a mile from Horseshoe Beach to Lighthouse Road; bear in mind it is then about a ten minute walk to the top of the hill where Gibbs Lighthouse sits. You take the #7 bus toward Dockyard from Horseshoe and just tell the driver you would like to get out for the lighthouse.

http://www.bermudalighthouse.com/map.htm

Long answer :rolleyes:: If you are heading to the caves from Hamilton, you might want to consider stopping at the Bermuda Aquarium and Zoo in Flatts Village; it is WAY more interesting than it sounds (DW and I have been there twice and totally enjoyed it both times!). See:

http://www.bamz.org/about.php

After your visit, then get back on the bus toward St Georges/the Caves. About 3 miles on, you might want to stop at the Swizzle Inn for lunch - and the caves are just down the street from there.

The Caves: we were recommended to Crystal Cave as the better of the two instead of seeing both - it is more than enough cave for one day! Our two cents...:D

Also, depending how many trips you'll take, you may wish to look into the token books vs. Bus/Ferry passes available at the wharf.

See:

http://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda_000091.htm

Enjoy your cruise!

 

From the Dockyard the 9:30am is very popular, so I would suggest 30 minutes before...

 

If there are two ships in Dockyard, and you want to be sure to make that ferry, plan on at least 30 minutes...

Worth checking into: our bus driver mentioned how affordable it is to stay in a guest house, and pointed out quite a few on the South Shore. In addition to TAdvisor, there are a number of other sites listing those as well.

Bermuda? Meh...

:rolleyes:

Your two cents is always worth more.:)

 

The flyboarding is what really gave us pause. What did you see as far as that? I just see it as noise, churning up the water so you can't see the fish and also scaring away fish. Were our concerns a knee jerk reaction and something that was of no concern? Guess it's a moot point for us since we decided to bag Bermuda after many, many years and have booked a cruise elsewhere.

Any more two cents would be appreciated .:)

Thanks! The only time we saw fly-boarding was on two occasions in Dockyard (frankly, at first I had no idea what I was seeing) :confused:. If they are offering it at Tobacco Bay, we saw no evidence of it. If they did, I think they would drive people away in hordes. As it is, at a National Beach, I'm confused how they get away taking up the beach with empty loungers, much less renting something that would trash the resource entirely. :(

I hope you enjoy your other jaunts and return to, "heartbda" again!

we have reservations there next week, but i have heard people say it is hard to access the beach. we plan on enjoying the pool , but would like to spend most of our time on the beach. are beach chairs etc included for beach also?

Not sure what you mean by "hard to access". There is a wooden staircase below the pool that leads to the beach = some might find it a little steep. There are raised sections with chairs and umbrellas on each side. Both times we were there we were able to get umbrellas but I would get there early just to be sure.

Enjoy your time in Bermuda!

Also worth mentioning: As much as we like Tobacco Bay, when posters say they have amenities, it might be disappointing to some. Last month when we were there, it was showing some growing pains.

-Although the vendors have improved the deck/bar area, they have decided to take up half the beach with the available loungers/umbrellas for rent (not sure how they get away with this on a National Beach). On a beach that already gets crowded in the p.m., if you don't want a lounger you're more or less pushed to the sides. :(

-We're not real sticklers, but the bathrooms were in pretty rough shape - pretty funky, no toilet paper. There was a changing room of sorts in the men's room, but no shower.

My two cents.

Although we enjoy Tobacco Bay as well, Horseshoe Bay has the easiest access from Dockyard, better amenities, and just off to the right when you enter the beach there is an area sheltered by rocks that makes it calm.

I know i shouldn't have....but i checked the forecast for our three days in bermuda next week. not looking good!!! "tons of rain" was the forecast.(wednesday thurs and fri) anyone else hear the same? or anything different? :(

Four days out, both of our cruises this summer called for rain. For both cruises we had fairly good weather, and except for one day, the seas over and back were like glass. As an island, over time, we've also seen Bermuda rainy days turn into beautiful ones - and vice-versa. Make your plans flexible according to what you see in the morning.

Hey there! Yes, you split it with my friend Anne and me!! :)

Hope you guys are doing well.

[/C OLOR]

I will be back at Coco Reef in a few weeks. On the Explorer of the Seas this time. Loved Breakaway though! Hoping there won't be the rain showers we had last year.

HI! Hope you both are also doing well.

We just left the EOS...well, two weeks ago - and are having severe withdrawal. We had NO idea what we were missing; it was that good: ship, cabin, all the staff, MDR, buffet, everything. If it was still sailing next year, we'd be back on it in a heartbeat!

Okay, okay, back on topic: Coco Reef is very much the same; nicely maintained and beautiful - well worth another visit.

(Hope you enjoy EofS as much as we did.)

Any idea of the cost from the cruise terminal to coco reef via cab. Thinking of doing one way by cab.

 

Thanks

Last year it was about $40 plus tip we split with another couple. This year we had Transport passes so we took the #7 bus; from the stop it is about a 5 minute walk through Bermuda College to get there.

http://bernews.com/2014/07/new-beach-shuttle-service-introduced/

 

“The new system was necessary due to the increased number of passengers following the start of Norwegian Breakaway’s service to Bermuda on May 15, 2013 and it has proven to be very successful providing a safer and more logical system for cruise ship passengers.”

 

“The new Beach Shuttle service is part of a series of product improvement initiatives that will be collectively implemented going forward.”

This also might be a minor thumbing of their nose at the BIU for those spontaneous shutdowns of the buses and ferries. :p Any time the Union decides to flex their muscle at Gov't, visitors are essentially stuck in the Dockyard...