Time on Island?

What cruises offer a useful amount of time on Bermuda? I was looking at cruises for 2018. Found one NCL sailing that arrived at 9am, departed at 3pm the same day... I like cruising but i do want some port time... Did I read the info wrong? Is the Veendam cruise docked in Hamilton

the best for port time? Would a Dockyard cruise that

at left at 3Pm have any useful time that AM? Cruising out of NJ or Boston... Thank you.

X out of Bayonne is there for 2.5 days. That is a good amount of time. Doing this in August 2018.

bon voyage

ncl out of Boston is 3 days (Sun arrive at 1pm, Mon all day, Tuesday leave at 5pm) is a good amount....that's the Dawn

H.A.L. has the longest stay.

I feel Veendam in Hamilton is a better port too.

Veendam docking in Hamilton was my original choice. Then I read posts saying Dockyards had grown so popular there was actually more to do in and from there. EX: the mini buses to South Beaches. Plus many raved about the cheap ferry service to Hamilton for the one day I would likely spend there. Verses having to use taxis or slow buses to get to places if located in Hamilton. They made a persuasive argument... As a FIRST time visitor trying to make the most of my time. Do want to do a couple of the beaches, Do want to do Hamilton Front Street, May or may not want to visit St Georges. NO interest in using scooters so I will need transportation. Buses sounded fine but reviews lately have been critical...

I will look at the NCL cruise from Boston that leaves late in the day as a compromise vs Veendam. Small ship still intrigues me. Enjoyed that small ship feel of Majesty of the Seas on our first cruise. Also may have to re-look at the schedule. May to early June may be my target dates. With all the hurricane issues this year Sept & Oct 2018 seem too risky.

price wise for boston sailings earlier in season are more reasonable and less children (the june -august cruises are very busy with families vs may and fall cruises more silver-haired crowds - love the Dawn for less people in general.

Veendam docking in Hamilton was my original choice. Then I read posts saying Dockyards had grown so popular there was actually more to do in and from there. EX: the mini buses to South Beaches. Plus many raved about the cheap ferry service to Hamilton for the one day I would likely spend there. Verses having to use taxis or slow buses to get to places if located in Hamilton. They made a persuasive argument... As a FIRST time visitor trying to make the most of my time. Do want to do a couple of the beaches, Do want to do Hamilton Front Street, May or may not want to visit St Georges. NO interest in using scooters so I will need transportation. Buses sounded fine but reviews lately have been critical...

I will look at the NCL cruise from Boston that leaves late in the day as a compromise vs Veendam. Small ship still intrigues me. Enjoyed that small ship feel of Majesty of the Seas on our first cruise. Also may have to re-look at the schedule. May to early June may be my target dates. With all the hurricane issues this year Sept & Oct 2018 seem too risky.

Here are some of my comments.

You wrote: many raved about the cheap ferry service to Hamilton for the one day I would likely spend there. Verses having to use taxis or slow buses to get to places if located in Hamilton. The ferry service is just as cheap and convenient from Hamilton to the Dockyard as it is from the Dockyard to Hamilton. Most attractions that are in Hamilton City are walkable from the ferry or cruise ship dock. The attractions not in the City do require the use of a bus or taxi no matter where you start from.

You wrote: posts saying Dockyard had grown so popular there was actually more to do in and from there. There is an attractions map showing the location of many of the attractions. Hamilton is in a far better position to get to most attractions than the Dockyard.

You wrote: I will look at the NCL cruise from Boston. That would be the Dawn. The only problem with the Dawn is that arrives in Bermuda on a Sunday at about 12:30pm (2017 schedule). On weekends in Bermuda, the frequency of public transportation is reduced and does not run as late as a weekday. Stores in Hamilton will be closed but open at the Dockyard.

When is your cruise? I'm assuming the bus problem is not long term and will improve for 2018.

SBtS

We are doing NCL escape out of NYC. I believe we'll be there from 9am Wednesday to 3pm Friday, so nearly 3 full days. The only one that we found to be longer was Holland America, but the ship really just didn't appeal to us. X summit has the same schedule as ours, I believe.

We've done them all- HAL Veendam is the way to go. Ship is in fine shape (despite what you may read) and three full nights right in Hamilton makes all the difference. Hamilton is central to everything- the Dockyard is on one far side of the island. You can just as easily take the ferry from hamilton to the dockyard to have a gander than the other way around. We go to the beaches in Tuckers Town so that may skew my view a little bit.

Veendam is much smaller than Summit, Dawn and I felt more upscale. Food was also markedly better than either.

At the end of the day though it came down to itinerary and arriving at a leisurely 1pm and sailing 3 nights later at 1pm was a fantastic, non rushed way to see everything. That last half day is great to run around Hamilton and get some shopping done.

We've done them all- HAL Veendam is the way to go. Ship is in fine shape (despite what you may read) and three full nights right in Hamilton makes all the difference. Hamilton is central to everything- the Dockyard is on one far side of the island. You can just as easily take the ferry from hamilton to the dockyard to have a gander than the other way around. We go to the beaches in Tuckers Town so that may skew my view a little bit.

 

Veendam is much smaller than Summit, Dawn and I felt more upscale. Food was also markedly better than either.

 

At the end of the day though it came down to itinerary and arriving at a leisurely 1pm and sailing 3 nights later at 1pm was a fantastic, non rushed way to see everything. That last half day is great to run around Hamilton and get some shopping done.

Definitely will keep it in mind for when we eventually travel without kids. I'd love to have an extra night and be in Hamilton!

We've done them all- HAL Veendam is the way to go. Ship is in fine shape (despite what you may read) and three full nights right in Hamilton makes all the difference. Hamilton is central to everything- the Dockyard is on one far side of the island. You can just as easily take the ferry from hamilton to the dockyard to have a gander than the other way around. We go to the beaches in Tuckers Town so that may skew my view a little bit.

 

Veendam is much smaller than Summit, Dawn and I felt more upscale. Food was also markedly better than either.

 

At the end of the day though it came down to itinerary and arriving at a leisurely 1pm and sailing 3 nights later at 1pm was a fantastic, non rushed way to see everything. That last half day is great to run around Hamilton and get some shopping done.

I don't agree that the food was markedly better on Veendam than on Summit. Summit and Veendam are about equal. Certainly those two are better than Dawn. I have been on all three. I would want to choose Veendam because of Hamilton, did her twice out of New York. However they are pretty much out of the running for me since for two reasons, she is now out of Boston, and Veendam no longer does not do regular Bermuda sailings. Next year Veendam does only four Bermuda sailings, two in May and two in June.

I don't agree that the food was markedly better on Veendam than on Summit. Summit and Veendam are about equal. Certainly those two are better than Dawn. I have been on all three. I would want to choose Veendam because of Hamilton, did her twice out of New York. However they are pretty much out of the running for me since for two reasons, she is now out of Boston, and Veendam no longer does not do regular Bermuda sailings. Next year Veendam does only four Bermuda sailings, two in May and two in June.

I'll totally give you that they're a draw in the main dining rooms. That's fair. We don't eat a lot of meals in the MDR- it's just not our thing.

What rubs me about Summit is them getting rid of the Normandie. It was a very nice fine dining experience- right on par with Pinnacle Grill on Veendam which is also quite good.

The speciality dining on Summit to me is very gimmicky (Qsine is most likely the epitome of this and is more like a Cheescake Factory on drugs than a fine dining experience) but Tuscan Grille wasn't as good of a steakhouse as Pinnacle or the Normandie which it replaced. The menu was too big, the portions were either too large or too small, and instead of doing a few things well they had a lot of options that were just ok.