Should we book the 5-Day Bermuda cruise from NY?

[steel123]

Hi All,

We have primarily sailed on Carnival, and currently have a 5 day Canadian cruise booked with them in June. We are also considering booking the 5-Day RCL Bermuda cruise instead. It will be more expensive, so we were wondering if the RCL experience is worth the extra money. Any feedback would be appreciated.:)

[bamelin]

Canada is such a wonderful country to visit eh. The people are friendly, the culture is amazing, the beer isn't watered down and the money is colourful.

 

Really it's a land of milk, honey, free health care, god's gift to coffee lovers, bagged milk and ketchup potato chips where one's dreams really can come true. Unless one's dream is to see the Leafs one day win the Stanley Cup. :(

 

So my completely "unbiased" opinion is to take the Canadian cruise ;)

[steel123]

Bamelin, thanks for your "unbiased" opinion. Canada sounds great!:)

[bamelin]

Your welcome

 

In all honesty I'd take the Bermuda cruise especially if you're considering the 9 day one that hits up the Bahamas too

[NordicPrince]

Instead of going 5 days to Bermuda on Explorer from Cape Liberty think about going 7 days on the Celebrity Summit from Cape Liberty.

 

You get a full 3 days in Bermuda on the Summit, 2 sea days down and a sea day back.

 

You only get a 2 days and a portion of another in Bermuda plus 1 sea day on either end on the Explorer.

 

Also the Summit is a smaller ship which lends itself more to the understated atmosphere of Bermuda.

 

Have a great cruise.

[dirtgirl]

Canada is such a wonderful country to visit eh. The people are friendly, the culture is amazing, the beer isn't watered down and the money is colourful.

 

Really it's a land of milk, honey, free health care, god's gift to coffee lovers, bagged milk and ketchup potato chips where one's dreams really can come true. Unless one's dream is to see the Leafs one day win the Stanley Cup. :(

 

So my completely "unbiased" opinion is to take the Canadian cruise ;)

 

 

You made this Vancouverite smile!:D

[dmdicato]

We're done both cruises....the Canadian one is definitely superior!

[Theresa522]

I would do the 5 day Bermuda, oh wait, I am!!! ;) Leaving May 22nd from NY. This is my second time we also did it last year. You will love, go for it!! Bermuda is amazing!! :D

[LBumb]

Bermuda cruise in a heartbeat. Bermuda is unlike any other typical cruise stops. However, getting there can be rough waters.

[bamelin]

Bermuda cruise in a heartbeat. Bermuda is unlike any other typical cruise stops. However, getting there can be rough waters.

 

How is Bermuda different? (I'm doing Bermuda/Bahamas in June myself). From my research the best thing about Bermuda seems to be how easy it is to get around the island and see everything on your own without having to put down big money on cruise sponsored excursions.

[patseacruiser]

I personally would do the 7 day on the Summit or 7 day on the Veendam out of NYC. I have done the Canada and the Bermuda and both were equally great. If you were talking about the same itinerary it would be an easier decision but Canada was wonderful in a different way than Bermuda was.

[clarkie138]

Theresa I'm going on the same cruise May 22nd.

[MrPete]

Canada or Bermuda?

 

B E R M U D A :)

 

There's no comparison, and the ExOS blows the (GLORY?) out of the water.

[megr1125]

Explorer from Bayonne NJ to Bermuda....(sorry, us Jersey peeps get possessive about our home ported ships being IN New Jersey...

 

kinda like the Jets and Giants...they play in NJ, thus they are the NJ Jets and NJ Giants!:D

[alexw]

Canada is such a wonderful country to visit eh. The people are friendly, the culture is amazing, the beer isn't watered down and the money is colourful.

 

Really it's a land of milk, honey, free health care, god's gift to coffee lovers, bagged milk and ketchup potato chips where one's dreams really can come true. Unless one's dream is to see the Leafs one day win the Stanley Cup. :(

 

So my completely "unbiased" opinion is to take the Canadian cruise ;)

 

As I look at this posters location, I just died inside

 

:D:D:D:D

 

great freaking post my Canadian neighbor!!!!

[MrPete]

Explorer from Bayonne NJ to Bermuda....(sorry, us Jersey peeps get possessive about our home ported ships being IN New Jersey...

 

Yes, and then majestically sails out of NY. :D

[sandytoes03]

What do you guys want from the cruise experience? I want to take a cruise, usually, to sit on the beach as much as I can. Since I live within driving distance of New England and Canada, I'm more inclined to go somewhere I can't drive to.

[alexw]

Can one of you kind people tell me the wonders of Bermuda????

 

I've always avoided that country since it wasnt in the caribbean.

 

thanks

[steel123]

I just had a chance to check on this, and I am happy to see so many people have responded.

 

We are getting down to the wire, since the final payment will be due next week on the Canadian cruise, so we have to make a decision.

 

I appreciate the tip on the other 7-day cruise options from NY & NJ. I will have to check the dates on those cruises to see if they fit our schedule. We are planning this cruise the week before the kids start summer camp, so we don't have much flexibility. I would also prefer a 7-day cruise, since it feels more relaxing.

 

The problem with the Canada cruise is there doesn't seem to be as much to do in port. As for what we would like to do, we would like to go fishing on this cruise. It is offered in both Canada and Bermuda, but I think the fishing would be better in Bermuda, since I had read in the ports of call that the waters can be rough and you don't catch much fish in Canada. I'm just not sure if it justifies the price difference. If RCCL and their ships are much better than Carnival, it may be worth it.

 

The Carnival ship is the Glory, which we have sailed before. It sounds that the EOS has more to offer. With it being much larger, are there any issues with the increased amount of passengers--long lines, etc?:)

[cs]

I have done both (Carnival to Canada and EOS to Bermuda). I prefered Bermuda because of the beaches.

[morgan1312]

We've done both Canada and Bermuda. Canada was a lot of walking around the ports to see stuff, In Bermuda we rent mopeds and go all over the island. My preference is hands down Bermuda because it is so relaxing.

 

To the poster asking what's so great about Bermuda, it's much cleaner and safer than the caribbean ports of call. The water is about the same but a little colder in Bermuda depending on the time of year. The fact that the ships stay in Bermuda overnight gives you much more freedom to come and go as you want with no having to be back to the ship by 3:00... The casino on the ship isn't open during your stay in Bermuda, that saves me money by not going every night. lol... The people in Bermuda are very friendly. Getting around is easy with either bus, water taxi or car taxi. It's my absolute favorite place to cruise, I've been there 5 times.

[steel123]

Wow! Bermuda is sounding really great. Between the beaches and the ease of getting around the ports, I'm tempted to just go with this cruise. It sounds like a desirable place to go, however, it is nearly twice the cost. I guess you get what you pay for!:)

[ivycruise]

I just had a chance to check on this, and I am happy to see so many people have responded.

 

We are getting down to the wire, since the final payment will be due next week on the Canadian cruise, so we have to make a decision.

 

I appreciate the tip on the other 7-day cruise options from NY & NJ. I will have to check the dates on those cruises to see if they fit our schedule. We are planning this cruise the week before the kids start summer camp, so we don't have much flexibility. I would also prefer a 7-day cruise, since it feels more relaxing.

 

The problem with the Canada cruise is there doesn't seem to be as much to do in port. As for what we would like to do, we would like to go fishing on this cruise. It is offered in both Canada and Bermuda, but I think the fishing would be better in Bermuda, since I had read in the ports of call that the waters can be rough and you don't catch much fish in Canada. I'm just not sure if it justifies the price difference. If RCCL and their ships are much better than Carnival, it may be worth it.

 

The Carnival ship is the Glory, which we have sailed before. It sounds that the EOS has more to offer. With it being much larger, are there any issues with the increased amount of passengers--long lines, etc?:)

We loved the Glory and hopefully will be able to be on her one day to check out the Canada cruise.

 

We've done Bermuda once before on RCI out of Norfolk on a 5 day and it just wasn't enough time in Bermuda. Only reason we didn't do Enchantment out of Baltimore (closer) or EOS is due to those being to short at 5 days. We're booked on the 7 day Celebrity Summit cruise to go back to Bermuda so we have a full 3 days. It was just so beautiful, the beaches, Hamilton, St George, no one hawking stuff bothering you on the beaches like the Caribbean. Right now we've decided return to a longer Bermuda trip than Canada but we have a 17yo daughter who voted for a return trip to the beautiful beaches.

 

Check the prices, Celebrity Summit with recent residency rates was cheaper or not much more on their 7 day to EOS 5 day, depending on date and cabin category.

[nigelsmom1]

I've never sailed, only land based trips but maybe I can give some of you who have never visited some perspective.

 

Bermuda is can be very quaint, a tad proper in some instances. I've stayed at the Hamilton Princess several times & the whole experience was always very relaxing, yet dignified. From afternoon tea & scones to the poolside service at the sister hotel (Southhampton) in these situations including traveling along Front Street the aura always felt a little British.

 

The Hamilton area (downtown) is really clean & on a weekday you get to see the Bermudians at work going thru their paces just as we do at home. It's a less rugged experience in Hamilton. Now I've hung out in the back of town, in a little club, at the barbershop & even up on "42nd" getting some really good fish sandwiches (& have even gone by the Green Lantern for a down home lunch) & it still has not been as rugged as some of the other places I've gone to. With that said, I was with my other half at the time who was born there, so my experience was more local.

 

The other places of interest like St. George (1st stop & getting a cab to my favorite resturaunt Black Horse Tavern) & visiting the churches were highlights for me. In addition the beaches Tobacco Bay, Horseshoe Bay are really very pleasant. Checking out the Lighthouse, the Museum at Dockside or going underground @ Crystal Caves are just a few of the things that make Bermuda different. It's just a really beautfiful, clean country with a aura all it's own. Enjoy your trip.

[steel123]

Ivycruise--I do agree that 5 days may be too short, so with yours and other posters recommendations, I finally had a chance to check on the Celebrity Summit. They do have a cruise during the time-frame we need, and the prices is less than EOS 5-day, so we are seriously considering this! I'm so happy you all mentioned this as an option, since I hadn't thought about Celebrity.

 

I noticied the week we need still goes to Bermuda for 2 days, but it also has a stop in Newport for a total of 7 days. Any other information on this cruise ship/line would be helpful. We have 2 boys 15 & 13 and wondered if this line is kid friendly.

 

Nigelsmom1--It sounds like there is so much to do in Bermuda! I've heard so many great things about the beaches, and your recommendations for lunch sound wonderful, too. Having gone on land vacations has allowed you even more time to experience it and it sounds great. :)