Hamilton-St George-Dockyard????

[Boatingmom]

Which is the preferred port in Bermuda? What are the advantages of each??

[iheartbda]

Everyone has different preferences and all three places have their pros and cons.

 

Some think St. George is boring but we find it a charming and historical with a great snorkeling beach close by. It is at the complete east end of the island but the fast ferry will take you to Dockyard or Hamilton. There are a number of attractions on that end of the island that can be gotten to by bus. One drawback is there is only one cruise line going to St. George and it is now a tendering port.

 

Dockyard is on the west end of the island. There are any number of things to see right in the immediate area and the south shore beaches are a short bus ride away. It can get quite busy since 2 large ships can dock at the same time.

 

Hamilton is just about centered between Dockyard and St. George so either place and any attractions in either direction are pretty easy to get to by bus or ferry. Some don't care for the city of Hamilton but shopping is probably the best there and there are a umber of things to see in the city proper and close by.

 

IMO, the BEST itinerary was when it was possible to dock right in St. George for part of the time, then move over to Hamilton but that option no longer exists.:( Now it's a toss up which place to dock but I would still take the cruise that affords the most time in Bermuda even if it wasn't my favorite place to dock.:)

[Boatingmom]

Thanks for clearing that up for me Iheartbda. I'm looking at the HAL itinerary as it affords both St George and Hamilton. I wasnt sure if there was a "stay away from" port.

 

The other lines leaving from east coast dont offer as many days in Bermuda.

[iheartbda]

Thanks for clearing that up for me Iheartbda. I'm looking at the HAL itinerary as it affords both St George and Hamilton. I wasnt sure if there was a "stay away from" port.

 

The other lines leaving from east coast dont offer as many days in Bermuda.

 

This year was the first to tender in St. George so you might want to check the HAL board to see how it went. There really is no stay away place in Bermuda, it just boils down to personal preference. Dockyard would be our last choice but if it was the ONY choice, it wouldn't be a deal breaker.:)

[shof515]

whats the average travel time from the dockyard to Hamilton by that ferry?

[iheartbda]

whats the average travel time from the dockyard to Hamilton by that ferry?

30 minutes but it seems like less when watching the scenery along the way.:)

[QVickiB]

IMO, the BEST itinerary was when it was possible to dock right in St. George for part of the time, then move over to Hamilton but that option no longer exists.:( Now it's a toss up which place to dock but I would still take the cruise that affords the most time in Bermuda even if it wasn't my favorite place to dock.:)

 

I did that exact itinerary, 18 years ago, and still remember how AWESOME it was to dock in St. George, then move on over to Hamilton. It was the BEST!!!

I want to go back, but with the Dockyard needing a ferry, etc, it's hard to swallow after having been able to just walk right off the ship and be in the middle of everything... I'll have to check out HAL.

[kathynorth]

We've been on a cruise that docked in St.George (mid-June) and another in Dockyard (mid-April). First, only the smaller ships can make their way into St.George. In my minds eye I remember St. George as being very pretty and close to Tabacco Bay, which was a great place to snorkel and was easy enough for us to walk to from the ship. There were many street vendors, artists and entertainers giving the town a festive feel. I couldn't wait to return to St.Georges, so last year when our ship docked at Dockyard DH and I rode the bus out to St. Georges. Unfortunately, the ferry to St. George didn't begin the seasonal run until the following week. This time around we found St. George to be mostly deserted with many empty stores. Tabacco Bay was still beautiful from the road, but was littered with garbage up close. We returned to Dockyard and found tons of people, entertainers, and open shops. I concluded that many of the vendors and entertainment follow the cruise ships. (There was no cruise ship docked at St. George the day we were there.) Either that or it could be the difference in timing between summer and spring.