Just Returned from Bermuda 5/29/11...transportation no problem!!

[Glamourgal]

We have just returned from Bermuda. We used the transportation system with absolutely no problems at all. We purchased a three day bus/ferry ticket and used the #7 bus to Sea Glass Beach, #7 bus to Horseshoe Bay and the Ferry from the Dockyard to St. George's and back. There are special busses to Horseshoe Bay and there are quick and long ferries to St. George's, the quick takes 45 minutes and the long takes over an hour. We were on the quick so I can't say how long the longer one takes but heard it is over an hour.

If the kiosk at the end of the pier on the left has a long line skip that and go to the one by the ferry, a round colorful building. There were no lines there at all when we purchased our passes at about 9 Am, our first day in Bermuda.

[CrusinCyndi]

Thanks for the great information!!! Can't wait for our trip in October

[cherbear4000]

How much was the 3 day pass? Do children cost the same as adults? Is it easy to figure out what bus to take where?

[Glamourgal]

The adult pass is $28 per person for the three day pass. There is a discount for children but someone else will have to help you with that as we did not have children with us.

[SailBadtheSinner]

The children fare is one half of the adult fare; so for the 3 day children fare, it would be $14.00.

 

To help you figure what bus to take, this map may be of some help:

 

 

 

SBtS

[fritzi164]

So happy to hear you had no problem with the public transportation..

After reading the boards the past weeks, it sounded dismal...

How often can you catch the buses,, to the beaches, for example.. Can you get them around 9:30, were there long waits,,any tips would be greatly appreciated, leaving this Sunday

Thanks

Fritzi

[Leosmom]

Thanks for reporting back, Glamorgirl.....but were you the only ship in port?

I think the problems are when there are 2 or more ships at the same

time in Kings Wharf.

[jgnova]

Thanks for reporting back, Glamorgirl.....but were you the only ship in port?

I think the problems are when there are 2 or more ships at the same

time in Kings Wharf.

 

Her sig shows the NCL Gem - which matches the Celebrity Summit - NY - Kings Wharf - NY / Sunday - Sunday with almost identical port times.

 

j

[rikatine]

Thanks for the update. We were starting to worry that the public transportation had gone downhill.

[Glamourgal]

There were two ships in port, ours and the Celebrity and we had no problems at all with transportation. We caught the bus between 9:30 and 10 with hardly any wait. There are busses waiting along the road coming out of the pier and when the one pulls away at the bus stop another one comes over immediately.

 

Hope you all have a wonderful trip...I'm jealous, I want to go back!! LOL!!

 

I did write a lengthy review on the NCL boards.

[Leosmom]

Her sig shows the NCL Gem - which matches the Celebrity Summit - NY - Kings Wharf - NY / Sunday - Sunday with almost identical port times.

 

j

 

Thanks jgnova and glamourgirl, That is good news that there were no transportation problems although two ships were in port at the same time.

We are going on the Caribbean Princess and I think the Explorer of the Seas will be in port on the same day so I was worried. I'm glad the Bermuda authorities have addressed the bus and ferry shortages.....hope it stays that way!

[jgnova]

We'll be on the =X= Summit leaving Sunday and in port all 3 days with the NCL Gem for a total pax count of 4,400 . Plan on catching the first St. Georges ferry on the first morning for a tour. Will report when we get back.

 

j

[Solution]

Is there a transfer system in Bermuda? We are sailing in August and plan to go to the caves. After the visit, it seems like we can either go back to St. George and take the ferry back to the Dockyard, or head west to Hamilton and transfer to another bus or take the ferry. Does it cost us two tickets to do either one?

[ValerieJo]

Thank you for the information. Looking to book this cruise for the first week in May 2012. (a few weeks earlier than you cruised).

 

Can you tell me if the water was warm enough for snorkeling while you were there or was the water still cold?

 

Thanks again for posting.

[SailBadtheSinner]

Solution asked: ....Is there a transfer system in Bermuda?.....

Here's what the PTB had on its' site: Transfers: Transfers are Free when travelling from one bus route to another, as long as the transfer is made to the next scheduled trip on the connecting route.

 

So yes, there is a transfer system. As I read the situations you provided, I don't think you could use the transfer from bus to ferry, but only bus to bus. However, if you bought a Transportation Pass (for 1, 2, or 3 days) good on bus & ferry, you would not need transfers.

 

Found this reading further at the PTB: Transfers are not honoured on the ferries.

 

 

SBtS

[njhorseman]

Is there a transfer system in Bermuda? We are sailing in August and plan to go to the caves. After the visit, it seems like we can either go back to St. George and take the ferry back to the Dockyard, or head west to Hamilton and transfer to another bus or take the ferry. Does it cost us two tickets to do either one?

 

I can't recall the tickets ever being available for sale at Dockyard, so if you're starting your journey there you are probably going to be buying transportation passes, and as SBtS notes, transfers are not needed when you use the passes.

[mrsz]

I just returned and I did encounter problems with transportation. We got the bus to Horseshoe Bay which was great. It was a direct bus but you have to wait until it fills up.

 

Coming back was a nightmare. We went to get the bus and people were waiting for over 45 minutes and when the bus came it left half the people there. We wound up getting a bus into Hamilton and taking a ferry back.

 

Also in St George The shedule back to the Dockyard was 12:30 and then not another ferry until 3:45 and then 6:15. We waited in line over an hour because we knew there would be a long line to get back and sure enough there was.

 

I would still be cautious about the transportation the day you are going back home. I wouldnt chance going anywhere unless it was with ship tour. We stayed at snorkel beach.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Is there a transfer system in Bermuda? We are sailing in August and plan to go to the caves. After the visit, it seems like we can either go back to St. George and take the ferry back to the Dockyard, or head west to Hamilton and transfer to another bus or take the ferry. Does it cost us two tickets to do either one?

 

If you purchase a transportation pass (you can purchase a one day or a two day whichever fits your stay while on Bermuda, *or longer) it is good for both the ferry system and bus system for the time you purchased. They dont issue what would be called a transfer because your pass is good on both systems for the time period you purchased for (hope that makes sense).

 

Both the bus and the ferry are very easy to use in Bermuda. Additionally, you can purchase your transportation pass on board (Royal caribbean ships) before even tieing up in Bermuda! So, you dont have to stop at the kiosk located at the end of the pier between the bus stop and ferry. (this info pertains to KW)

 

(disclaimer: this could vary on Celebrity cruises, docking in St Georges)

[SailBadtheSinner]

You can purchase Transportation Passes at the Visitors' Information Centre. There are 3 located at the Dockyard. One at Heritage Wharf, one at King's Wharf and one just past the ferry dock.

 

Also, there are currently no Celebrity cruise ships docking in St George.

 

 

SBtS

[Sugar*Magnolia]

You can purchase Transportation Passes at the Visitors' Information Centre. There are 3 located at the Dockyard. One at Heritage Wharf, one at King's Wharf and one just past the ferry dock.

 

Also, there are currently no Celebrity cruise ships docking in St George.

 

 

SBtS

 

I didnt think so. I added my disclaimer because of a post that said they planned on taking the ferry right out of St George to hamilton as soon as they dock. Maybe I mis read that post? (but I read it again, lol)

 

BTW, you can buy transportaion passes on board (Explorer), now I dont know about other ships....

[cjaway]

Just wondering what you thought of Sea Glass beach and how far is it from the Dock Yard. Thanks Carol:)

[SailBadtheSinner]

I have posted directions and a satellite photo of the sea glass beach close to the Dockyards in post #2 of this thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1350162

The distance from the wharf ramp at the Dockyard to the seaglass beach is about 1 mile.

 

The sea glass beach is just for collecting sea glass. If you want to go to a beach, go to Horseshoe Bay. YouTube video:

 

 

SBtS

[the mice]

I just returned and I did encounter problems with transportation. We got the bus to Horseshoe Bay which was great. It was a direct bus but you have to wait until it fills up.

 

Coming back was a nightmare. We went to get the bus and people were waiting for over 45 minutes and when the bus came it left half the people there. We wound up getting a bus into Hamilton and taking a ferry back.

 

Also in St George The shedule back to the Dockyard was 12:30 and then not another ferry until 3:45 and then 6:15. We waited in line over an hour because we knew there would be a long line to get back and sure enough there was.

 

I would still be cautious about the transportation the day you are going back home. I wouldnt chance going anywhere unless it was with ship tour. We stayed at snorkel beach.

 

 

I have to agree with mrsz regarding transportation.

 

We were on Summit and the Gem was docked next to us. We bought 2 day passes, but if you are going round trip to St. George on the ferry, and round trip to Horseshoe Bay on the bus, that's only 4 trips of $4 each = $16 and the pass is $20. So, ask about buying tokens if that is all you want to do.

 

On day 1, Wed., we got on line at 9:20 for the 10am fast ferry to St. George. There was already quite a line. By the time we boarded, the larger, slow ferry was there to take all the overflow. I believe that ferry leaves at 10:30 and takes close to 1 1/2 hours. We were on the fast ferry so we got to Tobacco Bay by 11 am - folks from HAL's Veendam (which had moved to Hamilton) were already there. We met some Veendam folks on our ferry - they said they were not able into tender in St. George the day before due to some problem (don't think it was with the ship, but don't know details).

 

We left the beach at 1pm, walked a bit, had lunch and caught a bus around 2:30pm. We did not board at the 1st stop, but near the shops at a stop at the top of a flight of stairs. We stood almost all the way to Hamilton (1 hour trip) and the bus could not pick up most people waiting at stops along the way (like Caves, Swizzle Inn, etc). We got off on Front Street and about 30 minutes later walked to the depot and got on bus #8 to Dockyard - made sure we could get seats before we got on. Another hour long ride.

 

Day 2 we went to Horseshoe Bay. No problem going - got right on a special bus. Coming back - big problem. Got to the bus stop about 20 minutes before bus arrived. Many people lined up, so we moved near to end of them (to the right past the covered bus stop.) When bus arrived, some people had just gotten to the stop (coming from left) and started to push onto the bus. Not cool, as those waiting 20-30 minutes already were not going to all fit. We managed to get on, but again, standing all the way. And lots of people did not get on that bus.

 

Day 3 we stayed at the Dockyard, not wanting to deal with the buses again. From the ship, I watched about a dozen folks running from taxis about 2 minutes before they raised the gangplank. Not good.

 

Loved the cruise - would do it again, but won't deal with the buses. I will budget for taxis to South Shore beaches. If you get 6 people, a taxi to Horseshoe is $30 - $6 per person and no hassles. We did see a taxi parked across from the bus stop, so I don't know how easy to get taxis back. But the convenience factor so worth it.

[swimmom2]

We just got back from Bermuda too. Day 1 we went to Horseshoe. We got right off ship bought 3 day pass and got right on bus. We were not on special bus. Ours was very crowded with school children. However, everyone was polite and kept making more room at each stop on the bus. Everyone was able to get on at every stop. We were able to get right on the bus at the end of day. No problems. Day 2 we had trouble. We got off at Church Bay. Then we wanted to go back to Horseshoe. We waited for an hour and no bus would stop. At least 4 passed by. They either said sightseeing or special. We finally flagged down a taxi and got there. No problems coming back. Day 3 we returned to Horseshoe. No problems. We also used ferry on nights 1&2 without any problems. We did talk to locals at Dockyard and they said there were a lot of issues with the buses. One said they were in negotiations right now. We had a great time and wouldn't hesitate to go back.:)

[Glamourgal]

Just wondering what you thought of Sea Glass beach and how far is it from the Dock Yard.

 

We loved, loved, loved...did I say Loved Sea Glass beach. It was really quite a trip and thanks to Sailbadthesinner we had no problem getting there or back at all but I would definitely take the bus...too dangerous to walk, IMHO. Over on the NCL boards I have a review of our trip as well.