Just Got Back from Bermuda (NCL Dawn)....

[ktpc2005]

Just got off the NCL Dawn on our Boston to Bermuda and had a great time. On the cruise was myself, my wife, and our 1.5 yr old son.

 

Here is what we did in Bermuda:

 

Sunday Day 1: Got of the boat at 11am and headed directly to the white trailer in between the piers and got our 3 day passes. The tourist info at the pier desk was swamped with people who did no pre-cruise planning. By 11:45am we are at Horeshoe Bay. The wind was gusty and the waves were running up to 8 feet due to Tropical Storm Jose passing nearby. We still had a great time. We then toured the dockyards in the afternoon.

 

Day 2: We took the 10:00am ferry to St George and toured the city in the morning. We then took the bus to Crystal Caves and toured the caves. Due to having a 1.5 year old, we only did one cave. He was great in the caves as I had him in one of those backpack carriers which made it easy to walk around. We then walked to have lunch at the Swizzle In and that was a great time. After that we took the bus to Hamilton and took the Hamilton ferry home.

 

Day 3: We took the 9am ferry to Hamilton and then the #11 bus to BAMZ. The aquarium part was really fun, but the zoo part currently has a lot of construction going on to the Austrailasia section which had that area closed. We then took the bus back to Hamilton where my wife did some shopping before taking the 1:00 pm ferry back to Dockyards.

 

Weather: The clouds would filter through throughout the day and there was a 30 minute downpour about twice a day. The temperatures were in the 80s with a high humidity. The wind was around 50mph on the first day and light the rest of the time.

 

Transportation: We had no problems with any transportation. The buses and ferries were always on time and we had no issues with overcrowded buses or ferries. All the bus drivers and ferry workers were really friendly.

 

Any questions do not hesitate to ask....

[SailBadtheSinner]

Welcome back and I'm glad you had a good time.

 

How were the seas going & returning and what day did you depart Boston.

 

 

SBtS

[ktpc2005]

Welcome back and I'm glad you had a good time.

 

How were the seas going & returning and what day did you depart Boston.

 

 

SBtS

 

We left last Friday at 4:30pm and headed east around Cape Cod and then SE toward Bermuda.

On Saturday the waves were 3-5 feet with some light winds and sun all day. The route the captain took was slightly more eastern than usual. The captain said we were never closer than 500 miles from the storm.

On Sunday as we came into Bermuda the waves were 6-8 feet with 10 foot swells. The winds were a steady 45 mph. One we got inside the reefs, the waves were 3-6 feet.

A first sea day on Wednesday, the sea were flat and the winds were low. It was a perfect day.

The seas on Thursday were a little more active as we were sailing through the back side of strong low pressure. The seas were 4-8 feet with a constant 20-25mph wind. It was also much cooler with the temps just around 70.

There was nothing that was nothing that was really bad for us. From what I heard the Explorer of the Seas cruise that left on Saturday from NJ was really bad where they closed the outside public decks.

[CruisingAnnay]

Glad u made it back safely. Thx for sharing.

[Turtles06]

Thanks for the review; glad you had such a good time! We'll be doing the same trip (on the Gem) at the end of Oct.

 

I just have a quick question for you on the bus numbers; which bus number did you take from:

 

1. Hamilton to Horseshoe Bay Beach

 

2. St. George to Swizzle Inn (or the Caves), and from Swizzle Inn to Hamilton

 

Many thanks!

[SailBadtheSinner]

1. Hamilton to Horseshoe Bay Beach

 

The #7 bus route serves the South Shore beaches which includes Horseshoe Bay.

 

2. St. George to Swizzle Inn (or the Caves), and from Swizzle Inn to Hamilton

From St George, route #1, #3, #10 & #11 buses all pass by the SI. Route #1, & #3 stop at the caves. Route #11, or #10 buses require about a 7 minute walk to the caves from the bus stop.

 

From the Swizzle Inn to Hamilton, Route #11, or #10 buses are more direct than Route #1, & #3 buses but all will get you to Hamilton.

 

 

SBtS

[Lovely_Star]

Welcome back, thanks for the detailed weather report on the ocean and land. We just purchased some ponchos from Target.

[thewolffs]

We're headed to Bermuda Oct. 7th with our 3 year old twin girls. Do you think they'd like the Aquarium or Caves more? Trying to decide which one to do. We're planning on doing the beach the other 2 days.

 

Thanks!

[SailBadtheSinner]

Something to consider, to enter either cave, you must walk down at least 85 cement steps. Of course, you will have to walk up the same amount to get out. There are metal handrails on each side plus a couple of resting areas en route.

 

 

SBtS

[DeltaOne]

We're headed to Bermuda Oct. 7th with our 3 year old twin girls. Do you think they'd like the Aquarium or Caves more? Trying to decide which one to do. We're planning on doing the beach the other 2 days.

 

Thanks!

 

The aquarium, they'll enjoy the fish and animals.

[njhorseman]

We're headed to Bermuda Oct. 7th with our 3 year old twin girls. Do you think they'd like the Aquarium or Caves more? Trying to decide which one to do. We're planning on doing the beach the other 2 days.

 

Thanks!

 

I think young children will like BAMZ better...as it also has a zoo.

[ktpc2005]

I agree that BAMZ would be a be a better bet.

[thewolffs]

BAMZ it is. How long do you think it takes to go through it?

[DeltaOne]

BAMZ it is. How long do you think it takes to go through it?

 

I'd say 60 to 90 minutes, two hours if you take your time.