Best cruise line to Bermuda

[NovCruisin]

In your opinion, what cruise line offers the best cruise to Bermuda? We are open to ALL cruise lines.

[George C]

We just booked HAL's Veenedam which is a 7 day cruise to Bermuda (from NYC) and you are docked in Hamilton for 3 days, so you will be using Ship as a hotel, we like Hal in general ( they allow you to bring on all the wine you want). This is last year that Hal will be doing this cruise, also like leaving from NYC and midtown Mahatten in general so we can see some shows before and after. We did a Princess cruise a couple of years ago that spent 1 day in Bermuda but was docked at Royal shipyards.

[njhorseman]

"Best" is in the eye of the beholder. What I like may not be what you like. What's your acceptable price range? Do you prefer a formal atmosphere or an informal atmosphere? Prefer lots of dining options or not? Large, modern spa? Ships with a older passenger demographic or younger? Do you want the most possible time in port or an extra sea day (with no gambling allowed while docked in Bermuda some people prefer an extra sea day). Large, modern ship or smaller slightly older?

[jackretired]

Any, as long as you have wake up at least one morning in Bermuda and that day the ship does not leave before 6PM. This would include my next cruise that arrives on a Sunday at 3PM and leaves at Noon on Tuesday.

[George C]

also just find out ships going then start reading the cruise critic reviews to see the pros and cons of the differnt ships

[sarahc78]

Personally I wouldnt book an RCL to Bermuda unless they added more days in Bermuda. As it stands now they are roughly the same price as Celebrity & Holland America...but it is only a 5 or 6 day sailing and they only spend 1 day - 1 1/2 days in Bermuda which just isnt worth it to me.

 

We have sailed Celebrity the past 2 years to Bermuda & will be sailing w/ them again in May. Our main factors for doing so are:

 

1) Days in Bermuda

2) Food

3) alcoholic beverage packages (to my knowledge they are the only line to Bermuda that offers them)

4) Service

 

Previously we had only sailed w/ RCL but Celebrity just blew them out of the water in all categories. Plus the alcoholic beverage packages give the cruise an all inclusive feeling which we love. Nothing better than not having to worry on board about whether you can have a margarita by the pool or not.

 

NCL also sails to Bermuda, however... Each time we have been in Bermuda we've run into people from the NCL ship either on the ferry's or buses not once did they have something positive to say. The main comment was always how horrible the food was on board. So after hearing that we have never been interested in sailing that line. Again just our personal preference.

[chrisc71]

Personally I wouldnt book an RCL to Bermuda unless they added more days in Bermuda. As it stands now they are roughly the same price as Celebrity & Holland America...but it is only a 5 or 6 day sailing and they only spend 1 day - 1 1/2 days in Bermuda which just isnt worth it to me.

 

.

 

I agree about RCL. I would book with them but 5 days is too short especially since the price is so close to 7 days on Celeb or NCL.

[njhorseman]

Later in the season...starting in September, Royal Caribbean now has 7 night cruises from Cape Liberty to Bermuda on the Explorer of the Seas. The time spent in Bermuda is the same as NCL's and Celebrity's cruises.

[chrisc71]

Saw that but kids will be in school.

 

RCL just released next summer and they are doing the same 5day/8day itinerary they do now.

[renne]

I had the same dilemma a few months ago. After reading a lot of information and sifting through the details, I chose HAL and Veendam. I'm looking forward to docking in Hamilton and spending more time on the island compared to any of the other lines.

[Frenchsnowhite]

Just booked Bermuda cruise for summer 2013. Choose NCL Dawn, because all the other lines were way more expensive.:cool:

 

I'm sure our cruise will be just great:D

[lmarletto]

You need to know what *you* want from *your* vacation.

 

I just picked out a cruise to Bermuda a couple of months ago. I knew we had to go in July and we are taking our kids (13 and 20). I looked in the forums at HAL, Celebrity, RCI, a and NCL. I ruled RCI out for the reasons already mentioned, even though the ship (Enchantment) looked like the most fun for kids. I think DH and I would have been perfectly happy on HAL or Celebrity. The onboard activities on Celebrity, especially, seemed the most appealing to me. But I think the kids would have found it stuffy. Also having to pack formal wear and having dinner reservations with strangers 7 night in a row wasn't high on my list of vacation pleasures.

 

In the end I went with NCL. The combination of maximizing time in Bermuda and a livelier, more easy going, ship for the kids was right for us. You might prefer something different.

 

Laura

[Doughboy139]

This is my 2nd year going to Bermuda on the NCL Dawn out of Boston. The ship leaves on Friday and arrives in Kings Wharf at 11:00am on Sunday. The Dawn leaves Kings Wharf at 5:30pm on Tues arriving back in Boston Friday morning. I like Kings Wharf as you have Snorkel Beach, Dolphin Quest, The Comissoners House, The Frog and Onion Pub, Jet Skiing and some nice shops all within walking distances.

[iheartbda]

The OP's question is almost impossible to answer since everyone has different opinions on what they like about a particular line. We've gone to Bermuda on Celebrity, NCL and RCI. Yes, we have a favorite line, but we enjoyed every cruise.:)

[TXCruiser10]

My husband and I did the NY-Bermuda cruise last summer with Holland America's Veendam. We did two stops but I think now HAL only does one stop in Hamilton. First, the port in Hamilton is awesome! The HAL ship literally docks smack in the middle of downtown. Just a few steps off the ship, and boom--you're on Water street with shops, places to eat, etc. And I think on Wednesday night there is a big street carnival on Water street during the summer. You can enjoy the music and festivities from the deck, or you can join in on the fun. It was so great. The other cruise lines dock in Kings Warf and have to travel a bit to get to Hamilton. Additionally, we love HAL (we're both in our late 30s) and they have a great spa with a fantastic view. Regardless of the cruise line, you will love Bermuda, but I would recommend HAL. Have fun!

[styles27]

I've cruised twice to Bermuda. First time on Majesty, docked in St George and Hamilton...loved it.

 

Second time, RCCL Nordic Empress (at the time) docked at the royal dockyard....hated that aspect. We did dock for 1 day in Hamilton that cruise, thank God that saved it for us.

 

Cruising 3 weeks from today on the Veendam...main reason for choosing this ship? Time spent in Bermuda...you're there 4 hrs shy of 4 full days docked right on Front St in Hamilton. No other line offers that.

 

Having docked at both places, for us, you can't beat docking in Hamilton for convenience and things to do within walking distance of the ship.

 

We cruise for the itinerary not the ship. I don't care about having 15 different restaurants to choose from...on a 7 day cruise you don't need that many options in my opinion.

 

I don't care about rock walls and water parks and miniature golf courses.

 

It's hard to tell you what to do, you'll need to ask yourself "what do I want from this cruise?" and weigh the pros and cons of all the choices.

 

If you want the maximum amount of time in Bermuda right in the center of things choose Veendam.

 

If you want a larger newer ship and you don't care about only being there for 2 1/2 days, choose NCL.

 

.

[njhorseman]

The Veendam is in port 19 hours more than NCL's Star, so it's not 2 1/2 days versus 4 days. Further, those 19 hours include an extra overnight, and it hardly matters whether you spend, say, 8 hours sleeping while at sea or in Bermuda (actually it does matter to me...I sleep better at sea...the rocking of the ship makes me feel like a baby on the cradle ;) ). So, in reality the extra usable time you have in Bermuda by sailing on the Veendam is about 11 hours, nowhere near the amount people like to tout.

 

Also, it's less than fair to talk about Dockyard when one hasn't been there in well over a decade. It's much better now than it was then. On the other hand, talking about how much better Hamilton is based on long-ago cruises isn't accurate either. It has lost much of its tourist appeal with the closing of the big department stores on Front St. For all intents and purposes, I find there's now little worth doing in Hamilton.

 

I wouldn't recommend a restaurant that I hadn't dined in for over 10 years...or a hotel I hadn't stayed in for over a decade, or anything else where I didn't have good, recent first hand knowledge . The same thought process is valid here.

[family cruisers]

This is our first year taking RCCL'S Explorer to Bermuda and it is the 7 night cruise. Price was so much better than NCL which surprised me. Happy to see RCCL lowered their prices . It works for us .

We sail every fall to Bermuda and it's usually been on NCL for the most part and HAL once. Every cruise to Bermuda is a good one :)

Later in the season...starting in September, Royal Caribbean now has 7 night cruises from Cape Liberty to Bermuda on the Explorer of the Seas. The time spent in Bermuda is the same as NCL's and Celebrity's cruises.

[marco]

Of what's sailing to Bermuda, I'd go with HAL's "Veendam". We've done it a couple of times and have cruised to Bermuda many, many times. I prefer it for several reasons 1) it docks in Hamilton, not the Dock Yard. 2) there is a sliding glass dome over the pool deck, if the weather is not ideal, you're still able to enjoy the pool 3) having sailed out of Pt Liberty a couple of times, now, the Manhattan terminal is WAY more user friendly, transportation options are easier, quicker and more economical then Pt Liberty and sailing out of Manhattan and down the river past the Manhattan skyline, Lady liberty, Ellis Island, is as exciting as a port of call. Some of the Bermuda options are shorter than a full week (7 days). No matter what ship you take, go for the week. I really think you'd miss a lot and be disappointed if you went and only stayed a day and 1/2 on say, a 5 fay cruise to Bermuda.

[jdarch]

The Veendam is in port 19 hours more than NCL's Star, so it's not 2 1/2 days versus 4 days. Further, those 19 hours include an extra overnight, and it hardly matters whether you spend, say, 8 hours sleeping while at sea or in Bermuda (actually it does matter to me...I sleep better at sea...the rocking of the ship makes me feel like a baby on the cradle ;) ). So, in reality the extra usable time you have in Bermuda by sailing on the Veendam is about 11 hours, nowhere near the amount people like to tout.

 

Also, it's less than fair to talk about Dockyard when one hasn't been there in well over a decade. It's much better now than it was then. On the other hand, talking about how much better Hamilton is based on long-ago cruises isn't accurate either. It has lost much of its tourist appeal with the closing of the big department stores on Front St. For all intents and purposes, I find there's now little worth doing in Hamilton.

 

I wouldn't recommend a restaurant that I hadn't dined in for over 10 years...or a hotel I hadn't stayed in for over a decade, or anything else where I didn't have good, recent first hand knowledge . The same thought process is valid here.

 

MY thoughts exactly..thank you...:p

[sarahc78]

MY thoughts exactly..thank you...:p

are you guys going back to Bermuda this year? What line are you taking?

[jdarch]

are you guys going back to Bermuda this year? What line are you taking?

 

thanks for asking:D so far not booked..prices are so much higher than last year..plus we usually go the first in June and i was called for jury duty that week and I've already changed my jury duty once...the next time we could go is June 17th..but the prices are so much higher..we're hoping they go down like last year..but I think last year we were already booked..not looking good:( But I see you're booked..have a great time..:p

[styles27]

The Veendam is in port 19 hours more than NCL's Star, so it's not 2 1/2 days versus 4 days. Further, those 19 hours include an extra overnight, and it hardly matters whether you spend, say, 8 hours sleeping while at sea or in Bermuda (actually it does matter to me...I sleep better at sea...the rocking of the ship makes me feel like a baby on the cradle ;) ). So, in reality the extra usable time you have in Bermuda by sailing on the Veendam is about 11 hours, nowhere near the amount people like to tout.

 

Also, it's less than fair to talk about Dockyard when one hasn't been there in well over a decade. It's much better now than it was then. On the other hand, talking about how much better Hamilton is based on long-ago cruises isn't accurate either. It has lost much of its tourist appeal with the closing of the big department stores on Front St. For all intents and purposes, I find there's now little worth doing in Hamilton.

 

I wouldn't recommend a restaurant that I hadn't dined in for over 10 years...or a hotel I hadn't stayed in for over a decade, or anything else where I didn't have good, recent first hand knowledge . The same thought process is valid here.

 

 

First of all it hasn't been "more than a decade" since I've been to Bermuda.

 

I have vacationed twice in the last 3 yrs in Bermuda. Imagine that? One can fly there too.

 

One time I stayed at the Hamilton Princess which was great. There's so much going on in Hamilton...restaurants, clubs, museums, parks etc. Who cares about department stores? I don't.

 

The second time I stayed at Elbow Beach which was also very nice, great beach but I prefer being in Hamilton.

 

I live 40 minutes from the cruise ship terminal in Boston...yet I still choose to drive 3+hrs to NYC to sail on the Veendam...for all the reasons I listed above.

 

Having spent 14 days on land in Bermuda in the last 3 yrs (the most recent last June 2011) I'd say I'm qualified to offer my opinion.

 

The one thing that bothers me about this site is people like you who don't feel anybody else is qualified to offer an opinion, especially if it differs from yours.

 

It gets old.

[njhorseman]

First of all it hasn't been "more than a decade" since I've been to Bermuda.

 

I have vacationed twice in the last 3 yrs in Bermuda. Imagine that? One can fly there too.

 

One time I stayed at the Hamilton Princess which was great. There's so much going on in Hamilton...restaurants, clubs, museums, parks etc. Who cares about department stores? I don't.

 

The second time I stayed at Elbow Beach which was also very nice, great beach but I prefer being in Hamilton.

 

I live 40 minutes from the cruise ship terminal in Boston...yet I still choose to drive 3+hrs to NYC to sail on the Veendam...for all the reasons I listed above.

 

Having spent 14 days on land in Bermuda in the last 3 yrs (the most recent last June 2011) I'd say I'm qualified to offer my opinion.

 

The one thing that bothers me about this site is people like you who don't feel anybody else is qualified to offer an opinion, especially if it differs from yours.

 

It gets old.

 

Of course it's OK for you to post factual errors such as saying the Veendam is in Bermuda for 4 days versus 2 1/2 for other ships. :rolleyes: You're entitled to your own opinions...you're not entitled to your own set of facts.

 

And your cruise on the Nordic Empress that berthed at Dockyard was more than a decade ago according to your own statements and cruise history. It appears you haven't been on a cruise that was berthed there...or anywhere else in Bermuda for that matter since. So...you are basing your statement about how bad it was to be at Dockyard based on a cruise you took well more than a decade ago. Again... fact.

 

Sorry that my mind reading abilities weren't functioning well enough to know you had recently stayed at the Hamilton Princess (which isn't the correct full name of the hotel, by the way, and hasn't been for years). Your entire post was about your cruising experience to Bermuda...which is not recent...1998 is 14 years ago. Next time I suggest that you fill in the blanks... I hate having to guess.

[styles27]

Of course it's OK for you to post factual errors such as saying the Veendam is in Bermuda for 4 days versus 2 1/2 for other ships. :rolleyes: You're entitled to your own opinions...you're not entitled to your own set of facts.

 

And your cruise on the Nordic Empress that berthed at Dockyard was more than a decade ago according to your own statements and cruise history. It appears you haven't been on a cruise that was berthed there...or anywhere else in Bermuda for that matter since. So...you are basing your statement about how bad it was to be at Dockyard based on a cruise you took well more than a decade ago. Again... fact.

 

Sorry that my mind reading abilities weren't functioning well enough to know you had recently stayed at the Hamilton Princess (which isn't the correct full name of the hotel, by the way, and hasn't been for years). Your entire post was about your cruising experience to Bermuda...which is not recent...1998 is 14 years ago. Next time I suggest that you fill in the blanks... I hate having to guess.

 

You really do focus in on one point and beat it like a dead horse, don't you?

 

Unless the dockyard was moved to the center of the island since I docked there...which I doubt, the fact of the matter is it's still far from the sites that we enjoy. We found it costly to taxi to the beaches from the dockyard...the beaches that we want to go to.

 

The rest of your nit-picking isn't worth my time.

 

The OP asked for our opinions, and I offered mine. I don't need nor do I want you to critique my posts. Find someone else to bully.