More cruises to Bermuda

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I think Bermuda prefers their well-heeled tourists that fly in and stay a week or more at a time. ;)

 

I agree with both your post wholeheartedly.:)

 

Bill

[Cyber Kat]

Bermuda is our (DH & I) favorite destination. I first went there on a cruise in 1967 - my first adult vacation and my first cruise. Most of the ships either docked right on front street in Hamilton (Capitol of BDA) or at St George. The Rotterdam used to come in but it was too large to fit through either cut. It would anchor out near the present dockyard and ferry passengers in via tender to Hamilton.

 

My husband and I first went there on our honeymoon in 1969. We stayed in a cottage on the south shore and we've been going back every couple of years since then. The 3 days that you get when you cruise to Bermuda is just not enough for us.

 

There was a time when ships were much smaller that there would be 2 or 3 ships docked in Hamilton, one at anchor in the Great Sound and 1 or 2 at St George. I don't know if there was a government requirement that they stay for 3 days - could be but I haven't heard of it. It just makes sense if you want a 7 day cruise out of NY or Boston. It takes a full day plus departure day to get there (it really is in the middle of nowhere) and you really can't fit another stop in on a 7 day cruise.

 

As ships got bigger, they couldn't make it through the cut in the reef to enter Hamilton Harbor or through the cut at St George (which is even narrower and shallower than Hamilton). The coral reef there is a very delicate ecosystem and the Bermudians are very ecologically minded, so they really don't want to damage the ecosystem to enlarge either cut.

 

They built a dock out on the western end of the island (St George is on the east end & Hamilton is in the center) where the water is deeper to accommodate the larger ships. When it was first built Dockyard - as the area is now known - could only berth 1 large ship. Now there is room for 2 and the area has become more developed.

 

There are several factors at work here. Bringing in large numbers of cruise ship passengers at once overcomes the island. It's tiny. The native population is approx 70,000. The roads are narrow and crowded - you can't rent a car.

 

In the 70s and 80s they encouraged the cruise industry, because their main business was tourism. Problem was that cruise ship passengers don't eat in the restaurants (for the most part) and they don't stay in the hotels. So the hotels were hurting as were some restaurants. The people who flew in to stay weren't happy when the cruise ships were in because Hamilton & St George were overcrowded. The shopkeepers were thrilled!

 

So now the last ship that could fit into Hamilton - there are none for St George - was the Veendam (although I think they can bring that into St George - very carefully). I'm not sure why, but Holland America won't be making that stop any longer. They only have the 2 docks out at the Dockyard so only 2 ships can come in at a time. Apparently, NCL, RCI and Celebrity have first dibs. I don't think it's so much that they don't want Carnival - they can use ANY tourists at this point (like so many other destinations, they're hurting) - but that the others got in first. And quite possibly because Bermuda preferred the more "upscale" passengers - though I don't really think those lines are that much more "upscale" (I know others will disagree :p )

 

So I'd say the main reason is lack of room. Two ships at at time and that's it unless the lines resurrect some of the older ships. I really don't think that Bermuda will widen the cuts.

[Cyber Kat]

My previous post was long and I'm going off on a different tack here - thus the new post.

 

If you've ever been to Bermuda by boat - it's quite an experience, but you have to get up early in the am to enjoy it. I've done it twice - the first time I slept through it and only got on deck after we had come through the cut into Hamilton Harbor. The second time, I woke up at 6am when you could just see the lights on the horizon.

 

The ships have to come into the island from the east (even though they are coming from the west) because the island is surrounded by a coral reef - and a goodly number of ship wrecks to prove it! The Bermuda pilot comes on board way outside the reef. There is a channel that runs along the north shore that has to be navigated very carefully and very slowly to get to the docks on the west end. It takes about 2 hours.

 

If you stand on deck, you can actually see the bottom - that's how clear the water is and shallow it is outside the channel.

 

So I'm hoping that Bermuda gets more Carnival cruises in the future - who knows. I do know they have been considering casinos, but the Bermudians really don't want that. There has been a lot of talk about allowing the ships to open their casinos from 10 or 11pm - which seems like a great option.

 

The ships can get money in the port. The local bars get some business - they close early anyway. And the passengers get the best of both worlds!

[moobear67]

Last time I asked, CCL can only call on there where the two priority lines are not, which would mean mid week cruises, which are not popular.

 

They did a bunch last year, but off season. They haven't sailed there in the peak summer season in 10 years.

 

In the meantime, the NCL Getaway is coming to town, and the EXoS continues to go there regularly.

 

The Fantasy went there several times during the summer months last summer (2011), and docked over the weekend. We went to Bermuda on the Fantasy in June 2011, and were docked over the weekend. The Fantasy had July and August cruises to Bermuda with the same itinerary.

 

I would love to cruise to Bermuda again!

[dburdan]

Another thing regarding tourist dollars, Bermuda doesn't rely on it. Tourism is not their primary industry like the poorer island nations of the Caribbean. Bermuda's primary industry is Insurance and financial services.

 

Bermuda enjoys the fourth highest per capita income in the world, more than 50% higher than that of the US; the average cost of a house by the mid-2000s exceeded $1,000,000.

 

Its economy is primarily based on providing financial services for international business and luxury facilities for tourists. A number of reinsurance companies relocated to the island following the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US and again after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 contributing to the expansion of an already robust international business sector. Bermuda's tourism industry - which derives over 80% of its visitors from the US - continues to struggle but remains the island's number two industry

[Mizzouaholic]

Bermuda's tourism industry - which derives over 80% of its visitors from the US - continues to struggle but remains the island's number two industry

 

Exactly the reason they should allow more ships. Lets make tourism their #1 industry! =)

[Cyber Kat]

Exactly the reason they should allow more ships. Lets make tourism their #1 industry! =)

 

It used to be back in the day, and I truly think they would like to do it again. We read the Royal Gazette - their newspaper - regularly and it's a constant topic. Most Bermudians are not working in the reinsurance industry because most of them have been trained to support tourism. I think they would allow more ships if they could. I do believe they have plans to add a 3rd berth out at the dockyard. I know they are adding all kinds of attractions out there. The problem is that St George and Hamilton no longer get that cruise traffic, like they did when you could walk off a ship, cross the street and be in a shop or a pub or a restaurant. The harbors just can't accommodate big ships.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Exactly the reason they should allow more ships. Lets make tourism their #1 industry! =)

 

Maybe Bermuda doesn't want tourism as it's #1 industry?

 

I would think if they did want it as their #1 industry they would have made the necessary things to make that happen by now.

 

I think the Bermuda government is happy the way it is now.

 

Bill

[Mizzouaholic]

Maybe Bermuda doesn't want tourism as it's #1 industry?

 

I would think if they did want it as their #1 industry they would have made the necessary things to make that happen by now.

 

I think the Bermuda government is happy the way it is now.

 

Bill

 

I've just never heard of a government that doesn't want more money.

[sunsetswizzle]

CyberKat is right on!! I've read the Gazette and Bermuda Sun for several years been on a cruise ship to Bermuda 5 x...it is an awesome place! Wish the Fantasy would have not stopped going, the Bahamas are getting so old!! There's no comparison! The Bermudians want the tourist there for sure! There's talk of building a pier right outside St. George at Murray's anchorage, looks like Carnival could invest some money into building their own pier there.....who knows...