opinions on last day at Bermuda

[gobo]

Hello all,

We will be in Bermuda this June via the Breakaway & I want to spend as much time at Horseshoe Beach as possible during our 3 day stay (weather permitting of course). I also am interested in visiting Crystal Caves. Since the caves are on the opposite side of the island, I do not want to burn a whole day with traveling to Hamilton & back just to see the caves (we will have 3 small children with us). Our ship leaves Bermuda at 5:00 p.m. on the last day so we can't do much. I was wondering if it would be too risky to use that day for traveling to Hamilton, see the caves & get back to the ship for 3:30ish. :confused:

 

Thanks:)

[njhorseman]

We usually don't travel that far on departure day, but you can do it as long as you keep track of the time of day.

 

The caves aren't in the city of Hamilton...you'll have to take the ferry to Hamilton and then a bus (#1, 3, 10 or 11) to the caves...probably a 20 minute bus ride...so you have to make allowances for the bus trip and waiting time for the bus.

 

You said you have three young children. Will they be OK with walking down (and then up) an over 80 step stairway to get into and out of the cave?

[SailBadtheSinner]

It could be very risky since the ferry workers had a work stoppage recently. I would do the caves on one of the other days.

 

BTW, the caves are approximately half way between Hamilton and St George. Also, to enter and leave each cave will require going down and up at least an 85 step stairway. What are the ages of your children?

 

To minimize time on the bus, you could consider taking the ferry to St George and then the bus to the caves.

 

 

SBtS

[Gilligan777]

If you are docked at the fort there is a ferry to Hamilton at the pier. The ferry ride is about 10 to 15 minutes so you should be fine. I'm not sure how far the caves would be from the Hamilton pier. If I recall, the ferry runs every 30 minutes.

[Tomct]

I understand there is a parade in Hamilton on the 24th, at 1 PM. I was wondering if any locals might be familiar enough with the transportation system on that holiday, to recommend how best to return to the Dockyard in time for our 5 pm departure?

 

ie, Ferry, bus or what the cost of a cab would be as a last resort if we began to panic.

 

Thanks

 

Tom

[gobo]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I had no idea about the steps at the caves - perhaps we'll skip it this time:)

[njhorseman]

I understand there is a parade in Hamilton on the 24th, at 1 PM. I was wondering if any locals might be familiar enough with the transportation system on that holiday, to recommend how best to return to the Dockyard in time for our 5 pm departure?

 

ie, Ferry, bus or what the cost of a cab would be as a last resort if we began to panic.

 

Thanks

 

Tom

 

I'm not a local, but the quickest way to travel from Hamilton to Dockyard is always the ferry (assuming a severe storm hasn't shut down ferry service), regardless of the day of the week. It takes about 20 minutes. Buses from Hamilton to Dockyard take at least an hour. The ferry has the added bonus of not being affected by parade routes, races, etc. that take place on a holiday, while buses may be detoured or delayed by these events.

 

Because Bermuda Day is a major public holiday, the bus and ferry systems run on a greatly reduced schedule. Taxis will likely be difficult to find.

 

Ferries will run from Hamilton once an hour, on the hour. With a 5 pm departure, you will likely have to be back on board your ship by 4:30 (but always check for the exact requirement!). The latest ferry you can safely take to make your all aboard time will depart Hamilton at 3 pm. It's too risky to take the 4 pm ferry...even a few minutes delay will make you late. Here's the ferry schedule. Look for the Saturday/Sunday/Holiday schedule for the Blue Route ferry: http://seaexpress.bm/Documents/Ferry/Summer%20Ferry%20Schedule%202013.pdf

[Tomct]

Thanks, njhorseman, good info, and I think we would aim for the 3:00 pm unless I learn more about the parade's popularity, and how crowded the ferry might be on that day regardless of the parade. I think I read full capacity of the ships in town that day would be 6,000, though I also read someone post the Breakaway to be 65% capacity at last count.