back from Bermuda

[spitfire]

:)

Got back from our family cruise to Bermuda on the Horizon yesterday. Here are some insights and , hopefully, helpful tidbits. If anyone has any questions, I'll be glad to answer them if I can!!

 

Have been on Voyager of the Seas before Horizon. One is a mega-ship and the other is not. Both have their pros and cons...........no matter what, your vacation is ultimately what you make it. ENJOY!!!!!

 

All cruisers are greeted with a glass of champagne (OJ for kids) and escorted to their staterooms which was a nice touch. We had 5 in a Deck 4 (Florida Deck) outside room........tight quarters, but you're only in the room to dress and sleep. We have 3 teenage daughters and we all had enough space for our clothes.....but I suggest you hang as many outfits as you can and bring your own hangers (our room was missing quite a few, but I brought some from home). The air conditioning in the room was not the best, even when set at the coldest temp. Our room was also very dusty upon arrival. I could have called for someone to dust it, but did it myself in a couple of minutes.....no big deal. The ship is definitely older as seen in the carpets,windows and some other features throughout the ship. The rooms leave nothing to the imagination as far as sound goes as we were awakened every morning at 6AM by the baby across the hall. You also hear everyone who walks by your room if they are having any level of conversation beyond a whisper.....not great at 2 or 3AM. Bring a travel clock...there wasn't one in our room. There is a blow dryer but it reminded me of the old-fashioned hood blow dryers my mom used when I was a kid.........bring your own.

 

On board, get involved!!! There's lots to do 24/7. We were disappointed in the shows, though. We had to walk out of 2 shows....we just couldn't sit through them.....Sorry!!! The comedian was good.....go see him. Our kids had tons to do; much more offered on Horizon than on Voyager. We literally only saw our kids to shower and have dinner.........they had a blast!! Whenever you see the video camera........GO FOR IT!!!!! This is the video being shot to commemorate your cruise. If you're in front of the camera man, you're on the video which is a nice memory to take home(our kids made ours a couple of times as did the entire family gathering).

 

You definitely feel the waves on this ship, but not so much that anyone in our group got sick. We packed Dramamine and the kids took it the first 2 days at sea and our last day at sea, but the ocean was rough from a distant tropical storm. I will say that our last day at sea was so rocky that people sitting on the sides of the pool were actually knocked over by the waves coming from the pool......no kidding!!! THE SHIP WAS ROCKING!!! The joke was...."How can you tell the drunk guy from the sober guy? The drunk guy is walking straight." HA!!!

 

Horizon's staff is excellent!!!! They can't do enough for you and are genuinely kind, friendly, and very helpful. If anyone has Goran and Alessandra as their wait staff, you'll be treated like royalty. The food was very good. We ordered shrimp cocktail every night even though it wasn't on the menu. YUM!!! If you want to "tweek" your meal in any way, this is not a problem. I will say that after reading about the food and Celebrity's reputation regarding its food, I did think the food on Voyager was better. Voyager seemed to offer more variations,choices and alternatives 24/7. But don't get me wrong, Horizon is still wonderful but maybe they could expand their menu somewhat. We went to the midnight buffet.......beautiful creations!!! Go see it. On our buffet, they had Philly soft pretzels, tuna salad, and chicken salad......but we had not seen these items all week. I mentioned this in the questionnaire they ask you to complete. It would have been nice if we had seen these at lunch one day. Oh well!! We did get the chocolate covered strawberries and the chocolate chip cookies. The cookies are only from room service...........HUGE!!!! The strawberries must be arranged with the asst maitre'd....just ask your waiter if you're interested (they're not on any menu). Again, YUM!!!!

 

Some other things that come to mind....whenever you return to ship, you're offered an iced towel for your neck (or whatever). NICE!!! They sell water bottles in an insulted carrying case...........BUY IT!!! We did and our water stayed cold all day. I brought it home and used it today at our swim club. Well worth it. You will be waiting a long time for the elevators.........be prepared to walk the stairs. We figured it helped us walk off the extra calories, but we did walk a lot. There are also sales the last 2 days on board. They had mens bathing siuts for $7.50......BARGAIN!!! Also, the Alambre Trio is not to be missed. They are a Spanish group who don't speak a word of English...............they've memorized(in English) all the songs they sing!!!! They were a crowd-pleaser every time. Horizon also has a nice selection of drink specials that change daily for $4.50. This was nice as my husband ordered the daily drink special on the Voyager before and it was $12.00!!!!!

 

DEFINITELY be at the front of the boat for your docking in St George. BEAUTIFUL!! REMARKABLE!! AMAZING!! We went to Tobacco Bay and had a great day. Aqua/water socks might be a good idea as some got scraped by the rocks............we were fine. Bring snorkel gear (though they do rent it.....but you can buy it @ Walmart,Kmart,etc...) as there are tons of fish. BEAUTIFUL!!! A local told us that while many advertise Tobacco bay is "walkable" from town, she said that it's a very hilly walk. So, we went for a taxi which cost $8.00 for 6 people and took us there in about five minutes. This was well worth it when those that walked arrived a good 20 to 30 minutes after we did and were SOAKED with SWEAT!!! BE AWARE though, you must be sand-free and dry to ride back into town. No real shopping here, so go to a beach in St George..........it's a gloriously relaxing day.

 

Hamilton is beautiful too, but it is a busy city.........very different that St George. Shopping should be done here. We didn't get any real bargains, but had fun spending our money. I can't really comment on eating in town, but we did pass a restaurant that had a baked potato with either chili or cheese on top for $13.00. WOW!!!! Go to the Harbor Nights festival(every Wednesday at 6:30PM)...........lots of crafts, food, entertainment. If you're going to skip a main dining room meal, this is the night to do it. The staff told us that most people skip the dining room and opt for the casual buffet, so it's "bumped up a notch" as far as offerings, and many staff from the main dining room are there to serve/help you. If you have a daughter and she wants her hair braided, go to Mrs Wellman........she has the best prices and staff (she's almost right in front of the CALYPSO store). Again, a local told us about her and I just went along asking, "Are you Mrs Wellman?" until I found her. Another great tip I never would have known. Our kids did DOLPHIN QUEST while in Hamilton and loved it!! What an experience. I know many have criticized it, but the staff was so knowledgable and they really made the time with the dolphins memorable for the kids.......take the ferry if you go to that side of the island. We did not go to any beach in Hamilton as a local told us it was a 30 minute trip. Since we departed at 1PM, we opted for a pool day.........and had prime seats before it was "standing room only". Again, watch as you leave Hamilton from the top deck.........GORGEOUS!!!

 

Your last sea day, EVERYONE is by the pool. As in, ALL seats were taken (and not just marked by towels) by 8:30AM!!!! If you want a seat, get there early!!! Have I mentioned the importance of sunscreen? There were obviously some on board who thought they were immune to the tropical sun. What a way to put a damper on your vacation!!!!!

 

Due to the rough seas our last sea day, we arrived in Philly 2 hours late (8AM instead of 6AM) though I didn't hear anyone complaining.We had our morning coffee on the top deck as we cruised up the Delaware. Still, this delayed getting off the ship which ultimately meant NO CUSTOMS when we got off!!!! How nice that was. We literally got off the ship, took the shuttle to our luggage and went to our car in about 15 to 20 minutes. AWESOME!!!!!

 

Finally, everyone in Bermuda was SO NICE AND HELPFUL AND FRIENDLY. Enjoy your time there. One word of caution!!!!! MOPEDS!!!!! There were alot of people, old and young alike, who were injured in moped accidents. It seemed like every time you turned around, the guy or gal you saw healthy and in one piece the day before was now bandaged, casted, on crutches, ace wrapped, etc..... NO THANKS!!! Be careful as we saw many tourists just pulling out of streets as they would at home............except they weren't home and the traffic pattern is the opposite as home. HELLO!!!!

 

I hope this is some useful information. We can't believe we're home and it's back to the reality of 9 to 5 tomorrow. Enjoy your cruise and Bermuda......it's hard not to. :)

[gopatriots]

Spitfire, great review. I wasn't aware that hair braiding was popular in Bermuda. How much did Mrs. Wellman charge and how long did it take?

[Swizzle v2.0]

:)

Our kids did DOLPHIN QUEST while in Hamilton and loved it!! What an experience. I know many have criticized it, but the staff was so knowledgable and they really made the time with the dolphins memorable for the kids.......take the ferry if you go to that side of the island.

Just to clarify did you mean to say Dockyards instead of Hamilton?

[spitfire]

Sorry about that. Yes, I did mean the Dockyards and not Hamilton. You just get so caught up in the beauty of it all. As far as the braiding goes, Mrs wellman charged $20 for a half-head (the front and top) and it took about 45 minutes to an hour. It cost $1 for 12 beads added to the braids. I liked this woman's set-up because everything was stored in sterilizing solution and they did not use the same combs from customer to customer (besides being a mom, I'm also a nurse).

[ZAMOST]

We are leaving in ten days and finally getting down to really thinking about the cruise. Hamilton first, then St. George.

Traveling with two daughters, 23 and 19.

My generic plans are one day Horseshoe Bay, one day Tobacco Bay, and one day a taxi tour visiting whatever routine touristy things to see. Does this sound reasonable for a trip whose main goal is relaxing and spending time with adult children?

Can you rent beach umbrellas at these two beaches?

 

Thanks

[melissa593]

spitfire

your review was very helpful. we are going on RCI Mariner Western Carib in December'05 but am already thinking about Bermuda in fall '06. DH and #3 son are fishing fiends and would love to billfish in Bermuda. Overall, did you prefer RCI or Celebrity Horizon? We will be taking 2 youngest boys (#1 son will be in college by then, will I even be able to go on vacation???:rolleyes: ) they will be 13 &10. Me and #2 son will probably not fish (especially for $200 pp and we both get seasick:( )

How were kids programs on each? Price? You did a good job explaining about the beaches/mopeds/hair braiding (not an issue for us).

What port did you depart from on VOS? I see it was Philly on Horizon which is perfect for us, we live in South Jersey.

Thanks for all your suggestions and a wonderfully informative review

Melissa

[spitfire]

Zamost and Melissa593,

As far as your plans to visit Horseshoe, tobacco, and then explore as a tourist.......it sounds good to me. You can make this as relaxing as you want or as hectic as you want. There is a lot to see in Bermuda, but I'm not one to spend every waking hour just going, going, going to say that I did it all. Our familt likes to go, but we like to relax,too. The beaches sound great to me right about now, and we've only been back for 4 days:mad: You can rent umbrellas, lounge chairs and beach chairs at the beaches. they also have food stands, sell alcohol, have restrooms, and picnic benches.

Taking off from Philly, as we also live in South Jersey:) was a breeze.........very enticing for future travel plans. Last time on Voyager, we left from Miami, but we flew down the day before and stayed overnight in a hotel. All went well with that trip as well, but we got our luggage much quicker on Horizon than we did on Voyager. If I had to choose as far as convenience, I'd choose Philly as my departure site. If someone offered me a free cruise, I'd probably pick Voyager over Horizon, BUT!!!!!!! if my kids were going (who are 16,16(twins) and 12), I'd pick Horizon because they had better activities for the kids................we literally never saw them. The activities for 13 to 17 year olds are also supervised by "counselors". My kids liked Horizon better than Voyager.............plus, you can leave/return to the ship whenever you want once you're docked in Bermuda. This is not something we could do last time with multiple ports(nor felt safe doing in some countries at night).

Still, either way, no matter what you choose.....................you'll have a blast. ENJOY!!!

[melissa593]

Spitfire,

Where in S. Jersey do you live? I am all the way at the end in Cape May.

We are departing from Port Canaveral in Dec altho I didn't plan enough to think about the night before staying over (would have been easier and now I know for next time) we fly into Orlando at 10am then have to get a taxi/van ($150 r.t.) to get to the Port. Our outbound flight leaves at 3:30pm so I think I have given myself enough time and since it doesn't usually snow too much in Philly in Dec I should be ok.

I had heard that RCI had the best childrens programs but now you say that your kids liked Horizons better. Was the price difference great between taking RCI to Bermuda over Celebrity?:rolleyes:

Thank you so much for your experience. I know we will have a wonderful time on this cruise and we are so looking forward to it (no family vaca in past few years because DH and I were selfish and went to Key West alone 2 years ago) also, last family vaca with #1 son (altho he might go to school in FL so that would be a good excuse!:D )

Have a great day

Melissa

[Jeanne S]

Royal Carribean to Bermuda is relatively high when you price it on a PP/Per day rate. A five day cruise costs the same as a week on Celebrity to this subtropical paradise. The food is excellent on Celebrity and so so on RCCL. However the Adventure OCean Children's program is superior to Celebrity.

[moai]

Does anybody know if the ship changes time while docked in Bermuda?

[jlines]

Bermuda is 1 hour ahead of EDST so when 5:00 in New York it is 6:00 in Bermuda.

[spitfire]

Melissa593,

I couldn't talk about the price difference between the Celebrity vs RCI because my in-laws treated the entire family to both cruises. I know our 5 person category 6 cabin on the Florida deck on the Horizon was about $6,000.00(only because it was in our cruise ticket booklet). I don't think our RCI was much more than that, but it was 3 yrs ago, our kids were 13,13, and 9 at the time, and we did the western Caribbean. My kids (all girls) stil enjoyed the activities better this time around, but they also met more kids, too. No matter what, your family will have a great time.

By the way, we live in Williamstown and my hubby and I also took an adult only vaca to Key West last summer.................what wonderful memories we have of it as well

[CruisinInAugust]

Yeah, that's a really good question about ship time/Bermuda time. I'm a first time cruiser, so please forgive if it's obvious. But I assume when the ship is supposed to leave from Bermuda at 5:00pm, that means 5:00pm Bermuda time. Correct? So, we should all reset our watches while we're there or we might "miss the boat".

 

Or is that wrong?

[moai]

CruisininAugust,

I was concerned also because I booked an outside excursion and I didn't want to miss it because of the time difference.

I got the answer I needed in another thread. I don't know what ship you are taking but what the Zenith does is to change the time ahead an hour in the way down (on the sea day) so when you get to Bermuda you are used to Bermuda time. And changes it back an hour on the night after you leave Bermuda, so on the sea day you get used to NY time. I hope this help. :D

[CruisinInAugust]

Thank you moai! I'll be on RCI Grandeur. Sounds like a reasonable practice, so I guess they would do it the same way.

[jcroan7]

Spitfire,,

 

We too are from 'Williamstown';;going on the "Horizon" this August 13th

to Bermuda for the first time...Looking forward to sailing down the 'delaware'

seeing all the sites,etc.etc....What a pleasure not flying to Fla.for this cruise!.

 

Anyway,thanks for the great review!!

 

Chris & Joan...

[spanky]

Welcome Back Spitfire and hi to all.

 

We are going on the Horizon out of our town of Philly on 9/10/05 and am now starting to feel the excitement! Having been on Voyager last year, this ship will feel tiny but it should be fun. Do they have karaoke on board? I've not heard of anyone talking about it...

 

Spanky

[LordCapybara]

We are leaving on The Horizon August 13th, cannot wait. Anyone else going on the 13th should sign up for cruise connections, we already are over 25 so there will be a meet and greet. Thanks for the info on tobacco bay, I was unsure of what beach to hit while in St. Georges and have read mixed reviews on Tobacco, but it sounds good to me.

 

Joe

[MJB1437]

Great review, thanks. Do you happen to know how much the dockyard trolley train tour costs?

Thanks,

Myrna

[spitfire]

Yes, there is Karaoke on board, though I forget which night. It's listed in the daily activity guide that delivered to your room. as far as the trolley ride at the Dockyards, I have no idea about the price. We took the ferry over from Hamilton, walked around, did Dolphin Quest then went back to the ship to swim and relax some more. Enjoy!!!!!!!!

[chenille]

Horseshoe Bay is a little bit of a "schlep"...it takes two buses to get there but the ride is pretty..Everybody on our bus was from the Majesty and being from Boston everyone had their own comments whenever a motorcycle passed us!! You can imagine..When you get to the beach you still have to walk down a hill for about 10 minutes..Everybody kept saying the same thing "we have to walk up this &*&^% hill on the way back!" But a friendly sight awaits you at the beach..a man with a van who charges a dollar to scoot you back up the hill at the end of your day..he makes a ton of money and its the best dollar you ever spent..get to this beach early..the umbrellas go fast..prople were stalking others as they were returning the umbrellas offering 20 bucks to take the umbrellas and return it...quite funny...enjoy..explore the left side of the beacj..lots of cavrns and the sea is just beautiful..I miss it!!

[Jeanne S]

Horseshoe Bay requires two buses from Hamilton? We always take a cab. Last year for 3 of us it was $15 tip included ($5/pp) and were driven right up to the beach entrance.

[LordCapybara]

I prefer to take a van/cab. When you get off ship, ask someone around if they are also going to horsheshoe, splitting the cab fare is a bonus. Cab drivers are usually interesting giving some island tips, plus A/C. Cabs also go down the hill on arrival and are at the bottom of the hill for ride home.

 

Joe