Only 1 Day in Bermuda - What to do?

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

We are thinking about about booking a 9 night Royal Caribbean cruise from Cape Liberty with a 1 day stop in Bermuda from 8am to 4pm.

 

What would you say the best things to do are in our limited time?

 

We don't want to spend the whole day on a beach, we'd maybe like to see a beautiful one, but not spend too much time there.

[cb at sea]

Go to your library, get a book on Bermuda, and see what things interest you! Then, you can decide HOW to do it!

[SnappyNappi]

We have done the 9-night on the Explorer with the day stop in Bermuda with our kids (2 years ago) and are booked on the 9-night on Liberty in July 2015 with the Bermuda stop. When we were with the kids last in 2011, we did an RCCL excursion that included a boat ride over and a shopping day in Hamilton and really enjoyed it. Kids bought some souvenirs and really liked the sight-seeing boat ride from the Naval Dockyard to Hamilton. They have a ferry from the dockyard to Hamilton if you didn't want to do an organized excursion but still wanted to do some shopping for the day.

 

Last October, DH and I did the 7-night Bermuda which had 3 days in Bermuda - we rented scooters and did sight-seeing on our own. If you are feeling more adventurous and really wanted to explore, I say grab a map from the tourism booth at the dockyard and rent a scooter for the day. We found the Swizzle Inn restaurant along the road on the coast and stopped at the beaches to see the ocean and walk a bit on the beach, it is a great way if you want to and just see the island. You won't have time to see everything, but you can enjoy a day there.

 

Something else we did for a day trip was the helmet dive (with Hartley Helmet Dive). It was an excursion that I booked directly with the company and it was really cool. RCCL doesn't offer the excursion anymore, but you can book it with the operator and he is the guy that runs it when you are there. He is a bit eccentric and very talkative, but he is brilliant and knows everything about the fish and the waters in and around Bermuda. This excursion was about a 1/2 day trip in a boat from the naval dockyard - the dive and then back. We really enjoyed the dive and would absolutely consider taking our teenage kids next summer.

 

We wouldn't rent the scooters with the kids - but after being there a couple of times, we can definitely find stuff to do with the kids next summer.

[DeltaOne]

We are thinking about about booking a 9 night Royal Caribbean cruise from Cape Liberty with a 1 day stop in Bermuda from 8am to 4pm.

 

What would you say the best things to do are in our limited time?

 

We don't want to spend the whole day on a beach, we'd maybe like to see a beautiful one, but not spend too much time there.

 

Hire a blue-flagged taxi for a private tour. The driver will show you around or take you to specific locations -- your choice. I think the minimum is four hours, you might opt for five hours.

[marci22]

I am taking a tour with Heidi Cowen. She gets very good reviews on TripAdvisor.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147261-d2256601-Reviews-Byways_Tours-Southampton_Parish_Bermuda.html

 

It is easy to buy a 1 day bus pass and pick a few things that you want to do on your own. It is good for the bus and ferry and both are nice ways to see the island as well as cheap transportation.

 

http://www.gotobermuda.com/uploadedFiles/GetHere/MapsAndBrochures/SubContent/HR%20Map_JUNE2013_web.pdf I think that last time we took a morning ferry to Hamilton, went into a couple of shops and had some liquor sent back to the ship, then continued on to original Swizzle Inn for lunch and Crystal Caves later in the day.

 

Island is small but takes some time for bus travel so don't overschedule yourself.

Edited June 30, 2014 by marci22

[flowers44]

The Maritime Museum is right at the Dockyard. Very interesting place to walk around. I think it is $12 admission, $10 for seniors. We spent about 4 hours there one time we were in Bermuda for one day on that same cruise. You could catch the bus out to Horseshoe Bay Beach and then return to the ship for lunch and then go to the Museum. You are close by and would be able to be back onboard in plenty of time.

[sebas030]

Definitively hire a Blue flag private Taxi.

 

They are certified guides who tour the island with their taxi but charge a fixed price of 50$ per hour for 1-4 passengers and 70$ per hour for 5-7 passengers,

 

The minimum is 3 hours.

 

They are used to cruisers with limited time on their hands. I would suggest a 4 hour tour if you do not go to St-George ( at the opposite tip of the island ) and end at the Dockyard. I really found St-George beautiful in the past and plan on spending a whole day there on my next cruise...but for a limited time stay...you could skip it..and then you will HAVE to cruise again to Bermuda.

 

You could do a 4 hour tour INCLUDING St-George but ending in Hamilton. You could spend an hour or so there exploring and shopping and then take a ferry back to the Dockyard ( 20 minutes )

 

A 5 hour tour would give you enough time to go to St-George or stay an hour a one of the beaches while your driver waits ( yes your hour will cost you $ but it's the best way to "see it all" ), and end in the Dockyard.

 

Blue flag taxi's are bookable in advance via email to ensure a quick start at 9am. Or you could go to the taxi stand and hire a cab there...just make sure it has the Blue flag on it.

 

You arrive at 8am, so you would be able to start your tour at 9am and get back at 1 or 2 o'clock depending on your choice...or 3 o'clock if you spend time in Hamilton. Your all aboard time should be 3:30pm, so you could explore the Dockyard, the Maritime Museum, the glass factory, Rum cake factory...etc....

 

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask !

Edited July 1, 2014 by sebas030