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jrm116

By jrm116,
in Bermuda

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sebas030

sebas030

Posted
Posted
Should I book them via NCL or independently? Never been to Bermuda so not sure what to expect

 

What excursion are you looking at ?

 

Plenty of resources here to help you "avoid" the up-charge from the cruise company and not worry about anything.

 

 

Talk to you later !

 

 

.

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Charles4515

Charles4515

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Posted (edited)
Should I book them via NCL or independently? Never been to Bermuda so not sure what to expect

 

My general answer is no. Don't book a cruise line excursion in Bermuda. Bermuda is easy and safe to get around on your own. But you don't mention what you have in mind to do in Bermuda.

Edited by Charles4515
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puddles99

puddles99

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I can't speak from experience quite yet, but in doing my research for our cruise next month, the only excursion that made sense to book through NCL was a golf excursion. Everything else - a fishing charter, a pontoon boat charter, a private island tour - we booked through local companies that I researched here and on TripAdvisor.

 

 

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sebas030

sebas030

Posted
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Looking at the caves, horseshoe bay, Bermuda Triangle night cruise, maybe snorkel or parasail.

 

 

Nothing here needs a ship sponsored excursion.

 

Caves : ferry to St-George ( 40 min ) then bus to caves ( 20 min ). When done, bus to Hamilton ( 30 min ) ferry to Dockyard ( 20 min )

 

Horseshoe : bus ( 25 min ) or ( best option ) 7$ pp shuttle that brings you right at the beach entrance.

 

Snorkel : many option, but from my own experience : Jessie James Cruises . Check out the website. Chloe is the best !!

 

Night cruise : not often discussed here...I could not recommend or comment on it myself. BUT there is NO need to book it via Ncl.

 

If you have any questions, just ask !

 

 

Have fun !

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

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Charles4515

Charles4515

Posted
Posted (edited)
Looking at the caves, horseshoe bay, Bermuda Triangle night cruise, maybe snorkel or parasail.

 

 

You can do all those on your own. For sure you don't want to do the caves or Horseshoe as a cruise line excursion. Do those on your own. Bermuda Triangle night cruise you can book on your own but I don't know if the difference in price makes much if any difference as I never looked into that one myself as never interested. Depends on what the cruise line is charging.

Edited by Charles4515
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toras

toras

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We booked the Horseshoe Bay trip with Celebrity, because my 88 year old mom was with us, and we believed it when during the tours presentation they stressed that there's a slope going down to the beach and regular buses will only drop you off at the top, while their coaches will bring you right to the beach. In fact the slope is so gentle my mom could easily have walked it!

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sebas030

sebas030

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We booked the Horseshoe Bay trip with Celebrity, because my 88 year old mom was with us, and we believed it when during the tours presentation they stressed that there's a slope going down to the beach and regular buses will only drop you off at the top, while their coaches will bring you right to the beach. In fact the slope is so gentle my mom could easily have walked it!

 

 

I don't know how much is that tour with Celebrity, but the 7$ pp shuttle from the Dockyard to Horseshoe Bay brings you all the way down to the beach entrance.

 

And if you want to use the public bus, there is a van that only goes up and down the hill. It is 2$ pp to either go up or down.

 

 

 

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NJ Johnny

NJ Johnny

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I agree that the special taxis that hold 6 0r 7 take you right down to the bottom of the hill and are waiting at the same place to take you back. All you have to do is tell them you want to share a cab with others and you'll be charged $7 pp. I would not take a ship tour to Horseshoe Bay.

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sebas030

sebas030

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Also, is HSB as crowded as everyone claims it is? Lots of reviews say that since it's the most famous beach, it's full of tourists and there's not much space on the beach

 

Well it is the most popular beach for tourist, so YES expect a lot of people on the beach if it is hot and sunny ! and even more if 2 big ships are at the Dockyard.

 

The beach is very large and you shouldn't be all on top of each other...but it can get crowded.

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Charles4515

Charles4515

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Also, is HSB as crowded as everyone claims it is? Lots of reviews say that since it's the most famous beach, it's full of tourists and there's not much space on the beach

 

 

Most seem to congregate by the facilities. So there is not much space there. If you move away from the facilities it gets less crowded. It is practicably empty at the other end where the coves are that lead to Warwick.

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meatball_nyc

meatball_nyc

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Horseshoe Beach is such a beautiful beach. Just there last week and it's now our favorite beach we've ever been to. No need to go through the ship to get there like the others have said.

Walk all the way to the left and you will have more of the beach to yourself. Walk the trails to go to the coves and to Warwick Long Bay Beach. It's sooooo worth it.

 

In the dockyard there is a little pink hut that sells lots of excursions for about $10 less than the ship excursions. They are the same ones that the ship offers. Here is a picture of the pink hut and here is their website:

 

http://www.islandtourcentre.com

 

ImageUploadedByForums1405361894.908537.jpg.dface79491dfcc93c3e42a28a9566b5e.jpg

 

You will love Bermuda!

Happy Sailing!

 

 

Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

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sebas030

sebas030

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Is there snorkeling available at Horseshoe? I'm hoping there is because it looks amazing!

 

Horseshoe Bay is not a spot for snorkel. It's known to have waves a little too strong to snorkel. There is only a rock formation on the right of the beach that forms a calm shallow cove for kids.

 

No other rock formation to attract fish are nearby.

 

There is a path you can use to walk to 4 or 5 other beaches from HSB and some have said that snorkel could be made on other beaches along the path ( if you have your own equipment )

 

I have not seen many snorkelers there, and all of the reviews talk about a great beach for swimming and having fun in the waves...not snorkeling.

 

 

Have fun !

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