Is a Balcony Necessary in Bermuda

[tarheelmjfan]

I've been reading reports that the Bermudians aren't thrilled with the cruise ship industry or their passengers. DH & I thought we may want to take a cruise to Bermuda next summer, before the ships completely wear out their welcome. ;) Most of the ships sailing there don't seem to have balconies. Should I try to find one that does? Are they that much of an asset on a Bermudian cruise?

 

BTW, to those of you who are knowledgeable in Bermuda, do you think the cruise ship/ island relationship is deterioating that much? I would really prefer to cruise the Panama Canal 1st, but Bermuda is also on our list & we don't want to miss out. Thanks :)

[wwinfl91]

I don't think a balcony is a necessity on a Bermuda cruise but then I'm not sure it is a necessity on any cruise but it is a nice additional feature. We have only been to Bermuda once, this spring on the Jewel as it was the first stop on our Transatlantic cruise. You might check out the Bermuda port of call board and see what others there say about Bermuda being tired of cruise ships. They have 3 different ports that can dock 5 to 6 cruise ships at a time which is a lot of tourists at one time. There were a number of stores closing or closed on the main street which surprised me. Definitely keep the Panama Canal on your list and do a full transit not a partial to get the full picture of the canal.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[cruzobsessed]

we took a land vacation to bermuda this past summer. while no one exactly SAYS it..... you hear it....... the island between tues and fri becomes inundated with cruisers who invade their beaches, go back and forth to the boat for their meals and everyone is an expert scooter rider. when you do a land vacation, you are staying ina hotel, eating in restaurants, shopping and getting around by cabs. in other words helping thier economy. they don't see the cruiser (as a group) doing that. of course their are exceptions.

having said that....when we did the math....we realized that cruising REALLY IS the only way to do bermuda and we've booked a cruise fro next june on the explorer. our first balcony cruise will be this christmas on the serenade. we booked an owners suite for bermuda. have never been to the panama canal but all i can say is that bermuda is paradise.

[tarheelmjfan]

wwinfl91,

That's a great idea! I hadn't even thought of looking there. When planning our cruise to Alaska, their "Ports of Call" board was a wealth of information. Unfortunately, the boards for the Caribbean ports we're visiting in Nov. aren't as active. I'll check out the Bermuda board. :) Our 1st cruise to the Caribbean was in an OV cabin. The ship didn't have any balconies. (This was a long time ago.) We had an AFT balcony in Alaska & I wouldn't want to cruise there w/o one. Our next Caribbean cruise is in an FO cabin, so we'll get a feel for going from a balcony to another window. I'm actually looking forward to spending more time exploring the ship. We spent most of our June cruise on the balcony. :o It seems that balconies are more important on some itineraries than others.

 

cruzobsessed,

Cruising is definitely the more economical way to visit Bermuda. Before rediscovering cruising we priced a week on land in Bermuda. It was quite expensive, & that was several years ago. I have read articles from Bermuda's tourism industry bashing the cruise industry. You can kind of see their point. OTOH, we try to always eat at least one meal at the ports we stop at. We enjoy trying regional cuisines. I'm sure there's many other cruisers who would eat lunch or dinner on land the days they are docked there. Although, that not all would. Of course, many women will shop no matter what. :p However, Bermuda is a very expensive place to stay for a week. I doubt many of those same cruise passengers would ever spend any money there, if they didn't arrive on a ship. Anyway, I'm hoping the 2 industries will come to a happy compromise, & Bermuda will continue to welcome cruisers for many years. :)

[Terre]

We took a cruise to Bermuda this past May and did not have a balcony. We were docked right at the downtown of Hamilton and from the top deck, we could just about see everywhere.

 

I don't know how they feel about cruisers, but everyone we came in contact with was extremely nice and helpful. Although we did eat all of our meals on board the ship, we spent plenty of money on sightseeing tours and purchasing gifts. From what I hear the hotels and restaurants are very expensive and going by way of a cruise ship is the way to go.

[madelinerose]

Can't be deteriorating too much, since the still-under-construction Crown Princess will be there in 2006. ;)

 

BTW, to those of you who are knowledgeable in Bermuda, do you think the cruise ship/ island relationship is deterioating that much? Thanks :)

[driftychick]

Ah the balcony question........it is all a matter of taste, but, beware! Once you have had a balcony cabin it will be difficult to sail again and not have a balcony! We will be on the Jewel Boston Repositioning cruise 10-31-06 to Bermuda and Points South and YES we have a balcony. We always have a balcony. It is a great place to have coffee in the morning, take a cat nap and/or read a book in the afternoon and have a nightcap before bedtime.

[PhoenixCruiser]

Ah the balcony question........it is all a matter of taste, but, beware! Once you have had a balcony cabin it will be difficult to sail again and not have a balcony! We will be on the Jewel Boston Repositioning cruise 10-31-06 to Bermuda and Points South and YES we have a balcony. We always have a balcony. It is a great place to have coffee in the morning, take a cat nap and/or read a book in the afternoon and have a nightcap before bedtime.

 

We are on the same cruise, the ports are FANTASTIC :D, we too also always book a balcany/suite and hope that some suites will open up (we can always hope).

 

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[MikeT718]

As with most things when it comes to cabins it's personal opinos that matter..For me I have done 2 cruises to Bermuda once with an inside cabin (that was the Old NCL Crown) the Second was a full suite on the old Pacific Princess (the Love Boat) with no balcony but had a port hole to see outside..My 3rd cruise was on the Zaandam with a veranda AND FOR ME I WILL NEVER CRUISE WITHOUT A VERENDA.I really like comming in at night getting my MP3 player and just sitting out on the veranda and watching the sea and the stars and if lucky the moon it is so peacefull:)

[tarheelmjfan]

Thanks for the input. We'll be finding out next month how we feel about going from a verandah to a window (albeit a large bay window). We had a huge balcony in June. On our Alaskan cruise, we used our balcony for viewing the inside passage, Hubbard Glacier, & the sea life in the wake. Which, IMHO, would make or break an Alaskan cruise. I can see a need for a balcony on a cruise of the Panama Canal also. What I'm wondering is if it would be worth sailing on cruise line I may not have chosen otherwise just to book a cabin with a balcony. Thanks again :)

[racephoto]

I went to Bermuda in 2003 on the Zenith and never felt like I was not welcome. I liked the Zenith because it went to both Hamilton and St. George. The passage through the Cut into St. George Harbour is not to be missed! I felt like I could reach out and touch the rock walls. We ate dinner aboard ship but had lunch, appetizers and drinks usually in town. There was a nice bar right on the water near St. George that served awesome "Dark & Stormy's" and had wonderful onion rings. We spent a few hours there watching the fish and boats and people falling off jetskis and whatnot. Definitely quality time. In Hamilton there are bar/restaurants along the main drag that have outdoor balconies on the second floor across from the ships....we also whiled away some time in the afternoon there with a pitcher of beer and munchies....watching the lawyers and bankers in shorts with their briefcases whiz by on scooters. Enjoying the whole experience. Yeah, I guess we could have gotten a balcony cabin and smuggled the beer on board and sat there....but it wouldn't have been the same. And for what we saved on booking a cheap cabin over a balcony.....I think it was WELL worth it. Maybe I have a problem understanding the obsession with balcony cabins since I have my own boat and can go sit by the water any time I want. :-)

 

On a side note, I think what the Bermudians who resent the cruise ships forget is, a large percentage of the passengers on those ships would not visit Bermuda if they couldn't cruise.

 

Gail

[bermudashorts]

Had an aft balcony on the Empress in 04.

Went on the Crown this year and were back to the outside cabin.

Just booked another balcony next year on the Empress.

Post side (hopefully water side in Hamilton)

 

Like it was said it is hard to go back to a regular room.

Although it wasnt as bad as it could have been.

We missed being able to open the door and go outside.

I personally love sitting out there late at night.

 

Id go to Bermuda.

I personally havent seen anyone have an issue with the cruise people.

Im sure they feel that way at times though.

It certainly cant be any differnet then how some locals feel

about people coming to the Jersey shore in the summer.

Sometimes you just get tired of seeing so many people.

 

Bermuda is one of the best islands in the world.

If you havent been there you are really missing something special.

Go for it, you wont be sorry.

[BlueEyesInNYC]

an absolute slice of heaven compared to many caribbean destinations. I've never cruised there (or anywhere for that matter, but am ready to book my first cruise somewhere!) but the island is charming and I visit almost monthly for work.

 

The cruise ships do tend to inundate the island, and there is some conversation from the locals about it, but I do think they always treat everyone with the same helpful charm that is so indicative of the island.

 

As I travel there so frequently, I seem to be on a first-name basis with many of the people in customer service type positions (waitstaff, hotel staff, restaurant staff, and the sales force) I will admit that although I can purchase Louis Vuitton anywhere I please, I enjoy the friendliness of the Sales team at that particular LV location far more than that of the locations anywhere in the world, and will only purchase my LV items from that particular location.

 

I believe the only store on Front street that was out of business was Trimmingham's.

 

And if you like Thai food, Silk Restaurant on Front should not be missed!

 

Blue

[Host Kewlguy]

We never booked a balcony cabin to Bermuda as we are only on the sea for two days while the rest of the cruise we are docked in port. Now a Caribbean cruise would be another story when you are on the sea every night.