What to do from Kings wharf???

[emcemt]

We will be in Bermuda next week and will be docking at Kings Wharf. We are only there for a limited time. I have been to Bermuda twice before years ago staying once at the Sonesta and docked once in St George. I'm not very familiar with Kings Wharf and was wondering how far from Hamilton it was? Are there taxis or a ferry that go there? We will only be there from 10am till 3:300 pm so time is tight. Any info would be appreciated. Also any good beaches around the area that would be able to fit in that time frame? Thanx for the advice!!!

[bostoncruisegal]

There's a ferry that runs from King's Wharf to Hamilton, and I believe it is the quickest way to get between the two places. I can't remember the schedule, but either someone else can help you on that or look up Bermuda's transportation site.

 

I think though that if you get right out in the morning, you woud have time to take the ferry there and back.

 

At King's Wharf itself, there is a snorkle park (I never went, but many people told me it was fun.), a dolphin experience if you are into that thing, and some shopping.

 

When I was there, we ate lunch at the Frog and Onion (Best burger of my life), hit up all the shops, a very small craft market, watch the glassblowing people, got some rum cake from the rum cake factory, and left in about 2.5 hours. All in all not much going on at that port. I would reccommend trying to get to Hamilton or do a shore excursion.

[smeyer418]

www.seaexpress.bm I believe. Also do a search on the Dockyards/kingswharf and alot will come up. The Ferry will be faster than a cab

[Swizzle v2.0]

In general there are three things to do from Dockyard:

 

1) Wander around Dockyard

2) take the ferry to Hamilton

3) take the bus to the South Shore beaches area (such as Horseshoe Bay)

 

In November the itinerary will definately be weather dependent. If it is sunny I recommend going to the beaches, even if only to see them rather than suntan. For shopping and things to do, or if the weather is not great, personally I would prefer spending time in Hamilton over Dockyard (except Sunday as almost everything in Hamilton is closed).

[emcemt]

Thank you all for all your information. I think i'm gonna do what you suggest swizzle...that was pretty much my idea from the start. Could you give me more info on the ferry if possible?? I tried the link posted above but it was kinda confusing (and i'm used to reading NYC subway maps :rolleyes: ) As well the schedule that was posted only went up till nov 11th or something. And where would I get a bus to the beaches. Thanx to everyone for all the info :D

[mushroom]

There is an excellent maritime museum at kings wharf. If you are a diver, you will find it particularly interesting. There are loads of offshore wrecks and the museum tells you all about it.

[chessie68]

We took the bus from the Dockyard to Warwick Long Bay and walked the south shore trails to Horseshoe Bay. The paths take you up to some beautiful vistas and then down to some beautiful beach areas. We paid $1 for the shuttle up the hill and then took the bus to the lighthouse. We did a bit of shopping at the Dockyard and we were back on the ship by about 2:00. The bus drivers were really nice. We asked them to let us know when to get off at both points. The bus ride was also an adventure.

[virgenia]

There are two ferries that run from the Dockyard over to Hamilton. The best one is called the Big Ferry and it takes off right from the pier where the ship is docked. I think the first one left at 9:15AM and they leave about every hour or so all day long. Then there are the public ferries that leave from the other side of the Dockyard--about a 5 minute walk to where it waits. These take longer because they stop at various towns along the way.

 

You schedule is so tight, you should opt for the big ferry. You will need to get a ticket before you get on. These are sold in a small visitor's center just down the pier from where you get the ferry.

[smeyer418]

Yes Virginia they are all public ferries. The fast ones(catamaran's) are new. They take 20-25 minutes to go to Hamilton when going direct. On the scehdule the direct ones are either white or yellow. There is one that stops at some of the small towns or its one of the older non-fast ferries which can take twice as much to go the same distance. The schedule does show this(the Blue route).... and yes there will be less schedule after 11/whatever...I believe that there is only one ferry stop.

[Optifire]

We were on the Voyager of the Seas last week in Bermuda docked at Kings Wharf. We were docked for a day and a half there. The weather was in the low 80's. On the half day we stayed around the Dockyard and saw the sights. We visited the Dockyard Glassworks and saw the glassblowing demonstation. That is amazing and not to be missed. They were making a beautiful glass clown when we were there and it was truly amazing how they do that. We saw the Rum Cake Factory and tasted the Rum cake samples. We went into the Craft Market and the Clayworks. We visited Snorkel Park. There were plenty of people in the water for this time of the year. But we did not enter the water. At Snorkel park you can rent snorkel equipment, paddle boats, canoes, chairs or floaties. They have these giant rubber sliding boards out in the water that you climb and slide down into the water, that really looked like alot of fun. They have a bar there called Hammerheads if you just want to relax and watch everyone. They have picnic tables there if you want to have something to eat. Also at the Dockyard they have a small train type trolley that runs a 90 minute tour of the Dockyard that you can take. I am not sure of the price, as we didnt do that. My brother and his girlfriend did the Dolphin Quest and loved it. They did the fin and flipper session and the pictures that they purchased were great. There is also the Clocktower Mall with about 20 stores in it for shopping.There is a post office at the Visitors Service Bureau next to the convenience store if you want to mail some post cards from Bermuda. It cost .70 to send our post card. It would proably be better to take the Ferry to Hamilton if you decide to do that as it only takes about 20 or so minutes whereas by taxi it took us much longer to get to Hamilton. Of course we were stopping to see things such as the smallest drawbridge and Gibbs Hill lighthouse. I checked in the book I brought back and it says that the ferry is $4.00 one way for the cost. As for the Taxi question, when we came out at 10 am on our first day docked, there was only 1 taxi parked there. So if you decide to go by Taxi then it would be best to be sure to get off the ship as soon as possible. We had our taxi tour booked in advance for our first day there. The second day when we did grab a cab to go over to the dockyard there was still only two taxi's outfront. We paid $7.00 for 5 people. You can walk it with no problem, however we had some health problems so we took the cab over. We did walk back to the ship though with no problem. I believe they have a shuttle bus also that goes back and forth from the Dockyard to the ship.

In summary, The Dockyard did have many things to do there, but I dont think I would have been happy with just seeing that area. We were in Bermuda before also and my main priority was seeing the sights that we didnt see before and with the Taxi Tour we were able to accomplish that plus more in the time we had alloted. You can proably do the complete Dockyard in the time you have alloted plus have time left over. As everything is right next to each other and the markets are small and you can go through in no time at all. Our Taxi Tour was $36.00 an hour for 4 people and he took us whereever we wanted to go. He said his tours are from a minimum of 3 hours to 8 hours.

And when we broke it down between the four of us, the price was great for all we saw. It just depends on what you want to get out of this visit to Bermuda and how much you have seen in the past with the time you have alloted. It is a hard decision, I know as Bermuda is so beautfiul and you want to see it all. Good luck on what you decide and have a wonderful cruise.

[QOE]

We took a taxi and told him what we wanted to see Horseshore Beach, Gibbs Lighthouse, etc. and anything else he thought we should see. It was interesting and you go at your own pace. We also did the Hartley Underwater Walk, which was great. Anyone from five to hundred years of age can do it even my husband who doesn't like to go underwater!!!!

[Surfgirl]

The snorkel park is wonderful... and it's free. It had the best snorkeling I have ever done. Please skip the dolphin swim, it's cruel.

 

You can putter around the shops too, and look around the fort.

[willieg]

What is the wharf area like for the disabled? How far is the shopping area from the dock? DH uses a cane, but we can use a wheelchair if needed?

Does Celebrity run a shuttle bus?

We would appreciate any advice on trips that DH would enjoy that do not require a lot of walking.

Thanks in advance.

[virgenia]

The wharf is concrete and sidewalks lead to all the parts of the area. Should be no problem in a wheelchair. As I remember it, the area into the small beach there was paved, but then sand took over. Did not go over to the fort, so cannot speak to that.

[Glamourgal]

We are going to be at King's Wharf in June from 9 AM - 5 PM on the NCL Spirit. Will we have enough time to do the Snorkel Park and take a ferry to Hamilton? I was thinking if we did Hamilton as soon as we got off the ship, in the morning and then the Snorkel park after lunch since it is closer to the ship?? I would love any suggestions you have. Thanks!!

[BLUEHEN]

Thanks for all of the great info. I was wondering we will be in Bermuda June on Crown Princess on a Sunday. Would anyone know are most shops closed? Can we expect anything else to be closed? Marge

[Swizzle v2.0]

I was thinking if we did Hamilton as soon as we got off the ship, in the morning and then the Snorkel park after lunch since it is closer to the ship?? I would love any suggestions you have. Thanks!!

That would be best. Snorkel Park is only a few mintues walk from the ship so you shouldn't have a problem being back on the ship in time. If you are in Hamilton you are at the mercy of the ferry schedule and the trip takes 20+ minutes so if you want to go to Hamilton I'd do that first.

[Swizzle v2.0]

we will be in Bermuda June on Crown Princess on a Sunday. Would anyone know are most shops closed? Can we expect anything else to be closed?

At this time almost all stores in Hamilton and St. Georges are closed on Sunday although some restaurants are open. The Government recently passed legislation allowing stores to open Sunday afternoon if they wish but right now almost none of them are. This may change in the summer when tourists are here but I don't know for sure.

 

Tourist attractions (such as the Aquarium, Underwater Exploration Institute, Snorkel Park) should be open on Sunday.

[megr1125]

hi swizzle. so we will be there for a day and a half in may. my mom went there on her honeymoon in 1962 and never got back with my dad so we are going just the 2 of us.

 

i would like a tour for a couple hours then maybe time to hit a beach someplace. also time to shop.

 

do you have any suggestions? mom isn't much of a beach person but if there were a hotel maybe where we could go for the day that would be good.

 

thanks

[Swizzle v2.0]

Hamilton is the best place to shop, although there are a number of shops in Dockyard and St. Georges as well.

 

For beaching it would depend on where you are. St. Georges has some nice beaches nearby and in May there should be a shuttle service in operation. St. Georges is a lovely small town that is nice to explore.

 

If you are at Hamilton or Dockyard I would suggest visiting one of the big hotels on the South Shore - either the Sonesta or the Southampton Princess. The Sonesta is right on the shore and has beaches but I believe non-guests have to pay a fee. The Southampton Princess has a shuttle service to its private beach (but that beach is right next door to Horseshoe Bay so you can just go there and not pay a fee). The Princess also has a few small stores in it, I don't know if the Sonesta does.

[megr1125]

thanks........i will do some more research and see what i can come up with.

[Tristan]

Can anyone tell me the price of a roundtrip ticket on the ferry from the dock in

King's Warf to Hamilton??

 

 

Thank you.

[smeyer418]

I believe its $4.00 each way. That is why most people just buy an $13.00 all day pass.

 

 

http://www.seaexpress.bm/portal/server.pt?space=Opener&control=OpenObject&cached=true&parentname=CommunityPage&parentid=3&in_hi_ClassID=514&in_hi_userid=2&in_hi_ObjectID=633&in_hi_OpenerMode=2&

Its says 12.00 per day but I belive there was an increase.

[amberjohn]

Are there any places on the Dockyard that rent motor boats/whalers?

[biker@sea]

Wow

 

A 10 year old thread lives again. :rolleyes: