Bermuda Shore Excursions?

[jcruise216]

My family and I (all adults) are going on the Bermuda cruise (docking in Kings Wharf) this summer. Does anyone have suggestions about the best shore excursions? We are planning on booking the Crystal Caves excursion but we have two other open days. The Celebrity website isn't letting us select days or times for excursions but that's another story lol.

Edited June 1, 2017 by jcruise216
clarity

[SailBadtheSinner]

Most of what can be done by excursion, can be done DIY, and save money at the same time. For example, you don't need an excursion to go to Crystal Caves. This is something you can easily DIY. Want to do a taxi tour? Hire a 'blue flag' taxi for a tour of the island. An excursion ties you to the times to go and the duration. You should decide when and for how long. JMHO

 

SBtS

[vickykay]

You can get a three day bus and ferry ticket and can go just about anywhere. Check out the port of calls boards for mort information. I would suggest going to St. George and taking their walking tour, Horseshoe Bay beach ( just beautiful), Crystal Caves, Gibbs Lighthouse.

[cfitzpatrick]

When myself and my husband went last summer we booked most excursions when we arrived. We went to Horseshoe Bay Beach, Elbow Bay Beach, Segway Tour, and jet skis. We did book our catamaran sunset sail through the ship. The shore excursions offered by Celebrity are great, but you can save money by booking them on your own before you go or after you arrive as you have three days there. We spent our last day exploring the dockyard. If you buy tickets for the ferry or bus you may have more freedom to explore the island (Hamilton, St. George's, etc.) I highly recommend you check out the Bermuda board :)

[sandav]

My family and I (all adults) are going on the Bermuda cruise (docking in Kings Wharf) this summer. Does anyone have suggestions about the best shore excursions? We are planning on booking the Crystal Caves excursion but we have two other open days. The Celebrity website isn't letting us select days or times for excursions but that's another story lol.

 

You do not need a ship's tour in Bemuda. Taxis are freely available at the Dockyard where the ship docks and most of the drivers are certified Blue Flag guides. Just ask at the taxi rank. We were in Bermuda in 2014 on the Summit and on the 2015 Eclipse Transatlantic. We used these taxi tours in 2014 and the guide was very good and he showed us lots. We paid $40 an hour and did a four hour tour. I imagine it will a bit more now but if there are a few if you it would work out quite reasonable.

We also went to Crystal and Fantasy Caves on our second day when the Summit was in Bermuda. It's reachable by bus from Hamilton and St George's . There's also a Swizzle Inn within a minute's walk from the caves and a bus to Hamilton from there.

When we went to the caves we took the ferry to St George's, taxi to the caves, walked a few minutes to Swizzle Inn ( nice food, great rum sizzles), bus back to Hamilton and then ferry back to the ship.

At the time we went you could get a 3 day pass for the ferries and buses.

Bus stops in Bermuda have different coloured poles, blue and pink. Stops with blue poles mean the bus is heading away from Hamilton and pink poles mean bus heading towards Hamilton. The bus stop is only a minute walk from the ship's dock as are the taxis. Another minute or so will take you to the shops etc at the Dockyard at King's Wharf. The ferries leave just a few minutes walk from where the ship docks.

[maryred]

Just an example of how to save cost over the cruise line's excursion.

DIY:

Token/ for 14 zone zone bus ticket $4.50 each way, or you can opt for the 2 day unlimited transportation pass (good for both ferries and all bus routes) for $31.50 per adult. Another option is the private run shuttles, though not completely sure but I think the dock to attraction "door" shuttles are $20 /adult round trip.

Crystal and Fantasy Caves admission is $22 each or as a combo at $30. A really nice thing with the 2 cave package on your own is you can space the climbs between the 2 caves to your fitness level, taking a break at the snack bar or just sitting in the shade.

If you opt for the unlimited public transport pass you can also easily grab a bus from the caves to go over to the Aquarium and Zoo ($10/adult admission), head over to historic St. Georges, head into Hamilton for shopping or the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (admission $15/adult), or get off at any of the free admission South Shore Beaches (including Horseshoe Bay Beach) to see the pink sand and take a dip.

 

As for other things to do on the island plan to spend at least 1/2 a day just exploring the Royal Naval Dockyard. Bermuda also has several approved tourist information websites like:

https://www.bermuda-attractions.com

www.bermuda4u.com

www.gotobermuda.com

www.bermuda-online.org

[hcat]

We found it very easy to take the ship's excursions in Bermuda, avoids the lines for public transport.

,

We did a nice water tour from the pier..saw beautiful homes and landmarks,. Tour ends in Hamilton.,.and tour provides return ferry ticket, Had a great time walking all over Hamilton, enjoyed the public park with moongate ,etc and a tavern lunch. Used our ferry ticket back to the ship.

 

Also took a full island bus tour,,..hit all the landmarks, photo stops and had time for a quick lunch in St Georges. Easy fun day.

[1chigirl]

I did the full island mini bus tour also and recommend it. Bermuda is easy to get around on public transportation but not being as young or as mobile as I use to be this was an easy and enjoyable tour which included the light house, different neighborhoods, a stop in St. George for lunch and a quick ride thru Hamilton.

[lnuzzo]

Our first trip to Bermuda, we took an island tour through the cruise line, and got a good feel for the layout of the island. we then rented a scooter, which we parked next to the ship for the 2 days we were in port. this was a LONG time ago, and honestly I would not recommend this. traffic is much heavier now than in '95, and Bermuda is notorious for scooter wrecks.

 

Public transportation is plentiful, cheap, and extremely easy to navigate. All busses go to Hamilton, and then back out again. every bus route we took had incredible coastline views, the drivers were personable and helpful, and we never found the busses to be crowded. Would you rather travel via boat? you can reach most of the island via ferry as well from the Dockyard. As an earlier poster wrote, you can buy tokens, or multi day passes at the Visitor Information Centers at the Dockyard.

 

In a pinch or after-hours you can use taxis, but expect to be shocked at the cost. Last year we stayed by St George, and were quoted a cost of $70 to get to Horseshoe Bay by taxi (for 2 ppl)

[southernbreezes]

One of the very best tours we did was with Ricky you will love it. - to review: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g562685-d7611724-Reviews-Ricky_s_Island_Tours_Minibus_Service-Sandys_Parish_Bermuda.html

To Book - http://www.rickysminibus.com/

My wife and I were very disappointed in the SunSet Catamaran Cruise, the Sun Set was beautiful but the Captian and Crew were more suited for a drinking party (we both drink).

[LBeeE]

What's good for someone with mobility issues (can't do much walking/standing - ferry will be too long of a walk), but wants to see Hamilton, St. Georges, historic sites, and do some photography?

[southernbreezes]

What's good for someone with mobility issues (can't do much walking/standing - ferry will be too long of a walk), but wants to see Hamilton, St. Georges, historic sites, and do some photography?

 

You really need to book with Ricky he meets you with his beautiful van right where you get off the ship. The guy is great and you will have the "time of your life" on beautiful Bermuda. See my previous post. :cool:

[jcruise216]

Wow thank you to everyone for the feedback!! I will look definitely look into everything mentioned. My parents are older and prefer the ease of booking tours rather than using public transportation. But I have plenty of options now! Thanks again :)

[ezemoney]

another fun thing to do is rent a boston whaler or similar boat for the afternoon. we did this last year and had a blast. we saw the America's cup catamarans practice up close! we used somerset bridge water sports. they are about 20 minutes from the dockyard. would recommend a reservation.

 

 

later,

 

ezemoney