Should I do Bermuda or Bahamas?

[Russ Lomas]

I definitely would choose Bermuda over the Bahamas (safer, nicer). I see you more or less made that choice already, so on to your next question. There is plenty to do in Bermuda for 3 days. We have been there twice for a week each time and there was plenty to do for 14 days. If you enjoy beaches, snorkeling, scuba, golf, visiting historic sites, etc., you will easily fill up your three days there. We have not cruised there before but I feel a couple days at sea each way and three days in Bermuda would be a perfect trip.

[SportsFanatic]

Isn't the 9 nighter the one day in Bermuda and the rest in the Caribbean or is this a different cruise ? How many nights are you in Bermuda? We just did the nine nighter and it's only one day in Bermuda but it's an awesome cruise. Much rather do the Caribbean then the Bahamas any day

 

 

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[cwms]

I hate to say this, but the poverty of most Caribbean islands is depressing to be around. If there is any poverty on Bermuda, it is well hidden.

People are very nice and you feel safe anywhere on the island. Busses and ferries are the way to get around. DO NOT rent motor bikes. Traffic is horrible.

As everyone else has said...Bermuda, hands down.

[bingo3]

Bermuda, for sure!! :D

[riclop]

Are you kidding ??? BERMUDA !!!!!!!!!!

[coolcruiser777]

Isn't the 9 nighter the one day in Bermuda and the rest in the Caribbean or is this a different cruise ? How many nights are you in Bermuda? We just did the nine nighter and it's only one day in Bermuda but it's an awesome cruise. Much rather do the Caribbean then the Bahamas any day

 

 

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Yes, the night night on the Anthem goes to Bermuda for one day only and then heads to the Caribbean, but the nine night on the Grandeur spends two days in Bermuda and then goes to the Bahamas.

[molsonschooner]

I might be missing something but I don't see Anthem doing 9 nights to Bermuda, only Grandeur

[styme123]

Those that have done the 9 night cruise with RCI, what did you think of the other ports besides Bermuda? I believe it was St Maarteen, PR, and Haiti. Did you have a favorite port?

[Cyber Kat]

I can't help out with any of the ships because i haven't sailed on any of those, but I'm in Bermuda RIGHT NOW and I've been here many times before - it's the best.

 

We are here for 2 weeks and still won't have time to do all we want to do. You can easily fill 3 days/2 nights.

 

If you are choosing a cruise to Bermuda do one that gives you that length of time in this port.

 

I will echo what others have said about this island - it's gorgeous, clean, safe, easy to get around and the locals are some of the warmest, friendliest, most helpful people you will ever meet. They have a song here, "Bermuda is Another World" and it's true. I've traveled to a lot of places and haven't found any like it.

 

If it helps we live in the NY metro area and both Boston and Baltimore are very drivable ports in addition to Manhattan, Brooklyn and Cape Liberty/Bayonne.

 

Have a great cruise whichever you pick and if you choose Bermuda I'd be happy to answer any questions.

 

 

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[Clarea]

Those that have done the 9 night cruise with RCI, what did you think of the other ports besides Bermuda? I believe it was St Maarteen, PR, and Haiti. Did you have a favorite port?

We just did a cruise on Oasis last month that included St. Maarten, PR, and Labadee. We enjoyed St. Maarten and San Juan the best.

[Rolady68]

Looking forward to my time in Bermuda

 

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[SeeingTheWorldBySea]

Another vote for Bermuda. The moon gate by the dock will always hold a special place in my heart- my husband proposed there when we visited in August 2011. He carried my engagement ring around all day and even left it in his backpack behind the desk at the jet ski office while we went out on the water for over an hour. Bermuda is very safe and as many before me have said the people are so friendly. We have a stop in Nassau for our March 2018 cruise and I don't even think I want to get off the ship. Bermuda for as many days as you can for sure.

[flag fan]

At the risk of piling on, I am going to vote for Bermuda as well. I enjoyed the Bahamas but liked Bermuda a little more.

[hansolosmom]

Here is my 2 cents.

 

I've done NCL the 7 day NCL Breakaway to Bermuda.

By staying multiple days it feels more like a resort vacation since you can go many places at a more leisurely pace. Our big highlights were the caves and Horseshoe beach. The ship is huge and felt crowded. There will be a lot of kids even in early June. (We did Memorial weekend and the ship was packed).

The trip will be less expensive, not sure if with an inside you get any of the "free" perks (ie) drink package or specialty dining. As someone mentioned Escape takes over at some point. The 2018 trips are on the website so you can do some actual pricing.

 

We did 9 days in Anthem in Oct. Our Bermuda stop was cancelled because of a tropical storm. Cancelling a port stop can happen at anytime, and we weren't too bummed since I knew we were going this past May. I really liked St. Maarten, we did an island tour which included Princess Juliana airport, it's the one you see videos of with people getting blown away on the beach. It's an interesting island. PR is OK (if we visit again, I would stay on the ship). We didn't do much, we just walked around the shops. My dh has a friend who lives there and we met up with him. The port time here was very short, so there wasn't a lot of time to really do much. There is a fort which is close to port which a lot of people visit. Then Labadee (Haiti) is RC's private island, so it's a beach day. I liked Anthem, it's a nice ship. For whatever reason, design (I guess) even though it's huge it didn't feel like it was super crowded like Breakaway did. The only time I think you could see if was at the outdoor pool on nice days. The Solarium (adult only pool) was packed too. Again this will be a bit more expensive, because of being a longer trip.

 

I think you need to weigh both if you want to stay in one place vs seeing different places for a shorter period of time. The other thing to look at is expenses and your budget. I usually make a spreadsheet with cabin fare, parking, extras (drink package, dining package etc). Once I do that, I make my decision on which trip to take. Also If you really aren't sure on the ports, check out the ports section to see what people do in them and/or visit trip advisor and check out the destination.

[fridaythe13th]

Brookmill18- That's a good point about spending more time on the island and more so if we flew there. I'm kind of new to traveling so I think I might like the 9 day one since you see different ports/places. But I'm unsure if it's a bit too hectic with in and out of all the ports versus just being at one place and seeing different things at Bermuda only. Is there enough to see there to us up the 3 days? I'm trying to focus in on the cruises that don't require me to fly. I live in NY, so the Cape Liberty and Manhattan terminals seem pretty convenient and save me on airfare to FLA.

 

There is more than enough to do in Bermuda for 3 days but I'd pick the longer cruise and visit more places. It's not too hectic but maybe it will make you want to go back. Private island tours with a beach stop are usually a good place to start. Go to the ports of call boards and ask about the different island tours.

[jsf]

Given a choice I'd pick Bermuda, Bahamas is mostly a ghetto, the natives were not allowed in the casino's the last time I was there. I guess they don' want to make them poorer.

[styme123]

Here is my 2 cents.

 

I've done NCL the 7 day NCL Breakaway to Bermuda.

By staying multiple days it feels more like a resort vacation since you can go many places at a more leisurely pace. Our big highlights were the caves and Horseshoe beach. The ship is huge and felt crowded. There will be a lot of kids even in early June. (We did Memorial weekend and the ship was packed).

The trip will be less expensive, not sure if with an inside you get any of the "free" perks (ie) drink package or specialty dining. As someone mentioned Escape takes over at some point. The 2018 trips are on the website so you can do some actual pricing.

 

We did 9 days in Anthem in Oct. Our Bermuda stop was cancelled because of a tropical storm. Cancelling a port stop can happen at anytime, and we weren't too bummed since I knew we were going this past May. I really liked St. Maarten, we did an island tour which included Princess Juliana airport, it's the one you see videos of with people getting blown away on the beach. It's an interesting island. PR is OK (if we visit again, I would stay on the ship). We didn't do much, we just walked around the shops. My dh has a friend who lives there and we met up with him. The port time here was very short, so there wasn't a lot of time to really do much. There is a fort which is close to port which a lot of people visit. Then Labadee (Haiti) is RC's private island, so it's a beach day. I liked Anthem, it's a nice ship. For whatever reason, design (I guess) even though it's huge it didn't feel like it was super crowded like Breakaway did. The only time I think you could see if was at the outdoor pool on nice days. The Solarium (adult only pool) was packed too. Again this will be a bit more expensive, because of being a longer trip.

 

I think you need to weigh both if you want to stay in one place vs seeing different places for a shorter period of time. The other thing to look at is expenses and your budget. I usually make a spreadsheet with cabin fare, parking, extras (drink package, dining package etc). Once I do that, I make my decision on which trip to take. Also If you really aren't sure on the ports, check out the ports section to see what people do in them and/or visit trip advisor and check out the destination.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to mention all the specific details. It's very helpful.

[styme123]

Someone mentioned to me that the Haiti port wasn't so hot either, safety wise. What do you guys think?

[reallyitsmema]

Someone mentioned to me that the Haiti port wasn't so hot either, safety wise. What do you guys think?

 

Was it someone who has actually taken a cruise that stopped at Labadee or someone talking Haiti in general?

 

Royal Caribbean leases part of Haiti that is completely separated from the rest of the island by a fence and security. You can not leave the gated area without prior arrangements. No one from Haiti is allowed to enter the area unless they work there. It is a private, secure compound. It is about as safe as you can get.

[Biker19]

It is about as safe as you can get.

Some of the folks who experienced severe harassment by the vendors may disagree a bit.

[Biker19]

Bahamas is mostly a ghetto, the natives were not allowed in the casino's the last time I was there.

Nice to know political correctness has not gotten to everyone.

[Rogueperson]

Here is my 2 cents.

 

I've done NCL the 7 day NCL Breakaway to Bermuda.

By staying multiple days it feels more like a resort vacation since you can go many places at a more leisurely pace. Our big highlights were the caves and Horseshoe beach. The ship is huge and felt crowded. There will be a lot of kids even in early June. (We did Memorial weekend and the ship was packed).

The trip will be less expensive, not sure if with an inside you get any of the "free" perks (ie) drink package or specialty dining. As someone mentioned Escape takes over at some point. The 2018 trips are on the website so you can do some actual pricing.

 

We did 9 days in Anthem in Oct. Our Bermuda stop was cancelled because of a tropical storm. Cancelling a port stop can happen at anytime, and we weren't too bummed since I knew we were going this past May. I really liked St. Maarten, we did an island tour which included Princess Juliana airport, it's the one you see videos of with people getting blown away on the beach. It's an interesting island. PR is OK (if we visit again, I would stay on the ship). We didn't do much, we just walked around the shops. My dh has a friend who lives there and we met up with him. The port time here was very short, so there wasn't a lot of time to really do much. There is a fort which is close to port which a lot of people visit. Then Labadee (Haiti) is RC's private island, so it's a beach day. I liked Anthem, it's a nice ship. For whatever reason, design (I guess) even though it's huge it didn't feel like it was super crowded like Breakaway did. The only time I think you could see if was at the outdoor pool on nice days. The Solarium (adult only pool) was packed too. Again this will be a bit more expensive, because of being a longer trip.

 

I think you need to weigh both if you want to stay in one place vs seeing different places for a shorter period of time. The other thing to look at is expenses and your budget. I usually make a spreadsheet with cabin fare, parking, extras (drink package, dining package etc). Once I do that, I make my decision on which trip to take. Also If you really aren't sure on the ports, check out the ports section to see what people do in them and/or visit trip advisor and check out the destination.

 

Heh, we were on that with you :p

 

I would choose Bermuda over Nassau, though this particular itinerary's stay is about 9 hours (I think it was arrival at 8:00am, leave 5:00pm. I'm doing a lot of research as I'm trying again next week to make it to Bermuda (and yes, there's another storm brewing!!!!). I'm doing the 9 nights from Baltimore on the Grandeur which also stops at Nassau and Cococay. If i miss either Cococay or Bermuda, I'm going to be upset (because I missed cococay in February, my luck so far isn't so good). This one is decent because our stay at Bermuda is arrival at 3pm, stay overnight and leave at 2pm. Not the best stretch, but decent enough.

 

Nassau is fun, filled with culture, but many people have complaints about how poor it can be. Many of the Caribbean countries are like that.

[Tapi]

Some of the folks who experienced severe harassment by the vendors may disagree a bit.

 

 

There's a big difference between pushy vendors and actual criminal activity, like in the Bahamas where there is travel warning and passengers have been victimized, even in tourist areas. Lavadero truly is as safe as it gets.

 

 

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[Tapi]

Lavadero

 

 

 

Uh, auto correct sucks. Labadee.

 

 

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[hapster85]

Those that have done the 9 night cruise with RCI, what did you think of the other ports besides Bermuda? I believe it was St Maarteen, PR, and Haiti. Did you have a favorite port?

Had an awesome afternoon in St Maarten at Maho Beach, watching the planes come in. Our return taxi let us out in downtown Philpsburg, where we had a nice walk through the various shops. Would love to return sometime, so highly recommend.

 

In Puerto Rico, we spent the morning riding the free open air shuttle, seeing the site around Old San Juan. It's a hop-on-hop-off shuttle, but due to the time constraints, we only got off in one place, Castillo San Felipe del Morro, the larger of the two forts. Would love to go back and spend more time in OSJ, so again, highly recommend.

 

Labadee is pretty much a beach day. At least that's all it was for us, because all we did was relax at Columbus Cove, until time to return to the ship. It was nice. Wouldn't mind going back. Also recommend.

 

Of the three, I think St Maarten was definitely our favorite.