Bermuda which ship?

[DCLCrazy]

In 2019 the Gem and the Escape will be going on the same trip to Bermuda. I have only been on the Jade and the Pride of America. Does anyone have any pros or cons to either the Gem or the Escape? I do have an 8 year old daughter who will be 10 at the time of sailing. She was not a huge fan of the Jade. Very small kids area with not much to do. Does anyone know if one ship or the other is more kid friendly? The Jade didn’t even have slides at the pool. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks!

 

 

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[BirdTravels]

No question, the Eacape. Much better ship with a lot more to do. And the days the Escape are in port are better (Harbor Nights).

[DCLCrazy]

No question, the Eacape. Much better ship with a lot more to do.

 

 

 

I saw someone post somewhere else that the Gem was cheaper for that trip. I found the opposite. The Escape was close to $600 cheaper when i looked. Weird.

 

 

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[bob brown]

Going to Bermuda on a smaller ship than a mega-ship would only be an advantage if the ship could dock right in Hamilton....unfortunately, that is not the case with the Gem....The HAL Veendam does that, but it moved from New York to Boston years ago....

[bluesea777]

Escape, hands down.

 

Gem is same class as the Jade (as well as the Jewel and Pearl).

[Sand and Seas]

So much more to do on the Escape. Check out the water-slides, especially the Tube slide:cool:

[cb at sea]

You'll be in BERMUDA most of the time...the ship is for sleeping...

[A4Audigirl]

Definitely Escape with a 10 yo

 

 

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[ColinIllinois]

You'll be in BERMUDA most of the time...the ship is for sleeping...

 

 

Lots and lots of sea time to enjoy the ship and the restaurants/entertainment/casinos, pool deck, etc and also those are venues to use at night in Bermuda since that island pretty much rolls up the sidewalks early.

[DCLCrazy]

Someone said something about Harbor Nights in Bermuda in a different forum. What is that?

 

 

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[ColeThornton]

Someone said something about Harbor Nights in Bermuda in a different forum. What is that?

 

 

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Google "harbor nights bermuda". ;p

[DCLCrazy]

Ok thanks

 

 

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[HokiePoq]

Someone said something about Harbor Nights in Bermuda in a different forum. What is that?

 

 

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Festival every week in Hamilton, accessible by ferry from the dock. We didn't make it there as we went on a glow worm cruise....didn't see any, lol. Went on Celebrity Summit which was okay but I coveted all there was to do on the Breakaway which was docked next to us. Love Escape (and Gem, too) but would recommend Escape for 10 year old.

Love Veendam and would like docking in Hamilton but not the extra drive up to Boston. The NJ embarkation was easier for us to drive in for.

[bob brown]

I took the Veendam when she was still homeported in New York, and there is nothing like enjoying the festival and other attractions in Hamilton, when at the end of the evening, you only have to cross Front Street, and you are 'home'....no need to take a long bus or ferry ride back to the Dockyards....:cool:

[Cyber Kat]

Lots and lots of sea time to enjoy the ship and the restaurants/entertainment/casinos, pool deck, etc and also those are venues to use at night in Bermuda since that island pretty much rolls up the sidewalks early.

 

 

 

Not sure what you consider early but most of the bars are open until 1pm and they will soon have casinos.

 

 

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[Cyber Kat]

Someone said something about Harbor Nights in Bermuda in a different forum. What is that?

 

 

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Harbor Nights is fun. It’s a street fair with food, drinks, music and dancing. Lots of local crafts, Goombey dancers perform. You have to try Portuguese donuts - so good!

 

 

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[DCLCrazy]

I took the Veendam when she was still homeported in New York, and there is nothing like enjoying the festival and other attractions in Hamilton, when at the end of the evening, you only have to cross Front Street, and you are 'home'....no need to take a long bus or ferry ride back to the Dockyards....:cool:

 

 

 

Does the ferry run late that night?

 

 

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[newmexicoNita]

You'll be in BERMUDA most of the time...the ship is for sleeping...

my thoughts pretty much as well. As long as the casino is open at sea and there are things like trivia going on I don't care so much about the ship. For us the important thing, or one of them is where the ship sails from and the price. I can't believe the Escape as someone said would be cheaper than Jewel class ships. I wonder what the catch is.

[njhorseman]

Does the ferry run late that night?

 

 

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Yes, they add later ferry runs, and it's only a 20 minute ferry ride.

[Cyber Kat]

Does the ferry run late that night?

 

 

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It runs late on Harbor nights, but on other nights it stops running at 10:30pm I believe. One of the advantages of docking in Hamilton is that you don’t have to worry about after bar transportation [emoji41]

 

I don’t know why they don’t run them later when there are ships in at Dockyard. Seems to me that it would benefit visitors and local businesses alike.

 

There are 3 bars right near the ships at Dockyard. My favorite is the Frog and Onion. They usually have nightly entertainment. There is also the Bonefish Grill and Calico Jack’s.

 

Though I have been to Bermuda on cruises, we generally fly in and stay near Hamilton. I know that NCL has committed to bringing in the smaller ships of their other lines more often. Those ships can dock at St George and Hamilton.

 

 

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[njhorseman]

It runs late on Harbor nights, but on other nights it stops running at 10:30pm I believe. One of the advantages of docking in Hamilton is that you don’t have to worry about after bar transportation [emoji41]

 

I don’t know why they don’t run them later when there are ships in at Dockyard. Seems to me that it would benefit visitors and local businesses alike.

 

There are 3 bars right near the ships at Dockyard. My favorite is the Frog and Onion. They usually have nightly entertainment. There is also the Bonefish Grill and Calico Jack’s.

 

Though I have been to Bermuda on cruises, we generally fly in and stay near Hamilton. I know that NCL has committed to bringing in the smaller ships of their other lines more often. Those ships can dock at St George and Hamilton.

 

 

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No, on Harbour Nights the last ferry departs Hamilton at 10:30 . On other weeknights during the cruise season the last ferry departs Hamilton at 8:30 . On weekends the last ferry departs Hamilton at 6 pm.

[bob brown]

.

 

Though I have been to Bermuda on cruises, we generally fly in and stay near Hamilton. I know that NCL has committed to bringing in the smaller ships of their other lines more often. Those ships can dock at St George and Hamilton.

 

Hamilton has a 720 foot length limitation for ships entering its harbor...there are no current ships in NCL's fleet since the Norwegian Crown left, that can sail into Hamilton...(or St. George, which is even more restricted).

NCL Holding's Oceania and Regent Seven Seas do have smaller ships that can dock there....

[billslowsky]

In 2019 the Gem and the Escape will be going on the same trip to Bermuda. I have only been on the Jade and the Pride of America. Does anyone have any pros or cons to either the Gem or the Escape?

 

The Gem is basically the same ship as the Jade and Pride of America; the Gem's kiddie pool area is better than the Jade (which no longer has a water slide).

 

Per the NCL website, the Gem docks at Royal Dockyard which is NOT Hamilton. But between the ferries and buses you can easily get around Bermuda. Get the schedule online and buy a multiday pass at the kiosks when you get off the ship. Cash only (US accepted).

[njhorseman]

The Gem is basically the same ship as the Jade and Pride of America; the Gem's kiddie pool area is better than the Jade (which no longer has a water slide).

 

Per the NCL website, the Gem docks at Royal Dockyard which is NOT Hamilton. But between the ferries and buses you can easily get around Bermuda. Get the schedule online and buy a multiday pass at the kiosks when you get off the ship. Cash only (US accepted).

 

Not Pride of America, which is a unique design as NCL bought a partially completed ship when the builder went bankrupt.

 

Gem, Jewel, Jade and Pearl are the four sister ships in the Jewel class, with Jewel being the oldest of the four and Gem the newest.

[billslowsky]

Sorry, my personal experience of sailing on all three of them in the past two years showed that they are all basically the same. The Jade was just renovated to remove its motif from being a Hawaiian cruise ship as well.