NY/NJ to Bermuda...ship advice needed please

[gores95]

Hello all. My wife and I are thinking of sailing to Bermuda in June of 2006, sans kids, but we need to keep it under a seven days. We are also first time cruisers so we wanted to start with a shorter trip and didn't want to leave the kids for too long!

 

Since we are only going for five or six days it looks like we are limited to the RC Empress which looks like a great shiip! Only issue I have read is that it docks at King's Wharf and not St. George or Hamilton. is King's Wharf AKA the Dockyard? It looks like the ship is in port for two days but how inconvenient is it to have your base in King's Wharf? Should this alone disqualify this ship? We see that the Celebrity Zenith sails to Bermuda but its seven days so its out.

 

Also any other suggestions for a shorter duration cruise? We live in Northern NJ and did not want to have to fly to the departure port and need a shorter cruise.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Marc

[Enchantment 04]

Or you can take the Explorer of the Seas for 5 nights from Cape Liberty Cruise port. The itinerary is as follows: NJ, at sea, Bermuda, Bermuda, at sea, NJ. The Explorer is a great ship too. If you happen to choose the 6/25/06 sailing, than join our roll call!

[joand452]

Grandeur of the Seas is 5 days out of Baltimore. It shouldn't be too bad of a drive for you.

[moai]

To answer your other question, King wharf is the Dockyards. The Empress is a 7-day cruise out of Philly. For 5 days, your choices are Explorer or Grandeur. Which are fine but only gives you 32 hrs in port. You can take the bus to go to Hamilton or the ferry. Or the buses to go to the south shore beaches between Hamilton and the Dockyard.

We took the Zenith last summer, and one day took the ferry to the Dockyard because daughters wanted to swim with dolphin (10:15am reservation) then took the bus to Horseshoe Bay, spent a couple of hours there and the bus back to Hamilton.

You could do the reverse itinerary.

Whatever you do, it is going to be great. Bermuda is a beautiful island.:D

[MeBob]

Or you can take the Explorer of the Seas for 5 nights from Cape Liberty Cruise port. The itinerary is as follows: NJ, at sea, Bermuda, Bermuda, at sea, NJ. The Explorer is a great ship too. If you happen to choose the 6/25/06 sailing, than join our roll call!

 

After reading your thread the itinerary you gave sure is clear . Like looking though the porthole of an inside cabin.

[smeyer418]

I did the six days on the Empress a couple of years ago. Its ok, better than the 5 day trips. 32 hours in Bermuda is IMO a waste of time. I have done the seven day as well on NCL. Personally I like NCL better than RCI for Bermuda(although there are somethings RC does better). Freestyle dinning is made for Bermuda. You can do what you want and return at any time for dinner. NCL also for a nominal amount will allow you to take one meal on the island and at some of the better restuarants. It stops at all three ports. NCL is currently running a Bermuda special...look at their website...

[CaribbeanBound]

Should reconsider the 7-day trip if you can.

Here's a complete review of the 7-day Zenith to Bermuda.

Even if you don't go for 7 days, or on Zenith, it will still provide you a ton of good information.

 

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/bermuda.html

 

Have a great trip.

[AAAAmerican]

The cost basis is about equal .. The voyage from NJ Port Liberty in Bayonne the old USN base is great secure and you can park there too...

 

 

The Islands (Bermuda) are some of the nicest in the world.. thats why even Ingersol Rand (IR:NYSE) is there and wait till you see who else.. IR used to be in the next borough here in Bergen co too...

 

 

And/or think of Flying i to Bermuda from Newark Liberty or JFK its only $49 RoundTrip so you can have a weekend to just see a few things then...:D