Dockyard vs. St. George's

[suse]

We've been on the Majesty from Boston twice and loved it. The thing is, I can't convince my husband to take the Spirit from Boston because he doesn't want to be stuck in the Dockyard area. Any comments about this? How did you find it? Thanks.

[Darthdaddy]

There is not a lot at the Dockyards. Bluntly, I found it to be a BIG disappointment. Efforts seem to be in motion to expand some of the attractions, but there is a LONG way to go before this is an area that can hold your interest for very long. Having said that, it's not such a big deal. The Ferry to Hamilton and/or St. George is very convenient. Scooters are available for rental practically at the end of the gang plank coming off the ship. Getting to other areas of Bermuda is pretty simple.

Do you spend all your time in St. George? If so, you probably won't like Dockyards, because you will always want to be someplace else. If you leave St. George and go to Hamilton or the beaches, you will find it an easier trip from Dockyards than what you already make from St. George.

 

Docking at Front St. in Hamilton would be even more convenient, but the trade off would be giving up the amenities available on the larger ships.

 

While I give Dockyards a "thumbs down," I give the Dawn (and probably the Spirit) a "thumbs up." My personal equation is that the qualities of the ship outweigh the slight inconvenience of the port. I hope this helps you.

[LDVinNC]

I have been to Bermuda MANY times - on cruises and to stay locally. I would vastly prefer to stay at St. George's over Dockyard, as there is more to do and it is much closer to the main attractions of the island. However, I'd be glad to stay anywhere there over staying home!

[SailBadtheSinner]

I’m sorry, but I agree with your husband. The only advantage I would give the Dockyard is being closer to the south shore beaches, such as Horseshoe Bay. So if you’re spending all your time at HSB, then the Dockyard is your better choice.

 

The Dockyard, a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to stay there.

 

Of course, this is the last year for the Majesty; next year, HAL from NYC.

 

Will you show your husband this?

 

 

SBtS

[Band Guy]

Hi,

We just got back from Bermuda on the Spirit June 5th. I had been to Bermuda 10 times and always stayed in St. George. Thus, it will always be special to me. I have to say that Dockyard has changed a lot and is still changing. The closest beach, Snorkle Park, is decent and just as good as Tabbaco Bay. As was mentioned the transportation available at Dockyard is better than St. George. They now have a festival on Monday night and a beach party in the evening. My guess is that you'll love either the Spirit or the Dawn so much that Dockyard won't bother you at all.

All the best.

Dom V.

[Don Haynes]

If you enjoy St. George so much, you can still ride the ferry to get there. While the dockyard isn't as nice, its getting better. Bermuda decided to expand the old naval base at the dockyards instead of ripping up their reefs at St. George and Hamilton. Cruise ships are getting bigger, too big for their old piers elsewhere. Its their decision to make, not ours. Its their island.

[suse]

Good to know. Thank you everyone. I just really want to go back and wondered about this. We loved St George's and St. Catherine's beach.

Thanks again.

[Luv4dacruise]

The way that i see it, they will never ever be one and the same or even remotely close to one another in terms of that feeling you get when you walk of the ship.

 

St. George is a quaint old small town with its pretty little cobblestone streets and it just has that special charm about it.

 

The Dockyard is far more commercialized and you can tell they are trying to kind of, i wanna say, "Disney-fie" it almost. That's just honestly how i see it.

 

So, of course i would rather sail into St. George, but, having been to the Dockyard many a times in the past few years i will tell you that it really is not hard nor a long ride to get back to the places you love, even St. George. They have a wonderful high speed ferry system set up as well as the pink bus line (take the ferry when possible though, just more convenient i think) so it really is not bad at all. Believe it or not, being @ the Dockyard gives you more options of getting to where you want to go than being docked in St. George.

 

I will gladly sail many more a times into the Dockyard int he future im sure.

 

Let us know what your hubby decides :p

[2Cruise4Ever]

We have sailed to Bermuda 3 times (docked in Hamilton once and Dockyard twice). And, I have to say I prefer the Dockyard. There really is a lot of history and a lot of activities. The dolphin adventure is there. The clock tower mall, snorkel park, Frog and Onion pub, Rum Cake and Glass Blowing Factories, and the Maritime Museum. It has really been built up. And, you can take the ferry to Hamilton or St. George's or both!

[prg2101]

We have sailed to Bermuda 3 times (docked in Hamilton once and Dockyard twice). And, I have to say I prefer the Dockyard. There really is a lot of history and a lot of activities. The dolphin adventure is there. The clock tower mall, snorkel park, Frog and Onion pub, Rum Cake and Glass Blowing Factories, and the Maritime Museum. It has really been built up. And, you can take the ferry to Hamilton or St. George's or both!

 

 

I thought it was just me....The island isnt that big so if you find a cruise that is in the dockyards for 3 days its ok......ferry passes last for the whole week and Hamilton and St. George isnt that far away.....

Didnt expect to see that many bashers of the dockyards here...:rolleyes::o

[A.S.]

Hi,

We just got back from Bermuda on the Spirit June 5th. I had been to Bermuda 10 times and always stayed in St. George. Thus, it will always be special to me. I have to say that Dockyard has changed a lot and is still changing. The closest beach, Snorkle Park, is decent and just as good as Tabbaco Bay. As was mentioned the transportation available at Dockyard is better than St. George. They now have a festival on Monday night and a beach party in the evening. My guess is that you'll love either the Spirit or the Dawn so much that Dockyard won't bother you at all.

All the best.

Dom V.

 

You mentioned a Beach Party in the evening. Would this be at Snorkle Park? Can you please elaborate more about it. Or anyone else who has gone to it.

 

Thanks

[Nuncie]

The beach party is at snorkel park. If you go to thier website I believe you will find all the info. Also I heard that this year snorkel park has new owners so they are in the process of adding more activities.

[Don Haynes]

Unfortunately if you want to sail on NCL from New York or Boston one doesn't have a choice but the dockyards now since NCL is using ships too large to use St. George or Hamilton. As I said before Bermuda decided to build piers large enough for the newer larger ships at the dockyard, not at St. George or Hamilton. Its their island, not ours. Whether we prefer the others doesn't really matter, does it? Unless you are willing to use another cruise line with smaller ships....

 

Since this is a NCL message board forum, after this year not even the Majesty will be available. Since the Majesty is no longer sailing from New York or Boston, we have no other choice but to sail the newer larger NCL ships from New York or Boston to the dockyards.

[negc]

I really must disagree with your husband's contention that you will be "stuck" in the Dockyard. We were there recently and were able to easily get to St. Georges, Hamilton, and Horseshoe Bay. As quaint as St. Georges is, you can pretty much see all that it has to offer in a day's visit, IMHO, and getting to Hamilton and to great beaches such as Horseshoe Bay is much easier from the Dockyard than from St. Georges. The improvements to the Dockyard in recent years have been remarkable and the addition of Heritage Wharf means that more and more passengers will be arriving there and the shops, restaurants, and special activities will expand to meet the demand of so many more tourists. Snorkel Beach is, again IMHO, at least equal to if not superior to Tobacco Bay, and closer to where the ships dock than Tobacco Bay is to the pier in St. Georges. Bermuda is not a large island so getting from one point to another is not that difficult. If you have sailed on Majesty, you will be astounded at how much nicer the NCL Spirit is and how much more she has to offer her guests. Try to convince your husband to be a bit more open-minded and I doubt you will regret it.:)

[Ms belp]

After reading "most" of the posts I am glad we are sailing into St. Georges. Since I have never been before, I look forward to the experience. Thank you to poster who described "little cobblestone streets". That is what I want!:)

 

Personally, I wish they would keep some of the smaller ships on NCL. I have no desire to sail for example on the Epic. I want to be able to cruise into smaller venues and have it still be affordable to me. I can't afford the luxury lines.:o

[negc]

After reading "most" of the posts I am glad we are sailing into St. Georges. Since I have never been before, I look forward to the experience. Thank you to poster who described "little cobblestone streets". That is what I want!:)

 

Personally, I wish they would keep some of the smaller ships on NCL. I have no desire to sail for example on the Epic. I want to be able to cruise into smaller venues and have it still be affordable to me. I can't afford the luxury lines.:o

 

Unfortunately it just isn't cost efficient and profitable for mass market lines to continue sailing smaller ships and the trend among the majority of cruisers is to want to sail only on the "newest and biggest" cruise ships, those with the most bells and whistles. Those who want to sail on smaller, more intimate ships are basically being forced to dig deeper and sail with the upscale lines where the cruisefares allow them to use ships more to the scale you prefer.

Even the government of Bermuda has bowed to the inevitable and has expanded their docking facilities at the Dockyard to accommodate the larger vessels and has agreed to accept the larger ships with greater passenger capacities.

[peg013]

I really must disagree with your husband's contention that you will be "stuck" in the Dockyard. We were there recently and were able to easily get to St. Georges, Hamilton, and Horseshoe Bay. As quaint as St. Georges is, you can pretty much see all that it has to offer in a day's visit, IMHO, and getting to Hamilton and to great beaches such as Horseshoe Bay is much easier from the Dockyard than from St. Georges. The improvements to the Dockyard in recent years have been remarkable and the addition of Heritage Wharf means that more and more passengers will be arriving there and the shops, restaurants, and special activities will expand to meet the demand of so many more tourists. Snorkel Beach is, again IMHO, at least equal to if not superior to Tobacco Bay, and closer to where the ships dock than Tobacco Bay is to the pier in St. Georges. Bermuda is not a large island so getting from one point to another is not that difficult. If you have sailed on Majesty, you will be astounded at how much nicer the NCL Spirit is and how much more she has to offer her guests. Try to convince your husband to be a bit more open-minded and I doubt you will regret it.:)

 

I agree with this completely. The bus and ferry schedules are much better from the Dockyard than from Gt. Georges (especially the ferry schedules). And even if you are going to St Catherines or Tobacco Bay, a day is more than enough to see St. Georges. Don't get me wrong, I love St Georges but the dockyard is much more accessible. And the ferry ride to St Georges is awesome and you still get to go through the cut. The dockyard is building up quickly. There are many new additions even from last Oct until now.