Harbour Nights

We're taking our first cruise to Bermuda this July.

Are there any benefits of taking the ship's excursion to Harbour Nights over the public ferry?

Also, would you recommend eating at one of the restaurants in Hamilton that night or on the ship?

Thanks in advance.

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There's absolutely no need to take a ship's excursion. Restaurants in Hamilton are likely to be quite crowded on Harbour Nights. I would choose to eat in Hamilton another time. We usually go to Hamilton once per cruise for lunch, not dinner.

Much cheaper to just buy a ferry pass or just pay the fare each way - it's not expensive. We have eaten at restaurants along Front Street for Harbour Nights and it was fine. The first time we went for about 5:30 and were able to get seated on a balcony overlooking the street. The second time we found a restaurant that took reservations via OpenTable so we just prebooked from home so we didn't have to worry about waiting for a table. I forget which restaurants we went to - both were British pub type places (I feel like that describes at least 4 restaurants along Front Street, lol).

Harbour Nights is a relatively small street fair and easily done on your own. Once the Goombay Dancers had come through, we had seen everything we wanted to see. We had not planned ahead or made a reservation in Hamilton and since there were six of us, it seemed unlikely we'd find a place that could accommodate us anytime soon. We hopped on the next ferry and were back on the ship in time for dinner in the dining room.

What time does the Harbor Nights get going and how late is it still going on?

Thanks.

What time does the Harbor Nights get going and how late is it still going on?

Harbour Nights runs from 7 to 10pm; the last ferry for the Dockyard departs Hamilton at 10:30pm.

SBtS

Harbour Nights runs from 7 to 10pm; the last ferry for the Dockyard departs Hamilton at 10:30pm.

 

 

 

SBtS

If the Goombay Dancers will be performing that night, you definitely want to see them. Other than that, you can see the rest of Harbour Nights in under an hour.

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If the Goombay Dancers will be performing that night, you definitely want to see them. Other than that, you can see the rest of Harbour Nights in under an hour.

 

 

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I believe the Gombey dancers always perform. Been to Harbour nights four or five times and they danced every time. They started down the street at 7:30. About once a month the Bermuda Regiment marches after the Gombeys finish. First a bunch of speeches before the Regiment marches. That is when I leave. Boring. Time to go to Flanagans for drink or catch a ferry back. The only time I stayed for that part was when docked in Hamilton. The best time to peruse the tables set up by local artists is 7:00 to 7:30.

Dumb question, but is it Gombey or Goombay? (I can't even figure this out by googling!)

Dumb question, but is it Gombey or Goombay? (I can't even figure this out by googling!)

It may depend on where you're from. All of Hamilton's material seems to spell it "Gombey", which is different from how I was spelling it. Oh well, just go and enjoy them!

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