3 days in Bermuda...help me plan our time

We also went to Horseshoe Bay on Friday morning and used the public bus -- #7. We left the ship at 8:30 and took our time walking to the bus stop taking some pictures while it wasn't too crowded. While we were walking down the bus corridor to the stop, I realized the #7 was pulling out and another was already lined up. No problem -- but the driver pulling out noticed us and stopped to pick us up! now that is service. We were at Horseshoe on our beach mat by 9:15. There were lots of open space to the left as you enter and continuing around the curve. We splashed, swam and strolled til 11:30. Took the Up the Hill Taxi -- we had a ten and three ones. He didn't want to make change so charged us $3.00. We walked to the bus stop and waited with seven other people for about five minutes til a "special" bus arrived and we had a direct non-stop back to the Dockyard. We used the bus and ferry system the whole time and always got a seat and never waited more than a few minutes. The people on the buses were nice to talk to -- a simple "Good Morning" always led to a little gossip.

Wednesday night is the street fair in Hamilton which highlights entertainment food and items from Bermuda. Extra ferries that night.

I made some posts on a day pass at Coco Reef hotel just for consideration.

Wednesday night is the street fair in Hamilton which highlights entertainment food and items from Bermuda. Extra ferries that night.

 

I made some posts on a day pass at Coco Reef hotel just for consideration.

Did you go to the street fair? Still considering doing it.

Did you go to the street fair? Still considering doing it.

Husband and I sailed on the Celebrity Summit first week of June. Bermuda was amazing. Spent two days on the beach in Horseshoe Bay (the shuttle was quick & easy) took in the view from Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, took a ferry to Hamilton Weds night and enjoyed the entertainment, food & shopping at the Harbour Festival. Make sure you try the Portuguese Donut stand and Alexandra Mosher's pink sand jewelry set in SS or 14k gold.Beautiful! We went reef fishing with Captain Mike Baxter on the Ellen B and caught yellowtail snapper, grouper & amberjacks. His son Andrew filleted them and then they dropped us off at the Country Squire Pub in Somerset where they pan fried our fish and added fries & coleslaw. We ate lunch on their outside deck. Great time! Highly recommend!

This was our second time to Bermuda. Once again the people just make the trip. So welcoming & friendly. An added plus is that the America's Cup will be held in Bermuda in Oct of 2017. The American team is already in Bermuda training. They are headquartered at the Dockyard right by the Summit. Early every morning the team comes out of the hanger and swims laps. The Oracle is loaded into the water by a huge crane and practices with two security boats close by. Very exciting!

Husband and I sailed on the Celebrity Summit first week of June. Bermuda was amazing. Spent two days on the beach in Horseshoe Bay (the shuttle was quick & easy) took in the view from Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, took a ferry to Hamilton Weds night and enjoyed the entertainment, food & shopping at the Harbour Festival. Make sure you try the Portuguese Donut stand and Alexandra Mosher's pink sand jewelry set in SS or 14k gold.Beautiful! We went reef fishing with Captain Mike Baxter on the Ellen B and caught yellowtail snapper, grouper & amberjacks. His son Andrew filleted them and then they dropped us off at the Country Squire Pub in Somerset where they pan fried our fish and added fries & coleslaw. We ate lunch on their outside deck. Great time! Highly recommend!

 

This was our second time to Bermuda. Once again the people just make the trip. So welcoming & friendly. An added plus is that the America's Cup will be held in Bermuda in Oct of 2017. The American team is already in Bermuda training. They are headquartered at the Dockyard right by the Summit. Early every morning the team comes out of the hanger and swims laps. The Oracle is loaded into the water by a huge crane and practices with two security boats close by. Very exciting!

Were the Portuguese Donut stand and Alexandra Mosher's pink sand jewelry set in SS or 14k gold at the Harbour festival? I'd like to see the jewelry (I hope it is just not at the festival).

Were the Portuguese Donut stand and Alexandra Mosher's pink sand jewelry set in SS or 14k gold at the Harbour festival? I'd like to see the jewelry (I hope it is just not at the festival).

I think she has a store in a little mall in Hamilton, but am sorry to say I have no idea how to tell you where it is. It is close to the 'main drag.'

Were the Portuguese Donut stand and Alexandra Mosher's pink sand jewelry set in SS or 14k gold at the Harbour festival? I'd like to see the jewelry (I hope it is just not at the festival).

The Portuguese Donuts are just at the street fair but Alexandra Mosher has a studio in Hamilton where she sells all her lovely jewelry. It is located in the

Washington Mall West, Lower Level, 7 Reid St, Hamilton HM 11, Bermuda

She also has a counter inside A.S. Cooper at the Dockyard but only has the SS pieces there.

Thanks everyone. All great ideas from everyone and I've taken good notes. I'm sure we'll love Bermuda.

Bon voyage. :D

The Portuguese Donuts are just at the street fair but Alexandra Mosher has a studio in Hamilton where she sells all her lovely jewelry. It is located in the

Washington Mall West, Lower Level, 7 Reid St, Hamilton HM 11, Bermuda

She also has a counter inside A.S. Cooper at the Dockyard but only has the SS pieces there.

Thanks! Did you buy a piece? Is it really expensive?

Great ideas and help here

This is our first time to Bermuda as well. It sounds easy to get to Horseshoe Bay on your own rather that the ships tour-The ship tour doesn't leave until 12:30. Can someone explain to me where to catch the bus at the pier-how long it takes to get there, and is it easy to get back, what about taxis. Thanks so much

Also once there where to go-can you get chairs, umbrellas etc? Thanks again

Also once there where to go-can you get chairs, umbrellas etc? Thanks again

You pretty much run into the bus leaving the port. I think you can take a 7 bus or one that says special. When you arrive there is a steep hill to walk down (you can pay a cab a small fee to bring you back up the hill if needed). There is a building just before you get onto the beach to rent chairs. I've only been once so perhaps someone with more specific info can post a better response.

Thanks! Did you buy a piece? Is it really expensive?

I bought 2 pieces: a SS starfish necklace for my niece and a 14k heart for me. Prices range from $50-$300. Take a look at her website for ideas. Alexandra Mosher Studio Jewellery

Great ideas and help here

This is our first time to Bermuda as well. It sounds easy to get to Horseshoe Bay on your own rather that the ships tour-The ship tour doesn't leave until 12:30. Can someone explain to me where to catch the bus at the pier-how long it takes to get there, and is it easy to get back, what about taxis. Thanks so much

We have done the bus & the Horseshoe Bay Beach Shuttle. Just a warning-now that there are two ships docked in the Dockyard at the exact same time the buses were mobbed. I compare it to the NY subway with people standing down the center aisle holding on to overhead poles. The shuttle was a 12 passenger van with high back cushioned seats, air conditioning and big windows to take pictures out of. It was $16/person round trip. They leave every 30 minutes from the street next to the ships. You buy your tickets right at the van and they give you the return trip stub. They take you right to the start of the sand pathway to the beach. There you will find the public bathrooms, the refreshment stand, and the chair/umbrella rental. Chairs were $11 each plus a $10 deposit that you get back when you return them. Didn't get an umbrella so not sure about the price. When you are ready to return to ship you go back to where they dropped you off and they run every 30 minutes. It takes 20-25 minutes each way. The drivers are great and give you lots of history and stories about Bermuda. Highly recommend! Our friends took a taxi to avoid the crowded buses and paid $35 each way! Shuttles run from 8am-6pm.

Can anyone tell me if the festival in Hamilton on Wednesday nights is still going on the first week of October? We will dock on the 7th. Thanks in advance,

Angela

Can anyone tell me if the festival in Hamilton on Wednesday nights is still going on the first week of October? We will dock on the 7th. Thanks in advance,

Angela

This is what the Bermuda Tourism site says:

The Harbour Nights season in 2015 begins on Wednesday June 3 and runs until September 2. The fun starts at 7 pm and finishes around 10 pm.

This is what the Bermuda Tourism site says:

The Harbour Nights season in 2015 begins on Wednesday June 3 and runs until September 2. The fun starts at 7 pm and finishes around 10 pm.

:( Damn. Ok, Thank you.

I bought 2 pieces: a SS starfish necklace for my niece and a 14k heart for me. Prices range from $50-$300. Take a look at her website for ideas. Alexandra Mosher Studio Jewellery

Thanks, it's beautiful. She doesn't have many gold pieces. I'm don't think we'll get to the mall in Hamilton, so I might have to get SS at the dockyard.

Just back from our NCL Breakaway cruise to Bermuda and we had an AMAZING time. Here is an overview of our itinerary- it worked out perfectly!!

Day 1- St. George and Renting a Boston Whaler

The ship arrived in Bermuda around 7am, people began getting off around 7:40am before announcement was made- so if you are in a hurry to get off it may be worth hanging around Deck 4.

We went to the buffet around 7am and ate breakfast before we headed out for a long day. We got off just about 8am and headed right to the St. George ferry line. We had gotten our 2 day transportation passes on the ship so we avoided that line. There was only 3 people in line so we sat on benches nearby and people watched. Around 8:30 we got in line (at this point there was 5-6 people). I am glad we got in line then because within the next 15 minutes the line got really LONG!

We took the 45 minute ferry to St.George and walked around town. Not a lot was open at this point but we just poked around. Then we walked to Tobacco Bay for some snorkeling. We visited The Unfinished Church on the way and then hung around and snorkeled for an hour or so. It was fairly busy there and a lot smaller than I expected. We ate a quick beach lunch there (the fish was good!) and walked back to town.

We found it not entirely intuitive to walk around, especially when trying to find the bus stop. I think I was expecting something with clearer labels. The map we got from guest services on the ship helped.

We took Bus 11 (could have done 1,3, 10 or 11) to Grotto Bay. Here we rented a Boston Whaler for 4 hours from Blue Hole Watersports (on Grotto Bay Resort's beach). We chose them over some of the other popular ones because we wanted to explore Castle Harbour and Castle Island. This was beautiful, secluded and fun. We saw two sea turtles on our trip and got to see Nonsuch Island and several forts. The only negative is it was a bit choppy so it was hard to get in and out of the boat. We were able to anchor in near the beach and hop off in about 3.5 feet of water which was a lot of fun!

We ended up back in Hamilton with intentions of going to Harbour Nights but we were too tired and went back to the ship via the Hamilton ferry instead. It looked like the lines to get there were lengthy- but heading back to the ship was a breeze.

Day 2 (Flyboarding and Beach Walk)

My husband did flyboarding in the dockyard through Coconut Rockets. He loved it so much he is already looking for places to do it locally. I would describe it as Iron Man on water. You have to check it out! My husband does waveboard and snow board so he found it pretty easy to get up but I think I would have never made it. I did see a range of people successfully doing it throughout our trip though. Check out my video below to see more.

We had lunch on the ship and spent some time in the spa before heading out to the beaches. Here is my one definitely recommendation- do not go directly to Horseshoe Bay- take Bus 7 (you can't take the Special Bus to do this) one stop past Horseshoe at Warwick Bay. From there you will get off at a fairly quiet beach- if you go to your right you will be at Jobson's Cove which has beautiful rock formations. And if you continue following the sandy dune path, it will take you on a walk (probably .75 miles) to beach after beach and hillside with amazing views where you will often be the only people on the beach. It was breathtaking. There are lots of photos in the video below. You will end up at Horseshoe and can take the bus home from there. And an even better bonus- the sand was actually pinker that way!

My only negative- and it was a big one for us :(- a bag of my husband's snorkel gear was stolen off the bus. The driver had told us to leave it wedged in front because he had a fishing rod with him. We did and then sort of got pushed to the middle of the bus (standing room only). When we got back to the front the bag was gone. Sadly someone even had the time to take out some of the fishing gear and left it- which bothered me because it meant it was very planned out. I have to say the bus driver was not very nice about it- he didn't even say sorry or do anything, he shrugged his shoulders and said I am not sure what happened, someone must have taken it while I wasn't looking. He would not even tell us his name which was disappointing because when we did go to the dockyard police station they said it would have been helpful. I will say the police were nice about it- but they acknowledged there really was little they could do. The good news is that my husband had purchased it on his credit card recently- and it turns out they cover theft of purchases from the last 120 days!

Day 3- Hidden Gems Tour (booked through NCL)

This is a pricy tour- but it was an amazing way to maximize the last day in Bermuda. The tour runs from 9am-4pm and since it is booked through NCL- no worries if it runs late.

The 10 person tour consists of a walk through Tom Moore's Jungle where you will see a blue lagoon and then a dry cave exploration where you will have a hands on experience with all of the features of the cave (Did you know that you can tap on some of the stalactites they make a musical sound?). Next up was swimming in a cave (which was my favorite part!) and then cliff jumping from 10 or 15 foot cliffs.

After you leave the jungle you have lunch at St. David's lighthouse (amazing views!) and then snorkel at Cooper's Nature Reserve. The trip ends with an ice cream parlor stop (included) across from The Swizzle Inn. The tour guides were informative and personable and narrated the entire tour along the south short. I can't recommend this tour enough.

Hope this is helpful to someone! I learned so much from reading these boards and wanted to give back in some way. :-)

If you are more visual- there are lots of pictures from our 3 days on the video I made of our time on the islands https://youtu.be/p3tUDuW2l-U

Super helpful, layn133! Thanks!

I'd like to thank everyone who answered my question about what to do. We had a great time. Did we get to see everything? No, but we may return one day....probably not on a cruise though. I'd like to stay at one of the resorts...we met a couple who got a really good deal at one of them...I can't remember the name of the resort but if I google resorts, I'm sure I will find it.

We had planned on doing the ship excursion going to Elbow Beach on Friday but it was cancelled due to lack of participation. We ended up on a boat that took us to the shipwreck and then a beach for snorkeling and then spent a few more hours at the Clocktower Mall and grabbed a beer and burger at the Frog and Onion.

I was not aware of Alexandra Mosher's pink sand jewelry but ran across it in a store in Hamilton. I thought it was so pretty and ended up buying a ring set in sterling silver. Her prices were more reasonable than the prices I saw at the mall and there wasn't nearly the selection at the mall.

Here's my ring....it's dainty and I just love it. :) :D I don't think the picture does it justice.

I'd like to thank everyone who answered my question about what to do. We had a great time. Did we get to see everything? No, but we may return one day....probably not on a cruise though. I'd like to stay at one of the resorts...we met a couple who got a really good deal at one of them...I can't remember the name of the resort but if I google resorts, I'm sure I will find it.

We had planned on doing the ship excursion going to Elbow Beach on Friday but it was cancelled due to lack of participation. We ended up on a boat that took us to the shipwreck and then a beach for snorkeling and then spent a few more hours at the Clocktower Mall and grabbed a beer and burger at the Frog and Onion.

I was not aware of Alexandra Mosher's pink sand jewelry but ran across it in a store in Hamilton. I thought it was so pretty and ended up buying a ring set in sterling silver. Her prices were more reasonable than the prices I saw at the mall and there wasn't nearly the selection at the mall.

Here's my ring....it's dainty and I just love it. :) :D I don't think the picture does it justice.

 

 

 

I'm interested in buying a piece of her jewelry. You bought it in Hamilton? What store?

I'm interested in buying a piece of her jewelry. You bought it in Hamilton? What store?

Glad I keep receipts ;)...it was in the Washington Mall on Reid Street, just behind Front Street. We ate at a restaurant, Coconut Rock, which was just up the street on the other side, which was very, very good and I thought reasonably priced. We did some other shopping and had to exit another mall with 2 or 3 levels that took us back out to Front Street.

Glad I keep receipts ;)...it was in the Washington Mall on Reid Street, just behind Front Street. We ate at a restaurant, Coconut Rock, which was just up the street on the other side, which was very, very good and I thought reasonably priced. We did some other shopping and had to exit another mall with 2 or 3 levels that took us back out to Front Street.

 

Thanks. I'm not sure how much time we will have in Hamilton. I might just have to check out her jewelry at the Dockyard.

Thanks. I'm not sure how much time we will have in Hamilton. I might just have to check out her jewelry at the Dockyard.

How long are you in Bermuda?