Bermuda port times...worth it?

Hey, all...

Just wanted to run something by the more experienced Bermuda cruisers. I've been on multiple cruises, but this will be the first one (we are considering) to Bermuda. It's on NCL Escape from NYC...usually gets in at 8am Wednesday and leave 3pm Friday. However, because of port space, it is now not scheduled to arrive in Bermuda until 6pm! That essentially gives us only one full day (Thursday) in Bermuda. I find it kind of silly to arrive at 6pm, but maybe some of y'all who have been before can convince me otherwise, since I have not been yet. I do love the cruising experience itself, but I'm trying to decide if the $$ is worth it for such a (now) short amount of time in Bermuda. *Also posted on NCL boards.

Thanks in advance!

Zack

Is this for a specific day? The website still shows ALL Bermuda cruises arriving at 8 am on Wednesday. Or did you read this on the internet?

Is this for a specific day? The website still shows ALL Bermuda cruises arriving at 8 am on Wednesday. Or did you read this on the internet?

It is for the Norwegian Escape cruises in October this year. All other cruises have the regular port times. for some odd random reason, NCL changed the itinerary for the Escape earlier this year.

It is for the Norwegian Escape cruises in October this year. All other cruises have the regular port times. for some odd random reason, NCL changed the itinerary for the Escape earlier this year.

It is not random, there will be other cruise ships at Heritage Wharf on Wednesdays 10/17, & 10/31. According to the schedule, Escape is not cruising to Bermuda the week it would have arrived on 10/24.

SBtS

It is not random, there will be other cruise ships at Heritage Wharf on Wednesdays 10/17, & 10/31. According to the schedule, Escape is not cruising to Bermuda the week it would have arrived on 10/24.

 

SBtS

It's doing a Canada/New England cruise during the week it would have otherwise arrived in Bermuda on Wed. Oct. 10, and a Florida/Bahamas cruise during the week it would have arrived in Bermuda on Wed. Oct 24. Serenade of the Seas and Carnival Pride, respectively, are docked at Heritage Wharf during those weeks during the time Escape would have otherwise been there.

On 10/17 and 10/31 other ships will be docked at Heritage Wharf until late afternoon, hence the late arrival of Escape on those days.

To answer the OP's question, if you enjoy cruising, then a few less hours in Bermuda shouldn't be troublesome, and Bermuda is always worth visiting, even if it's for a few hours less than Escape is normally there. On a couple of occasions we've arrived in Bermuda later than scheduled or left Bermuda earlier than scheduled to avoid running into tropical storms or hurricanes. We didn't consider the few hours less time in Bermuda to be a problem because we enjoy days at sea too.

I share the OP's thought in that the 6:00 PM arrival time seems a bit late, and to me its seems most if not all of the Bermuda cruises have shortened their stay in Bermuda regardless of cruise length. Although it has been many years since my wife and I cruised to Bermuda on the Celebrity Horizon (no longer in service), we have been considering doing it again only to find the itineraries a bit disappointing. Back then We enjoyed 4-days (technically 3-1/2) on the island on a 7-day cruise wheres we arrived in port at early morning in Hamilton for a few days then "repositioned" to Kings Warf for the remainder, departing for home in the afternoon of our last day.

Although not a direct comparison, we were recently looking at a 5-day cruise this September out of Baltimore where the itinerary lists 2-days docked at Kings Warf. After further investigation we found that the ship arrives into port at 1:00 PM the departs at 2:30 PM the following day. Hmmmm....

Suffice it to say we loved Bermuda on our last trip and the more time on the island the better but wont be using the cruise mentioned above as a return trip and are looking into other options, including not cruising at all due to the limited time any cruise stays in port. Just sharing our thoughts as I am sure many others will feel differently.

If you do decide to go you will certainly have a great time as Bermuda is an incredible place to visit, and If you want to experience a great local restaurant try the Barracuda Grill, total thumbs up.

There is never too many days in Bermuda. I would be very upset if I’d booked a cruise and lost a full day there due to scheduling other ships.

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There is never too many days in Bermuda. I would be very upset if I’d booked a cruise and lost a full day there due to scheduling other ships.

 

I would be somewhat upset if the change was made after I booked but before final payment. I would be very upset if the change was made after I made final payment. If the change was made before I booked I would not be upset. I would hope that given the shortened length and that it is at the end of the cruise season that they are getting a very good deal.

If I have not booked I would consider whether I am booking the cruise for the destination or the ship. Bermuda is prime for me but I did book a five day cruise to Bermuda once. It was not enough time but it was still a good cruise. I have also been to Bermuda on a cruise that only had one day there. It was not a Bermuda cruise but a stop on a long sailing. Still had a great day. Of course I had been to Bermuda before on cruises that were there 4 days and have done two Bermuda cruises in one year so it wasn't like I felt like I was missing something.

If you’re going to invest 7 days traveling I’d book a different one that gives you the extra day. I wouldn’t book the abbreviated stay.