The Veendam is heading straight for Hamilton

[cruiservictor]

I know many of you had hoped to hear our experiences with tendering into St. George on this first Veendam cruise of the season. Unfortunately, we will not be able to do that. Captain Van Maurik announced at the Welcome Aboard Champagne Toast tonight that the decision has already been made to bypass St. George tomorrow and proceed directly to Hamilton. The forceast is for gale-force winds to continue (we have been buffeted since we left NY last night) and to run an all-day tender operation tomorrow could not be done. The decision was made tonight to allow Bermuda to place enough bus and ferry transportation in Hamilton tomorrow to get all the tours over to St George. At the suite luncheon today, the Captain said he would not make that decision until tomorrow morning, but logistics required it be made tonight.

 

He expects us to be docked in Hamilton by 9. Right now, the ship's crew is preparing alternate instructions for tours and vouchers for passengers to trade in on the pier for free bus rides over to St. George.

 

For what it's worth, the plan had been for the first tender to shore to run at 8AM, followed by 8:30, 9:30, 10, 11:30, 1:30PM, 3, 4:30, 6, 7:30, 9, 9:30 with the last tender to shore at 10:30. Tenders from the shore to the ship were scheduled for 9:15AM, 10:45, 12:15PM, 2:15, 3:45, 5:15, 6:45, 8:15, 9:45, with the last tender from shore at 11:30PM.

 

So maybe the May 2nd cruise on the Veendam will be able to report on how the tendering went.

[AlexandNessa]

Thanks so much for taking the time to report this news from the ship. Hope all goes well tomorrow, with so many trying to get to St. George's. Enjoy your cruise!

[peaches from georgia]

 

.....For what it's worth, the plan had been for the first tender to shore to run at 8AM, followed by 8:30, 9:30, 10, 11:30, 1:30PM, 3, 4:30, 6, 7:30, 9, 9:30 with the last tender to shore at 10:30. Tenders from the shore to the ship were scheduled for 9:15AM, 10:45, 12:15PM, 2:15, 3:45, 5:15, 6:45, 8:15, 9:45, with the last tender from shore at 11:30PM.

 

So maybe the May 2nd cruise on the Veendam will be able to report on how the tendering went.

I'm confused because all the previous info had said they would only be using the 750 pax Bermuda ferry as a tender. They must have changed to using a lot of the ships tenders if they were scheduled to run every 30 minutes each way.

[cruiservictor]

The Captain said at lunch that there were to have been 2 ferries from shore - the Bermudian, which I believe is the 6-700 passenger one, and a second ferry that holds about 200. There was no mention of the ship's tenders being used.

 

A couple of other things I thought of - the Captain said there was some concern about the "fit" of these 2 ferries alongside the Veendam. It had never been done before, and they were not sure how smoothly it would work. Now, with us docking in Hamilton, they can do some experiments with bringing the ferries alongside before we leave on Friday afternoon.

 

The other thing I wanted to mention - tendering into St. George was plan A. Heading straight to Hamilton is plan B. Plan C would be having to bypass Hamilton as well (for a day or 2), if the weather was bad enough. The Captain is confident we will be able to stick with plan B.

 

We shall see.....

[sealady1]

I will be praying for all of you that you are able to make it to Hamilton tomorrow. Please keep us posted and my best to all of you.

Debbie

[DFD1]

I hope they get into Hamilton. Getting thru the narrows into the harbor can be a bit dicey in high winds.....but I'm sure they've accounted for that already.

[sail7seas]

Thanks so much for your report. I sincerely hope you are able to dock tomorrow in Hamilton and everyone enjoys their stay in Bermuda.

 

Really appreciate the update.

[Copper10-8]

For those interested, a pic of the Bermudian:

 

 

She can hold up to 700 of Veendam's pax and it will take her roughly 30 minutes to make the journey from ship to shore (St. George's). Per Capt. Card, a local authority when it comes to Marine policies and procedures in Bermuda, there are some definite issues as far as using the Veendam's own tenders:

*There is an alternative approach to St Georges via Ferry Reach, but that involves opening Longbird Bridge and more importantly, each tender would be required by local law to carry a local pilot - Can you say logistical nightmare?

 

*The tender run around Fort Catherine can be very rough at times (see the OP's post) The Bermudian can handle "rough" within reason but for the much smaller ship's tenders it would be "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" (for those Disney fans among us;))

*Using the smaller ship's tenders will add at least another 15 minutes to the run - 45 instead of 30 minutes each way

Going to Hamilton from the get go and using local buses sounds like the hot tip to me. Besides, extra time in Hamilton is like a day at the beach:)

[DFD1]

Docking downtown Hamilton is the best Bermuda has to offer. No doubt.

 

The losers in this situation are the merchants in St. Georges. That's a charming little town in a less-traveled part of the island and it needs all the tourist traffic it can get.

 

I wish HAL had been able to find a ship in the fleet small enough to pass through Town Cut into St. Georges, but that is all history now.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for your report.

 

Hope the weather improves enough that you will be able to get to Hamilton!!

 

Sorry about your missing St George's.

[DTraveler!]

The Captain said at lunch that there were to have been 2 ferries from shore - the Bermudian, which I believe is the 6-700 passenger one, and a second ferry that holds about 200. There was no mention of the ship's tenders being used.

 

A couple of other things I thought of - the Captain said there was some concern about the "fit" of these 2 ferries alongside the Veendam. It had never been done before, and they were not sure how smoothly it would work. Now, with us docking in Hamilton, they can do some experiments with bringing the ferries alongside before we leave on Friday afternoon.

 

The other thing I wanted to mention - tendering into St. George was plan A. Heading straight to Hamilton is plan B. Plan C would be having to bypass Hamilton as well (for a day or 2), if the weather was bad enough. The Captain is confident we will be able to stick with plan B.

 

We shall see.....

 

Thanks for the report! (Hard to believe that they have not done the "experiments" before !):confused:

[Copper10-8]

Thanks for the report! (Hard to believe that they have not done the "experiments" before !):confused:

 

Kinda hard to do unless the actual ship' date=' Veendam, is in Bermuda where the Bermudian is located. That, or bring in an Air Force C-5, or better yet, an Antonov An-225 Mriya, and fly the Bermudian roundtrip to Port Everglades for a look see

[Sunshine91]

Kinda hard to do unless the actual ship, Veendam, is in Bermuda where the Bermudian is located. That, or bring in an Air Force C-5, or better yet, an Antonov An-225 Mriya, and fly the Bermudian roundtrip to Port Everglades for a look see

 

There's a whole fleet of those C-5 Galaxy's about 45 minutes north of me at Dover AFB. Those are the planes with the nose that opens up on a hinge so that l-a-r-g-e cargo can be loaded:

 

 

When I was a kid, my Dad (USAF navigator, retired) told me the nickname of this plane was "Fat Albert" after the Bill Cosby cartoon character.

[Copper10-8]

There's a whole fleet of those C-5 Galaxy's about 45 minutes north of me at Dover AFB. Those are the planes with the nose that opens up on a hinge so that l-a-r-g-e cargo can be loaded:

 

 

When I was a kid, my Dad (USAF navigator, retired) told me the nickname of this plane was "Fat Albert" after the Bill Cosby cartoon character.

 

You got it Susan;) With as big as those bad boys are, the Bermudian still wouldn't fit though

[jollyjones]

For those interested, a pic of the Bermudian:

 

 

She can hold up to 700 of Veendam's pax and it will take her roughly 30 minutes to make the journey from ship to shore (St. George's). Per Capt. Card, a local authority when it comes to Marine policies and procedures in Bermuda, there are some definite issues as far as using the Veendam's own tenders:

 

*There is an alternative approach to St Georges via Ferry Reach, but that involves opening Longbird Bridge and more importantly, each tender would be required by local law to carry a local pilot - Can you say logistical nightmare?

 

*The tender run around Fort Catherine can be very rough at times (see the OP's post) The Bermudian can handle "rough" within reason but for the much smaller ship's tenders it would be "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" (for those Disney fans among us;))

 

*Using the smaller ship's tenders will add at least another 15 minutes to the run - 45 instead of 30 minutes each way

 

Going to Hamilton from the get go and using local buses sounds like the hot tip to me. Besides, extra time in Hamilton is like a day at the beach:)

 

The blue/turquoise ferry seen behind the Bermudian is probably the other sort of boat they will use for tendering - it's one of our fast ferries.

 

Unfortunately, the 'other' route into St George's harbour via Ferry Reach is not really suitable for boats the size of the Bermudian, nor would opening the bridge so frequently as would be needed go down well with the local populace.

[fishbabe]

I have provided additional info. regarding alternate plans re. St. George on my earlier thread entitled "Live from the Veendam, NYC to Bermuda Inaugural Sailing."

[earl_m]

Thanks for the info. Hope everything works out and you have agreat cruise!!

[cruiservictor]

We used the free one-day pass to go to St. George's yesterday by bus. About 45 mins each way. Seemed a little shorter on the way back. Maybe because we changed drivers at one point on the way out. Spent a couple of hours in St. George's. Saw the ceremonial dunking ceremony at noon. Not very many people there - I am sure the storekeepers would have wanted more.

 

Today we bought a 2-day transportation pass and took the express ferry to the Dockyard. Saw the Norwegian Dawn and the Celebrity Summit, both of which left NY/NJ with us Sunday night, but had 2 bumpy days at sea instead of the 1 we had.

 

Weather has been very windy, but otherwise nice for the most part. The heavens opened up today at around 3, but by 3:15 the sun was out again.

 

Having a great time - won $66 at bingo Monday. Apparently no more bingo until we leave Friday.

 

The semi code-red was lifted today. All buffets returned to normal.

[Copper10-8]

FYI; the "semi-Code Red" status as some posters refer to it, has recently been instituted by HAL on all their ships, fleetwide. It does not mean there are cases of Noro lurking about and the ship is about to go to a full Code Red. The meassures HAL is now taking - basically, no self service of food AND drinks in the Lido for the first 48 hours of any cruise - is an attempt to prevent outbreaks of Noro.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We used the free one-day pass to go to St. George's yesterday by bus. About 45 mins each way. Seemed a little shorter on the way back. Maybe because we changed drivers at one point on the way out. Spent a couple of hours in St. George's. Saw the ceremonial dunking ceremony at noon. Not very many people there - I am sure the storekeepers would have wanted more.

 

Today we bought a 2-day transportation pass and took the express ferry to the Dockyard. Saw the Norwegian Dawn and the Celebrity Summit, both of which left NY/NJ with us Sunday night, but had 2 bumpy days at sea instead of the 1 we had.

 

Weather has been very windy, but otherwise nice for the most part. The heavens opened up today at around 3, but by 3:15 the sun was out again.

 

Having a great time - won $66 at bingo Monday. Apparently no more bingo until we leave Friday.

 

The semi code-red was lifted today. All buffets returned to normal.

 

Thanks for checking in and supplying us with more information!!

Very much appreciated.

[innlady1]

FYI; the "semi-Code Red" status as some posters refer to it, has recently been instituted by HAL on all their ships, fleetwide. It does not mean there are cases of Noro lurking about and the ship is about to go to a full Code Red. The meassures HAL is now taking - basically, no self service of food AND drinks in the Lido for the first 48 hours of any cruise - is an attempt to prevent outbreaks of Noro.

 

Sounds like a prudent idea to me! On our 2nd Noordam cruise out of NYC, we went into Code Red in Grand Turk...the 2nd or 3rd day of our cruise...1st port. Everyone (pax) figured that someone brought it on board from the city.

[cruiservictor]

There has been a lot of talk about the Bermudian ferrying Veendam passengers to/from St. George's. Today we actually took the Bermudian back from the Dockyard to Hamilton. All previous trips had been on the faster catamaran-type ferries.

 

All I can say about the Bermudian is that it is slow to board, slow to sail and slow to disembark. I will be very interested to hear about how it works for tendering future Veendam cruises. I can see it taking quite a long time.

 

Another beautiful day today for our final full day here, albeit very windy. They had set up ferry service for us Veendam passengers non-stop from Hamilton to St. George's, but at least through early afternoon, all ferry service to St. George's had been cancelled due to rough seas. Too bad - I was hoping to take the ferry round trip from the Dockyard to St. George's while my wife shopped.

[nurse@sea]

My DH and I are new to HAL and are looking forward to returning to a just"Bermuda Run." We really love the island. One question, is the casino open while in port? I have heard rumors that the Bermudian gov't was going to allow ships to have the casinos open after ten at night. Has that happened? Thanks, Vickie

[DRWhit]

No. It still will be closed while in Bermuda.

[cruiservictor]

The casino has been closed since Monday night (our sea day) and will not reopen until after we sail for NYC tomorrow afternoon. Same goes for the shops.

 

Someone asked about the shows onboard. Welcome aboard show Sunday, full production show Monday, a comedian Tuesday (when we were supposed to have been anchored off St George's but were instead here in Hamilton), a name that tune session and a pool party last night (while they had the Harbor Nights festivities outside on Front Street).

 

Tonight there is a full production show and tomorrow there will be one, too, when we will be at sea and having our second and final formal night.