land or sea?

[kathyemma]

My dd (11) and I want to take my Mom to Bermuda for a week. She has been taking care of my ill father and if she doesn't get away soon she will drop dead. She has always loved cruising and Bermuda. But she said she didn't like cruising to Bermuda b/c it was such a pain getting to the beach and then getting back to the ship all covered in sand. She said cruise passengers could only go to the public beach, which was beautiful but far away. Is it still like this? I am torn between booking a cruise from Baltimore (so no flying) or flying directly to Bermuda for a week. The costs are just about the same. Does anyone have any suggestions? Can anyone recommend a good hotel in Bermuda?

 

TIA

 

Kathy

[AAAAmerican]

Maam,

 

Take your Mother to NYC and board the Holland American Ship there.

 

This ship does make fast ( tie up ) in the City of Hamilton.

 

 

What a wonderful time you , she as well your daughter will have.

 

Memories were and shall be made here.

 

The Bermudian Islands (Somers Isles ) , to me are the nicest Island Chain on earth.

 

 

So much better than being in Greece now..

 

Driving to NYC can be a fun outing too for youall.

 

Going up the Delmarva even if you go through and over at Annapolis.. will be fun..then to Lewes/Cape May Ferry then up the GSP ( Garden State Parkway ) ...

 

What a nice adventure to your ship. Parking at the pier your able to do too then to Bermuda... oh what a wonderful place it is...

 

 

In Bermuda there is a very nice beach right near a Pole Stop.

 

 

I myself do not like the crowded beaches as much as the ones not frequented by many..kinda like fly fishing for native brown trout to me...

 

 

 

 

 

My dd (11) and I want to take my Mom to Bermuda for a week. She has been taking care of my ill father and if she doesn't get away soon she will drop dead. She has always loved cruising and Bermuda. But she said she didn't like cruising to Bermuda b/c it was such a pain getting to the beach and then getting back to the ship all covered in sand. She said cruise passengers could only go to the public beach, which was beautiful but far away. Is it still like this? I am torn between booking a cruise from Baltimore (so no flying) or flying directly to Bermuda for a week. The costs are just about the same. Does anyone have any suggestions? Can anyone recommend a good hotel in Bermuda?

 

TIA

 

Kathy

[iheartbda]

My dd (11) and I want to take my Mom to Bermuda for a week. She has been taking care of my ill father and if she doesn't get away soon she will drop dead. She has always loved cruising and Bermuda. But she said she didn't like cruising to Bermuda b/c it was such a pain getting to the beach and then getting back to the ship all covered in sand. She said cruise passengers could only go to the public beach, which was beautiful but far away. Is it still like this? I am torn between booking a cruise from Baltimore (so no flying) or flying directly to Bermuda for a week. The costs are just about the same. Does anyone have any suggestions? Can anyone recommend a good hotel in Bermuda?

 

TIA

 

Kathy

 

What will you do in the evening at a hotel since there's always something to do on a ship? If you're at Dockyard, the beaches are about half an hour or less away. Horseshoe Bay has a nice bath house with showers. We've never been covered with sand on the way back and didn't even shower, just brushed off.

 

There are lots of good hotel in Bermuda so it's hard to recommend one. Since most people here are cruisers, you're not going to get too many recommendations. My choice would be the Princess, either the Hamilton or the Southampton which I would go back to in a heartbeat but there is no comparison between cruising and flying in to stay.

 

You say the cost is about the same. Have you factored in a food plan? We have friends who fly and stay and they are able to keep it about the same as cruising BUT......they stay in a cottage, eat cereal for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch plus they cook in at nights sometimes, with food they have to go and buy or have brought with them.

 

It sounds like your mother is not in favor of cruising at all but I think she is concerned and, IMO overly, about some things. Don't get me wrong, if I could find a price for a week that compared to a cruise I would do it in a second.:)

[kathyemma]

I didn't really think about the night life. My mom goes to bed about about 9 every night - so won't be much of an issue for her. I might have to bring up cruising again. I think a part of it might be she always cruised with my Dad (he went for the food!) and it might be hard cruising without him. My mom and I could care less about food - just give us something chocolate every now and then and we are happy. I think I might plan out 2 trips, one by land and one by sea and let her pick. Aside from nightlife and food am I forgetting anything else?

 

Sailing out of NY would be good - but she won't go for that. She hates being in the car for long periods and is the WORST backseat driver in the world. I am sure I would kill her before we got to NY!

 

Kathy

[iheartbda]

LOL

I didn't mean NIGHT LIFE just meant, what do you do at night, sit around in the room and look at each other?;) Now that you say your mother goes to bed around 9:00, what will you do? On the ship you'll have something to do even if it's just walk around. In Bermuda you would be limited to just the hotel grounds rather than some type of ship entertainment.

 

At this point, planning two trips and letting her decide if it's one if by land, two if by sea, is the best option. Afterall, if she needs the break right now, let her make the choice that she feels she would enjoy the most.:)

[kathyemma]

Yes, she needs the break now. I would like to take her now, but my dd is still in school. My dad is in a rehab center and I want to get her on a vacation before he comes home. At this point we are not sure if he will ever come home - but incase he does I want her to have a little fun first.

 

Kathy

 

 

LOL

I didn't mean NIGHT LIFE just meant, what do you do at night, sit around in the room and look at each other?;) Now that you say your mother goes to bed around 9:00, what will you do? On the ship you'll have something to do even if it's just walk around. In Bermuda you would be limited to just the hotel grounds rather than some type of ship entertainment.

 

At this point, planning two trips and letting her decide if it's one if by land, two if by sea, is the best option. Afterall, if she needs the break right now, let her make the choice that she feels she would enjoy the most.:)

[bermuda triangle]

Hi,

I think it is very nice of you to take your mother on vacation. Since she seems to prefer a land based visit to Bermuda I would recommend staying at the Fairmont Southampton. While the hotel sits atop a hill there is a shuttle to their private beach (located next to Horseshoe Bay) so you can access either beach easily. It is literally a 2 minute ride door to beach. Also by staying there you can acess the ferry to Hamilton, it is complimentary between the 2 Fairmont hotels.

Food is expensive since the majority of it is not grown on the island, however some hotels have meal plans or special offers combining dining and lodging. I would suggest looking at airlines and their vacation packages. We got a great deal through one the last time we flew to BDA or check out a travel agency, they too offer great deals.

I also liked your idea of 2 itineraries and letting her choose. If you haven't yet, I would discuss what you would like to do for her. A couple of things to keep in mind are- Is she going to want to be away from your father? He sounds very ill and she may not want feel comfortable leaving him incase he takes a turn for the worse. If you are on land you can get an international calling card to keep in touch w/ him or the facility. If you are at sea ship to shore phone calls are very very expensive.

Laura

[bermuda triangle]

I forgot to mention, you may want to look at bermudatourism.com it is the Bermuda Dept of tourism official site. They have a travel deals section.

Laura

[Maple Sugar]

Flying to Bermuda is also very nice you may get a better idea of the island as you will do more locally, i.e. restaurants, site seeing and local entertainment, as you have more time on the island. Grotto Bay is very nice that is where our family stays. They have their own beach and they are not far from the airport and St. Georges, the caves. Take the ferry from St. George to the Dockyard & Hamilton the ride is very nice. The bus stops right at the gate of the Hotel. Here is the website http://www.grottobay.com/ They had a good deal going on. This is just another option for your family. Either way enjoy Bermuda.

[JenAndDan]

I just got back from a land based trip to Bermuda (5 days/4 nights). We paid about the same (not including airfares) that we are paying for our upcoming cruise on the Serenade of the Seas. Rooms are expensive and food is absolutely outrageous (i.e. cereal was $8, glass of juice $6 - funny though that a bloody mary was only $8!). We loved Bermuda but we said if we ever go back it would be on a cruise. We are not excessive eaters but we ate very minimally due to the high costs. The only way I would say do the land based trip is if you really wanted more than 2-3 days in Bermuda (since I think most ships are only there that long but I could be mistaken). If your mother thinks it's a pain to get to the beach from the ship (which it really isn't since there are so many) than she'll never want to leave the hotel unless by taxi which could add up big time. We took three taxi rides (one from Elbow Beach to the Aquarium, one from Hamilton to Elbow Beach and one from Elbow Beach to the Frog and Onion in the RND) and the cheapest one was $30 (and Elbow to F&O was $45!).

 

Also - quick warning about taxis - we had read there is a $1 charge for each piece of luggage. We did a shuttle to and from the airport so we didn't even think about this. The first taxi ride we didn't get charged anything for our stroller. The 2nd taxi ride, the driver acted like he was being so helpful and took our stroller and put it in the back and also put the diaper bag in the back along with our doggy bag from a restaurant and a bag from shopping (the later 3 could have EASILY been put in the backseat with us but he took them from our hands). Then he charged us $4 surcharge. When I asked why, he said anything that goes in the back gets charged $1. Just be careful about this.