Bus passes

[watermusic101]

Hello All,

 

Last time we were in Bermuda we were told you could get off the ship and buy individual trip passes for the bus not the 2 day unlimited pass. As we are only going to need for one trip or so to the beach thought this would be the more economical way to go. Does any body know anything about these individual passes(price, where they can be used) and where exactly to purchase them. We will be docking at the Navy Yard. I should have paid more attention when we were told last year.

 

Thanks

[sousak78]

You can buy a 1 day pass. They're $12 each for adults, $6 each for kids. They're sold at the ferry dock, however, if the office there isn't open, you can get them at the Visitors Service Bureau.

 

An option I'd also suggest is, if you're only planning on using the bus once to get to the beach and once to get back, it might be more economical to just buy a book of tickets if there's a few of you in your party or a couple of tokens if there's just 2 of you.

 

Tickets come in books of 15 and there are 2 types, 3 zones and 14 zones. 3 zones are good enough to get you to places like Horseshoe and Church Bay. If you plan on going further than that, then you should get a book of 14 zones. A book of 3 zone tickets is $20 and a book of 14 zone tickets is $30. If you are traveling with kids that are between the ages of 5 and 16, you can get a book of student tickets for $7.50.

 

Tokens are $2.50 for a 3 zone, $4.00 for a 14 zone. There aren't any student tokens but for kids it's either $1 or $2 (can't remember, it's been a while since I've paid the student fare :D) just make sure you have the fare in coins - our bus drivers can get a bit 'testy' when it comes to dollar bills being presented to them. You'll need one token per person, per trip.

[MMDown Under]

You can buy a 1 day pass. They're $12 each for adults, $6 each for kids. They're sold at the ferry dock, however, if the office there isn't open, you can get them at the Visitors Service Bureau.

 

An option I'd also suggest is, if you're only planning on using the bus once to get to the beach and once to get back, it might be more economical to just buy a book of tickets if there's a few of you in your party or a couple of tokens if there's just 2 of you.

 

Tickets come in books of 15 and there are 2 types, 3 zones and 14 zones. 3 zones are good enough to get you to places like Horseshoe and Church Bay. If you plan on going further than that, then you should get a book of 14 zones. A book of 3 zone tickets is $20 and a book of 14 zone tickets is $30. If you are traveling with kids that are between the ages of 5 and 16, you can get a book of student tickets for $7.50.

 

Tokens are $2.50 for a 3 zone, $4.00 for a 14 zone. There aren't any student tokens but for kids it's either $1 or $2 (can't remember, it's been a while since I've paid the student fare :D) just make sure you have the fare in coins - our bus drivers can get a bit 'testy' when it comes to dollar bills being presented to them. You'll need one token per person, per trip.

 

Thank you for this handy information.

 

We will be a party of 4 fit Australians visiting King's Wharf, Bermuda for a day and a half in late September (Sat/Sun). If we buy a book of 15 14 zone tickets, which buses would you recommend we should catch to best see the island by bus.

 

Bermuda has been on my Wish List for a lifetime!

[iheartbda]

sousak can most likely add to this but for starters, since you're at Dockyard, there are just 2 buses from there, a #7 and #8 which will take you toward Hamilton. The #8 is more inland so for beautiful views of the south shore beaches, take the #7.

 

Once you get to Hamilton, you can take the #11 which will take you along the north shore and you can continue on that number the whole way to St. George. From Hamilton you can also take a # 1 which will take you along South Road with ocean views again, around the Mid-Ocean and Tucker's Point golf courses, very beautiful to see BTW, and you can once again continue on to St. George which is a different route than the #11.

[watermusic101]

Sousak,

 

Thanks so much for the info. This is exactly what we were told last year, but seeing as I haven't been able to use a student pass in many years(actually decades AHHH!) I have had a senior moment and forgotten what we were told.

[sousak78]

watermusic101 - happy to help :)

 

MMDown Under - iheartbda's bus advice is precisely what I would have suggested when it comes to which buses to take - iheartbda knows Bermuda and the buses so much better than I do :)!

When you go to St. Georges (try to do this on the Saturday), be sure to ask the driver for a transfer when you first board the bus in Dockyard so that you don't have to use another ticket when you change buses in Hamilton (aka Town). Same for the return trip. I'd suggest doing the no. 1 on the way to St. Georges though - they run once an hour on Saturdays and the last one is around 6. The 10 and 11 runs much later and more frequently, as does the 7 and 8.

You might also want to consider taking the ferry into town from Dockyard and then get the bus from town to St. Georges - that's another great way to see the island and is much quicker than the bus (20 mins vs. 1 hour). They may even put on a special ferry from Dockyard to St. Georges on the Saturday, depends on the number of cruise ships that are in that day. The tickets can be used on the ferry as well.

Keep in mind that not much is open on Sundays so you may want to make that a beach day, if you plan on visiting the beach, otherwise, check out the museum and other sights in Dockyard (free rum cake samples at the rum cake factory - they're yummy!!!) :D

Enjoy Bermuda!

[MMDown Under]

sousak can most likely add to this but for starters, since you're at Dockyard, there are just 2 buses from there, a #7 and #8 which will take you toward Hamilton. The #8 is more inland so for beautiful views of the south shore beaches, take the #7.

 

Once you get to Hamilton, you can take the #11 which will take you along the north shore and you can continue on that number the whole way to St. George. From Hamilton you can also take a # 1 which will take you along South Road with ocean views again, around the Mid-Ocean and Tucker's Point golf courses, very beautiful to see BTW, and you can once again continue on to St. George which is a different route than the #11.

 

MMDown Under - iheartbda's bus advice is precisely what I would have suggested when it comes to which buses to take - iheartbda knows Bermuda and the buses so much better than I do :)!

When you go to St. Georges (try to do this on the Saturday), be sure to ask the driver for a transfer when you first board the bus in Dockyard so that you don't have to use another ticket when you change buses in Hamilton (aka Town). Same for the return trip. I'd suggest doing the no. 1 on the way to St. Georges though - they run once an hour on Saturdays and the last one is around 6. The 10 and 11 runs much later and more frequently, as does the 7 and 8.

You might also want to consider taking the ferry into town from Dockyard and then get the bus from town to St. Georges - that's another great way to see the island and is much quicker than the bus (20 mins vs. 1 hour). They may even put on a special ferry from Dockyard to St. Georges on the Saturday, depends on the number of cruise ships that are in that day. The tickets can be used on the ferry as well.

Keep in mind that not much is open on Sundays so you may want to make that a beach day, if you plan on visiting the beach, otherwise, check out the museum and other sights in Dockyard (free rum cake samples at the rum cake factory - they're yummy!!!) :D

Enjoy Bermuda!

 

Thank you very much. That is exactly what I was looking for, as you can't beat local knowledge. I have many happy memories of touring places on public transport.

 

As our cruise ship embarks at 2 pm on the Sunday, we'd like to go to a beach or on a beachwalk, not too far from the wharf. I'll keep an eye out for the free yummy rum cake samples.

 

Do they do fish and chips takeaway in the area, as that is our favourite beach food?

[sousak78]

Best beach for a beach walk (there's no boardwalk or anything - just a path through the dunes) is at Horseshoe, in my opinion. From there you can follow the path all the way to Warwick Long Bay (this is a favourite walk of mine with my dog in the winter). You'll have to get the no. 7 bus to get there.

There is a concession at Horseshoe that sells food but it's been a number of years since I have eaten there so another poster will have to advise if they offer fish n' chips and if it is up to par.

If you want to stay in Dockyard on the Sunday, the only beach nearby is Snorkel Park, which is a manmade beach. They do have a restaurant there but I've never tried the food so I can't comment on it either. You could also go to Freeport Gardens for some fish n' chips. They have a little takeout shop on the side of the main restaurant. Unfortunately, it will probably come in a styrofoam container and not wrapped in paper like it does in the UK.

 

Almost forgot - if you use the ferry to get from Dockyard to town, you will have to use another ticket to get the bus from town to St. Georges - the transfers aren't available on the ferry.

[MMDown Under]

Best beach for a beach walk (there's no boardwalk or anything - just a path through the dunes) is at Horseshoe, in my opinion. From there you can follow the path all the way to Warwick Long Bay (this is a favourite walk of mine with my dog in the winter). You'll have to get the no. 7 bus to get there.

There is a concession at Horseshoe that sells food but it's been a number of years since I have eaten there so another poster will have to advise if they offer fish n' chips and if it is up to par.

If you want to stay in Dockyard on the Sunday, the only beach nearby is Snorkel Park, which is a manmade beach. They do have a restaurant there but I've never tried the food so I can't comment on it either. You could also go to Freeport Gardens for some fish n' chips. They have a little takeout shop on the side of the main restaurant. Unfortunately, it will probably come in a styrofoam container and not wrapped in paper like it does in the UK.

 

Almost forgot - if you use the ferry to get from Dockyard to town, you will have to use another ticket to get the bus from town to St. Georges - the transfers aren't available on the ferry.

 

Thanks for tip re no transfer from ferry.

 

Our local favourite fish and chip shop wraps fish and chips in paper, although some now use styrofoam containers.

 

That sounds like a really beautiful walk. Thank you so much sousak78.

 

I printed out the bus timetables and noticed that the first No.7 bus on Sundays departs Dockyard at 10.00 am. Would it be possible to catch a taxi early on a Sunday morning? As there are return buses from Hamilton every half hour from 9.30 am, we'd be able to catch the bus back.

 

How much time should we allow for a leisurely walk from Horseshoe to Warwick Long Bay?

 

How long should we allow to get back by bus to arrive around 1 pm (2pm departure)?

[Charles4515]

I printed out the bus timetables and noticed that the first No.7 bus on Sundays departs Dockyard at 10.00 am. Would it be possible to catch a taxi early on a Sunday morning? As there are return buses from Hamilton every half hour from 9.30 am, we'd be able to catch the bus back.

 

 

I have been there a couple of Sundays including last October and they have had special buses to Horseshoe that started service before the 10:00 time. I have taken the special buses at 9:00. I found it easier to get the bus than a cab Sunday morning, there were not enough cabs for the amount of people from the ship trying to get one. I would suggest that you might take a taxi back if your ship embarks at 2:00 PM. In the afternoon there were plenty of cabs at Horseshoe. You really have a limited amount of time that day. I would scotch the idea of walking from Horseshoe to Warrwick Long Bay with a limited day. You can do a nice beach walk at Horseshoe without going very far.

[MMDown Under]

I have been there a couple of Sundays including last October and they have had special buses to Horseshoe that started service before the 10:00 time. I have taken the special buses at 9:00. I found it easier to get the bus than a cab Sunday morning, there were not enough cabs for the amount of people from the ship trying to get one. I would suggest that you might take a taxi back if your ship embarks at 2:00 PM. In the afternoon there were plenty of cabs at Horseshoe. You really have a limited amount of time that day. I would scotch the idea of walking from Horseshoe to Warrwick Long Bay with a limited day. You can do a nice beach walk at Horseshoe without going very far.

 

Thank you for your comments, Charles.

 

I was thinking of 5 hours - 8.00am to 1.00pm (for 2pm departure).

[sousak78]

5 hours is plenty of time to do the walk from Horseshoe to Warwick Long Bay and back. If there is a cab at the cruise ship terminal, grab it, if not, bus will get you there quick enough on a Sunday morning - traffic should still be light at 8am.

Charles is right about getting a cab back at 1 though - you don't want to be stuck on a bus then, you might be cutting it a bit close. Worse comes to worse, if the cab gets you back quickly, you can enjoy Dockyard before having to get back on the ship. The museum is nice to walk around and there are some amazing views of the island from the Commissioner's House, which is on the museum's grounds.

[MMDown Under]

5 hours is plenty of time to do the walk from Horseshoe to Warwick Long Bay and back. If there is a cab at the cruise ship terminal, grab it, if not, bus will get you there quick enough on a Sunday morning - traffic should still be light at 8am.

Charles is right about getting a cab back at 1 though - you don't want to be stuck on a bus then, you might be cutting it a bit close. Worse comes to worse, if the cab gets you back quickly, you can enjoy Dockyard before having to get back on the ship. The museum is nice to walk around and there are some amazing views of the island from the Commissioner's House, which is on the museum's grounds.

 

Thank you once again for your comments sousak78.

 

I intended to be back by 1pm, at the latest, then look around Dockyard until boarding time.

 

Bon Voyage for your first cruise ever on Oasis of the Seas in August. Do you embark in Bermuda?

[sousak78]

I wish we could board here but, no, we're boarding in Ft. Lauderdale! We're flying to Miami a few days ahead, then driving to Ft. Lauderdale on the day. Should be interesting - I'm going with 36 relatives and their friends. Thank goodness Oasis is a large ship so I can hide from them when needed - they can be really loud when you get them all together in one place!

 

Enjoy your time in Bermuda - late September is a good time to come, the humidity should (hopefully) be a little lower by then! Right now it's like an oven outside :eek:

[MMDown Under]

I wish we could board here but, no, we're boarding in Ft. Lauderdale! We're flying to Miami a few days ahead, then driving to Ft. Lauderdale on the day. Should be interesting - I'm going with 36 relatives and their friends. Thank goodness Oasis is a large ship so I can hide from them when needed - they can be really loud when you get them all together in one place!

 

Enjoy your time in Bermuda - late September is a good time to come, the humidity should (hopefully) be a little lower by then! Right now it's like an oven outside :eek:

 

Thank you. I'm sure I'll have a wonderful time touring Bermuda by bus on the Saturday and following your walking suggestions on the Sunday. It is amazing what a difference a couple of months can make to the weather. However, I thought Bermuda, being islands, would always have cool breezes.

 

What a wonderful family adventure you're going on. You shouldn't have any trouble hiding on the Oasis! :)

[MMDown Under]

Thank you. I'm sure I'll have a wonderful time touring Bermuda by bus on the Saturday and following your walking suggestions on the Sunday. It is amazing what a difference a couple of months can make to the weather. However, I thought Bermuda, being islands, would always have cool breezes.

 

What a wonderful family adventure you're going on. You shouldn't have any trouble hiding on the Oasis! :)

 

Guess you are probably aware that our ship, MSC Poesia, deverted from Bermuda to Boston, in September, because of a hurricane.

 

Whilst I was disappointed, I understood the reasons.

 

I kept all tips and suggestions on touring Bermuda, hoping I may visit another time.

 

I hope you enjoyed our family cruise on Oasis in August.

[Dolphins]

You can buy a 1 day pass. They're $12 each for adults, $6 each for kids. They're sold at the ferry dock, however, if the office there isn't open, you can get them at the Visitors Service Bureau.

 

An option I'd also suggest is, if you're only planning on using the bus once to get to the beach and once to get back, it might be more economical to just buy a book of tickets if there's a few of you in your party or a couple of tokens if there's just 2 of you.

 

Tickets come in books of 15 and there are 2 types, 3 zones and 14 zones. 3 zones are good enough to get you to places like Horseshoe and Church Bay. If you plan on going further than that, then you should get a book of 14 zones. A book of 3 zone tickets is $20 and a book of 14 zone tickets is $30. If you are traveling with kids that are between the ages of 5 and 16, you can get a book of student tickets for $7.50.

 

Tokens are $2.50 for a 3 zone, $4.00 for a 14 zone. There aren't any student tokens but for kids it's either $1 or $2 (can't remember, it's been a while since I've paid the student fare :D) just make sure you have the fare in coins - our bus drivers can get a bit 'testy' when it comes to dollar bills being presented to them. You'll need one token per person, per trip.

 

Can you purchase those 3 zone & 14 zone 15 ticket books at the visitors center at the Dockyard?

[sousak78]

Yes, you can purchase the books of tickets at the Visitor's Center in Dockyard.

[Thoth]

So what you are saying is I do NOT need a shore excursion to get from King's wharf to Saint George ? That sounds great to me .

Carnival's shore excursions don't get me that excited.

[Charles4515]

So what you are saying is I do NOT need a shore excursion to get from King's wharf to Saint George ? That sounds great to me .

Carnival's shore excursions don't get me that excited.

 

No need to take Carnival shore excursions for anything in Bermuda. For St. George you can take a ferry to St. George. You could also go by bus or taxi.

 

Bus passes by the way, are good on both ferries and buses.

[Thoth]

No need to take Carnival shore excursions for anything in Bermuda. For St. George you can take a ferry to St. George. You could also go by bus or taxi.

 

Bus passes by the way, are good on both ferries and buses.

Thank you Charles !

great to hear.

From a book I'm reading it seems like perhaps the King's Wharf area might be the best part anyway. So certainly I'll wish to see the Royal Dockyards first.

[Charles4515]

Thank you Charles !

great to hear.

From a book I'm reading it seems like perhaps the King's Wharf area might be the best part anyway. So certainly I'll wish to see the Royal Dockyards first.

 

Don't get me started on that! The Dockyard is my least favorite part of Bermuda.

[SailBadtheSinner]

I agree with you Charles; the Dockyard is just too touristy for me, but I do understand why it happened.

 

 

SBtS

[Thoth]

See I don't know....I haven't been to Bermuda.

Oh please do enlighten me as to the best places to see.

I'm into culture, history, architecture, ambiance.

beaches may be pretty, but I'll get wet in the ship's pool.

[Host Caroline]

A good place to get an overview (and there are others) is http://www.bermuda.com.

 

I would plan to spend a day in St George's area: Carriage Museum, Ft St Catherine etc. Very quaint picturesque, lots of history.

 

I love gardens at the Perfumery and the caves (have only been to Lemington, will go others this year). Aquarium IMHO isn't anything special but we have several near here so....

 

Walk the Bermuda Railway Trail or rent a bike for a while.. lovely pathway along the coast etc and along where the railway used to run

 

Snuba and helmet diving for non divers are fabulous here.

 

The ferry to Hamilton from Dockyard is much preferable to the bus (you can get a combo pass) and also ferry to St Georges is lMHO better than the buses, at least one way. Lots of traffic near Hamilton and some roads when several ships are in.