Review: Pride to Bermuda 9/18/2011

[Room Service!]

Okay it's a new day and hopefully some of you are still interested in reading this.

 

As I said in the beginning, the weather was not that great when we arrived in Baltimore. It was cold and dreary and the seas were rough that first sea day. By Tuesday the weather at sea was beautiful and the seas were calm. We were scheduled to dock in Bermuda at 7am. I know we were circling the island at 2am that morning, yet we didn't dock until almost 8:30. By the time the ship was cleared to go ashore it was after 9:00. We made a mad dash off the ship because we needed to catch the 10 o'clock ferry to St.George. I knew from reading CC that there would be two places that sold transportation passes once we got off the ship. The first was right when you exited the ship, but the lines were long. We bypassed that one and went to the building in between the two piers. Walked right up and puchased our 2 day transportation passes. The cost of these were $20 and well worth the money. By the time the ferry arrived, the line had grown quite long, so make sure you are there at least a half an hour before departure. Here's a pic of the ferry.

 

The ferry ride to St,George took about 45 minutes and was smooth and enjoyable. Make sure you sit on the top deck as the views of the island are beautiful. Here's a pic of Fort St. Catherine as we passed by headed for St.George.

 

Are you shippin' me?!!! This is great. MORE!

[micdee]

The bus ride from Hamilton to Warwick Long Bay Beach was about 30 minutes. I must say that coming from a major city I was quite impressed with the cleanliness of these busses and friendliness of the drivers. We had no idea where we were going and had to depend on the drivers to tell us where to get off. Along the way we passed by some gorgeous homes and scenery. As usual, we forgot to take pictures but I will not forget the beauty of this island. Saw absolutely no poverty whatsoever compared to other islands we visited in the Caribbean. We were also never approached by people peddling their wares at anytime on the beaches.

 

We got off at Warwick Long Bay and proceeded to make the long downhill treck to the beach. Like all Bermuda beaches it was beautiful, and we dropped our belongings and went in the warm water. There were hardly any other people at this beach. There are also no facilities there.

 

 

We stayed about an hour and then decided to take the connecting path that led to all the other beaches. I read on the Bermuda boards that the distance between Warwick and Horseshoe was less than a mile, so off we went.

 

Our next stop was Jobson's Cove.

 

 

Next came Stone Hole Bay

 

 

Followed by Chaplin Bay

 

 

As you can see, one beach was more beautiful than the other. At this point it was getting late, so we decided to save Horseshoe Bay for Thursday. We walked back uphill and made our way back to the bus stop at Warwick. This ended up being a good decision, since we boarded a crowded bus back to the Dockyard. We pased by those waiting for the bus at Horseshoe Bay, never even stopping to pick up passengers because our bus was filled to capacity.

 

 

We arrived back to the ship around 6:30 completely exhausted from our long day. I read that trying to fit in ST.George, Hamilton and the beaches in one day was impossible, but we did it! Certainly got our moneys worth out of the transportation pass that day!

 

Coming up on Thursday, our own little "yacht" and private beach done Gilligan style.

[JaniceB]

Thanks for posting about your trip to St. George and the beaches. This is something I would like to do, weather permitting, when I visit Bermuda. I hope the weather cooperates like it did for you.

[micdee]

Are you shippin' me?!!! This is great. MORE!

 

Thanks Gran3 for sticking with me, I thought everyone had abandoned ship:eek:.

[micdee]

Thanks for posting about your trip to St. George and the beaches. This is something I would like to do, weather permitting, when I visit Bermuda. I hope the weather cooperates like it did for you.

 

Your welcome Janice. Hopefully your weather will be just as nice as ours was, only not as humid. At least you shouldn't have to worry about hurricanes like we did:eek:.

[jmwg49]

Keep it comin'! We were on the 9/11 Miracle sailing to Bermuda and loved every minute of it! I agree, with a good plan, the bus/ferry system works very well. You just have to bring along some patience and you are bound to have a good time! We loved everything about Bermuda and can't wait to read more about your vacation!

[KroozFoolz]

I am enjoying this! Thank you!

[Poomah]

Leaving in 9 days aboard the Glory - thanks for some great info. So glad your visit was a good one.

[TheCalicoCat]

We are taking the Pride to Bermuda in 30 days, so Keep up the good work.

[micdee]

"Now sit right back and you'll here a tale......."

 

Thursday we awoke to another beautiful and sunny day in Bermuda. Today we had a special treat planned. Before leaving on this cruise, I did some research on snorkeling excursions. We had previously done some really good ones in St.Thomas (Rumbumba), Barbados (Silver Moon), Antigua (Eli's), and Aruba(MiDushi). All of these excursions were between 5 and 6 hours long, took you to multiple snorkeling sites and included lunch and drinks. I was looking for something similiar in Bermuda, but wasn't having any luck. Then I came across Somerset Bridge Watersports and lo and behold something caught my eye! We could be the skipper and crew of our own "SS Minnow" for 4 hours and go and do almost whatever we pleased for less than $35pp.

 

Our cruising friends and us left the ship at 9am to catch the #7 bus to Somerset Bridge, the smallest drawbridge in Bermuda. We had to be at the marina a half hour before departure for orientation. The employees there were very friendly and knowledgeable, explaining everything and showing us points of interest on a detailed map they gave us (even where David Bowie owns a home).

 

The time had come to set sail on our adventure, The Skipper, Gilligan, Ginger, the Professor and Marianne. The Millionaire and his wife don't do Carnival (their loss).

 

walking across Somerset Bridge

 

the Marina

 

"SS Minnow & Crew

[micdee]

We navigated our way out of the marina and headed for the shipwreck Vixen to snorkel. The 15' boston Whaler was easy to handle, and the 35 horsepower engine was enough. We had no problems anchoring once we got to the site, you just had to make sure you weren't under a reef. Normally my husband is the camera guy, but this time he was driving the boat and I forgot to take pictures. Oh well, I think he loves me anyway.

 

 

Snorkeling was really good here until the glass bottom boats made an appearance and stirred up the water with sand. Getting back up unto the boat proved to be a challenge. They do give you a ladder to hang over the side but it's not that sturdy. We had quite a few good laughs trying to get back in.

 

From there we rode along the coastline, passing some beautiful homes until we got close to the Dockyard. This was as far west as we were allowed to go.

 

 

Next up, our own private island.

[micdee]

At this point we started to get hungry and decided to find a spot to beach the "Minnow". We found a perfect little deserted cove to have our picnic lunch. Now don't read any further if your a stickler for rules. The night before we all went to the Deli on board and got sandwiches to take with us the next day. We had a softsided cooler which we loaded with ice, sodas and the sandwiches, only thing missing to make it perfect would have been some Coronas.

 

 

 

 

[micdee]

Exploring the "Island".

 

Gilligan rock climbing

 

 

The Professor pondering what to do next

 

 

The Skipper catching lunch

 

 

Ginger & Marianne cheesecake photo

 

[micdee]

Looking out from our beach

 

 

 

Hiding, we don't want to leave!

 

 

 

After some swimming in the warm, clear blue water it was time to make our way back to the marina. We packed up our belongings, took our trash with us and climbed on board. This time Gilligan drove and our 4 hour tour truly lasted only 4 hours.

 

Since it was just 2 o'clock, we decided to make our way to Horseshoe Bay. Back onto the #7 bus, but this time it was crowded. For the first time, we didn't get a seat, and had to stand, but luckily it only took about 15 minutes to get there.

 

Horseshoe Bay was another gorgeous beach. They had restrooms, food, chair and umbrella rentals and most importatnly, those cold, cold Coronas we were craving. The water was just the way we love it. Perfect for body surfing, and my husband and I rode the waves till we were exhausted.

 

 

 

 

By now it was past 5 and we were all tired and hungry. We waited what seemed an eternity for the bus at the Warwick stop. It was crowded, but at least we got on. It again passed right by Horseshoe Bay without stopping.

 

Waiting at the bus stop

 

 

 

 

Up next, our last half day in Bermuda.

[ragtiki2004]

Mickey, the Professor here! Really enjoying your review. Great pics and memories. And by the way, I was truly ripped off in the men's hairy chest contest. Keep up the good work. Love Bob:)

[Room Service!]

Perfect!

[Crusin Karen]

What a great way to spend a day! I am just a bit surprised they let you do that. They don't even let you rent cars on the island! :confused: I think the deli picnic lunch was a brilliant idea!

[JaniceB]

OMG, this is exactly what I want to do if the weather is nice. If it is not warm enough we will head to St. George. Our friends that are traveling with us are boaters and so are we. I think we would really enjoy this. The only thing missing will be the beer! I guess we could order some from Bon Voyage and save it until we go on our excursion.

[micdee]

OMG, this is exactly what I want to do if the weather is nice. If it is not warm enough we will head to St. George. Our friends that are traveling with us are boaters and so are we. I think we would really enjoy this. The only thing missing will be the beer! I guess we could order some from Bon Voyage and save it until we go on our excursion.

 

Janice, we did have to reserve this ahead of time with a credit card. Here is their website link. www.watersportssomersetbridge.com

[micdee]

What a great way to spend a day! I am just a bit surprised they let you do that. They don't even let you rent cars on the island! :confused: I think the deli picnic lunch was a brilliant idea!

 

Karen, believe me there is a lot less traffic on the open waters than on the streets of Bermuda. While waiting for the bus back to the Dockyard, we witnessed an accident between a car and moped:eek:. Thank goodness the driver of the moped was okay.

[Smithkids5521]

Two bridges. Key and Chesapeake.

 

Yep. 2 bridges...And you'll know that you're going under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge because there will be double bridges side by side (one bridge is for eastbound traffic and the other is for westbound- although I have been made to drive eastbound on the westbound side during summer months when traffic is bad. Going against the traffic flow like that- OMG! It's making my palms sweat right now just thinking about it. Total white knuckle driving moment!! LOL!!)

[Crusin Karen]

We used to drive to Norfolk when our DS was in the USMC stationed down there and we would cross the CBB. I remember there was a sign on the southbound part on the extreme right that said KEEP RIGHT with an arrow that pointed right to the bay! :eek::eek::confused::confused:

[Smithkids5521]

Karen, believe me there is a lot less traffic on the open waters than on the streets of Bermuda. While waiting for the bus back to the Dockyard, we witnessed an accident between a car and moped:eek:. Thank goodness the driver of the moped was okay.

 

Great review Mickey! I have been on the fence as to whether I wanted to add bermuda to my list of possible Pride cruises but I think you have definitely sold me on the idea with all of your beautiful pictures! Thanks a bunch for sharing them! :)

 

BTW- those mopeds are very dangerous! Parents of 2 children from my DD's former school went on a nice romantic couples trip to Bermuda without the kids and rented mopeds. Well, the mother ended up getting in an accident and being killed! So sad!!! Sorry to bring the mood down here...it just reminded me of that poor family when you mentioned seeing the moped accident. So, for anyone considering renting them- please be extremely cautious- or better yet- just don't rent them at all.

 

Anyway- thanks again for your review!!:)

[JaniceB]

Thanks for the link Mickey.

[GRTKJ]

:cool:Awesome review Mickey!! It's always so fun looking at another persons review that was on the same trip and seeing what fun you'll had! I LOVE the idea of renting your own boat!! If we go back that will be in the plans!

 

Nice pictures of all the coves and the beaches along the walking path. We wanted to do that but we had so many other things planned we just stayed at HSB.

 

Thanks for sharing your trip!! :cool: