Renting a Whaler-Yes or No?

[gregwsmith]

This will be my first trip to Bermuda. I will be on the Explorer of the Seas mid September and spending 3 days docked at Bermuda. I have seen a few people have rented a whaler to explore the islands. Does anyone have a recommendation on a reliable company? And is 4 hours enough or should your rent for the day (8 hours)? We will be there Wed, Thur and Fri. Any day preferable? Any input provided is appreciated. Thanks!

[ZoeyVictoria]

We will be there two days before you arrive (we are on the Enchantment), so I can't speak from experience. We decided on Somerset; check out their video for details. They also provide a cell phone with their number pre-programmed, and they are number 1 on TripAdvisor, which I use frequently and trust. I would have chosen 4 hours, but DH talked me into 6 hours, which will be $200 plus gas for the 13' boat. The owner personally responded to my on-line reservation, very quickly.

[Brighton Line]

I too am thinking of renting a Whaler and using Somerset and will be contacting them soon for our 9/16 sailing on the Star.

[blue_water]

Yes! See our post for more details.

 

We rented from H2O Watersports at the Cambridge Beaches Resort, very good company with an excellent staff and equipment. Their 17' whaler was a preferred size for us as it can be a little rougher on the open water. Somerset offers a 15' and 13', if going out of the harbor I would opt for at least the 15'.

 

H2O is very highly regarded as is Somerset. We took a jet ski tour from Somerset and it was excellent.

 

4 hrs is plenty even on a beautiful day, but you can tell them you may decide to stay out longer if you want to and they'll just charge you for that. But tell them so they don't think you had a problem anc come looking for you!

 

And do take a cell phone and a cooller of drinks and a sub - great day on the water and on a private beach!

[ZoeyVictoria]

We rented a 13' Boston Whaler from Somerset Watersports on September 17 and it was the highlight of our cruise. The marina was a short but interesting bus ride from King's Wharf. I was talked into six hours by DH (I voted for 4 hours) and was very happy with the length of time we got to spend on the water. We received verbal instructions from a staff member and were given written instructions plus maps that were laminated and attached to the boat. The boat was older and well-used, but in good mechanical condition. They provided a cooler of ice and a loaf of bread. We took the bread to the wreck of the Vixen (twice) and fed the fish (hundreds of large and active fish, jumping out of the water for the bread). I took a twin-size sheet to use as a picnic blanket and purchased soft drinks (non-alcoholic ginger beer), cheese, crackers, and trail mix from the gas station next door for a picnic lunch. We stopped on an island for our picnic, and then found that we could stand quietly in thigh-deep water for a few minutes to convince smaller fish to eat the bread from our fingers (a few little nips happened, but nothing that broke the skin). The sun and water temperatures were perfect, Bermuda is gorgeous from the water, and it was so nice to be on our own rather than following a guide with a large group of people. I am already researching another cruise to Bermuda so we can do this again.

[theonlywaytogo]

We rented a 13' Boston Whaler from Somerset Watersports on September 17 and it was the highlight of our cruise. The marina was a short but interesting bus ride from King's Wharf. I was talked into six hours by DH (I voted for 4 hours) and was very happy with the length of time we got to spend on the water. We received verbal instructions from a staff member and were given written instructions plus maps that were laminated and attached to the boat. The boat was older and well-used, but in good mechanical condition. They provided a cooler of ice and a loaf of bread. We took the bread to the wreck of the Vixen (twice) and fed the fish (hundreds of large and active fish, jumping out of the water for the bread). I took a twin-size sheet to use as a picnic blanket and purchased soft drinks (non-alcoholic ginger beer), cheese, crackers, and trail mix from the gas station next door for a picnic lunch. We stopped on an island for our picnic, and then found that we could stand quietly in thigh-deep water for a few minutes to convince smaller fish to eat the bread from our fingers (a few little nips happened, but nothing that broke the skin). The sun and water temperatures were perfect, Bermuda is gorgeous from the water, and it was so nice to be on our own rather than following a guide with a large group of people. I am already researching another cruise to Bermuda so we can do this again.

When you rent the boat, are you allowed to take it along the south shore beaches? Does anyone know about how long it would take to get there from the somerset rentals? Thank you!

[jollyjones]

When you rent the boat, are you allowed to take it along the south shore beaches? Does anyone know about how long it would take to get there from the somerset rentals? Thank you!

 

Don't even think about it. It's a very long way and it's full of reefs and you'll get in trouble if you don't know the waters. Even the locals seldom take boats along South Shore inside the main reef. Plus, all the little islands at the West End are much prettier - once you've seen Mangrove Bay or Elys Harbour, you won't want to go anywhere else.

[flowers44]

My DH and I are going, with our 17 kids and grandkids, to Bermuda for our 50th Wedding Anniversary in July of 2013. We have been to Bermuda several times and have never done the boat rental. Think it might be on our list of things to do this next year. Maybe, we could rent several and have our own Anniversary Picnic on a secluded beach on Bermuda. I will have to start looking into that plan.

[blue_water]

Flowers44, We had dinner at Coconuts (at The Reefs) for our 30th anniversary, and also did the boat rental for a private beach stop (see my earlier posts for ideas). We were staying on the island but you can do Coconuts while there on a cruise, just make reservations before you sail. They also have dining on the beach if you want that. We preferred the deck overlooking the beach for the better view.

 

If you are in port on a Thursday don't miss Randy and Tempo at the Reefs - excellent musician who playe everything from Harry Belafonte to today's music. He also plays at Henry VIII, a fun evening spot, just check their schedules.

 

Theonlywaytogo, rented boats are not allowed along the south shore due to the many reefs. Just look at a map showing the shipwrecks and you will see why :o As jolly jones said Mangroce and the other bays are perfect places to motor around in, there are several areas in the West End you will enjoy.

[flowers44]

Thanks for the good hints. Our ship will be in port from 11 AM Sunday until 5:30 PM on Tuesday. I may try to see if the family might be interested in doing the boat rental on Tuesday maybe from about 10 AM till 2 PM. We will have to see what everyone wants to do.

[blue_water]

Even 2 hrs on the boat would be fun, you can cover alot of area in that time at a leisurely pace. If you want to spend time on a beach add extra time for that.

[theonlywaytogo]

Jolly Jones & Blue Water,

Thank you so much for the info! Sounds scary! :( I think we will definetley rent a boat on our trip but will stick to the areas you've mentioned.

[Brighton Line]

Don't even think about it. It's a very long way and it's full of reefs and you'll get in trouble if you don't know the waters..

 

Absolutely correct, just off the Star today and Thursday rented a 13' Boston Whaler from Summerset for four hours and had a fantastic time.

Your map clearly shows where you can not go. Heck even the ship channel that your cruise ship uses is just about a little bit wider then the ship and twists and turns just to get to the islands. Just don't even think of south shore.

 

The bread was fantastic, fish jumping right out of the water to eat it. DO NOT bring any back, joking get complaints about not using all of it.

 

Yes the boats are a bit beat up but completely safe. Me and DW had a great time.

 

We took the #7 bus which has stops before and after the draw bridge, safer to get off before the bridge if coming from Dockyard. You walk a little bit down the road to enter the mariner.

 

Have fun, we did.

[blue_water]

Somerset offers a free taxi one way from Dockyard.

[markvalv6]

Somerset offers a free taxi one way from Dockyard.

 

That's only for the jet ski rental. DH and I did that one! Totally loved it and wished it was longer.

[Brighton Line]

Somerset offers a free taxi one way from Dockyard.

 

For Jet Ski ONLY no free taxi for boat rental.

 

Sent from my PG06100 using Tapatalk 2

[blue_water]

That's only for the jet ski rental. DH and I did that one! Totally loved it and wished it was longer.

 

That's right. Yes we did the jet ski tour there and it was great. We were staying in an apt and they offered to pay the taxi from there but we had a weekly bus pass. Both SB and H2O are great outfits.