Bermuda, just back

[thundermustard]

We just returned from a week on the Dawn out of Boston for Bermuda.

Thought I would share some thoughts on the both.

As usual I highly recommend these for getting your spirits onboard. We have never

had a problem with them and they will save you a lot of money.

 

http://amzn.to/1jFTl4f

 

Bermuda was great. It is stunning, the weather was perfect, low 70s, the water gorgeous and the whole island is clean and picturesque.

Lots of people ask which side of the ship should we get on. This was our experience, I have no idea if it will be the same for you. On the Dawn we turned around prior to docking so that the port side was facing the dock. This gave the starboard side a view of the island. The dock is very nice, not industrial at all. I would prefer the dock side (port for us) as you got sunset as well along with a nice view of the fort.

Here is what it looks like, not too shabby for a "dock"

 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6877712/img_0417-0419.jpg

 

The Royal Caribbean ship came in a few hours after us and was reversed, they did not turn around prior to docking.

We pulled in on a Sunday at 11 AM. Weren’t able to disembark till closer to 11:30 though.

Here is a map of Bermuda.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fh14hj9mff...muda%20Map.pdf

 

Bermuda pegs their currency to the dollar so there is no conversion necessary. Everywhere we went took US dollars although you might get Bermudian change.

We bought the three day ferry/bus pass for $35 a person (cash only at the wharf).

You can buy the passes onboard the NCL Dawn, this is a must as it will save you valuable time once you arrive. They sold out quickly though.

There are a couple of spots where you can buy them near the ship if you don't get them onboard, go out by the ferry terminal to buy them, smaller crowd. We would probably have saved paying for our tickets the first day and buying a two day pass. The price for 1/2/3 days is $15/25/35.

You can find the Summer 2014 ferry schedule here;

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/i75jgmap9g...ule%202014.pdf

 

And the bus schedule here:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jsgc6uceoz...20Schedule.pdf

 

So here is what we learned that can help you. There is no ferry to St. George on Sunday, and on Tuesday it is a reduced schedule. So if you are there Sun-Tues going to St. George on Monday is the best bet.

Let me touch on the buses and ferries again. They are very easy to use but the schedule is not great. The buses scare some people but it is very safe, yes the roads are narrow but wider than Ireland, you will be very close to other cars and walls but the driver's are used to it and do a great job, plus speed limits are low.

For example, the Route 7 bus from Hamilton to the ship. Monday to Friday it runs till 5:30 PM. Then at 6 and 6:30, but both those end at Somerset, the first bus that goes to the ship after that is at 7:15. That is a gap of one hour and forty five minutes. You really have to preplan your day. Same with the ferries.

Second lesson, not much is open on Sunday. Hamilton is a ghost town. Amazing that with 4000 tourist in town ready to spend money shops don’t open up. With this in mind I recommend you either spend the day on the wharf (the museum and shops there are open) or make it a beach day.

Monday go to St. George’s for the day, it is beautiful and there is lots to do.

We took the ferry over then the bus to Hamilton and the ferry to the ship. That way we literally saw the whole island.

I used this waking tour of St. George:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kpoh920xd9...%20Georges.rtf

 

It took a little under two hours.

Hamilton is very nice and you could spend Tuesday there. It has lots of public toilets and even better a few hydration stations around town where you could fill up your water bottles. Yes the water is safe.

We dove in Bermuda, I would not recommend it. First, it is cold, 72 degrees. Even with a thick wet suit my wife had to end the second dive early. There are lots of wrecks to see but not much sea life. Visibility is great.

It is so cold you don’t get the abundant sea life you get in the Caribbean. If you never get to dive and this is a rare opportunity then go for it, otherwise pass on it.

We would definitely do this cruise again next year. The feeling of freedom of being in the same place for almost three days was great. There was plenty to see and do both onboard and in Bermuda.

Bermuda is at the top of our list of favorites ports now.

[travlnblueberries]

Sounds like you really enjoyed your time there.

We'll be going in a few short weeks. I can't wait to get away!

[thundermustard]

I know you will enjoy it!

[meatball_nyc]

Thanks so much for your great report! Glad you had such a good time, and that the water was safe for you.

I will be back with more questions later.

Thanks again and Safe Sailing!!!

 

 

 

Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

[bingo3]

Thanks, the links aren't working for me though, says invalid??? Anyway, did you happen to notice if they were also selling the packs of 15 tickets for $30.00 for the bus/ferries anywhere at the dockyard?

 

We leave on the 25th, can't wait!!

debbie

[Charles4515]

We dove in Bermuda, I would not recommend it. First, it is cold, 72 degrees. Even with a thick wet suit my wife had to end the second dive early. There are lots of wrecks to see but not much sea life. Visibility is great.

It is so cold you don’t get the abundant sea life you get in the Caribbean. If you never get to dive and this is a rare opportunity then go for it, otherwise pass on it.

 

I would recommend diving and snorkeling in Bermuda , just not in May. In early May the water temperature is cold. By the end of May and early June it is warming up. July, August and September it's warm. Should not need a wet suit July, August and September.

[thundermustard]

I would recommend diving and snorkeling in Bermuda , just not in May. In early May the water temperature is cold. By the end of May and early June it is warming up. July, August and September it's warm. Should not need a wet suit July, August and September.

 

Good info, does the sea life diversity improve as the water warms? We really saw almost nothing but a few common reef fish.

[thundermustard]

These should work, anyone know how to edit my OP? I only see an edit button on my most recent post.

I did not know about those 30 packs but I bet they sold them there.

Bus Schedule

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6877712/Bus%20Schedule.pdf

Ferry Schedule

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6877712/Ferry%20Schedule%202014.pdf

Map of Bermuda

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6877712/Bermuda%20Map.pdf

Walking tour of St. George

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6877712/Walking%20tour%20of%20St%20Georges.rtf

Edited May 17, 2014 by thundermustard

[Charles4515]

Good info, does the sea life diversity improve as the water warms? We really saw almost nothing but a few common reef fish.

 

Reef diversity is low in Bermuda waters. And there has been a lot of bleaching of the reefs. There are a lot of shipwrecks, if not interested in those, you will be likely be disappointed.

[meatball_nyc]

You only have 15 minutes (I think) to edit your post after you submit it.

Thanks for posting all this info!

 

 

Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

[bingo3]

Thanks so much!! :)

debbie

[meatball_nyc]

Thank you for the neat map of Bermuda :)

 

 

 

Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

[karen of PA]

Thanks, the links aren't working for me though, says invalid??? Anyway, did you happen to notice if they were also selling the packs of 15 tickets for $30.00 for the bus/ferries anywhere at the dockyard?

 

We leave on the 25th, can't wait!!

debbie

 

We just returned from Bermuda yesterday. We wanted to buy the ticket packs also but were told at two different locations at the dockyard that the booklets are only available for purchase in Hamilton. We purchased a two day pass for $25.00 a person. It worked out well for us because we used the pass on the first two days and then took a snorkeling excursion on the third day and didn't really need bus/ferry tickets for that last day.

[conlan18]

What vendor did you use for the snorkel tour on Tuesday? We were trying to book snorkel tour for next Tuesday that would get us back to the boat in time?

[mykidsmom]

what is the story on the contamination of beaches - Horseshoe Bay specifically

[njhorseman]

what is the story on the contamination of beaches - Horseshoe Bay specifically

 

I answered on the separate thread you started.

[highcountrycruiser]

Who did you use for your dive? We are going in the beginning of July and my husband 2 kids (14,16) and two niececs (14, 16) are going to be doing their first ocean dives then. Will be padi certified with one quarry dive under their belt. want to do a two tank dive. Thought this would be a good place to get their first dives under their belts. Would you recommend two wrecks or a wreck and a reef?

[thundermustard]

You won't get to chose the type dives, they base them on conditions.

Having said that the Mary Celeste is their most famous wreck and you will dive here most likely if conditions permit.

It was only about 55 feet down.

Here is a link to info on it;

http://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda_000050.htm

 

The second dive was SW Breakers, kinda cool, you go through a little canyon.

http://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda_00005e.htm

And here is a video

 

We used Blue Water Divers:

http://www.divebermuda.com/

If you use them print up this page and take it with you to save 1/2 on your gear rental.

http://www.divebermuda.com/pop/web_offers.aspx

 

They were very good and easy to get to on a bus from the dockyard.

 

What ship are you going on? If it is the Dawn then I would recommend the diving excursion with them on Sunday after arriving for the reason mentioned early, Sundays have reduced bus/ferry service and nothing is open in the big towns.

 

If you are on another ship that isn't there on Sunday then I can recommend Blue Water Divers.

It cost us $145 each for a two tank dive with gear (using the discount coupon). That is about what the ship charged booking through them.

[conandrob240]

On one of the roll calls, it is being reported that you can only buy the 15 pack of tickets at the Hamilton post office

[Keith1010]

Great information and thanks for posting it.

 

Keith

[RVfromAZ]

We just returned from the 5 day RCCL - Explorer of the Sea- to Bermuda - We loved Bermuda, we purchased the 2 day pass for Ferry/Bus, well worth it! We saw a lot - St. George, Hamilton, Horseshoe Bay, Etc.... Also jumped on the Pink Route out of Hamilton -Which goes through the inner harbour islands past some beautiful homes. Thanks to all on these boards, it was easy to plan out how to make use of our time! Definitely want to return to Bermuda, just wish the east coast was closer! :)

[meatball_nyc]

Good to know about the pink ferry route. Thank you. We plan on doing those too. Just riding through all the pretty scenery and beautiful waters will be better than any excursion would be :)

2 day passes for the first two days, then stick with the dockyard the third and final day. We might take the short bus ride to Black Bay Beach on the last day.

Getting "lost" on a ferry in Bermuda will be a good thing, I hope!

41 days to go :D

 

 

Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info ...