Gem out of Boston or Eclipse out of NYC ?

[pattymo]

My daughter and spouse live in Boston and I and son in NY metro area so either port works for us. Have been on the Jade and the Getaway..I prefer the Jade class ( no reservations for the shows. dinner etc) but Im sure the 30 year olds prefer the larger ships..but..heck Im paying...Havent been on a Bermuda cruise in 20 years..the Celebrity Zenith which docked in Hamilton and St George...Not considering the Empress...too small cabins and small older ship...What ship and timing of port dates works best ( would be in mid/late May before it gets too hot)..Any advice appreciated..

[1025cruise]

Since both cruises are ncl, you might want to ask on that board. From a Bermuda standpoint, it doesn't make a difference.

[njhorseman]

I assume you mean the Encore. The Eclipse is a Celebrity ship. 

 

There is one difference in the itineraries that to me favors the Encore. The Encore does Sunday to Sunday and is in Bermuda Wednesday to Friday, all weekdays when everything is open and public transportation schedules are  better. The Gem does Friday to Friday and is in Bermuda Sunday through Tuesday. On Sundays not many things in Bermuda are open and the bus and ferry schedule is reduced.

 

On the other hand I don't particularly like the very large ships and of the two would prefer the smaller Gem.

 

We are booked on the Empress this coming summer. Despite it being older with small cabins we fondly remember the years when we cruised on the Zenith and were docked in Hamilton and St. George. 

Edited December 21, 2019 by njhorseman

[pattymo]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

I assume you mean the Encore. The Eclipse is a Celebrity ship. 

 

There is one difference in the itineraries that to me favors the Encore. The Encore does Sunday to Sunday and is in Bermuda Wednesday to Friday, all weekdays when everything is open and public transportation schedules are  better. The Gem does Friday to Friday and is in Bermuda Sunday through Tuesday. On Sundays not many things in Bermuda are open and the bus and ferry schedule is reduced.

 

On the other hand I don't particularly like the very large ships and of the two would prefer the smaller Gem.

 

We are booked on the Empress this coming summer. Despite it being older with small cabins we fondly remember the years when we cruised on t

 

Thank you, that is a difference in itineraries..Worried about the empress being so old and possible  breakdowns . Will have to research it more

[princeton123211]

20 hours ago, pattymo said:

Havent been on a Bermuda cruise in 20 years..the Celebrity Zenith which docked in Hamilton and St George

If you want this sort of experience docking in Hamilton and St George you could also consider Oceania Insignia which has 3 departures from New York. The ship just had a major refurb. 

 

We did it this past August and it was very nice-- more time on the island than most ships and docking in both towns was much preferable to the Dockyard for us.