Saturday of Emancipation Weekend-Help Please

[GPStoryteller]

Our ( 4 young seniors)  plan was to skip most of the crowds & take the ferry from the Dock to St George and explore that area, beginning with the World Heritage Center.  I was planning 3-4 hours then go to to Hamilton by bus #11.  We dock at 1PM on Sat & leave 1PM on Sunday.  Sunday morning 9AM we hope to visit Horseshoe Beach and be back to the ship at 11:00.    Is this possible on the Holiday weekend?  Will the ferry be running on Sat?  If not what is the most efficient way to travel to St George?  Will the Holiday bus schedule be conducive to this time frame.  Any advise or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, GPStoryteller said:

Our ( 4 young seniors)  plan was to skip most of the crowds & take the ferry from the Dock to St George and explore that area, beginning with the World Heritage Center.  I was planning 3-4 hours then go to to Hamilton by bus #11.  We dock at 1PM on Sat & leave 1PM on Sunday.  Sunday morning 9AM we hope to visit Horseshoe Beach and be back to the ship at 11:00.    Is this possible on the Holiday weekend?  Will the ferry be running on Sat?  If not what is the most efficient way to travel to St George?  Will the Holiday bus schedule be conducive to this time frame.  Any advise or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Based on the dates you'll be in Bermuda it looks like you're on Enchantment of the Seas.

 

The public ferry from Dockyard to St. George doesn't run on weekends, only NCL's private ferry for their passengers, so you can't take the ferry from Dockyard to St. George. You can take a ferry from Dockyard to Hamilton, walk from the Hamilton ferry terminal to the bus terminal and then a #1,3,10 or 11 bus from Hamilton to St. George. Here's the ferry schedule:

http://www.marops.bm/Documents/Ferry/Summer Ferry Schedule 2022.pdf

 

If you want to go to Horseshoe Bay on Sunday, given your tight time frame I recommend taking a taxi.  Taxi fare for four people, including the 25% Sunday fare surcharge should be about $43 plus tip each way. Alternatively you can take a mini van for $7 per person in each direction, but you'll have to wait for the van to fill before it makes the trip.

 

I don't recommend taking the bus to Horseshoe Bay. Between the more limited Sunday schedule, the unreliability of the bus service in recent years and the fact that you'll have to walk up a steep hill from Horseshoe Bay to get to the bus stop your 2 hours trip window to Horseshoe Bay won't leave you much time to spend at the beach. In fact the first bus from Dockyard to Horseshoe Bay on Sunday departs at 10 am .

[Charles4515]

3 hours ago, GPStoryteller said:

Our ( 4 young seniors)  plan was to skip most of the crowds & take the ferry from the Dock to St George and explore that area, beginning with the World Heritage Center.  I was planning 3-4 hours then go to to Hamilton by bus #11.  We dock at 1PM on Sat & leave 1PM on Sunday.  Sunday morning 9AM we hope to visit Horseshoe Beach and be back to the ship at 11:00.    Is this possible on the Holiday weekend?  Will the ferry be running on Sat?  If not what is the most efficient way to travel to St George?  Will the Holiday bus schedule be conducive to this time frame.  Any advise or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

The World Heritage Center has closed permanently. 

[GPStoryteller]

4 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Based on the dates you'll be in Bermuda it looks like you're on Enchantment of the Seas.

 

The public ferry from Dockyard to St. George doesn't run on weekends, only NCL's private ferry for their passengers, so you can't take the ferry from Dockyard to St. George. You can take a ferry from Dockyard to Hamilton, walk from the Hamilton ferry terminal to the bus terminal and then a #1,3,10 or 11 bus from Hamilton to St. George. Here's the ferry schedule:

http://www.marops.bm/Documents/Ferry/Summer Ferry Schedule 2022.pdf

 

If you want to go to Horseshoe Bay on Sunday, given your tight time frame I recommend taking a taxi.  Taxi fare for four people, including the 25% Sunday fare surcharge should be about $43 plus tip each way. Alternatively you can take a mini van for $7 per person in each direction, but you'll have to wait for the van to fill before it makes the trip.

 

I don't recommend taking the bus to Horseshoe Bay. Between the more limited Sunday schedule, the unreliability of the bus service in recent years and the fact that you'll have to walk up a steep hill from Horseshoe Bay to get to the bus stop your 2 hours trip window to Horseshoe Bay won't leave you much time to spend at the beach. In fact the first bus from Dockyard to Horseshoe Bay on Sunday departs at 10 am .

Thank you.  Do you think a private Taxi trip to St George would be better?

[GPStoryteller]

2 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

The World Heritage Center has closed permanently. 

I hadn't read that, thank you.

[Charles4515]

29 minutes ago, GPStoryteller said:

I hadn't read that, thank you.

It’s not well known that it has closed and many travel sites still list it. I read the local Royal Gazette so that is how I know it closed about a year and a half ago. In another article in that paper a few months ago I read there are plans to turn the building into a brewery. 

Edited July 16, 2022 by Charles4515

[njhorseman]

26 minutes ago, GPStoryteller said:

Thank you.  Do you think a private Taxi trip to St George would be better?

A taxi to St. George would be about $75 plus tip one way . Honestly I'm not sure you'll find enough to do there on a Saturday to make it worthwhile. 

Would you consider a four hour taxi tour of Bermuda? It costs $50 per hour for the vehicle so $200, or $50 per person when split four ways and it's a good way to get an overview of Bermuda.

[GPStoryteller]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

A taxi to St. George would be about $75 plus tip one way . Honestly I'm not sure you'll find enough to do there on a Saturday to make it worthwhile. 

Would you consider a four hour taxi tour of Bermuda? It costs $50 per hour for the vehicle so $200, or $50 per person when split four ways and it's a good way to get an overview of Bermuda.

 

[GPStoryteller]

I think you are absolutely correct!  What is the best way to secure a taxi tour at this late date?  Best company or individual you would suggest?  Thank you again.  I needed someone to point me in the proper direction.  I'm not used to booking a cruise so late, and as you probably can guess, I am a planner, EXCITED to go, but anxious about the details, especially with the Holiday Weekend.

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, GPStoryteller said:

I think you are absolutely correct!  What is the best way to secure a taxi tour at this late date?  Best company or individual you would suggest?  Thank you again.  I needed someone to point me in the proper direction.  I'm not used to booking a cruise so late, and as you probably can guess, I am a planner, EXCITED to go, but anxious about the details, especially with the Holiday Weekend.

I can't recommend anyone in particular. There used to be a very active thread on this board with recommendations of taxi tour drivers but it's fallen silent because of the pandemic . Many of the recommended drivers were getting on in years and probably have retired.

 

When your ship arrives there will be drivers at the taxi stand offering tours . Just try to find someone you feel comfortable with after talking to them.

[GPStoryteller]

Thank you for all your help.