How to Make the Most of a Day Trip to St. George

[Special Ed]

Hello CC Family,

 

I am finally going on my first cruise (assuming nothing stops it as happened the last two times). We're going on Enchantment of the Seas to Bermuda on Sept. 30. We've opted to only do one RCL excursion and that's the Wild West Kayak Tour on Day 5. After we arrive on Day 3, we'll wander around the Dockyards so I can get a good cask conditioned ale or two at The Frog & Onion Pub before wandering over to mini golf for some good clean fun.

My question is about Day 4. Since we have the whole day to do as we wish, and RCL didn't offer an excursion which suited us, we decided to go to St. George for a bit of sightseeing and light shopping before wandering off to the beach. I thought we should take the orange route ferry from the Dockyard since it's running that day (Monday) and then I'm not sure. I'm going with my wife, sister-in-law, and cousin (not all the same person 😁) and we think we want to go to Tobacco Bay after visiting the town. I've been reading CC posts and think maybe we should look into going to Clearwater Beach instead - I think we'd all prefer less people as long as the water and beach were great.

 

How best to travel from St. George then? If we do go to Clearwater, would the best route back to the ship be to drive to Hamilton and take the ferry back to the Dockyards? Is there a better way? I'm not concerned with missing the ship obviously, but I'd still like to plan for the most reliable way to get to and from and make the most of our day trip to St. George. I'm also not concerned about the least expensive way to get there and back; as long as it's easy and reliable, we're good.

Thank you for your time!

[Charles4515]

Take the ferry to St. George and back for either Tobacco Bay or Clearwater. From the ferry terminal to Tobacco is about a 20 minute walk or a very short taxi ride. From the ferry terminal to Clearwater is a taxi that costs $20 or a bus that only runs once an hour. Return to St. George by either taxi or bus and take the ferry back. If you want to snorkel then go to Tobacco. If all you want is an uncrowded beach day I advise going to Clearwater and the Cooper Nature Preserve is there too.  Not sure why you are asking about going back by way of Hamilton. 

[Special Ed]

Charles, thank you. I was asking about Hamilton because it seemed to make sense to continue south and take a shorter ferry ride back (not really having a sense of the islands since I've never been there). Also, if we leave too late from the beach, our only ferry option would be the blue route from Hamilton given the last ferry from St. George is 6:00PM.

 

Edited July 25, 2022 by Special Ed

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, Special Ed said:

Charles, thank you. I was asking about Hamilton because it seemed to make sense to continue south and take a shorter ferry ride back (not really having a sense of the islands since I've never been there). Also, if we leave too late from the beach, our only ferry option would be the blue route from Hamilton given the last ferry from St. George is 6:00PM.

 

 

To leave St. David where Clearwater is located you have to go north first. You can't go south.  You could go to either St. George or Hamilton. So if you choose to stay later on the East End than 6:00 then catching a Blue Route in Hamilton is an option. Sunjammers at Clearwater closes at 5.  Getting a taxi from Clearwater has been somewhat problematic and I suspect it would be even more problematic if you stay late.  If you catch a ferry back at St. George then you can get there by taxi or the #6 bus that runs once an hour. If you decide to go to Hamilton you can take a taxi or the same #6 bus that runs once an hour but you would have to change buses as there is no direct bus to Hamilton. 

Edited July 25, 2022 by Charles4515

[Special Ed]

Charles, I appreciate the informative response. I think we'll just stick to Tobacco Bay since it'll make everyone's lives easier. But if they change their mind, I'll keep your advice with me so I know how to handle it.

[cruisingbooboo]

Please help me get this straight... I am on  so there is a free ferry. If I wanted to take the ferry and then go to Clearwater Beach how would I do that in the fastest way possible? there are 4 of us so we could split the taxi cost. What is the approximate costs for a taxi or how long would the bus take?

Thanks

[Charles4515]

47 minutes ago, cruisingbooboo said:

Please help me get this straight... I am on  so there is a free ferry. If I wanted to take the ferry and then go to Clearwater Beach how would I do that in the fastest way possible? there are 4 of us so we could split the taxi cost. What is the approximate costs for a taxi or how long would the bus take?

Thanks

The bus takes about 25 minutes. It runs once an hour. The fastest way would be a taxi as a taxi makes no stops and you won't have to wait for a bus. The taxi cost would be $20 unless you go on a Sunday..There would be a 25% surcharge on a Sunday.  if you are four there would be no point in taking a bus unless you love buses.

Edited August 1, 2022 by Charles4515

[princeton123211]

On 7/26/2022 at 7:50 AM, Special Ed said:

Charles, I appreciate the informative response. I think we'll just stick to Tobacco Bay since it'll make everyone's lives easier. But if they change their mind, I'll keep your advice with me so I know how to handle it.

Keep in mind that these responses are the most "efficient" way to get back. Some of the fun of Bermuda is wandering around and finding things that are fun to experience. For example you could take a taxi from St George/Tobacco Bay for a stop at the Swizzle Inn and then another taxi into Hamilton (or stop somewhere else nice on the way like a drink at the Rosewood). These are a few of our favorite things but the point is the quickest might not be the most fun-- find some things in between that look like fun to you and take your time getting back if you don't have a ship to catch that night. 

[cruisingbooboo]

On 7/31/2022 at 11:26 PM, Charles4515 said:

The bus takes about 25 minutes. It runs once an hour. The fastest way would be a taxi as a taxi makes no stops and you won't have to wait for a bus. The taxi cost would be $20 unless you go on a Sunday..There would be a 25% surcharge on a Sunday.  if you are four there would be no point in taking a bus unless you love buses.

Are there taxis at the ferry terminal? Thanks 

[cruiseny4life]

We did what you're looking into back in April. We went to St. George by way of the NCL free ferry (I believe only NCL guests are allowed). We then walked about .5 miles, if that, to the bus stop, waited 30 minutes and took a bus to Clearwater Beach. It was stunning! My husband, myself, and one other NCL couple were there. 

 

Going back was a bit more difficult. The bus is supposed to run once an hour, however it didn't show. We waited an hour, then the helpful locals that were waiting for the bus told us that it may just not show at all. We then walked about two miles to a restaurant and asked if the owner would call us a taxi. Thankfully he was kind enough to do so - another 30 minutes or so later, the taxi arrived. We took a 20 minute ride to Hamilton (right at $50). We then took the $5 ferry back to Dockyard.

 

Would I do it again? Absolutely! It was such a fun day.

 

Here's a couple things that might ruin your day though:

 

1. The orange ferry is not running, as of today. They claim it will be back in service next week. Hopefully so, but keep an eye on the news regarding the orange ferry. 

2. If you're not able to walk a couple miles, stand waiting for a bus, and/or don't have the patience to, this might not be the best trip for you.

 

Having said that, the first day, we did go to Tobacco Bay from St. George (again the orange ferry might be an issue for you). Tobacco Bay was gorgeous! Only some kids and I went in the water. I only went in because one of the kid's flip flops was floating away, he refused to get it, and his parents obviously weren't going in the water to get it. I'd rather some sort of creature not eat/choke on his flip flop so I got wet. Make sure to walk beyond Tobacco Bay. There's some good snorkeling areas and a cool view of Fort St. Catherine. 

 

Make sure to stop by the unfinished church. The golf course is pretty too - we walked down there and also explored around the caves in the cliff on the left as you're headed toward St. George from Tobacco Bay. 

[princeton123211]

19 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

We waited an hour, then the helpful locals that were waiting for the bus told us that it may just not show at all. We then walked about two miles to a restaurant and asked if the owner would call us a taxi. Thankfully he was kind enough to do so - another 30 minutes or so later, the taxi arrived.

Also worth mentioning that Bermuda has its own taxi app called Hitch that works a lot like Uber. You can call a taxi and pay for it via a credit card in the app. Also an estimated time is given and you can track the approaching car much like you do with Uber. 

 

There are some that will point out that there is a modest fee associated per ride but I think most people would agree that it would be worth it if faced with a 2 mile walk. We use it quite a bit on the island and its helpful when we are in out of the way places. It also helps because you don't have to carry as much cash. 

[Special Ed]

Thank you both very much! This gives me more to look into and makes me comfortable about my options. I've downloaded the Hitch Bermuda app. Agree that a modest fee is never a problem as compared to a 2 mile walk when you're just done for the day and ready to head home.

I appreciate everyone's input. 45 days to my first cruise!!!

[ajtraveler66]

I'm not going to read all of the posts here.  I am just going to say this.  When our group of 4 was there in 2016, we did high tea at "Sweet Pea" at the Perfumory.  It was a tremendous experience and one of my most cherished memories of Bermuda.

 

Hopefully it is still in operation.  I do know that there were only certain days that they were open...so check to make sure it matches your cruise itinerary. 

[KATHYMAC68]

What’s the cost of a taxi to Tobacco Bay from the Dockyard?

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, KATHYMAC68 said:

What’s the cost of a taxi to Tobacco Bay from the Dockyard?

My estimate (I'm sure someone else knows better) would be about $100. It cost us $50 to go from the Pizza House (by the airport on St. David's Island) to Hamilton. I'd imagine it's about another $50 more from Hamilton to the Dockyard. 

 

You could take the ferry from Dockyard to Hamilton, then catch a taxi. You could also take the bus which would cost a lot less. Just know they are not always as reliable as you'd hope...but hey, that's island life. 

[Charles4515]

2 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

My estimate (I'm sure someone else knows better) would be about $100. It cost us $50 to go from the Pizza House (by the airport on St. David's Island) to Hamilton. I'd imagine it's about another $50 more from Hamilton to the Dockyard. 

 

You could take the ferry from Dockyard to Hamilton, then catch a taxi. You could also take the bus which would cost a lot less. Just know they are not always as reliable as you'd hope...but hey, that's island life. 

For 1-4 it would be about $80. For 5-7 about $100. Taking the ferry to Hamilton then a taxi would be about $40 for 1-4. While the buses have not been reliable in recent years there are 4 bus routes to St. George so I don’t think that will much of  problem unless the bus drivers have one of their notorious work actions.  

[cruiseny4life]

13 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

For 1-4 it would be about $80. For 5-7 about $100. Taking the ferry to Hamilton then a taxi would be about $40 for 1-4. While the buses have not been reliable in recent years there are 4 bus routes to St. George so I don’t think that will much of  problem unless the bus drivers have one of their notorious work actions.  

Thanks Charles! I knew you would have a more accurate answer! 

[KATHYMAC68]

I thought I read somewhere that the ferry wasn’t running. Only the NCL ferry.

[marco]

I'd take the ferry to St George's, do a little site seeing, shopping, etc then it's a fairly easy walk to Tobacco Bay for some swimming.snorkeling etc.  I'd walk back to St George's amd take the public bus to Hamilton.  The ride is rahter picturesque and a plesant alternative.  Spend a little bit of time in Hamilton and then  I'd then take the fery back to St George's from there.  We've cruised to Bermuda many times and almost always go to St Geroge's and this is pretty much our standard routine.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, KATHYMAC68 said:

I thought I read somewhere that the ferry wasn’t running. Only the NCL ferry.

Correct

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, marco said:

I'd take the ferry to St George's, do a little site seeing, shopping, etc then it's a fairly easy walk to Tobacco Bay for some swimming.snorkeling etc.  I'd walk back to St George's amd take the public bus to Hamilton.  The ride is rahter picturesque and a plesant alternative.  Spend a little bit of time in Hamilton and then  I'd then take the fery back to St George's from there.  We've cruised to Bermuda many times and almost always go to St Geroge's and this is pretty much our standard routine.

The public ferry to St. George's is not running as they are doing construction at the St. George ferry terminal . Only the NCL ferry, which is restricted to NCL passengers, is running between Dockyard and St. George's.

At present the public ferry schedule shows the Orange Route to be suspended through October, the end of the season.

[Charles4515]

3 hours ago, KATHYMAC68 said:

I thought I read somewhere that the ferry wasn’t running. Only the NCL ferry.

The public ferry to St. George is not running. The public ferry to Hamilton is running. 

[marco]

If the ferry is not running from the Dockyard to StT George's, then the best alternative (I think) would be the ferry to/from Hamilton and the bus from Hamilton to/from St George's. Taking the bus all the way from/to the Dockyard to St George's is (I think) too long a trip.

Edited September 3, 2022 by marco

[Farmer387]

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/profile/494423-ajtraveler66/ Just had tea at Sweet P's a couple of weeks ago.  It is open on Wednesday and Saturday from 1pm to 4 pm.  Really hot that day so had iced tea but whole experience was great.  Would definitely do it again!

[mets07]

We went to Bermuda on Aug 27 Adventure of the Seas. We took the public ferry to Hamilton and public bus to St. George's. Actually first we got off the bus to see the Crystal Cave and then back on the bus to St. George's. Lunch, beach, etc. at St. George's, then bus back to Hamilton and ferry to cruise port.

 

We have been to Bermuda on cruises a bunch of times and find the ferry/bus system easy and quite reliable. 

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