New to Oceania - We Are Considering Bermuda Next July

[mark46]

We are considering Oceania to Bermuda next year. Bermuda is on my wife's bucket list and being able to get into Hamilton and St George is a major plus.

 

We are used to Holland America (Neptune Suite), although we also like Celebrity (Royal Suite and MSC (Yacht Club)

 

We would get a penthouse suite.

 

1) Are the amenities comparable to the other lines I listed?

 

2) I understand from other posters that the food doesn't meet the hype (how could it?).  Are the specialty restaurants included for suite guests.  If so, how is the food there compared with specialty restaurants say on Celebrity?

 

3) Is there a piano bar? What music venues are available in the evenings?

 

4) What are advantages of Oceania over Celebrity for Bermuda.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Harters]

(4) I doubt whether Oceania's take on Bermuda will differ significantly from any other line's take on the port. By the by, we were due to have a day there on our transatlantic cruise earlier this year but weather prevented docking. 

 

(3) Yes. Martini's is the ship's main bar and usually has a piano player. Horizons Lounge features a live band later in the evening. And a string quartet usually plays somewhere. Oceania is not well known for its entertainment - which generally suits us. 

 

(2) You will be able to book one meal at each of the speciality restaurants before departure. And make requests for further reservations once on board, on a  daily basis. I've not cruised with the other lines you mention so cannot make comparisons. 

[Molliem]

Specialty restaurants are included for all guests - no additional cost.  Enjoy your cruise.

[chloemonkey]

We have been on two cruises with Bermuda as the main attraction......on the first trip, we were not allowed to stop there due to weather.....on the second one (this past April) we were only able to stop for one day as opposed to the two that were on the schedule, again due to weather.  Thankfully both of our trips were B2Bs so we had the benefit of the previous two weeks being spent in the Caribbean....otherwise?  I would have been really disappointed as Charlston and the Port Caniveral were not favorites of ours...

[mauibabes]

@mark46

Which ship cruise are you considering? It makes a difference in the info you get, R or O or Allura Class and the length of the cruise? If in a Penthouse, you can have en Suite dining from any of the Specialty restaurants and your Butler can often get you extra reservations in them, all based on availability. Of Course, INCLUDED on Oceania. 
Bottom line, you will enjoy your Oceania experience.

Mauibabes

[PelicanLvr]

8 hours ago, mark46 said:

We are considering Oceania to Bermuda next year. Bermuda is on my wife's bucket list and being able to get into Hamilton and St George is a major plus.

 

4) What are advantages of Oceania over Celebrity for Bermuda.

 

Mark,

 

You already know the big advantage of O vs X.  You will have a great plus of docking directly on Front Street (Hamilton) and in St. George.  The X ships are too big and must dock at the newer "Dockyard" way out at the end of the island and ferry into Hamilton...St. George is even further.

 

Plus you visit both locations. X stays at the dockyard.

 

O is a great Itinerary for Bermuda.

 

[ORV]

I've missed Bermuda as many times as we've been able to make it. Twice due to weather and once due to not being allowed to dock due to Noro onboard. 

 

I've been there 3 times, twice on Oceania, once on Celebrity. Both times on Oceania we were scheduled for St George but only made it there once. The passage to get there is very narrow(well, so is the one to Hamilton, but not as much) and if it's windy they may not attempt it. 

 

Have you read any of the posters that do say the food meets the hype? Don't just read the negative stuff. Remember, an unhappy traveler is more likely to leave a review or comments than a happy one. I would say go with an open mind. 

 

Having been in multiple Celebrity specialty restaurants and most of the Oceania ones in my opinion there is no comparison. 

 

I'd say give it a go and see what you think, if you don't like it then you know. 

[BRWolf]

We have booked the July 23-30 Insignia Bermudian Breeze. Docking at Front Street is a decided advantage. The Tourism office is close by. The ferry terminal and bus terminals are not far away, so getting around on your own is fairly easy. That said, the credits we have led us to book some Oceania shore excursions.  All the excursions are interesting, especially the two involving E-assist bicycles.   

 

We have also booked Neptune Suites, but for this we are at A1 Concierge Level.  The Penthouse Suites do have a size advantage.

 

The Insignia will be the smallest cruise ship we've ever been on. It is 593.7 ft long compared to the Veendam's  719 feet.  Tonnage is 30,277 compared to the Veendam's 57,092.  We worry a bit about possible rough seas.  The Veendam went through some on our voyage to Bermuda and it was an experience.  On a smaller,  lighter ship?  We shall see.

 

 

[ORV]

The R ships handle rough water quite well in my experience with them. When the weather is bad enough the size does not matter. 

[pinotlover]

Bermuda is a lovely country with both great restaurants and lovely scenery. It is also a very easy flight, or connection from the U.S. Personally, it’s the prototypical destination that I wouldn’t cruise, or attempt to cruise, to. I would rather fly there, and be fairly ensured of arrival, than losing the two days, each way, getting there on a ship. One will find many great restaurants throughout the islands, so no need of ship’s food.

 

For ease of exploring, we did change hotels once, three days in each of the main islands, but that was a personal choice and not mandatory. 

[Woodrowst]

On 8/4/2024 at 5:12 AM, BRWolf said:

The Insignia will be the smallest cruise ship we've ever been on. It is 593.7 ft long compared to the Veendam's  719 feet.  Tonnage is 30,277 compared to the Veendam's 57,092.  We worry a bit about possible rough seas.  The Veendam went through some on our voyage to Bermuda and it was an experience.  On a smaller,  lighter ship?  We shall see.

 

 

In terms of stability, the depth of the ship below the surface (draught) is much more important than the height above the waterline.  All modern ships have very shallow droughts regardless of how tall and wide they are - much shallower than the historic ocean liners.  Modern ships rely on computerized stabilizers to make up for a shallow draught.  So the size of a modern cruise ship does not make much of a difference in rough seas since they all have a shallow draught.  In fact, the mega ships can be more prone to bobbing and weaving in large waves - kind of like a taller cork sitting in a sloshing bathtub.

[njhorseman]

3 hours ago, pinotlover said:

 

For ease of exploring, we did change hotels once, three days in each of the main islands

We've been regular visitors to Bermuda for over 35 years, both by cruise ship and by air, and in that time I've never heard the term "main island" used by either tourists or locals. While Bermuda is composed of well over 100 islands there are only about a half dozen that comprise the vast majority of the country...the rest being largely small uninhabited rocks in the ocean . Other than passing over a few short bridges when traveling from one end of Bermuda to the other, there's little or nothing to distinguish one island from another or to even make you think Bermuda is anything other than a single expanse of land. 

You would have to stay at six or seven different hotels to stay at each of the "main islands".

[Bob from Florida]

As to the specialty restaurants, besides the early booking process and then, when on board, checking with the reservations desk daily, one of the benefits of the PH suites is your dedicated butler.  That gentleman (normally male) can work wonders getting you the additional seatings.  

 

[Redtravel]

I have visited Bermuda many times by cruising and flying in. My preference is fly in and stay.  There are a wide array of accommodations. Cruising is a good option too.  It is usually less expensive than land vacation in Bermuda. Celebrity, Royal, Norwegian dock at Dockyards. Ship stays there for the entire visit. Dockyards has an indoor mall and a small beach. It is not a great attraction. Celebrity is too big to get into Hamilton or St. George.  You can use public transportation from Dockyards to Hamilton and St. George. From Dockyards, there is a ferry to Hamilton and St. George.  The ferry to Hamilton runs frequently. The ferry to St. George is infrequent. Some days, it doesn’t run.  From Dockyards, you can ride the buses. One hour from Dockyards to Hamilton. Two hours from Dockyards to St. George. If you sail on big ship, you will spend time on buses or a ferry.  Oceania docks in Hamilton. It moves and later docks in St. George.  Holland America does Hamilton and St. George too.  For a first visit to Bermuda, you’ll want to see Hamilton and St. George.    Enjoy Bermuda. It’s beautiful.

[njhorseman]

6 hours ago, Redtravel said:

 Holland America does Hamilton and St. George too.

HAL haven't done that itinerary for years and I believe they no longer even have a ship capable of getting in St. George.

In 2024 HAL only has four Bermuda cruises scheduled and all berth at Dockyard.

[jonthomas]

We have been to bermuda several times with celebrity, but on O, it was cancelled both times. We sailed in the same season  similar weather. In fact the weather seemed good but the O Captains cancelled each time  citing poor weather.

Can't really make a judgment here but we are afraid to book another bermuda itin with O.

[basor]

We were on a Bermuda cruise NYC - MIA in October (a few years back).....O canceled going to Bermuda and we spent an extra night in NYC.  Terrible, right !  It was just a hurricane and it devastated Bermuda but O should have been able to figure out how to go anyways!

[osandomir]

That all just mean that it’s not advisable to book a cruise to Bermuda on any cruise line if your main goal is to visit that particular ports. Then there’s no need to blame the captain for missing the port.

[luckyinpa]

10 hours ago, Redtravel said:

I have visited Bermuda many times by cruising and flying in. My preference is fly in and stay.  There are a wide array of accommodations. Cruising is a good option too.  It is usually less expensive than land vacation in Bermuda. Celebrity, Royal, Norwegian dock at Dockyards. Ship stays there for the entire visit. Dockyards has an indoor mall and a small beach. It is not a great attraction. Celebrity is too big to get into Hamilton or St. George.  You can use public transportation from Dockyards to Hamilton and St. George. From Dockyards, there is a ferry to Hamilton and St. George.  The ferry to Hamilton runs frequently. The ferry to St. George is infrequent. Some days, it doesn’t run.  From Dockyards, you can ride the buses. One hour from Dockyards to Hamilton. Two hours from Dockyards to St. George. If you sail on big ship, you will spend time on buses or a ferry.  Oceania docks in Hamilton. It moves and later docks in St. George.  Holland America does Hamilton and St. George too.  For a first visit to Bermuda, you’ll want to see Hamilton and St. George.    Enjoy Bermuda. It’s beautiful.

 

i was just there in may and it was torture having to line up ferry schedules back to the dockyard. on the day i was in st georges there was ONE ferry back. we got there 1 hour before to ensure we would make it back to the ship . otherwise its' 1 hour ride back on the bus to hamilton then that ferry back home.   a ship that doesnt go to the dockyard is worth a premium to me!

 

also for bermuda itself i recommend a trip in tom moores jungle, the swizzle inn for nachos and just walking around towns

[luckyinpa]

2016 i was there on my 1st cruise after (matthew?) the hurricane hit. i was so worried we wouldnt make it but there was no visible damage on the island. was amazing. bermuda is built  to take it.

 

more recently high winds killed our visit, had to circle the island 2 days till got on the 3rd. casino made money there

 

had another cruise that had 76 knot winds and that really was not fun,

[bradpole]

18 hours ago, jonthomas said:

We have been to bermuda several times with celebrity, but on O, it was cancelled both times. We sailed in the same season  similar weather. In fact the weather seemed good but the O Captains cancelled each time  citing poor weather.

Can't really make a judgment here but we are afraid to book another bermuda itin with O.

Not much any captain, on any cruise line, can do about the weather.  

We've been fortunate in our Bermuda cruises making them all (on various lines) and only having a minor inconvenience last year on Insignia due to the Hurricane.  

[jonthomas]

You have been very fortunate.

[GrammieK]

We did a Bermuda cruise on insignia last September. The cruise before us had a hurricane. The cruise after us also had a hurricane. Our week was fabulous. Great weather and great food. 
 

it’s the luck of the draw….and a little cooperation from mother nature

 

k🚢

[alcpa1]

It definitely is the luck of the draw.

On one of our Bermuda cruises we sailed into the aft winds of a hurricane, lost one of the engines, limped into Hamilton, and returned early into the fore winds of another hurricane. At least we were able to dock in Hamilton rather than the Dockyards. That trip was two weeks after 9/11 so it was traumatic from the get go.

On another cruise we were not able to get through the passage to St. George but because of the size of the ship we could once again dock in Hamilton.

You never know what the weather might do but I, for one, would not go in July. Just saying........

[osandomir]

7 hours ago, GrammieK said:

We did a Bermuda cruise on insignia last September. The cruise before us had a hurricane. The cruise after us also had a hurricane. Our week was fabulous. Great weather and great food. 
 

it’s the luck of the draw….and a little cooperation from mother nature

 

k🚢

Want to take a chance? Might be a good choice for those who like to gamble in Las Vegas as well.