Just back -- Horseshoe Bay review

[Sandytoes]

This was our first time in Bermuda and won't be our last. We loved it.

First I have to tell you I was nervous with the ticket, pass, tokens to get from Dock to Horseshoe Bay.

 

As soon as you exit the ship there are people there that want to help you with any questions....I was told to go to the ticket window and buy round trip tokens for $8. The booth was on the right hand side. After purchase we had to walk a short distance to get the bus. Another booth was there to buy tickets and so forth.

 

It was about a 30 minute bus ride to the beach.

We had to walk down a hill.

Chair rentals $8.50 +$5 deposit refunded when you return the chair.

umbrellas are $10. The day we were there they were't renting them since it was windy. There is no shade near or on the beach....

The day we were there they had problems with the bathrooms. Toilets wouldn't flush. There is a food stand as well.

Straight ahead is the ocean side. Beautiful water. Nice waves....The sand didn't look pink to me.... A little disappointed with that....I was expecting pink sands....:(

On the right there is a incove surrended by cliffs. Calm water...If you snorkel you'll see very little fish....And with all the people it turns up the sand which makes the water cloudy and then you can't see any fish at all.....

Beautiful area. They allowed people to climb the cliffs. I would recommend bringing shoes if you plan on climbing the rock cliffs. Up there you get nice shots of the view.

To get back to the bus, you have to walk up the hill to catch the bus...That's what we did. It is a hike....Or you could wait to get a ride from the $1.00 Car ride which takes you back up the hill....I wanted to do that but the line was so long.

Bus stop is on the right of hill. Bus #7.

On the way to the bus, he will make other stops for passengers to get on/off.

 

The driver than stopped at the Clock Tower shopping mall if you wanted to get off...He said a free shuttle bus would come around to pick us up to take us back to the bus depot area....We walked the mall and then waited for the shuttle. It never came. So we walked all the way around to the ship....

 

Just a beautiful Island....

If you snorkel I was told to go to Church Bay.

That's where I'll head next time I'm in Bermuda.....

[family cruisers]

Thanks for posting your review. We will be on the crown to bermuda in october and am very excited. I'd love to hear your comments on the crown as well.....

[Surfgirl]

Wow.. sorry to hear you had all those problems at Horseshoe Bay. I was there last year, and had a totally different experience. You must have just hit it on a very crowded day with the lines and the broken bathroom. That's really too bad, because it was the highlight of my beach experience in Bermuda. I hope if you go back you give it another try. I took some sand home and have it in a glass.. it looks pink to me!

 

Family Cruiser.. I loved the Crown! It's my favorite cruise ship so far. It's older, but has character. It' not as glitzy as the others.. but I found it was more relaxing. What I like about it is that it's smaller.. you don't get lost, and it's not crowded. I loved it and look forward to another trip on her again soon.

 

If you have any specific questions about the Crown, I'd be happy to try to answer them for you.

[NJDiva]

Good Morning All!

 

Wow! So sorry to hear about your experience at Horseshoe Bay.:( I'm headed to Bermuda in a few short weeks (WooHoo!) and Horseshoe Bay is on my *see/do* list. Hope things will be much better by the time I get there.

 

I've heard (and read) that best way to avoid the ticket/token issue while traveling in Bermuda, is to buy a transportation pass, which allows unlimited bus and ferry rides for the amount of days purchased. A coworker(and family of 8), just returned from Bermuda as well, and RAVED how easy it was for all 8 of them to get around. She's been to Bermuda several times and this was the first time they purchased the passes. So that's what we'll be doing and we can purchase them on our ship prior to docking at Kings Wharf, as well.

 

Is it time to go, yet??? :)

[CheerfulCruiser]

Hi

Me & my wife went to Bermuda on 8/13 - 8/20. It was on NCL Crown. The Crown is an old pretty ship. We loved the smooth sailing and food and entertainment was such a delight. We went to St. George to the beach Fort St. Catherine. Taxi from the ship ($13 around trip). In Hamlinton we took taxi to Horseshoe Bay ($32 around trip) The taxi gives you a tour has you ride and it took us 20 min. The ship is quit and small but plentty to do. We had Lobster tail in the 7 seas Main diner. I loved it alot.

[Sandytoes]

Surfgirl -

Wow.. sorry to hear you had all those problems at Horseshoe Bay. I was there last year, and had a totally different experience. You must have just hit it on a very crowded day with the lines and the broken bathroom. That's really too bad, because it was the highlight of my beach experience in Bermuda. I hope if you go back you give it another try. I took some sand home and have it in a glass.. it looks pink to me!

 

I too, take some sand back with me. (I take sand / shells from all the different Islands I've been to and put in glass vases)

Next to all the sand I have Bermuda sand does look Pink.

No doubt, I will go back....Hopefully with all my family members....

[PhillyCruiser]

We just got back from Bermuda on the Empress of the Seas' 8/19 cruise. This was our fourth cruise to Bermuda. We went to Horseshoe Bay on our first morning in Hamilton. Because there are three of us, we took a cab rather than the bus. With a cab you don't have to negotiate the steep hill from the main road to the beach. It's nice not to have to hike down the hill when you arrive, and even nicer when you don't have to trudge all the way up the hill when you leave.

 

We arrived at 10:30 A.M., and all of the beach umbrellas had already been rented. As pointed out previously, there is no shade on the beach. So be forewarned. I kept a towel covering my shoulders whenever I wasn't in the water. We rented chairs. The beach was crowded, mostly with cruise ship passengers. You can tell by their beach towels. The water was wonderful, and we spent most of the morning in the water and not in our chairs. We also hiked up to the top of the cliff and took a lot of beautiful pictures. We spent just 3 hours there. I would have wanted to stay longer if I weren't so afraid of being burnt to the crisp.

 

We went to Horseshoe Bay in the morning because we were cruising with friends, and this is what everyone agreed to do. On other cruises, we chose to go around 3:30 P.M. and stay until 6:30 or so. (We prefer late seating for dinner.) This way, we avoided the crowds, and the need for an umbrella is not that great.

 

Joan

[smeyer418]

go late not early. When you see someone on line returning their chairs and umbrellas give him/her $20.00 and get his receipt(for his/her deposit) he gets more than the deposit back you get inexpensive stuff and save two people waiting on line(you and him)

[CruisinMK]

Can someone tell me how far is the main beach lounging area is from the pavement? We have a mobility impaired person who I can walk 200 feet (maybe just 100 in sand?).

I'd like to set him up with a lounger while I snorkel.

I can take a taxi there and wheelchair him to the end of the pavement.

 

If this is not practical, I can easily come up with something else for us to do.

I gather bermuda isn't wheelchair friendly at all but I'm an energetic pusher and creative at getting around problems.

 

Also is there a restroom there close to the beach area?

[Writeratsea]

Can someone tell me how far is the main beach lounging area is from the pavement? We have a mobility impaired person who I can walk 200 feet (maybe just 100 in sand?).

I'd like to set him up with a lounger while I snorkel.

I can take a taxi there and wheelchair him to the end of the pavement.

 

If this is not practical, I can easily come up with something else for us to do.

I gather bermuda isn't wheelchair friendly at all but I'm an energetic pusher and creative at getting around problems.

 

Also is there a restroom there close to the beach area?

The restroom/changing area is located before the snack bar. This is a good sized building and I think there were handicapped areas but I am not 100% sure about that. The pavement extended quite to the entrance of the beach. From the snack bar I remembered it was about 50 feet or so to where a woman was picking crabs out of the holes in the small bluffs. So I think this is feasible. The easiet way to traverse sandy beach in a wheelchair is to reverse the chair and travel backwards slightly tipped up, pulling rather than pushing. I will pay more attention to this entire topic when I go again in September because of numerous questions.

[CruisinMK]

Wow thanks.. I think I'll brave giving this a try.

Need to research other things for us to do.

[TurboDan]

We were in Bermuda on the Crown 8/19. We went to Horseshoe Bay from Hamilton on the #7 bus. It's about a 20 minute ride. We arrived around 10:30, and as previously stated, all the umbrellas were rented. There is no shade. If you do not want to be in the sun all day, I would suggest you take a small chair umbrella with you (one that can be attached to the arm of a sand chair). We rented sand chairs, but they were in poor condition, we had to keep them as there were no other chairs left. The beach is beautiful but very crowded. If you take the bus, you have to walk down a long hill. There is a shuttle for $1.00 that will take you up the hill when you leave. It stated that it's the best $1.00 you ever spent. I agree. Bermuda is beautiful and we would definiely go back.

[Sandytoes]

MikeKaye - you're the greatest.... From the taxi drop off to the bathrooms, food stand, than chair rental area at which point the pavement stops.

If your friend could walk straight from that area to the right where the cove (calm waters are) he would be able to walk into the water. Or rent a chair so he could sit in the water.

If you went straight there are waves. (Ocean view)

[Budget Queen]

Can someone tell me how far is the main beach lounging area is from the pavement? We have a mobility impaired person who I can walk 200 feet (maybe just 100 in sand?).

I'd like to set him up with a lounger while I snorkel.

I can take a taxi there and wheelchair him to the end of the pavement.

 

If this is not practical, I can easily come up with something else for us to do.

I gather bermuda isn't wheelchair friendly at all but I'm an energetic pusher and creative at getting around problems.

 

Also is there a restroom there close to the beach area?

 

 

I would only consider a cab and get off your ship first thing if you want a good spot and umbrella, but this is a very poor area for snorkling. Better and very accessable is Tabacco Bay out of St. George, beach a few steps from the minibus stop- bus passes are NOT accepted, $3 each way. Snorkling is right off the beach.

[CruisinMK]

thank you for that