Bermuda is, BY FAR, one of our favorite islands! You will not find a cleaner island in all of the Caribbean (even though it’s not technically Caribbean)! It is also very easy to get to from the East Coast, with departures offered from Boston, New York, Florida and South Carolina. There are a variety of itineraries and ships. Some go to Bermuda only (overnight on the ship in port for 3 days), and others include stops in Grand Turk or a private island in the Bahamas. There are SO MANY options. In my opinion, this makes it a perfect first cruise, especially if you live near one of the ports of departure and don’t want to fly.
We have been twice, on a full week just to Bermuda, so my thoughts and ideas in this post will revolve around this port of call and itinerary only. But hopefully you will find this information useful, regardless of your itinerary.
First, you will spend 2 full days at sea getting to the island, three days on the island, and two days back to your port of departure. Today’s ships are too big to dock in the main city of Hamilton, so most ships will dock on the West End at the Dockyards. Depending on which ship/cruise line you are on, the days of the week on the island will vary.
The first thing you want to do when arriving in Bermuda and disembarking the ship, is to purchase a 2 or 3 day bus/ferry unlimited pass, depending on what you want to do while there. When planning your days on shore, please know that Bermuda stores are often closed on Sunday and Holidays. So, if you take a Boston to Bermuda cruise from Friday-Friday for instance, you will be in Bermuda Sun/Mon/Tue. If you want to do any shopping at all, plan that for Monday or Tuesday. If you cruise on a Holiday weekend, such as Labor Day, stores will be closed both Sunday and Monday, except those immediately adjacent to the cruise terminal.
There are SEVERAL beautiful beaches in Bermuda. You will hear and read mostly about world renowned Horseshoe Bay. If you are one of those people that MUST see it, then by all means go there. But in my opinion, it was not all that it’s cracked up to be. Pretty? Yes. Outstanding? I don’t think so. There is a really cool shallow area off to the right where you can snorkel and see lots of parrot fish, and this area is relatively calm and safe for small children. But the rental chairs/umbrellas were old, the tiny refreshment stand very limited, and it’s DOWN HILL quite a ways to the beach, so definitely spend the $2/pp it costs to have a shuttle drive you back up the hill when you are done there.
Our very first time going to Bermuda, I did A LOT of research. It’s important for you to know that the buses will stop ANYWHERE – you just have to ask. A bus stop marked with a PINK pole, is headed inland towards Hamilton. Bus stops marked with a BLUE pole are outbound routes, going away from the center of the island. Also, VERY IMPORTANT to know, this is a completely British island, and you will find its citizens very proper like people in Britain. When you get on a bus, look the driver in the eye and greet them with a “Hello, how are you today?” You will get much better service and real appreciation from them. If you want to stop somewhere you are unsure about, you can add “We would like to go to (fill in the blank). Would you please tell us where to get off the bus?” They will be happy and eager to help you. If you get on the bus and grunt at them or don’t even acknowledge them, you will need to know where you are going, because you will get no assistance from them. Common courtesy goes a long way here!!
I suggest you find an off the beaten path beach to go to, if you like beaches. More quiet and secluded beaches include Astwood Cove, Black Bay, South Shore Park and Somerset Long Bay. Astwood Cove has restrooms. We went to Devonshire Bay once, and we were literally the ONLY ONES on the beach. It was a gorgeous little bay on the South Shore with boats bobbing in the water. It was something I will never forget. Beaches great for swimming include Church Bay, Clarence Cove and Elbow Beach. Church Bay has full facilities, including concessions. Then of course, there are the more well known like Horseshoe Bay, Jobson’s Cove (a must see), Warwick Long Bay, West Whale Bay and Tobacco Bay Beach. We went to Tobacco Bay, which is walking distance from the town of St. George’s. It has become MUCH MORE popular in the last few years, so can be a little crowded. There are full facilities, food, small beach bar, restrooms….and you can rent snorkeling equipment here. The beach itself is a little small and slopes down to the water, but there are great limestone formations off shore, in relatively shallow waters. This creates a great haven for marine life, so the snorkeling is awesome.
I feel strongly that there are a few MUST DO’s while in Bermuda.
- St. George’s — this town is absolutely delightful!! You want to go on a day when shops are open, to really get a feel for it. Allow yourself at least a half day, if not a full day. There are great shops and restaurants. It is also home to many museums, St. Peter’s Church (the oldest Anglican Church outside Britain, and the oldest Protestant Church in continuous use in the New World), the ruins of the Unfinished Church, and the Lili Bermuda Perfumery. In King’s Square you will find old stocks and pillory (photo op) and witness reenactments at the ducking stool, where criminals used to be ‘ducked’ (or dunked) in the water.
- Gibb’s Hill Lighthouse — are you okay with heights? If you can climb 185 steel spiral stairs, definitely check it out!! Cost is a modest $2.50/pp at the time of this writing. When you get to the top, you have to climb out a tiny little door, and there is a place to stand around the light with only a railing, so I DO NOT suggest you let children out there alone, and it would even be a bit dicey if you were with them. The 360 degree views are AMAZING!! Absolutely gorgeous!
- The original Swizzle Inn — I say the ‘original’ because a few little spin-offs have been built around the island. The original Inn is on Blue Hole Hill Road near the Crystal Caves. Please know that ALL FOOD AND DRINK on this island is EXPENSIVE. We paid close to $80 for lunch and drinks for two people at the Inn in 1997. That is why taking a cruise to the island is fabulous, because your ship is your hotel/restaurant. But some things you just have to do — like have a rum swizzle at the Swizzle Inn!
- Crystal and Fantasy Caves — they are small but really beautiful. If you do one or the other, the cost is $24/pp for each location. A ticket to see both is much reduced at $35/pp.
- Flatt’s Inlet — there isn’t a lot to do here, but it’s such a pretty place to see boats bobbing on the calm water of the inlet. The water is SO CLEAR it looks like the boats are floating in mid air!
- Bermuda Aquarium and Zoo — adjacent to Flatt’s Inlet, is a very fun place. Very pretty gardens, great little zoo and aquarium. Admission is $10/pp.
- We do a lot on our own in Bermuda, but one of the best excursions we took was a kayak tour of Ely’s Harbour. It was absolutely fabulous, with a shallow grassy area filled with turtles. It was a lot of paddling, but well worth the effort!
- If you like biking, the Rail Trail is the place to go!! It spans from one end of the island to the other, is relatively flat, and is mostly coastal, so the scenery is breathtaking.
- If you are a golfer, Bermuda has SIX World Class golf courses, all with ocean views!
If you don’t want to wander far from your ship on the final day there, because most ships leave in the early afternoon, I suggest saving the Dockyard area for this day. You can tour the old Fort, see the National Museum of Bermuda, check out the Bermuda Arts Centre and the Bermuda Rum Cake Factory! You can even spend the day at the Snorkel Park. You can get tickets to enter the park on the ship for your convenience. Adjacent to the snorkel park is a mini golf course which is loads of fun! You can even grab drinks before heading out onto the course — I suggest the local Dark ‘n Stormy!
Remember, Bermuda is a very expensive island, so try to plan you days around being back on the ship for meals if you can. And when taking buses across the island, take the North Shore bus route in one direction and the South Shore route in the other. This way you will get a great tour of the island without actually paying for one! The main hub to change buses is in Hamilton, and it’s super easy to get around.
Lastly, they drive on the opposite side of the road, just like in the UK. So be sure to look BOTH WAYS when crossing streets, because you just might forget where a vehicle will be coming from! And we talked to the locals here…..NONE of them suggest renting scooters!! Although this seems like it would be a fun way to get around the island, you are driving on the wrong side of VERY NARROW roads in most instances. The locals tend to drive a little fast, and the roads have a lot of turns – hair pin, S turns etc – and they also tend to be lined by tall rock walls with no shoulders. We saw people coming back to the ship with white bandages from knee to groin because they scraped their thighs along one of these walls……lots of accidents. I just don’t recommend it, because it’s not worth potentially ruining your vacation!
We LOVE Bermuda, and we will go back many times!! For more information, I find a great site to be gotobermuda.com. We always recommend researching any island before you go, so you don’t waste time trying to figure things out once you get there. And you can also find out the good and the bad of each by getting ideas from things you read.
I hope you plan a Bermuda cruise soon!!
Until then…cruise on!
Just Cruisin' 