RCI using Heritage Wharf

Anyone know why RCI is using Heritage Wharf instead of Kings Wharf? Explorer was there a few days ago, and Grandeur is there now. Will this be for the rest of the season?

I would think Not. NCL Dawn returns in a couple weeks for 4 more visits .

The switch to Heritage Wharf for the vessels that visited this weekend (Explorer of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas) and King's Wharf is scheduled to be operational again on Wednesday for the arrival of the AIDAluna.

Haven't seen any other info on it, other than a comment that sometimes other lines use Heritage when NCL isn't there.

This weekend I noticed on the Port Bermuda Webcam there were construction cranes at the cruise side of Kings Wharf; it appeared that (at least) a new piling was being put in.

Breakaway will make her last visit to Heritage Wharf this Wednesday.

Happy Sailing!

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

Question...is it actually two totally different places? I thought it was kind of "a dock on the left, a dock on the right". Are they both at "the Dock Yard" ? Sort of like the difference between Pier 88 or Pier 90 in NYC. I thought they're right next to each other, but they each have a specific name.....no? We've always sailed on something that docked in Hamilton. Next year will be our first sailing to "the Dock Yard", I thought those were the only two options (Dockyard or Hamilton).

Question...is it actually two totally different places? I thought it was kind of "a dock on the left, a dock on the right". Are they both at "the Dock Yard" ? Sort of like the difference between Pier 88 or Pier 90 in NYC. I thought they're right next to each other, but they each have a specific name.....no? We've always sailed on something that docked in Hamilton. Next year will be our first sailing to "the Dock Yard", I thought those were the only two options (Dockyard or Hamilton).

Yes, both Heritage Wharf and Kings Wharf are located in the Royal Naval Dockyard, one next to the other. It doesn't make one iota of difference which one your ship is using.(It's not exactly like Pier 88 and Pier 90 in NY because those are finger piers that jut out into the Hudson River.)

There's actually a third (and IMO the best) docking option in Bermuda, St. George's...rarely used now because few ships are small enough to pass through Town Cut.

This map shows where everything is located at the Dockyard, including Kings Wharf (#1 on the map) and Heritage Wharf (#2):

http://www.thewestend.bm/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Brochure-Map-and-Info-20142.pdf

It's been a LONG time since we docked in St Georges. "Once upon a time" we would dock overnight there and then continue on to Hamilton on the Horizon, Zenith, and Homeric, former Veendam and Volendam. On the newer Veendam we anchored in the harbor and tendered in, then went on to Hamilton. I guess that wasn't really popular with the passengers because the next time we went on it to Bermuda it was Hamilton only. Also, "once upon a time", when we sailed to Bermuda on bigger ships or at least those with deeper draft, mostly "ocean liners" that were doing occasional cruises or former oceanliners converted into cruise ships, we anchored in the harbor and tendered into Hamilton. Back then, "the Dockyard" was just a ruined old fortress in need of major repair. We haven't cruised to Bermuda in 2 yrs, and we've never docked at the Dockyard, but we will next year on the "Summit".

We took many cruises on the Zenith that docked in both Hamilton and St. George's. I really miss that itinerary and ship. It was a "home away from home". The year that Azamara was formed we did the same on the Azamara Journey. We had been booked on the Zenith, but it was pulled from cruising to Bermuda and we were placed on the Journey, which replaced the Zenith for that year. Also remember doing it on several other ships that were too big to dock in St. George's and docked the entire time in Hamilton...as you said before the Dockyard was redeveloped as a cruise port.

I recall being on the QM2 cruise which called on Bermuda, and as you said we anchored in Great Sound and tendered into Hamilton.

The good old days...

The first time I cruised to Bermuda was on the Greek Line "Queen Anna Maria", it later became Carnival's "Carnivale" or "Marti Gras". By today's standards, it was TINY!!!! But I guess the draft was too deep, as we anchored in "Great Sound" and tendered in. Not exactly "tendered" I guess, because it wasn't small boats put off by the liner, it was a BIG ferry from Bermuda that could take pretty much the whole complement of passengers who wanted to get off. Unfortunately, it only ran every 3 hrs or so and not continuous back and forth service. Same deal and schedule with every other ship we were on to Bermuda that could not dock. Interesting too.....a couple of years after I went on the QAM, I went when it became a Carnival ship. Both times I was living in NC and went out of Norfolk. Do some ships still sail out of there on occasion? At that time the "United States" was still docked right next to where we sailed out of and I have a few photos of it in the background. I guess I'm done reminiscing, as I'm REALLY getting off subject from the original post. Maybe I should continue over on "Remember When" or whatever the name of that tread is.

Interesting reading. Thank you.

Looked up future sailings out of Norfolk, VA and the next one is Carnival Splendor in May 11, 2015.

http://www.cruisetimestables.com

Happy Sailing!

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day