Bermuda private guide

Some people think 5 hours isn't enough and book 6 hours.

 

There's no correct answer...you have to look at what your guide suggests and decide what you want to see. Discuss the suggested itinerary with him.

We booked 5 last weekend.The Enchantment was supposed to debark at 11:30, but it was held up until just after 12. David Fox was waiting for us starting at 11, just in case we were early. We drove to Hamilton, spent a half hour wandering around then back in the Taxi. We worked our way to St. George's with only a few brief stops for pictures. Everyone wanted to eat lunch, which we knew would shoot the 45 minutes we had planned to see this little town. So we asked David if his day would allow another hour so we wouldn't be in such a hurry to get back by 5 and he gladly obliged. This gave us time to eat, look around a bit, wind through some elite neighborhoods, put our toes in the sand at Horseshoe Bay, see the lighthouse, and get back to the ship by 6:00. We still wished we'd had more time! 6 hours goes by fast!

Fran

Hello, I am interested in booking a taxi tour and I am curious as to what was on everyone's itinerary for a 5 hour tour. We have been to Bermuda several times and don't need to see the popular beaches so I am afraid 5 hours will be too long? Did any guide give you a walking tour of St. George or just drop you off an let you roam. Any help will be appreciated.

Will be in Bermuda on Sept 1 on Explorer. We only have 1 day & have never been. We have 3 previous cruises under our belts & would feel comfortable navigating on our own from what I've read about Bermuda. Was thinking we would head to Horseshoe & then back to the Dockyard. Should we rethink our day & get a tour since we have never been to Bermuda before?

You can get around on the buses and ferries if you know where you want to go but we had already seen quite a bit of Bermuda on previous visits

Hello, I am interested in booking a taxi tour and I am curious as to what was on everyone's itinerary for a 5 hour tour. We have been to Bermuda several times and don't need to see the popular beaches so I am afraid 5 hours will be too long? Did any guide give you a walking tour of St. George or just drop you off an let you roam. Any help will be appreciated.

In 2011, I booked a tour, but unfortunately our time in Bermuda was cut short by a tropical storm (we got in late and left early) so I had to alter the plans, but what I had intended to do was take the ferry from the Dockyard to St. George early in the a.m. and then walk around St. George on our own (and try to get to the Printery which we've never been there when it was open), have lunch and then get picked up by the guide for the trip back to the ship visiting the places I hadn't been able to get to.

I wanted to see Gates Fort, St. David's Lighthouse, Spittal Pond, Victoria Park, the Anglican Cathedral, Fort Hamilton, and Gibbs Lighthouse. We did not have time to get all the way out to St. George to see Gates Fort and St. David's Lighthouse, but we did drive by Spittal Pond, the Cathedral and Victoria Park, and stopped at Fort Hamilton and Gibbs Lighthouse and Duke took us to some places that we hadn't known were there.

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Just for reference this is what we did on previous four visits

In 1963 when my husband's ship was there and I was pregnant with my second child I flew to Bermuda to meet him. We stayed in a hotel in St. George that no longer exists. As a pregnant person I found riding the bus very uncomfortable. They were sprung quite stiff and it was a jouncy ride. I preferred the ferries. Of course I couldn't ride a moped in my condition. We visited St. George, Hamilton, Fort St Catherine, the smallest bridge in Sandy's Parish and the Aquarium

The second time, we flew in on the Tuesday November 21, 1995 (before Thanksgiving). We stayed in the Hamilton Princess. Because I had waited so late to get tickets, we had to fly in on Tuesday and back out on Saturday as there were no tickets for Sunday or Monday. We did a little shopping Tuesday afternoon.

1995 - Bob through a Moon Gate Moon gates are round limestone gates through which honeymooners walk to ensure a lifetime of good luck.

Wednesday was a little overcast, so we took the bus out to the Old Royal Navy Dockyard in Sandy's Parish (and to the Bermuda Maritime Museum), ate lunch and shopped Then we took the ferry back to Hamilton. I walked through the historical society exhibit in the library and Bob went to the Perot post office. Then we did some more shopping. After dinner we went to a slide presentation at the hotel on Bermudan architecture

On Thursday, we stopped at the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) in Flatt's Village, Smith Parish on the way to St. George. After lunch in St. George (and I found out that I hated the Ploughman's lunch), we visited St. Peters, the Carriage Museum and the Historical Society. We just looked at the Deliverance from the outside, but we did go to see the free slide show at the Town Hall and walked around Somer's Garden. I took a swim in the hotel pool in the evening (it was outdoors but heated). I had wanted to snorkel, but the windy weather Wednesday had stirred things up, and the Bermudians thought it was too cold to swim. The hotel had a lavish Thanksgiving buffet. Afterwards there was another slide presentation on the flora and fauna of Bermuda.

The Botanical Gardens was our first stop on Friday, November 24th and then after lunch at the cafeteria we hopped the bus to take the Friday tour of Spittal Pond

We left Saturday afternoon November 25th after stopping off at the horse show (jumping) at the Botanical Garden.

Cruise ship visits

Dockyard marina from the ship 2011

2004-NCL Crown: Docked first in Hamilton. On Tuesday from the Visitor's Center near the docks we purchased two 3-day bus passes ($28 @) which are also good on the ferries. At the same time, we got a Bermuda Heritage Pass at $25 @.

Tuesday we went to Somerset Bridge and King's Wharf.

Wednesday we walked around Hamilton, visited the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, Verdmont and the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.

Thursday, November 18, 2004, the ship motored around to St. George and docked there.

Friday November 19, 2004, the ship left at noon.

In 2007, we did a repositioning cruise on Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas. We got a bus/ferry pass from the ship($20 @ for two days), and took the ferry in to Hamilton where we visited Perot Post Office, and went to the Historical Society Museum. We went out to the Botanical Garden (had lunch) and finally got to visit Camden House (free). Then we took a bus out to St. George and got off and took a bus that went around St. Davids where we had not been before. We got back to the ship late.

The following day we took a ferry in to Hamilton and shopped a bit and then came back and had lunch at the Frog and Onion.

Since September 1 is a Saturday, the ferry to St. George's will probably not be operating. When we were there last week, it was only M-F. The Hamilton Ferry was operating, though, and they had extra runs for the cruise ship. Quite a few people bought a bus pass for the day, which got them to Horseshoe. One person said it took a long time for the bus to come by, though, so check the schedule. While we were on our taxi tour, we met up with a couple that had come by bus all the way to St. George's, so it can be done, too. The advantage of the taxi tour was all the neighborhoods we went through that you won't see on your own.

Will be in Bermuda on Sept 1 on Explorer. We only have 1 day & have never been. We have 3 previous cruises under our belts & would feel comfortable navigating on our own from what I've read about Bermuda. Was thinking we would head to Horseshoe & then back to the Dockyard. Should we rethink our day & get a tour since we have never been to Bermuda before?

If your priority to do is a beach day in Bermuda, then you have a good plan; but if you desire to see Bermuda, then I would suggest you take the taxi tour and let the driver show you his Bermuda. Maybe, you could end the tour at Horseshoe Bay and spend time there. Be careful, the return buses will be packed with passengers trying to get back before the cruise ship departs.

SBtS

Since September 1 is a Saturday, the ferry to St. George's will probably not be operating. When we were there last week, it was only M-F. The Hamilton Ferry was operating, though, and they had extra runs for the cruise ship. Quite a few people bought a bus pass for the day, which got them to Horseshoe. One person said it took a long time for the bus to come by, though, so check the schedule. While we were on our taxi tour, we met up with a couple that had come by bus all the way to St. George's, so it can be done, too. The advantage of the taxi tour was all the neighborhoods we went through that you won't see on your own.

It is perfectly possible to get to St. George by bus and the buses are frequent. The Bus pass includes the ferries and you can get it on the dock or sometimes the Concierge desk of the ship sells them.

Get on the ferry to Hamilton, and then walk up to the bus terminal which is by the City Hall. Take one of the buses to St. George or wherever you want to go. You can also get another ferry in Hamilton and get to Somerset Bridge. Or you can get off in the Flatts and go to the Aquarium there. Just be sure to check the frequency of the buses and remember to stand on the wrong side of the road to get the bus.

A friend in Bermuda recommended Bermuda native, David Fox. He was fantastic and very flexible!

We had booked him for 5 hours, but had him extend to 6, so we could get lunch and a beer. He was first in line at the cruise debarkation point, waiting for us with a sign. We took many side streets, saw residential areas as well as commercial areas. We avoided the places that charged admission and enjoyed stopping, touching, photographing everything. He is thefox@logic.bm (441)334-7965. He called us twice before our April 21 tour to confirm and plan our itinerary. Great service! We shared his year old minivan with two other cruise critic couples at the regulated $55/hour. Hope you enjoy him as much as we did!

Fran

I contacted David Fox this morning and heard from him in two hours. We will be on the Veendam arriving in Bermuda (docking in Hamilton) on May 22nd. We have booked 5 hours with David for the 23rd. Thanks, Fran, for your recommendation.

We are just off the Summit and had a wonderful tour with David Fox on Wed. May 9th. We met David at 9:00 holding a sign with our name on it. He took us on a 6 hour tour. We went to St George's & Hamilton & all points in between!!! He stopped at the 2 light houses , lunch at a beach side cafe & many photo ops! He is very knowledgable and has a Great Personality!!! You are in great hands with David!!

Kathie, Tony, Tim, Maria & George

We used Nadanja 2 weeks ago - were in on the Dawn. He was wonderful - we did a 4 hour tour on a Sunday afternoon...from one end of island to the other and back again - took us to feed fish, St George's, Swizzle Inn, and lots of sights in between. He even brought us back to the ship to change for our dinner reservation and left us off at Gibbs Lighthouse for dinner as our last stop. Quite polite, great personality, and very funny (he is actually a comedian as well in Bermuda!). Highly recommend! - Cindy, Frank, Bob and Denise

Another recommendation for Colin Jennings -- we did a 5-hr. tour with him on Sunday, May 20 (I can't believe it was already a week ago!). We wondered if there would be enough to see on a Sunday, but it was fantastic. He met us promptly at 9 a.m. We didn't have specific requests other than to try to see as much as we could. The weather was windy and overcast with rain threatening, so it wasn't a good beach day. We had already toured the museum and Dockyard area the previous day.

Colin is extremely personable and we enjoyed talking with him and learning about life in Bermuda. He took us to all the areas people talk about, such as the little drawbridge, stopping at the beaches along the way so we could take photos and he collected a zip-lock bag of pink beach sand for us. We stopped at the lighthouse and looked around. Not much was going on in Hamilton on a Sunday morning. Flatts Village was charming and we stopped to look at the sea turtles.

We spent about 30 minutes in St. Georges (it was just after church) but nothing was open there -- if the retailers want to encourage tourism now that the cruise ships don't dock there, they will need to revisit their days and hours of operation.

I'm leaving out many details but I will say we were completely satisfied with Colin and our tour. We were able to see and learn so much that otherwise we would have missed. And there's absolutely no way we would do scooters on the island -- just in that 5 hours we say many near misses and people forgetting about which side of the road to be on!

seems like a lot of you have had great experiences with local taxi drivers as i did a few years ago.. We were thinking of just finding a pleasant chap either at the dockyards when we disembark or maybe later downtown. Are the rates per hour fixed for the taxis?

Most taxi rates are per mile which is expensive.

Some of the taxi drivers in Bermuda are government certified tour guides. They usually charge by hour and their taxis would have a blue flag fluttering from the bonnet.

There may or may not be enough of these to go around.

A cheaper option is the bus and ferry pass

sorry repeat message

I emailed Duke last night, and had a reply from him at 7am! Set him up for our group of 4+1 baby for $40/hr. Cant wait for our 5 nt on Explorer!

Hi I emailed Duke in Feb for a tour on June 27 and am trying to reconfirm our date and I cant get a response so I am a little worried. He confirmed it then.

Hi,

we are a group of 9. does anyone know of private operators who can handle our size?

thanks, ellen

I emailed Duke last night, and had a reply from him at 7am! Set him up for our group of 4+1 baby for $40/hr. Cant wait for our 5 nt on Explorer!

Hi I emailed duke in feb for a tour in June and he confirmed yes but I can't seem to get an answer now that it is a few weeks away. Not sure if he will show up. Would you have any suggestions? It was for June 27th. Thanks

Hi I emailed duke in feb for a tour in June and he confirmed yes but I can't seem to get an answer now that it is a few weeks away. Not sure if he will show up. Would you have any suggestions? It was for June 27th. Thanks

Duke isn't really on the internet himself. He gets his email through his wife. The same happened to us and it took him several days to respond. But he did come just as arranged.

Hi,

 

we are a group of 9. does anyone know of private operators who can handle our size?

 

thanks, ellen

Just got back yesterday from nine day Explorer, we are a group of nine(some kids) and we toured with Colin Jennings. he did a great job for us and he was great with the kids. You can't go wrong with him if he can hold your group Roz:)

Just got back yesterday from nine day Explorer, we are a group of nine(some kids) and we toured with Colin Jennings. he did a great job for us and he was great with the kids. You can't go wrong with him if he can hold your group Roz:)

Hi Roz, thanks for the response.

we have kids with us too. what kind of vehicle were you in? Also curious what you did on your tour and how long it was. what did Colin charge?

I already emailed Colin so just waiting for a response.

ellen

Hi,

Just booked with Dennis Hollis.

Has anyone toured with him?

What did you think?

TIA

Hi Roz, thanks for the response.

 

we have kids with us too. what kind of vehicle were you in? Also curious what you did on your tour and how long it was. what did Colin charge?

 

I already emailed Colin so just waiting for a response.

 

ellen

We were in a van type vehicle he picked us up

right on time with a sign with my name on it-he charged us $60 a hour. He will take you where you say you want to go & we told him we wanted to go to the pink sand beach-sightseeing-shopping. He even got a zip lock baggy & filed it with pink sand for the grandkids. You won't be sorry if you tour with Colin. Tell him we said Hi. Roz:)

I'll be touring with Dennis in two weeks and will come back and let you know all about it.

I'll be touring with Dennis in two weeks and will come back and let you know all about it.

OOOh! Thank you:)

Have a wonderful cruise.

Will look forward to hearing all about it.

Bon Voyage!

We had Duke's son Nick on Sat. May 12, 2012. My e-mail was answered right away and Nick was there waiting for us with a sign when we got off the ship.

He did a great job and we even got to meet his Mom, Sandy. The only minor glitch was we had asked for a 5 hour tour and he took six so it cost us an extra $40. Not a big deal but you may want to re-confirm at the beginning of the tour if you want to stick to your budget.

We went to Fort Scaur, the lighthouse, Horseshoe Bay, lunch and sightseeing in St. George, shopping in Hamilton and stopped to collect some sea glass. It was a very nice day and you are picked up and dropped off right in front of the ship!