Our first cruise!! Going to Bermuda...

We are so excited to go on our first cruise on Saturday. Can anyone recommend (with the America's Cup there) if we should book the Horseshoe Bay Beach transfer? We are wondering with the additional crowds if public transportation may be too difficult. Any suggestions?

RCCL will get their small cut of the overall price, but you will avoid having to wait in line to get the transfer. We were there a week ago and everything looked pretty organized. Saw people waiting to buy tickets and those going on RCCL excursions, etc. America Cup stuff is all walkable, so that doesn't factor into much I don't believe.

Bermuda is a pretty island, do some homework before you go and it'll cut down on confusion there. Ferrys are a good choice to get to Hamilton or St George. If time allows spend afternoon at Horseshoe Bay, very pretty; watch out for a deceptively strong sun, the tops of my feet got blistered. You can get transfers to the beach; it'll save you a long walk up/down the hill that a bus will result in. Make some time to visit the Bermuda Museum in the Dockyard, great place to see history. There's a brew pub in the dockyard, the Frog & Onion, excellent amber ale and large portions of good food. Around the corner is an Arts Center, local artist’s works, very well done and reasonable prices. If you visit St George, take the ferry. first timers I'd recommend a tour. If not you can book a carriage ride thru Bronco Stables, an hour is$100; Crystal does a nice job. Lunch at the White Horse Pub is great, eat on the porch, by the rail & feed The fish:) Since it's your first visit I don't recommend the AC, it'll take the whole day. If you do go pre-purchase grandstand seats; they'll keep you out of the sun. Also there's a trolley from the clocktower mall to the AC villiage quicker/easier than walking.

Whatever you do, don't rent a motorbike unless you are an experienced biker. Traffic in Bermuda is horrible. We did, but after riding 3-4 miles, turned around and took it back. Even riding on busses is scary.

We are so excited to go on our first cruise on Saturday. Can anyone recommend (with the America's Cup there) if we should book the Horseshoe Bay Beach transfer? We are wondering with the additional crowds if public transportation may be too difficult. Any suggestions?

No, you don't need to waste your money on cruise line transportation to Horseshoe bay, but I also wouldn't take public transportation. There are shuttle vans that go from Dockyard to Horseshoe Bay for $7 pp each way and they run all day long. They leave as they fill up. The vans will be waiting in the parking lot at the beach to go back to the port too.

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss public transportation. If I recall, you can buy a daily pass that you can use all day long on busses and ferries. No question, if you want to get into Hamilton, ferry is the way to go.

We ferried into Hamilton, bussed to St. George from Hamilton and ferried back to the ship from St. George.

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss public transportation. If I recall, you can buy a daily pass that you can use all day long on busses and ferries. No question, if you want to get into Hamilton, ferry is the way to go.

We ferried into Hamilton, bussed to St. George from Hamilton and ferried back to the ship from St. George.

No where did I dismiss public transportation, I said I wouldn't take it to Horseshoe Bay Beach. They no longer have the express bus to the beach, it is only a local bus that takes a long time to get there. For the money, the van shuttles are worth it.

Taking the shuttle over to Horseshoe Bay is the way to go.

Just look for this sign when leaving the ship. If you have any questions, just ask, Bermudians are very friendly people [emoji3]

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Thanks everyone for all the great ideas!!

I agree about the bikes. Been to Bermuda a number of times on cruises; each time we've met someone on the return that had an arm in a sling & road rash. Traffic, narrow twisting roads & wrong side driving; even the locals have seen an increase in accidents / fatalities in the last couple of years. Don't risk a lot for a little.