Itinerary Input/Use of Private Guide

We have hired a private driver (Duke) to take us around the Island. Since we have roughly 28 hours in port, we figured time is money and with a small child we thought it would be nice to have a place to store our belongings during our travels and cart us from stop to stop.

Here is our planned adventure. I am hoping that we will see lots of sites with his narration and have 3 stops planned. Please let me know what you think.

10am- arrive in Port at the Royal Naval Dockyard. Get off the boat as soon as the crowds allow and explore the direct vicinity for a bit.

12pm- Meet Duke our tour guide/driver for the day. Head out to Tobacco Bay for our first stop 25 miles/about 45 minutes.

1pm-2pm Take Photos, Check out Beach.

2pm-2:30pm Drive to Horseshoe Bay beach 15.8miles/31 minutes.

2:30pm-3:30pm Take Photos, Check out Beach.

3:30-3:45 change into dry clothes

3:45-4:00pm Drive to Gibb’s Hill Lighthouse. About a mile and 5 minute drive.

Can pay a few dollars to climb to the top if we have time. Supposed to have a gorgeous view from the top.

4:30pm-5:00pm Drive back to the dockyard. Ride will be just over 9 miles/about 20 minutes.

Questions- Feedback on my selections? Worthwile stops? Of course there is more that I'd like to see but didnt want to push my luck with our little one in tow (almost 5). Are my times realistic particurlay travel times? I got them from google maps but wasnt sure.

For our second morning in port, we plan to shop/explore the area right near the dockyard where our ship will be.

Thanks In Advance,

Ashley

Hi Ashley, we had the pleasure of touring with Duke earlier this month. While I can't comment on your drive times ( we did the tour in a different order and I wasn't really paying attention to the times:)), I wanted to let you know that Duke is great and you will really enjoy the time with him. He is a true gentleman, with an amazing fund of knowledge, not only about Bermuda history but also about the flora and fauna, and even American history. The beaches are beautiful and, with a young one in tow, a good way to let him or her burn off some energy and enjoy the time as well.

Have a great trip

Susan

"Might" be a bit ambitious with a small child esp. if it's a really hot day as most of your activities are outside.. I climbed Gibbes Hill and even in my 30s would not have wanted to carry a child up all 188(?) very narrow steps and back down.

Other thing is unpredictability of traffic for your pretty "down to the minute" schedule. Wondering if altering a bit to put you downtown in Hamilton to take ferry back to Dockyard would be feasible?

If it were me I'd change things up a bit to do lighthouse first, beach, end up in St George and then go back to Hamilton maybe including aquarium visit for your child and then take ferry back to ship from Hamilton. We did that order w/ Colin it worked out well not having to do traffic back to Dockyard in the late afternoon...

You can get nice snacks (sandwiches, scones, ice cream, drinks) at Temptations in St George (Duke will know where it is!) which is right in town there and very reasonable prices for Bermuda.

I think Google travel times are a little optimistic and do not take into account the Bermuda driving and road conditions.

Will you be eating a large meal before departing the cruise ship?

How will you keep "our little one in tow" occupied? Have you included anything that may interest him? BAMZ, BUEI, caves, visit a fort with cannons, treasure hunt for sea glass, Dolphin Encounter, take a ferry ride, wench dunking, to name a few.

When you write "Check out Beach", what does the actually mean? Will you snorkel at Tobacco Bay and swim at Horseshoe Bay?

IMO, the stops you have selected are worthwhile but for an adult.

Bermuda has its own pace and it is not like the one in the states. Slow down to enjoy and start planning (remember you on vacation amd not a military campaign) a return when you can have more time.

SBtS

I just posted this on an other thread, but it works here also.

My first time in Bermuda we did a private 5 hour tour from dockside to St. George, then a ferry ride back to dockside. You MUST have ferry tickets/tokens in advance. Have your driver stop some place so you can buy them.

We did not think 5 hours was long enough. When we go back next year we are going to do a 7 hour tour including a stop for lunch.

One of the things I enjoyed was just looking at the pastel painted houses witrh the white roofs for collecting rain water. Also the lily pond which is a map of Bermuda.

Next trip will also include a stop at West Whale Bay.

Good input guys. As for activities to keep our son entertained, he loves the beach/sand/water. We bought a snorkel for him so he can try it out and play in the water. The schedule is (obviously tentative) and we hoped that if he was having a good time we would stay longer. Likewise if an area wasn't working we could move on more quickly.

I had planned to skip the acquarium because he was just at the one in Atlanta (in April) and Baltimore (going this month). I thought he'd enjoy the beach and sand more than another aquarium. We do plan to do the Royal Naval Nights thing in the dockyard which we think he will enjoy and we definately plan to return if this is a hit. We thought a short cruise with no flight would be a good first attempt with an (almost) 5 year old.

For food we planned to eat a big breakfast on the boat and just grab a quick lunch (snack bar type food) whenever we get hungry. We will go out to dinner for a big meal after the tour. As for the lighthouse, I am the photo nerd so I was thinking my husband/son would explore below and give me an opportunity to get to the top alone. But if this doesn't happen there are worse things in life.

He might enjoy a ferry ride. If we decide to go that route, how would we alter the plan? Have him drop us off in a different spot than we are picked up?

What about:

Dockyard

Lighthouse

Horseshoe Bay

Tobacco Bay

---Ferry---

Dockyard

Is this what you had in mind? This might give us some additional flexibility with our time but I'd appreciate any tips on navigating our way back.

Thanks again for the input. I am really hoping our son will enjoy this.

You can climb lighthouse in not too long a time.. I'm in my 60s and it was a bit of a push but not that bad

I would come back from Hamilton on ferry .. if you sightsee from the Dockyard and there's traffic could add another hour's worth fee to your guide for sitting in some traffic and seeing same things you saw in the a.m.? Kids love boats so your son would like ferry!

I am having a hard time finding private tours, how do I reach Duke?

Thanks so much! I am going to look into the ferry back from Hamilton. Will rework the draft itinerary and bug you all if I have anymore questions.

Thanks again,

Ashley

Ps- saw in your signature that you are going to Aruba. Not sure if it is your first time but we went in 2004 for our anniversary and loved it! Beautiful, safe, and great weather. That was before kids for us :)

I emailed duke at:

dukesoares@gmail.com

Good luck

Hey bcs819,

I think you are going on the same cruise as us. Since we booked Duke for Monday I'm afraid the email address I gave you wont be much help since he is booked with us.

There is another thread on this board with lots of recommendations of private guides.

Good Luck!