3-Day plan from a Bermuda newbie

So, I benefited tremendously from this forum when I was researching for things to do on my first cruise to Bermuda. I read plenty and asked loads of questions of the seasoned travelers here, many of whom were so kind and helpful. I also "interviewed" all members of my family to be sure I understood their interests. I took into consideration the kind of person I am/ we are, as a family and these are the choices that I finally made for my family. They may not suit you but my teenage kids declared our Bermuda excursions among the "best ever" and you know how teenagers are...try getting more than a grunt in response... LOL!!:D Plus, we have traveled far with our kids so they are comparing with beaches like Phuket.

I am keeping this far simpler than my trip report of my whole trip on the Summit. You can read it by searching my name. I even have links to documents I saved from my cruise. For this Port of Call, I am simply posting photos and captions starting from our Day 1 in Bermuda.

Bermuda is a stunning island and the photos I choose to share here are meant to showcase the island and her offerings. While there, I resisted the temptation to rush from place to place. While that goes against much of my go-go-go character, it was the perfect decision made for my own spirit and the comfort of my family. Who needs yelling amongst family while running to catch a bus during vacation, eh? Plus this means, I still have lots to look forward to for a return visit to Bermuda. :D

Day 1

This was our view from our balcony upon arrival. Preview of a magnificent treat ahead.

I chose a leisurely morning at port (as I had no idea of there would be any delays) and booked one month in advance, an afternoon of reef fishing with Capt. Baxter of Bermuda Reef Fishing. His prices were similar to other fishing excursions we have done in North America, the Caribbean and Asia. Capt. Baxter requested a call upon arrival in King's Wharf so he could confirm if the weather was a OKAY for our outing. Trip was 1 pm to 5 pm. Because we were 4 people and his "office" is in Mangrove Bay, we took the taxi instead of the public bus. Same cost and more efficient as we were dropped off at the dock. I looked at this info board at the Visitors' Center to make transportation choices.

Here's a collage of our fishing excursion but I will post larger individual photos as well.

So here are some larger photos of our afternoon with Captain Baxter. We dropped anchor in 3 different spots. He takes 6 passengers. A nice couple from NJ shared the boat with us. They encouraged my DD13 when he was bummed out, waiting the longest among the 6 of us to finally reel in a fish. :)

Going out towards the reefs...

...turquoise waters everywhere....

..."Got one!!!"..... so exciting for the kids....this was a trigger fish...

Ad this was a silk snapper....

Yep, super exciting!

I caught this beautiful grouper but Capt. Baxter said it did not meet the size requirement to keep so we quickly let it back into the ocean.

This was the catch we kept. Andrew, the captain's son filleted them all for us. The couple with us was happy to bring home fresh fish to their timeshare..

...while we were dropped off at a local restaurant (Country Squire) to have our catch cooked up. $12 per person. I chose my fish to be pan-fried with spices while the rest of the family got their fillets fried for Fish and Chips. Coleslaw was included and delicious.

Capt. Baxter was such a pleasure to speak to. He was warm, welcoming to kids and adults alike, encouraging to those who took longer to catch something, and really, was a gentleman. We had a very interesting conversation with his son, Andrew. What a history buff! All in all, I too, am giving Capt. Baxter a 5-star rating on TripAdvisor. We caught at least 40 fish that beautiful afternoonn and only kept enough to eat.

Our day 2 started with the first ferry out from King's Wharf to St. George's. For us, it left at 9:30 am. DON'T be late. In fact, be early! They count the number of passengers and we almost did not make the count. Think it is a 400 pax-capacity ferry. I was late or almost late because I ran into the Visitors' Center to take a photo of this schedule of St. George's so I knew what would be available to us.

Sights on the ferry ride (a good 45 minutes)...

... this one's from my daughter's camera....somehow the colours were so vivid on her camera....

...World Heritage Center at St. George's....

View of St. George's from a hilltop during our walking tour.

Walking down one of 2 hilltop stops during the tour (our teen kids found the walking tour the least interesting among all the things we did in Bermuda. Does not mean it was a boring tour. It simply means it did not appeal to my kids. I could not NOT visit a UNESCO World Heritage site, y'know? One of those compromise choices made during our vacation)

The walking tour included stops at 2 churches. One is the oldest church in Bermuda, St. Peter's. Over 400 years old. Yowzer!

Here's the organ... must be LOUD in that small church...

Unfinished church...

After St. George's, we took the public bus to the South Shore beaches. This required a bus transfer in Hamilton. The public buses were clean and air-conditioned. Hallelujah for the air-conditioning, it was about 90F the day we were there. The picture below is taken from within the bus, this is just entering Hamilton.

Thanks to posts here on the forum, we decided to stop at Warwick Long Bay beach and walk towards Horseshoe Bay. This is the view from the bus stop at Warwick Long Bay. Warwick beach is on the left. The walking trails are clear from this perspective.

Here's a collage of our "hike".

Oh. My. Goodness! What stunning beaches on this stretch in Bermuda. Our family stopped to swim at two of them. There were perhaps 30 people or so at Warwick Long Bay at that time of day (1:30 pm -ish and OH SO HOT!!) but I tried my best to take photos without people in it. LOL!! There was a small concession stand here. May have even been a lifeguard. No changing rooms. My boys changed behind a bush. LOL!

More of Warwick...

....gorgeous, isn't it?

We moved on towards Horseshoe and stopped at this one, 2 beaches short of Horseshoe. It was about 3 pm by this time and scorchingly hot. The beach was mainly deserted and we felt privileged to feel like this was our own private beach....

...

... so beautiful...

By the time we got to Horseshoe Bay, we were hot and tired and it was 4 pm. This is what Horseshoe Bay looked like.

The sand was HOT and by this time, we'd been out since 9:30 am and was ready to get back on the ship. After changing out of wet clothes, I was tempted to take the shuttle back to the dockyard ($7 per person, and all just waiting there, past the changing rooms, for passengers)...but DH was adamant about using our Daypasses to the fullest. And so we hiked up the hill....felt like a good kilometer in that heat (I did not think my short and chubby legs would make it!)...and waited for the public bus. 10 mins in, the bus shelter filled with others like us and the heavens poured down rain on Bermuda. A bus arrived about 5 minutes later while it was still raining and tourists rushed to pack into the bus. The bus driver had to stand firm about how many he was letting on and pacified everyone saying another bus was on the way in 10 minutes.

Only... I had actually read the bus schedule and knew the next one would only come in 30 minutes. Sigh. We would be late for our dinner in the MDR and this was one of those occasions I wanted to say, "Heck with the paid-for bus passes, let's just take a shuttle back and pay the 28 bucks..."...but I didn't. We stuck to the public transportation and indeed were 30 minutes late for our dining reservations. I was the only one visibly perturbed by our tardiness. The others in my family simply went with the flow. As did our friends who had started without us in the MDR. :) All this to say, choose what works for you. Take whatever advice you wish from these boards but you know yourself best. Take the darn shuttle if it will make you feel better, to get back to the ship quickly and efficiently. :D

On this final day, we rented a Boston Whaler from Somerset Water Sports for 4 hours. Based on the booking form online, we picked the 10-ish availability and sent a message to see if we could actually start our rental at 9 am as we wanted to be back at the Dockyard area with plenty of time to spare. Tony responded immediately to our request and confirmed at 9:00 am booking and asked that we get there by 8:45 am for briefing on how to use the boat and where we could go. Lots of people on the forum talk about the Seadoos. Indeed, they look like ridiculous fun but knowing my family, this time around, we chose the Boston Whaler. It was awesome! Simple enough for the kids to try their hand at driving the boat. Could not wipe the silly grins off their faces. (Remember what I said about grunting teens? None seen on that morning! YES!!). Hubby who prefers speed enjoyed pushing down the throttle on the Whaler. Nothing like the "ultimate driving experience" (machine) at home but hey, we're on island time...

We had a 5-10 minutes walk trough a map (same copy would be on the boat) and was given a cooler with 4 water bottles and a bag of bread (to feed fish). We could have brought more food and drink if we wanted. The only thing missing (I felt, from the description online) was a cell phone and GPS...yes, I was worried about getting lost. Hahaha!

DS13 navigated and off we went. Oh, we also rented one snorkel gear set for the family. Seriously wonderful time, getting to spend our last morning saying goodbye to stunning Bermuda from the sea. Only $145 for 4 hours...plus gas.

Here are some of our sights from that final morning.

Here's a collage of some underwater scenes...

And here are some views of various hotels...

...and yep, this one....

and this is the collage of the morning, including feeding the fish at the HMS Vixen.

And this one, driving alongside both the Summit and the Breakaway. Oh. Emm. Gee!!!

Thank you for posting your Bermuda trip report. Both your trip report on the Celebrity board and your report on this board are excellent. Great photos too!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I loved my stop in Bermuda. I did not do everything I wanted to do but I was prepared for that and chose not to overschedule my family and that was the right thing for me and for us.

Everyone has their own opinion about what makes the BEST vacation. Know yourself and don't feel bummed by people disagreeing with you over what you KNOW is best for YOUR OWN family. You paid for your vacation, choose what you like and thank the Mr. and Mrs. Know-It-Alls for their generous opinions. :)

Have a beautiful and memorable trip to Bermuda. Here are final photos and tips worth sharing IMHO, from my vacation. Cheers!

1. This info sheet was available on our way out to enjoy Bermuda. Pick one up as you exit and disembark the ship.

On the back are various shopping deals, including free items.

2. Views from my balcony on the Summit. So blessed to have these photos.

....goodbye Bermuda....à la prochaine!

Thank you for posting your Bermuda trip report. Both your trip report on the Celebrity board and your report on this board are excellent. Great photos too!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Charles, I bookmarked LOTS of your advice all over the forum. I am honoured that you enjoyed my trip reports. Thanks so much for contributing generously to to the forum so newbies like me can benefit! Peace out! :)

Before anybody points out the handful of spelling and grammar errors on this report, let me just own them and apologize. :) I wanted to get this report up in one piece but divided into multiple days as quickly as possible and despite my Lord of the Rings-style Eye of Sauron search, I missed a few so, hope no grammarists were wounded beyond help by them. :D Got to my goal of posting the entire thing before anyone else on the forum got to start reading....well, almost. LOL!! Be well, folks!

What great photos! Thank you for giving me ideas on what to do for our next trip to Bermuda!

Beautiful pics and info! Thanks!

What a spectacular trip you and your family had - your pictures are stunning ! Thank you for taking the time to write up all those helpful details on your trip and share your experience with us - that was very generous of you. We will definitely use your tips when we head to Bermuda on the Carnival Pride on September 18th!

I really loved your pictures. I love Bermuda. My favorite spot. We also rented a Boston Whaler. It was so much fun.

What great photos! Thank you for giving me ideas on what to do for our next trip to Bermuda!

Thanks, mmaubs!! I love my photos too. Hahaha!! :D If we return to Bermuda, my kids would be older and we'd definitely consider the jetskis... plus we did not get to do Tom Moore's Jungle walk so that's on the list too for next time....and a short list of other things. Such a gorgeous island. Enjoy your next trip there. :)

What a spectacular trip you and your family had - your pictures are stunning ! Thank you for taking the time to write up all those helpful details on your trip and share your experience with us - that was very generous of you. We will definitely use your tips when we head to Bermuda on the Carnival Pride on September 18th!

Thanks, lassie21!! My pleasure to share.

Indeed, we had a marvelous trip. I had said on my trip report for the Celebrity Summit that I made efforts to keep my expectations within reason. In the end, this IS a vacation. That's a gift, any time, any day. Right? :) And since my biggest worry was running into a hurricane and we did NOT, this was indeed, as you said, a "spectacular" trip for my family and me. I am beyond thankful for what we experienced and that I got to take these precious photos and that they're mine, mine, mine. LOL!!

I wish you smooth seas to Bermuda and back and sunny skies with a comfy breeze while there. :)

I really loved your pictures. I love Bermuda. My favorite spot. We also rented a Boston Whaler. It was so much fun.

Thanks, doones2!

What a beauty Bermuda is, eh? Now that we know a bit more about her and where we can go with a Boston Whaler, it would be tempting to rent one again, but for 6 hours and bring a picnic lunch. So glad to know that at least one other family on the forum enjoyed the Boston Whaler. I read a lot more about the jetskis on the forum but the Whaler is nothing to sneeze at either. :)

Beautiful pics and info! Thanks!

Thank you, jetta8300.

Enjoy your trip to Bermuda in October. Smooth seas and wonderful weather to you as well. :)

Thanks, doones2!

 

What a beauty Bermuda is, eh? Now that we know a bit more about her and where we can go with a Boston Whaler, it would be tempting to rent one again, but for 6 hours and bring a picnic lunch. So glad to know that at least one other family on the forum enjoyed the Boston Whaler. I read a lot more about the jetskis on the forum but the Whaler is nothing to sneeze at either. :)

We would do the Boston whaler again in a heart beat. We had the taxi driver stop at a grocery store where we got sandwiches, drinks and snacks. Everything was wonderful.

Dreamer, we will be travelling next Sunday. In Port for three days. How far was the trail from Long Bay to Horseshoe Bay, and time? Would you recommend it? Seems like you thought it was too much. I haven't been to Bermuda since college spring break in 1983! I wanted to take the boat transportation to St George's for the dunking reenactment. I also planned to travel to the caves. Would also like to see the lighthouse in St David's and Gibbs. Any recommendations. Someone told me the evening Bermuda Triangle cruise is nice. I am neurotically updating my spreadsheet with bus stops and times. Someone recommended taking one of the public busses back to the dockyard and see most of the island.

Dreamer, we will be travelling next Sunday. In Port for three days. How far was the trail from Long Bay to Horseshoe Bay, and time? Would you recommend it? Seems like you thought it was too much. I haven't been to Bermuda since college spring break in 1983! I wanted to take the boat transportation to St George's for the dunking reenactment. I also planned to travel to the caves. Would also like to see the lighthouse in St David's and Gibbs. Any recommendations. Someone told me the evening Bermuda Triangle cruise is nice. I am neurotically updating my spreadsheet with bus stops and times. Someone recommended taking one of the public busses back to the dockyard and see most of the island.

There is a satellite photo of the paths here. The distance of the paths is about .6 miles, and how long it takes will depend on what you plan to do as you walk. Swimming at each beach, photos will take longer than just walking. Should be able to walk it in less than an hour. Be sure to start your walk a Warwick Long Bay and walk to Horseshoe Bay because HSB has complete facilities. Yes, I would recommend it if you have the time.

As for the rest, it would be a good idea to hire a 'blue flag' taxi for a tour of Bermuda, and you could request that visits to both lighthouses, and wench dunking in St George be included in the tour. The wench dunking is done at noon, Monday to Thursday.

A blue flag fluttering from the taxi's bonnet or a badge signifies the driver has been qualified by the government as a tour guide.

I would do the caves on my own on the day you don't do the tour.

I've attached a pdf copy of the bus schedule bus_schedule_april_2015x.pdf but in reality, most tourists do not need the full schedule. Most tourists will only use 3 bus routes at most. Route #7 to get to the south shore beaches, routes #10 or #11 to get to the caves, Swizzle Inn, and St George and route #6 to get to St Davids. The more adventurous may use more, but those tourists are the exceptions. IMO, you should not be updating your spreadsheet with bus stops and times. If you want, I have a bus route map for Bermuda that I can post.

SBtS

There is a satellite photo of the paths here. The distance of the paths is about .6 miles, and how long it takes will depend on what you plan to do as you walk. Swimming at each beach, photos will take longer than just walking. Should be able to walk it in less than an hour. Be sure to start your walk a Warwick Long Bay and walk to Horseshoe Bay because HSB has complete facilities. Yes, I would recommend it if you have the time.

 

As for the rest, it would be a good idea to hire a 'blue flag' taxi for a tour of Bermuda, and you could request that visits to both lighthouses, and wench dunking in St George be included in the tour. The wench dunking is done at noon, Monday to Thursday.

 

A blue flag fluttering from the taxi's bonnet or a badge signifies the driver has been qualified by the government as a tour guide.

I would do the caves on my own on the day you don't do the tour.

 

I've attached a pdf copy of the bus schedule [ATTACH]395841[/ATTACH] but in reality, most tourists do not need the full schedule. Most tourists will only use 3 bus routes at most. Route #7 to get to the south shore beaches, routes #10 or #11 to get to the caves, Swizzle Inn, and St George and route #6 to get to St Davids. The more adventurous may use more, but those tourists are the exceptions. IMO, you should not be updating your spreadsheet with bus stops and times. If you want, I have a bus route map for Bermuda that I can post.

 

 

SBtS

SBtS, I was hoping you would jump in!! :)

DaisyDebmo, your weather forecast for next week looks beautiful. My experience only seemed "too long" for me because it was a scorching 32 Celsius/90 Fahrenheit when we did our walk. It seems like it will be a good 20 degrees cooler for your visit than mine. So, you will not at all be huffing and puffing in the kind of heat we were in.

We got off the bus at Warwick Long Bay at 1:30 pm and got to Horseshoe Bay changing facilities at about 4:30 pm. We stopped to swim and explore at 2 beaches and yes, as you can see, I was very much into taking photos. Our stops were a good hour for each one so, I'd agree with SBtS (one of my gurus here) that the walk would take less than an hour if you were simply walking and waving to each beach and cove from one end to another. :)

As for St. George's, taking the first ferry at 9:30 am will get you there early enough to take in a walking tour before the dunking reenactment at about noon. You can check the schedule I posted...forget now if the reenactment is at noon or 12:30 pm. If there is anybody in your group that suits their volunteer needs for the reenactment, that would be an interesting option.

I love SBtS's links to maps and schedules. I used them in my preparation before our cruise and yes, I had my Word documents and Excel spreadsheets but once I got on the island, I relaxed on my need to see EVERYTHING in my once-in-a-lifetime trip....because, Bermuda was so beautiful, it made me want to return.

Lastly, my family and I totally enjoyed taking the public buses from St. George's all the way back to the Dockyard. It really was like a mini tour....that is if you don't mind not having a commentary. We just sat back and enjoyed the views AND the air-conditioning. LOL!!

Have a wonderful trip! You will fall in love with Bermuda all over again.