HAL ending Bermuda Cruises after 2012

Yeah - that's what most of the rumors have been saying. Guess it's now official. :(

Yes, this is old news. Was posted back in October:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1506446&highlight=bermuda

Yes, this is old news. Was posted back in October:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1506446&highlight=bermuda

It's only old news if you were aware of it. Not everyone reads the boards every day.

Thanks for posting the link, Willsot.

Yeah - that's what most of the rumors have been saying. Guess it's now official. :(

Glad we have one booked for May....

That's too bad. My wife and I loved being able to walk off the ship in downtown Hamilton. Went over to the RN Dockyard one day and thought it was a little out of the way for the things in Bermuda that interested us---your mileage may vary.

This won't bother me at all. I think the Bermuda itineraries are overpriced for what you get. My opinion, of course.

This won't bother me at all. I think the Bermuda itineraries are overpriced for what you get. My opinion, of course.

Have you checked the prices for a land vacation to Bermuda? Air, Hotel, meals? I found HAL to Bermuda to be a good deal on our trip this summer.

It's only old news if you were aware of it. Not everyone reads the boards every day.

 

Thanks for posting the link, Willsot.

Sorry, my mistake. I thought that is why there was a search feature. No big deal...

Sorry, my mistake. I thought that is why there was a search feature. No big deal...

and I apologize. I did do a search but apparently not thorough enough. I was traveling the month of October.

and I apologize. I did do a search but apparently not thorough enough. I was traveling the month of October.

No reason to apologize IMO

Most of us do not do a thorough search before we begin a new thread. It was a reasonable thing to post and probably of interest to many.

Welcome Back. Hope your October travels were wonderful. :)

Have you checked the prices for a land vacation to Bermuda? Air, Hotel, meals? I found HAL to Bermuda to be a good deal on our trip this summer.

I agree. Veendam was a great deal, especially if you cruise in Sept when the rates hit rock bottom and the gangway is line with upgrades.

After many many years of taking this cruises on Hoem Lines & HAL - it remains one of my all time favorites......

The last 2 years we have taken the Veendam & it certainly left a lot to be desired all around except for the ease of docking along Front Street for 4 days & the ease of boarding a ship 40 blocks nort of our home.

I long for home lines & wish a decent line took the spot of Veendam...

It's a shame that the Island will lack a major line ship being able to dock in St. George or Hamilton. Many years ago my wife and I sat outside having lunch at the White Horse Tavern in St. George on a plane/hotel trip and watch various ships from NCL, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity docked in St. George and said that would be the way to come to Bermuda next time. Fast forward a couple of years and we were there, this time with kids in tow, via the Celebrity Zenith. Once most of the lines pulled out the smaller ships we came back several years later on the RC Explorer of the Seas, which due to its size was restricted to the Dockyard. You really don’t get the same experience only stopping at the Dockyard, as being on Front Street in Hamilton or in St. George can’t be beat. We’ve had other family members travel on the Veendam the past two seasons, which both times skipped the anchorage at St. George and sailed directly to Hamilton. Bermuda is never going to foot the bill to widen the two passes needed to enter either Hamilton or St. George, so they’re forever be limited to using the Dockyard. And getting around the Island from the Dockyard can be quite adventurous given their recent difficulties with public transportation.

The article I read said "Holland America did not say why it planned to shift the Veendam away from Bermuda, but it’s no secret that the line has struggled a bit with the itinerary". If that's the case, I'm glad to see HAL move to a more viable itinerary.

The article I read said "Holland America did not say why it planned to shift the Veendam away from Bermuda, but it’s no secret that the line has struggled a bit with the itinerary". If that's the case, I'm glad to see HAL move to a more viable itinerary.

Just might be that HAL is playing hardball with Bermuda. "Let us open the casino while in port and make some money, or we're outta here."

With three or four days in port and most people off the ship much of the time, not much money to be made.

Veendam was a great deal, especially if you cruise in Sept when the rates hit rock bottom and the gangway is line with upgrades.

I just noticed that we were on the same 9/11 cruise. That's exactly what my wife and I did: we booked after major price drop, got an upgrade, and it was much cheaper than flying and staying in a hotel and eating in restaurants for four days.

I'm so glad we were able to take this cruise, this past summer. It was wonderful. Too bad HAL won't continue it after 2012.

It's a shame that the Island will lack a major line ship being able to dock in St. George or Hamilton. Many years ago my wife and I sat outside having lunch at the White Horse Tavern in St. George on a plane/hotel trip and watch various ships from NCL, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity docked in St. George and said that would be the way to come to Bermuda next time. Fast forward a couple of years and we were there, this time with kids in tow, via the Celebrity Zenith. Once most of the lines pulled out the smaller ships we came back several years later on the RC Explorer of the Seas, which due to its size was restricted to the Dockyard. You really don’t get the same experience only stopping at the Dockyard, as being on Front Street in Hamilton or in St. George can’t be beat. We’ve had other family members travel on the Veendam the past two seasons, which both times skipped the anchorage at St. George and sailed directly to Hamilton. Bermuda is never going to foot the bill to widen the two passes needed to enter either Hamilton or St. George, so they’re forever be limited to using the Dockyard. And getting around the Island from the Dockyard can be quite adventurous given their recent difficulties with public transportation.

What are some of the transportation problems at the dockyard?

What are some of the transportation problems at the dockyard?

In the past they have had strikes. At times the busses are full. & there is a wait for busses & the ferry as to be expected.

That is a real shame. I took this cruise this Summer and loved it. The ship was full but perhaps they don't make much on board revenue.

To me this cruise had something wonderful about it- it was a voyage to sunny island, akin to the Caribbean, but still not so touristy, still relatively untouched to, say, St. Thomas, Nassau or St. Martin. I fell in love with Bermuda, and the cruise that HAL offered. Docking in Hamilton adds a lot more to the cruise imo, and the stop in St. George is also a great way to enter Bermuda. With all cruises now using the Royal Dockyards, with the Norwegian Breakaway etc. soon to be based in Bermuda, I won't be surprised if the next time I visit this beautiful island it would be much more (negatively) developed in a touristy sense.

I hope someone fills the void and docks in Hamilton, but other than HAL I can't see which mainstream line has a vessel small enough to do it. Horizon and her sister are now gone, as is Empress of the Seas and the smaller Carnival ships. I guess the Princess R ships, but they are off doing much more exotic voyages.

It would seem that with the withdrawal of the Veendam, the last remnant of Home Lines ''classical'' style Bermudan cruising is gone, with the giants of today taking over.

That is a real shame. I took this cruise this Summer and loved it. The ship was full but perhaps they don't make much on board revenue.

To me this cruise had something wonderful about it- it was a voyage to sunny island, akin to the Caribbean, but still not so touristy, still relatively untouched to, say, St. Thomas, Nassau or St. Martin. I fell in love with Bermuda, and the cruise that HAL offered. Docking in Hamilton adds a lot more to the cruise imo, and the stop in St. George is also a great way to enter Bermuda. With all cruises now using the Royal Dockyards, with the Norwegian Breakaway etc. soon to be based in Bermuda, I won't be surprised if the next time I visit this beautiful island it would be much more (negatively) developed in a touristy sense.

I hope someone fills the void and docks in Hamilton, but other than HAL I can't see which mainstream line has a vessel small enough to do it. Horizon and her sister are now gone, as is Empress of the Seas and the smaller Carnival ships. I guess the Princess R ships, but they are off doing much more exotic voyages.

It would seem that with the withdrawal of the Veendam, the last remnant of Home Lines, Bermuda Star Line, even HAL ''classical'' style Bermudan cruising is gone, with the giants of today taking over.

I leave you with a photograph of the much loved Queen of Bermuda docked in Front Street.

All who have been on this cruise and the ones before it are very lucky to have experienced Bermuda in the ''classical'' way, rather than be strewn at the Royal Navy Dockyards- nothing wrong with the latter, but something intimate would have been lost.

RMS Queen of Bermuda docked in Hamilton on a cruise from New York City in 1939

Here she is again, two yeas earlier in 1937.

We're doing the Veendam in May...I figure it's now or never. And we were in Bermuda for our honeymoon 44 years ago next May...so why not? The prices are a lot less costly than flying to and from Bermuda and staying in a hotel or resort....we've done that several times and it's quite costly...as is the cost of dining out.

That is a real shame. I took this cruise this Summer and loved it. The ship was full but perhaps they don't make much on board revenue.

I just noticed that we were on the same 9/11 cruise. That's exactly what my wife and I did: we booked after major price drop, got an upgrade, and it was much cheaper than flying and staying in a hotel and eating in restaurants for four days.

Veendam was a great deal, especially if you cruise in Sept when the rates hit rock bottom and the gangway is line with upgrades.