What's it like, overnighting in port?

As you can see from my signature, the only style of cruising I've done is the classic Caribbean, several ports in a week itinerary. We're considering a Bermuda cruise in summer 2017, perhaps NCL Breakaway out of NYC. The ship docks for 55 hours straight... what's that like?

My memories of port days are that the ship is mostly a ghost town while everyone gets off and enjoys the port. Is that true on this type of itinerary? What remains open on the ship - are the pools open? All the restaurants and bars, or just one or two? Is the kids' club open? The casino? Are there still post-dinner shows while the ship is docked?

Do people tend to return to the ship for meals? Recalling some l-o-n-g waits in line to board and disembark, and wondering if that's feasible multiple times per day - or, are there hardly any lines, because there's no one set time everyone's leaving or arriving? If you do stay on board, are there others around or is it isolating?

Thanks for any thoughts - we're intrigued by this style of itinerary and trying to figure out if it's a good fit for us.

As you can see from my signature, the only style of cruising I've done is the classic Caribbean, several ports in a week itinerary. We're considering a Bermuda cruise in summer 2017, perhaps NCL Breakaway out of NYC. The ship docks for 55 hours straight... what's that like?

 

My memories of port days are that the ship is mostly a ghost town while everyone gets off and enjoys the port. Is that true on this type of itinerary? What remains open on the ship - are the pools open? All the restaurants and bars, or just one or two? Is the kids' club open? The casino? Are there still post-dinner shows while the ship is docked?

 

Do people tend to return to the ship for meals? Recalling some l-o-n-g waits in line to board and disembark, and wondering if that's feasible multiple times per day - or, are there hardly any lines, because there's no one set time everyone's leaving or arriving? If you do stay on board, are there others around or is it isolating?

 

Thanks for any thoughts - we're intrigued by this style of itinerary and trying to figure out if it's a good fit for us.

Passengers come and go over the three days. There is no curfew. There might be a bit of a rush to get off when the ship first arrives, some want to catch the first ferries, but it is not too bad since the ship is going to be there three days. The casino will be closed during the day but be open from 9:00 pm to 5:00 am. The shops will be closed. The pools and restaurants will be open. There will be evening shows and other entertainment. As for meals, some return, some don't. That is an individual decision. I never return for lunch but some do. It would be a waste of time to return for every meal while in Bermuda. I always have breakfast, dinner that depends. I don't plan my activities in Bermuda around returning for dinner. I don't know about what it is like for those who stay onboard because I never do. Bermuda is a beautiful island with lots to do. There is no point sailing to Bermuda and staying onboard in port. There are three sea days to relax onboard. I have returned sometimes early in the afternoon, 3 or 4, and there are plenty of people onboard. The ship is not empty then. Considering that Breakaway has 4500 passengers I doubt it is ever empty.

A Bermuda cruise is different. You should want to see and do things in Bermuda. Keep in mind that Bermuda is not a Caribbean port. There are other itineraries that have overnights. I have done overnights in Istanbul, Venice and St. Petersburg. Overnights are a great opportunity to see a port with more depth than single day port calls.

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Sometimes it seems as though there are more people on the ship on a Bermuda cruise then when cruising the Caribbean. We went in June and this was our 25th or so Bermuda cruise over the past 35 or so years. When in the Caribbean, you're pretty much at any one island 8-ish to 5-ish. Everyone wants to get off and see/do as much as they can in the time allotted. On most of the Bermuda cruises, you're there for 3 or 4 days. One day, you might spend a morning on the ship and not venture out until the afternoon. One day, you might do a morning tour , have lunch on the island come back to the ship and "pool it" that afternoon. One day you might go to the beach for only part of the day and come back to the ship. As you're there for a few days, you don't have to pack everything into one 8 to 5 day. Relax, and come and go as you please as you can get on/off 24/7. (Well....maybe not "7" as you're only there for 3 or 4 days.

Why go on a cruise just to sit in a port for 3 days? That was my thinking before I went on a cruise to Bermuda, but now I am going back in 3 months. We had two wonderful sea days to enjoy the ship, then 3 days docked in Bermuda to get up late and explore for as long or as short as we wanted. I am taking my parents for their 63th wedding anniversary this October and one of the reason I booked the Bermuda cruise is that my father was not sure if he would like being on a ship the whole time.

We only ate off the ship once and it was expensive! It was nice to go off and on as many times in a day as we wanted and it was nice not to have to worry about missing the ship for two of the days. I am hooked on Bermuda!

We take the Summit to Bermuda every year. Its great to be in port three days. No rush to leave, no rush to get back. We generally get off the ship on Thursday, and spend Wed and Fri on board. The pool is quiet, lounges available etc.... Eating off ship is very expensive (as is everything in Bermuda).

What do you do at night time in Bermuda?

Just got back, overnighting was great. Nice to not have to worry about when to come back on two of the days, and we never encountered crowds boarding or leaving because of the relaxed pace. On weds we left after early breakfast and didnt come back til 1100pm. The second day we had breakfast on the ship, did a jet ski tour, came back for lunch, went out around the dockyard, went back to the ship for dinner and then had a sunset glass bottom boat tour. The third day, we had breakfast on the ship early and spent the morning at the south shore beaches. We were back at dockyards around 230 for the 4pm departure. In this way we only had two (expensive) meals in Bermuda, which is good for the pocketbook, not so good if you want to exoerience more local restaurants. There were always thing still going on on the ship, including some of the game type things and shows (we were disappointed to have to miss the magician on one of the port days)

My first cruise 3 years ago involved day trips and tendering. A nightmare. Never again.

It was pure heaven overnighting in Bermuda - sleep in if you want, easy on and off ship. We had entertainment booked every night on the ship, so we did not experience Bermudian night life. Otherwise, we would have taken the Ferry to Hamilton for dinner.

FYI, you can take off the ship unopened packages of food like chips and nuts. My father is diabetic and we were concerned about when and where our next meal would be when off the ship.

did anyone ever book a room in bermuda while off the ship.

did anyone ever book a room in bermuda while off the ship.

Hotel rooms in Bermuda are expensive, would you get an all inclusive package to Disney World and then rent a room at Universal Studios for one night when you visit that park?

Maybe someone has, I wouldn't.

Hotel rooms in Bermuda are expensive, would you get an all inclusive package to Disney World and then rent a room at Universal Studios for one night when you visit that park?

 

 

 

Maybe someone has, I wouldn't.

I would not either. I already have a room and hotel rooms in Bermuda are expensive.

Someone earlier this year posted they were renting a room overnight at the Fairmont in order to use the amenities. Pool , beach, etc. And you have to take a shuttle to the beach. That room would be very expensive. I don't think it is worth it.

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I've overnighted in Bermuda 3 times and we are going again in early sept. Absolutely love it. Bermuda is an expensive island to stay on so this is a great choice. I've gotten day passes at Coco Reef which comes with Lunch, loungers/umbrellas and use of pool and showers. I think it was around $70 for the day. We enjoyed it.

What do you do at night time in Bermuda?

We're going in Sept and I've been wondering this too. We don't want to sit on the ship all evening, but we're not into partying and not interested in drinking.

We're going in Sept and I've been wondering this too. We don't want to sit on the ship all evening, but we're not into partying and not interested in drinking.

The ship will have its typical array of evening entertainment. You didn't say what ship you're on, but most will have the casino open starting at 9 pm. Other than the shops being closed it's no different than if the ship was traveling from one port to the next. It's not as if you have to sit in your cabin and stare at the four walls.

There are some restaurants and bars in Bermuda that have evening music, but what might be available that's convenient to the ship depends on when and where you're docked.

Thanks for responding. Well be on the Carnival Pride in late Sept. I should have clarified what I was asking. I'm wondering what there is to do off the ship. I haven't found any excursions that don't involve rum tasting or similar. There is a glass-bottomed boat tour at night, but it has bad reviews. The dockyard shops and museum all close around 6:00. But of course we can still enjoy the ship and all she offers. We were just hoping to enjoy more of Bermuda instead!

Thanks for responding. Well be on the Carnival Pride in late Sept. I should have clarified what I was asking. I'm wondering what there is to do off the ship. I haven't found any excursions that don't involve rum tasting or similar. There is a glass-bottomed boat tour at night, but it has bad reviews. The dockyard shops and museum all close around 6:00. But of course we can still enjoy the ship and all she offers. We were just hoping to enjoy more of Bermuda instead!

At the Dockyard the Frog and Onion Pub stays open late, until midnight. There is also Bone Fish Bar and Grill, open until 1:00 am. A few other places. Also a party boat if it's still docked there in late September, Captain Jack's floating bar. Unfortunately drinking at all those.

Okay, how about mini golf. The mini golf is open until 10:00 pm.

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Thank you!

Snorkel Park is also open late on some nights and has a party there or sometime. It is on their website.

Thanks for responding. Well be on the Carnival Pride in late Sept. I should have clarified what I was asking. I'm wondering what there is to do off the ship. I haven't found any excursions that don't involve rum tasting or similar. There is a glass-bottomed boat tour at night, but it has bad reviews. The dockyard shops and museum all close around 6:00. But of course we can still enjoy the ship and all she offers. We were just hoping to enjoy more of Bermuda instead!

Not sure what you thought you might find. There used to be a candlelight tour in St. George and the Island Pipe Band along with the Bermuda Regiment did a Beat Retreat there as well. One year we were fortunate to get front row seats behind the mayor. Here's a video.

http://bernews.com/2011/07/videos-st-george%E2%80%99s-beating-of-the-retreat/

A number of years ago, there were also some things in Hamilton or close by. One was a calypso show with steel bands and other island music by the locals. There was also a carnival party with buffet on Hawkins Island, a private island in Hamilton's Great Sound.

Of course, none of this helps you but these things disappeared after small ships were gone and the mega ships arrived that can't dock in either St. George or Hamilton.

We did a great night time boat excursion from the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute to see the glow worms. The tour is still available but you would run into some problems. First, they are only out on the second or third day after a full moon and transportation to and from Hamilton could be dicey. Once again, we were docked in Hamilton so, even though it was a healthy walk, we walked from the ship to BUEI.

http://bernews.com/2014/06/experience-glow-worms-with-buei-tours/

Video only shows one but there are lots and it's hard to photograph or video them.

If the timing is right, a place to see them on your own is from the Watford Bridge but it's no guarantee you'll see any.

If you are not party people, your only night time options are the bars that were mentioned. Friend has a band that plays a nice variety of music at Henry VIII but only once a month and on Fridays. There's always Hamilton Harbour Night, a street fair with food, usually the Gombeys and some nice artwork by local artists.

I thought the shops at the Clock Tower Mall stayed open later when ships were in.

 

 

 

There's always Hamilton Harbour Night, a street fair with food, usually the Gombeys and some nice artwork by local artists.

 

 

 

The last Harbour Night for 2016 would be this week. Not an option for the September and October sailings.

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