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Bermuda private guide

fancycroozer

By fancycroozer,
in Bermuda

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  • 2 weeks later...
GeneD

GeneD

Posted
Posted

We will be docking on a Sunday May 12 around 11:00am or so for 3 days and would like the 6 of us to walk off the ship and get a tour guide for about 3 hours. Can this type of activity be done without arranging in advance? Do we just walk up to a taxi (van size) that has blue flags on and ask for a 3 hour tour? What points of interest should we be able to see in that amount of time? Also does $150.00 sound about right for the 6 of us? Do the guides expect a tip and what would that be?

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njhorseman

njhorseman

Posted
Posted (edited)
We will be docking on a Sunday May 12 around 11:00am or so for 3 days and would like the 6 of us to walk off the ship and get a tour guide for about 3 hours. Can this type of activity be done without arranging in advance? Do we just walk up to a taxi (van size) that has blue flags on and ask for a 3 hour tour? What points of interest should we be able to see in that amount of time? Also does $150.00 sound about right for the 6 of us? Do the guides expect a tip and what would that be?

 

By not reserving a taxi in advance you're not guaranteed there will be a Blue flag certified driver available at that time.

 

The $40 per hour base rate is for 1-4 passengers. For 5-6 passengers, the fare is $55 per hour.

 

If you want to get a good feel for the highlights of the island, I would expect to take longer than 3 hours, but that's also dependent on whether you just want to do a "drive by" or actually get out at key spots to see things up close.

 

If the driver has done a good job, a tip would be customary. Probably at least $20...more if you've taken a longer tour.

Edited by njhorseman
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GeneD

GeneD

Posted
Posted (edited)

NJ,

I was thinking mostly a drive by to the highlights and a drop off at St. Georges to take the ferry back from there. It will be a Sunday so I presume that there will be very little in the way of stores open so maybe a tour of 3 hours including a drive through St. Georges and Tobacco Bay would be a good idea for us to get the lay of the land. We would have the next day and a half to explore beaches and shop in Hamilton.saving the Dockyard for embarkation day. I think the ferry from St. Georges to the Dockyard runs on Sundays.

Having been to Hamilton and the Dockyard before via ferry in and bus out I would like to see and hear about more of the island and my elderly Mom would have more of the feel of Bermuda, someplace she has always wanted to go. That Sunday would be Mother's Day and we would like to be back to the ship for dinner.

Do you think that this would be possible in 3 hours or possibly 4?

Also if anyone has a ferry schedule link I would appreciate it.

Gene

Edited by GeneD
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SailBadtheSinner

SailBadtheSinner

Posted
Posted
NJ,

I was thinking mostly a drive by to the highlights and a drop off at St. Georges to take the ferry back from there. It will be a Sunday so I presume that there will be very little in the way of stores open so maybe a tour of 3 hours including a drive through St. Georges and Tobacco Bay would be a good idea for us to get the lay of the land. .........................

 

 

Based on the 2012 summer ferry schedule, the St George <> Dockyard ferry does not run on Sunday, but the could change in 2013. Won't know that until early April.

 

 

SBtS

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njhorseman

njhorseman

Posted
Posted
NJ,

I was thinking mostly a drive by to the highlights and a drop off at St. Georges to take the ferry back from there. It will be a Sunday so I presume that there will be very little in the way of stores open so maybe a tour of 3 hours including a drive through St. Georges and Tobacco Bay would be a good idea for us to get the lay of the land. We would have the next day and a half to explore beaches and shop in Hamilton.saving the Dockyard for embarkation day. I think the ferry from St. Georges to the Dockyard runs on Sundays.

Having been to Hamilton and the Dockyard before via ferry in and bus out I would like to see and hear about more of the island and my elderly Mom would have more of the feel of Bermuda, someplace she has always wanted to go. That Sunday would be Mother's Day and we would like to be back to the ship for dinner.

Do you think that this would be possible in 3 hours or possibly 4?

Also if anyone has a ferry schedule link I would appreciate it.

Gene

 

There has been no weekend ferry service between Dockyard and St. George for several years, and although the summer schedule isn't posted yet (it will start in April) I doubt there will be any weekend service this year either, particularly on Sunday.

 

You'll have to build in time for the drive back to Dockyard from St. George into your plans. Probably you could make some stops on the way to St. George and some on the way back. You can still do it in three or four hours, but you won't have a lot of time to linger in any one place.

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GeneD

GeneD

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Sailbad and NJ.

Bummer on the ferry from St. George on Sunday. But good to know we could do a tour for 3 or 4 hours and still get back to the Dockyard. Only stops we would do possibly are for pictures. Beaches and Summerset draw bridge type and maybe the glass beach north of St. George for a short time. Battery park I think? I thought that the drawbridge in Perkins Cove, Maine was the smallest drawbridge and I have many pictures of that.

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Roscoe197

Roscoe197

Posted
Posted

njhorseman, How do I reserve a Blue Flag taxi in advance? Is there a phone number or email address? I'm still debating whether to take the NCL island bus tour or hire a taxi. If NCL has to tender during the month of June 2013, I figure that the NCL excursion might be best because it would provide priority tendering. But, I would rather take the taxi tour as I did many years ago on my honeymoon while staying at a hotel on the island. Thanks in advance for your help.

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SailBadtheSinner

SailBadtheSinner

Posted
Posted
njhorseman, How do I reserve a Blue Flag taxi in advance? Is there a phone number or email address? I'm still debating whether to take the NCL island bus tour or hire a taxi. If NCL has to tender during the month of June 2013, I figure that the NCL excursion might be best because it would provide priority tendering. But, I would rather take the taxi tour as I did many years ago on my honeymoon while staying at a hotel on the island. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Just read back in this thread, there are many tour guides/driver mentioned with contact information. Sent them an email or phone and have them reserve time for your tour. You can either have the driver/guide show you his/her Bermuda, or you can design your own tour if you know what you want to see.

 

 

SBtS

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SailBadtheSinner

SailBadtheSinner

Posted
Posted
Thanks SBtS. I assumed that those mentioned were not part of the Blue Flag network of cabs. I thought that they were private tour operators, while the Blue Flag taxis were public.

 

 

TTBOMK, all the individuals identified in this thread by the CC member who used them are all 'Blue Flag' taxi drivers.

 

The blue flag on the taxi's hood signifies the driver has qualified as a tour guide.

 

 

SBtS

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GeneD

GeneD

Posted
Posted (edited)

Just booked a tour with affordable ride mini bus tours for the 6 of us on the Sunday we arrive. Christine a rep living in Mass was very accomodating and worked with me to provide what we wanted.

tried to post the website but guess you can't do that here. google Affordableride minibus tours and it should come up.

Edited by GeneD
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njhorseman

njhorseman

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Posted
Just booked a tour with affordable ride mini bus tours for the 6 of us on the Sunday we arrive. Christine a rep living in Mass was very accomodating and worked with me to provide what we wanted.

tried to post the website but guess you can't do that here. google Affordableride minibus tours and it should come up.

 

FYI (and what I'm about to say is not a comment on the quality of their business, because I have no idea whether they do a good job or not), but they (including their rep in MA) were barred from Cruise Critic not long ago for making posts that were thinly veiled (or not even veiled) advertisements and solicitations of business. That's why Cruise Critic won't allow you to post the URL for their site.

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  • 2 weeks later...
njhorseman

njhorseman

Posted
Posted
Yes he quoted me $50/hr for 3 people for a private tour. Are they allowed to charge more if you arrange a private tour with them?

 

They're not supposed to charge more than the government-approved rate of $40 per hour. Regular point to point taxi fares are metered...it's the private tours that carry the flat $40/hour rate.

 

If my memory serves me correctly, you're not the first person to mention a driver quoting more than $40.

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njhorseman

njhorseman

Posted
Posted (edited)
What is the cost to get to Horseshoe beach via cab?

 

If we take the ferry, what is the cost for that and is there a stop very close to this beach?

 

Taxi fare to Horseshoe Beach is about $30-35. They have also been offering shared ride taxi service in recent years...up to 6 people sharing a taxi ride for about $6 or $7 each.

 

There is no ferry service to Horseshoe Bay or to any location on the South Shore. You can take the #7 bus, including some express buses from Dockyard to Horseshoe Bay.

Edited by njhorseman
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