Approach to Bermuda?

[akananook]

Hello All,

 

My family and I are taking our first cruise to Bermuda this July on the RCI Grandeur from Baltimore. Being a bit familiar with operation of small boats in the bay and ocean, I was looking at the nautical charts for Bermuda, and it looks like to get to Kings Wharf, the cruise ships will need to go to the east end of the island, and approach westward then along the north shore of Bermuda? Can anyone tell me if this is true? If so, I'd like to be sure I'm up on top for the first sighting of land and to view the Island as we go by on our way to Kings Wharf.

 

This would put the island to the south as we approach Kings Wharf, and is also the side of our balcony cabin, so I'd have a front row seat to view the island.

 

I'm suspecting we'll arrive to see Bermuda around dawn, but I don't know for sure. If anyone has any helpful info, I'd greatly appreciate it! I'm thinking of putting some coordinates in my handheld GPS just to keep track of our position for fun as we approach the island!

 

Regards,

a.k.a. Nanook!

[celbercrz333]

I'm from the Baltimore suburbs, take me with you!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, no matter which ship you go on, or which destination you are going to, as soon as land is spotted, everyone goes up on deck to see it. Some ships have better viewing areas than others. We did Celebrity Zenith from NYC to Bermuda in October 2003. Zenith has a very nice sitting area with windows all around in the front of the ship. It gets windy if you go outside, but if you do, wear a hat and sunglasses. When the ship starts moving sideways to go around a bend, the wind changes, so an indoor spot sometimes makes sense. Most ships get really crowded up on the highest level, so plan ahead of time if you can find a lower viewing area. Zenith docked at King's Wharf and to get in there from where we first started into the harbor took about 1/2 hour. Leaving Bermuda is quite a job for the crew because it is a very narrow opening that is different from the harbor we came into. People down on the land wave up to you. Make sure you have your camera and fresh batteries. Also try to figure out when you will arrive in Bermuda. Land was spotted way before we got close enough to the harbor and it was 7 am (if memory serves me right). Some people are still in bed at that hour. We also went to the back of ship once we got into the harbor because you get a different view of the water you just sailed through. Have fun and let us know how your trip goes.