What to do with 20 ppl ages 1 -80?

[mloca]

We are going as a family on an anniversary cruise this summer. The youngest cousin is 1 and my father in law has some difficulty walking. Worried about stairs at the caverns and lighthouses for the little one and older ones. Thinking Horseshoe Bay for an afternoon but was looking for some other fun activities. I am playing the role of cruise director. HELP! Any insight is appreciated :)

[biker@sea]

We are going as a family on an anniversary cruise this summer. The youngest cousin is 1 and my father in law has some difficulty walking. Worried about stairs at the caverns and lighthouses for the little one and older ones. Thinking Horseshoe Bay for an afternoon but was looking for some other fun activities. I am playing the role of cruise director. HELP! Any insight is appreciated :)

 

I would take them all to St. George on the fast ferry .

 

It is a U.N.E.S.C.O. world heritage site chuck full of stuff in a walkable distance .

 

The park ,perfumery , restaurants and ruin's are popular .

 

Tobbaco bay beach is handy too.:D

[wwcruisers]

You don't say which port you are sailing to, but Dockyard is fairly accessible, for strollers and older folks. There is a little (free) trolley that you can take around the area, if walking the whole way is too hard. :cool:

[Clancy14]

Hi!

 

There really is no way that you can stay together and do excursions as a group that will be appropriate/doable for all members of your family. Seems you have booked the cruise and then looked at what to do, instead of the other way around.

 

The youngest and oldest members of your group would be prohibited by age, size and ability from doing the Lighthouse and either of the Caverns. They are way too strenuous and require climbing and crawling, with limited handrails and and safety rails. Gorgeous scenery from the heights and depths of the island but very perilous in spots. Scratch them from your list for these members and those that would need to stay with them!

 

You will require either a private taxi or two, from Horseshoe Bay, or taking the local "To the Top" Van because the beach is the at BOTTOM of a steep hill and there is no public transportation from the beach to the main road at the top.

 

There is a medium length walk from the walking lot to the beach itself and you will need chairs and umbrellas to be able to allow the infant/kids to stay out in the sun for more than 15-20 minutes - the sun is intense!

 

There are tee-shirts for sale in Bermuda that say "I Survived The Pink Bus" which is the way to describe the public transportation system in Bermuda. It is their main way of transport to work, home, shopping, etc., and they stay on schedule. The driver's are very pleasant but are not tour guides and will not speak with you while they drive to answer questions about what you are seeing along the way. Not all busses are handicapped accessible and you WILL NEVER find 15 seats available on any one bus at any one time. The bus will not wait while you decide if you are going to stay together or spilt up.

 

Please get some 2015 Tour Books at the local book store (Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc. and do some serious planning RIGHT NOW). You have taken on a BIG assignment! I hope things work out well for you!

 

- Miriam

Edited May 6, 2015 by Clancy14

[marci22]

clancy14 gave you good advice.

 

It would probably be best to split up your group, depending on which activities people are interested in. Unless you are staying within the Dockyard area, or hiring a private van(s), some activities will be difficult for the youngest and oldest members of your group.

[diamondella]

You might want to check out this link about the Dockyard, especially if you are going to be there on a Sunday, there's a lot to do for little ones.

[mloca]

Thank you. I will get some tour books asap. Thinking just taking public transport to horseshoe one day.

[janetz]

It is stressful to try to find something that everyone can do. I would suggest everyone do their own thing. Some may want to hit the beach, some may want to do a tour, etc. ;)

[mloca]

We are docking at Kings Wharf. I am planning on one beach day and then giving a list of options for Day 2. It is a large group to try to please everyone. Thank you!

[jakesnana]

We are docking at Kings Wharf. I am planning on one beach day and then giving a list of options for Day 2. It is a large group to try to please everyone. Thank you!

 

If you are going to do the beach, I would recommend using the beach shuttle for $16 pp round trip. I do not think the older people in your group would be able to "easily" do the walk from the main road down (and then up) the hill to the pink buses. If you are purchasing the multi-day bus passes, then you could use them and pay for the $2 shuttle to get to the top of the hill.

 

For day 2, check out the thread on private vendors in Bermuda. I found a very good one who offers a 6 1/2 hour tour for $80 per person. It sounds like it could be a good option for the people in your group who are less mobile, but want to see the whole island.

[Clancy14]

Hi! -

 

Perhaps you missed this line/sentence:....

 

The driver's are very pleasant but are not tour guides and will not speak with you while they drive to answer questions about what you are seeing along the way. Not all busses are handicapped accessible and you WILL NEVER find 15 seats available on any one bus at any one time. The bus will not wait while you decide if you are going to stay together or spilt up. (It is QUICK on, Quick off, be ready to scramble at your stop!)

 

 

It is a hot, hair-raising adventure and you will still need another way to get DOWN to the beach (STEEP hill, especially for Seniors in HOT sun!), when you get off the pink-bus!

 

-Happy planning! - Miriam

[yahooey]

I just got back Sunday Norwegian Breakaway. Day 1 - Horseshoe Bay. Take a shuttle (not to be confused with the public bus) $16.00 round trip. They have white kiosks on the main road near where the cruise ships dock. This shuttle brings you to Horseshoe Bay - right at the beach so you avoid the steep climb that everyone talks about when taking the pink bus.

 

I know the excursion seller was telling us only their excursion brings you right to the beach. NOT true. The16.00 fee - driver will give you stub for your return trip. The mini buses are privately owned so they vary in size. Some are bigger than others. They are licensed by the government to transport for the 'beach shuttle'. Usually it is first come, first serve. They don't leave until the whole bus is filled. I think children don't pay if under a certain age, but you have to put them on your lap. 1 seat per paying customer.

 

They have bathrooms, changing areas with showers, food, chair and umbrella rentals. $15 per lounge chair and $11 per umbrella I think.

 

2nd day - Ferry to St George http://www.seaexpress.bm/ferries_about.aspx

The ferry runs different times at different days. Check before you go.

I was there Thursday and didn't know the ferry runs 9:30 11:30...

Since we missed the 9:30 ferry - we had to wait until 11:30 and didn't get to the beach until after noon.

 

I paid for the hop on/off beach shuttle loop. $6.00 all day

The shuttle makes stops along the way, Tobacco Bay was my destination and various points of interest. It is supposed to run every 1/2 hr. I paid going to the beach and walked back to the ferry. 20 minute walk.

Water is calmer than Horseshoe and you can see fish standing near the rocks.

There isn't a large beach (sand), but since it is still low season, we were fine.

 

I don't know about any other activity since it was my first time there. Enjoy

[giggleshanks]

If so, check out "Picture Perfect Tours" http://www.pictureperfecttours.net/tours/

 

My cousin and I spent an awesome afternoon with Aderonke. We are a couple of rookies who love to take pictures, but always have our camera settings on Automatic. Aderonke was so patient with us, showing us how to use our different cameras in Manual mode and take beautiful images. She took us to the most interesting spots to shoot, down the back roads and into pretty little lanes and out of the way places that a tourist would never know about. She told us all about Bermuda's history and culture too. What an incredible guide she is! This tour was the highlight of our stay in Bermuda!

[mloca]

If you are going to do the beach, I would recommend using the beach shuttle for $16 pp round trip. I do not think the older people in your group would be able to "easily" do the walk from the main road down (and then up) the hill to the pink buses. If you are purchasing the multi-day bus passes, then you could use them and pay for the $2 shuttle to get to the top of the hill.

 

For day 2, check out the thread on private vendors in Bermuda. I found a very good one who offers a 6 1/2 hour tour for $80 per person. It sounds like it could be a good option for the people in your group who are less mobile, but want to see the whole island.

Thank you. I think we will skip the busses and do the shuttle. It is a thrifty group going so day 2 may turn into a free for all. Appreciate your feedback! :)

[mloca]

I just got back Sunday Norwegian Breakaway. Day 1 - Horseshoe Bay. Take a shuttle (not to be confused with the public bus) $16.00 round trip. They have white kiosks on the main road near where the cruise ships dock. This shuttle brings you to Horseshoe Bay - right at the beach so you avoid the steep climb that everyone talks about when taking the pink bus.

 

I know the excursion seller was telling us only their excursion brings you right to the beach. NOT true. The16.00 fee - driver will give you stub for your return trip. The mini buses are privately owned so they vary in size. Some are bigger than others. They are licensed by the government to transport for the 'beach shuttle'. Usually it is first come, first serve. They don't leave until the whole bus is filled. I think children don't pay if under a certain age, but you have to put them on your lap. 1 seat per paying customer.

 

They have bathrooms, changing areas with showers, food, chair and umbrella rentals. $15 per lounge chair and $11 per umbrella I think.

 

2nd day - Ferry to St George http://www.seaexpress.bm/ferries_about.aspx

The ferry runs different times at different days. Check before you go.

I was there Thursday and didn't know the ferry runs 9:30 11:30...

Since we missed the 9:30 ferry - we had to wait until 11:30 and didn't get to the beach until after noon.

 

I paid for the hop on/off beach shuttle loop. $6.00 all day

The shuttle makes stops along the way, Tobacco Bay was my destination and various points of interest. It is supposed to run every 1/2 hr. I paid going to the beach and walked back to the ferry. 20 minute walk.

Water is calmer than Horseshoe and you can see fish standing near the rocks.

There isn't a large beach (sand), but since it is still low season, we were fine.

 

I don't know about any other activity since it was my first time there. Enjoy

 

Thank you so much! St.George sounds great! I will look into it and put it as an option for the trip. Getting excited. :)

[ydan04]

mloca, I can't offer much help as I've never been to Bermuda, but I'm in the same research phase. I'm planning for a smaller group (of 8) from ages 9 to 82, with my mother having big mobility issues. I heard good things on another forum/thread and in guidebook about Tobacco Bay - good snorkeling and also a deck area with picnic tables with great views for those who cannot not walk far in sand. I don't know if there's enough sand area and soft shallows for littlest ones. Maybe someone else can comment. Getting there as a big group sounds hard, but you could go in groups and meet there.

 

Since my group is smaller and no babies/toddlers, I'm thinking about renting a Pontoon boat - fits 10 adults - for an afternoon from the Dockyard. I haven't yet found anyone who's done it with mobility issues. Again, maybe someone else can comment.

 

You can also try local libraries for guidebooks - not 2015 but same main ideas - then recheck online for new schedules/prices. Good luck with your planning. Let us know what you find.

[paradiseawaitsme]

We are going as a family on an anniversary cruise this summer. The youngest cousin is 1 and my father in law has some difficulty walking. Worried about stairs at the caverns and lighthouses for the little one and older ones. Thinking Horseshoe Bay for an afternoon but was looking for some other fun activities. I am playing the role of cruise director. HELP! Any insight is appreciated :)

 

I got tour books and maps from gotobermuda.com. They were free and came within two weeks.:D

[ydan04]

I got tour books and maps from gotobermuda.com. They were free and came within two weeks.:D

 

Thanks for the site - I ordered map. (The unofficial tourism sites come up high in the search engines, so it's possible to miss this site.)