Planning first Bermuda cruise..have some questions

[philamom]

Me and my husband would like to do a Bermuda cruise from the East coast at the end of August / early September. I need some help from the experts

 

Which cruise line is best for a couple in their early 30's ?

 

What is the best place to dock ?

 

What are the must see/must do for most likely our one and only trip/cruise to Bermuda?

 

We are also shopping around for the best price, would it be best to use a travel agent or do a booking online (and if so what site is best?)

 

Thanks in advance for any advice :)

[Mike2131]

Me and my husband would like to do a Bermuda cruise from the East coast at the end of August / early September. I need some help from the experts

 

Which cruise line is best for a couple in their early 30's ?

 

What is the best place to dock ?

 

What are the must see/must do for most likely our one and only trip/cruise to Bermuda?

 

We are also shopping around for the best price, would it be best to use a travel agent or do a booking online (and if so what site is best?)

 

Thanks in advance for any advice :)

 

I am by no means an expert, but here is my 2 cents worth:

1) You cruises choices will probably boil down to NCL, Celebrity, RCCL, and Radisson. I will eliminate those cruises that visit Bermuda only as one port on a cruise to or from the Caribbean. If you want a younger crowd, NCL or RCCL wil be your best choices. We have never sailed NCL and really did not care for RCCL on our recently completed 5 night Bermuda cruise. Celebrity (a personal favorite) will offer the Zenith, an older ship that still will offer good food and service, but will have an older crowd and probably fewer entertainment options. Radisson will probably offer the Navigator. We have never sailed Radisson, but it will offer excellent food, service, and accomodations. It will also be the highest priced option.

2) Best place to dock? Except for ships as large as the Voyager, the ships will usually visit 2 or 3 locations (King's Wharf, Hamilton, and St. George). St. George will only allow ships the size of the Zenith or smaller to dock since the approach is extremely narrow.

3) Must see and do? It depends on your interests. Bermuda offers history, excellent snorkel and scuba, etc. Check out the guide books and see what fits your interests.

4) TA vs. On-line booking? Board restrictions really prohibit the promotion of any TA or site. We use a large Internet agency based in our city. We get the advantage of low Internet pricing and a live TA. Bermuda cruises tend to be pricey, so start looking for those deals.

Also decide how much time you want to spend. The 5 night cruises are only in Bermuda less than 2 days. The 7 night cruises allow more time -and would be my suggestion.

Have a great cruise.

[dolfinmusic]

My friend and I are booked on the Empress sailing out of Phila on 9/16/06 to Bermuda! It will be our first time to Bermuda and I am very excited! We are in our thirties too! Look forward to reading all responses! Thanks!

[BeachBumMama]

Love the Bermuda sailing, I sailed NCL Majesty, it's an older, smaller ship, not like the mega ships, but its very intimate and the staff amazing. There was quite a variety of ages, from young newleyweds to older couples to families. It was just my hubby and I this trip (early 40's) and we met many people.

 

The one thing I loved about the Majesty is that it stays in St. George for the days in Bermuda, the only ship that does. YOu can get around to the other parts of the island with bus and ferry passes.

 

Before I went, I scoured these boards and came up with all the info I needed, but I have to go back, missed some things - lol

 

As I've only been on the Majesty I can't comment on the other cruise lines. But as for pricing, September and Oct are going to be the better prices, kids are back in school and it seems to be a low time for ships so pricing seems to be very good at that time. The weather and water is still wonderful then, we went late September.

 

The Majesty sailed out of Boston as I believe it will in 2006, but not sure about 2007. As for TA or online, I always book online or direct with cruiseline, but that's a personal preference, check around. I'd start with the cruiseline itself and go from there.

 

Whatever you decide, you'll love Bermuda, and it may not be your first and last, I'm definately planning another.

[CaribbeanBound]

Here's a VERY detailed review of our Bermuda trip.

Feel free to email me any questions.

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/bermuda.html

[cruiserssandr]

We have done the Boston to Bermuda cruise on the Norwegian Majesty 7 times. We also love the smaller ship and being docked in St George for the entire time.

[Jeanne S]

Me and my husband would like to do a Bermuda cruise from the East coast at the end of August / early September. I need some help from the experts

 

 

Which cruise line is best for a couple in their early 30's ?

 

 

What is the best place to dock ?

 

What are the must see/must do for most likely our one and only trip/cruise to Bermuda?

 

 

We are also shopping around for the best price, would it be best to use a travel agent or do a booking online (and if so what site is best?)

 

 

 

Thanks in advance for any advice :)

 

Radisson no longer sails to Bermuda from NYC/Norfolk, however Princess is making a stop as part of its Crown Carribean Cruises (9day) RT from Brooklyn. We are booked for 9/30 and will stop at King's Wharf. The NCL Dawn has scrapped its Florida ports and made its Bahamas cruiess ot of NYC combine with a stop at KW also. We are doing this. Finally we are booked on the NCL Crown 8/20 and were able to get an Owners Suite which is huge at a great price which is good as we wanted a balcony.

 

RCCL or NCL, but RCCL only sails for 5 days and just to KW. NCL is 7 days and you get all three ports.

 

 

St. George's.

 

Turtle Bay Catamarran Trip to Private Island (anything on the Rising Sun II). Another good Cat and crew are the Chelonia. All cats have snorkeling.

 

Tobacco Bay Beach - but go late in the afteroon as it gets crowded earlier and is small. Can walk from St Georges. On the South Shore, any of those beaches are wonderful. We like Elbow Beach.

 

For Shopping Carole Holding, Marks and Spencer, Rum Cake Factory and Crafts Mart.

A TA would be best. If you encounter any problems you may be very sorry you booked on line - you get what you pay for. Just make sure th TA is very familiar with BErmuda and has actually personally been there.

[Kevinc6969]

Mike2131...you wrote " I will eliminate those cruises that visit Bermuda only as one port on a cruise to or from the Caribbean." Why would you do that? I have never been to Bermuda but like the idea of cruising to see many different ports. If I find one we really like then we return at later date. Maybe I'm missing something about Bermuda???? Please explain.

 

TA vs. Online? We never use a travel agent anymore. Always use discount online web sites. Have found much better prices. Personal preference though.

[celbercrz333]

We did Celebrity Zenith from NYC to Bermuda. Now it goes out of NJ. It was our first cruise ever. The first night out we hit a tropical storm (and lived to talk about it). We went in October. Food was great, the pools onboard a little small, live music around the pool was nice. It docks right in Hamilton (the capital), and in St. George's. In St. George's it was down a little from the Town Hall. Another ship (NCL line I believe) has it's berth right at the Town Hall in St. George. We did the "Don't Stop the Carnival Party" excursion from Hamilton one night. If you've ever been to a real Hawaiian luau I would imagine this is a disappointment. For us, having never done a true luau, we liked it. All it lacked was a pit with a roasting pig. They take you to the island on a slow moving double decker ship. The island is lighted up with all kinds of torches. They put on a Hawaiian dance. They have food piled up on tables under an open roof. While in Bermuda we also did one round of golf. $150 for hubby to play and me to ride. They have buses which are the cheapest form of transportation unless you are going off the main roads. A taxi is not like we think of it. Their taxi's are vans and depending on how many people get in it can be cheap or expensive. If a ride from A to B is $30, you pay the whole amount or split 3 ways with 3 people going. The Perfume factory is small, nice but not what you'd think of in terms of a "factory". It's just a small house. It's near Swizzle Inn, worth taking your picture in front of for the decor and the fact that the drink is named after it.

[Optifire]

Philamom:

 

I am no expert either, sorry. I wish I was. It would make my cruise "homework" so mcuh easier. :)

 

(1) I can't really answer your first question about the age. As when we go on cruises, age is never a factor to us and I dont pay attention to it on board. When booking a cruise we are more interested in what a ship has to offer, where it is going and what is the best price I can get it for.

 

(2) The best place to dock I feel is Hamilton or St. George. The smaller ships can dock there and the reason I say this is not because of Hamilton or St. George themselves, but because of the scenic beauty you experience as you come through the cut of the island to get to those ports. It is breath taking and quite an experierce not to be missed. If you dock at Kings Wharf you will not see such beauty from the ship.

 

(3) Must See or Do you ask? Our first cruise to Bermuda was for 7 days and we did the Helmet Diving and the Zoo and the Aquarium, The Royal Dockyard and alot of shopping. However, our second trip to Bermuda is the one we will remember forever. It was for only 5 days and I did some cruise homework and we decided to rent a taxi tour.

To me, this is a "must do" especially as you say this is going to be your one and only time to Bermuda. This is the way to cover "it all" and see everything. I booked it in advance on line. He was wonderful and we saw every inch of Bermuda in 8 hours. He was such a gentleman and so funny. We laughed all day long. He was the highlight of our cruise. He took us to places, explained the history of it all, was very patient as we took our pictures. We had him scheduled for only 6 hours but we were having so much fun, we booked another 2 hours with him making it an 8 hour tour. To me, you can shop and get trinkets anywhere and living in New Jersey and close to the shore, we can do swimming, beaching, etc at home. So when we cruise to a place, we like to experience the scenery of the island, go to the most popular landmarks that make the island special and try to eat at the most popular place in that area to experience the food of that island and a Taxi Tour will allow you to do all that and cover such a vast area in the time you have allowed. Our tour was $35.00 an hour for 2-4 people. He did a minimum tour of 3 hours but up to as many hours as you wanted. If you should decide you would like to check that out, email me at optifire@verizon.net and I will send you his contact information.

 

(4) How to book and best price? I never use a travel agent. I usually use the internet to find the best price and deal directly with the cruise line. If you go through the cruise line directly, on line or by phone reservation, if the price goes down from the time you booked, they will give you a refund of the difference. Some online agencies will not honor the price reduction, so you have to be careful that way. As for best price? Hubby and I have been looking for a cruise to Bermuda for the end of this year and it looks like Philadelphia has the best price on Royal Caribbean, Empress for a 7 day for $599.00. Do you live in Philadephia as your name makes me think that you do? That would work out good for you.

 

The bottom line is that everyone's interest are different of what they want from their cruise experience. Only you can decide what is best for you. The best advice I can give you is to be certain to do your homework on the island to know what it has to offer and what your interest would be so you can get the most out of your Bermuda Cruise. Have a Great Cruise.