Need Advice!! Bermuda 6/2/24-6/09/24 out of NYC

[expectthebest]

Hello Fello Critics:

My wife (44)and I (48)could really use some advice..don’t tell her I just told all of cruise critic her age!! 🤣

 

we usually book a springbreak cruise from NY or NJ b/c kids are out of school for the week. We always wanted to try Bermuda but it was never offered in Mar b/c of cold I guess

 

We are planning to book the 6/2/24 to 6/9/24 7 day Bermuda cruise out of NYC tomorrow. We are planning on a club balcony for the bigger bathroom (2 sinks) because we have 2 active boys ages (6) and (13)

 

we live in the Northeast so we will drive to the pier (2 hours)  

Has anyone taken a cruise to Bermuda in early June? 
 

Anyone recently been on the ship? I just read a potential dry dock from Jan-Feb so wonder what improvements she needs? it seems like a nice ship from our little research..

 

is the 2 nights in Bermuda overkill? Is there any strategy to make the most of the 2 days docked there? We are “beach people” and like to relax bc our jobs are stressful. 
 

how is the local bus from pier to a beach/ town area? Or is it better to get a Uber/ taxi?
 

we are not big drinkers at all.. I can see the booze pkg is “free” but comes with a $600 gratuity add on.. so not sure if any of you think maybe just pay for a couple drinks a day Al a carte ?

can you rent an umbrella/ chairs in beach area? Bring Cash I guess?

 

is there any good shrimp tacos recommendations?

 

if anyone has any tips/ tricks that would add to our potential cruise experience overall I will be forever grateful

 

Thank you for helping!!!

-Mark

[BirdTravels]

I assume you are going on the Joy. I attached a link to my recent live post from the Joy to Bermuda and a link to the Cruise Critic article on the dry dock. 
 

There are taxis at the dock (share ride vans) to take you to/from the beach. Bring cash for food and drinks. And for lingers and umbrellas. 
 

NCL has a free ferry over to St George. The public ferry to Hamilton is just off the dock for $5 per person per ride. 
 

At the ferry dock in St George, there are share ride vans to take you to the beaches on that side of the island. 
 

Norwegian Joy Dry Dock - Cruise Critic

 

[IAcruising]

You didn't say, but I assume you're on the Joy? It's a great ship. The dry dock will be removing about 1/3 of the Observation Lounge, and the Galaxy Pavillion. If that matters to you.

 

Bermuda was fantastic this past November on the Escape (very similar ship). The ship was packed, and it was winter break, but it didn't seem overly crowded. Those east coast kids were quite well-behaved! 😄

 

There are never enough days in Bermuda.

 

That $600 gratuity price seems high. Should be closer to $300, or about 2 drinks a day (each). The kids don't pay.

 

I'm sure others with kids can you more detail and answer more questions. And I'm sure Bird will be along shortly.

 

[IAcruising]

And there she is. 🤣

 

[expectthebest]

5 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

I assume you are going on the Joy. I attached a link to my recent live post from the Joy to Bermuda and a link to the Cruise Critic article on the dry dock. 
 

There are taxis at the dock (share ride vans) to take you to/from the beach. Bring cash for food and drinks. And for lingers and umbrellas. 
 

NCL has a free ferry over to St George. The public ferry to Hamilton is just off the dock for $5 per person per ride. 
 

At the ferry dock in St George, there are share ride vans to take you to the beaches on that side of the island. 
 

Norwegian Joy Dry Dock - Cruise Critic

 

Bird- thank you sooo much 

I will be doing some reading tonight before bed.. yes it will be on the joy

[expectthebest]

6 minutes ago, IAcruising said:

You didn't say, but I assume you're on the Joy? It's a great ship. The dry dock will be removing about 1/3 of the Observation Lounge, and the Galaxy Pavillion. If that matters to you.

 

Bermuda was fantastic this past November on the Escape (very similar ship). The ship was packed, and it was winter break, but it didn't seem overly crowded. Those east coast kids were quite well-behaved! 😄

 

There are never enough days in Bermuda.

 

That $600 gratuity price seems high. Should be closer to $300, or about 2 drinks a day (each). The kids don't pay.

 

I'm sure others with kids can you more detail and answer more questions. And I'm sure Bird will be along shortly.

 

Thank you for the quick response!!

[expectthebest]

Does anyone know if you can ‘bid’ into any haven rooms from a family ocean view room or can it only be 2 levels down from the Haven so line the club balcony

[IAcruising]

Only 2 levels as I understand it. But please, do not even remotely count on winning a Haven bid on a Bermuda cruise in June. It's not going to happen. Just book it outright.

 

[macewank]

Based on the fact it sounds like you're going to have 4 people in your room, declining the Free At Sea benefit and paying for your drinks alacarte probably makes the most sense

Edited January 7 by macewank

[IAcruising]

1 minute ago, macewank said:

Based on the fact it sounds like you're going to have 4 people in your room, declining the Free At Sea benefit and paying for your drinks alacarte probably makes the most sense. The FAS beverage service charge (gratuity) for a 7 day is around $150/pp, so.. that's the $600 you're seeing.   You can buy a lot of drinks for $600 🙂

 

$150/pp for kids?!

 

[macewank]

Just now, IAcruising said:

 

$150/pp for kids?!

 

I just edited the post to pull that part out.  The kids will have to get the Unlimited Soda Package (I think) which would be something like $28 in gratuity.  So it should be more like $328

[trivia addict]

My daughter and I have been doing mother daughter cruises to Bermuda for the past 5 years. Always in June and in fact this year will be on the Joy the week following your cruise.

We originally started with a Celebrity ship but switched to the Joy and absolutely love her.

I have two suggestions. On the first day we always go to Clearwater Beach which is on the far side of the Island. It takes awhile to get there which is why we do it on the day when we will be in port for the overnight. It is a beautiful, quiet,  uncrowded beach next to a sanctuary where you can find sea turtles. There are chairs and umbrellas to rent and a snack bar with food and drink.

There are various ways to get there. You will need to research them all. We usually take the ferry to St. George and then a taxi to the beach.

On the second day, we book a Catamaran excursion at the Dockyard. It is a morning sailing tour that takes you to a grotto where one can jump into the water for swimming, and snorkeling. Your boys will love it. There are often quite a few kids on the boat ( don’t be alarmed…they are all well behaved!) and all seem to really enjoy it. You can book a tour directly at the dock when you arrive or if you want to be sure to get a spot you can book online ahead of time.

As said above, never enough days in Bermuda!

[maggieq]

11 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

I assume you are going on the Joy. I attached a link to my recent live post from the Joy to Bermuda and a link to the Cruise Critic article on the dry dock. 
 

There are taxis at the dock (share ride vans) to take you to/from the beach. Bring cash for food and drinks. And for lingers and umbrellas. 
 

NCL has a free ferry over to St George. The public ferry to Hamilton is just off the dock for $5 per person per ride. 
 

At the ferry dock in St George, there are share ride vans to take you to the beaches on that side of the island. 
 

Norwegian Joy Dry Dock - Cruise Critic

 

@BirdTravels  where can I find all of your reviews?

[BirdTravels]

34 minutes ago, maggieq said:

@BirdTravels  where can I find all of your reviews?

I have never created a linked page. The Bird live posts from many (but not all) cruises. 
 

Googling “BirdTravels live cruise critic” seems to get most recent posts. In 2003 The Bird live posted from two encore, one escape, one Joy and one Viva cruise. Did not live post from a couple of short RCCL cruises. 
 

In 2022, in addition to some NCL live posts, there is a Live post from the maiden voyage of the Wonder of the Seas and a live post from Alaskan cruise on the Quantum of the Seas. 
 

In 2021 (the shortened pandemic year) live posts include the first North American post-pandemic cruise on Royal Caribbean (Adventure of the Seas) and NCL’s Great Cruise Comeback cruise on the Encore. Cruising has come a long way back to “normal” from that very first Royal cruise in June 2021. And it is always fun going back to the days when they were enforcing social distancing and sailing with <50% capacity. 

[mjkacmom]

For the FAS beverage package, it’s for the first 2 in the cabin, gratuities around $21 a day. A cocktail or glass of wine cost about $13 after the gratuity, so if you drink more than one alcoholic beverage a day it’s worth it, especially if you drink soda and virgin drinks as well.

[Susandt]

We did Bermuda on joy last July and doing her again this July.

 

she is a great ship and for us the additional thermal spa being put in from dry dock is a added bonus.

 

public transportation is nice there.

 

3 beaches, horseshoe bay, personally I found it crowded ,  I would choose tobacco or Clearwater.

we rented a car(scary) and went to our own hidden beach.

the caves, aquarium looked interesting.

 

there is a activity area, bouncing stuff in water, very large at port.  

 

 

 

[Susandt]

On 3 rd we rented jet skis at dockyard, so much fun!

[JandC_Cruising]

@expectthebestThe Bermuda run is fanastic.  Did it on the Joy in June 2022 with our grown (20's) kids and had a blast!  (Also in 2019 on the Escape).

The Joy is a great ship.  The boys will love the race track.  The refurbishing is adding a thermal spa (which NCL has great ones on their other ship) and yes, stealing some space from the Observation lounge.  IMHO, unless the weather is bad, the OL is not a big deal on warm weather cruises)

The days docked in Bermuda are wonderful since you are free to come and go as you please throughout the stay.

Getting around the island is very easy with either shared vans, private taxis, or ferries.  Definitely take the NCL Ferry to St. George's for a day out on that end of the island.  (Tobacco bay beach on that end is a small beach)

There is a shared van (when filled it goes) to Horseshoe Bay.  Very simple and efficient.  If you want chairs and umbrellas, just bring some cash.  We always just brought beach towels and sat on sand.  

 

There is a great (although expensive) excursion called "hidden gems" that takes you on a hike through the woods, and through sections of the Bermuda caves including swimming in a cave  cliff (small) jumping, lunch, and some snorkeling.  This is different than just going to the public "crystal caves".  "Active Boys" will love that.  

Also there are 1/2 dozen or more snorkel excursions and as someone mentioned fun Jetski tours available right on the dock by the ship.  

Wednesday nights in Hamilton is their little street festival; a mix of entertainment, street vendors, and street foods.  Again, the kids would probably enjoy the scene. 

All in all, there is tons to do in Bermuda and being there for three days with a floating hotel is a wonderful vacation!

 

 

 

[expectthebest]

8 hours ago, trivia addict said:

My daughter and I have been doing mother daughter cruises to Bermuda for the past 5 years. Always in June and in fact this year will be on the Joy the week following your cruise.

We originally started with a Celebrity ship but switched to the Joy and absolutely love her.

I have two suggestions. On the first day we always go to Clearwater Beach which is on the far side of the Island. It takes awhile to get there which is why we do it on the day when we will be in port for the overnight. It is a beautiful, quiet,  uncrowded beach next to a sanctuary where you can find sea turtles. There are chairs and umbrellas to rent and a snack bar with food and drink.

There are various ways to get there. You will need to research them all. We usually take the ferry to St. George and then a taxi to the beach.

On the second day, we book a Catamaran excursion at the Dockyard. It is a morning sailing tour that takes you to a grotto where one can jump into the water for swimming, and snorkeling. Your boys will love it. There are often quite a few kids on the boat ( don’t be alarmed…they are all well behaved!) and all seem to really enjoy it. You can book a tour directly at the dock when you arrive or if you want to be sure to get a spot you can book online ahead of time.

As said above, never enough days in Bermuda!

Thank you Trivia!!! Great info..much appreciated!!!

[expectthebest]

7 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

For the FAS beverage package, it’s for the first 2 in the cabin, gratuities around $21 a day. A cocktail or glass of wine cost about $13 after the gratuity, so if you drink more than one alcoholic beverage a day it’s worth it, especially if you drink soda and virgin drinks as well.

 

 

7 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

For the FAS beverage package, it’s for the first 2 in the cabin, gratuities around $21 a day. A cocktail or glass of wine cost about $13 after the gratuity, so if you drink more than one alcoholic beverage a day it’s worth it, especially if you drink soda and virgin drinks as well.

We did wind up keeping the drink pkg on and will just pay the gratuities.. they have some very good booze to pick from when we want to try something new

[macewank]

1 minute ago, expectthebest said:

 

 

We did wind up keeping the drink pkg on and will just pay the gratuities.. they have some very good booze to pick from when we want to try something new

One thing to keep in mind that they don't necessarily advertise.  When it comes to booze, FAS will include pretty much anything on the menu that costs $15 or less.  On the off chance you want to upgrade your booze to something that costs more than $15, you only pay the difference.   The menus will show the full retail price.  You won't be paying that.. e.g. if it says it's $18 for Woodford Reserve instead of Buffalo Trace in your Old Fashioned, you'll pay $3

[expectthebest]

7 hours ago, JandC_Cruising said:

@expectthebestThe Bermuda run is fanastic.  Did it on the Joy in June 2022 with our grown (20's) kids and had a blast!  (Also in 2019 on the Escape).

The Joy is a great ship.  The boys will love the race track.  The refurbishing is adding a thermal spa (which NCL has great ones on their other ship) and yes, stealing some space from the Observation lounge.  IMHO, unless the weather is bad, the OL is not a big deal on warm weather cruises)

The days docked in Bermuda are wonderful since you are free to come and go as you please throughout the stay.

Getting around the island is very easy with either shared vans, private taxis, or ferries.  Definitely take the NCL Ferry to St. George's for a day out on that end of the island.  (Tobacco bay beach on that end is a small beach)

There is a shared van (when filled it goes) to Horseshoe Bay.  Very simple and efficient.  If you want chairs and umbrellas, just bring some cash.  We always just brought beach towels and sat on sand.  

 

There is a great (although expensive) excursion called "hidden gems" that takes you on a hike through the woods, and through sections of the Bermuda caves including swimming in a cave  cliff (small) jumping, lunch, and some snorkeling.  This is different than just going to the public "crystal caves".  "Active Boys" will love that.  

Also there are 1/2 dozen or more snorkel excursions and as someone mentioned fun Jetski tours available right on the dock by the ship.  

Wednesday nights in Hamilton is their little street festival; a mix of entertainment, street vendors, and street foods.  Again, the kids would probably enjoy the scene. 

All in all, there is tons to do in Bermuda and being there for three days with a floating hotel is a wonderful vacation!

 

 

 

Thank you JandC such good info!!  I appreciate you taking the time to post 🙂

[expectthebest]

8 minutes ago, macewank said:

One thing to keep in mind that they don't necessarily advertise.  When it comes to booze, FAS will include pretty much anything on the menu that costs $15 or less.  On the off chance you want to upgrade your booze to something that costs more than $15, you only pay the difference.   The menus will show the full retail price.  You won't be paying that.. e.g. if it says it's $18 for Woodford Reserve instead of Buffalo Trace in your Old Fashioned, you'll pay $3

$15 per drink is a good amount.. I prob will not venture off of the included list but good to know it’s an option that won’t cost that much overall.. I appreciate your input!!

[Travelling2Some]

I just recommended this exact cruise to my daughter and her family so I think that speaks volumes.  We have not personally been on the Joy but the Bliss (sister ship) is my favorite.

[expectthebest]

So we pulled the trigger !!!! With a slight modification :

we are now sailing the week before bc there was 1 suite left. It is an inside suite with a ‘virtual’ balcony so not sure how that will be but we are excited. The room has 512 sq feet with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths with a middle living room area!!! 
we will have enough room to spread out and also decided to have my in laws join us… (in their own balcony room of course) close to our room..

so now another question:

has anyone sailed in one of these large inside suites? We didn’t use our balcony on last Bahamas cruise we did last year on RCL so I do t think we are gonna miss it. Plus the in-laws have a balcony so the children can always stop over for a visit 

 

139 days till sail away… getting excited!!!!