Is HAL not allowed into Bermuda?

[palmgirl]

I would love to go to Bermuda again, but only on HAL. Why do they seem to be the only major cruise line not going to Bermuda? :confused:

[jazzsea]

I suspect that Holland America is looking at Bermuda. I'll ask around and see if I can get a hint.

[sail7seas]

Bermuda has been limiting the number and the size of ships they allow in.

 

HAL's "S" class would probably be within their size requirement. There is only so much dock space though and maybe they have committed to other cruiselines for available space???

 

I would imagine HAL has considered the profitability and popularity etc of a Boston or New York to Bermuda cruise. How much of a market is there and how much of it is already spoken for?

 

We cruised to Bermuda from New York on Zenith about 4 years ago. It was fun and okay but not necessarily our very favorite. We have done a number of land vacations and more often than not, the weather was not good. (We have been there around Memorial Day (rained 80% of the time we were there); we went in July and it was okay but not great; September/October was pretty good but at least 50% rain.....

 

You get the picture. If the weather is good, Bermuda's beaches are beautiful. When it rained, we are very bored.

[peaches from georgia]

HAL used to go to Bermuda as several veteran HAL cruisers have said on other Bermuda threads here. I know a major problem is that Bermuda itself severely limits the number and size of cruise ships allowed into Bermudian waters at any one time and docking berths are very limited in Hamilton, St. George, and the rather inconvenient Kings Wharf. They will not allow tendering in Hamilton and St. George as they do not want their beautiful island overrun with tourists from the ships.

 

We've cruised to Bermuda 3 times on different lines and it is fabulous way to enjoy Bermuda.

[Spender Nui]

I've sailed HAL to bermuda from New York ... but that was a long time ago. As others have stated Bermuda controls the number of cruise ships they allow to visit. They also have limits on the size of the ships which can dock, although some ships which are too large for St George and/or Hamilton are now docking at the Dock Yard.

[Esme]

The last time we were in Bermuda on a HAL ship was back in 1990 on the Westerdam just after she was stretched. Because she was so big, the port authority would not allow the Captain to dock her in downtown Hamilton so we had to dock at the King's Wharf.

 

As tenders are not allowed, HAL had to rent the Government's large ferry to transfers passengers back and forth from the dock to Hamilton. It was very inconvenient and time consuming waiting for the ferry.

 

As others have stated, Bermuda only allows so many ships into Hamilton and St. Georges and HAL is not one of them.

 

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for HAL to return to Bermuda any time in the near future. As far as I know Bermuda is not on the 2005 or 2006 schedule.

[johnnycruise]

Celebrity seems to have the monopoly on the good berths in Bermuda much as Carnival Corp. (HAL and Princess) have a (Sherman Anti-trust?) monopoly on Glacier Bay visits in Alaska. I've cruised on both the Horizon and the Zenith and you'd be happy on either one if you enjoy HAL's Statendam-class ships. I even think Celebrity has better food than HAL (perhaps excluding the Pinnacle Grill).

 

:eek: I said that on a HAL board?!?

 

Actually, the Home Line ships of some years ago had the best bet in Bermuda ... 3 1/2 days on Front Street in Hamilton, without St. George's or King's Wharf. KW merits a 1-2 hour visit tops. Bermuda is very small but KW is still too far removed from the better beaches and the majority of tourist attractions to be used as a floating base. From Hamilton you can take one bus or ferry to any attraction on the island plus it offers the largest variety of shops, restaurants and night spots within EASY walking distance of the ship.

 

It appears HAL has decided it can make its mark from NYC more to Canada market than to Bermuda.

[palmgirl]

Thank you all for your insight.

 

Johnnycruise, I may just check out Celebrity thanks for the information.

[iv18-Diane]

As far as the size of ships going to Bermuda, they allow the big ones to Dock at Dockyard.

Carnival went there for a short time, and now RCCL is bringing the Voyager there next summer. I wonder how that will be accepted there, NOT!

Imo, I think a HAL ship would work well with the type of clientile the people in Bermuda are used to. I can't wait to see their responce to the Voyager!

[peaches from georgia]

Well, they've had Carnival there, so I don't think there will be a problem with the Voyager at King's Wharf. But, who wants to go to Bermuda and dock at King's Wharf- either ferry to Hamilton or take a cab to Hamilton and St. George. Not I. I'm sure HAL thinks it wouldn't work for them. I want to be in Hamilton and St. George or else I will fly over and stay at a hotel. They have great accomodations and restaurants in Bermuda.

[Esme]

As far as the size of ships going to Bermuda, they allow the big ones to Dock at Dockyard.

Carnival went there for a short time, and now RCCL is bringing the Voyager there next summer. I wonder how that will be accepted there, NOT!

Imo, I think a HAL ship would work well with the type of clientile the people in Bermuda are used to. I can't wait to see their responce to the Voyager!

 

Having docked at both King's Wharf and in Hamilton, I much prefer docking in Hamilton than taking a ferry or a cab back and forth. Believe me, HAL Officers were not happy having to dock the old Westerdam at King's Wharf in 1999 when they authorities said she was too big for Hamilton, and that is probably why they never went back. Their Canada/New England cruises are doing very well and booked solid. As I said before I doubt you will see HAL back in Bermuda, but you never know.

[sail7seas]

The Majesty sails weekly from Boston to Bermuda and they do not usually attract a 'fancy crowd' of folks. They've done these cruises for years on what is a pretty average ship. Many folks from in and around Boston won't book that ship even though it would be so convenient. Just not worth it in the opinion of many. That is not to say that the ship does not go out full each week as I think it probably does.

[dougnewmanatsea]

It is true that the Bermuda government do restrict the number of port calls that can be made at Bermuda, and control which ships are allowed to regularly call there. For years they would not let Carnival in as they did not feel that Carnival's clientele would be suitable for Bermuda. This has since changed. That VOYAGER OF THE SEAS will be allowed to routinely make calls in Bermuda is another signal that the regulations are loosening up. Of course, VOYAGER cannot dock at Hamilton or St. George's because she simply won't fit!

 

There is also the simple physical limitation of how many ships can dock at Hamilton during the middle of the week, which is prime time for weekend departures. RSSC got around this by having SEVEN SEAS NAVIGATOR depart NY for Bermuda on a Wednesday-to-Wednesday rotation, calling at Hamilton while most of the other ships regularly calling in Bermuda are on their way to or from Bermuda. Unfortunately the traditional Saturday/Sunday departures are much more desirable, and word is that 2005 may well be the last season for RSSC in Bermuda, as their experiment in basically creating their own slot by calling at odd days of the week does not seem to have worked all that well (they have been running big promotions on their Bermuda cruises, signalling that sales are not what they'd hoped for).

 

I do think that HAL's S-class ships are small enough to call at Hamilton, if someone is willing to give up their slot like Princess did in 2002. That slot was in fact one that had been given up by NCL in 2000, and NCL took it back when Princess left. Since the early 1990s, there have consistently been five ships making regular Bermuda calls - two Celebrity, one RCI, one NCL, and ROYAL MAJESTY which became the second NCL ship NORWEGIAN MAJESTY. As far as I can recall, only two times in the past decade or so has this formula changed - the three years from 2000 to 2002 when the NY-based NCL ship was replaced by PACIFIC PRINCESS and more recently the introduction of ship number six, SEVEN SEAS NAVIGATOR, but on that odd Wednesday rotation.

 

Now with ships beginning to make regular calls at King's Wharf as well as the six Hamilton ships, the whole Bermuda business is changing, though there's no doubt that Hamilton is far more desirable than King's Wharf which is really quite out of the way.

 

At any rate, regardless of what's going on at King's Wharf I would not be at all surprised if one of those five midweek Hamilton slots becomes vacant in the next couple of years. I have no idea if HAL would be interested though. It's possible that RSSC might want to take it up if they don't want to leave Bermuda entirely after the Wednesday departure experiment, though personally I think they're likely to get out of Bermuda altogether and put that extra ship in Europe. Princess are also a possibility as well as MSC and HAL. Whether a slot (probably from NCL or Celebrity) does open up and who takes it remains to be seen, but I think HAL could do well in Bermuda and would like to see them returning to full-scale operations at New York, something which has not happened for over two decades now. (And to think that HAL's US headquarters were here for the better part of the 20th Century!)

[Vic The Parrot]

Ok, the dockyard is a little out of the way. But each time we stayed there, it seemed pretty quiet. Saying that, I liked being docked there. Of course, it's far removed from all the action on Front St, but the ferry service has an excellent schedule.

 

The trip takes about 20 min, and you're in Hamilton.

It's even more scenic at night, when you have a fantastic view of the ships docked on Front St all lit up.

 

But, you say tomato .......

 

 

:-D

[Gusto1]

HAL can make a lot more money positioning its ships in Alaska and Europe. More expensive shore excursions and longer opening hours for the casino and shops.

[Vic The Parrot]

more money positioning its ships in Alaska and Europe. More expensive shore excursions and longer opening hours for the casino and shops.

 

 

But the other lines seem to do good.