Also ... any opinions on the 5-night Bermuda cruises ...

[2Bnºoºt2B]

Would have loved to scheduled B2B Canada/New England cruises aboard the Anthem ... however it alternates with the 5-night Bermuda itinerary. This is one cruise port we have never been to ... so ...

• if you're not a beach/suntanning person, what else does Bermuda offer as a cruise port
• Having visited most of the Caribbean islands, are we missing anything if we don't visit Bermuda at least once ... is it worth spending "two" days there?
• what are the recommended shore excursions ...

Any insight any one can offer would be great. Thanks!

 

[Laz]

I have not been to Bermuda, but I have seriously been considering doing a cruise in the near future. I believe that on a 5 day cruise, the ship docks in the morning the first day and leaves around 5 pm the next day (which means you have to be on the ship by 4pm). A 7 night will give you a extra full day on the island. What I want to know is if the extra day is worth it? If you are considering a 2017 trip, remember that the America's Cup sailing race is being held next summer. I believe it is in June, but their are many activities that go on around it and they expect heavy crowds.

 

[OKW Lover]

We've been to Bermuda several times. In addition to some nice beaches it has good shopping and a different variety of goods. The British influence is strong there and you'll find a civilized yet welcoming attitude from the natives. Their livelihood depends on tourism.

Bermuda is also a big golf destination if that's an interest to you.

 

[ldo]

Bermuda is great. It's so much more than beaches. You can go to St George and spend the day without even going to a beach. We have been to almost all the Carib. and liked Bermuda the best, by far. Very safe, easy to get around, gorgeous beaches, great history.

 

[Mdtigger99]

We just returned from a 9 day Anthem that included Bermuda. Two in our group went to Horseshoe Beach and the rest went on an island tour. The beach was the better choice. I had never been there before and I always thought it was much nicer than what we saw. The beach and the island itself is beautiful but there really wasn’t enough to experience to pay for a tour. Our guide kept pointing out different hotels, most of which have closed down. It seems they have had labor issues in the past and strikes have taken their toll on the tourist trade that is now their second source of income. Now most of its money comes from being an International business center.

The nice thing about cruises is you get a sample of different islands. Before our visit, I thought it would be nice to do a week vacation there. Not any more.

 

[ldo]

we went for a week and loved it. There was so much to do and we went to a different beach each day. We took to public bus/ferry all week and loved going around the island. We snorkeled, DH did scuba, went to the caves, historic places in St. G, fantastic restaurants, great food cart eats on the beach. I would definitely do a cruise there, if you have not been.

 

[Avery's mom]

Our favorite "excursion" was renting our own motorboat and exploring the island. We loved being able to stop wherever we wanted and swim, look at sea turtles, look for sunken treasure, etc...

We agree with ldo - we can't wait to return to Bermuda and spend more time there!

 

[2Bnºoºt2B]

Thanks all ... priced out the 5 night Bermuda followed by the 9 night Canada/New England thus giving us a 2 week cruise ... reasonable for sure. Avery's mom ... wow ... I didn't know you could rent a motorboat ... that sounds cool although I would be concerned about my water-driving skills - which is non-existent. Which company did you go with ...

If you want to use one for sightseeing, we suggest taking ones that have blue flags on the hoods. That means the driver is government-qualified to give tours.

... has anyone utilized one of these taxi tours ... how are they ...

Thanks ...

 

[Avery's mom]

We used H20 Sports for our boat rental. We took a taxi about 10 minutes to their office, and we were off! My husband had never operated a boat before, but he had no trouble with it. We all say it was one of the best things we've done on a cruise, ever.

 

[2Bnºoºt2B]

Thanks Avery's mom ... looks exciting ... am hoping that life jackets are offered for those renting the boats ...

We decided to go ahead and book the 5 night Bermuda following the 9 night Canada/New England for Sept/Oct next year ... with the exchange rate, we're paying the same amount for the 14 night B2B aboard the Anthem as we would be paying for the Oct 27, 2017 7 night Canadian Coast Cruise aboard the Magic. While we will miss Disney, am looking forward to our 1st experience with RCL (we have cruised with Celebrity once before) ...

 

[Avery's mom]

Yes, there were life jackets for all of us! I think you'll have a fantastic time on Anthem! Plus with the 2 different itineraries, it will be a great way to do a B2B! Have a great time!

 

[2Bnºoºt2B]

Was getting excited about the "motorboat" excursion at Bermuda but we just put a deposit down this weekend for a 7 night Florida/Bahama cruise aboard NCL Breakaway. It will likely replace the 5 night Bermuda cruise aboard the Anthem ... it means disembarking the Anthem on the Sat at Cape Liberty, staying the night in NY, then boarding the Breakaway at Manhattan Cruise Terminal. It'll be a different type of B2B, but the notion of sailing aboard a Haven Spa Suite Balcony room and getting a full-suite VIP experience is too much to pass up. The price is about the same as if we had decided to do a Spa JS aboard the Anthem for the 14 night B2B - but not offering a full-suite experience unless you upgraded to the Grand Balcony Suite category at a much more expensive price. But still looking forward to the Canada/New England aboard the Anthem