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Bermuda's Cruise Ship Calls in 2008

Fewer will come this year but those that do will stay longer

By Keith Archibald Forbes (see About Us) exclusively for Bermuda Online

To refer to this file use "bermuda-online/cruises.htm" as your Subject

Basics

Cruise ship lines provide their own schedule. For a combined one, note that the Marine and Ports division of the  Bermuda Government controls every aspect of the cruise ship calls and publishes, usually in January, a yearly schedule of all cruise ship calls. You find it at www.rccbermuda.bm.

Fewer cruise ships will come to Bermuda in 2008, but those that do come will stay longer. There will be a planned reduction in the number of cruise arrivals. It is projected that there will be 283,462 cruise visitors, down from the 354,024 in 2007. The decrease in the number of cruise arrivals will be offset by the increase in the length of stay. In 2008, 81 percent of the cruise arrivals will be staying for two or more days versus 67 percent in 2007. Previously many ships have stopped into the Island for one day which meant visitors only had time to visit the beach or take a tour of one the Island's historic towns. Research showed that few visitors on these ships had time to shop or experience the night life. It is hoped the longer stay cruise visitor will contribute more to the economy than the shorter stay visitors. Extra busses and ferries will also be put on to ensure that the Dockyard based tourists can get to Hamilton for shopping dining and Wednesday Harbour Nights. The Norwegian Cruise Line's terms have also changed, this will result in a three-day midweek call in Dockyard providing the West End with more overnight ships. NCL will also deploy two ships to St. George's and in 2009, NCL will deploy an additional ship to Dockyard which will utilize the brand new cruise pier.

2008 Schedule

Mega cruise ships will be coming to Bermuda until at least 2018 under a  10-year new deal struck between Government and Norwegian Cruise Line. The ten-year agreement which will come into effect in 2009 was announced in November 2007.  It means two state-of-the-art Panamax vessels, usually travelling from New York and Boston, will each make at least 22 extended calls here per season. The Freestyle Cruising ships will dock at the new pier at Dockyard from 2009.

• Norwegian Dream will sail, until some time in 2008, from Boston and arrive in St. George's on Tuesday mornings and sail on Fridays. In 2008 she was sold to a Cyprus-based owner.
• Norwegian Spirit, which has a passenger capacity of 2,000, will sail from Boston to Bermuda on a Friday, calling into Dockyard from Sunday to Wednesday.
• The 2,200-capacity Norwegian Dawn will sail from New York on Sundays, calling at Dockyard from Wednesday mornings until Friday afternoon.
• Norwegian Majesty, the ship which has served NCL's Boston to St. George's business for 15 years, will sail until later in 2008 or some time in early 2009 to St. George's from Charleston, Philadelphia and Baltimore, arriving in St. George's on Mondays and sailing on Thursdays. In 2008 she was sold to a Cyprus-based owner.

•  Explorer of the Seas 
• Grandeur of the Seas

No contract ships, just occasional smaller callers, will arrive in the city of Hamilton in 2008. In fact, Hamilton will only see 11 occasional callers all season next year. Instead, all contract ships will overnight for between one and three nights.  The government states (but some would-be passengers have objected, see recent entries in the Bermuda Online Guest Book) that visitors will have more time on the island and, as part of declared government policy for the changes, spend much more money than before, including eating in Bermuda restaurants instead of eating on board the cruise ships as part of their cruise package. Some passengers, used in the past to just walking off the ship and wondering by foot into the city and town respectively, or expecting to do so, instead will now have to go a long distance by bus or taxi or moped to get to them; and be deprived of the meals, for which they paid as part of their cruise package, on board the cruise ships. 

In 2009, St George's will receive only one contract ship, with Hamilton, again, taking occasional callers.

Average size and environmental concerns of cruise ships

The average size of ships being built by cruise lines is growing by the year. Royal Caribbean, for example, one of the lines that calls in here, launched a 158,000-ton vessel that accommodates 3,600 passengers, in June 2006. Carnival has ordered 12 new ships to be built through 2009, all of them far bigger than the less than the 700-foot ships that currently dock at Hamilton and St. George's. Some reports say Carnival is planning a 200,000-ton monster that would transport 5,000 passengers. The cruise lines have told the Ministry of Transport and Tourism that the smaller ships that have served Bermuda will be out of service within three or four years. The new "mega ships" will be too big to navigate either the Town Cut, to reach St. George's, or Two Rock Passage in Hamilton harbour. Bermuda faces a stark choice – whether to take the uncomfortable steps necessary to allow in the mega ships, or to lose the hundreds of thousands of visitors who boost the local economy to the tune of tens of millions of dollars every year. The large carrying capacities of these ships have an impact with which most locals and cruise visitors can identify, such as traffic congestion, crowded beaches and waste releases. Some locals may be happy to make these trade-offs, but they carry an environmental and island resources price tag. Bermuda has to deal with a unique set of issues that do not apply elsewhere, given Bermuda's very small size of only 21 square miles of land, lack of space, unique coral habitat and reefs, one of the three most dense populations in the world per square mile, the stresses than cruise ships place on Bermuda in recreation, homes, stores, sedimentation caused by cruise ships, the damage one could cause to the reefs; the anti-fouling paint ships have underneath, which is extremely toxic to reefs; and more.

Two mega-size cruise ships berthing one in front of the other at an expanded facility in Dockyard now appears the most likely way forward for Bermuda. And for St. George's a future vision of a Monaco-style destination with mega yachts visiting the harbour rather than cruise ships was put forward by Premier Ewart Brown as the future of the Island as a cruise ship destination was discussed. The results of Government's Cruise Ports Study were revealed and showed the high cost – in terms of money and to the environment – the Island would face if it attempts to enlarge the navigational channels at Town Cut in St. George's and Two Rocks Passage near Hamilton to fit larger cruise ships. There is now little doubt the smaller cruise ships currently able to access St. George's harbour and Hamilton harbour will be phased out by the major cruise line companies within the next two to three years. With the cruise ship market favoring Panamax and post-Panamax sized ships, which typically reach 950 feet in length and beyond, Bermuda's most workable answer appears to be to expand the Dockyard cruise port with an extra berthing spot enabling two of the giant ships to visit at the same time rather than just one as is the case today. Although Government has not concluded that there will be no alteration to Town Cut or Two Rocks Passage, it is the opinion of St. George's Corporation that Town Cut not be widened and alternatives be considered such as a cruise pier being developed at Murray's Anchorage for the large cruise ships with passengers then being ferried to town.

June 8, 2007. The Royal Gazette group reported. Hamilton will be closed to cruise ships next year, the Mid-Ocean News understands. The dramatic change will see all vessels routed to Dockyard for the 2008 season, the consequence of an industry trend towards watercraft too large for the city to support. A Government spokesperson yesterday declared the change was unavoidable: “As a result of internal scheduling and corporate decisions made by certain cruise lines serving Bermuda, Hamilton will not have a regularly calling ship for 2008. “However, this is an unintended consequence of the very real situation that the Ministry of Tourism & Transport has been emphasizing for some time. The smaller, niche ships are becoming fewer and fewer. And as the number of small ships is decreasing the level of competition is increasing — in the end it’s very difficult to attract smaller, niche cruise ships.” The announcement was met with skepticism in some circles. Both the Corporation of Hamilton and the Chamber of Commerce insisted that smaller liners could be found to fill the void. “The Corporation is of the opinion that we wish to have a cruise ship and, even if they’re not building ships the size of the ones that are on Front Street right now, there are smaller niche ships where people have a fair amount of disposable income that we would like to see enter Hamilton,” said Hamilton mayor Sutherland Madeiros. “It’s important to us. We have to disagree with Government on this point. The fact is that there aren’t any ships of the size that now come into Hamilton being built in the foreseeable future but we can look for something else. Government doesn’t think we need any cruise ships and we believe we do.” He added that the move could cause big changes to the popular Harbour Nights, held throughout the cruise season each Wednesday. “It could mean the end of Harbour Nights. It all depends on the scheduling of the cruise ships at Dockyard. At the moment a lot of the cruise ships coming in are day ships. People aren’t coming into Hamilton to shop because they want to see the island. But next year, as I understand it, there will be ships staying overnight. If necessary we will change Harbour Nights to accommodate that. Hopefully, people will be ferried into Hamilton. In which case we will have to (construct) a transportation hub to accommodate those ferries. It could be a real problem for Harbour Nights and for retailers. At the moment, you get off the ship in Hamilton and you walk across the street. You get back on when you feel like it. “If you want to use the bathroom, the ship is right there. A lot of cruise passengers tend to be older people. I’ve seen a number of wheelchairs. With (the new plan) they would have to get off the ship, on a ferry, off the ferry, back on the ferry, back on the ship. It’s not easy. It’s not convenient. I suspect passengers would like to get off in Hamilton.” Chamber of Commerce president Philip Barnett said his organisation had yet to receive official notification on plans for the 2008 season but his members were well aware that the Panamax ships now in vogue are unable to fit into Hamilton and St. George. “Not having any cruise ship in Hamilton would be a concern for the retailers and they’ve stated that fact,” he said yesterday. “It is a concern that the threat is there and for some retailers, the loss could be catastrophic.” He agreed with Mr. Madeiros that smaller vessels — especially those with a wealthy clientele — are a viable option for Hamilton. “Silversea Cruises is one. I certainly hope it’s a target company for the Government. The Chamber has always thought that niche ships that appeal to more affluent travelers are much more fitting with the overall image of Bermuda,” he said, adding that such tourists typically supported retailers through purchases of china, crystal and leather goods. According to the head of the Chamber’s Retail Division Kristi Grayston, merchants are “somewhat divided” in opinion on the financial implications of the move. “Government has made no bones about the fact that Dockyard will be the cruise ship destination for Bermuda,” she said. “I do believe that the retail community is somewhat divided. “The financial impact will be bigger for stores on Front Street, but even now cruise ships dock in Dockyard and people get on the fast ferry and travel to Hamilton. “I think it will be great for Dockyard, which has its challenges at the moment. It could create a vibrant community there with the shops and the restaurants.”

Average spend in Bermuda of cruise passengers and crew

• Per passenger - approximately $186. 

• Per crew member- between $98 and $131 every time they visit.

Introduction to Bermuda

Bermuda is certainly a lovely place to go on a cruise. Just be aware of certain things that apply only in Bermuda. Cruise ships arrive in and depart from Bermuda on a seasonal, not year-round, basis. Bermuda is not the Caribbean but 1200 miles north of it, so has a cooler climate in the winter months than the Caribbean. The Bermuda Government wants passengers to go by cruise ship one way and by air the other way. But it seems most passengers prefer a cruise both ways. Presently, there is a cap of no more than 1,500 passengers per cruise ship allowed into Bermuda, with a total of no more than 221,000 annually (compared to 200,000 earlier). The Bermuda Alliance for Tourism, 50% controlled by Government and 50% by private industry, has determined that the maximum comfortable carrying load of all visitors to Bermuda (total by sea and air) should be no more than 600,000 annually, given its small size of only 21 square miles in total  land area. 

Owners of shops (stores) love cruise ships for the money and business cruise ship visitors bring, especially as the number of air visitors is much lower than decades ago. Cruise ships compete with the local hotels, guest houses and cottage colonies, plus have marginal local taxes and much lower labor costs than all local categories of guest properties. Cruise visitors are welcome, but contribute less to the economy than air visitors, often crowd the streets and place huge strains of capacity of local buses and taxis.

Narcotics - even small amounts - are forbidden in Bermuda. See Illegal imports. Passengers with even small amounts will be caught, have to interrupt their schedule to go to court and will be fined hugely, or imprisoned.

Cruise ships sailing from US ports to Bermuda are required by US laws have between 15 and 25 cabins and staterooms for the registered disabled/physically handicapped, more roomy than for the non-disabled. But be aware of the fact that some cruise lines and their travel agents don't play fair to the officially registered disabled. Because they don't check to see that people really are disabled - wheelchair confined, blind, deaf or ambulatory with a stick - and are registered as such with their state or provincial government agencies, they allow persons who are not disabled to occupy staterooms intended solely for the disabled and their caregivers or carers. Disabled persons, if denied a cabin specifically for the disabled, under American or British or European laws (the latter two for ships leaving from the UK or Europe) have specific legal remedies if such cabins are instead given by cruise ship operators to persons not officially registered as disabled and don't have appropriate ID documentation to prove it.

For Bermuda's only complete A-Z of facilities and services for the disabled, see the extensive notes in the Bermuda Physically Handicapped Association web file, written by a local disabled journalist. Its physical address is Base Gate, 1 South Side, St. David's Island, DD 03. Telephone Willard Fox at (441) 293 5035.

Bermuda costs to cruise passengers

Bermuda is more expensive in taxes to cruise passengers than any other cruise ship destination. The Wall Street Journal confirms this. The Bermuda Government has a more US$60 per person Arrivals Tax - regardless of length of cruise ship stay. (Some cruise ships avoid Bermuda completely in repositioning because of this tax). Plus,  there is a charge of about $20 per night in Bermuda per cruise ship passenger in the high season (May through August) and $12 per night in Bermuda per passenger in the low season (from September). Officials in Bermuda justify the tax, saying Bermuda has the infrastructure. Passengers pay the taxes in their tickets.

Bermuda Ports

Bermuda's biggest attraction to cruise ships and their passengers is that all its three ports are within easy walking distance for shopping; nowhere locally is more than one hour away; and public buses are some of the most frequent in the world. But, unlike most of the less-costly competing ports shown above, it has no tax-free port facilities.

There are three in our island-group of 21 square miles in total area.

The City of Hamilton, in Pembroke Parish, is central (15 miles from the Town of St. George) and has 2 cruise ship berths, the # 1 Passenger Terminal; and # 5 & 6 Passenger Terminal. Both can take ships of up to 700 feet in length - small ships compared to recent giants. Both are central to and, for the able-bodied, within easy walking distance of the city downtown. It has frequent by-day buses and a periodic ferry service going east to the Town of St. George (about 1 hour). 

Going west to the Royal Naval Dockyard (about 1 hour) is a very frequent by-day bus service and and a periodic ferry service.

The Royal Naval Dockyard in Sandys Parish has an extra-long berth in the west end of Bermuda at King's Wharf with frequent buses and ferries going east. 

• If a ship is too big for a berth, she will be at anchor, usually beyond Hamilton Harbour, in the open waters of the Great Sound, and will transport passengers by tender or Government ferry to and from the City of Hamilton.
• Most of the cruise lines with contracts with Bermuda use somewhat older ships presently small enough to berth, but they do not have new or replacement ships of  similar smaller length. Ships presently coming in to berth are the oldest and smallest of the 7-day cruise ships. The average length of a ship in the Princess  Cruises fleet is 856 feet and those of Royal Caribbean International are 905 feet, both two big for berthing in Bermuda except at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Sandys Parish . Ports must be improved if Bermuda is to remain a world-class cruise destination.  
• Some cruise ships will stop at two ports. Those bound first for St. George's enter via the narrow Town Cut, when wind conditions permit. Others going first to the City of Hamilton or Royal Naval Dockyard cruise from near Fort St. Catherine (in picture) along Bermuda's North Shore.  
• The concept of visiting not one but two Bermuda ports first started in 1977 with the Cunard Princess cruise ship.

Cruise lines, including those calling at Bermuda

Unlike the airlines, travel agents are paid commissions of 10 percent to 16 percent by the cruise lines mentioned below

 Plus, they usually get get free or discounted vacations to familiarize them with ships and ports of call. 

Some are contract cruise ships, meaning they are subsidized by the Bermuda Government to come to Bermuda weekly in the season.

What the following mean:

• APC (Average Passenger Capacity). 
• CPR (Crew to Passenger Ratio). 
• EIP (Extras Included in Price). 

Tips are expected on all ships unless they indicate to the contrary. 

A-C

Reciprocal active hyperlinks will be shown gladly and immediately to their websites when they link to Bermuda Online.

D-J

K-R

S-Z

Cruise Lines extras

Once, cruises included transportation, lodging, food - virtually everything expect long-distance telephone service. "All-inclusive" pricing banners were commonplace. Now,  Caribbean and Bermuda "extras" can easily cost $1,200 more than the cost of tickets. Extras such as per person, not per cabin rates; all beverages, whether water or wines or beers or cocktails or liqueurs, plus a 15% gratuity each time you order;  exclusive onboard specialty restaurants, with a 15% or minimum of $90 per person gratuity; spas; bingo; use of gyms and fitness centers; photographs taken by cruise staff; casino; art auctions; golf lessons; tuxedo rentals; flower delivery; shore excursions.

Access channels, berths and ports in Bermuda

Offshore channels give safe passage through the reefs.  The Narrows channel, for larger vessels, runs northwest from Five Fathom Hole between Sea Venture Flat and St. George's Island to St. Catherine's Point. The Town Cut channel - shown here - 220 feet wide - is where cruise ships have always entered St. George's. It is in St. George's Harbor between Gates Fort and Higgs Island. It has been deepened and widened since 1846. But often, when if the wind will present a hazard to the ship or passengers or crew, the captain of the cruise ship may elect to avoid St. George's and go to Hamilton instead. In order to comfortably take significantly wider ships, it will have to be widened greatly. The Bermuda Government is hoping cruise lines will contribute to the estimated $13 million cost. The old St. George's Channel between Smiths and Paget Islands is no longer used.

The Main Shipping Channel from St. Catherine's  to the southwest is about 106 meters wide and 9 meters deep. It runs through Murray's Anchorage to Grassy Bay, through Dundonald Channel between Stag Rocks and Hogfish Beacon around Spanish Point and Agar's Island, then Hamilton Harbor through Two Rock Passage.  The latter has been the entrance to Hamilton Harbor since 1896. The North Channel created during World War II for the Royal Navy, is rarely used. North Rock Channel lies around isolated North Rock 10 miles northwest of St. Catherine's Point. Castle Roads, leading to Castle Harbor from the south, was an anchorage for the Royal Navy until the Dockyard was built. Timlin's Narrows, between Hinson's and Marshall's Islands, was the entrance to Hamilton Harbor before Two Rock Passage. Hogfish Cut, through the western barrier reefs at the southern end, is close to  Southampton Parish. Chub Cut breaks through western barrier reefs west north west of Elys Harbor, 6 miles from Wreck Hill on land.

Royal Navy ships took this route in July 1814. This was just before British troops launched from Bermuda their famous Attack on Washington DC overland from Upper Marlboro in Maryland (during which they sacked and then burnt the White House) in revenge for the torching and sacking by Americans of York (now Toronto).

All visitors should have health and travel insurance

Always prudently take out travel insurance, spare money and have adequate hospital and medical health insurance to cope with possible unexpected problems in a foreign country, such as Bermuda. In emergencies, contact the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital - note its rate of charges for visitors - in Paget Parish. If you are hospitalized in Bermuda, you or your insurance, if valid in Bermuda, will always be responsible. Unlike Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, Bermuda has no National Health Service and no free clinics or free medical or surgical or prescription for visitors. Bermuda now no longer gives free hospital and surgical benefits to visitors from USA who claim they have no health insurance.  Sorry, but if you ignore warnings not to hire a scooter or moped unless you are thoroughly used to driving them on the left hand side of the road and don't have healthcare/major medical insurance, you won't get much sympathy, your consulate will be told and you will have to pay. The Overseas Family Help Committee of the Hospital Auxiliary organization in Bermuda, chaired by John Gilbert, is at telephone (441) 236-2488.The Committee has only two rooms available to house your family at the Nurses Residence of the hospital, from US$ 35 per person per day per room. Affordable local accommodation in Bermuda for spouses or friends or families who come to visit you in hospital, is difficult or impossible to find, especially in the cruise ship or tourist high season from April to November.

Arriving passengers

March 9, 2007. Legislation to speed up Customs checks and improve the detection of contraband was passed by the House of Assembly. The Revenue Amendment Act 2007 obliges ships and aircraft to provide the Collector of Customs with electronic lists of passengers and crew prior to arrival in Bermuda when required. Government anticipates that this will assist local security officers in pin-pointing high-risk individuals and cargo items. The information to be listed will include sex, date of birth, passport number and country of issue. The bill also obliges ships and aircraft to provide electronic data in advance on cargo including the marks, numbers and contents of every item of goods on board. Failure to comply with either requirement will lead to a $12,000 fine. Minister of Finance Paula Cox told the House: “In a climate of rapid social and commercial change, existing Customs controls of passengers and their baggage have been found to be insufficient both with respect to duty and with respect to prohibitions and restrictions.” She said there was no existing requirement to deliver inward and outward passenger and crew manifests to the Collector of Customs and that the requirements in relation to goods are inadequate. There was also no power to specify that they must be delivered pre-arrival or in electronic form. She explained: “All of the measures are calculated to facilitate accelerated clearance of goods, passengers and their baggage by permitting advanced scrutiny and targeting of high-risk goods and persons in advance of their arrival in Bermuda. Such intelligence-driven or risk-based targeting translates into fewer and more directed searches of goods and persons with an enhanced likelihood of successful interdiction of offenders.”

Do not try to enter Bermuda if you do not have acceptable or adequate current documentation or if you are on an FBI or Interpol stop list. All arriving passengers must tell Immigration if they are visitors or salespeople or corporate representatives or residents or Bermudians and produce passports and Bermuda Government approved Work Permits for all who are not Bermudian and not strictly on vacation. Do not attempt to try to use your visit to see any client or conduct any business in Bermuda, or import any product without having the required Work Permit if you are not Bermudian, not even if you have entered Bermuda many times earlier. 

Allowed in Bermuda Customs inspection

Visitors may bring in, duty free for personal use only while they are here, their clothes and articles like cameras, golf bags, 50 cigars or 200 cigarettes or 0.454 kilos (1 pound weight) tobacco; 1 liter of liquor or wine and a $30 gift allowance. Returning residents are allowed an allowance of US$ 100 (until 1989 it was US$400 a person, reduced in 1990/91 to US$250 a person and subsequently reduced yet again to the present US$100 per person) before they pay duty on items they bring but visitors are not entitled to such an allowance. Items brought in by visitors and residents that are not within their duty free category incur a stand import duty rate of 22.25% of purchase cost. Produce receipts from a retail store satisfactory to the Customs Department of actual purchase price of the items or be prepared for the Customs Department to assess items for your payment of duty at much higher Bermuda prices. This is applied vigorously. To avoid being arrested and having goods confiscated, do not try to import goods into Bermuda without paying the duty.

Most Consumer and electronic goods can be imported if determined to be free of narcotics, but be prepared to pay a heavy import duty on them if they exceed your per-trip duty-free allowance of $100 per person if you are a Bermudian or approved resident. If with nothing illegal and with no items to declare, you may be waved through.

If you are bringing any foodstuffs with you, be sure to check yourself with Bermuda Customs to know what is legal and dutiable. Only Bermuda Customs can be the definitive source of information. Write in advance to Bermuda Customs at Hamilton Hall, 40 Front Street, Hamilton HM 11, P. O. Box HM 2084, Hamilton HM HX, Bermuda.

Owners of arriving animals, plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables must have proper documentation approved earlier by the Bermuda Government's Department of the Environment. Only prepared fresh, frozen or cooked fish or shellfish can be brought in providing the packaging is free of algae or seaweed. 

Illegal imports

Cruise ship passengers are strongly recommended to read, learn, inwardly digest and pay strict heed to the webfile above. It applies to those who arrive by air or cruise ship or yacht. The full list of  the hundreds of banned narcotics are in the Bermuda Government's Misuse of Drugs Act 1972 and Misuse of Drugs (Controlled Drugs) Order 2001 enacted on August 1, 2001. It is not an excuse if you fail to make yourself familiar with the contents of the full list. Penalties are very severe for those who ignore this warning. Locals, tourists and visitors are not given any breaks. It is wrong and misleading for cruise ship passengers caught with drugs and fined very heavily to claim they are not given any warning. The claims they invariably offer that they do not have the money to pay the fines are routinely ignored. They are remanded in custody or are put on bail with their transportation tickets impounded until they do. Also, there are many other repercussions.

Beaches and shore excursions

The Bermuda Government policy is that cruise lines must use local agents for cruise-ship organized shore excursions and activities. 

This is not a policy imposed by most other cruise destinations. Also, cruise lines are banned from lending their passengers equipment - such as snorkels - that can be hired in Bermuda. This too is not a policy of other cruise destinations. But don't be deterred, there are so many options. Instead of taking a local agent organized, cruise-ship type tour, arrange your own.

One is Go fishing, on a licensed commercial fishing boat operating a whole day or half-day service. Some fishing boats, by prior arrangement with you and your cruise line, will meet you where your cruise ship docks.

The adventurous cruise ship visitor who seeks other diversions will find a nice variety of places to go, alone or with a spouse or friend or group, as mentioned below. 

If beaches are your idea of heaven, or combining them with sightseeing, this travel author has some suggestions, followed faithfully by visiting friends and relatives. They include taking a picnic lunch, drinks, camera, swimsuit and towels - whether by land or sea. And if by sea, renting a boat - a Boston whaler or personal watercraft- for a day or half day. 

By land from the Town of St. George. For those whose cruise ship docks here. By bus or minibus or taxi or moped/scooter. Ferries don't go to any of the places in this paragraph. See Getting Around for Visitors. Arrange with the cruise ship to supply you with a packed lunch and towels. Wear your swimsuit under your clothes. Bring a camera and sun tan lotion. Go by mini-bus - as buses don't go this far. Instead of going to public Tobacco Bay - it is lovely indeed but there is a sewage pipeline only 1,000 yards away emptying out into the sea from shore - you might prefer a beach such as public and also lovely - but private - Achilles Bay half a mile away or public Fort St. Catherine Beach nearby. This author's personal preference is for John Smith's Bay in Smith's Parish which is a 25-30 minute bus ride on the # 1 route from the Town of St. George (do not take the # 3 or 10/11), with a bus stop near the beach. Ask the bus driver to stop at John Smith's Beach.

By sea from the Town of St. George. For those whose cruise ship docks here. 

• Ferries don't go to Paget Island. Residents can do the following, hopefully visitors can too, but always check in advance from where you rent a Boston whaler or a local member of the Personal Watercraft Association of Bermuda. If so, be sure to ask for a map and directions. Then go, keeping to the 5 knot limit in the harbor until you get to the Paget Island beach. Take photographs with no problem but be sure not to litter the beach in any way. Find a little-known-to-tourists island beach, such as those on Paget Island, 10 minutes away by water from the Old Town. It is owned by the Bermuda Government but is accessible by water (only) up to the high tide mark. (Only when you trespass beyond the high water mark will you see the sign telling you not to access without permission). The author recommends it as a lovely romantic getaway, but pick a day when the water is calm. 
• Ferries don't go Castle Harbour. Residents can do the following, hopefully visitors can too, but always check in advance from where you rent a Boston whaler or a local member of the Personal Watercraft Association of Bermuda. If so, be sure to ask for a map and directions. Then go, keeping to the 5 knot limit in the harbor. Go west from the Town of St. George's via Ferry Reach and under Swing Bridge and then east again under Longbird Bridge into Castle Harbour, for sightseeing or beaching. For best results, go when the tide is low. In Castle Harbour, stop first on the sea side of the small beach exposed at low tide at Cable End, then moor off Castle Island. 

By land from the City of Hamilton. For those whose cruise ship docks here. By bus or taxi or moped/scooter. Ferries don't go to any of the places in this paragraph. John Smith's Bay in Smith's Parish is a lovely public beach about 30 minutes by the # 1 bus every half hour during the day. Other public beaches are ( the public section of) Elbow Beach in Paget Parish, on the # 7 bus route; Warwick Long Bay (another personal favorite) in Warwick Parish, on the # 7 bus route; Horseshoe Bay in Southampton Parish, on the # 7 bus route; Church Bay, also in Southampton Parish, also # 7 bus route.

By sea from the City of Hamilton. 

• Going by ferry to Dockyard and/or Town of St. George is a gorgeous way - and the least expensive of all trips by boat - to see the western and eastern parishes.
• Rent a Boston whaler or ask the local member of the Personal Watercraft Association of Bermuda to help you, with a map and directions. Go west to Paradise Lake - not served by ferry - passing a number of islands.

By land from Dockyard. In Sandys Parish. A really nice beach - the best in this Parish - is Somerset Long Bay in Sandys Parish, but it is a fair walk from where the nearest public bus stop at Mangrove Bay.

By sea from Dockyard. In Sandys Parish. For those whose cruise ship docks here. 

• Ferries stop at several of the Parish's areas. Well worth seeing. Also, going by ferry to City of Hamilton and/or Town of St. George is a gorgeous way - and the least expensive of all trips by boat - to see the western and eastern parishes.
• Ferries don't stop at Ely's Harbour. Rent a Boston whaler or ask the local member of the Personal Watercraft Association of Bermuda to help you, with a map and directions. Then go, keeping to the 5 knot limit in the harbour. Take a day or half day exploration of Ely's Harbour and then a relaxing swim after the harbour to the small beaches of the (presently closed) Daniel's Head Village hotel. To stay legal, go on any beach up to but not beyond the high water mark.  Go at high tide to give you the best chance of evading reefs and shoals.

Bermuda shopping

Bermuda stores must by law be at least 60% owned by Bermudians. All Bermudians, tourists and business visitors would love to see Bermuda become duty-free, with bargains galore. But it is not yet possible. Retailers have long been requesting Government to make shopping in Bermuda more competitive with duty-free ports in the Caribbean and Mexico. Retailers believe if Bermuda is also made duty-free for visitors, it will help significantly to restore Bermuda as the prime shopping destination it was once. But the Bermuda Government administering the world's wealthiest nation according to the World Bank - far more so than the USA, UK, Canada, etc - will not give up its principal way of making money, a customs duty rate on all imports (98% of all goods) far higher than in USA, UK or Canada. This is what forced Bermuda's two finest stores by far, Trimingham's and Smith's first to merge in 2004 and then to close down completely in July 2005. It explains why the overall cost of living is nearly four times more than overall in USA and nearly three times more than in UK and Canada.

There are more than 375 retail shops in Bermuda, employing 4,800 people in total - about 13 persons per outlet on average.  This gives a good indication of the average size per store.

But some nice products from Bermuda and around the world can certainly be obtained locally. Prices in the City of Hamilton, Town of St. George and Dockyard are the same for outlets with branches in all three local ports.

Duty Free Liquor

No off-the-shelf duty-free liquor such as in the Caribbean.  For liquor consumed in Bermuda, prices are appreciably more than most Caribbean ports. A single liter of Gosling's Black Seal Rum or the cheapest Scotch bought in Bermuda at regular retail prices is at least US$23. But duty-free, for consumption beyond Bermuda, is available in a carton of bottles of the liquor of your choice, for delivery to your cruise ship.  Be aware that they may be confiscated by your cruise ship for the duration of the voyage and returned to you at the end of the voyage.  This is standard procedure among cruise ship companies. Letting passengers drink their own duty-free liquor on board is like letting passengers drink off-licence purchases in a pub or bar. Some cruise ships - like those on Regal Cruises - have a duty-free shop.

Entertainment on board

The Bermuda Government policy is to require the shutting down of on-board entertainment for cruise passengers unless the entertainment is provided on board by Bermudians. This is not a policy imposed by other cruise destinations.

Getting around

This website deals in detail with all the forms of public transport available to visitors and what they can and cannot carry. If your cruise line advises you not to use a moped or scooter, heed the advice. It is to help protect passengers from problems.

Golf Courses

For those who will enjoy the game while in Bermuda. Note how each course is shown with nearest Bermuda port for cruise ship passengers, how best to get there, how close public transportation will go of you do not have your own clubs; and whether public or private. Always check yourself with the course what the rates are as they can vary significantly by time of day and time of year.

Road Traffic density

Huge, to visitors. See Getting around for Visitors. Also Transport Options for Residents.