Bermuda cruise vs TS trade to St George Club

[pcgirl54]

Time wise we are 2 hr flight if it was non stop to Bermuda. I can also take an NCL cruise from Boston or Royal Carribean from NYC or trade to St George Club through RCI. No air fare would be involved for the cruise and all meals are included but then you are at sea for half the trip. Cruises may dock in Hamilton or St George area.

I have not been to Bermuda since college. DH has never been. We are now empty nesters. I know it is pretty expensive to eat there. I have read Tug posts regarding St George Club and the distance to town and the units exchangers get. I am looking at late Spring as Bermuda is not warm in the winter months.

NCL from Boston has mixed reviews on the food and amenites. I have cruised on Carnival and Royal Carribean in the past to other locations. The rooms seem to be 180 sq ft more or less. What a shocker.

So I am looking for the pros and cons of either cruise or timeshare stay or input on a mini hotel package. I am not sure if 7 days in Bermuda is too long.

Bostonians please chime in if you have taken the NCL cruise.


Thanks to all!!!

 

[dopeyfav]

We have taken the NCL out of NYC & we thoroughly enjoyed. We are partial to NCL and don't care for Carnival. The time we were actually in Bermuda was enough to tour the island and spend time at the beaches. We were thankful we were on a cruise ship, as the prices for food were quite high. We only ate lunch in Bermuda & returned to the ship in the evening for dinner.

Whatever you decide I am sure you will have a wonderful time as Bermuda is spectacular.

Rhonda

 

[Kay H]

I've cruised twice to Bermuda, once on NCL from Philly. We docked in both Hamilton and St George. I love Bermuda.

 

[Honeydew]

Bermuda cruise

If you think 7 days may be too long, try the 5 day out of NJ/NY on Royal Caribbean Int.-Explorer of the Seas. The ship is bigger than the NCL out of Boston and the reviews appear that the food is better. Royal is usually more expensive but I prefer their line. Also, remember that the waters are still cold in the spring. I have a friend who cruised in early May and the water was rough getting to and back. Bermuda is beautiful. I would choose a cruise over a t/s, for the price of food and entertainment alone.

 

[Anne S]

If you want to learn more abnout cruises, I suggest you log on to www.cruisecritic.com, which has a wealth of information on cruises, cruise lines, ports, etc.

You might also want to check each cruise line's website for itineraries, pricing, etc. Cruise ships no longer dock in Hamilton, and in 2009 the Norwegian Spirit which sails out of Boston will dock at King's Wharf, all the way on the other side of the island, and not at St. George's.

We cruised the Norwegian Sea to Bermuda out of New York in 2003 and loved it! Our first port was St. Georges, which is very quaint, and you can walk to a couple of nice beaches. Our second port was Hamilton which was perfect, as it was in the center of the island, convenient to everything. The third (and our least favorite) port was King's Wharf, because it was remote and it took a long time on the crowded public transportation to get anywhere.

As far as the size of the cabins go: how much time are you going to spend in your cabin, anyway? The food on NCL gets mixed reviews, but we did not have any problems with it. (Hey, I don't have to cook!) This was our first cruise and we chose Norwegian specifically for it's free-style concept, where you are not tied down to a set time for dining at a set table with the same people for a week.

However, if you can snag a St. Georges Club unit, I say go for it! I would love to spend a week in Bermuda!

 

[cissy]

I've taken both NCL and RCCL cruises, and would never sail NCL again. I've tried twice thinking that the first time might have been a fluke. The food is not good (in my opinion), and I found that RCCL public areas were much more comfortable. I also found the crew on NCL to be somewhat snotty. I am one of those that does not think that the cabin is unimportant. I always book a balcony as I enjoy sitting out on the deck with my morning coffee, and even retreat to my cabin mid-day if I just want to relax. My feelings about NCL are purely subjective, so take them for what, if anything, they're worth. I cruise at least once a year, and have sailed most cruiselines. NCL is the only one which disappointed.

 

[DianneL]

Stayed on Bermuda

We stayed on Bermuda for one week. The island is beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. However, in my opinion, there are two serious considerations. You cannot rent a car on the island. Therefore, you must get around by bus, taxi or rent a motor scooter. We did all three. That was several years ago for us and I can tell you now at this point in my life (retired) I would not drive a motor scooter around the island in the traffic with the busses, etc. But that's just me. Also, the food is very expensive. We stayed at a place and had the MAP dining plan, i.e. got breakfast and dinner. I can't remember the amount we paid for this plan, but it was very costly. We did love Bermuda, however, and should we go again I think we would do the cruise.

 

[nerodog]

bermuda

Hi, loved Bermuda and have been twice on land.. not cruising... enjoyed the resort which was not a TS but just taking the buses and boats around to shop, eat out, sightsee was very relaxing. Its one of my favorite places to go and I know either way you should enjoy it... its Britain in the tropics !!!

 

[x3 skier]

If you have a cruise choice, I would recommend RCCL over NCL.

Cheers

 

[beanie]

I've taken both NCL and RCCL cruises, and would never sail NCL again. I've tried twice thinking that the first time might have been a fluke. The food is not good (in my opinion), and I found that RCCL public areas were much more comfortable. I also found the crew on NCL to be somewhat snotty. I am one of those that does not think that the cabin is unimportant. I always book a balcony as I enjoy sitting out on the deck with my morning coffee, and even retreat to my cabin mid-day if I just want to relax. My feelings about NCL are purely subjective, so take them for what, if anything, they're worth. I cruise at least once a year, and have sailed most cruiselines. NCL is the only one which disappointed.

we also would not take NCL again . I loved the freestyle dining and thought the food was good but the the crew and ther treatment to the guests was bad .

 

[Blondie]

Friends of ours just returned. Don't know when you are thinking of going but in the summer there is the chance of hurricanes- and they hit some bad weather as a result. That is a huge consideration for me- on a boat you have no escape from high seas if the weather stinks- and they said TONS and TONS of kids were on this cruise and it detracted from their enjoyment significantly.

 

[rcs249]

I am a Bostonian too and decided to stay for on the island instead of a cruise because we love the beaches and couldn't see spending time on a ship instead of the quick direct flight each way. We were there 10 days in July, and while restaurants are very expensive, we went out about every other night to dinner and made mosts breakfasts and lunches in our kitchen. We also did scooter around (rotaries going clockwise are opposite of MA and felt weird!) and arranged for a driver a few times. The water is fantastic in July, and although this is a more expensive trip compared to cruising, I wouldn't hesitate to return late spring to early fall (but for August and September I'd definitely get trip insurance just in case).

Hope you have a great trip!

Time wise we are 2 hr flight if it was non stop to Bermuda. I can also take an NCL cruise from Boston or Royal Carribean from NYC or trade to St George Club through RCI. No air fare would be involved for the cruise and all meals are included but then you are at sea for half the trip. Cruises may dock in Hamilton or St George area.

I have not been to Bermuda since college. DH has never been. We are now empty nesters. I know it is pretty expensive to eat there. I have read Tug posts regarding St George Club and the distance to town and the units exchangers get. I am looking at late Spring as Bermuda is not warm in the winter months.

NCL from Boston has mixed reviews on the food and amenites. I have cruised on Carnival and Royal Carribean in the past to other locations. The rooms seem to be 180 sq ft more or less. What a shocker.

So I am looking for the pros and cons of either cruise or timeshare stay or input on a mini hotel package. I am not sure if 7 days in Bermuda is too long.

Bostonians please chime in if you have taken the NCL cruise.


Thanks to all!!!

 

[phillyflyer]

Dining in Bermuda

We went to Bermuda for a babymoon back in March. Absolutely loved the island, especially how clean it was and how friendly the locals were. As for dining, check out http://www.diningbermuda.com/special_offers.htm for specials by the Little Venice Group, a group of Italian chefs opened up a bunch of nice restaurants on the island. Our favorite was Harbourfront at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI), fairly close where the ships dock to in Hamilton, maybe 1.5 miles. For lunch try The Lemon Tree Cafe, great location right near the dock, great wraps , relatively good pricing, and a nice outdoor seating section.
For travel( if you stay in St George), the bus and ferry system was very good. You can get some great views taking the ferry from Hamilton to the Royal Dockyard. Nice houses, etc. There is also a free ferry from the Hamilton Princess to the Hamilton SouthHampton. Horseshoe beach near the Southampton incredible.
On an aside, JetBlue flights are cheap out of JFK and they have some great packages with the Fairmont hotels(Princess and Southampton).