Bermuda: Underrated Cruise Port?

On our recent Anthem of the Seas cruise, our itinerary only had one port: Bermuda. We chose the itinerary because my mom and dad honeymooned in Bermuda 54 years ago, and my mom hadn’t been back there since. The rest of us had never been to Bermuda before.

Bermuda doesn’t get a lot of buzz in the miles and points travel world. Hotels are mostly boutique, non-chain resorts that run $400+ a night.

However, most cruise ships stay overnight in the Bermuda port one or two nights to allow passengers to visit the island for 2-3 days. In comparison to flights and hotel, a cruise to Bermuda offers a good value for seeing the island.

Day 1: Bermuda Van Tour

Anthem of the Seas cleared customs around 9:30 a.m. By 9:45 we were heading out of the ship. I had reserved a five-hour private tour with a taxi driver recommended on Cruise Critic message boards.

I chose this private tour because we had six people and my mom needed to use a wheelchair to get around. It was very difficult to find groups tours that could accommodate a wheelchair. Our taxi driver had a minivan that could fit my mom’s folded wheelchair in the back.

Lewis, our tour guide, was wonderful. I think he personally knew most of the people on the island. We couldn’t drive more than ½ mile without him rolling down the window to say hi to someone he knew.

Our first stop was Scaur Hill Fort. The park offered great views of the island.

We spent some time learning about the fort and going into some tunnels.

Next, we stopped at the smallest drawbridge in the world and fed some fish.

We then drove to Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. It had public bathrooms and a small gift shop where we all bought drinks. We could see our cruise ship in the distance.

For $2.50 we could climb to the top of the lighthouse. My kids and I went up the 186 steps to the top. I was a bit freaked out at the top because the platform was skinny and the gap between the bars was too big for my liking.

Our tour guide took us through Hamilton on the way to St. George’s (UNESCO World Heritage Site). We ate lunch in St. George’s and walked around a bit.

On our way back to the cruise port, we stopped at Warwick Long Bay beach.

 

While the sand isn’t all pink, there are definitely pink pebbles mixed in:

We saw Horseshoe Bay from the road above.

Day 2: Horseshoe Bay

Our all-aboard time for the cruise ship was 4:30 p.m., so we had most of the day to hang out at the beach. At the cruise port, we hopped on a shuttle that went directly to Horseshoe Bay for $7 a person. I rented a couple of lounge chairs.

My family has been to a lot of beaches in Hawaii, Florida, California and the Caribbean. But as far as scenery goes, I think Horseshoe Bay is now at the top of our list.

We fell in love with this beach. The sand, the waves, the color of the water, the surrounding cliffs…

The neat thing about the beach is that there is a sand path that leads to several smaller beach coves. My daughter and I explored a bit and found some deserted coves.

Horseshoe Bay has bathrooms, a restaurant and snack shop/gift shop. We opted to have a light snack and eat back on the ship later in the day.

The only bad thing about Horseshoe Bay is that there are Portuguese man-o-war that wash up on the beach. They are poisonous and very painful. There were signs warning us about them. I saw a few washed up on the beach in the smaller coves:

Other Bermuda Attractions

After spending two days on the island, we still didn’t have the chance to do everything. If we go back again, I’d like to explore the Crystal and Fantasy Caves, Fort St. Catherine and Tobacco Bay.

Getting Around Bermuda

Bermuda doesn’t allow rental cars in order to keep traffic on the island to a minimum. Even residents are only allowed one car per household. Still, it’s pretty easy to get around the island as a tourist.

At the cruise port, there is a free train shuttle around the Naval Dockyard attractions. There are also ferry boats to Hamilton and St. George’s.

The public bus system in Bermuda is quite extensive and popular. You can buy bus tokens or all-day bus passes at the cruise port.

Lastly, there are private shuttles and taxis. Like I mentioned above, we used a shared shuttle to get to Horseshoe Bay Beach.

Final Thoughts on Bermuda

Bermuda is a clean, beautiful island full of friendly faces. I’m glad we experienced a new-to-us destination, and I wouldn’t mind returning in a few years.

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