Bermuda cruise guide: Best itineraries, planning tips and things to do
Is Bermuda on your cruise radar? Many people don’t realize they can cruise to Bermuda because the itineraries are usually seasonal. You can’t escape January’s snowstorms by hopping on a cruise to Bermuda the way you can with a Caribbean cruise.
Plus, the itineraries are unusual because they mostly depart from Northeastern U.S. home ports (instead of Florida) and don’t include stops in other destinations because Bermuda is a long way from other ports of call. If you love island-hopping and waking up in a new port every morning, you should know a Bermuda cruise isn’t that.
But cruising to a single destination might be the most relaxing cruise you’ve ever done. Start your dreaming with this Bermuda cruise guide. It’s got everything you need to know, including when you can cruise to Bermuda, when to book and what to pack.
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Why cruise to Bermuda?
Bermuda sits just 774 miles off the coast of New York, making it a prime island escape for upper East Coasters looking to experience the archipelago’s stunning pink-sand beaches. But why should anyone else cruise to Bermuda, especially when there are so many other beachy islands to choose from?
For starters, the historic town of St. George’s and its fortresses built in 1612 are a UNESCO World Heritage site. If history isn’t your thing, maybe you can get excited about watersports or golf. Perhaps you’d prefer to visit stalactite-dotted caves or sample rum swizzlers.
You could experience all of that by flying to Bermuda and staying in a quaint inn or beachfront hotel. As fun as that sounds, a quick check of airfares and lodging prices shows us you’ll pay more for that experience.
The cheapest seven-night package deal we could find flying between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Bermuda, with a three-star, nonbeachfront hotel, was $1,480 per person, no meals included. Searches of cruise prices for matching dates consistently turned up options with lower prices, including $749 per person on Celebrity Eclipse in an outside cabin and $1,541 per person in a balcony cabin on Norwegian Gem. The cruises would include all meals onboard.
Cruising to Bermuda is easy from several East Coast port cities, with enough options among various cruise lines to stay within your budget — whatever that is. Plus, cruise fare includes food on board the ship and a relaxing (or fun-filled) day at sea getting there and back.
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But the best reason to cruise to Bermuda is that cruise ships most often stay overnight in port. Guests come and go from the ship during stays of as long as fifty hours in port. You can pack in a lot of exploration into those hours.
Related: Bahamas vs. Bermuda cruises: Which itinerary will I like more?
When do cruises go to Bermuda?
You might be surprised to learn that Bermuda cruises depart most months of the year. The prime Bermuda cruise season, however, takes place from April to October.
Norwegian Cruise Line operates the longest season, with cruises starting in every month except January and February. Premium and luxury lines like Silversea Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Explora Journeys and Windstar Cruises offer seasonal transitioning cruises in spring and fall. Oceania offers one or two sailings per season that include Bermuda, throughout both the peak season and during the shoulder seasons.
Related: Does it make sense to take a short cruise to Bermuda?
Best Bermuda itineraries
The fun thing about Bermuda cruises is that you can easily find a cruise length that works best for you. Weeklong cruises stay in port longest for the most time exploring Bermuda — most often two nights. Fun four- or five-night getaways either don’t stay overnight in Bermuda, or include a single overnight and a half-day stay on the second day. These can be easily added to a visit to East Coast departure ports, such as Manhattan, Boston and Baltimore.
Alternate ways to cruise to Bermuda include stopovers on some transatlantic cruises and on lengthier sailings that include stops in the Bahamas, the Caribbean or even on Canada and New England cruises.
Best Bermuda cruise lines
As mentioned above, Norwegian offers the most sail dates, cruising from both Manhattan and Boston most of the year. Even though the line’s itineraries are mostly seven nights, look for an occasional five-night choice, as well as lengthier cruises that include other destinations.
Carnival Cruise Line is easiest on your Bermuda budget, running multiple cruise lengths from multiple ports, starting at only four nights. Royal Caribbean leans heavily into five-night itineraries, but those can often be booked back-to-back with longer cruises to other destinations. MSC Cruises, a newer entrant in the Bermuda cruise market, sticks with seven-night cruises, though you can book those sailings back to back with ones that feature a week visiting Florida and the Bahamas for a 14-night island-hopping escape. All four of these lines are ideal for family or group travel.
To step up a notch, try Celebrity Cruises, which designs its ships with adults in mind. Celebrity sails a regular schedule of seven-night cruises from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey, all featuring two nights in King’s Wharf.
If you want a high-end experience and the aforementioned luxury lines aren’t sailing when you want to travel, consider the exclusive ship-within-a-ship enclaves on MSC Cruises (Yacht Club) and Norwegian (The Haven).
Things to do in Bermuda
Obviously, those pink beaches call like a siren song. Dockyard Beach and Snorkel Park Beach are the closest to the cruise pier in King’s Wharf. Both are known for snorkeling. Butts Beach features picturesque rock formations scattered amid the sand, both in and out of the water. For long stretches of uninterrupted sand, try Elbow Beach.
When you’ve had your fill of beaches, you can explore multiple historical sites and popular landmarks in Bermuda.
Bermuda is Britain’s oldest colony, so expect plenty of British charm along with a healthy dose of history. As a UNESCO World Heritage site, the town of St. George’s doesn’t have the only fortress on the island, just the largest. Fort St. Catherine was used by the British, the Bermudian militia and Royal Artillery units from 1612 until well into the twentieth century.
Museums abound in Bermuda, including the National Museum of Bermuda found at the Royal Naval Dockyard. Don’t overlook the Bermuda Underwater Institute and the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.
Related: Avoid these 10 mistakes when booking cruise shore excursions
Caves are also popular attractions in Bermuda. In fact, the airport sits on an island named Cave Island. Several caves are open to the public and shore excursions featuring them are common. Crystal and Fantasy Caves are part of one attraction offering tours, shopping and food. Cathedral Cave is located at Grotto Bay Beach Resort, but nonguests are allowed to visit the cave.
Lighthouses are scattered around the islands, but the two most popular to visit are Gibbs Hill and St. David’s. All those lighthouses didn’t do much to prevent disasters at sea. Bermuda is considered the shipwreck capital of the Atlantic Ocean. You can easily visit a few of the wreck sites by snorkeling, helmet dives and scuba. Others are a bit deeper and require certified scuba diving. Some are accessible from shore, but most require boat tours.
If you’re into a bit of nighttime boating, consider an after-dark boat ride into the Bermuda Triangle, complete with ghostly tales.
Serious golfers delight in the seven courses in Bermuda — all worth checking out: Turtle Hill, Mid-Ocean, Port Royal, Tucker’s Point, Ocean View, Newstead Belmont Hills and Five Forts. The rest of us can get into the putting action at Bermuda Fun Golf at the Royal Naval Dockyard.
Best Bermuda cruise ports
Bermuda has three cruise ports: the main port at King’s Wharf (also referred to as Royal Naval Dockyards), the capital city of Hamilton in the middle of the island and St. George’s near the northeastern end. Most ships dock at King’s Wharf because it’s the only one that can service the larger ships.
If you can envision the map of Bermuda as a big fishhook, the Dockyards (and King’s Wharf) are at the tip of the pointy part of the hook. Adjacent to the wharf, cruise passengers will find beaches, the National Museum of Bermuda, tour operators, mini golf and transportation options for getting around the entire cluster of islands, including ferry service to both Hamilton and St. George’s.
Hamilton and St. George’s are much smaller ports and only serve a handful of smaller ships each year. Look for cruises on Oceania, Windstar and Silversea that visit these.
When to book a Bermuda cruise
If you plan to cruise to Bermuda in the peak season, the best cabin selections and prices will be found months ahead of time. Black Friday deals might be the best option. You can find last-minute availability and often deals by booking outside the popular vacation months of June, July and August.
May and October both offer daytime temperatures near 80 degrees, making them ideal months to cruise to Bermuda, and you’ll likely find the islands less crowded.
Related: When is the best time to book a cruise?
What to bring on a Bermuda cruise
Bermuda is a bit dressier than, say, the Bahamas. Even shopping, touring or heading to the beach, you’ll want to spiff things up a bit. Dress like you’re headed to one of those golf courses or going sailing on a yacht, and you’ll fit right in. A pair of Bermuda shorts and your best kicks will work just fine.
Bermuda weather is temperate, with only small seasonal variations. Average daytime highs rarely break 90 degrees, and the average lows almost never dip below 60 degrees. Layers are ideal; as with almost any island travel, you should plan for rain. Because your time in port might be lengthy, you’ll need a backpack or tote to haul your stuff around all day.
Passports are not required on closed loop (departing and returning to the same U.S. port) dedicated Bermuda cruises but might be required by some cruise lines. Adult passengers without passports will need a certified copy of a birth certificate and a government-issued photo ID. Children under the age of 16 do not need a photo ID but must have a birth certificate.
Official rules aside, passports are strongly recommended, as they are required to return to the U.S. by air. In the event of an injury, illness or cruise alteration that requires a flight back to the U.S. rather than returning to the same port by sea, a passport would have to be procured while in Bermuda.
Related: Cruise packing list: The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise
Bottom line
Cruising to Bermuda is often overlooked by those who don’t live on the northern East Coast of the U.S. It’s an island destination with a lot to explore, and luckily, cruise ships often give you the time to do that with overnight stays in port. Longer stays are actually the norm in Bermuda, not the rare exception. Those overnights lend themselves not only to deeper exploration but to a more relaxing trip. It’s okay to sleep in and start your day a little later. It’s fine to plan a late-afternoon adventure. You’ll leave feeling like you really know the place.
The best part is that there are options to suit almost any schedule and budget — from family-friendly mainstream cruise lines to premium and luxe lines. And if all that isn’t enough, cruises to Bermuda leave from ports of call worthy of exploration themselves. It’s easy to add a Bermuda cruise to a stay in Manhattan or Boston. You’re already there, so why not?
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