We arrived in Bermuda in late October 2019 aboard Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas. This is known as shoulder season in Bermuda as the main tourist season comes to a close. The nearly two day journey from Baltimore to Bermuda was characterized by wet weather and rough seas to the point that certain outdoor areas of the ship were closed at times.
We arrived in port at approximately 1:00 PM and were able to depart the ship around 2:00. We grabbed our snorkels and headed to Horseshoe Bay which is known for its world famous pink sand beach which in my opinion has more of a pinkish hue rather than truly being pink sand, If you don’t book a cruise line tour, there are shuttles available at the end the pier for $7.00 per person each way. It was a quick and simple process. There is also a water taxi that goes to the town of Hamilton. The cost was $5 per person each way and the people who did that really enjoyed the town.
The beach itself was very nice with interesting rock formations and decent snorkeling but is primarily for swimming. There was a beach bar called Rum Bum’s which served food but by the time we were ready to eat it was closed (5:00 PM). Also, chair and umbrella rentals were rather expensive costing $45 to $50 for 2 chairs and an umbrella, We decided to make due with a towel and some sunscreen and were quite content.
After an afternoon at the beach we returned to the ship for dinner. We were originally going to go out to one of the venues in the Royal Navy Dockyard but had been forewarned that everything there closed by 4:00 or 5:00 PM, which was true. In addition, there is hardly anything that is actually within walking distance from the pier.
The next morning we did take a ships excursion on the Rising Son Catamaran. Though other tours canceled that morning due to high winds and choppy waters, Captain (and owner) Steve took 25 of us to an area called Hawkins Bay. It was protected from the northern winds and we had a great day of snorkeling where we saw many fish and even a sea turtle! Those who wished to were also able to try kayaking and paddle boarding. Afterwards we were treated to rum swizzles (rum punch) on the ride back to the ship.
We really enjoyed our excursions in Bermuda however, if you want to visit Bermuda I would highly recommend that you fly and stay there rather than go on a cruise. The reasons are that during the transit of the Chesapeake Bay from Baltimore the Casino, Shops, and other shipboard activities are limited and the ships schedule in Bermuda doesn’t really give you time to get a feel for the country. This was a common theme among many of the guests we spoke with. We would love to go to Bermuda again however we would definitely fly rather than cruise. Happy travels!