Cruising in Bermuda

Fancy sunbathing on the deck of a luxury liner while you sip an ice-cold cocktail? Then going for a dip in crystal clear Bermudan waters? LORNA MURPHY gives us the lowdown on Carribean cruises.

Lorna travelled from Boston but cruises are also available from New York and Florida. Flights from Dublin to Boston with Aerlingus are currently around €500 return including taxes.

The Boat

“Norwegian Cruise Line, Where you’re free to whatever,” is not just the tag line adorning their website, it is the motto that the cruise line try to stick to. An inside room that sleeps two starts from 729 American dollars from June 5th of this year, the room is located at the very bottom of the boat and does not have a window. The price increases as the month progresses on. An Ocean View is 899, a room with a balcony is 1249, and a suite is 2299.

  The Norwegian Spirit is the boat used for the seven day round trip from Boston to Bermuda’s King’s Wharf. The Spirit has nine restaurants, ten bars and lounges, and three hundred family friendly connecting staterooms on board. The Maharajah’s Casino is a great place to both win and lose some money. If singing is your thing then the Karaoke Bar is calling your name. If you’re a gym fanatic then the fitness centre will keep you in check, and then you can get a massage at the Roman Spa.

Options

  Say you were leaving Friday the 5th of June; the ship departs at 4pm. You are at Sea all day Saturday and then you wake up in Bermuda on the Sunday at 11am. You have the rest of Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to explore Bermuda, then the ship heads back home at 6am on the Wednesday. Then on Friday it is bye-bye holiday, hello work as the ship pulls into Boston at 8am.

Shore Excursions

  Renting scooters and boats are two great ways to make sure you see everything on the island. The scooters can be rented at the top of the square upon arrival. They drive on the left hand side of the road, and keep telling you ‘to the left to the left,’ so that will not be a problem for Irish drivers. It is $50 to rent a scooter from Oleander Cycles for 1 day and $91 for 2 days for the standard scooter. The fee includes delivery and pick up services, the first tank of gas, the use of helmets, lock and carrying basket, third party insurance, and Island-wide breakdown services.

  Renting a boat or kayak for a day would make it possible to see the island and the water life. Elbow beach is a great beach to bring any one of any age. The majority of the beaches have a pink undertone that is caused from finely pulverized remains of calcium carbonate shells and skeletons of invertebrates such as corals, clams, and other shells.

Dining and Drinking

  The best thing about a cruise from Boston to Bermuda is that it is all inclusive. The food is free and the buffet runs all day long. A bucket of bud light 16 oz beers (that and Budweiser are the most popular while on the cruise), which consists of five beer costs 20 American dollars. The bottles are on ice to keep them cool, and they are aluminium because no one likes broken glass by the pool. The drinks can be bought by charging it to your room, just be careful, because it is not a nice surprise when you go to pay your bill at the front desk. Pay it off daily and you can keep track of your money better.

  From 11 in the morning the wait staff, from the Philippines, Brazil, and many other countries, walk around saying ‘drinky drinky’ waiting for the people up on the decks to buy their wake up drink. The workers are great craic and are all very friendly. They do expect to be tipped so don’t forget that!