As easy as it is for me to cruise out of any of our south Florida ports, travelers in the northeast have it easy setting sail from one of three cruise ports in New York/New Jersey. A popular destination for cruisers leaving from the Manhattan and Brooklyn Cruise Terminals in New York and Cape Liberty Cruise Port in New Jersey is Bermuda.
Home to signature pink sand beaches, Bermuda is a destination for those looking to sightsee – especially underwater where divers can explore shipwrecks and coral reefs with almost crystal clear visibility.
Cruise ships dock at one of three ports: the Royal Naval Dockyard, St. George’s Port or at the Port of Hamilton. All three ports are located on different parts of the island.
At the Royal Navy Dockyard, your ship will berth at either King’s Wharf or Heritage Wharf which are right next to each other. You don’t have to venture far from the ship to begin sightseeing, as the Dockyard is home to the Bermuda Maritime Museum along with a host of other attractions at this six-acre complex.
If you arrive at the Port of Hamilton, you’re probably on one of the smaller cruise ships that call on the island. This port can’t accommodate the larger vessels of today, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to do at this port. Hamilton is the island’s capital city and is home to the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute which consistently gets high marks from visitors on Trip Advisor. Here you can learn about about what goes on “under the water” and even take a simulated deep sea dive.
Like the Port of Hamilton, St. George’s Cruise Port is unable to accommodate today’s larger cruise vessels and much of its traffic has shifted to the Royal Navy Dockyard. Those that sail into St. George’s will be able to take in sightseeing, play a round of golf and of course hit the beach.
Bermuda cruises are popular for a variety of reasons, the beach is the obvious, but another is the fact that ships stay in port for extended periods of time – sometimes up to three days – giving cruise passengers plenty of time to explore the island, soak up the sun and see just about everything Bermuda has to offer.
An important thing to note when getting off the ship in Bermuda – you can’t rent a car! Nope. If you wanted to rent one to do some exploring on your own, you’re out of luck. Local residents are the only ones who can own a car in Bermuda, that coupled with driving on the left, and the islands narrow streets prompted the law designed for everyone’s safety. Of course, taxis, busses and shuttles to the beaches are available so you won’t be “stuck” trying to get around.
One of the ships that call on Bermuda for part of the year is the Celebrity Summit from Celebrity Cruise Line. A friend and frequent cruiser, Nancy Kman, just returned from Celebrity Summit and was kind enough to allow me to share some photos of her cruise with my readers.
First up is a request I get all the time from readers and it’s always one of the first things I take pictures of before I mess it up… the stateroom. On the Celebrity Summit Nancy and her family had a Midship Balcony Stateroom.
One of my favorite parts of a New York/New Jersey sail-away is the sightseeing. As the ship sails down the harbor and out to the Atlantic, you’re able to capture great views of the Manhattan skyline and get close enough to take some great photos of the Statue of Liberty.
One of the things cruisers do the first day onboard is to hit the pool. Here are some shots of the pool area onboard Celebrity Summit.
Once in Bermuda, one cannot help but hit the nearest beach. Nancy and her family spent one day at Horseshoe Bay Beach which wasn’t too crowded during their visit.
For those that don’t want to spend the whole day laying out on the beach, there are water sports rentals available at the Royal Naval Dockyards.
A popular attraction at the Royal Navy Dockyards is the Dolphin Quest, where you can get up close and personal by taking a 30-minute swim with these amazing creatures.
Back on board after a long, hot day in the Bermuda sun and the first stop is always the pool bar for a refreshing afternoon cocktail.
Check out this amazing sunset Nancy captured as they began to sail back to New York at the end of their family cruise to Bermuda.
Thanks for allowing me to share some of your photos Nancy, and I hope you and your family had a great time on your cruise to Bermuda aboard Celebrity Summit!
A few notes about the ship itself. The Celebrity Summit was built in 2001 and was originally launched as Summit. Much like Carnival Cruise Lines did several years ago, Celebrity Cruises added the word “Celebrity” to their ship names and in 2008 she was renamed Celebrity Summit.
She is a Millennium-class ship and sister to Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Constellation and Celebrity Infinity.
Designed to carry 2,158 guests she is home to an ice-topped Martini Bar, the Solarium which transforms itself into a late-night club called Liquid, a Canyon Ranch SpaClub and Qsine, a speciality restaurant that features food from around the world presented in a fun, modern way.
Have you cruised to Bermuda? Share your thoughts about your cruise vacation in the comments!