Expert: Aruna Dismont - 10/9/2008

Question
We are a party of six, two seniors, two adults and two kids ages 5 and 3 cruising to Bermuda the last weekend of October. I am wondering whether we should book the tours via the cruise ship itself or get our own taxi rentals.

If we do rent a taxi, do we have to walk far to get to the taxi from the ship, as it will be difficult for the seniors in my party.

What are the "must-see-should-not-miss" attractions in Bermuda? We are thinking of the glass bottom tours and the taxi tour of the island.

Thanks,
Nijsub

Answer
Nijsub,

   I do not recommend that you book a taxi tour with the ship. They always hike prices up much more than you need to pay. A taxi tour is a very simple thing. Most taxi drivers are happy to do taxi tours. Outside your ship, there will be taxi's waiting, and you can get in a couple of those. You would need to have one large van taxi, or two medium sized taxi's. Taxi's are not sedan type, they are different and are much more comfortable than sedan type. I can recommend 3 options for you and your family:

You can go outside of your ship and get some taxi's out there

Or I can get some numbers on some taxi drivers who do exceptional tours who I know personally and work with to liaison with you to arrange.

Thirdly, there is a tour company called Byways Bermuda. They are very small and personal, they use an 8 passenger van. It is run by a lovely couple and they do excellent tours. Their tour is 4 hours, but it is a stop and go tour, so you get out at times and see things first-hand. They do almost all of Bermuda most times, and are great with kids and adults alike. They are $100 per person, but do they have a group rate available. If the cruise ship cannot help you with that, their number is 441 504 T-O-U-R (8687 I believe) and they will be glad to help you.

For must-see attractions, there are quite a few things I recommend:
The Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. It has a lovely tea room (with brunch also) and you have the option of going to the top if you wish. I'm sure the kids would love it (although it has many stairs!) and the seniors can stay down and enjoy the views. Many people come here just to see the views and take pictures, it's fairly high and you can see far.

The beaches, of course! I do not know what the weather will be like when you come, but if you do not go swimming, you can at least enjoy the views and the sun. I would recommend Horseshoe Bay (although it can get crowded) and Warwick Long Bay. This is great for seashell pieces, which may be a good thing for the kids to do.

Crystal Caves. It is a natural limestone cave that is beautiful. I would, however, not recommend it for the seniors as it has a lot of steps.

You should visit St. Georges, Dockyard, and Hamilton. These are all the main 'towns'. Mind you, Bermuda is only 22 miles long, so 'town' is a relative term! They all have attractions. Hamilton is the main city right in the middle of Bermuda. Good for shopping and movies and such. It also has Fort Hamilton which is an old British Navy fort which is great for views and has an interesting garden area and a dungeon area. But it does have steps to get down. Dockyard is on the west end, and has Dolphin Quest (swimming with dolphins), the Maritime Museum, the glassworks and run cake factory, etc. St. Georges is a World Heritage site and has the oldest still running Anglican church in the Western hemisphere, the old unfinished church, etc.

Glassbottom boat trip. Depending on the weather, they may still be running. You may want to check with the cruise ship to see if they have any information or can arrange them for you.

I hope I haven't overloaded you with information! If you need any more assistance, please don't hesitate to ask!

Aruna