Bermuda Cruise 2027, Part 2

You Booked the Bermuda Cruise. Now What Do You Do With Your Time There?

Bermuda is only about 21 square miles.

That can make it tempting to look at a map and think you can see most of the island during a cruise visit.

I wouldn't plan it that way.

After my first trip to Bermuda, one of the biggest things I learned was that the distance between two places doesn't tell you how much of your day an activity will actually consume.

I went to Bermuda knowing I wanted to play golf. I researched the courses before the trip and chose Turtle Hill Golf Club. The round itself took about three hours.

The bigger lesson came afterward.

There were two cruise ships in port that day, including a Norwegian ship, and the public transportation system was strained. Getting back to the Royal Naval Dockyard added roughly another two hours to the day.

I enjoyed the round, and I'm glad I played it.

But that experience changed the way I'm planning my return to Bermuda next July.

This time, I'm planning the time before I plan the day.

Start With the Time, Not the Attractions

Before deciding what you want to see, look closely at how much time your cruise actually gives you.

A short port call creates one kind of Bermuda visit. An overnight stay creates something very different.

An overnight doesn't give you unlimited time, but it does give you more flexibility to decide what deserves that time.

That's important because Bermuda is much more than a beach stop.

There is the history of St. George's, the restaurants and shops of Hamilton, the Royal Naval Dockyard, museums, caves, golf courses, pink-sand beaches and neighborhoods spread across the island.

The more I've learned about Bermuda—both from visiting and through my Bermuda Specialist training—the more I think it makes sense to approach the island geographically, rather than as a checklist of attractions.

Think West, Central and East

Most cruise passengers arriving at the Royal Naval Dockyard begin in Bermuda's West End.

That matters.

Dockyard itself can occupy part of a day, with places such as the National Museum of Bermuda nearby. Moving through Southampton and Warwick brings you toward some of Bermuda's best-known beaches and golf, including Horseshoe Bay, Port Royal Golf Course and Gibbs Hill Lighthouse.

Head farther toward Central Bermuda and the experience changes.

Hamilton gives you restaurants, shopping, art and a more urban side of Bermuda. Someone interested in food and culture could spend their time very differently from someone whose priority is getting to the beach.

Continue east and you reach St. George's, where Bermuda's history becomes a much larger part of the experience.

You can certainly travel between these areas.

But just because Bermuda is small doesn't mean I would plan a day that repeatedly sends you from one end of the island to the other.

Where something is located matters almost as much as what it is.

Transportation Is Part of the Activity

This was probably the most important lesson from my first trip.

Bermuda has buses, ferries, taxis and other transportation options. Public transportation can be a useful way to explore the island.

But the time spent getting somewhere—and getting back—still belongs to the activity.

If something takes three hours, don't automatically treat it as a three-hour commitment.

How long will it take to get there?

How are you getting back?

How many ships and passengers may be in port that day?

Could traffic or demand affect transportation?

And if your ship is departing that day, how much time do you want between finishing the activity and getting back onboard?

Bermuda's official cruise schedules illustrate why that last point can matter. The number of ships, their berth locations, and their arrival and departure times change throughout the season. Bermuda Specialist - 2026 Bermu…

My Turtle Hill day gave me a firsthand example.

The golf took about three hours.

The entire experience took much longer.

If I were doing something similar again, I'd be willing to pay more for a taxi rather than make public transportation part of the return-to-ship equation.

That's not an argument against Bermuda's buses or ferries.

It's an argument for choosing transportation based on what you're doing, where you're going, and how much margin for delay you have that day.

Decide What You Want Bermuda to Be

This is where planning becomes more interesting.

If this is your first Bermuda cruise, what do you most want from the destination?

Do you want the beaches?

History?

Food?

Golf?

Hamilton?

St. George's?

A day exploring Dockyard?

Or do you want enough unscheduled time to wander around and discover some of it for yourself?

There isn't one correct answer.

But every choice uses part of a limited amount of time.

Several hours on a golf course are several hours you aren't exploring St. George's.

Crossing the island for one particular attraction may mean passing on something much closer to the ship.

Spending half the day at Horseshoe Bay may mean deciding that enjoying one of Bermuda's best-known beaches is more important than checking five attractions off a list.

That's not wasting a port day.

That's choosing what you want the port day to be.

An Overnight Changes the Strategy

My July 2027 cruise gives me something particularly useful: an overnight in Bermuda.

My first Bermuda cruise did too.

The difference this time isn't that I suddenly have more time. It's that I understand that time better.

On my first visit, golf was one of my priorities. I researched the courses, chose Turtle Hill, played the round and learned quite a bit about planning a golf day from a cruise ship.

Next July, I think the smarter choice for me is different.

I want to experience more of Bermuda with my wife.

I've already played Turtle Hill, and I expect Bermuda to be a destination I'll return to numerous times. I don't need to fit another round into this trip simply because I enjoy playing golf when I travel.

This time, I'd rather use those hours to see parts of the island we haven't experienced yet.

And on future visits, I absolutely plan to play golf in Bermuda again.

That's one of the advantages of returning to a destination.

You don't have to experience everything on one trip.

Don't Try to Finish Bermuda

Cruising can create a natural urge to maximize every port.

You may have only a few hours somewhere, so it's understandable to want to see as much as possible.

But I'm not convinced that's the best way to experience Bermuda.

Choose what matters.

Understand where it is.

Know how you're getting there.

Think about what else will be happening on the island that day.

And give yourself enough time to actually experience the places you chose.

If that means you don't see everything, that's okay.

I certainly didn't on my first visit.

And when I return next July, I won't try to finish Bermuda.

I'll just try to understand more of it than I did the first time.