Guides
Bermuda by cruise from Boston or Cape Liberty (NCL / Royal Caribbean): the insider’s guide
Written by PerkJolt's AI desk from official sources; facts checked on the dates shown. We may earn a commission from links; it never changes what we recommend.
At a glance
- Route: a round trip to Bermuda, typically 7 nights, with sea days out, about three days alongside at King's Wharf in the Royal Naval Dockyard, and a sea day home.
- Two starting points: Boston (Flynn Cruiseport, Black Falcon Avenue) or Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey.
- Lines: Royal Caribbean's Bermuda page is titled "Cruises to Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda" and links to a Boston departure page (checked Oct 13, 2026). Norwegian's ships and ports for Bermuda are not confirmed here as of 2026-10-13; check https://www.ncl.com/cruise/bermuda.
- Because you stay overnight in port, Bermuda is one of the few cruise runs where you can have dinner ashore.
- Money: the cruise fare, port fees and taxes shown at checkout, plus BD$ spending on the island. Fill the blanks in the cost sheet from the line's own booking page.
- Documents: closed-loop sailings from a US port may have different rules than a passport trip; confirm on cbp.gov and travel.state.gov before booking.
- State Department advisory for Bermuda: Level 1 [read 2026-10-13, https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/bermuda-travel-advisory.html — page dated April 10, 2026, Level 1].
- Best for: first-timers who want one hotel-free week, an island with pink-sand beaches, and a short flight (or none, if you live near Boston).
When to go
Bermuda cruising is a seasonal run. The sailing calendar is set by the lines, so check the Boston and Cape Liberty pages for the first and last departure dates of the season. Late spring and early autumn are typically the milder shoulder months; midsummer is the warmest sea-swimming window; the edges of the season can be cooler and breezier. Hurricane season overlaps the summer and autumn calendar, so read your line's itinerary-change terms before you book.
The route in brief
Day 1 you board, usually mid-afternoon, and sail out past the harbor islands. Days 2 and 3 are at sea: the Atlantic crossing is the part of the trip that decides how you feel about the rest, so book a deck chair early and bring motion-sickness remedies if you are prone. Days 4 to 6 are docked at King's Wharf in the Royal Naval Dockyard (typical; confirm in your booking). That gives you a full day on the island and a late departure on the last day. Day 7 is a sea day home. Day 8 you walk off in Boston or Bayonne.
Where to stay the night before
- Boston, near the Seaport: walkable to the cruise terminal area, restaurants nearby, higher hotel rates on cruise weekends. Check each hotel chain's map for a property near Black Falcon Avenue.
- Boston, near Logan Airport: easiest if you fly in; the MBTA Silver Line SL1 serves the airport. See chapter 2 for fares and check mbta.com for the current pickup point.
- Bayonne / Jersey City: closest to Cape Liberty; quieter, with fewer sights.
- Manhattan or Hoboken: more to do the night before, with a longer ride to Bayonne by NJ Transit, PATH or taxi. Check the operators' pages for current fares.
Rough cost, three ways
Plan your budget
Your trip budget worksheet
Prices change daily, so we don’t quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages.
| Item | Your amount |
|---|---|
| Plan your budgetYour trip budget worksheet + Prices change daily, so we don't quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages. + Your trip budget worksheetItemYour amountCash: faretaxes/fees(from the line's checkout page) + hotel the night beforeBD$ spendgratuitiesflights or parking + Points: use a card's travel portal or points for the fare if the line is bookable there; fill in |
|
| points and the taxes | |
| Check the portal for the live number. + Mixed: pay the fare in cash, book the hotel with points, take transit to the pier. Total |
Boston transit fares (mbta.com): a one-way subway ride is $2.40 and a one-way bus ride is $1.70 with a CharlieCard (checked Oct 13, 2026). The page does not state whether the Silver Line airport service is free; confirm that on mbta.com.
Entry and document rules
A cruise that starts and ends at the same US port is called closed-loop. CBP publishes the document rules for U.S. citizens; read https://www.cbp.gov/travel/cruise-ship-passengers and https://travel.state.gov before booking. Not confirmed on those pages as of 2026-10-13 — check there before you book. A passport is the simplest document to carry, because a missed port or a medical flight home is easier with one. Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory with its own entry process; check gov.bm for any health or arrival forms that apply to your sailing.
Three free things in the ports
- Walk the Dockyard ramparts and Snorkel Park shoreline at King's Wharf. Photo subject: the Royal Naval Dockyard waterfront at King's Wharf.
- Walk St. George's town squares if your ship day or an excursion takes you there. Photo subject: King's Square in St. George's.
- Look at Horseshoe Bay's pink sand from the lookout without paying for anything beyond the bus. Photo subject: Horseshoe Bay Beach, Southampton.
Two ways to pick your departure port
Boston suits you if you live in New England or want a smaller terminal city with plenty to do the night before. Cape Liberty suits you if you are in the New York and New Jersey region, want to drive and park, or want a bigger choice of flights and hotels. The Bermuda leg is the same island either way; what changes is the first and last day. On a Boston sailing you will wake up on Day 8 beside the Seaport; on a Cape Liberty sailing you will look across the harbor toward Manhattan. Check the sailing date and your line's port page for the terminal you actually have.
What the week feels like
Expect a slow first day, two long sea days, a lively arrival in the Dockyard, and one evening where you can eat ashore and still be back for the late sail-away. Honest downside: if the Atlantic is rough, the sea days can be unpleasant, and an itinerary change is the line's right under its terms.
Bus and ferry fares are not confirmed on gov.bm as of 2026-10-13 — check https://www.gov.bm before you plan the day.
This is the free lite guide. The full day-by-day guide, with maps, photo stops, rain plans and the points playbook, is part of PerkJolt All-Access.
Good to know before you go
Facts here were checked 2026-10-13. Confirm the itinerary, port calls, fees and schedules on the cruise line's official page, in your booking, or in the line's app before you sail. The day order below is a representative 7-night sailing, not a published schedule; confirm the port order in your booking.