Brilliant Lady - Bermuda MerMaiden from New York

Where this cruise calls, day by day

4 ports and 2 sea days over 5 Nights.

1. Day 1

   New York, NY

   United StatesDepart

   New York sails from two very different places. The Manhattan Cruise Terminal occupies Piers 88 and 90 off Twelfth Avenue in the West 50s, a 1930s finger-pier arrangement with rooftop parking and Midtown at the end of the block. Brooklyn's terminal in Red Hook is calmer and roomier but further from a subway. Either way the ship must clear the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, which rules out the largest ships afloat.

   • The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, a ten-minute walk from the Manhattan piers
   • The High Line and Chelsea Market, with Hudson Yards on the way back
   • The sailaway itself - past the Statue of Liberty and under the Verrazzano; be on deck
   • Red Hook if you sail from Brooklyn: Louis Valentino Jr. Park has the best free Statue view in the city

   Getting ashore

   Manhattan berths at Piers 88 and 90 (West 46th to 54th Streets) with drop-off on Twelfth Avenue, while Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is in Red Hook; reckon 45-60 minutes from JFK or Newark and 30-45 from LaGuardia, all of it hostage to traffic.

   Best months

   May-Oct (Bermuda and Canada/New England runs; Sep-Oct adds foliage sailings)

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3

   Royal Naval Dockyard

   BermudaPort

   Bermuda is not the Caribbean and does not behave like it — this is a mid-Atlantic call, usually two or three nights alongside, and ships berth at the old Royal Navy dockyard on the far western tip because they cannot fit into Hamilton or St. George's. The dockyard is a restored fortress complex of limestone warehouses turned into shops. Everything else is a ferry or bus away; there are no rental cars on the island.

   • National Museum of Bermuda inside the Keep
   • Horseshoe Bay and the pink-sand south shore beaches
   • Fast ferry across to Hamilton
   • St. George's, the UNESCO-listed old town at the far east end

   Getting ashore

   Docked at King's Wharf or Heritage Wharf with shops at the gate; Hamilton is about 20 minutes by fast ferry and Horseshoe Bay roughly 25 minutes by bus or taxi.

   Best months

   Apr-Oct — this is a summer-season port; the water is cold and much of the island winds down Nov-Mar

4. Day 4

   Royal Naval Dockyard

   BermudaPort

   Bermuda is not the Caribbean and does not behave like it — this is a mid-Atlantic call, usually two or three nights alongside, and ships berth at the old Royal Navy dockyard on the far western tip because they cannot fit into Hamilton or St. George's. The dockyard is a restored fortress complex of limestone warehouses turned into shops. Everything else is a ferry or bus away; there are no rental cars on the island.

   • National Museum of Bermuda inside the Keep
   • Horseshoe Bay and the pink-sand south shore beaches
   • Fast ferry across to Hamilton
   • St. George's, the UNESCO-listed old town at the far east end

   Getting ashore

   Docked at King's Wharf or Heritage Wharf with shops at the gate; Hamilton is about 20 minutes by fast ferry and Horseshoe Bay roughly 25 minutes by bus or taxi.

   Best months

   Apr-Oct — this is a summer-season port; the water is cold and much of the island winds down Nov-Mar

5. Day 5 · At sea

6. Day 6

   New York, NY

   United StatesArrive

   New York sails from two very different places. The Manhattan Cruise Terminal occupies Piers 88 and 90 off Twelfth Avenue in the West 50s, a 1930s finger-pier arrangement with rooftop parking and Midtown at the end of the block. Brooklyn's terminal in Red Hook is calmer and roomier but further from a subway. Either way the ship must clear the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, which rules out the largest ships afloat.

   • The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, a ten-minute walk from the Manhattan piers
   • The High Line and Chelsea Market, with Hudson Yards on the way back
   • The sailaway itself - past the Statue of Liberty and under the Verrazzano; be on deck
   • Red Hook if you sail from Brooklyn: Louis Valentino Jr. Park has the best free Statue view in the city

   Getting ashore

   Manhattan berths at Piers 88 and 90 (West 46th to 54th Streets) with drop-off on Twelfth Avenue, while Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is in Red Hook; reckon 45-60 minutes from JFK or Newark and 30-45 from LaGuardia, all of it hostage to traffic.

   Best months

   May-Oct (Bermuda and Canada/New England runs; Sep-Oct adds foliage sailings)