Cayman Islands closed to cruise ships thru Dec 31

[NthernLgts]

Didnt see this posted. 
 

https://www.caymancompass.com/2020/08/13/cruise-ships-banned-until-2021/

Edited August 19, 2020 by NthernLgts

[gfargo53]

typical of this years cruise industry

[livingonthebeach]

Saw that a few days ago -- yet RCI still has Georgetown, Grand Cayman as a port stop for a November 2020 sailing on its website as of right now.  So much for transparency. 

[NthernLgts]

I just dont see North America sailings happening this year.  I wish

RCI would stop extracting final payments on cruises they know arent going to happen.

[Biker19]

3 minutes ago, NthernLgts said:

RCI should stop extracting final payments on cruises they know aren't going to happen.

Pullmantur, a company in bankruptcy affiliated with RCG, is still taking bookings on ships which have been at the scrappers for a month.

[NthernLgts]

Whoa, that takes the cake.

[Biker19]

A surprise decision has been released from the Cayman Islands government this week as it approved a visit from the first cruise ship in more than twenty months. The Seattle-based Holland America Line received permission despite that the government had made clear earlier it could be several months before a cruise ship would return to the Cayman Islands.

 

Under the government’s guidelines, the return of cruising to the Cayman Islands had been scheduled under phase 6 of a reopening plan. Currently, the islands are under phase 4.

Nieuw Statendam is First Cruise Ship to Return to the Cayman Islands

Although cruise ships are not a part of the Cayman Islands government’s border reopening plan, Seattle-based Holland America Line received permission from local officials to call at George Town on December 28, 2021. The cruise line and the local government agreed on terms and conditions designed to minimize the risk of local transmission of COVID-19.

 

Under these protocols, George Town in Grand Cayman must be the first port of call for Nieuw Statendam on that cruise. The number of passengers on board the vessel cannot exceed 60% of the vessel’s capacity, or 1,600 passengers. Grand Cayman will be the first call on a  seven-day cruise to the Western Caribbean, departing Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on December 26.

 

Furthermore, as is the standard onboard ships, all guests and crew onboard must have a final dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days before the beginning of the cruise. Guests should also have a negative viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) taken within two days of their embarkation, and if guests or crew are unwell in any way or form, they will not be allowed ashore.

 

 

“Grand Cayman will be the first port of call for the Holland America Nieuw Statendam, and the capacity will be limited to 1,600 passengers. Guests and crew aboard the ship will be subjected to exactly the same requirements as stayover visitors, such as a pre-arrival testing,” Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan said in the statement.

 

When guests go ashore, they must abide by the local standards, which require everyone to wear a mask and keep to 6 feet of social distancing.

The Cayman Islands Is One of the Last Caribbean Islands to Reopen Borders

 

The Cayman Islands have had its borders closed for tourists since March 16, 2020. Only last week, on November 20, did the country open up again for tourists to start returning in more significant numbers. Some tourists had been allowed in earlier under strict protocols.

 

The reopening is part of a 6-phase plan the Cayman Government introduced starting June 20, which moved to phase 4 on November 20. Further steps are Phase 5, when unvaccinated children under age 12 will be allowed to travel with vaccinated adult tourists.

 

First Cruise Ship Given Permission to Return to Grand Cayman in December (cruisehive.com)

[Biker19]

[Biker19]

After careful consideration and reviews of health and safety protocols, the Cayman Islands has decided to cancel the forthcoming visit of Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam cruise ship, which had been scheduled to visit Grand Cayman on December 28, 2021.

 

This port of call visit had been planned as a test of the popular Caribbean island’s new visitor COVID-19 testing protocols, as was to be the first cruise ship to return to the island since the industry restart.

 

Cayman Islands Changes Traveler Protocols

According to the Caymanian Times, the canceled visit is due to the inability to accommodate new health and safety protocols for all guests arriving to the Cayman Islands to have a negative COVID-19 test one day prior to disembarkation.

 

The Cayman Islands Ministry of Tourism and Transport had collaborated with representatives from Holland America and its parent company, Carnival Corporation, to ensure that passenger capacity was reduced to a maximum of 1,600 of the ship’s double-occupancy capacity of 2,666, and that Grand Cayman was the first port of call on the ship’s itinerary.

 

These measures were intended to minimize the risk of introducing more cases of this highly transmissible disease into the Cayman Islands. Additionally, all passengers and crew disembarking in Grand Cayman had to be fully vaccinated.

On December 17, 2021, however, the Cayman Islands changed its pre-arrival testing protocols. Previously, travelers had to demonstrate a negative test result within 72 hours of their arrival into the country, but now the requirement has been tightened to producing a negative test result within 24 hours. This change was implemented in response to the rapid spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant.

Nieuw Statendam Visit to Grand Cayman Canceled

Because of the tightened policy, it is no longer possible for cruise ships such as Nieuw Statendam to meet these protocols, and its December 28 visit has been canceled.

 

“The Cayman Islands Government does not take this decision lightly and the inconvenience to all concerned, including the cruise line, cruise businesses and passengers is regretted,” said Acting Minister for Tourism Dwayne Seymour. “While uncertainties persist regarding the spread of the virus, adopting a cautious approach is the right thing to do.”

 

First Cruise Ship Visit to Grand Cayman in Over 21 Months is Cancelled (cruisehive.com)

[DirtyDawg]

The Cayman Islands will be a great place to cruise to in 2023... or 2024 ... 

[zekekelso]