Barbados summer cruises 2021

[Borna]

correct cruiseej:  Just uploading to St. Lucia in the slim chance we could explore on our own.  I'm also booking a private excursion with Seabourn for St. Lucia since we didn't care for their other excursions.  

[Borna]

Major trouble with the Barbados travel registration website, which would not work no matter the browser, and not even with the Barbados app.  No success.  I called the 24/7 hotline 1 833 448 0734, and was told that there can be problems with the websites and app and that we could fill out the form on arrival.  Hope things work easier for all of you and I appreciate your helpful posts.  Hope to make it to Barbados and the cruise, LOL.  

[lux4me]

We are flying in one day ahead in OCT.   hope things change by then..and I cant change flights

[cruiseej]

@lux4me  There's no way to know if the Barbados entry rules will change over the next 3 months or not. But hopefully, all the hotels, taxis, etc. will be up to speed with the protocols for cruise passengers.

 

We've heard of one passenger last week who arrived, got tested, and waited in their hotel, and it became time to leave for the port before the test results arrived. Travelers are supposed to be able to get transportation directly from the hotel to the port, even without test results, but it's likely since this was the first cruise from Barbados, not every hotel was familiar with this exception to the arrival testing protocols. After some weeks of cruising, hopefully everyone will be on the same page, and there won't be any problems. 

 

I was hoping they might drop the entry test, since everyone arriving has had a negative PCR test within the past three days of arrival, but the way case counts are increasing in the US and elsewhere, that may not happen. No way to know; we just have to wait and see.

[cruiseej]

@Borna I'm hoping that you've arrived in Barbados, run the gauntlet of customs, immigration, luggage retrieval and Covid testing, and are now sipping a cool drink at your hotel while the pre-travel stress begins to melt away. And that by tomorrow at this time, you'll be sipping another cool drink, this one from the deck of the Odyssey, with all the remaining travel stress tossed overboard! 🙂 

 

Best, wishes, and let us know how you're making out.

[Borna]

Greetings from Barbados.  While waiting at the  airport, i was finally able to complete the online registration form for Barbados, which will save visitors time from doing it in arrival in Barbados 

 

We arrived Saturday at about 5 pm.  The process at Barbados airport was relatively smooth and fast.  About 45 minutes for the testing, immigration, and luggage retrieval.  I brought paper copies of everything, covid vaccination proof, negative test results within 72 hours, passport, which the airport authorities appreciated.  

 

A green ribbon bracelet is placed on your wrist indicating your status as awaiting results.   There is no tracking on the ribbon   I pre-arranged transport with an approved taxi to the hotel   We were dropped off at the hotel and the hotel told us to stay on the property until we receive negative test results, then tell the hotel when we receive the results, and it will take off the bracelet.  
 

I received my on arrival results within 12 hours. My traveling partner has not yet received her results 

 
So the arrival in Barbados was relatively easy. 
 

Now free to sightsee!   Before leaving the usa, i had emailed several approved transit providers to get quotes for about 4 hours of sightseeing.   Most quoted about $140-150 , which i find reasonable.    
 

More reports to follow and happy to answer any questions. 

 

[Borna]

The Barbados hotel also knew that it could allow us to leave to board the ship if we had not received the results in time to board the ship. 

[Borna]

Pics of the green ribbon placed on your wrist at Barbados airport to indicate waiting for results are attached 

[cruiseej]

@Borna  So happy to hear that your arrival in Barbados went smoothly. 🙂Did your mom's testing result come through okay later in the day? Was your travel to and boarding the ship this afternoon also uneventful?

 

10 hours ago, Borna said:

Now free to sightsee!   Before leaving the usa, i had emailed several approved transit providers to get quotes for about 4 hours of sightseeing.   Most quoted about $140-150 , which i find reasonable.

 

If you ended up doing this, I'd be interested in knowing which company you used, if they were good or bad, and what you got to see in your limited time. We're hoping to do something similar in our time before heading for the ship.

 

FYI if you haven't seen it: the Odyssey was refused clearance in Grenada two days ago, so the port call there was canceled. Hopefully they will be open for 'bubble travelers' when you go there in two weeks, or Seabourn will have come up with an interesting way to use the time for sail-by sightseeing of the best islands in the Caribbean.

[Hlitner]

Here is a link to a story that discusses the cancelation of the Odyssey's visit to Granada.

Low vaccination rate affecting cruise industry (thenewtodaygrenada.com)

 

This is not the first time an island cancelled a cruise ship because of the island (not the ship) the other time being the BVI.  But the cancelation of Granada makes no sense since their government has indicated the ship could visit and then apparently canceled for no reason.  Perhaps SB needs to rethink their itineraries on these Caribbean cruises.

 

Hank

[Borna]

Safely on board odyssey.  Took about an hour at the port terminal with showing the necessary paperwork (covid vaccination) the another rapid test, 15 minutes wait for results, etc before we could board   
 

Only 120 passengers on the cruise.   Seabourn said even less on next week’s cruise.  
 

seabourn said grenada canceled on last week’s cruise due to grenada requiring passengers’ medical info which seabourn refused to divulge.  Seabourn said it hopes to resolve the issue with grenada so we can see grenada on this cruise.  
 

[Borna]

To whet your appetite 

[Borna]

Today’s herald

 

its true that seabourn staff know your name pretty quickly 

[Borna]

No masks for guests on board, only crew wear masks.  Self service buffet at breakfast and lunch.   
 

i used scorpion executive services as my Barbados transport provider, self owned by paul and his wife.  Paul was very accommodating.  

[sable1]

Hi Borna,

So glad you arrived safely and thank you for your updates.

Can you please evaluate the C.D.

Have you played Trivia?  What are the prizes?

How many onboard?

Any tips, suggestions for a first time Seabourn cruiser.

Thanks, Joanne

 

[Borna]

Played team trivia today and won.  Seabourn coffee mug was the prize. 120 guests.  What’s C.D.?   I’m also a first timer. I might be able to give tips after a few more days on the ship.  Happy to answer any questions.  Took private tour today of st lucia 

[2seabournsailors]

46 minutes ago, Borna said:

Played team trivia today and won.  Seabourn coffee mug was the prize. 120 guests.  What’s C.D.?   I’m also a first timer. I might be able to give tips after a few more days on the ship.  Happy to answer any questions.  Took private tour today of st lucia 

CD is Cruise Director......think you have Robert? SOOOOOOO happy to see you have printed Heralds and Menus. I read "somewhere else" that they are going to more the "technical" stuff for those now, ummm Apps and stuff? That isn't how I enjoy reading. I know saving trees etc is important, but I'm too old for Apps! LOL 

[Borna]

Yes robert is delightful.  We requested printed heralds too

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, Borna said:

Played team trivia today and won.  Seabourn coffee mug was the prize. 120 guests.  What’s C.D.?   I’m also a first timer. I might be able to give tips after a few more days on the ship.  Happy to answer any questions.  Took private tour today of st lucia 

We salute you and send our congratulations for the big win :).  A coffee mug is a terrific prize.  Nearly thirty years ago DW and I won two coffee mugs (from playing Trivia) on Princess.  To this day I use those two mugs on a daily basis and they are prized in my "valuable" mug collection.  Adding some SB mugs to the collection might be the highlight of a future cruise :).

 

Hank 

[cruiseej]

4 hours ago, Borna said:

Took private tour today of st lucia

 

Thanks for your reports! I hope you're having good time. 

 

Was this a private tour via Seabourn, e.g. a Seabourn-booked excursion? Or were you somehow able to book your own tour? Full day or half day? What did they take you to see?

[Borna]

We booked a private tour through seabourn to see what we wanted to see in st lucia as none of Seabourn’s tours interested us.  
 

and yes , you cannot explore on your own.  You must book a tour through seabourn to leave the ship.   
 

Seabourn no longer offers hermes or l’occitane soap as an option to molton brown, for those who care, lol

 

had a great steak at the thomas keller restaurant.  
 

everything going nicely on board

 

passengers were given a seabourn tote bag on their bed as a turn down gift the first night 

[Borna]

Welcome aboard 

[Isklaar]

1 hour ago, Borna said:

 

Seabourn no longer offers hermes or l’occitane soap as an option to molton brown, for those who care, lol

 

 

 

 

So when your suite stewardess, or whatever they are called now, introduced herself with champagne and canapés, did she not offer you a choice of  hand soaps?

Hermès and L'Occitane hand soaps were provided previously, but toiletries such as shower gel and hair care products were Molton Brown. Is the soap now also Molton Brown?

[SLSD]

2 hours ago, Borna said:

 

Seabourn no longer offers hermes or l’occitane soap as an option to molton brown, for those who care.

Thank you for letting us us about the soaps.  It is important information for some of us.  I happen to be allergic (of all things) to the soaps  provided in the past, other than L'Occitane (which we use at home) .  I can bring a few bars of my own and not worry.  

[Borna]

I asked our two designated housekeepers who said no more hermes or l’occitane, only molton brown.   Here’s a pic of Dominica’s emerald pool today