Why hasn't the Breakaway left on its cruise from NY yet?

[goldmom]

I actually think it was very nice of the Bermuda Government and NCL to have something set up at the pier as they really didn't have to.  The protocols were very clearly stated and passengers were told that they would not be allowed to board without the approved TA.  They really didn't have to help passengers who didn't bother to follow instructions, delaying sailing, and racking up port charges when there were plenty of passengers who somehow managed to complete everything that was needed.

It seems to me that if you manage to find cruise critic, while on a cruise, to complain and vent, then they could have found cruise critic before they sailed, at which point they would have been made aware of the instructions.  I'm sure it was also discussed on that other unnamed site.  If their Travel Agent didn't forward NCL's letter with the protocols then that's on their Travel Agent.

But again, it has always been the passengers responsibility to find out the entry requirement for any port they are visiting, this was even before Covid protocols.

[gwesq]

14 hours ago, trueeden said:

 

The negative close contacts were tested again this morning and allowed back on the ship. 

 

 

We have since learned that they were given the option to get back on the ship or fly home.  Some chose to fly.  

 

As for some complaining about wearing the tracking devices - what’s the big deal?  Even if fully vax’d, wouldn’t you want to know if you’ve been exposed to someone positive?   The “fault” with the trackers is that an exposure of 15 minutes over a 24 hour period results in a “ contact” requiring quarantine.  Shoukd be a much shorter period of time to accumulate that 15 mins, in my opinioN.   What happened was dictated by Bermuda govt due to the # of positives.  Only  One symptomatic.

[ttiot9999]

Im going Sunday on Breakaway just got a covid test at Walgreens ill get it back in a day or 2 then get my stuff uploaded to Bermuda and get a approval with bar code to show at terminal. Then you get a rapid and another pcr from NCL Ive gotten many emails maybe they were not sending them out before but I have had a ton maybe went to spam but I'm getting hit with them. The first thing I did was lookup Bermuda requirements I think so people dont do there homework its not that complicated. So many people showed up with no authorization from Bermuda Im sure it was awful but rules are rules has nothing to do with ncl if u wanna cruise and go places like theres no covid you gotta be tested and make sure that you dont have covid then you can do what you like. Paperwork sucks I get it but life happens. im wondering how bad it will be again on Sunday many people just book dont read these forums or do there homework what are the odds the boat gets out on time? I dont care Ill be on the boat get me a drink!

 

Edited September 29, 2021 by ttiot9999

[lixogab]

There are two things here that don’t make sense for me:

- NCL is doin a ( PCR? ) test anyway. They could use this test to satisfy Bermuda government requirements. Why they are not doing that?
- Bermuda government started requiring the tests -after- Bermuda  got the surge of cases. Shouldn’t they do it before? 

[ttiot9999]

12 minutes ago, lixogab said:

There are two things here that don’t make sense for me:

- NCL is doin a ( PCR? ) test anyway. They could use this test to satisfy Bermuda government requirements. Why they are not doing that?
- Bermuda government started requiring the tests -after- Bermuda  got the surge of cases. Shouldn’t they do it before? 

 

Yes Im not sure why we submit a test to the goverment that is out of there timeframe for our arrival but we get one on the boat that is in there timeframe. If the pcr test has nothing to do with ncl and ncl does rapid to get on boat if u test positive on boat pcr u get quarantined and u dont get let into Bermuda so whats the point? The PCR could be done on sunday get labs back monday or tue then get authorization from Bermuda Im not sure the timing makes sense

Edited September 29, 2021 by ttiot9999

[goldmom]

17 minutes ago, lixogab said:

There are two things here that don’t make sense for me:

- NCL is doin a ( PCR? ) test anyway. They could use this test to satisfy Bermuda government requirements. Why they are not doing that?
- Bermuda government started requiring the tests -after- Bermuda  got the surge of cases. Shouldn’t they do it before? 

Bermuda has pretty much the same protocols in place now as they did before the surge of cases.  They have required visitor testing pretty much from the time they came out of lock down. 

Bermuda requires a travel authorization form be completed before you board the ship, in order for it to be processed in time that PCR test needs to be taken 4 days before sailing.

NCL is doing their required antigen test at the pier.  In addition, Bermuda requires an additional PCR test which would normally be done on the ship when it arrives in Bermuda.  As Bermuda would have problems processing that many tests in a timely manner they made an arrangement with NCL.  NCL will do the PCR test for the arrival in Bermuda at the pier also, which satifies the Bermuda PCR test arrival requirement. 

So there are 2 separate PCR tests which must be done to satisfy the Bermuda protocols.

Edited September 29, 2021 by goldmom
spelling

[bluesea777]

2 hours ago, ttiot9999 said:

 

Yes Im not sure why we submit a test to the goverment that is out of there timeframe for our arrival but we get one on the boat that is in there timeframe. If the pcr test has nothing to do with ncl and ncl does rapid to get on boat if u test positive on boat pcr u get quarantined and u dont get let into Bermuda so whats the point? The PCR could be done on sunday get labs back monday or tue then get authorization from Bermuda Im not sure the timing makes sense

 

@goldmomis correct.

 

Additionally, all AIR arrivals must do pre-travel PCR test 4 days prior and complete the BTA (Bermuda Travel Authorization) before they can board the plane to Bermuda, AND then do the arrival PCR test (nasal swab) at the airport (and be slapped on with red bracelet (that costs $1,000.00 if you cut it off yourself)). They must go directly home or hotel and stay there (quarantine) until they receive email with negative results. THEN they must go and be tested again on Days 4 and 10.

 

All visitors that travel to Bermuda must be vaccinated. The BTA has always been in force ever since its concept back in April/May when we had the 3rd wave.

 

 

[Rob-Bob]

2 hours ago, goldmom said:

Bermuda has pretty much the same protocols in place now as they did before the surge of cases.  They have required visitor testing pretty much from the time they came out of lock down. 

I don't get it.  This is an island.  They require anyone coming to the island to be vaccinated and have a negative test to be able to come to the island.  No one should be coming to the island that has it.

 

But now the cases are higher than they were 4 months ago.  This Covid can jump oceans.  Amazing.

 

Maybe all the protocols are not all that they are cracked up to be. 

[njhorseman]

15 minutes ago, Rob-Bob said:

I don't get it.  This is an island.  They require anyone coming to the island to be vaccinated and have a negative test to be able to come to the island.  No one should be coming to the island that has it.

 

But now the cases are higher than they were 4 months ago.  This Covid can jump oceans.  Amazing.

 

Maybe all the protocols are not all that they are cracked up to be. 

But not all the residents of Bermuda are vaccinated and the overwhelming majority of cases are from local transmission of delta variant infections. 

Further, unlike  visitors, residents of Bermuda flying home from overseas do not have to be vaccinated and although they have to be tested and isolated those processes aren't perfect, which means the returning unvaccinated residents may still pass any infections they may have to other residents. 

[periodic itinerant]

5 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

But not all the residents of Bermuda are vaccinated and the overwhelming majority of cases are from local transmission of delta variant infections. 

Further, unlike  visitors, residents of Bermuda flying home from overseas do not have to be vaccinated and although they have to be tested and isolated those processes aren't perfect, which means the returning unvaccinated residents may still pass any infections they may have to other residents. 

All this, plus incubation periods mean that some transmission is inevitable. All the measure put in place mitigate the risks, but none of them can eliminate it entirely.

[bluesea777]

Delta variant is very highly transmissible .... anybody can contract it, even the vaccinated ones. 

 

When one contracts the virus they can still test negative for several days while the germs make their walkabout in your body. In this meantime you can pass the germs to others while still being tested negative until you finally test positive.

 

Unfortunately here in Bermuda there were several illegal large gatherings, raft-ups, parties back in August .... and there are still about 30-32% unvaccinated and anti-vaxxers, therefore the spread is pretty rampant. Our hospital is over filled with very sick unvaccinated and several are in ICU.

 

This 4th wave is pretty devastating and we are so frustrated with the anti-vaxxers and other careless people. One of the excuses the anti-vaxxers give is their church told them not to get vaccinated because God will protect them.

 

Yes, there were a few deaths of vaccinated people (4) but they had underlaying health issues already.

 

Earlier this week there were 10 deaths in single day and some were at home as they refused to go to hospital.

 

Sigh .... rant over.

 

 

[bluesea777]

27 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

But not all the residents of Bermuda are vaccinated and the overwhelming majority of cases are from local transmission of delta variant infections. 

Further, unlike  visitors, residents of Bermuda flying home from overseas do not have to be vaccinated and although they have to be tested and isolated those processes aren't perfect, which means the returning unvaccinated residents may still pass any infections they may have to other residents. 

 

True as they often break quarantine. They were supposed to go into hotel quarantine for 14 days immediately upon arriving on island.

 

IMHO, one way they should do to them is slap a bright coloured bracelet on them when they arrive on island and they cannot remove until tested negative at end of 14 days. This way we'd spot them out in public.

 

 

[Russiamomm]

21 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

Delta variant is very highly transmissible .... anybody can contract it, even the vaccinated ones. 

 

When one contracts the virus they can still test negative for several days while the germs make their walkabout in your body. In this meantime you can pass the germs to others while still being tested negative until you finally test positive.

 

Unfortunately here in Bermuda there were several illegal large gatherings, raft-ups, parties back in August .... and there are still about 30-32% unvaccinated and anti-vaxxers, therefore the spread is pretty rampant. Our hospital is over filled with very sick unvaccinated and several are in ICU.

 

This 4th wave is pretty devastating and we are so frustrated with the anti-vaxxers and other careless people. One of the excuses the anti-vaxxers give is their church told them not to get vaccinated because God will protect them.

 

Yes, there were a few deaths of vaccinated people (4) but they had underlaying health issues already.

 

Earlier this week there were 10 deaths in single day and some were at home as they refused to go to hospital.

 

Sigh .... rant over.

 

 

I hear you.  I’m an American, but live in the South.  I share your rant.

[ChiefMateJRK]

5 hours ago, gwesq said:

As for some complaining about wearing the tracking devices - what’s the big deal?  Even if fully vax’d, wouldn’t you want to know if you’ve been exposed to someone positive?   

No.  I would not want to know.  I am fully vaccinated and I don't fear the dreaded Covid.  I'm sure most of us have been exposed to somebody over the past year and a half.  The last thing I want on my cruise is to be forced to quarantine for a day or two because some magic tracker says that I sat 5 feet away from some person in the lounge for 15 minutes who tested positive.  If people are afraid and worried about the risks, they should probably just stay home right now.  I don't wear a tracker when I go to the grocery store or local restaurant.  Why would I want to wear one on vacation?

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, Rob-Bob said:

I don't get it.  This is an island.  They require anyone coming to the island to be vaccinated and have a negative test to be able to come to the island.  No one should be coming to the island that has it.

 

But now the cases are higher than they were 4 months ago.  This Covid can jump oceans.  Amazing.

 

Maybe all the protocols are not all that they are cracked up to be. 

You are forgetting incubation period of the virus.     Testing 4 days prior to flying or cruising does not mean you will be negative 5 or 7 days later.       Plus the island still has many residents that remain unvaccinated and they are allowed to travel to and from the island.

 

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I don't wear a tracker when I go to the grocery store or local restaurant.  Why would I want to wear one on vacation?

Well...unless you're spending a week or more continuously in the restaurant or grocery store, eating and sleeping there, going to bars and shows there, gambling in the casino there, working out in the gym there, and going on excursions with your fellow customers in the grocery story or restaurant, it isn't at all comparable to being on a  cruise ship, is it. There's a world of difference in risk between short term occasional exposure and exposure to the same people over an extended time.

 

Contact tracing has been used in everyday life, but not very successfully.  Several states actually have tracking apps for your smartphone that can tell you if you've been in extended contact with someone who also has the app and later reports they have tested positive for COVID. While that seemed like a good idea to assist in contact tracing it was a dismal failure because people had privacy concerns about the process and the apps never were used by enough people to have a meaningful effect on the ability to contact trace. States also had telephone contact tracers who would call people who had tested positive in an attempt to identify their close contacts but the telephone contact tracers were largely rebuffed, again due to privacy concerns and fear of the government going after them for violating COVID rules.

[ChiefMateJRK]

26 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

There's a world of difference in risk between short term occasional exposure and exposure to the same people over an extended time.

That's just my point.  Even when on a cruise ship I'm not exposed "to the same people over an extended time," unless you're equating being on the same huge ship with being constantly within that "magic" six foot zone.

[BirdTravels]

8 hours ago, ttiot9999 said:

 

Yes I'm not sure why we submit a test to the government that is out of there timeframe for our arrival but we get one on the boat that is in there timeframe. If the PCR test has nothing to do with NCL and NCL does rapid to get on boat if you test positive on ship PCR you get quarantined and you don't get let into Bermuda so what's the point? The PCR could be done on Sunday get labs back Monday or Tuesday then get authorization from Bermuda I'm not sure the timing makes sense

The reason why is because those are the rules for allowing cruise traffic into the country.  Abide by the rules, or don't go to Bermuda on a cruise ship. Unless NCL has cut a "deal" with Bermuda, Bermuda doesn't care what testing the cruise line is requiring. All they care about is that you have done the testing that they require. Simple. 

Edited September 30, 2021 by BirdTravels

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

That's just my point.  Even when on a cruise ship I'm not exposed "to the same people over an extended time," unless you're equating being on the same huge ship with being constantly within that "magic" six foot zone.

Without belaboring the point I think you're grossly underestimating the potential for extended close contact with the same people on a cruise ship . Go to shows at night? The casino? Eat dinner? Breakfast at the buffet?  Day after day for a week...maybe longer.

How that can be compared to a trip to the supermarket or eating in the restaurant just doesn't add up. 

 

[LobsterStalker]

On 9/26/2021 at 6:39 PM, Nancy8250 said:

Yeah, I just returned to home (NY) last week from Aruba and the hassles and requirements were tedious to say the least at the airports.  The trip, however, was fantastic!

 

Nancy , How was the experience entering Aruba?

I am hoping to book something soon to go there this winter . Trying to decide whether it will be worth it depending on how many hoops I will have to jump through to try and enjoy a vacation.

Thx

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Without belaboring the point I think you're grossly underestimating the potential for extended close contact with the same people on a cruise ship . Go to shows at night? The casino? Eat dinner? Breakfast at the buffet?  Day after day for a week...maybe longer.

How that can be compared to a trip to the supermarket or eating in the restaurant just doesn't add up. 

 

No I’m not. I highly doubt that I’m near any specific strangers for more than  cumulative the amount of time I’m near a stranger during dinner at a local restaurant. Did you forget that NCL has freestyle dining where I’m NOT forced to spend time with the same strangers night after night?

[ttiot9999]

The Breakaway left Bermuda already was supposed to leave at 3pm Hurricane Sam is staying to the East but is this the reason for getting out early?

[shof515]

8 minutes ago, ttiot9999 said:

The Breakaway left Bermuda already was supposed to leave at 3pm Hurricane Sam is staying to the East but is this the reason for getting out early?

strong winds from sam can effect the safe navigation of the ship out of the channel 

[DCGuy64]

On 9/30/2021 at 1:18 AM, ChiefMateJRK said:

No I’m not. I highly doubt that I’m near any specific strangers for more than  cumulative the amount of time I’m near a stranger during dinner at a local restaurant. Did you forget that NCL has freestyle dining where I’m NOT forced to spend time with the same strangers night after night?

I so agree with this. That's all I'll say... 

[MsTabbyKats]

On 9/30/2021 at 1:18 AM, ChiefMateJRK said:

No I’m not. I highly doubt that I’m near any specific strangers for more than  cumulative the amount of time I’m near a stranger during dinner at a local restaurant. Did you forget that NCL has freestyle dining where I’m NOT forced to spend time with the same strangers night after night?

I agree too....that is, unless I choose to be with that stranger.