New Bermuda Covid testing rules and NCL

[Dr. Cocktail]

I'm a little confused ... on Bermuda's website: Cruise voyage where Bermuda is not the first port of call or ship takes longer than 4 days to arrive to Bermuda from embarkation port:

 

 

Travel Authorisation required. Application fee $40.

COVID-19 NAAT test up to 4 days before embarkation

 OR

Supervised antigen up to 2 days before embarkation

AND

COVID-19 NAAT or supervised antigen test up to 2 days before disembarking in Bermuda

 

For sailings from NYC that have their first stop in Virginia, will the entire ship then have to be tested in the next 24+ hours?

[shof515]

3 hours ago, njhorseman said:

One note. There appears to be a conflict between Bermuda's instructions and NCL's . Bermuda says you can apply up to one month in advance of your cruise and then upload your test results later. NCL says to not complete the application until you have your test results. We'll have to wait and see which is correct, but my money is on Bermuda's instructions.

that's been NCL language since Bermuda cruises restarted back in September. nothing new.

 

the fee is non refundable so it makes sense to wait until you have a negative test result and then apply for the authorization

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, shof515 said:

that's been NCL language since Bermuda cruises restarted back in September. nothing new.

 

the fee is non refundable so it makes sense to wait until you have a negative test result and then apply for the authorization

Sorry, but that's really bad advice from NCL and not what Bermuda wants. It swamps them with large numbers of applications a couple of days before every cruise departure rather than spreading them out, which would make their workload more manageable. Surely there aren't a lot of passengers who end up not going because they test positive right before the cruise.

[charlie murphy]

does this tourism fee sound like a $ grab from the Bermuda government at this point? what is the 40$ supporting. I do understand having a daily transient guest population day to day during the cruise session and the vulnerability of the island. is this 40 bucks going into some rainy day fund? yeah right! then you have a discussion to make stimulate your economy with tourism or not.  this seems like nickel and dime stuff and one could decide to go elsewhere . but multiply the number of passages passing through Bermuda x 40 $ and. that is serious cash! and a nice side business.   

[Turtles06]

On 3/7/2022 at 6:10 PM, shof515 said:

that's been NCL language since Bermuda cruises restarted back in September. nothing new.

 

In connection with our cruise to Bermuda on the Breakaway in October, NCL did not advise us not to start the application for the Bermuda Travel Authorization until we received our test results.  The advice we received from NCL was this: "Guests can start the travel authorization process up to 1 week before their sailing. Guests may enter their personal data even prior to receiving the COVID-19 PCR test results. If you start the travel authorization process but don’t have PCR test results yet, you will receive email reminders to complete the application. The upload of the PCR test results should occur at same time as the upload of proof of vaccination. Do not upload one without the other, as the application will be rejected."

 

Some folks waited until they received their test results to start the application process, so that they would not have to pay the fee until they knew they had tested negative, but it was not NCL's advice to do that.  NCL was merely cautioning folks that their proof of vaccination and test results had to be uploaded at the same time.

 

 

 

 

[OrangeCatRamblers]

Has anyone filled the form out yet for an April sailing? 

[njhorseman]

11 minutes ago, OrangeCatRamblers said:

Has anyone filled the form out yet for an April sailing? 

Today is the first time that this year's form has been available on the website, so no one would have been able to do it before now.

Edited March 9, 2022 by njhorseman

[geegee1]

On 3/7/2022 at 5:52 PM, Dr. Cocktail said:

For sailings from NYC that have their first stop in Virginia, will the entire ship then have to be tested in the next 24+ hours?

Interested to find about this as well

[Dr. Cocktail]

18 minutes ago, geegee1 said:

Interested to find about this as well

I’ve been thinking about this. There would be too easy answers -  skip Norfolk or go there after Bermuda.

[JGmf]

On 3/7/2022 at 7:48 PM, charlie murphy said:

does this tourism fee sound like a $ grab from the Bermuda government at this point? what is the 40$ supporting. I do understand having a daily transient guest population day to day during the cruise session and the vulnerability of the island. is this 40 bucks going into some rainy day fund? yeah right! then you have a discussion to make stimulate your economy with tourism or not.  this seems like nickel and dime stuff and one could decide to go elsewhere . but multiply the number of passages passing through Bermuda x 40 $ and. that is serious cash! and a nice side business.

 

As a practical matter, I'm curious as well as to why Bermuda requires this $40 authorization for cruise lines like NCL that already have the same stringent 2-day testing and vaccination requirements as a pre-condition for boarding the ship.  Especially for cruises where Bermuda is the first port.

 

It appears to be duplicative administrative busy-work for everyone involved.  Perhaps it helps their treasury, but there's no use in complaining....unless some Bermuda government official in charge reads our posts and makes a change (ha!).  That said, I'm still doing it for my April cruise.  It's a hassle, but at least we can cruise and visit their lovely country. 

 

 

[LB_NJ]

On 3/7/2022 at 7:48 PM, charlie murphy said:

does this tourism fee sound like a $ grab from the Bermuda government at this point? what is the 40$ supporting. I do understand having a daily transient guest population day to day during the cruise session and the vulnerability of the island. is this 40 bucks going into some rainy day fund? yeah right! then you have a discussion to make stimulate your economy with tourism or not.  this seems like nickel and dime stuff and one could decide to go elsewhere . but multiply the number of passages passing through Bermuda x 40 $ and. that is serious cash! and a nice side business.   

Not sure why there is a hang-up on the $40.  They could have just as easily increased the port fees $40 and no one would have complained.

[Turtles06]

6 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

Not sure why there is a hang-up on the $40.  They could have just as easily increased the port fees $40 and no one would have complained.

Not to mention that this is a reduction from the $75 fee charged when cruising restarted. 

[charlie murphy]

pulled this from the web site :

"We will comply with all local regulations at all destinations we visit. These regulations are continuously evolving and if an additional test is required at a port of call we will provide advanced notice to all guests. For additional information, please visit Cruise Travel Requirements by Country.

*Please note, in the event a port included as part of an itinerary requires additional COVID-19 testing in order for guests to disembark, Norwegian Cruise line will facilitate the testing onboard."

 

I believe the verbage of this was recently changed as i thought that i use to read that NCL would test passangers . now it reads " facilitate". 

 

very vague and non commital .  save up some of that OBC ! Time for NCL to step up and say / assure bermuda that they are taking the necessary steps to assure and minimize transmission of Covid. As passengers we are doing our part.  If it is not sufficient to meet the critera for the bermudean ( ? ) government then maybe make changes to itineraries I am sure there is some type of corporate influence there.  

[njhorseman]

9 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

Not to mention that this is a reduction from the $75 fee charged when cruising restarted. 

Judith...off topic, but as much as I've enjoyed traveling to Bermuda for the past 35 years or so something happened a couple of days ago that is making me reconsider whether I will go there again, and it has absolutely nothing to do with COVID testing or charging a few dollars for the travel authorization.

[CPT Trips]

12 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Judith...off topic, but as much as I've enjoyed traveling to Bermuda for the past 35 years or so something happened a couple of days ago that is making me reconsider whether I will go there again, and it has absolutely nothing to do with COVID testing or charging a few dollars for the travel authorization.

???

[CPT Trips]

16 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Judith...off topic, but as much as I've enjoyed traveling to Bermuda for the past 35 years or so something happened a couple of days ago that is making me reconsider whether I will go there again, and it has absolutely nothing to do with COVID testing or charging a few dollars for the travel authorization.

???

[CPT Trips]

I guess we better not tell some cruisers about the departure tax that Bermuda charges. 😉🏧

[njhorseman]

7 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

???

 

3 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

???

A ruling by Bermuda's highest judicial authority stating that an action by the government prohibiting certain marriages did not violate Bermuda's constitution.

[Turtles06]

11 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

 

A ruling by Bermuda's highest judicial authority stating that an action by the government prohibiting certain marriages did not violate Bermuda's constitution.

 

Wow, Paul, I hadn't seen that news.  ☹️   The ruling in fact was made by the UK Privy Council, in an appeal by the Bermuda government of a 2018 ruling of the highest court in Bermuda "that the 2018 Domestic Partnership Act, which allows same-sex couples to form partnerships but prohibits them from marrying, violates constitutional freedom of conscience."  Not exactly a place I want to vacation in now.   

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/bermuda-ban-sex-marriage-constitutional-london-court-says-rcna20063

[njhorseman]

1 minute ago, Turtles06 said:

  Not exactly a place I want to vacation in now. 

Yes, I knew you would feel that way. I certainly do.

[CPT Trips]

Thanks for the info. Definitely not good news.