Bermuda cruises - from NCL 4.28.2022 letter on TA Provisional Waiver to embark - bonus video: welcome the Dockyard on the Joy

[mking8288]

Just received multiple emails for our 2 Joy bookings next month, an interim or provisional waiver to embark to Bermuda. It does not allow one to disembark the ship until negative test result is uploaded & approved. Submit those appointments as early as possible within 30 days of the sailing there. 

 

This should help a little.

 

Bermuda Embarkation Information.pdf

Edited April 28, 2022 by mking8288

[shof515]

This is nice. You don’t have to worry about getting everything approved before boarding the ship and it gives Bermuda more time to process these applications

 

[mking8288]

Key message extracted from NCL's letter (PDF) - 

All vaccinated guests:
• Travel authorization requirements include that you upload your vaccination card , and proof of a negative antigen test administered by a verified third party or via medically supervised home test. The vaccination card can be uploaded
separately up to 30 days before sailing. The negative test result must be uploaded within two days of embarkation. If you upload your vaccination card early, you will receive an email reminder to upload the test result closer to your sailing date.
• If you have started your Travel Authorization application by uploading your vaccination card but have not uploaded a negative test result before the cruise departure date, you will be issued a ‘provisional waiver’ which will allow you to
embark on the cruise. Once correct and completed documentation has been uploaded, reviewed and approved, a travel authorization will be issued, allowing you to disembark in Bermuda.

 

Joy arriving at Dockyard this morning from NY on a 5 nighter - uploaded privately from a niece to us - beautiful & nice day in Bermuda.  Let's go - can't wait to return to the beautiful island. 

 

Edited April 28, 2022 by mking8288

[njhorseman]

Glad to see that NCL has withdrawn its previous nonsensical recommendation to not file your travel authorization application until you had your negative COVID test in hand despite Bermuda allowing you to upload your vaccination record and other information up to 30 days prior to embarkation.

 

Passengers following NCL's recommendation caused a crush of applications in the two days before embarkation making it impossible for Bermuda to process them in a timely manner.

 

Also good to see that Bermuda has bent its rules to permit boarding the ship as long as everything but your test result has been uploaded.

 

The change in procedures makes sense for everyone involved; NCL, the passengers and Bermuda.

[Lilo_Remi]

We sail Sunday and have submitted everything required including negative test. Question about the NCL email though who will supply the conditional waiver - Bermuda? We are waiting for our authorization but if we don’t get it in time not sure who does the waiving and would that be an email I guess?

[TravelTaster]

My hubby and I went yesterday morning for rapid PCR tests. Got our negative results back within 3 hours. Uploaded it to our previously submitted BT (Bermuda Tourism) applications and then waited a few hours to see if we would receive an approval email from BT and did not. I then decided to be a bit proactive and called them directly on their toll free number (provided by NCL). I was on hold for a little over 2 hours (was #65 in que) but once a representative answered and I gave both our application numbers we were issued approval immediately over the phone and sent the approval certificated from BT which I saved as a pdf on my phone as well as printed out hard copies. 

[egurbi]

I am wondering the same thing. Does Bermuda actually issue a provisional waiver?  Or is the email confirming that you applied for the Bermuda TA enough to get you on the ship if they don't process the covid negative test quick enough?

[styles27]

We sailed on Pearl to Bermuda 04/15/22 and on our first sea day they made an announcement for those passengers who needed to complete their Bermuda Travel Authorization to report to guest services. 
I was surprised they allowed them to board the ship without it as they checked to be sure we had ours. 

[karmamule]

49 minutes ago, egurbi said:

I am wondering the same thing. Does Bermuda actually issue a provisional waiver?  Or is the email confirming that you applied for the Bermuda TA enough to get you on the ship if they don't process the covid negative test quick enough?

 

Yeah that's my question too. We also haven't received an explicit waiver e-mail so I'm assuming that our e-mail saying we successfully submitted our application is going to count as the waiver unless I hear someone say they did get a separate e-mail.

 

 

[PistolPete13]

Hi everyone.  Back on this board after some time away thanks to the world going nuts the last 2 years.

 

Saw the NCL Joy leaving NYC this afternoon and I'm getting the itch to take a Bermuda trip this summer.

I've managed to avoid taking ANY Covid test the last 2 years so all of these requirements are a complete mystery to me.  I'm double vaxx'ed and boosted for now.

From what I can gather, Bermuda needs a clear test result within 2 days of traveling.  Is it even possible to get test results back in 2 days / 48 hours nowadays?  Being a super anxious person, just the thought of trying to time this right is enough to keep me from booking anything.  I'm based in NYC so I'm assuming I will have some options for testing locations, but with unknown turnaround times based on the volume.
 

[shof515]

10 minutes ago, PistolPete13 said:

From what I can gather, Bermuda needs a clear test result within 2 days of traveling.  Is it even possible to get test results back in 2 days / 48 hours nowadays? 
 

 

I get my covid test at a health and hospital here in NYC, results come back within 24 hours or earlier

you can also get a antigen test where you get results back within 15-30 minutes

[PistolPete13]

1 minute ago, shof515 said:

 

I get my covid test at a health and hospital here in NYC, results come back within 24 hours or earlier

you can also get a antigen test where you get results back within 15-30 minutes

Are the antigen tests the ones that are proctored via video chat?

[njhorseman]

18 minutes ago, PistolPete13 said:

Are the antigen tests the ones that are proctored via video chat?

Yes

[UKstages]

you can get antigen tests proctored by video chat, but you can also walk into any urgent care center in new york and get an antigen test... the email or print out they give you a half hour later should suffice for NCL.

 

alternatively, at least in manhattan, you can walk up to any mobile testing facility, like lab q, and get a PCR test with reliable 24 hour turnaround for results . 

[worktocruise610]

3 hours ago, PistolPete13 said:

Are the antigen tests the ones that are proctored via video chat?

You can also get them at some urgent care… your profile says NY but not where, if you are in the city, look for a CityMD, they do rapid antigen tests

[gail-s]

Hoping you all can help me out.  My older parents are leaving for Bermuda on 5/20 and are not tech savvy.  I'm going to have to help them with this process.  From what I'm reading, they have to upload their vaccination cards to the Bermuda site and they can do that now.  Then they have to have a clear covid test before embarkation.  I'm reading 2 days before and I'm reading 48 hours before.  If they depart at 4pm on Friday, does that mean that they cannot get the test any earlier than 4pm on Wednesday?  or is any time on Wednesday ok?   and is it getting the test or receiving the results? 

I know I sound paranoid but I've heard horror stories about people being refused on trips because their test was 50 hours earlier and not 48.   

I'm hoping I can get them to schedule the test for very early on Thursday morning and then get it uploaded to the site.  I think they thought they could bring their test results with them to the ship and that would be fine.  🙄  Honestly wish they could have had the option of doing a rapid test at the ship instead.  They don't go anywhere so I'm sure they're negative.  

[mking8288]

@gail-s  We cruise in late March on the Getaway out of NY, and we know that when NCL said testing "must" be done 2 days prior to sailing - it doesn't need or have to done exactly 48 hours prior to the pier check-in time, or, ship's scheduled sailaway time (whether it's 4 p.m. - think about it, what if departure is delayed to 9 pm or god forbid, midnight)  This is true for the Joy (and, the Pearl out of Boston) going to Bermuda - one of our nieces just came back this past Sunday. 

 

On a side note, please make sure your parents bring along their vaccination cards (digital passes are good, as fallback) as it will be checked at the pier - along with passports/travel docs & negative test results (digital/PDF ones accepted - printed paper copy is always a plus, cellular signal inside NYC's terminal are poor ... trust me, we've used VZW - AT&T and T-Mo (Sprint in older days too) and no usable unsecured WiFi at all, unlike major area airports.  Be sue names and DOB all matched or lined up with eDocs.  Bermuda's extra requirements not helping, and all parties seemed to be making efforts to improve and streamlined the pier check-in, it's stressful, surely but we'll all manage - the Joy left for Bermuda last week & this week, basically on-time ... a very good indicator. 

 

Antigen Rapid or the NAAT Rapid (at Walgreen's drive-thru) results are accepted for both Bermuda & NCL for cruise purposes - if your folks are leaving 5/20 (which is a Friday) - they need to get tested on Wednesday, that's 2 days prior and NOT Thursday.  Early is fine, but it doesn't have to be early. 

 

The free NYC sites that we are going this Friday morning opens at 8 am near us, we plan to get there around 10 am - DW & I got 4 seniors in tow, have to help them digitally register first-time online (via their smartphone/mobile web browser ... isn't that fun, haha) ... only 1 might've been tested this way before and she barely knows how to use her shinny iPhone, never learn to comfortably checked her Gmail or text messaging (SMS) etc.  

 

If you haven't started the Bermuda TA applications for them, please do so ASAP soon, don't wait until a few days before if you can (strongly recommended by BDA Health) and upload their vaccination data now - once accepted for that, an email confirmation will be sent back - and 4 days before the cruise, a reminder with upload link will be provided to complete the approval process.  We've actually received the upload link & reminder email a few days ago, well ahead & ready to finish it.  

 

The new provisional waiver is going the extra step to ease the anxiety, frustration, long queue to call them & on hold for 90 minutes to 2+ hours to urgently request review/approval, and massive delays at the pier check-in with ill-informed cruisers that didn't follow the steps, etc.   Nowadays, there's agreement in place to allow cruisers to board the ship & sail, and, once the approval # are issued - while underway, I assume - those "waiting" for the approval will be able to go ashore from the ship.  

[MsTabbyKats]

@mking8288Just wondering....if you have a printout of a negative test, but don't get the approval prior to embarkation....and you don't have ship wifi to get the official e-mail....do you think that would be problematic?  Since they dropped that "platinum perk" I'm not sure I'd get the wifi package just to get an official email from the Bermuda Tourism Board.

[mking8288]

@MsTabbyKats - Hi, Bonnie ... aren't you going too with "The P" the week after us ??   Okay, kidding aside & I trust all is well with you & hubby.  Great last minute deal happening this month - if you aren't booked, don't think too long - just do it and plan the details & start packing (which I just started ... been too busy on everything else lately.)  

 

Excellent questions (I hate to borrow your crystal ball [may I, anyway] and act as the old fortune teller) for anyone planning to do this Bermuda (triangle 👴 ) cruise - I wonder if NCL is going to help & intervene, since they will have the passenger manifest onboard & who's missing the final approval AND permitted to board anyway.  I am not sure how dependable & reliable it can be for individual passengers to wait for the email dispatch while at sea - maybe, they will do it as a group, or in batches & Bermuda partner with NCL while underway. 

 

The "extra" testing for the ship with a planned Norfolk, VA stop - one more monkey wrench as everyone coming back from ashore will be tested (free) by NCL onboard - and I'm sure those results should/need to be shared with Bermuda authorities at some point.  Or, will they wait until the ship reach Dockyard - and, then have officials there work with the ship's team to get everything sorted out and processed ... except, that will result in delays at the pier, inside the small terminal, or end up with a long line near the gangway, etc.  

 

My feeling, is that, I feel it will be unfair for NCL to expect cruisers to have WiFi access just for obtaining the final authorization while at sea - there must be a better workaround or mouse trap to deal with the mess.  Yeah, we "lost" our 60 x 2 free Sapphire minutes as it's taken away from all and if it wasn't for our bundled booking with all the FAS perks, we wouldn't even have 150 minutes x 2 for use this weekend.   But, we are going to bite nails & spend our OBC to upgrade to unlimited anyway - Susan will be happy all week - our extra "costs" using Google Fi/T-Mo roaming data last month for the "Getaway" amounted to only $15 more than average, that's not bad with the ship WiFi combined usage, all the pictures uploaded & semi live during the week. 

 

If you are going with the SailAway deals & not getting WiFi, I don't believe it's going to be a major obstacle cruising ahead - stay tune & I should have a better "pulse" on whether it's smoothing out now ... afterall, Bermuda is now racing toward its annual peak cruise season.  Mega ships docking daily - the Brits there gotta get their acts together as local tourism businesses are raising bloody hell there already, ruining their economy & recovery with the stupid head tax - "reduced" to $40 p/p.  

 

Looking for news/alerts from CC'ers for this week as they just docked the Joy there this morning ... 

[Broons77]

We're booked for May 20th on the Pearl.  Curious to see how bad the embark still is.  The first few sailings were tough from the accounts I saw,

 

i submitted the TAs and vax proof for all 5 of us in our group ($200.00 - grrrrrrrumblegrumblegrumble) the day our sailing became available on the Bermuda website.  I got the confirms back in just a few moments and am patiently waiting for the link emails.  Will have hardcopies of everything for check in.  Experience teaches that this is a must.

 

Thinking of doing at least a semi live as this is my first time on NCL and my first time cruising out of my personal homeport.  If so, I'll definitely make mention of what I see in relation to problems with the Bermuda TA.

 

 

[CruisinMaterial]

I wonder if you choose not to sit on hold forever on the day leading up to the voyage, the Saturday prior in the case of the Norwegian Joy but show the cruise line proof you applied for it in advance and did upload it that they'll notify you on the ship if you don't have a WiFi package that your application is complete?

 

There's also checking email in Virginia which is a thought to make sure they process it by then. I know for friends on the Pearl this was a big pain in the butt for them sailing out of Boston so it's good NCL has softened the stance a bit. Worse comes to worse folks won't get off the ship in Bermuda!

[karmamule]

For those still worried about getting final TA approval after uploading their covid test results the Virginia stop will actually be very helpful. They'll have that whole day with cell signal to get things ironed out even if they didn't get ship wifi.

 

I'm feeling much more relaxed about the whole Bermuda TA process knowing that now NCL will allow us on the ship as long as we can show we've done our due diligence even if still waiting for final ok.

[mking8288]

Hi, all - I just learned & discovered possibly, maybe: a simple and helpful trick, might not be of use to everyone chewing on their nails waiting for the 7 digits Green TA #'s to be issued, and/or maybe someone traveling in the group hasn't received hers or his ... and, not in a mood or position, time & place to place that toll-free calls to Bermuda & joined the queue in wait, position #187 with an estimated wait time of 233 minutes, etc. - or that you've sent that email to them for help with no answer or reply (worst, the smartphone's battery began to flash amber/yellow, running low at 19%)

 

If all the required & requested documents have been properly uploaded & sent back for processing, check that the PDF file isn't encrypted or locked with a passcode, that the Bermuda Government email didn't get diverted into spam mail, etc.  Now, try this "trick" to see - use the upload link document with the URL to submit the negative test results, and wait - watch ... bingo.  You might possibly see that your TA has been reviewed & processed, and that you just need to scroll down, type or initials (name) and "sign" it with your fingers in the big box below, then hit the "Continue" key and within moments - the Green TA# is presented on screen for use, to use (and, to save it as PDF to your device).  

 

Print it out, if you have access to a printer nearby - just in case.  With your eDocs, travel docs, negative test results and this TA# together, you are good to get checked in as scheduled.

 

This might NOT work for everyone or most pending, but it might - the delays could be in their email and messaging system.  If this works, please post & share that the trick is valid.  Do the happy dance!  If it doesn't - please don't curse.  Maybe, then - the only way is to call Bermuda directly to find out.  Of course, this provisional waiver should at least get you onboard the ship.  Good luck & just trying to be helpful.