Changes to Bermuda rules for cruise ship passengers, effective August 22, 2022

[HuliHuli]

4 hours ago, dcipjr said:

I am super confused by this...is there a change for vaccinated travelers?

 

Before arrival? Surely they mean before embarkation?

I'm not sure why you would conclude that.  And please, don't call me Shirley.

 

 

[sblovestocruise]

Everyone! Am I crazy or did the bullet point under the new rules effective 08/22 about fully vaccinated passengers having to get tested get removed from the site??

 

https://www.gov.bm/cruise-travel-authorisation

 

 

Edited August 19, 2022 by sblovestocruise

[cruiseny4life]

16 minutes ago, sblovestocruise said:

Everyone! Am I crazy or did the bullet point under the new rules effective 08/22 about fully vaccinated passengers having to get tested get removed from the site??

 

https://www.gov.bm/cruise-travel-authorisation

 

 

You're not crazy...just didn't scroll far enough. Keep on scrolling and you'll find the June update which still applies to vaccinated passengers. 

 

 

[dolphin1313]

Bermuda updated thier website with the current protocols.

 

Here's their link:

 

https://www.gov.bm/cruise-travel-authorisation

 

Here's the updated summary table:

 

Summary table of travel requirements for cruise ship passengers landing in Bermuda:

Passenger Category	Cruise voyage where ship takes 4 days or less to arrive to Bermuda from embarkation port	Cruise voyage where ship takes longer than 4 days to arrive to Bermuda from embarkation port
Fully Vaccinated Cruise Ship Passengers and Unvaccinated Children 11 years and under travelling with fully vaccinated parent/guardian	1. Approved Travel Authorisation 2. Negative Pre-departure test: COVID-19 NAAT test (PCR, LAMP or TMA) up to 4 days before embarkation  OR Supervised antigen up to 2 days before embarkation 3. Vaccination certificate/card	1. Approved Travel Authorisation 2. Negative Pre-departure test: COVID-19 NAAT test (PCR, LAMP or TMA) up to 4 days before embarkation  OR Supervised antigen up to 2 days before embarkation 3. Vaccination certificate/card   4. Supervised COVID-19 test on board, up to 2 days before arrival to Bermuda
Unvaccinated or Not Fully Vaccinated Cruise Ship Passengers	1. Approved Travel Authorisation 2. Negative Pre-departure test: COVID-19 NAAT test (PCR, LAMP or TMA) up to 2 days before embarkation  OR Supervised antigen up to 2 days before embarkation 3. Proof of travel health insurance 4. To be allowed to come off the ship in Bermuda, show your cruise ship proof of a COVID-19 test dated no more than 2 days before arrival.	1. Approved Travel Authorisation 2. Negative Pre-departure test: COVID-19 NAAT test (PCR, LAMP or TMA) up to 2 days before embarkation  OR Supervised antigen up to 2 days before embarkation 3. Proof of travel health insurance 4.  Mandatory supervised COVID-19 test on board, up to 2 days before arrival to Bermuda (this test will allow you to come off the ship in Bermuda)
Passenger Children under 2	No travel Authorisation and no testing required	No travel Authorisation and no testing required

[Turtles06]

Thank you @dolphin1313 for posting Bermuda's cleaned up TA web page.  

 

Folks, note this under the section for "Testing Requirements on the Ship"

 

"If your cruise will take more than 4 days to arrive to Bermuda, passengers wishing to get off the ship in Bermuda must take another supervised COVID-19 test on board, no more than 2 days before arrival to Bermuda. This test may be used by unvaccinated passengers to get off the ship in Bermuda." [emphasis added]

 

I read this as allowing pax on a cruise that takes more than 4 days to reach Bermuda (e.g., pax on all those westbound fall transatlantics) who decide they don't want to be tested on board to just decline the test and not get off in Bermuda.  I don't think Bermuda has ever made that clear before.

[dolphin1313]

13 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

Thank you @dolphin1313 for posting Bermuda's cleaned up TA web page.  

 

Folks, note this under the section for "Testing Requirements on the Ship"

 

"If your cruise will take more than 4 days to arrive to Bermuda, passengers wishing to get off the ship in Bermuda must take another supervised COVID-19 test on board, no more than 2 days before arrival to Bermuda. This test may be used by unvaccinated passengers to get off the ship in Bermuda." [emphasis added]

 

I read this as allowing pax on a cruise that takes more than 4 days to reach Bermuda (e.g., pax on all those westbound fall transatlantics) who decide they don't want to be tested on board to just decline the test and not get off in Bermuda.  I don't think Bermuda has ever made that clear before.

You're welcome.

[schmoopie17]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

 

I read this as allowing pax on a cruise that takes more than 4 days to reach Bermuda (e.g., pax on all those westbound fall transatlantics) who decide they don't want to be tested on board to just decline the test and not get off in Bermuda.  I don't think Bermuda has ever made that clear before.

The only place this is stipulated is under the unvaccinated section. I would assume this holds for vaccinated, as well...but it doesn't say so. Their rules continue to be confusing.

 

Having to be tested in Rome for our 16 day TA is senseless, for two reasons. NCL does not require testing in Rome. But Bermuda does?? Also, since you have to have a test two days before landing in Bermuda, that  makes any embarkation testing useless. Bermuda is causing a lot of stress for us, because we run the risk of flying all the way to Rome, only to be stranded there, due to Bermuda's rule. And we can't test before flying to Rome because we fly out five days before embarking (Bermuda's rule is no more than four days).

Edited August 22, 2022 by schmoopie17

[Turtles06]

3 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

The only place this is stipulated is under the unvaccinated section. I would assume this holds for vaccinated, as well...but it doesn't say so.

 

Actually, it says it exactly where I quoted it from, the detailed language in the section specifically entitled “Testing Requirements on the Ship.”

[schmoopie17]

8 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

Actually, it says it exactly where I quoted it from, the detailed language in the section specifically entitled “Testing Requirements on the Ship.”

Sorry, I was going by the section you cut and pasted. I do see it in the full document.

 

And if everyone getting off the ship has to be tested two days before getting off, being tested three weeks earlier is useless...especially given the fact that no other NCL ships leaving from Rome require any testing (unless they stop in Bermuda).

Edited August 22, 2022 by schmoopie17

[AK Dreaming]

It is a bit confusing as it says clearly if vacinated you have to test to get off in Bermuda.  I was very excited about that as I have no desire to visit Bermuda.  However when reading down it does says supervised test?  Howevever it says "mandatory" test for unvacinated, so I am hopeful that as a vacinated guest I can remain on ship without an additional test.  I'm sure it could change before I board in September, but I have a glimmer of hope that I can start looking forward to my cruise without worring that a false positive will ruin my trip.

[Eggs2Go]

Maybe, just maybe, if a transatlantic passenger is not getting off ship in Bermuda, they will not have to test before embarkation in Europe or before Bermuda port stop. No testing required, just pay the $40 document fee to Bermuda and stay on the ship (not allowed off). That's my hope. 

[schmoopie17]

15 minutes ago, AK Dreaming said:

 I have a glimmer of hope that I can start looking forward to my cruise without worring that a false positive will ruin my trip.

We have the same worry...but in our case it can cause us to miss our entire cruise after flying all the way to Rome, and missing out on stops in Spain, France and Portugal...all because of Bermuda's inane rule to be tested three weeks prior to even getting close to Bermuda. We're hoping NCL cancels Bermuda. It would mean another sea day, but better than all the worrying and uncertainty we're going through now.

Edited August 22, 2022 by schmoopie17

[schmoopie17]

1 minute ago, Eggs2Go said:

Maybe, just maybe, if a transatlantic passenger is not getting off ship in Bermuda, they will not have to test before embarkation in Europe or before Bermuda port stop. No testing required, just pay the $40 document fee to Bermuda and stay on the ship (not allowed off). That's my hope. 

That would be awesome...and make perfect sense. But somehow I doubt it will happen. At least not under the current inane Bermuda protocol.

[Andros]

5 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

Having to be tested in Rome for our 16 day TA is senseless, for two reasons. NCL does not require testing in Rome. But Bermuda does?? Also, since you have to have a test two days before landing in Bermuda, that  makes any embarkation testing useless. Bermuda is causing a lot of stress for us, because we run the risk of flying all the way to Rome, only to be stranded there, due to Bermuda's rule. And we can't test before flying to Rome because we fly out five days before embarking (Bermuda's rule is no more than four days).

Yes, I worried about this when NCL had the pre-cruise testing requirement.  Then they dropped it from European sailings(for most ports) and we sighed a sigh of relief.  Now only to have Bermuda dictate that we must test to even embark on our journey.  NCL is caught in a catch 22 with Bermuda and IMO Bermuda is taking advantage of it.  I would hate to pay for the travel authorization, get tested to embark, and never even make it to Bermuda.  It is a tricky port to navigate and weather conditions can easily abort a port stop here.  Escape was several hours late on the East bound TA earlier this year for exactly this reason.  We'll keep our fingers crossed that NCL cancels this port well in advance of us starting our hoop jumping.  Cancellation is not an option for us at this point.  

See you in a couple of months.  🙂

[Travelling2Some]

I agree that I am wishing NCL will just drop Bermuda from our transatlantic itinerary so we can keep it simple and lower stress.  I don't want to risk our entire (expensive!) extended vacation on testing positive just because Bermuda is acting ridiculous.  Been there many times so the heck with them. 

[joelheather]

On 8/18/2022 at 1:42 PM, HuliHuli said:

I'm not sure why you would conclude that.  And please, don't call me Shirley.

 

 

Huli, do you come from Hawaii?  because HuliHuli is my go to chicken dish every time we go back to Maui.

[Travelling2Some]

14 minutes ago, joelheather said:

Huli, do you come from Hawaii?  because HuliHuli is my go to chicken dish every time we go back to Maui.

So . . . you've stopped calling him Shirley but are now calling him a chicken?

[HuliHuli]

40 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

So . . . you've stopped calling him Shirley but are now calling him a chicken?

HA!  Good one @Travelling2Some.  But to be fair, Huli-Huli is an Hawaiian cooking style commonly used for chicken (see https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/how-to-make-hawaii-style-huli-huli-chicken/), but also pig.  Most tourists only know Kalua Pig from the Waikiki luaus - wrapped in banana leaves, cooked in a covered pit with hot stones.  But if you live in more rural parts of the state, Huli-Huli pig (meaning to turn and turn, i.e., on a spit) is more common and is what the locals do when celebrating an important event such as the 1st year birthday of a child.  So yes @joelheather I hail from the islands, where I made the effort to build cultural ties with Hawaiian, Samoan and my other Polynesian neighbors, Huli-Huli(ing) a few pigs.  The nick name stuck.  As you note, you can still buy Huli-Huli-style chicken in the Islands, practically anywhere you see billows of great-smelling Kiawe-wood smoke emanating from a large roadside grill.  Hawai'i no ka oi! and ʻO Huli-Huli ka ʻono loa!

 

Aloha

[schmoopie17]

@AndrosWe are entirely on the same page. We can commiserate on the ride from Rome to the ship (unless one of us tests positive in Rome...in which case we will literally miss the boat).

[Travelling2Some]

Our family is part Filipino, part Chinese and big fans of the pig roast for special occasions.  Best food ever!  We also loved Hawaii (especially Maui) and hope to make it back there - this is being said by somebody who never goes to the same place twice.

[BirdTravels]

On 8/18/2022 at 1:23 PM, schmoopie17 said:

I suppose it's their country and they can make up whatever lame rules they want...like charging everyone $40 and filling out a form, whether or not they get off the ship...no matter how crazy.

It is there country. 

 

We sailed on the first post-restart Royal Caribbean cruise which originated in Nassau. We had to register on the Bahama's web site and pay $40 for Bahamian COVID health insurance to fly into the country. Along with testing on day of embarkation in Nassau. There is no cruise terminal in Nassau, so check-in and testing was done at the Hilton hotel and we were bused to the port for embarkation. All very fascinating at a time when less than 10% of the Bahamian people had been vaccinated and were praying that some of Biden's free vaccine would be sent their way. The biggest population of vaccinated Bahamians were those vaccinated by the cruise line to work on CocoCay (their private island next to GSC). 

[Andros]

I found this PDF of frequently asked questions via Bermudas website.  I found # 10 to be especially helpful information for the cruisers. 

 

https://www.gov.bm/sites/default/files/Bermuda Travel Authorisation FAQs_5.pdf

 

Of course we should all know by now things can change again before future sailings. 

 

I should note it is dated May 2022...

Edited August 23, 2022 by Andros

[njhorseman]

16 minutes ago, Andros said:

I found this PDF of frequently asked questions via Bermudas website.  I found # 10 to be especially helpful information for the cruisers. 

 

https://www.gov.bm/sites/default/files/Bermuda Travel Authorisation FAQs_5.pdf

 

Of course we should all know by now things can change again before future sailings. 

 

I should note it is dated May 2022...

It's outdated information....not #10, but other items on testing and vaccination requirements changed effective August 22.

[NYMama]

I was thinking of canceling my February cruise and finding another cruise without a stop in Bermuda, but cruise prices for cruises I was considering have skyrocketed since they relaxed the vaccination requirements.  Glad I booked when I did.

[Andros]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

It's outdated information....not #10, but other items on testing and vaccination requirements changed effective August 22.

Thank you for clarifying this.  I was most interested in #10 but noticed after I posted link the date on the document itself.