If NCL do not drop Bermuda - Im going to drop NCL

[DensolandMouthy]

I have a TA in Dec from Europe to NY stopping at Bermuda. I am taking the same one back in April 2023. 
 

Bermudas insane testing rules before I am even getting on the ship and then another before I get off into their country ( despite all other countries stopping it ) mean I am voting with my feet before final payment date and choosing another cruise line. 
 

I cruised in Oct, Jan, May and July when testing was required ( incredibly stressful ) 

 

My Europe July cruise finally required no testing. The relief to actually look forward to my cruise and not have to have background contingency plans ( just in case)  was immense. 
 

NCL do view these boards, so I hope they reconsider Bermuda as a stop. 
 

 

[thedarklord]

Seems a bit over the top to me to ditch any cruise line entirely over the policies of a single port.
Surely you can just choose a cruise which doesn't include the offending port?

[DensolandMouthy]

34 minutes ago, thedarklord said:

Seems a bit over the top to me to ditch any cruise line entirely over the policies of a single port.
Surely you can just choose a cruise which doesn't include the offending port?

Not really - I like the TA cruises on the Epic but very disappointed they are still stopping at Bermuda

I have flights from NY to UK and back - lots of contingency plans need to be made 

[Travelling2Some]

You may get your wish very soon.  People on various upcoming transatlantics are reporting that Bermuda has now been dropped from their itineraries.  The decision seems to be very popular.  We just got the notice that our New York to Lisbon in November will stop at Newport rather than Bermuda and we were very happy to hear it.  There is another thread with discussion of this:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2878666-bermuda-covid-protocol/

 

[latebloomer56]

The Bermuda testing was useful at the time being a small  island they needed the extra checks. But now I think it is a money maker for them. We have a family trip next April had to factor in 200.00 extra in case this is still required even for fully vaxed visitors. Hope it changes but I will gladly pay it for the family to have this vacation together.

[cruiseny4life]

I think your tantrum is highly disrespectful to the people of Bermuda who needed, and still need, to protect their country and now need the money to ensure government budget is balanced. I'm very glad to pay the fee, support Bermuda, and enjoy the beautiful island. 

 

Matter of fact, I will be there in a few days. Two tests later. One before embarkation which occurred in the comfort of my home and one on the ship, at no charge. 

 

Not sure what your issue is, but you're being selfish.

[roger001]

Just don't book Bermuda. 

[phillygwm]

I'm sure if enough people cancel runs that include Bermuda, either NCL will start excluding it or Bermuda may loosen its requirements (assuming no COVID flare-ups.)  I'm seeing a lot of grousing on the various message boards but not sure that equates to many cancellations.

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, DensolandMouthy said:

I have a TA in Dec from Europe to NY stopping at Bermuda. I am taking the same one back in April 2023. Bermudas insane testing rules before I am even getting on the ship and then another before I get off into their country ( despite all other countries stopping it ) mean I am voting with my feet before final payment date and choosing another cruise line. I cruised in Oct, Jan, May and July when testing was required ( incredibly stressful). My Europe July cruise finally required no testing. The relief to actually look forward to my cruise and not have to have background contingency plans ( just in case)  was immense. NCL do view these boards, so I hope they reconsider Bermuda as a stop. 

Hmmmm... You situation is unclear. You would only have to test prior to disembarkation if you are unvaccinated. So you have made a choice there. 

 

Your final payment date was 09 August. You completed payment less than a month ago. You made a choice to proceed with the cruise at that time. 

 

Don't forget that you must purchase travel insurance acceptable to the Bermuda Government to embark the ship. 

 

If you are unvaccinated, your cruises in October, January, May, and July were not on NCL since allowing unvaccinated passenger on NCL ships only started last week. 

 

I agree that it would be unfortunate if you tested positive on Monday and were locked up in isolation through the end of the cruise on Friday. 

 

Have you contacted NCL to cancel your cruise?

Edited September 5, 2022 by BirdTravels

[njkate]

2 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

You may get your wish very soon.  People on various upcoming transatlantics are reporting that Bermuda has now been dropped from their itineraries.  The decision seems to be very popular.  We just got the notice that our New York to Lisbon in November will stop at Newport rather than Bermuda and we were very happy to hear it.  There is another thread with discussion of this:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2878666-bermuda-covid-protocol/

 

I actually understand and in reality there isn’t any reason to stop in Bermuda on a trans Atlantic cruise. I could be wrong but pre covid most trans Atlantics didn’t stop there

[graphicguy]

OP…duly noted.  Thanks for stopping by!

 

I do not think NCL monitors these threads as you believe.

 

Also, there are others who want to go to Bermuda (which is a beautiful and fascinating place).

Edited September 5, 2022 by graphicguy

[vtgumby]

With a wonderfully selfish post, your concern and stress over your test for your holiday clearly supersedes the health of an island. I have no doubt beautiful Bermuda will be glad you’re not coming and frankly I’d be happy to not have you on my TA ship.
Newsflash folks, we’re still in the middle of a pandemic and how lucky we are to be able to cruise which means testing which protects not only the passengers and crew on the ship but also the people of the islands we are visiting.

Yay for Bermuda for being smart about their citizens and if tourists can’t be bothered to follow their health protocol then stay away. There are so many other destinations and so many other TA itineraries for you to do if you don’t like a port stop so vote with your feet, Carnival awaits you.

[Turtles06]

43 minutes ago, njkate said:

I actually understand and in reality there isn’t any reason to stop in Bermuda on a trans Atlantic cruise. I could be wrong but pre covid most trans Atlantics didn’t stop there

 

Gosh, I could have sworn we stopped in Bermuda during our Celebrity Silhouette TA from Southampton to Florida in the fall of 2018.  I must have mistaken it for another island.  (Photo below.)  And I guess I misread the NCL Jade itinerary for our TA in fall 2020 from Italy to New York (booked in 2019), which included a stop in Bermuda before arriving in New York.

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

[schmoopie17]

NCL just dropped Bermuda from our November TA...it was the last stop (and an afterthought) on our 17 day cruise after stops in Italy, Spain, France and Portugal. Spending seven hours in Bermuda with all the hoop-jumping we would have had to do wasn't worth it. Apparently NCL agreed. Instead, we get an additional stop in the Azores, and the majority of people on our cruise couldn't be happier.

 

Edited September 5, 2022 by schmoopie17

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

Hmmmm... You situation is unclear. You would only have to test prior to disembarkation if you are unvaccinated. So you have made a choice there. 

That's incorrect. I suggest you carefully read Bermuda's requirements https://www.gov.bm/cruise-travel-authorisation .

 

For cruises where the port call in Bermuda is more than 4 days after embarkation (which is definitely the case on this transatlantic), all passengers, whether vaccinated or not, must take a COVID test on board no more than two days prior to arrival in Bermuda in order to disembark in Bermuda.

Edited September 5, 2022 by njhorseman

[schmoopie17]

Just saw that NCL also dropped Bermuda from the Sun TA departing October 31st. Looks like a trend...

[Heronymous]

Despite the flamers who feel it necessary to insult those who don’t agree with them, and there are always many on CC, I agree with you. This is nothing but a money grab for them, especially now since filling out the travel authorization serves no purpose other than to collect a fee. They’re are no longer demanding a copy of a negative test and using it to determine authorized entry, they’re relying on the cruise line to collect that. I was on the very first NCL cruise to Bermuda after the pandemic at the time the application was a two part process requiring a copy of your negative test to be uploaded. They approved my application by mistake without even having the test and when I told them as such on the phone, they didn’t care.. they had my $40.  If they need money due to the lack of tourism, this is not the way to go about it. All it does is make me resent the fact that I have to go through this process in order to board a ship that includes this destination that I really couldn’t care less about; Bermuda is nice but it’s not worth the effort or aggravation. I’m going through it because I’m forced to since I do want to go to the remaining ports on my next cruise and it’s a requirement to board the ship, it just makes me resent the fact that we’re stopping in Bermuda. I’d be just as happy if we went somewhere else. I don’t consider it selfish at all. My entire family has had various health and financial issues related to Covid, I’m not charging my friends $40 to see me when they come over. 

Edited September 5, 2022 by Heronymous

[JGmf]

Totally agree that it's a administrative and procedural nuisance at this point for testing prior to embarkation to Bermuda.  I'll be there later this month on the Getaway, the third trip there since last December.  (Lucky me, I know).

 

As this wears on, Bermuda's process is less cumbersome and less expensive than it once was, but it feels like they are still fighting the last war with their covid travel requirements.  Everything you read confirms that at this point the fee is related to filling a hole in their country's budget.

 

All that said, it is a beautiful place, and I keep jumping through the hoops b/c they require it.  To me, it's worth the effort. 

 

In a well-oiled efficient world, Bermuda would have NCL collect and transfer the fee and verify the vax card in addition to verifying the negative covid test.  

 

Hopefully the new fiscal year in Bermuda makes this all go away.

[david_sobe]

I got sunburn once in Nassau.  You have no idea the stress it put me through.  If NCL does not stop porting in the Bahamas, I will no longer sail with them.

[PC Skier]

I think all cruise lines should drop Bermuda until they stop the $40 fee and testing. When Bermuda stops all this I will go back to cruising there.

[Heronymous]

17 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

I got sunburn once in Nassau.  You have no idea the stress it put me through.  If NCL does not stop porting in the Bahamas, I will no longer sail with them.

Lol ok so I agree dropping the cruise line as a result of Bermuda’s policy is excessive, avoiding a specific cruise that contains Bermuda is obviously the more sensible option, but I do agree with the sentiment about Bermuda as a whole. At this point they should be including the $40 in the port fee and call it a day if they need the money so bad.  The online process contributes nothing to the gatekeeping process of filtering out Covid positive visitors and only adds extra stress and aggravation for all, not exactly a good strategy to make your travel destination appear appealing and inviting; it does the exact opposite.

 

[pickle11]

7 hours ago, DensolandMouthy said:

I have a TA in Dec from Europe to NY stopping at Bermuda. I am taking the same one back in April 2023. 
 

Bermudas insane testing rules before I am even getting on the ship and then another before I get off into their country ( despite all other countries stopping it ) mean I am voting with my feet before final payment date and choosing another cruise line. 
 

I cruised in Oct, Jan, May and July when testing was required ( incredibly stressful ) 

 

My Europe July cruise finally required no testing. The relief to actually look forward to my cruise and not have to have background contingency plans ( just in case)  was immense. 
 

NCL do view these boards, so I hope they reconsider Bermuda as a stop. 
 

 

You tell them.  I back you100%.  And bring back Cuba

[v3cruiser]

I think IMHO cruiselines will be doing what is necessary in the next 12 months to fill ships and make cruising as easy as possible for passengers. Debt covenant deadlines coming soon.

[Aldeya]

4 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

I think your tantrum is highly disrespectful to the people of Bermuda who needed, and still need, to protect their country and now need the money to ensure government budget is balanced. I'm very glad to pay the fee, support Bermuda, and enjoy the beautiful island. 

 

Matter of fact, I will be there in a few days. Two tests later. One before embarkation which occurred in the comfort of my home and one on the ship, at no charge. 

 

Not sure what your issue is, but you're being selfish.

It has nothing to do with disrespect of the people of Bermuda. The safety issue was in place 2 years ago. Now it's nothing more than money-grabbing technique for the government of Bermuda.

 

I like Bermuda, being there quite a few times. But now I'll avoid booking any cruise that goes to Bermuda until this fee is dropped. From what I'm hearing many cruisers  make the same decision.

[Travelling2Some]

1 hour ago, schmoopie17 said:

Just saw that NCL also dropped Bermuda from the Sun TA departing October 31st. Looks like a trend...

We are on that one and Newport is being substituted for Bermuda.  I've seen at least two other upcoming transatlantics also dropping Bermuda so it may be across the board.  In the NCL Sun's case the cruise originates in Miami on 10/31 and then has additional people embarking in New York on 11/3 and would not arrive in Bermuda until 11/5, so a bit of a logistical headache for NCL.  On top of that there are many people on our Roll Call for whom this transatlantic is the second half of a B2B Panama Canal cruise that started from Seattle and ends in Miami.  Transatlantic cruisers are focused on Europe so, understandably,  have a very different mindset than those who have booked a cruise having Bermuda as their main destination.