treehugr

Thanks for your reply. Did you end up calling the number above? Nice to know a window in which to start calling. What urgent care did you use / fee?

I didn't call it a port charge. An additional toll, tax, or whatever else you want to call it, it's still a tacked on fee passed on to travelers. I'm assuming you've been on other cruises in the past, have you ever had a port assess an additional fee / tax on you that wasn't part of the cruise fare? That I'm aware of, no other port is assessing an additional fee / tax. I respectfully disagree cruise lines need Bermuda more than Bermuda needs them. Bermuda needs those tourism dollars provided by cruise ships. Why else support 3 active cruise ports. If Bermuda closed up shop, rest assured others would be waiting in line to take their place. This is a year old, but revenues generated are certainly not chump change.... "“The cruise ship industry is a key revenue generator for Bermuda. On average, the economic impact from the industry is $170M, with approximately 185 ship calls annually. In 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the island saw only four calls out of the scheduled 196 projected calls. - CruisehiveMar 23, 2021" The Travel Authorization fees for Bermuda in one year was $22M alone.

You called it.... "Junior Health and Finance Minister Arianna Hodgson told the Upper House that even if all other emergency COVID-19 measures are dropped, the government needs the money generated from the TA which was introduced in 2020. Hodgson said getting rid of the $40 payment before its planned end date of March next year would mean cutting services, raising taxes, and borrowing money."

Didn't want to state the obvious 🙂. With Covid winding down for the most part, why are cruise lines tolerating individual islands tacking on what amounts to nothing more than a toll charge tacked on to the port fees at this point. One would have to assume Royal is taking a lot of flak from passengers about this charge.

Exactly what I was looking for, thank you. Read quite a few post of people going insane with the Bermuda slow response for review / approval. To many hoops to jump through. One would think Royal could at least do their part by having accurate / up to date info on their website. Since Bermuda is now OK with Royal handling during embarkation, one has to truly wonder why the need for a separate Travel Authorization process?

That's what I thought I had read somewhere. I can't understand why RCCL's website currently conflicts with what needs to actually be done. Do you have a link showing Royal to check results?

Hello all, Doing our best to navigate through the covid testing requirements and have stumbled upon some confusion regarding the Bermuda Travel Authorization requirements. Under the Bermuda section on RCCL website they show (below) a need to upload covid test results no later than 1 day prior to sailing to Bermuda. Am I mistaken, I was under the impression Bermuda no longer required the test results to be uploaded with the Travel Authorization application two days prior, but rather just required at cruise embarkation? RCCL website: Bermuda Additional Requirements (last paragraph) All travelers age 2 and older, or their legal guardians, must apply for a Bermuda Travel Authorization if your cruise stops in Bermuda. Even if you do not plan to go ashore in Bermuda, you must have the Authorization. You will be required to present an approved Authorization on the day you board your cruise. You may apply at the Government of Bermuda website, no more than 30 days before you set sail. You will not see your ship/sailing listed on the website before that time. We recommend guests apply for their Bermuda Travel Authorization as soon as it becomes available. The application cost is $40 per person. "Your application will be stored until your cruise departure. Four days before departure, you will receive an email reminder to upload a negative COVID-19 result. You should upload the test result you will use to board the ship, and submit your completed application to Bermuda no later than the day before you board."