Are we being paranoid?

[Aplmac]

1 minute ago, cruisingxpert said:

How many people on the Island?  What % of population  is 63,689

About 22=23% ...something like that?

 

This graph is a week old?

At March25th. the green slope now goes up over the 20 line..

 

[cruisingxpert]

1 minute ago, Aplmac said:

That old hotel is now gone: taken down a few years ago now.
Big car park for now

but plans are afoot for something to go up there.

 

Here's two old photos, from back in the last Century....

 

 

 

Thank you so much for those.  What a blast from the past and look at the women in dresses

The boy with the space ship floater reminds me of a picture I have somewhere of Clint Brooks as a child.

[Aplmac]

LOTS of interesting local Barbados Covid statistics at this website
easy to read pie-charts and other fun stuff..

 

 

https://barbados-covid19.blogspot.com/p/overview-barbados-covid-19.html

[Aplmac]

I notice two new arrivals this evening.......

 

Celebrity Apex and Celebrity Edge.

docked at Bridgetown.

 

Still at anchor in Carlisle Bay

are the usual Celebrity Reflection and Celebrity Silhouette

and so, we have four X-Celebrity ships in town.

 

This graphic shows just the two in Port.

[Aplmac]

- and Serenade of the Seas

out there somewhere off the West coast

 

So that makes five ships in all....in our waters.

 

[jenidallas]

Has there been any talk yet of how Barbados (and the cruise lines) plan to handle departures?  We have a December sailing booked out of Barbados but do not have the luxury of arriving a week early to quarantine and retest as required on the front end or to do the same on return.  

Our travel agent told us that the cruise lines were “working on it” and they might either have a same-day “direct to ship”/“direct to airport” transfer protocol or a ship designated overnight hotel for those who cannot fly on the same day but I haven’t been able to find any discussion about that topic.

 

We’ve got 9 months so obviously a lot can change, but we are trying to grab award flights while they are available.

[Aplmac]

On 4/9/2021 at 9:40 AM, jenidallas said:

Has there been any talk yet of how Barbados (and the cruise lines) plan to handle departures?  We have a December sailing booked out of Barbados but do not have the luxury of arriving a week early to quarantine and retest as required on the front end or to do the same on return.  

Our travel agent told us that the cruise lines were “working on it” and they might either have a same-day “direct to ship”/“direct to airport” transfer protocol or a ship designated overnight hotel for those who cannot fly on the same day but I haven’t been able to find any discussion about that topic.

 

We’ve got 9 months so obviously a lot can change,

but we are trying to grab award flights while they are available.

======> Good Luck with that...everything's so dodgy!!

 

It's difficult to predict anything for even July -far less December!

Our local Ministry of Health & Wellness continually updates protocols

with the latest one looking like this (attached)

aimed more at longer-stay visitors

than you guys intransitting from Airport to Seaport(a distinct possibility)

 

Sorry I can't be more helpful than that, right now...

All you can do is get vaccinated and travel with proof thereof.

 

Wife and I have now received both shots of Astrazeneca

and have resultant documentation stored carefully

with a view to international travel in the future

when such proof/certification will almost certainly be a must!
Suggest you do likewise, and 'keep an ear to the ground'

re. the Barbados cruising situation...

 

[Aplmac]

Our local Covid situation in a nutshell

looks like this - the daily dashboard of fun numbers -

....up to date as of Friday May 7th. 2021.

 

The number of locals now fully vaccinated rises daily.

 

I'm led to believe the Ministry is no longer dispensing First Shots

- just concentrating on dispensing Second Shots

to get us all Fully Vaccinated, a.s.a.p.

 

Hope this helps....

 

[Aplmac]

I just came across this newer graphic

which shows percentage of the island's resident population

now fully vaccinated, as well as first shots.

 

[cruisingxpert]

@Aplmac  Thanks for the update on the Covid stats, vaccination efforts and Volcanic ash update.

I am so looking forward to coming back to Barbados in November for a few days before getting on cruise.

[Aplmac]

A whole plane-load of new vaccines arrived just this morning

- nearly a dozen pallets of material from PAHO.

 

I'm sure our Ministry of Health will be getting busy/busier!

 

[Aplmac]

Three very recent graphics to show vaccination progress..

 

[Aplmac]

Second-shot vaccinations are progressing well on the island!

 

[ATXBecky]

Hi Aplmac, thanks for the updates! We will be visiting Aug 19th, cruising on the Celebrity Millennium. I am looking forward to seeing your island(will be our first time). If we are lucky enough to be allowed to do what we want without taking a ship excursion what would you recommend? We are thinking snorkeling with the turtles. Any suggestions will be appreciated. 

[Aplmac]

13 hours ago, ATXBecky said:

Hi Aplmac, thanks for the updates! ===> You're very welcome!

We will be visiting Aug 19th, cruising on the Celebrity Millennium.

I am looking forward to seeing your island(will be our first time).

If we are lucky enough to be allowed to do what we want

without taking a ship excursion what would you recommend? 

We are thinking snorkeling with the turtles.

Any suggestions will be appreciated. 

 

If you've never been to a destination before

your best bet is always a general island tour, where you'll get to see

a bit of everything and get a general feel for the place.

Especially our East Coast scenery....

IF that can also include a turtles thing, good for you
but that sounds like a coastal cruise thing, on the West Coast of the island

or more specifically Carlisle Bay (close to Bridgetown
and the Port where your ship will dock)

 

Below are a few views of the East Coast of the island

- quite different from the rest of the island.

 

And a shot of your ship on the way in!

 

 

[Aplmac]

And speaking of your ship...

a few select pics of Millennium taken over the years.

 

[Aplmac]

Latest Covid vaccination statistics (I love charts!)

 

[EatonDoolittle]

15 hours ago, ATXBecky said:

 We are thinking snorkeling with the turtles. Any suggestions will be appreciated. 

 

I agree with Alpmac -  Bathsheba is wonderful. Lots to see on the rest of the island, as well.

 

However, if you have your heart set on sailing to swim with the turtles, contact Gina at Calabaza.

It's the premier day sail in Barbados, both in terms of the service, food and drink, the sailing, and the turtle encounters. Lots of reviews and recommendations on this board about them. 

 

https://www.sailcalabaza.com/

[ATXBecky]

5 hours ago, Aplmac said:

And speaking of your ship...

a few select pics of Millennium taken over the years.

 

Thanks for the great photos and info!

[ATXBecky]

5 hours ago, Aplmac said:

 

If you've never been to a destination before

your best bet is always a general island tour, where you'll get to see

a bit of everything and get a general feel for the place.

Especially our East Coast scenery....

IF that can also include a turtles thing, good for you
but that sounds like a coastal cruise thing, on the West Coast of the island

or more specifically Carlisle Bay (close to Bridgetown
and the Port where your ship will dock)

 

Below are a few views of the East Coast of the island

- quite different from the rest of the island.

 

And a shot of your ship on the way in!

 

 

Wonderful photos. Thanks for sharing.

[cruisingxpert]

On 5/22/2021 at 9:05 AM, Aplmac said:

Latest Covid vaccination statistics (I love charts!)

@Aplmac  How long are they waiting between first and second shots in Barbados?  In Canada we are having to wait almost 4 months unless things change.

[Aplmac]

1 hour ago, cruisingxpert said:

@AplmacHow long are they waiting

between first and second shots in Barbados? 

In Canada we are having to wait almost 4 months unless things change.

 

Four months seems ridiculous.

 

Wife and I got our second shots 9 weeks after the first.
And I think that is about average, here on the island.

[cruisingxpert]

2 minutes ago, Aplmac said:

 

Four months seems ridiculous.

 

I agree but unfortunately I don't make the rules.  July 11 is my freedom day🙂

 

[sofietucker]

Aplmac--What is the state of things now, with the ash?  The excursion offerings by the ship have shrunk considerably... Wonderingif  that is because they are all full--or cancelled due to feasibility of sightseeing.

[Aplmac]

22 minutes ago, sofietucker said:

What is the state of things now, with the ash? 

 

The excursion offerings by the ship have shrunk considerably

... Wondering if  that is because they are all full-

-or cancelled due to feasibility of sightseeing.

 

Volcanic ash is now largely under control.
islanders are kinda fastidious about invasionary stuff like that
so they're been working on the problem,

with ash-collection trucks going around neighbourhoods

picking-up pre-bagged ash, presumably for eventual disposal

in the plantation fields, where it will improve our soils!

 

Excursion offerings by the ship?
Hard for me to tell  why they have shrunk.
Perhaps because at one point..

our tourism industry shrunk to 9% of its original volume??

 

Tourism/visitor numbers are recovering slowly,

especially now that the UK has eased overseas travel for its citizens,

and there's lots of pent-up demand  from the Brits,

to do Barbados again.

Many of them had to cancel their Annual, and nixed Barbados 2020 -
so if they can make it for 2021 that is a priority for them.

 

I think THINK...
all they need is a (72 hrs. fresh or less)negative PCR test result, upon entry
and maybe another PCR test on arrival at our airport,

plus 24 hr. hotel quarantine,please -until the test result comes back.
Something like that.