Bermuda Escape Cruises - insights, information, and more just on Bermuda

[What was that?]

3 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

By the way, a big shout-out to the Grotto Bay Resort, they refunded our deposit even though we were well past their free cancelation date.  In several other matters they have been very helpful, with very timely communications.

Yeah - they are a class act. 

[Azulann]

2 hours ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Unfortunately, due to an injury sustained over the weekend, we have had to cancel our Bermuda trip 😞  Glad we got the Viking trip insurance.  I will check in in a week or two to see how the Guinea Pigs are doing!  Happy sailing!

So sorry  about the injury and cancelling the cruise.

 As others said, you could reschedule. for later this summer.

I hope your DW still has a wonderful Birthday , just not on  the Viking Orion. 

[bobitegirl]

5 hours ago, Azulann said:

That is great news! You are all set!  

Have a fabulous time in Bermunda and on the Viking Orion. 

 

I will continue to search for a private  lab /testing site here in the Twin Cities  that is more in line with the cost you paid.  but I am willing to pay $295 if I cannot find a better deal. 

My other  hope is that in July  Bermuda will drop its pre PRC covid test?!   

They had no new cases in Bermuda on Tuesday... 

 

5 hours ago, surfcitygirl said:

Azulann, we drove an hour to a Philly suburb to get tested yesterday at Test Now and Go, affiliated with Genetworx at 11 AM and were promised 24 hour turnaround. They supposedly have their own lab and don't send it out elsewhere. The results were in my inbox when I got up this morning, so we were  quite satisfied. Cost $100 each. Have applied for Bermuda Travel Authorization and ready to go, after many anxious moments.

 

Ragnar, thanks for calling the Orion for the testing info. You really know how to get things done! See you soon.

Surfcitygirl. Wait. What? Im confused (again). The first Cruise starts on the 15th, right? So how could you get tested yesterday (Tues the 8th)?  Thought earliest you could test would be the 10th (day 0). Or, maybe you are going a couple of days early?  OK, that would make sense. Along these lines (and maybe answered earlier), how do you know if lab is "accredited"?

[CCWineLover]

1 hour ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

We were practicing the cranberry scrub at home and slipped on the cranberries in the shower...

 

By the way, a big shout-out to the Grotto Bay Resort, they refunded our deposit even though we were well past their free cancelation date.  In several other matters they have been very helpful, with very timely communications.

Like the others, sorry to hear about your injury.  At our ages, life does certainly "happen".   What was it that John Lennon said? "Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans."

 

Always appreciated your helpful comments - and humor on the Bermuda site.

Edited June 9, 2021 by CCWineLover

[hfjas006]

7 hours ago, surfcitygirl said:

Azulann, we drove an hour to a Philly suburb to get tested yesterday at Test Now and Go, affiliated with Genetworx at 11 AM and were promised 24 hour turnaround. They supposedly have their own lab and don't send it out elsewhere. The results were in my inbox when I got up this morning, so we were  quite satisfied. Cost $100 each. Have applied for Bermuda Travel Authorization and ready to go, after many anxious moments.

 

Ragnar, thanks for calling the Orion for the testing info. You really know how to get things done! See you soon.

Surf city girl, Did you receive your travel authorization? Since we scheduled a test at Test Now and Go, I just wanted to make sure Bermuda accepted the test results from them. Thanks!

[MRGACRUZR]

3 hours ago, bobitegirl said:

 

Surfcitygirl. Wait. What? Im confused (again). The first Cruise starts on the 15th, right? So how could you get tested yesterday (Tues the 8th)?  Thought earliest you could test would be the 10th (day 0). Or, maybe you are going a couple of days early?  OK, that would make sense. Along these lines (and maybe answered earlier), how do you know if lab is "accredited"?

Day 0 is Friday the 11th. Day 1 is Saturday the 12th, Day 2 is Sunday the 13th, Day 3 is Monday the 14th and Day 4 Is Tuesday the 15th.

[bluesea777]

This evening we went into Hamilton to have our haircuts (after 3 months!) and we went out for dinner at our fave Italian - La Trattoria. We parked our car in the car park in front of Orion ... this car park will be closed every Tuesday & Wednesday each week from next week thru the duration of Orion's Bermuda Escape cruising season, for the embarkation & disembarkation purposes ... after dinner we took a long walk back to the car and took some picture that will sure whet your excitement of coming to Bermuda .... time was 8:35 to 8:50 pm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now this is the gym ... a few crew were working out in there and we waved to them and they waved back.

 

 

Now ... we're celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary at end of Aug and are seriously thinking of going on Orion for the week ... IF Viking does decide to extend the Orion's Bermuda Escape cruising season by several weeks. Fingers crossed this will become a reality.

 

 

Edited June 10, 2021 by bluesea777

[Azulann]

Thank you so much for the great pictures.  the ship is indeed right next to the street. How cool it would be if one could come and go  on your own. I hope Viking goes to Bermuda on a regular basis during the US Caribbean season. 

[Twitchly]

10 hours ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Unfortunately, due to an injury sustained over the weekend, we have had to cancel our Bermuda trip 😞  Glad we got the Viking trip insurance.  I will check in in a week or two to see how the Guinea Pigs are doing!  Happy sailing!

Condolences. I hope healing is swift and you’ll be able to jump on another cruise soon.

[SRHall64]

22 hours ago, Azulann said:

That is great news! You are all set!  

Have a fabulous time in Bermunda and on the Viking Orion. 

 

I will continue to search for a private  lab /testing site here in the Twin Cities  that is more in line with the cost you paid.  but I am willing to pay $295 if I cannot find a better deal. 

My other  hope is that in July  Bermuda will drop its pre PRC covid test?!   

They had no new cases in Bermuda on Tuesday... 

Have you checked out Passport Health (https://www.passporthealthusa.com/) and Any lab Test Now (https://www.anylabtestnow.com/locations/)? I believe that they have locations near you.  The ones near us are a little bit less than the $295 but cost may vary by location.

[surfcitygirl]

16 hours ago, hfjas006 said:

Surf city girl, Did you receive your travel authorization? Since we scheduled a test at Test Now and Go, I just wanted to make sure Bermuda accepted the test results from them. Thanks!

We did receive our travel authorizations yesterday, within 10 hours of applying, so the covid test we got was accepted, you should be fine.   We got the test earlier than the passengers boarding on June 15 because we arrive in Bermuda on the 12th, designed to avoid the possible problems with testing on the weekend. 

[hfjas006]

17 minutes ago, surfcitygirl said:

We did receive our travel authorizations yesterday, within 10 hours of applying, so the covid test we got was accepted, you should be fine.   We got the test earlier than the passengers boarding on June 15 because we arrive in Bermuda on the 12th, designed to avoid the possible problems with testing on the weekend. 

I feel so much better now. See you in Bermuda. Thanks!

[surfcitygirl]

22 hours ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Unfortunately, due to an injury sustained over the weekend, we have had to cancel our Bermuda trip 😞  Glad we got the Viking trip insurance.  I will check in in a week or two to see how the Guinea Pigs are doing!  Happy sailing!

Sorry to hear the bad news. will miss meeting you. Have an wonderful anniversary. 

[What was that?]

This is probably some good news: Bermuda’s CDC coronavirus risk rating improves

[Respbj]

On 6/9/2021 at 9:34 AM, surfcitygirl said:

Azulann, we drove an hour to a Philly suburb to get tested yesterday at Test Now and Go, affiliated with Genetworx at 11 AM and were promised 24 hour turnaround. They supposedly have their own lab and don't send it out elsewhere. The results were in my inbox when I got up this morning, so we were  quite satisfied. Cost $100 each. Have applied for Bermuda Travel Authorization and ready to go, after many anxious moments.

 

Ragnar, thanks for calling the Orion for the testing info. You really know how to get things done! See you soon.

Thanks for the info we are going to Malvern PA tomorrow for our test, you give me hope!

[B_A_H]

Well, we'll get a preview of what happens when a cruise with American's on it has positive cases onboard.  Two people travelling together on the June 5th (first) Celebrity sailing from St. Martin have tested positive mid-cruise.  Someone onboard just posted it on Twitter and there are news media on the ship so we'll hear lots about what happens next.  

 

I've been following the thread on the sailing where people onboard have been posting about their experiences.  Lots of comments about not having to wear masks and strangers being seated on top of each in the MDR.  I was deciding between one of those cruises and Viking.  Really happy with my choice. 

[surfcitygirl]

1 hour ago, Respbj said:

Thanks for the info we are going to Malvern PA tomorrow for our test, you give me hope!

Thank you! Hope to see you on the Orion.

[hfjas006]

1 hour ago, Respbj said:

Thanks for the info we are going to Malvern PA tomorrow for our test, you give me hope!

We’re getting our test in Malvern at 11 am tomorrow. Maybe our paths will cross. 

[Respbj]

7 minutes ago, hfjas006 said:

We’re getting our test in Malvern at 11 am tomorrow. Maybe our paths will cross. 

We are 11 also! Too funny

[Azulann]

Hope you Trail Blazer cruisers start a new thread about your adventure once you are in Bermuda and on the Viking Orion! 
Good luck  with testing and travels 

cheers to all of you 🎉

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Yes, we, at least, will be sailing vicariously with you!

 

And thanks to everyone for the well-wishes!

[B_A_H]

25 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Yes, we, at least, will be sailing vicariously with you!

And learning from your experiences. 🙂 

[Respbj]

Help on the Bermuda Travel Authorization it asks for your contact phone number while in Bermuda do you think just your cell phone or do they want the ships phone number?

[Crockett&Darla]

2 hours ago, Respbj said:

Help on the Bermuda Travel Authorization it asks for your contact phone number while in Bermuda do you think just your cell phone or do they want the ships phone number?

Good question. If you plan on having cell service while in Bermuda...then either one would of course would work. The ship's phone number is included in our documents. IMO... if you wanted to ensure a message got to you...the "best" option might be the ship's number. FWIW...I don't know where the ship goes on it's two sea days... but if it's outside the range of cellular service then you won't receive any cellular service. We'll probably use the ship's number. 

[Triptkr]

2 hours ago, Respbj said:

Help on the Bermuda Travel Authorization it asks for your contact phone number while in Bermuda do you think just your cell phone or do they want the ships phone number?

We used cell numbers with the assumption that Bermuda has (numerous) ways they can contact the ship if they want.   

Edited June 12, 2021 by Triptkr