Excursion on first day in Bermuda?

[craig01020]

I'm hearing that when our ship arrives in Bermuda (at 8:00 am) that no one can disembark until everyone aboard has a covid test. I've got an excursion booked for 9:30 am. I can't see how that is even possible. Thinking I'll reschedule it to day 2. Thoughts anyone?

[Melody7]

I haven't heard anything about this, but I also haven't done any research on it. Please report back any findings!

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, craig01020 said:

I'm hearing that when our ship arrives in Bermuda (at 8:00 am) that no one can disembark until everyone aboard has a covid test. I've got an excursion booked for 9:30 am. I can't see how that is even possible. Thinking I'll reschedule it to day 2. Thoughts anyone?

 

45 minutes ago, Melody7 said:

I haven't heard anything about this, but I also haven't done any research on it. Please report back any findings!

It's true. Everyone must be tested upon arrival and you're not permitted to disembark until you're notified your test is negative, which will take a couple of hours at the very minimum and possibly well into that night or even the next day.

You need to reschedule...and NCL is going to have to cancel that excursion and any others leaving too soon after the ship's arrival.

As I see it the people at NCL who put together the excursion schedule were clueless about Bermuda's protocols so they just scheduled them the way they've been scheduled in the past.

[bear803]

We have a 10am snorkel excursion booked with NCL, I'm sure will be canceled. 

[psac]

It’s more of the excursions were scheduled before Bermuda announced their restrictions, so you can’t blame them.  But they should cancel them now that they know. 

[JABTPS]

Since it only takes one full day to cruise to Bermuda, I would bet that NCL plans to arrive the afternoon before our planned arrival 10/13 and begin testing by Bermuda to be able to release passengers by the regular schedule morning.

[njhorseman]

32 minutes ago, psac said:

It’s more of the excursions were scheduled before Bermuda announced their restrictions, so you can’t blame them.  But they should cancel them now that they know. 

Bermuda hasn't changed anything. From Day 1 of Bermuda's reopening months ago they have required all arrivals (which initially were only airline passengers) to be tested upon entering Bermuda and isolate until receiving a negative test result.

 

NCL headquarters seem totally oblivious not only to how this will affect excursions but also to the fact that their arriving passengers will have to obey Bermuda's protocols in general. They've done nothing to date to provide instructions to passengers on Bermuda's travel authorization process and and pre boarding PCR test requirement, which has a tricky timeline to meet.

Edited August 31, 2021 by njhorseman

[njhorseman]

24 minutes ago, JABTPS said:

Since it only takes one full day to cruise to Bermuda, I would bet that NCL plans to arrive the afternoon before our planned arrival 10/13 and begin testing by Bermuda to be able to release passengers by the regular schedule morning.

They have to be careful if changing the schedule because Bermuda also has a pre boarding PCR test requirement that has to be done within a very narrow window prior to the ships arrival in Bermuda. 

[NYcruzzer]

24 minutes ago, JABTPS said:

Since it only takes one full day to cruise to Bermuda, I would bet that NCL plans to arrive the afternoon before our planned arrival 10/13 and begin testing by Bermuda to be able to release passengers by the regular schedule morning.

I tend to agree. Since I'm on the first Bermuda cruise on the BA I've been lurking on Crystal boards to get an idea what to expect in regards to testing. It was reported that Medical Staff flew up to Boston and sailed with the ship to Bermuda. The MD staff from Bermuda tested pax onboard the evening before scheduled arrival. Then the ship was met in Bermudian waters by a motor launch who left with all the samples to preform PCR tests in Bermuda. The ship stayed in international waters that evening. Once all passangers tested negative gthe ship was given clearance. In the morning the ship arrived in Bermuda at scheduled time and everyone was free to disembark. Mind you there were only 175 passengers. Not sure how Bermuda MD staff will be at testing some 2500 NCL passangers ?

[njhorseman]

11 minutes ago, NYcruzzer said:

I tend to agree. Since I'm on the first Bermuda cruise on the BA I've been lurking on Crystal boards to get an idea what to expect in regards to testing. It was reported that Medical Staff flew up to Boston and sailed with the ship to Bermuda. The MD staff from Bermuda tested pax onboard the evening before scheduled arrival. Then the ship was met in Bermudian waters by a motor launch who left with all the samples to preform PCR tests in Bermuda. The ship stayed in international waters that evening. Once all passangers tested negative gthe ship was given clearance. In the morning the ship arrived in Bermuda at scheduled time and everyone was free to disembark. Mind you there were only 175 passengers. Not sure how Bermuda MD staff will be at testing some 2500 NCL passangers ?

That all took place because Crystal Symphony's departure from Boston was delayed a day due to the tropical storm.   If they hadn't made an accommodation the passengers' pre boarding PCR tests would likely have fallen out of the permitted time frame. This way the ship "arrived" earlier than it otherwise would have, although it didn't actually dock, making the pre boarding tests still valid while also permitting the ship to regain some of the time lost due to the delayed departure.

 

Edited August 31, 2021 by njhorseman

[NYcruzzer]

14 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

That all took place because Crystal Symphony's departure from Boston was delayed a day due to the tropical storm.   If they hadn't made an accommodation the passengers' pre boarding PCR tests would likely have fallen out of the permitted time frame. This way the ship "arrived" earlier than it otherwise would have, although it didn't actually dock, making the pre boarding tests still valid while also permitting the ship to regain some of the time lost due to the delayed departure.

 

Thank you for clarifying. I 'm even more concerned on how long it will take for Bermuda staff to collect over 2370 samples onboard (more if testing crew) off the ship, preform PCR tests and e-mail all passengers their results ? Day one would certainly be lost..That  figure is based on 60% occupancy. Could be higher on later cruises. 

[shof515]

Sometime next week they should be a lot more information about the meeting the Bermuda requirements and how NCL will handle it

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, NYcruzzer said:

Thank you for clarifying. I 'm even more concerned on how long it will take for Bermuda staff to collect over 2370 samples onboard (more if testing crew) off the ship, preform PCR tests and e-mail all passengers their results ? Day one would certainly be lost..That  figure is based on 60% occupancy. Could be higher on later cruises. 

In looking at NCL's itinerary I see that they're using two full sea days on the trip to Bermuda and one full sea day on the return, which is the opposite of Crystal's itinerary which uses one sea day to Bermuda and two on the return. The result is that NCL actually could arrive in Bermuda's waters one day earlier than the schedule shows, which would allow the test samples to be taken a day earlier and possibly give passengers the chance to disembark on or close to the published schedule.

 

I think you're right to be concerned about Bermuda's ability to process that many tests that quickly. Right now they may be getting at most a couple of hundred passengers a day arriving on airline flights or a couple of hundred on Crystal Symphony. Ten times or more that amount of testing at once from the Breakaway could be problematic.

[craig01020]

I was hoping that people with booked excursions would be tested first and then able to disembark. My cruise isn't until Oct. 10, so I guess we'll see how the first couple of cruises go.

[Laszlo]

3 hours ago, craig01020 said:

I was hoping that people with booked excursions would be tested first and then able to disembark. My cruise isn't until Oct. 10, so I guess we'll see how the first couple of cruises go.

Unless your doing if for Covid testing Bermuda is one place you don't need to do a ships excursion. What is your excursion for?

 

[Candy Apple 12]

3 hours ago, craig01020 said:

I was hoping that people with booked excursions would be tested first and then able to disembark. My cruise isn't until Oct. 10, so I guess we'll see how the first couple of cruises go.

When does the Breakaway start sailing to Bermuda?

[craig01020]

22 minutes ago, Candy Apple 12 said:

When does the Breakaway start sailing to Bermuda?

Sept. 26

[SwimmingDragon]

Slightly off topic, but does deal with Bermuda and possibility of shore excursions, I just saw today that the CDC has placed Bermuda up to a level 3, High risk. Of course, this is coming from a country right now which is at basically a level 4 or 5  at this point~ 😜  I am curious to see what Bermuda does over the next couple of weeks. If their numbers are rising, they may deny outside tourism from places like cruise ships. I wouldn't blame them, but I would be sad as this is my first time heading to Bermuda. Things are changing like the tide. We must go with the flow. <-- a little light hearted humor from the seaworthy people on this board. <-- 😉 

 

 

[craig01020]

3 minutes ago, SwimmingDragon said:

If their numbers are rising, they may deny outside tourism from places like cruise ships.

Although I'm really sick of cancelled trips, it wouldn't break my heart if this cruise got canceled, and we got refunded. I'm growing very weary of testing requirements, etc.  😷

[SwimmingDragon]

1 minute ago, craig01020 said:

Although I'm really sick of cancelled trips, it wouldn't break my heart if this cruise got canceled, and we got refunded. I'm growing very weary of testing requirements, etc.  😷

I'd be fine if they chose to just do a cruise at sea. Of course they could always swing down to their private island in the Bahamas. Everyone on the ship would qualify for going there. 

I will also state that njhorseman had a good point about us having 2 sea days going to Bermuda. It might allow them to get the tests done the second "sea" day and be ready to let people disembark in the morning. BUT that would also have to mean that they are as smart as njhorseman when it comes to ideas like that... 😉 

[EllieinNJ]

Or if they change to the Bahamas itinerary. I would be very upset because I'm doing the Bahamas two weeks after we return from Bermuda on RCI Oasis.  Ive never been to Bermuda and am looking so forward to it.   We have a snorkle excursion booked for day 1 at 1:30pm and now not sure if it will go.

[craig01020]

6 minutes ago, SwimmingDragon said:

I'd be fine if they chose to just do a cruise at sea.

Not me. I want to go somewhere!

[craig01020]

1 hour ago, Laszlo said:

Unless your doing if for Covid testing

That's exactly why I booked it for the first day, thinking I'd be one of the first to get tested. We'll see...

[Laszlo]

17 minutes ago, EllieinNJ said:

Or if they change to the Bahamas itinerary. I would be very upset because I'm doing the Bahamas two weeks after we return from Bermuda on RCI Oasis.  Ive never been to Bermuda and am looking so forward to it.   We have a snorkle excursion booked for day 1 at 1:30pm and now not sure if it will go.

Can't imagine going all the way to Bermuda and then ending up not being able to get off the ship Lol

[Red-Sol]

I was originally booked on the Sept. 26th Breakaway cruise to Bermuda but ended up cancelling. I didn't cancel due to any fears about contacting Covid really as I am fully vaccinated (and I also applaud and was very comfortable with NCL on being 100% vaccinated) My specific problem came from what the testing procedures might become and how they would be handled in reality...I didn't want to become a guinea pig along with others for an untested processs...so decided to say No Thanks...and as much as I really want to cruise again...I'll wait this out longer and hope for a better experience later next year possibly.