Breakaway Bermuda cruises in jeopardy?

[YankeeFan4Ever]

Are the upcoming Breakaway sailings to Bermuda in imminent jeopardy as a result of the worsening Covid-19 situation?

 

My wife and I are booked on the October 10 voyage and we’re both thinking NCL will either switch the Bermuda itinerary to the Florida/Bahamas run or cancel all together...What are your thoughts?

 

 

Edited September 19, 2021 by YankeeFan4Ever
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[eynsteinp]

I hope that they don't cancel it all together even if we can't go to Bermuda.  I don't see why they would cancel versus going on an alternate route.  It seems they would lose quite a bit of money by just cancelling when there are other alternatives.  Especially since they don't have to give refunds due to port or itinerary changes.  Either way, I am glad I have cruise insurance at this point!

[UnderUmbrella]

I'm crossing my fingers they change the itinerary. Under different circumstances, I'm sure Bermuda would have been lovely but I don't see how they will be able to accommodate tourists right now. My family and I leave on the 26th. Once we get there, I doubt we will even exit the ship for those three days. 

[JamieLogical]

I have to admit, initially I had been following the news in Bermuda for very selfish reasons, as we are due to travel there on a B2B beginning the 26th. But, now, I am full of empathy for the people of Bermuda. Their situation seems incredibly dire. Some of those numbers might seem small to us here in the US, but they are big and alarming numbers for a country with a population of only 60,000. 1200 active cases means that 2% of the population has active COVID. Because Bermuda has such strict contact tracing and quarantine protocols, something like 10,000 people are in quarantine right now. They had 151 positive cases in one day. My county of nearly a million people here in the US is averaging 169 cases a day with well over 10 times their population.

 

I listened to the entirety of the call with the Health Minister and the head of the hospital from the other day. At that point, there were 12 people in ICU, which doesn't sound like a ton, until you hear them describe how that is the entire ICU and their first satellite ICU full. They were working on setting up a second satellite ICU. They have many healthcare workers out with COVID or due to quarantine, so staffing is a bigger issue than space and equipment.

 

I will be keeping the people of Bermuda in my thoughts tonight and in the coming days. 

[shof515]

A lot can happen between now and next week when the Breakaway sails to Bermuda. hopefully by the ship does sail there, this covid wave will be on the decrease

[Old & Retired]

5 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

I have to admit, initially I had been following the news in Bermuda for very selfish reasons, as we are due to travel there on a B2B beginning the 26th. But, now, I am full of empathy for the people of Bermuda. Their situation seems incredibly dire. Some of those numbers might seem small to us here in the US, but they are big and alarming numbers for a country with a population of only 60,000. 1200 active cases means that 2% of the population has active COVID. Because Bermuda has such strict contact tracing and quarantine protocols, something like 10,000 people are in quarantine right now. They had 151 positive cases in one day. My county of nearly a million people here in the US is averaging 169 cases a day with well over 10 times their population.

 

I listened to the entirety of the call with the Health Minister and the head of the hospital from the other day. At that point, there were 12 people in ICU, which doesn't sound like a ton, until you hear them describe how that is the entire ICU and their first satellite ICU full. They were working on setting up a second satellite ICU. They have many healthcare workers out with COVID or due to quarantine, so staffing is a bigger issue than space and equipment.

 

I will be keeping the people of Bermuda in my thoughts tonight and in the coming days. 

If the situation is as bad as you describe, the island should definitely NOT be allowing outside visitors from anywhere for weeks if not months.

[JamieLogical]

15 minutes ago, Old & Retired said:

If the situation is as bad as you describe, the island should definitely NOT be allowing outside visitors from anywhere for weeks if not months.

 

I imagine it is incredibly difficult for the government to weigh the risks and realities of a large cruise ship coming to the island against the economic impact of not allowing ships to dock. Remember, everyone on these ships is fully vaccinated and will be tested three times before embarkation, so the threat of additional COVID transmission caused by the cruise ship passengers is extraordinarily low. But the fact that public services are being scaled back/shut down due to limited staff and that many systems on the island are being overtaxed already, means that just the logistics of processing thousands of travel authorizations and accommodating the docking of a large ship and the influx of thousands of people may be impossible right now.

[UKstages]

i, too, am terribly concerned for the people of bermuda.  i live in midtown manhattan and remember well when we were inundated at the beginning of the pandemic... there were refrigerated trucks just a couple of blocks from my apartment and a makeshift morgue in a tent a half mile away. so this has the potential to devastate the community and destroy tourism in the near and long term.

 

as for the breakaway... i'm scheduled on the 10/10 sailing and i waver back and forth every day. today, i'm feeling like i am going to cancel, although i certainly would prefer if NCL canceled or bermuda prohibited cruise ships, forcing NCL to cancel.

 

should they choose to reroute to florida/bahamas, i have zero interest. the big attraction here for me was bermuda... i was last there on a cruise when i was ten years old... and that was, um, many years ago! i really wanted to reacquaint myself with the island as an adult and that doesn't seem possible with reduced services and the increasingly real risk of COVID spread. as for nassau, they are suffering as bermuda is, perhaps worse.

 

i don't have too many concerns about traveling on a ship with 100% vaxxed passengers and crew, although i'm not crazy about either of those groups getting off in bermuda then returning to the ship. i'm not an epidemiologist, and don't play one on TV, but in my opinion, it would be mathematically impossible for COVID not to be brought back on board in significant numbers.

 

i booked three cruises in that one brief shining moment when everything looked like it was getting better and bermuda, in particular, was a safe destination. we live in a very different world now.

 

i'm enrolled in the state department's STEP notification program and bermuda was recently upgraded to level 3... "reconsider travel." level 4 is "do not travel" and i think it is quite possible that bermuda will be moved into that category very soon. the level 3 travel advisory was last updated august 30th... and conditions have worsened considerably since then.

 

the bahamas, by the way, is already at level 4... do not travel!

[JamieLogical]

14 minutes ago, UKstages said:

i, too, am terribly concerned for the people of bermuda.  i live in midtown manhattan and remember well when we were inundated at the beginning of the pandemic... there were refrigerated trucks just a couple of blocks from my apartment and a makeshift morgue in a tent a half mile away. so this has the potential to devastate the community and destroy tourism in the near and long term.

 

as for the breakaway... i'm scheduled on the 10/10 sailing and i waver back and forth every day. today, i'm feeling like i am going to cancel, although i certainly would prefer if NCL canceled or bermuda prohibited cruise ships, forcing NCL to cancel.

 

should they choose to reroute to florida/bahamas, i have zero interest. the big attraction here for me was bermuda... i was last there on a cruise when i was ten years old... and that was, um, many years ago! i really wanted to reacquaint myself with the island as an adult and that doesn't seem possible with reduced services and the increasingly real risk of COVID spread. as for nassau, they are suffering as bermuda is, perhaps worse.

 

i don't have too many concerns about traveling on a ship with 100% vaxxed passengers and crew, although i'm not crazy about either of those groups getting off in bermuda then returning to the ship. i'm not an epidemiologist, and don't play one on TV, but in my opinion, it would be mathematically impossible for COVID not to be brought back on board in significant numbers.

 

i booked three cruises in that one brief shining moment when everything looked like it was getting better and bermuda, in particular, was a safe destination. we live in a very different world now.

 

i'm enrolled in the state department's STEP notification program and bermuda was recently upgraded to level 3... "reconsider travel." level 4 is "do not travel" and i think it is quite possible that bermuda will be moved into that category very soon. the level 3 travel advisory was last updated august 30th... and conditions have worsened considerably since then.

 

the bahamas, by the way, is already at level 4... do not travel!

 

I wouldn't assume that if people get off the ship in Bermuda, it is inevitable they will bring COVID back onboard. All passengers are vaccinated and while the vaccine is not as effective in preventing transmission of Delta, it's still considerably better than non-vaccination. Bermuda has a significant portion of their population vaccinated (67% fully vaccinated, last I checked) and on that call with the health minister, they said that of their positive cases, 80%+ of them are in unvaccinated people.

 

Bermuda has an indoor mask mandate in effect, is limiting crowd sizes to 20 people, and now requires tables in restaurants to be spaced 6 feet apart. So between everyone on the Breakaway being vaccinated, many people choosing not to get off the ship at all, and the mitigation measures being taken on the island, I don't think it's inevitable that COVID will be "be brought back on board in significant numbers" as you say. There may be some amount of COVID brought back onboard, but I definitely don't think the risk is higher (or even as high) as if the ship were to port in Florida and/or the Bahamas.

[kochleffel]

My county has 50% more population than all of Bermuda and one-third as many new cases per day, and this is considered a dangerous level. I completely respect Bermuda's right to take whatever measures its government finds necessary.

 

15 minutes ago, UKstages said:

should they choose to reroute to florida/bahamas, i have zero interest. the big attraction here for me was bermuda

 

Same for me. I have no real desire to visit the Bahamas, although I have booked a cruise for next year that would call there along with southeastern U.S. ports. In that cruise I might well stay aboard the ship at Nassau.

 

My Bermuda cruise isn't until the end of October. I was angry in 2020 when Holland America announced after sailing that the ship wouldn't be able to call at Sint Maarten, and would go to St. Croix instead; although I enjoyed the day on St. Croix, Sint Maarten was my reason for booking. They knew well in advance that they were going to change it, because the reason was a propulsion problem that the ship had had for quite a while, making Sint Maarten too great a distance to reach and stay otherwise on schedule.

[UKstages]

3 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

There may be some amount of COVID brought back onboard, but I definitely don't think the risk is higher (or even as high) as if the ship were to port in Florida and/or the Bahamas.

 

well, on this we can certainly agree!

 

but i assume, like me, you're not an epidemiologist, either.

 

my belief is that the risk is much higher in bermuda than most other places (other than the two that you mentioned) and that some bermudians have - out of necessity and understandably - a high degree of interest in earning an income from tourism which may improperly influence their behavior at this difficult time.

 

i also believe that a cruise passenger's willingness to assess the conditions on the ground and the level of risk is in direct proportion to how "invested" they are in the trip... not monetarily, not how much they paid for the trip... but in terms of how long ago they booked, when their last holiday was, how many people are traveling with them and whether or not any celebrations will be taking place during the trip.

 

a solo traveler who booked eight weeks ago, for instance, is less "invested" than a family of four celebrating an anniversary or birthday, who have already had three canceled bookings. and my belief is that if you're less invested, you may cancel more readily.

 

here's the thing, though, all things being equal... excluding the age of the passengers and their preexisting health conditions, the risk factor is exactly the same for for the casual traveler as for the traveler who is heavily invested or committed. but those who are heavily invested may choose to overlook state department advisories or conditions on the ground when making their travel decisions. indeed, data shows that 27% of trips (not necessarily cruises) have been canceled and 37% of trips (not necessarily cruises) have been postponed. so, people are canceling or postponing travel because of the delta variant and their perception that things are getting worse... all over, not just in bermuda.

 

i love me some pink sand and turquiose water, but the data seems to suggest that a trip to bermuda might not be in the cards for me this year. that's my personal choice, based on the information i have available to me right now.

[luckyinpa]

when i see no buses running that would make me not want to go.. my last trip i relied heavily on the bus to take me everywhere.  though i'm assuming taxis still run but probably more expensive. then this makes me wonder what other public things i want to do will even be open. 

 

over summer i was pricing the bermuda cruises because i want to get back there but the haven prices were very inflated, even more than normal christmas pricing, which i used to use as the high bar.  and since i only drive to ports im limited to my choice of lines so decided to book royal out of NJ. theres no way i would pay bermuda pricing to reroute to bahamas. it would be too much a letdown. i love the idea of maskless ncl but i kept reading the daily paper in bermuda and nothing seemed to get better in august. so now i'm glad i didnt do it. also this situation proves it really pays to book last minute more than ever. and just reading about that passenger being positive and not being able to go on the cruise . well that just would kill me being at the pier not able to go. 

[billslowsky]

15 hours ago, eynsteinp said:

I hope that they don't cancel it all together even if we can't go to Bermuda.  I don't see why they would cancel versus going on an alternate route.  It seems they would lose quite a bit of money by just cancelling when there are other alternatives.  Especially since they don't have to give refunds due to port or itinerary changes.  Either way, I am glad I have cruise insurance at this point!

I've been waiting to see how the early trips to Bermuda would go to maybe grab something last minute if they can pull them off, but not looking good at all. And already with no public ferry to St. George's (was NCL going to run their own again?) it was not going to be that great...  45 minute ride vs possibly 2 hours.

 

I would think they'd have to have some really cut rate prices if they switch from Bermuda to the Bahamas.  Two different worlds.

[luckyinpa]

1 hour ago, billslowsky said:

I've been waiting to see how the early trips to Bermuda would go to maybe grab something last minute if they can pull them off, but not looking good at all. And already with no public ferry to St. George's (was NCL going to run their own again?) it was not going to be that great...  45 minute ride vs possibly 2 hours.

 

I would think they'd have to have some really cut rate prices if they switch from Bermuda to the Bahamas.  Two different worlds.

 

thats how i did it with royal. they sailed sept 5 out of nj and i read every post here and on FB. this way it was a real life experiences. it went so well i booked that weekend for october. 

 

if they start sailing to bermuda and its great, id be happy to book it. but i'm never the guinea pig. 

[UKstages]

On 9/19/2021 at 12:26 PM, UKstages said:

i'm enrolled in the state department's STEP notification program and bermuda was recently upgraded to level 3... "reconsider travel." level 4 is "do not travel" and i think it is quite possible that bermuda will be moved into that category very soon. the level 3 travel advisory was last updated august 30th... and conditions have worsened considerably since then.

 

 

today, september 20th, bermuda was indeed moved into level 4, indicating a "very high level" of COVID-19 with the advisory for travelers to "avoid bermuda."
 

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-4/coronavirus-bermuda

 

bermuda now joins other level 4 destinations including aruba, the bahamas, british virgin islands, curacao, dominica, haiti, jamaica, martinique, puerto rico, st. barts, st. kitts (and nevis), st. lucia, st. martin and the u.s. virgin islands.

[psac]

So basically it joined all of the other potential cruise destinations….

[shof515]

Considering the Bahamas is a level 4 destination and there is still cruises going there, i think these 6 Bermuda sailings on the breakaway is safe and the ship is sailing. the only thing that will prevent these cruises from going is if the Bermuda government says no

[NYcruzzer]

2 hours ago, shof515 said:

Considering the Bahamas is a level 4 destination and there is still cruises going there, i think these 6 Bermuda sailings on the breakaway is safe and the ship is sailing. the only thing that will prevent these cruises from going is if the Bermuda government says no

I agree. I'm on the 9/26th sailing. Just hoping if  we do sail into Bermuda  most everything isn't shut down.

[YankeeFan4Ever]

Question: Would travel insurance still be valid and applicable if the destination in question is at level 4 “do not travel” according to the CDC?

[phillyguy9999]

Will the Oct 3 cruise be a cruise to no-where ?  Do we still have to pay for the Bermuda travel authorization ( $75 ) if we plan to stay onboard??? 
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-4/coronavirus-bermuda

[JamieLogical]

5 minutes ago, phillyguy9999 said:

Will the Oct 3 cruise be a cruise to no-where ?  Do we still have to pay for the Bermuda travel authorization ( $75 ) if we plan to stay onboard??? 
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-4/coronavirus-bermuda

 

You have to do the Bermuda TA even if you stay on board. The Level 4 designation from the CDC was already discussed extensively when it was issued the other day.

[MsTabbyKats]

One thing nobody mentioned is that tourism is not a major factor in the Bermudian economy, unlike the Caribbean islands.  Based on their conservative covid policy, they may decide that the risk of allowing the B'awy to dock isn't worth the financial reward.

[JamieLogical]

I watched the press conference today with the Bermuda Minister of Transportation. They do not seem closer to reaching an agreement to get bus and ferry drivers back to work. The issue now is that the transportation workers want to be paid for the past five days they haven't worked and the government is refusing to do so.

 

So, no immediate end in sight for the transportation shut down.

[kochleffel]

56 minutes ago, phillyguy9999 said:

Will the Oct 3 cruise be a cruise to no-where ?

 

The U.S. doesn't allow cruises to nowhere; a call at a foreign port is mandatory, except for Alaska cruises this year. There is a chance of its being changed to a cruise to the Bahamas (GSC, Nassau) and southeastern U.S. ports. I have such a cruise booked for January on RCI (Charleston, Cococay, Nassau, Port Canaveral) and I'm not sure which I would cancel if I knew in advance.

 

It's not rare for southbound cruises from New York at this time of year to be switched to a New England and Canada itinerary because of a hurricane, but AFAIK Canada ports are still not open to cruise ships. That is more problematic as a last-minute change because passengers usually didn't pack for colder weather.

 

33 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

The issue now is that the transportation workers want to be paid for the past five days they haven't worked and the government is refusing to do so.

 

So, no immediate end in sight for the transportation shut down.

 

And a more general issue is that so much of the Bermudian work force is quarantined.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, MsTabbyKats said:

One thing nobody mentioned is that tourism is not a major factor in the Bermudian economy, unlike the Caribbean islands.  Based on their conservative covid policy, they may decide that the risk of allowing the B'awy to dock isn't worth the financial reward.

 Insurance and financial services account for 85% of Bermuda's GDP, with tourism second at 5%.

While in terms of GDP tourism isn't nearly as important to the economy as it is in most Caribbean islands, tourism in Bermuda does account for a substantially higher percentage of employment at 9.4% than it does of GDP. 

 

As someone who has been a regular visitor to Bermuda for about 35 years I can tell you that tourism is very important to both the government and the work force and when tourism is down as it obviously has been during the pandemic the government is eager to do what it reasonably can to boost that sector. Even in more normal times something as seemingly mundane as an airline offering fewer flights to Bermuda will draw an immediate response from the government, which will lobby the airlines to bring seat capacity back to previous levels.

 

With wages of employees in the tourism sector being in general much lower than wages in banking and insurance it becomes all the more important for the government to support tourism. 

 

Given that the current COVID outbreak in Bermuda is driven by local transmission among residents, not by tourists I think if it's at all possible the government will continue to welcome cruise ships, particularly since NCL and Crystal, the two lines cruising to Bermuda, require 100% vaccination of passengers and crew and every passenger must also comply with both Bermuda's and their cruise line's testing protocol. To put it simply, the cruise passengers present little risk to Bermuda. The question is whether the cruise lines will consider Bermuda to present too much risk to their passengers and crew or whether the cruise lines become concerned that the diminution of services and perceived risk of catching COVID make Bermuda too unattractive to its passengers.

Here are two sources of the GDP and employment data I cited above:

https://theodora.com/wfbcurrent/bermuda/bermuda_economy.html

https://www.gov.bm/sites/default/files/Tourism-Satellite-Account-report-2019_1.pdf

 

Edited September 22, 2021 by njhorseman