Half Moon Cay and Bahamas not accepting Antigen tests in January 2022

[travelbug615]

We are booked on a Jan. 16th sailing that includes Half Moon Cay.  I found the below update on website  ttps://www.bahamas.com/travelupdates.  Anyone aware of this new testing requirement and how it will effect port stops at Half Moon Cay?  

• Effective Jan. 7, 2022, fully vaccinated persons must present a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR (including PCR, NAA, NAAT, TMA or RNA) test.
  • COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests will no longer be accepted. Travellers must obtain a COVID-19 RT-PCR test.

[CruiserBruce]

Other discussions have indicated this only applies to people arriving to stay on an island...not sure it have ever applied to cruise ship pax.

[dawei]

We're also booked on Rotterdam's Jan. 16, 7-nighter, if  it's a HAL cruise you're also booked on.

This is not the first time I've found disagreements between a Caribbean island's requirements and those for a cruise ship visit. One example is testing for visits to the ABC islands. The ABCs' websites have European-like requirements that a cruise would never be able to meet (PCR, quarantines). However, those requirements all refer to visitors traveling by air; no mention of cruise ship visits.

Since Half Moon is owned by Carnival Corp., I can't believe HAL would not have let us know if there's a different testing requirement and how it could be met. 

I've learned that a PCR test isn't a quick one; it takes something like 2-3 or possibly more days for results. How that's possible with a cruise ship visit is unknown to me.

 

David

[nocl]

There have been reports of some ships such as the MSC ship not being allowed to stop at their private island location.

[Heartgrove]

Perhaps this will be verified eventually. In the meantime, two MSC ships have been denied stopping at their island, Ocean Cay, due to the positive COVID numbers onboard. It actually lies within the boundaries of the Bahamas in the district of Bimini.

[CruiserBruce]

6 minutes ago, dawei said:

We're also booked on Rotterdam's Jan. 16, 7-nighter, if  it's a HAL cruise you're also booked on.

This is not the first time I've found disagreements between a Caribbean island's requirements and those for a cruise ship visit. One example is testing for visits to the ABC islands. The ABCs' websites have European-like requirements that a cruise would never be able to meet (PCR, quarantines). However, those requirements all refer to visitors traveling by air; no mention of cruise ship visits.

Since Half Moon is owned by Carnival Corp., I can't believe HAL would not have let us know if there's a different testing requirement and how it could be met. 

I've learned that a PCR test isn't a quick one; it takes something like 2-3 or possibly more days for results. How that's possible with a cruise ship visit is unknown to me.

 

David

PCR tests can, and are, back in under 12 hours.

[dawei]

To me, a ship being denied visiting a port because of the number of COVID cases onboard is understandable. At the same time, it's not the same as something like PCR pax testing for all who arrive on a ship.

[travelbug615]

13 minutes ago, dawei said:

We're also booked on Rotterdam's Jan. 16, 7-nighter, if  it's a HAL cruise you're also booked on.

This is not the first time I've found disagreements between a Caribbean island's requirements and those for a cruise ship visit. One example is testing for visits to the ABC islands. The ABCs' websites have European-like requirements that a cruise would never be able to meet (PCR, quarantines). However, those requirements all refer to visitors traveling by air; no mention of cruise ship visits.

Since Half Moon is owned by Carnival Corp., I can't believe HAL would not have let us know if there's a different testing requirement and how it could be met. 

I've learned that a PCR test isn't a quick one; it takes something like 2-3 or possibly more days for results. How that's possible with a cruise ship visit is unknown to me.

 

David

We are on the Rotterdam as well, 13 night itinerary for us, with two visits to Half Moon Cay.  If the PCR test is required, I beleive HAL would have to cancel Half Moon Cay as it would be too hard/expensive to test everyone  with a PCR.   

I  believe I have read that HAL has cancelled other ports when the port call was mid cruise and the port wanted a 2 day prior to port AG test for everyone, which would require on board AG testing of all passengers.

 I am trying to figure out the impossible, i.e.  what are the chances of actually visiting each port of call on our intinerary?    It would  be nice to know if anyone was keeping tabs on the number/percentage of port calls that have been cancelled in the last week and being able to watch if the percentage of cancel port calls is rapidly rising or staying constant.  

[HAL4NOW]

1 hour ago, dawei said:

I've learned that a PCR test isn't a quick one; it takes something like 2-3 or possibly more days for results. How that's possible with a cruise ship visit is unknown to me.

If the clinic has the ability to process the PCR test, you can have results within hours, not days. Some ships may have the equipment to process PCR tests.

[nocl]

The Bahamas has not changed their web site page for requirements for cruise passengers.  Could be because nothing has changed or that they have just not gotten around to changing it yet.

[Heartgrove]

33 minutes ago, nocl said:

The Bahamas has not changed their web site page for requirements for cruise passengers.  Could be because nothing has changed or that they have just not gotten around to changing it yet.

 

Agree although I lean towards not updating their site. To me, it is really the cruise line's call on conducting testing. If they do not want to test passengers onboard, they will use the verdict by the country that won't allow them to dock as the excuse.

[12cruise2]

In my opinion, after cruising 9 weeks on the Nieuw Amsterdam since 9/1/21, one has to be flexible as to what ports posted vs. actual that the ship will visit.  If you are worried over visiting a port, I recommend you do not cruise at this point.  Wait til 2023 or longer.  Ports can change up to the last minute.  It's the nature of the times we are choosing to cruise in.  IMHO, one has to just be able to enjoy cruising for what it is right now, not down to the exact ports and also times of arrival and departure in said ports.  If that makes you uncomfortable or feel you won't be getting your money's worth, so to speak, I recommend you don't cruise right now, honestly.  Not one of us can predict what will happen in the next week or next month at this point with regard to cruising or ports, or why it happened, who to blame, etc.

Edited January 2, 2022 by 12cruise2

[dawei]

12cruise2 described my thoughts about the current situation quite well.

We've got two bookings coming up shortly--one this month and another in Feb.

Assuming these will take place, we'll be glad simply to be aboard a ship, just as we were with our first cruise in Nov. following the industry's lengthy shutdown. 

 

David

 

 

[FlaMariner]

45 minutes ago, 12cruise2 said:

If you are worried over visiting a port, I recommend you do not cruise at this point.

 

So true.....We booked the NA 5 day 12/18/21 cruise and the ports were Key West, Nassau and HMC.

 

Our actual cruise did not include ANY of those ports.

 

Key West and Nassau were switched out for Bimini and Freeport a few weeks before the cruise and the weather did not cooperate for HMC so no go there either. 

 

Nevertheless, we had a blast and enjoyed the low capacity ship and the family time together right before xmas.

 

Relax and savor the journey....no matter what it turns out to be.....or stay at home. 

 

 

[cl.klink]

1 hour ago, 12cruise2 said:

In my opinion, after cruising 9 weeks on the Nieuw Amsterdam since 9/1/21, one has to be flexible as to what ports posted vs. actual that the ship will visit.  If you are worried over visiting a port, I recommend you do not cruise at this point.  Wait til 2023 or longer.  Ports can change up to the last minute.  It's the nature of the times we are choosing to cruise in.  IMHO, one has to just be able to enjoy cruising for what it is right now, not down to the exact ports and also times of arrival and departure in said ports.  If that makes you uncomfortable or feel you won't be getting your money's worth, so to speak, I recommend you don't cruise right now, honestly.  Not one of us can predict what will happen in the next week or next month at this point with regard to cruising or ports, or why it happened, who to blame, etc.

 

Well put

 

- Joel

[Boatdrill]

57 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

 

So true.....We booked the NA 5 day 12/18/21 cruise and the ports were Key West, Nassau and HMC.   Our actual cruise did not include ANY of those ports.

 

If you had known that before final payment, would you have still cruised ? 

[br111]

5 hours ago, travelbug615 said:

We are on the Rotterdam as well, 13 night itinerary for us, with two visits to Half Moon Cay.  If the PCR test is required, I beleive HAL would have to cancel Half Moon Cay as it would be too hard/expensive to test everyone  with a PCR.   

I  believe I have read that HAL has cancelled other ports when the port call was mid cruise and the port wanted a 2 day prior to port AG test for everyone, which would require on board AG testing of all passengers.

 I am trying to figure out the impossible, i.e.  what are the chances of actually visiting each port of call on our intinerary?    It would  be nice to know if anyone was keeping tabs on the number/percentage of port calls that have been cancelled in the last week and being able to watch if the percentage of cancel port calls is rapidly rising or staying constant.  

For those trying to get a handle on how bad the port diversions have been in general, the blog that follows Royal Caribbean closely reported that RCI said in an investor update last week that to date it has "cancelled or significantly modified 16 destination calls out of 331." - But I didn't see exactly what timeframe that refenced.

[Josie201]

We cancelled our 18 day Hawaii cruise in February as we have no interest in sailing around the pacific or back and forth to Mexico.  Caribbean is different than most other destinations.  IMHO.  

[FlaMariner]

1 hour ago, Boatdrill said:

If you had known that before final payment, would you have still cruised ? 

 

Yes, we really did not care where the ship went in the Caribbean.