Borna

Sharing the latest information I just learned.

I spoke directly to the Barbados hilton, where I am staying the night before we board the Barbados cruise.  I was becoming concerned about not getting on arrival test results in time to board the cruise.  The Barbados hilton representative told me that Barbados is expected to change testing for fully-vaccinated visitors starting June 30.  Fully-vaccinated visitors (including negative test within 72 hours of arrival) will no longer be required to take any test on arrival.  So, no test, no quarantine, and freedom to move around Barbados.  

I was also told that even if the foregoing change is not made, I would be treated as "in transit" and could board the cruise without having received test results.

Keeping my fingers crossed that this information is correct and that Barbados changes its procedures.  

Cruiseej:  In addition to checking the official tourism websites for the islands on the itinerary, I've called and emailed those organizations and the embassies as well for information.  For example, St. Martin official tourism wrote an email to me stating that we will be able to freely roam the island; but its website states that cruise ships are not even allowed there.  Go figure.

Of course, the information is only as good as the source.  

Agree with you that the information can be conflicting.   

I've also learned that many of the islands (St. Lucia, St. Kitts) do not require testing on arrival, so Seabourn passengers can explore freely.  I think Antigua and St. Martin (despite its website stating it is not allowing cruise ships, LOL) also have no on arrival testing and can be explored on your own.  Still waiting to hear from authorities from the other islands.  If anyone has any additional or contrary information, please share.

Seabourn has provided no information and cannot or won't say when asked about these issues.

Thanks cruiseej and Hlitner.  I've learned from the Barbados authorities, that the airport COVID test is free on arrival and results should be emailed to visitors within 24 hours.  But, if the result is not given within that time frame, we could still leave the Hilton and board the Seabourn cruise.  I have this in writing from Barbados government.

We arrive at 5 pm on a Saturday and board Seabourn at 2 pm on a Sunday.  I'd certainly rather get the results pronto so we could do some sightseeing Sunday morning and I'd feel more secure having negative result before leaving the hotel and being driven from the hotel and the cruise ship.  

Oh boy, we are booked at the Hilton upon our arrival a day before the cruise.  Distressed to read we might have to quarantine in the room!  Thought all the approved hotels allowed quarantining guests to go anywhere on the hotel grounds.  

What is your source that quarantine at the Hilton is confined to the hotel room?

Seabourn requires payment of excursions BEFORE the cruise with a credit card and doesn't allow passengers to use shipboard credit to pay for excursions BEFORE the cruise with shipboard credit.  

A Seabourn representative told me that there is a way around this and to use shipboard credit to pay for excursions.  She said that I should pay for the excursion BEFORE the cruise with a credit card (which guarantees your spot on the excursion).  Once on board, go to Seabourn square excursion desk and tell the desk to SWAP your pre-paid excursion with payment from your shipboard credit.  Your credit card that paid for the excursion BEFORE the cruise will be refunded and your excursion will be paid with your shipboard credit.

Has anyone done this or heard about this?  Just want to make sure this is true and legitimate before I do this.

I've done a lot of research on this as we are booked on Seabourn's Barbados cruise.  Because Barbados requires, not only negative test within 72 hours of arrival, a test upon arrival and quarantine until the result is delivered, we are arriving a day early in Barbados.  We have to take a COVID approved vehicle from the airport to a COVID approved hotel, then stay at the hotel until we receive a negative result.  I have, in writing, from Barbados government, that if the result is not delivered to us by the next day, we will still be allowed to board the cruise ship.  So, that solves the arrival issue and it is a shame we won't be able to see Barbados during our early arrival.

But, then the problems start with Seabourn (this is our first time cruising with Seabourn).  All but two of the islands (St. Lucia and St. Kitts & Nevis) on the itinerary require negative testing on arrival, with quarantining until results given days later.  That makes it impossible to see the islands.  Seabourn just informed us, after taking our money, that we may have to take its excursions to see the islands; otherwise, we will have to stay on the ship.  Seabourn said that it is working with the islands to allow Seabourn and its guests to avoid on arrival testing, and not posing any risk to the local islanders by forcing guests to take its excursions so that guests cannot venture on their own.  In other words, Seabourn guests would be in a bubble never going outside of the confines of the excursion and possibly exposing islanders to COVID.  I expressed my utter dissatisfaction to Seabourn since excursions in general are overpriced and don't allow you to see as much as you would like.  While things could change before the cruise, Seabourn has little incentive to negotiate with the islands to allow guests to travel on their own since Seabourn will make a lot more money from guests on excursions.  This is quite disturbing.

Additionally, at the moment, according to its website, St. Martin does not even allow cruise ships to visit.  Yet, it's on Seabourn's itinerary.

We can't cancel without penalty and Seabourn won't return our money or reimburse us for our nonrefundable air tickets to and from Barbados.  So, we are quite disgruntled.  Our hope is that things change by the time of the cruise, which is a possibility.

If anyone has any other information about this cruise, the foregoing issues, and what Seabourn is telling them, we'd love to hear it.