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

[What was that?]

11 minutes ago, MRGACRUZR said:

This mornings email containing the final documents for our June 15 cruise had missing and wrong flights. Now, our flights are missing off MVJ. The page says we'll be notified when our flights are finalized.

That doesn't sound right. Of course, we can only imagine that the back room at Viking is a real zoo, trying to get cruising restarted. Try to stay positive...

I would have preferred to use Viking Air Plus, but for this cruise they didn't have a business-class option so I booked on my own since it involves a red-eye flight. This turns out to have been a fortuitous decision for us, I think. Right now my only concern - other than getting our negative test on time - is whether they will have prosecco for us as we wait to go thru the boarding process...

Edited June 1, 2021 by What was that?
Added snarky comments.

[gacruzr]

Another insurance thought, we used Seven corners a few years back when one of our agents recommended it. We did have a claim when we were stranded in Miami after a cruise because the Atlanta airport closed down. They were very helpful on the phone and we had no trouble being reimbursed. We used Berkshire Hathaway this time🤞🏼🤞🏼

[lipnick]

1 hour ago, CCWineLover said:

Yes -hope for better news.  We got the package with our baggage tags (nice!) today, which really made it seem real.  4 weeks from now we'll hopefully be sipping a cold one in one of the lounges!!

Meet me in the Explorer Lounge at 5!

[B_A_H]

3 hours ago, bafinegan said:

Of course I researched.  Seven COrners has a 4.59 rating on InsureMyTrip.  I also posted my cover letter showing the COvid specific coverage.  I did not think it was necessary to post the 19 page document.

 

Frankly , i kinda resent your comment.  SOmeone asked, and I posted what I had found that is working for me.  Guess I'm not the expert others are.  Done here.

This is the second time you've thought I've singled you out.  I didn't.  I've been in the travel industry all of my life including a stint at a major tour wholesaler who made 20% of their profit selling self-insured travel coverage.  I know a little.

 

What caught my eye wasn't what you shared but looking at a site making generalized coverage statements across 9 different insurance companies.  That's a virtual impossibility. 

 

Anything I said was meant to be informative and to make anyone insurance shopping aware that third parties selling insurance have no bearing on the T&C of the insurance policies they are offering.  And the T&C not third party marketing or assurances they provide is what you're bound to.  Once the policy is issued your only relationship is with the issuer of the policy.  I didn't mean to offend you the first time or this time. 

[WanderingBrit]

I was curious as to when flights would be ticketed, so contacted Viking customer service through live chat yesterday. I was told that flights are typically booked at 45 days, and since we were 63 days from our August 3rd trip we'd see tickets later in June.

 

Lo and behold this morning I get the flight itinerary by email. It shows "ticketed" all the way through, but I'm unable to select seats on American for the outbound leg, getting a message that says "Something went wrong" each time. There's a pending charge on my credit card for each failed attempt, but no success changing the seats - perhaps because I didn't make the reservation myself?

 

Viking had not passed along any of the traveler information I had given them, so needed to enter passports and TSA Known Traveler IDs all over again

[What was that?]

1 hour ago, WanderingBrit said:

Viking had not passed along any of the traveler information I had given them, so needed to enter passports and TSA Known Traveler IDs all over again

I saw this (repeatedly) for our flight reservations for our January 2022 Northern Lights cruise. I finally called Viking Air for seats (which showed up on the seat charts for the flights under AA "Flight Schedules and Notifications" pages), so I felt confident AA had recorded the seat selections. We are still 233 days out so there is no motivation to pursue this further, especially since AA always seems to have schedule changes that the automated system do not resolve properly, and which require my intervention. So, "situation normal..."

[bafinegan]

1 hour ago, WanderingBrit said:

I was curious as to when flights would be ticketed, so contacted Viking customer service through live chat yesterday. I was told that flights are typically booked at 45 days, and since we were 63 days from our August 3rd trip we'd see tickets later in June.

 

Lo and behold this morning I get the flight itinerary by email. It shows "ticketed" all the way through, but I'm unable to select seats on American for the outbound leg, getting a message that says "Something went wrong" each time. There's a pending charge on my credit card for each failed attempt, but no success changing the seats - perhaps because I didn't make the reservation myself?

 

Viking had not passed along any of the traveler information I had given them, so needed to enter passports and TSA Known Traveler IDs all over again

Had the same problem.  It truly isn't "ticketed" until it says so under flights on your MVJ.  That was when I could do my upgrades

[CCWineLover]

17 hours ago, lipnick said:

Meet me in the Explorer Lounge at 5!

You bet !!  Our favorite place!!  Looking forward to meeting you.

[Triptkr]

https://www.royalgazette.com/health/news/article/20210601/covid-19-restrictions-to-ease-on-saturday/

[CCWineLover]

59 minutes ago, Triptkr said:

https://www.royalgazette.com/health/news/article/20210601/covid-19-restrictions-to-ease-on-saturday/

Good news!  At least for the locals.  June 6 will be interesting to see what they do with travelers restrictions.

Of note in the article:

Weekend figures show almost 79 per cent of residents over age 65 have had one shot and 73.6 per cent are fully immunised.

To date, 58.3 per cent of the population has had one dose, with 52.1 per cent immunised at two doses.

[lipnick]

yes numbers are trending in a good direction.  the government is offering prizes for people to get their shots. My biggest concern the the number of days required for the covid test before entering the country.  Vikings form still says 3 days which concerns me and could be a deal breaker.  on the Bermuda web sites it varies from 3-5 days.  have until the 15'th to make up my mind hoping to have restrictions relaxed

[CCWineLover]

3 minutes ago, lipnick said:

yes numbers are trending in a good direction.  the government is offering prizes for people to get their shots. My biggest concern the the number of days required for the covid test before entering the country.  Vikings form still says 3 days which concerns me and could be a deal breaker.  on the Bermuda web sites it varies from 3-5 days.  have until the 15'th to make up my mind hoping to have restrictions relaxed

lipnick - I feel your concerns.  We are right there with you on the COVID testing issue.  I am hoping on June 6 they will relax it another day.  Right now it is 50/50.  Thank goodness we have until June 15th to decide to cancel.  Can you imagine the mess then if the testers don't get the results back in time or Bermuda Govt doesn't authorize in time for just one person in the couple where the other is OK?  Oh boy!

[What was that?]

13 minutes ago, lipnick said:

yes numbers are trending in a good direction.  the government is offering prizes for people to get their shots. My biggest concern the the number of days required for the covid test before entering the country.  Vikings form still says 3 days which concerns me and could be a deal breaker.  on the Bermuda web sites it varies from 3-5 days.  have until the 15'th to make up my mind hoping to have restrictions relaxed

Here's the site I keep an eye on. It is a Bermuda Government site (I believe) and it says 4 days in advance from 6 June.

https://www.gotobermuda.com/covid-19-travel-protocols

[Triptkr]

40 minutes ago, What was that? said:

Here's the site I keep an eye on. It is a Bermuda Government site (I believe) and it says 4 days in advance from 6 June.

https://www.gotobermuda.com/covid-19-travel-protocols

 

It would seem from what I know that they are more on the independent side of things.  In the below screenshot they describe themselves as such and that they 'partner' with the Bermuda government.  All I know is when I asked Viking this question they gave me two links.  One link was that form on their website still stating 3-day testing and the other link pointed to gov dot bm website that still says 5 days.   

Maybe the positive takeaway is if BTA is really partnered with the government of Bermuda but yet independent they ARE correct in their 4 day testing after the 6th and just quicker than the government to make changes on their site.

 

 

[What was that?]

2 minutes ago, Triptkr said:

Maybe the positive takeaway is if BTA is really partnered with the government of Bermuda but yet independent they ARE correct in their 4 day testing after the 6th and just quicker than the government to make changes on their site.

That was my take. But I figure organizations that are profit oriented like BTA would keep their sites up to date while governments have rules that just naturally slow things down. Not sure how Viking fits that model though... 🤔

I will continue to keep an eye on things, as several thousand other cruisers will, too.

[Myrtle Ave. Mayhem]

Regarding the proof of medical coverage I'm still confused. My travel insurance for this cruise is with my travel agent. According to him, my policy covers medical expenses in Bermuda. Do I need to provide this proof to Viking or on the Bermuda Travel Authorization? I think a saw somewhere that it must be provided 14 days prior to departure. Does this proof requirement apply to all passengers or only those on Medicare? I know wer'e in a whole different era with this pandemic & how it applies to the return of cruising, however all this confusion is mind numbing. Thank-You everyone in advance who replies to my question. I swear I'm going to hug the hull once I finally pass through the gangway!

Edited June 2, 2021 by Myrtle Ave. Mayhem
Spelling

[What was that?]

20 minutes ago, Myrtle Ave. Mayhem said:

Regarding the proof of medical coverage I'm still confused. My travel insurance for this cruise is with my travel agent. According to him, my policy covers medical expenses in Bermuda. Do I need to provide this proof to Viking or on the Bermuda Travel Authorization? I think a saw somewhere that it must be provided 14 days prior to departure. Does this proof requirement apply to all passengers or only those on Medicare? I know we're in a whole different era with this pandemic & how it applies to the return of cruising, however all this confusion is mind numbing. Thank-You everyone in advance who replies to my question. I swear I'm going to hug the hull once I finally pass through the gangway!

The BTA yes/no question about insurance is this, and does not change whether either yes or no is selected:

"I confirm that I am travelling with health insurance that covers illness and injury outside of my home jurisdiction, including those related to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis while in Bermuda (and will have a printed or electronic copy to produce on arrival in Bermuda).
Or if No, I understand that I will be responsible for the all health and accommodation costs should I require treatment and/or quarantine, whether related to COVID-19 or otherwise."

Whether we will be asked to show proof is not addressed in these statements.

[bafinegan]

24 minutes ago, Myrtle Ave. Mayhem said:

Regarding the proof of medical coverage I'm still confused. My travel insurance for this cruise is with my travel agent. According to him, my policy covers medical expenses in Bermuda. Do I need to provide this proof to Viking or on the Bermuda Travel Authorization? I think a saw somewhere that it must be provided 14 days prior to departure. Does this proof requirement apply to all passengers or only those on Medicare? I know wer'e in a whole different era with this pandemic & how it applies to the return of cruising, however all this confusion is mind numbing. Thank-You everyone in advance who replies to my question. I swear I'm going to hug the hull once I finally pass through the gangway!

The first is from Viking's pre cruise embarkation requirements found on MVJ.  The second is from the Bermuda travel authorization form .  As you can see it is not REQUIRED, but I sure as heck would get some.  Hope this helps!

[bafinegan]

2 minutes ago, What was that? said:

The BTA yes/no question about insurance is this, and does not change whether either yes or no is selected:

"I confirm that I am travelling with health insurance that covers illness and injury outside of my home jurisdiction, including those related to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis while in Bermuda (and will have a printed or electronic copy to produce on arrival in Bermuda).
Or if No, I understand that I will be responsible for the all health and accommodation costs should I require treatment and/or quarantine, whether related to COVID-19 or otherwise."

Whether we will be asked to show proof is not addressed in these statements.

I take that to mean that if you don't have insurance, that you agree to be responsible for any costs for care if the need arises.  I could be wrong tho.

[Triptkr]

deleted

Edited June 2, 2021 by Triptkr

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Take anything you hear from Viking with a grain of salt and do your own research.

[molymoo]

7 hours ago, WanderingBrit said:

I was curious as to when flights would be ticketed, so contacted Viking customer service through live chat yesterday. I was told that flights are typically booked at 45 days, and since we were 63 days from our August 3rd trip we'd see tickets later in June.

 

Lo and behold this morning I get the flight itinerary by email. It shows "ticketed" all the way through, but I'm unable to select seats on American for the outbound leg, getting a message that says "Something went wrong" each time. There's a pending charge on my credit card for each failed attempt, but no success changing the seats - perhaps because I didn't make the reservation myself?

 

Viking had not passed along any of the traveler information I had given them, so needed to enter passports and TSA Known Traveler IDs all over again

It might be an issue with American's website ... we were able to select/upgrade our seats for the 7/6 cruise a couple of weeks ago.  

[What was that?]

56 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Take anything you hear from Viking with a grain of salt and do your own research.

That is sage advice.

I may have posted this before but regarding a "definitive" answer regarding the number of days in advance you can be tested, in a response from the Corona Virus Hotline on 29 May: "As of 6^th June, all pre-arrival tests must be taken no earlier than 4 days before arrival.  In your [my] case that means arriving on 20^th July means testing no earlier than 16^th July."

[aussie1944]

15 hours ago, What was that? said:

That is sage advice.

I may have posted this before but regarding a "definitive" answer regarding the number of days in advance you can be tested, in a response from the Corona Virus Hotline on 29 May: "As of 6^th June, all pre-arrival tests must be taken no earlier than 4 days before arrival.  In your [my] case that means arriving on 20^th July means testing no earlier than 16^th July."

We are traveling with friends that are having a difficult time getting a PCR test with the weekend involved.  If I understand, if the test is done on Friday, July 16, then we should be fine with arrival on July 20th with July 16th being Day 0 and July 20th is Day 4.  I am not sure that booking this cruise has been worth all of the anxiety over trying to get a negative PCR test to enter Bermuda.  I hope it all falls in place and we end up having a wonderful time.  I hope that someone in the first cruise out will post here and go through the steps they took.  Am I the only one that is the least bit worried about meeting all of the requirements within the time allowed?

 

[bafinegan]

1 hour ago, aussie1944 said:

We are traveling with friends that are having a difficult time getting a PCR test with the weekend involved.  If I understand, if the test is done on Friday, July 16, then we should be fine with arrival on July 20th with July 16th being Day 0 and July 20th is Day 4.  I am not sure that booking this cruise has been worth all of the anxiety over trying to get a negative PCR test to enter Bermuda.  I hope it all falls in place and we end up having a wonderful time.  I hope that someone in the first cruise out will post here and go through the steps they took.  Am I the only one that is the least bit worried about meeting all of the requirements within the time allowed?

 

I was when it was 3 days, but adding the 4rth day makes it easier.  I see you are in DOthan, we live in COlumbus Ga.