If NCL do not drop Bermuda - Im going to drop NCL

[graphicguy]

I'm ALL BOUT bringing back Cuba.  Never understood why we went there, and then all of a sudden stopped.  None of the reasons given at the time made a lick of sense to me.

[styxfire]

1 hour ago, Heronymous said:

This is an interesting topic.  In the past, I knew of a website that listed future scheduled port visits, i.e. all ships with a scheduled visit to a port, by day.  I no longer remember what website that was. But it would be interesting to know if the number of ships docking in Bermuda is back to its 2019 levels or not.  That could give a clue as to whether continued Bermuda fees might be revenue-driven vs health-driven.

 

Perhaps the Bermuda cancellations to future itineraries has to do with a port fee increase set to occur in the new fiscal year? Is it possible Bermuda increased the port fee, causing the cruiseline to have to eat the increased cost for all reservations that were already paid?  Just postulating.  I have no idea how much notice a port has to give a cruiseline for port fee increases (so the cruiseline can pass cost onto consumer).

Edited September 5, 2022 by styxfire

[BirdTravels]

37 minutes ago, styxfire said:

This is an interesting topic.  In the past, I knew of a website that listed future scheduled port visits, i.e. all ships with a scheduled visit to a port, by day.  I no longer remember what website that was. But it would be interesting to know if the number of ships docking in Bermuda is back to its 2019 levels or not.  That could give a clue as to whether continued Bermuda fees might be revenue-driven vs health-driven.

NCL continues a full schedule to Bermuda (similar to pre-pandemic). We're sailing there on NCL later this year. And we are happy that it is one itinerary where pre-cruise testing is still being done. 

[milolii]

Aren’t the  occupancy rates on the NYC/Boston to Bermuda (and similar) cruises regardless of cruise line, quite high?  

[njhorseman]

52 minutes ago, styxfire said:

it would be interesting to know if the number of ships docking in Bermuda is back to its 2019 levels or not.

Per the official Bermuda port schedule, in 2019 a total of 193 cruise ship visits to the country were scheduled, with 184  cruise ship visits actually made . For 2022, 182 cruise ship calls are scheduled and while not up to 2019 levels, that is actually two more than the 180 that were scheduled for 2018.

 

Of importance, there are 105 "contract" cruise ship visits (these are the five NCL, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships that visit repeatedly and regularly throughout the season) scheduled for 2022, only one less than the 106 that were scheduled in 2019 so one can conclude that cruising to Bermuda is essentially back to pre pandemic levels in terms of ship visits.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

I'm ALL BOUT bringing back Cuba.  Never understood why we went there, and then all of a sudden stopped.  None of the reasons given at the time made a lick of sense to me.

The decision was all about the political agendas of the politicians who occupied the Oval Office.

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, styxfire said:

In the past, I knew of a website that listed future scheduled port visits, i.e. all ships with a scheduled visit to a port, by day.  I no longer remember what website that was.

 

You can see that information on cruisetimetables.com    (Also used to be able to use cruisett.com, but that hasn't worked in years.)

1 hour ago, styxfire said:

Perhaps the Bermuda cancellations to future itineraries has to do with a port fee increase set to occur in the new fiscal year?

 

The handful of cancellations that have been reported have been on westbound fall transatlantics, where there was a short port call scheduled toward the end of a cruise of about two weeks in duration. I suspect that the cruise lines decided they did not want to engage in the hassle of testing everyone on board (or nearly everyone), and especially did not want to find out that they had a bunch of covid-positive guests.

 

What we haven't seen are cancellations of actual "Bermuda cruises"  -- cruises out of east coast ports where the main destination (or a major destination) is Bermuda itself.  

[Travelling2Some]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

The handful of cancellations that have been reported have been on westbound fall transatlantics, where there was a short port call scheduled toward the end of a cruise of about two weeks in duration. I suspect that the cruise lines decided they did not want to engage in the hassle of testing everyone on board (or nearly everyone), and especially did not want to find out that they had a bunch of covid-positive guests.

 

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

Agree.  But, for the record, the Bermuda stop was cancelled on the Sun's eastbound fall transatlantic as well.  This cruise is a bit unusual and was "thrown together" when the Sun's Asian itineraries were canceled. 

 

[Turtles06]

8 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

 

 

 

Your comment above purports to quote me twice, but only the first quote ("The handful...") is mine.  The other quote ("Agree . . ."), attributed to me, is NOT mine but appears as such because you unfortunately did not reply correctly to a quote.  That is of course your language and your reply.    [To reply to a quote,  hit the quote button, which will open in a reply box,  and then place your cursor OUTSIDE the quote box, and then type your reply.  🙂 ]

 

Thanks for adding the info that a Bermuda port call was also cancelled on a rare fall eastbound TA.  My point still stands -- we still haven't seen actual "Bermuda cruises" being cancelled. 

[Travelling2Some]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Your comment above purports to quote me twice, but only the first quote ("The handful...") is mine.  The other quote ("Agree . . ."), attributed to me, is NOT mine but appears as such because you unfortunately did not reply correctly to a quote. 

 

Very true and also very strange.  I have no clue why both posts were attributed to you.  I have been posting to CC for years and have never had that happen before.  I have to assume it was some sort of tech glitch.

[living at the beach]

Well, as someone who loves Bermuda and has been there many times before, I do hope that in the near future Bermuda drops these limits because I would love to go there again- best time May through June, so maybe by then this will get sorted out

[BirdTravels]

6 hours ago, Aldeya said:

It has nothing to do with disrespect of the people of Bermuda. The safety issue was in place 2 years ago. Now it's nothing more than money-grabbing technique for the government of Bermuda.

 

I like Bermuda, being there quite a few times. But now I'll avoid booking any cruise that goes to Bermuda until this fee is dropped. From what I'm hearing many cruisers  make the same decision.

How disrespectful of a county’s policies.

[Loucat]

One of the great things we have is decision making capacity. If something is not to your liking or you have opposite views of any port requirements, no one is forcing anyone to go there. Why the hard line on if NCL does not bail out of Bermuda, it is an issue for you and you will bail out of NCL?

As another poster indicated, you were past final payment when you posted you concerns.

How do you bail out post final payment? Did the OP not see Bermuda on the TA itinerary?

Know what you are getting into whether cruising or other activities.

I question why the OP decided to threaten the cruise line over any individual port/country requirements.

So what? do not sail NCL. Do not sail with any line that does not align with your expectations.

If you do not want to sail due to Bermuda expectations, cancel your cruise. Why bring this to CC??

If Bermuda allowed anyone into their island with no verification of Covid status, what does that do to their own safety? Yes, there is a fee to process requirements, but that helps to cover associated costs.

 

[MoCruiseFan]

BYE!  Don't let the cabin door hit you in the butt on the way out!

[LandlockedCruiser01]

I very much share the OP's political views on Covid.  But the threat title strikes me as "cutting off the nose to spite the face".  There have to be other options than leaving NCL just because it ports in Bermuda.  What about booking cruises that don't go there altogether?  Or if sailing on a cruise that goes there, simply staying on the ship that day? 

 

I could rant about Covid politics until I get banned from this site, but even I say that the OP's reaction is a bridge too far.

Edited September 6, 2022 by LandlockedCruiser01

[DCGuy64]

We're on that same TA in December. I'm undecided about Bermuda. I've never been there so it would be nice to see, however it's not a very long stop in the first place. I wouldn't be gutted if NCL replaced it with another stop, but I'm FOR SURE not planning to cancel the cruise over their requirements.

[Marine Mom]

22 hours ago, Heronymous said:

Despite the flamers who feel it necessary to insult those who don’t agree with them, and there are always many on CC, I agree with you. This is nothing but a money grab for them, especially now since filling out the travel authorization serves no purpose other than to collect a fee. They’re are no longer demanding a copy of a negative test and using it to determine authorized entry, they’re relying on the cruise line to collect that. I was on the very first NCL cruise to Bermuda after the pandemic at the time the application was a two part process requiring a copy of your negative test to be uploaded. They approved my application by mistake without even having the test and when I told them as such on the phone, they didn’t care.. they had my $40.  If they need money due to the lack of tourism, this is not the way to go about it. All it does is make me resent the fact that I have to go through this process in order to board a ship that includes this destination that I really couldn’t care less about; Bermuda is nice but it’s not worth the effort or aggravation. I’m going through it because I’m forced to since I do want to go to the remaining ports on my next cruise and it’s a requirement to board the ship, it just makes me resent the fact that we’re stopping in Bermuda. I’d be just as happy if we went somewhere else. I don’t consider it selfish at all. My entire family has had various health and financial issues related to Covid, I’m not charging my friends $40 to see me when they come over. 

Totally agree with you.

[schmoopie17]

I can't say I disagree with Bermuda taking steps to ensure the safety of their island. Fine. They owe that to the citizens of the island. But what the Bermuda apologists on this board fail to mention is the fact that the $40 fee (per person) needs to be paid, EVEN IF YOU REMAIN ON THE SHIP. How does a $40 fee ensure the safety of the island, I ask? This is purely a money grab, plain and simple. They do it because they can.

 

Yes, I realize that, in the scheme of things and the costs associated with the cruise, $40 ($80 in our case) is a drop in the bucket. It's not the money, but the principle. The fact remains, there is absolutely no justification for charging people who don't even set foot on the island. I can find a better use for $80 than being strong-armed for it.

 

Luckily, in our case, NCL has dropped Bermuda from our TA and the majority of people on our cruise couldn't be happier. Not our problem any longer.

Edited September 6, 2022 by schmoopie17

[DensolandMouthy]

Thanks to the polite posters who even if they didnt agree with me, they still conducted themselves with respect and dignity. 
 

This has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with $40. 
I fly to Lisbon a few days before to catch the ship. All other tests are stopping now on other routes. On this cruise I get to Lisbon, test and what if its positive? So I cant get on the ship, I have to turn around and fly home. Cancel my NY stay and flight. 
 

Then going back in April Ive flown from UK to NY. I then test. What if that is positive ? I fly back home again ? 
 

At the time of booking all other ports / cruises ALL required tests. I have tested for FOUR cruises so far this year. These have gradually stopped and the US requirement final dropped a couple of weeks ago = relief.  Thus NOW Bermuda stands out as a real problem port. Some of you will follow this. Some of you will rant. 
 

My decision therefore is to decide and find another cruise that fits in with my availability. 
 

I am pleased NCL has dropped Bermuda from some cruises. I will keep my fingers crossed they do the same before final payment date which is the beginning of Oct and I will decide then 

[DCGuy64]

Everyone is entitled to his opinion. For me, the one that counts most is from those who live on Bermuda. And I've heard Bermuda residents consistently say they have to protect their island from disease. If that means every passenger aboard a cruise ship that calls in Bermuda has to pay the $40, so be it. And yes, that includes passengers who don't plan to disembark, too. Why? Well, I don't make the rules and it's not my place to judge those who do. But I'd say what happens if a sick passenger who had previously not intended to disembark had to, for health reasons? I also think it'd be a logistical nightmare to try and figure out who'd paid the $40 and who hadn't, who planned to leave the ship and who didn't. BUT EVEN IF THAT'S POSSIBLE, BERMUDA MAKES THE RULES AND IT'S THEIR COUNTRY AND THEIR DECISION. If you don't like the rules, cancel. Simple as that.

[shof515]

When Bermuda first come out with their requirements last year the fee at that time was 75 dollars per person. new this year they reduced the cost to only 40 dollars per person. Surprised they reduced the fee 

[PTC DAWG]

In reality, you pay for everything on a cruise..nothing is free..

[CrazyTrain2]

I really don't think anyone really cars about the additional $40/pp.  They do care about the additional $25+/pp for a proctored test based on Covid Alpha (that no longer exists in the wild).  The possibility of missing their vacation due to a false positive or a lingering positive (not a transmissible viral amount but test remains positive).  The general hassle of the Bermuda test so close to embarkation. 

 

Covid is indefensible, even China with all its controls cannot stop a virus with Rho not (Viral spread indicator) factor exceeding measles.  Bermuda "requires" masks indoors but does not enforce the rule - so who are they really protecting?  The world has over 95% exposure to the virus through disease or vaccine - it's over folks and Covid is now like seasonal flu (without a season).  A country trying to defend against the indefensible simply to collect a few sheckles is nonsense.  This policy made some sense before the vaccines and widespread viral exposure but it no longer is efficient nor effective.  Bermuda has the same case rate as the rest of the world with or without making tourist (in particular cruise tourists) play silly reindeer games. 

 

Net/Net Bermuda looses.  I'd avoid it like the plague.

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, DensolandMouthy said:

m. I then test. What if that is positive ? I fly back home again ? 

If you test positive, you can quarantine wherever you want. But stay off cruise ships. 

[bgrmini]

K byeeeee!