Bermuda Travel Authorization Form (and $40 fee) gone effective Nov 13

[DCGuy64]

https://bernews.com/2022/11/govt-elimination-of-travel-authorisation-process/

https://www.royalgazette.com/tourism/news/article/20221104/government-says-ta-form-to-dropped-earlier-than-planned/

 

Good news for Bermuda cruisers!

[ChiefMateJRK]

I think that the thanks go to all the travelers who called BS on the old requirements and were planning alternate itineraries.  Funny how that works.

[Turtles06]

Our Bermuda cruise on the Joy embarks on Nov. 12, arrives in Bermuda on Nov. 15. Will they give us our $80 back?  LOL!

 

I guess everyone on our cruise can frame our Travel Authorizations as among the last issued to cruise ship pax.  😂

[dandelpino]

9 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

Our Bermuda cruise on the Joy embarks on Nov. 12, arrives in Bermuda on Nov. 15. Will they give us our $80 back?  LOL!

 

I guess everyone on our cruise can frame our Travel Authorizations as among the last issued to cruise ship pax.  😂

 

 

Haha we’re in the same sailing. Doubt we will get a refund now. 

[Turtles06]

8 minutes ago, dandelpino said:

 

Haha we’re in the same sailing. Doubt we will get a refund now. 

 

I must have too much time on my hands, since I just called them to ask.  They said it goes by embarkation date, so no refunds.  I asked about someone arriving by plane on Nov. 15, same day we arrive by ship; under the existing rules, those folks could actually wait until Nov. 13 or Nov. 14 to apply for the TA, at which point they wouldn't need one.  Then the woman said, "I don't make the rules," the refuge of people who in fact don't make the rules. 

 

See you on the 12th!  🙂 

 

 

[njhorseman]

44 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

Our Bermuda cruise on the Joy embarks on Nov. 12, arrives in Bermuda on Nov. 15. Will they give us our $80 back?  LOL!

 

I guess everyone on our cruise can frame our Travel Authorizations as among the last issued to cruise ship pax.  😂

 

21 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

I must have too much time on my hands, since I just called them to ask.  They said it goes by embarkation date, so no refunds.  I asked about someone arriving by plane on Nov. 15, same day we arrive by ship; under the existing rules, those folks could actually wait until Nov. 13 or Nov. 14 to apply for the TA, at which point they wouldn't need one.  Then the woman said, "I don't make the rules," the refuge of people who in fact don't make the rules. 

 

See you on the 12th!  🙂 

 

 

Not that it's going to matter one way or the other as far as your getting a refund is concerned, but if my memory serves me correctly previous revisions to the Travel Authorization process were based on the date of arrival in Bermuda, not  embarkation date. 

 

 

[Turtles06]

4 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

 

Not that it's going to matter one way or the other as far as your getting a refund is concerned, but if my memory serves me correctly previous revisions to the Travel Authorization process were based on the date of arrival in Bermuda, not  embarkation date. 

 

 

I thought that was the case too. Folks embarking on Oct. 22ish did not need the TA when their ships weren’t arriving until Oct. 25. (I might have the precise dates wrong.)

[deweytrader]

Great News, just in time for my 11/19 sailing!

[ChiefMateJRK]

Covid has caused a lot of us to "waste" money.  I still have four pristine eMED proctored tests that I bought "just in case" my local CVS ran out of tests, etc.  That's $140 I'll never see again....  Of course, the silver lining is that it was insurance I never needed.  Just like fire insurance.  Better to just pay it and NOT have my house burn down.  😎

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

I thought that was the case too. Folks embarking on Oct. 22ish did not need the TA when their ships weren’t arriving until Oct. 25. (I might have the precise dates wrong.)

 

I have to correct myself; I meant they didn't need the pre-cruise testing (not didn't need the TA).

[Casino Comp Chick]

15 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

Our Bermuda cruise on the Joy embarks on Nov. 12, arrives in Bermuda on Nov. 15. Will they give us our $80 back?  LOL!

 

I guess everyone on our cruise can frame our Travel Authorizations as among the last issued to cruise ship pax.  😂

Sometimes it pays to procrastinate. I was planning on doing this today.

[bluesea777]

26 minutes ago, Casino Comp Chick said:

Sometimes it pays to procrastinate. I was planning on doing this today.

 
Ha ha …. We’re in the UK now, flying home to Bermuda tomorrow …. I waited until yesterday, hoping they’d stop with the $40 fee already … but alas no! I went ahead and applied and paid. Got the approval within hours and was able to complete the VeriFLY for the airline. 

 

One week late!

 

 

 

[uneamie]

15 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Covid has caused a lot of us to "waste" money.  I still have four pristine eMED proctored tests that I bought "just in case" my local CVS ran out of tests, etc.  That's $140 I'll never see again....  Of course, the silver lining is that it was insurance I never needed.  Just like fire insurance.  Better to just pay it and NOT have my house burn down.  😎

I have about 100 or so "masks" that I likely and hopefully  will never wear. Bought them at lower price doing "bulk". ugh! 

[uneamie]

One st

18 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

https://bernews.com/2022/11/govt-elimination-of-travel-authorisation-process/

https://www.royalgazette.com/tourism/news/article/20221104/government-says-ta-form-to-dropped-earlier-than-planned/

 

Good news for Bermuda cruisers!

Thanks for posting this.............one still has to fill out the Bermuda Visitor Card. This can be done online. My question would be how far in advance can one do this. We are not going there till May 2023 so If I fill that now I wonder if it expires. 

Edited November 5, 2022 by uneamie

[Turtles06]

8 minutes ago, uneamie said:

One st

Thanks for posting this.............one still has to fill out the Bermuda Visitor Card. This can be done online. My question would be how far in advance can one do this. We are not going there till May 2023 so If I fill that now I wonder if it expires. 

 

As Bermuda's web site says, it's re-instating their Arrival Card, which they used prior to the pandemic.  The Card never applied to people arriving by cruise ship (I have sailed there before the pandemic), and by its own terms does not now.  The application form for the Card plainly says:

 

 "NOTE: All visitors arriving by airline or yacht should complete this form."

 

http://www.bermudaarrivalcard.com/

 

The form also says:  "Once you complete the form you receive an email confirmation and present it to our border agents to help expedite processing on arrival."  Cruise ship pax don't encounter border agents in Bermuda; the entire ship is cleared at once for disembarkation.  It's not like flying in from another country and having to pass individually through immigration control.  

 

You can fill in that Arrival Card form if you like, but I don't think you'll find anyone to hand your confirming email to when your ship arrives in Bermuda.  🙂   (If I'm wrong, I'm sure the Bermuda experts like @njhorseman and @Charles4515will correct me.)

[kitkat343]

It wasn't just the $40 fee - it was also the time you had to spend filling out the documentation.  We have 3 kids, two parents, and 2 grandparents who went on our cruise, and I had to fill out an individual form for everyone. It was really annoying because Bermuda could have gotten their money just by increasing port fees without also wasting our time.

[nu2cruzin03]

We our on the November 19th sailing and submitted the travel authorization application and the $80 fee on October 26th.  We have not  as yet received the authorization form from Bermuda.  I would think that we will receive a refund for the $80 shortly.  If we don't hear anything before our sailing, we will call.

[njhorseman]

4 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

As Bermuda's web site says, it's re-instating their Arrival Card, which they used prior to the pandemic.  The Card never applied to people arriving by cruise ship (I have sailed there before the pandemic), and by its own terms does not now.  The application form for the Card plainly says:

 

 "NOTE: All visitors arriving by airline or yacht should complete this form."

 

http://www.bermudaarrivalcard.com/

 

The form also says:  "Once you complete the form you receive an email confirmation and present it to our border agents to help expedite processing on arrival."  Cruise ship pax don't encounter border agents in Bermuda; the entire ship is cleared at once for disembarkation.  It's not like flying in from another country and having to pass individually through immigration control.  

 

You can fill in that Arrival Card form if you like, but I don't think you'll find anyone to hand your confirming email to when your ship arrives in Bermuda.  🙂   (If I'm wrong, I'm sure the Bermuda experts like @njhorseman and @Charles4515will correct me.)

I agree with you...the form was not used for cruise ship passengers in the past and the instructions you've quoted say it's for those arriving by airline or yacht...BUT...I'm not ruling out the possibility that they now may want cruise ship passengers to complete it. Bermuda could require the cruise lines to check at embarkation that you've completed it just as they currently check at embarkation that you have the Travel Authorization .

It hardly matters . The $40 fee is gone and even if you have to complete the form it should take just a minute or so to do.

By the way do I get to wear a hat or a badge or  a name tag that says "Bermuda Expert" ? 😄

[Turtles06]

6 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

By the way do I get to wear a hat or a badge or  a name tag that says "Bermuda Expert" ? 😄

 

Yes, I think CC should award you one and put it on your avatar.  🙂 

[njhorseman]

11 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Yes, I think CC should award you one and put it on your avatar.  🙂 

Come to think of it, given Bermuda's British colonial heritage I think a crown, purple robe and a sceptre are warranted.  That's not too much to ask, is it? 🤣

[ChiefMateJRK]

58 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

By the way do I get to wear a hat or a badge or  a name tag that says "Bermuda Expert" ? 😄

Yes.  That will impress everybody on the ship exactly the same amount as your Latitudes pin.  🤣

[Turtles06]

19 hours ago, nu2cruzin03 said:

We our on the November 19th sailing and submitted the travel authorization application and the $80 fee on October 26th.  We have not  as yet received the authorization form from Bermuda.  I would think that we will receive a refund for the $80 shortly.  If we don't hear anything before our sailing, we will call.

 

Out of curiosity, I just checked the Bermuda web site to apply for a Travel Authorization for the Joy; four departure dates are showing: Nov. 5, Nov. 12, Nov. 19, and Nov. 26.  When I clicked on Nov. 19, it would not accept the choice; instead, a message popped up on the screen saying "Please adjust your selection.  You have selected 1 when only 0 are available."  Same thing when I tried to choose Nov. 26.  I think that's a good indication you will get a refund.   

 

BUT when I clicked on Nov. 12, it would allow me to proceed to apply.   It seems their system has now deleted the ability to apply for a TA for ships departing after the date on which TAs are  no longer required.  It concerns me that our departure date of Nov. 12 is still active.  (But so is Nov. 5.)

[Turtles06]

21 hours ago, nu2cruzin03 said:

We our on the November 19th sailing and submitted the travel authorization application and the $80 fee on October 26th.  We have not  as yet received the authorization form from Bermuda.  I would think that we will receive a refund for the $80 shortly.  If we don't hear anything before our sailing, we will call.

 

As I've posted elsewhere, I just received a promised call back from a supervisor at the Bermuda Hotline.  He confirmed that folks on our Nov. 12 sailing of the Joy, and those of you on the Nov. 19 sailing who have already paid for the TAs, will be receiving refunds.  He said they have to be processed manually, and it could take a month. 

[nu2cruzin03]

3 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

As I've posted elsewhere, I just received a promised call back from a supervisor at the Bermuda Hotline.  He confirmed that folks on our Nov. 12 sailing of the Joy, and those of you on the Nov. 19 sailing who have already paid for the TAs, will be receiving refunds.  He said they have to be processed manually, and it could take a month. 

Thank you for the update.  Enjoy your Nov. 12 sailing!  Looking forward to our cruise in less than 2 weeks.

[DCGuy64]

As @njhorseman wrote above, the Bermuda Arrival Card is really designed for people who are staying in Bermuda for some time (like those who fly there or arrive by private yacht, NOT cruise passengers just there for 6 hours or so). It remains to be seen whether it will be required for cruise passengers. But at least if it is, it will cost nothing and be easy to fill out.