Celebrity Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line have both canceled visits to Bermuda due to ongoing COVID-19 testing requirements.
Celebrity Cruises had four ships scheduled to visit Bermuda in October and November, and Norwegian Cruise Line had three ships scheduled to visit in November and December. All the canceled visits were scheduled during long transatlantic voyages from Europe to North America.
Bermuda is one of the few ports of call that still has a stricter COVID-19 protocol in place. They are requiring cruisers on long voyages to be tested for COVID-19 on board in a supervised environment if the island is not the first stop or the voyage takes longer than four days to arrive at the island from its point of origin. Passengers must be tested within two days of disembarking in Bermuda. Cruisers must also have an approved Travel Authorization before embarkation. The cost of which is $40 per person. Most cruise ports around the world have dropped stricter requirements as the severity of the pandemic has lessened.
Bermuda has different rules for shorter cruises which include fully vaccinated cruisers to show proof of either a PCR test within four days of embarkation or a supervised antigen test within two days. Those that are unvaccinated must provide proof of travel insurance, and proof of either a PCR or supervised antigen test up to 2 days before embarkation.
Celebrity has said they will continue to visit Bermuda with itineraries that have the island as its first port and will not require further testing. Norwegian has stated they remain “fully committed” to Bermuda and will continue to offer voyages where it is the one and only port of call.
How about you? Would you be willing to retest to disembark in Bermuda?
**As always, check with your cruise line before sailing for the latest COVID-19 protocols.