VanDyne Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 We are currently sitting at the dock on Freedom of the Seas, and the Bahamian government has not allowed the ship to disembark. It has been two hours past the posted arrival time. The Norwegian ship at the next island over is also not docked. Not sure what the issue is as we were in Nassau yesterday. The ship has not communicated any COVID issues and stated that RC HQ is working with the Bahamian Tourism Agency. Pattycruise and Old and Lazy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunwoodyDad Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 On Freedom right now and it’s 10:00 and for whatever reason the Bahamian officials haven’t given clearance for us to exit the ship to Coco Cay. Really disappointed since we haven’t been before. Also really odd since we were in Nassau just yesterday and everything seemed fine. calvink669, Rene Desmarais and WAAAYTOOO 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunwoodyDad Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 To be clear, the rest of the cruise has been awesome! The new mask policy has been fine really and hasn’t stopped our family from doing what we normally do on a cruise. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 NCL doesn't dock at their island. They use tenders. Keep us updated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanDyne Posted December 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 The cruise director just opened up Adventure Ocean, Flow Rider, and the rock climbing wall. They are playing a movie in Studio B. It doesn’t sound promising at this point in time. Feels like a sea day on the upper decks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 I googled this and I've seen news of one other ship, the MSC Seashore, being denied entry on Ocean Cay yesterday (December 29) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianB Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 Could it be the case counts on the ship? Or just a general temporary shut down of the Bahamas…. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunwoodyDad Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 I just posted this as well on the news board. But yes this feels like it’s not going to happen which is frustrating and confusing since we were in populated Nassau yesterday while there’s just the Royal employees here at Cocp Cay. And unfortunately it doesn’t seem like they are ready for the shift … Top level Lime and Coconut isn’t open/staffed, Windjammer shows as closed for lunch, etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunwoodyDad Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 10 minutes ago, BrianB said: Could it be the case counts on the ship? Or just a general temporary shut down of the Bahamas…. I dont think it’s counts on this ship mainly because everything seems so normal. I haven’t heard of anyone being sick for sure. I’ve tried to keep my eye on the tender for NCL. Doesn’t seem like it’s shuttling passengers BrianB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlyn3 Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 Disney Magic has not been cleared to enter Castaway Cay either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnchorsAway Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 1 hour ago, DunwoodyDad said: On Freedom right now and it’s 10:00 and for whatever reason the Bahamian officials haven’t given clearance for us to exit the ship to Coco Cay. Really disappointed since we haven’t been before. Also really odd since we were in Nassau just yesterday and everything seemed fine. Hi there. Were you cleared to go to Coco Cay? That would be a total bummer if that is not an option (says the party of 4 cruising next week). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 Ugh, I’m going on that ship soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaker Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 If the Bahamas does indeed decide to continue this policy of not allowing cruise ships to disembark on their "private" islands, I don't see how the cruise lines can continue. That is the one thing keeping us from postponing our Jan 16th cruise. I don't really care about the ports so much, but seven days on Harmony without anywhere to go? No thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunwoodyDad Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 30 minutes ago, AnchorsAway said: Hi there. Were you cleared to go to Coco Cay? That would be a total bummer if that is not an option (says the party of 4 cruising next week). Still sitting on the ship. Definitely a bummer for us since we’ve never been there and we can look out and see it. I mean, we are docked and everything. AnchorsAway, Neesa, PPPJJ-GCVAB and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunwoodyDad Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 36 minutes ago, Carlyn3 said: Disney Magic has not been cleared to enter Castaway Cay either. So the Bahamian government is pulling something here. It would be interesting if there are any ships in Nassau today and what is going on with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK6404 Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 10 minutes ago, DunwoodyDad said: So the Bahamian government is pulling something here. It would be interesting if there are any ships in Nassau today and what is going on with them. Not good... there are at least 3 ships docked right now... it looks like there are 2 RC ships and Mariner is likely one of them... https://www.portnassauwebcam.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunwoodyDad Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 3 minutes ago, JohnK6404 said: Not good... there are at least 3 ships docked right now... https://www.portnassauwebcam.com/ Are they being allowed to let passengers off? If they are, that’s ridiculous. It would mean they are letting people into Nassau for the $, while stopping the lines from using the private islands where (I assume) they make far less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK6404 Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 4 minutes ago, DunwoodyDad said: Are they being allowed to let passengers off? If they are, that’s ridiculous. It would mean they are letting people into Nassau for the $, while stopping the lines from using the private islands where (I assume) they make far less. I can't tell from the camera feed... maybe someone on one of the 2 Royal ships will chime in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 I get Nassau or some other population center. But the isolated Coco Cay? A location that's 99% outdoors? Rene Desmarais, Neesa and WAAAYTOOO 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 9 minutes ago, JohnK6404 said: ... it looks like there are 2 RC ships and Mariner is likely one of them... From the port schedule, it's Mariner and Independence. The non-RC one is the Scarlet Lady JohnK6404 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 9 minutes ago, smokeybandit said: I get Nassau or some other population center. But the isolated Coco Cay? A location that's 99% outdoors? From another thread we see a port cam image of three ships in Nassau at the moment. We're trying to get information whether guests were allowed to get off the ships there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 From Facebook group: Mariner, Independence, and Scarlett Lady all in Nassau today with no issues. Passengers coming and going as normal. PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 Again from Facebook Castaway Cay let DCL disembark today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 37 minutes ago, Jill said: From Facebook group: Mariner, Independence, and Scarlett Lady all in Nassau today with no issues. Passengers coming and going as normal. So what's with all the denial of debarkation on the private islands? We're getting (somewhat unconfirmed) reports that at least ships from 4 cruise lines are being denied entry. EDIT: Make that 3 cruise lines. We're getting accounts that Disney guests have been allowed to get off the ship on Castaway Cay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old and Lazy Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 I am no where near someone with any authority on this issue. But since I am booked on a future cruise that is going to Perfect Day. I googled the Bahamas COVID travel and found their website. Looks to me they are requiring testing and in the near future the testing needs to be PCR results. Not sure if this is the answer to the current situation Maybe someone smarter than me will have the official answers soon https://www.bahamas.com/travelupdates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Red Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 Is it possible that the Island workers for COCO Cay may have contacted covid, and they may not have enough staff not infected to serve folks disembarking off the boat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunwoodyDad Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 I just don’t think this is Covid related, but we will see. Captain seems very frustrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 5 minutes ago, Big Red said: Is it possible that the Island workers for COCO Cay may have contacted covid, and they may not have enough staff not infected to serve folks disembarking off the boat? That wouldnt explain the other islands that are having the same issue..MSC and Disney from what I am hearing anecdotally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunwoodyDad Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 5 minutes ago, Big Red said: Is it possible that the Island workers for COCO Cay may have contacted covid, and they may not have enough staff not infected to serve folks disembarking off the boat? It’s definitely not the RC staff. The Bahamian government is not allowing us to exit the ship. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunwoodyDad Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 We are making the best of this. Eating wings and burgers in Playmakers (which is awesome here on Freedom BTW) and about to head back up on the pool deck. But it’s really disappointing. WAAAYTOOO, SpeedNoodles, Baked Alaska and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaker Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 18 minutes ago, Old and Lazy said: I am no where near someone with any authority on this issue. But since I am booked on a future cruise that is going to Perfect Day. I googled the Bahamas COVID travel and found their website. Looks to me they are requiring testing and in the near future the testing needs to be PCR results. Not sure if this is the answer to the current situation Maybe someone smarter than me will have the official answers soon https://www.bahamas.com/travelupdates They have not updated the cruise passenger part of that, been the same since Aug. Perhaps it has changed, and they've not updated their website yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 15 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said: That wouldnt explain the other islands that are having the same issue..MSC and Disney from what I am hearing anecdotally. I saw in Facebook group that Disney has been allowed to disembark. Mariner, Indy and Scarlet Lady also were allowed to disembark in Nassau. This is really weird. Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psternklar Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 VanDyne, any update from the crew? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 Seems like they're just banning any ships with recent positive tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 9 minutes ago, smokeybandit said: Seems like they're just banning any ships with recent positive tests. Someone has posted that they have allowed Freedom guests to get off the ship on Coco Cay DDaley, Rene Desmarais, wordell1 and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvink669 Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 On Facebook they are stating that they got off at 1:30 pm and will stay an extra hour. However their original time was 08:30. Quote PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunwoodyDad Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 Sorry for the slow update here folks but at about 130 we were told things had been worked out and we were cleared. Most folks including some of my group rushed off to enjoy what of the day was left. AnchorsAway, JohnK6404, wordell1 and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunwoodyDad Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 Also While the snack shacks are open it seems like the larger restaurants are closed (at least from what I could see). Baked Alaska and PPPJJ-GCVAB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbeyg Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 1 hour ago, DunwoodyDad said: Also While the snack shacks are open it seems like the larger restaurants are closed (at least from what I could see). Probably didn’t have time to set up after that mess. Hope you enjoyed the time you had! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanDyne Posted December 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 Well, we managed to salvage the day. The captain announced that we received approval to disembark at approximately 1:30 pm. My kids had a blast at the water park and Coco Cay was in full swing (from my limited view at least). Royal Caribbean provided a 50% refund on a slew of excursion charges including thrill water park passes, cabanas, and other excursions. All aboard was pushed to 5:30, but we couldn’t stay later due to sunset. gavin923, KristiZ, twangster and 6 others 6 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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