The authorities in the Bahamas will implement new emergency requirements from September 3, 2021, impacting cruise ship passengers including at cruise line private islands.
Bahamas Order
The Bahamas has issued a new emergency powers order signed by Prime Minister Minnis, which impacts the cruise industry and cruise ships making calls in the Bahamas.
Effective from September 3 until November 1, 2021, no passengers will be allowed to enter any Bahamas ports, including private islands, unless several requirements are met.
The cruise ship captain will have to submit a crew and passenger manifest to the Port Medical Officer, which details the vaccination status of all people on board before arriving in the Bahamas.
This is something which is done by cruise ships already and was an important factor when the Carnival Vista made a recent call at Belize and needed to detail positive cases on board.
You can read the full order that impacts cruise ships below:
Cruise ship guests will be able to enter the Bahamas if they are 12 years and older and are fully vaccinated before embarking on the cruise ship. The crew will also be able to go ashore as per any previous agreement between the Bahamas and the cruise line.
The Bahamas introduced new requirements as recently as August 6, which updated the requirement for fully vaccinated cruise ship passengers to provide a negative test. As part of those protocols, unvaccinated cruise visitors 12 years and older could still enter the Bahamas by providing a negative test.
It’s not completely clear how the new emergency order will impact cruise operations, especially at private islands. Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line, and MSC Cruises have already resumed operations that include calls to their private islands in the Bahamas.
Cruise Hive will keep readers updated on any new developments on this fluid situation.
