Holland America Line has announced it will offer 24 seven-day cruises to from New York to Bermuda in 2011.
Next year’s sailings on the MS Veendam run from May 1 until October 9. The ship will spend one day in St George and two nights in Hamilton.
Cruise fares begin at $699 per person plus taxes, double occupancy.
Nationals of more countries now require visas to visit Bermuda.
The new rules, effective May 1 2010, now require citizens of countries such as South Africa, India, Panama, Philippines, Turkey, and the Dominican Republic to obtain visas to enter the country.
The move has prompted much criticism in the media and throughout the tourism industry as it was not widely announced.
Some cruise passengers who had booked trips months before the regulations came into force were reportedly unable to come ashore when their ships docked.
Carnival Cruise Lines will dramatically expand its Bermuda cruise schedule in 2011, offering 16 departures to the island from four popular eastern US ports — Baltimore, Norfolk, New York and, for the first time, Charleston, South Carolina.
Carnival will be the only cruise line offering Bermuda cruises from Charleston.
The 16 Bermuda voyages — the most the line has ever offered — will encompass a variety of six-, seven- and eight-day cruises from April through November.
Carnival’s 2011 Bermuda departures include:
• Baltimore (seven-day cruises on Carnival Pride) – April 10 and 17, September 18, October 2 and November 6
• New York (seven- and eight-day departures on Carnival Miracle) – April 14 and 21, and September 11 and 27
• Norfolk (six-day sailing on Carnival Glory) – October 16
• Charleston, South Carolina (six-day voyages on Carnival Fantasy) – April 23, May 19, June 16, August 25, September 15 and October 6
Reservations are currently open for the six Charleston departures with the line’s other Bermuda cruises expected to be open over the next few weeks.
All ships will dock at the Royal Naval Dockyard (King’s Wharf or Heritage Wharf).
Six-day cruises will offer two-day calls at King’s Wharf or Heritage Wharf while seven- and eight-day cruises will feature three-day visits.
Canadians are now required to hold a passport to enter Bermuda.
Prior to today Canadians could enter Bermuda with photo identification and a birth certificate.
Research indicates that the move will have little impact on the numbers of Canadian tourists visiting the island.
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has announced its Bermuda cruise schedule for 2011.
NCL will sail two ships from the Northeast to Bermuda weekly from May through October calling at Kings Wharf.
Norwegian Gem, one of Norwegian’s newest and largest Freestyle Cruising ships carrying 2,400 guests, will replace Norwegian Dawn sailing from New York on Sundays to Bermuda, staying for three full days. In Boston, the 2,224-passenger Norwegian Dawn will homeport there for the first time, replacing Norwegian Spirit which sailed from Boston for two years. The ship will depart on Fridays with three days in Bermuda.
Canadian budget airline WestJet has revealed details of its new low-cost flights between Toronto and Bermuda.
The new seasonal service, announced last November, will commence on May 3 2010.
Flights leave Toronto (YYZ) at 10.20 am and arrive in Bermuda (BDA) at 2.08 pm, with a flight time of 2 hours and 48 minutes.
The return flight departs from Bermuda at 3 pm and arrives in Toronto at 4.55 pm, a flight time of 2 hours and 55 minutes.
Introductory one-way fares are being offered as part of WestJet’s seat sale and start at $139.
Today, the Ministry of Tourism and Transport held a consultation meeting with licensed taxi operators servicing the mobility impaired on the Island.
Junior Minister of Tourism and Transport Sen. Marc Bean said, “The purpose of the meeting was to seek taxi operators’ views on the proposed Paratransit Strategy and Business Plan. The goal is to establish paratransit service that will provide transportation to Bermuda’s mobility impaired population. The meeting was informative and the taxi operators gave invaluable information that will be used going forward in establishing this service for the people in our community.”
The proposed plan clearly establishes a proposed framework for the paratransit system that will be customized to suit the needs of Bermuda’s mobility impaired. The plan was presented to the taxi operators by Ms. Jane Bret, Policy Analyst for the Department of Human Affairs and Mr. Marc Drew who have worked closely with the Paratransit Taskforce.
Premier Ewart Brown issued a statement yesterday concerning issues with Bermuda’s taxi industry. Government is particularly concerned that taxi drivers are not using GPS services as required by law and have not been delivering services on public holidays such as Cup Match and Remembrance Day.
Here’s the statement in full:
Good afternoon,
Over the past few years we have been working to resolve the challenges with the taxi industry; specifically the issues with the GPS requirements.
In January 2009 we made amendments to Section 35B of the Motor Car Act:
- No person shall operate or cause or allow any other person to operate a motor taxi unless the mobile data terminal and the global positioning device that the motor taxi is required to be equipped with are in working order and are switched on.
- When a motor taxi is being operated for hire, the person who operates the motor taxi shall—
- (a) use the global positioning device for the purposes of indicating the location of the motor taxi to the taxi despatching service with which the motor taxi is registered; and
- (b) use the mobile data terminal for the purposes of receiving messages from, and sending messages to, that taxi despatching service with regard to the hiring of the motor taxi.
- Except in the case of emergency, no person who operates a motor taxi shall use any equipment other than the global positioning device and the mobile data terminal for the purposes of communication, with regard to the hiring of the motor taxi, between the motor taxi and the taxi despatching service with which the motor taxi is registered.”;
These amendments mean it is an offence not to have the GPS device switched on and in working order when operating a vehicle.
Over the Cup Match Holiday and during the Remembrance Day holiday we expressed our extreme displeasure with the calibre of service being provided by taxi operators at the airport and the ongoing complaints of lack of available taxis and non-compliance with GPS generally. At that time we said the taxi industry was forcing Government to take corrective steps.
Effective immediately taxi operators can expect Traffic Officers will be implementing more aggressive enforcement measures. Throughout Bermuda where taxis are plying for business, the Traffic Officers will be checking and verifying that taxi operators are compliant and in instances where operators are found not to be compliant the appropriate action will be taken.
In addition, Traffic Officers at Bermuda’s ports of entry who are charged with assigning taxis to passengers will not allow taxis to take passengers in instances where GPS is not switched on and in working order.
It is our goal to ensure that residents and visitors receive the best service for their transportation needs; we feel these amendments and the subsequent enforcement measures move us closer to this goal and the overall goal of general compliance with the laws of Bermuda.
Thank you
Celebrity Cruises has introduced unlimited beer and liquor packages on its cruise ships.
All-you-can drink Beer Package costs $34.50 per night gives passengers unlimited consumption of variety of domestic and imported beers. The selection currently includes Coors Light, Miller Lite, Beck’s, Heineken, Amstel Light, Corona, Samuel Adams, Dos Equis, Grolsch, Carlsberg, Buckler, Hoegaarden, Guinness, Boddingtons, Leffe and Stella Artois.
The Premium Liquor Package costs $76 per night and includes spirits such as Johnnie Walker Black Label, Glenfiddich, Dewar’s 12, Chivas Regal, Glenlivet, Tangle Ridge, Midleton Very Rare, Knob Creek, Remy Martin VSOP, Hennessy, Bombay Sapphire, Belvedere Vodka, Grey Goose, Pyrat Rum, Bacardi 8, and Grand Mariner.
The Classic Liquor Package costs $51.50 per night and includes Johnnie Walker Red Label, Dewar’s White Label, Cutty Sark, Canadian Club, Jameson, Jim Beam, Jack Daniel’s, Hennessy VS, Beefeater, Absolut Vodka, Captain Morgan, and Baileys.
Passengers must be 21 years old to purchase drinks packages.
The Celebrity ship visiting Bermuda in 2010 is the Celebrity Summit.
Budget airline WestJet today announced today it will offer seasonal, cheap flights from Toronto to Bermuda, commencing May 2010.
Details of ticket prices and schedules will be released mid-December.
Ewart Brown, Premier of Bermuda and Minster of Tourism and Transport said, ‘We are delighted to welcome WestJet to Bermuda. Our island home has for a long time had strong business, cultural and educational ties to Canada. With more seats and lower fares that WestJet will undoubtedly bring, both Canadian visitors to our island shores and local residents travelling to Canada will now have a choice in direct air service between Bermuda and Toronto, the centre of Canada’s largest metropolitan area. We look forward to a longstanding relationship with WestJet.’