Tag Archives: Bermuda

Cruise lines alter itineraries due to Hurricane Gonzalo

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By Tom Stieghorst
Winds and rain from Hurricane Gonzalo have forced cruise ships in the Caribbean east of Puerto Rico to alter their itineraries.

Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International are among the cruise lines that have skipped ports of call because of the storm.

Royal Caribbean said Jewel of the Seas did not call at St. Maarten on Oct. 13. The ship spent Monday at sea before returning to the scheduled itinerary, calling at Antigua on Tuesday, Oct. 14.

Explorer of the Seas departed San Juan at 9 p.m. on Oct. 13, instead of staying overnight.

Allure of the Seas is sailing a modified western Caribbean itinerary. The ship will now visit Falmouth, Jamaica on Oct. 15 and Cozumel on Oct. 17.

The storm led to Carnival Liberty staying at sea for a second day rather than calling at St. Thomas on Oct. 14. The cruise will go to Grand Cayman and Cozumel before returning to Port Canaveral. Carnival Breeze will stay at sea rather than call at La Romana, Dominican Republic, on Oct. 14.

Carnival Conquest’s original eastern Caribbean itinerary out of Miami was scrapped in favor of a western Caribbean route that will stop in Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay (Honduras) and Costa Maya (Mexico).

The hurricane is expected to strengthen from its current Category 1 status and move toward Bermuda later this week.

Bermuda launches Horseshoe Bay shuttle for cruisers

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By Tom Stieghorst

HORSESHOE BAY BEACHBermuda cruise visitors will be able to ride a dedicated shuttle to Horseshoe Bay Beach, starting this week.

The shuttle, sponsored by the West End Development Corp. and the Ministry of Tourism and Transit, is expected to take pressure off of the crowded public buses that cruise tourists have been using.

Priced at $16 roundtrip, the shuttles will leave the cruise pier from 8 a.m. to 3 pm daily. The last return bus leaves at 6 p.m.

The minibus shuttle will serve the King’s Wharf terminal, which is used by Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Dawn, Celebrity Summit and Royal Caribbean International’s Explorer of the Seas.

Are Bermudan authorities too harsh on cruise ship passengers?

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Bermuda has been criticised for operating “kangaroo courts” that penalise cruise ship passengers in possession of small amounts of ilicit substances.

Jim Walker, a lawyer based in the US, said on his personal website that port authorities are punishing people for carrying miniscule amounts of drugs, including a 25-year-old US woman with two grammes of cannabis in her cabin.

The culprit – Chelsea Vega – was fined $500 (£293) and Mr Walker believes those carrying drugs are targeted because they are a potential source of revenue, while those who have committed more heinous crimes are largely ignored because they generate little in the way of profit.

He stated that raids by port authorities on docking ships are common place.

“They even request the ship security personnel to open up the safes in cabins,” Mr Walker went on to add.

Despite calls from pressure groups, the Bermudan premier has ruled out decriminalising cannabis, however, he stated that a system of cautions may be introduced for those in possession of small quantities.