Latest entry requirements, BVI and USVI

[Bullshooter]

The high frequency of changes to the entry requirement to the Virgin Islands is making it very difficult to plan. I am looking for any personal experience with the latest entry requirements in general, but specifically this insurance requirement to enter the BVI re the January 6, 2022 update:

Must provide proof of travel insurance (mandatory) which includes minimum coverage for:
COVID-19 medical costs including hospitalization, doctor’s visit and prescriptions
Medical repatriation
Quarantine accommodation costs

I got the update from a charter company page, but it looks like this requirement has been in effect since November 16, 2021 per the BVI gov page:https://bvi.gov.vg/travel-protocols

However, I have not read of any experience with this insurance issue in posts on the subject of entry requirements since that time. My costly travel insurance makes no mention of Quarantine accommodation costs so I doubt it is covered.

I am in the position of having to go to the BVI just to pick up a boat and leave to go back to the USVI (I am a vaccinated U.S. resident), and welcome any relevant insight into procedures in either direction. (But please let's skip the politics)

Thank you,
Bullshooter

[dhenline]

I was in the BVI in November.
you need a pre travel negative test. you will be tested again at the border
You will need insurance that covers hospitalization: not that hard to get or expensive
You will need another test within 24 hours of traveling back to the US.

It is all a PITA. I would not jump through the hoops again, unless it was necessary

[BrianInBoston]

Just curious why you are starting a USVI trip out of the BVI? The USVI is much easier to access as a US citizen, with just a test a couple days before traveling down and nothing on the way back since it is considered a domestic flight. My last two charter trips there were with Dream out of Compass Cay marina which is maybe 8 miles from St John. I do miss the BVI, but insurance, clinic appointments, losing vacation time to administrative hurdles - I hope they get it figured out soon.

Side note: I also like the way Bahamas handles the insurance - it's automatically included with the $40 travel visa you pay in advance. The added wrinkle there, the US requires a test to board the plane back, no longer offered at the airport when we were there in December. But Dream Yacht had a nurse at the Palm Cay marina base and she administered the rapid test right on the dock, forwarded the result to her office and we got a pdf scanned result in our email on the way to the airport. Show that to the airline check-in counter and you're good to go.

[Bullshooter]

Brian in Boston,
I had a written agreement with a BVI charter company to start and end the trip in St. Thomas, and they just called and told me that it would have to start in St. Thomas after all, due to insurance, blah blah blah. The contract says St. Thomas, but even though I could get my deposit back, we all have flight reservations and still want to go.

I am beyond frustrated and may have to cancel the trip. I don't really mind so much a small inconvenience, but having to go the the BVI and through Customs and travel restrictions, just to pick up a boat and turn around and go through the U.S. process in the USVI raises some fears that it will not work out at all.

For instance, although requirements will likely change between now and June, I am currently seeing that ferries from St. Thomas to the BVI are down to 3 per day, and the USVI require a test within 1 day. I don't get to STT until 1:20 and by the time I get to the BVI, get the boat, and return to the US side, I could miss the open hours of the Customs in St. John, which close at 5:30 according to my source. Then when they open the next day, my test is more than 1 day old. (I could change my flight to EIS in the BVI, but it gets in at 2:40, leaving less time to get this all done.)

But also, that requirement for Quarantine Accommodation cost by the BVI could, if enforced, prevent my entry unless I buy a new policy that has it. I am the skipper, so what is my crew supposed to do for their vacation at that point?

This is why I am starting a thread to see if anyone has any recent experience or ideas on how to approach this challenge.

[BrianInBoston]

Oh that is quite the predicament. If the boat is physically in the BVI but your vacation and your flights are in St Thomas and St John, I don't think its worth it to even try arriving at 1:20 and getting over and back in a few hours. I've never even gotten underway same day in my charters, let alone did COVID era check-ins. You wait for the boat brief and by the time you itemize what can be dealt with or found at the base, that day is over and it's Painkiller Hour. Maybe you can bring your crew with you and leave the next morning for St John? If the company doesn't allow that, they should take the initiative to deliver the boat to St Thomas so you can do the briefing, sign the papers and take over from there. Dream Yacht does this (though for a fee) with remote charters from Staniel Cay in the Exumas - a delivery skipper brings the boat to a marina there, you take over and they fly back the 50 miles to Nassau.

That company is forcing you into the worst of both worlds - all the hassle of multiple clear-ins from a territory that has become indifferent to boaters, without any of the benefits of actually enjoying a vacation there. I'm not bemoaning their government's right to set their own rules and procedures as they see fit, just your charter company's lack of initiative to help you get much benefit from what your paying for.

[dhenline]

if you want to charter in and out of the USVI, then I would just cancel the contract with the BVI based charter and rebook with a USVI based charter. I assure you that any difference in cost will be well worth it.
you should also "out " the company so the rest of us know who to steer clear of.

[Bullshooter]

Well, it may come to that, but if I can move my flight back a day without a huge cost, and stay overnight in the BVI and get another test, plus pay for a room overnight, it might work out.

I still would like to know if anyone has experience with BVI customs regarding the Quarantine Accommodations cost insurance, which could be a deal breaker.

Call me a cautious optimist, but I am still hoping to "out" the company about a great trip where they helped me to navigate these challenges.

[Zanshin]

I paid around $50 for 3 weeks of insurance, using one of the providers recommended on the BVI's pages. I never expected to collect on the insurance, I considered it another "fee" for going to the BVI.
And I have insurance that would cover me, but got that extra BVI-certified policy as a backup so that I wouldn't have trouble when flying in.

[Bullshooter]

Zanshin,

That sounds great! Do you know what company that was? Please PM me if you know, or post it. That would be a big relief.

Thank you,

BS'er

[Zanshin]

I had to go through my records to find it: Seven Corners Travel Insurance. See the BVI page at https://www.bviaacloud.com/covid-19-...avel-insurance

[Bullshooter]

Zanshin,

Thanks, I appreciate you going to the trouble of digging into your records for me. After this post I am going to that site.

I also wanted to share that I have continued to investigate, and I am getting optimistic that my trip insurance with Trawick may include that coverage. See this page https://portal.trawickinternational....861.1603743025

It says the following:
"Is your travel destination requiring you to have travel insurance before entering the country?
Trawick has many travel insurance plans to cover your travel needs. Our Safe Travels Voyager Travel Insurance Plan provides benefit amounts that meet the needs of those traveling to Costa Rica and many other destinations. The Safe Travels Voyager plan also includes a letter showing proof of coverage and limits. If you do not need a letter showing proof and need only to have a travel insurance policy that does not exclude COVID-19 (Coronavirus), any of our travel insurance plans should satisfy the travel insurance requirements. An email confirmation that includes your summary of benefits and travel insurance certificate will be emailed to you after purchase, listing all named insureds. Be sure to review the coverage limits on the policy you choose and verify it meets the requirements of the country you intend to travel to. If you have any questions, please contact our customer care team. To get a quote for your upcoming trip, please visit: https://www.trawickinternational.com."

I hope this helps other travellers. The only wrinkle for me is that I do not have the quoted Safe Travels Voyager policy but rather the Safe Travels First Class policy and I have not received the letter. I have written to them yesterday and asked for it, and am waiting for a reply.

Good luck to all.

[tennis4789]

I'm on the ncl encore currently doing back to back cruises. Bvi & usvi were on both itineraries. We never made it. 1% covid infections or the change for testing stopped us i think.

Here's the roll call thread that might be helpful on cruise critic.

From that roll call:

For the full list of COVID-19 testing requirements and exemptions, please visit https://*****/3qkop7j , https://*****/3H0WlM2 and www.usviupdate.com

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2774960-january-9th-2022/page/9/

Hope this helps. Gl

[tennis4789]

Side note. Ncl couldn't even get cleared sail to its own private island in the bahamas great stirrup cay.

Gf n i looking to get into sailing. Told to charter a boat with captain in bvi to teach us. Thinking week with captain. & week of us doing our own thing. Any guesstimate what this might cost us? Or willing to share ballpark what your charter is costing. Thanks

[Bullshooter]

tennis4789,

I'd be guessing at prices, maybe around $10K/week, for crewed charters, which you can split with several couples, but there are some companies I have chartered with that have websites to look into. Try bvi yacht charters at https://www.bviyachtcharters.com/crewed-charters/

I haven't booked with either the Moorings or Voyage charters, but they have boats in the BVI, and try for a smaller boat.

Moorings: http://https://www.moorings.com/dest...&productType=1

Prices for monohulls are less than for catamarans, the smaller, the less expensive. Plus, go in the low season, roughly May- August to save $$.

[tennis4789]

Originally Posted by Bullshooter

tennis4789,

I'd be guessing at prices, maybe around $10K/week, for crewed charters, which you can split with several couples, but there are some companies I have chartered with that have websites to look into. Try bvi yacht charters at https://www.bviyachtcharters.com/crewed-charters/

I haven't booked with either the Moorings or Voyage charters, but they have boats in the BVI, and try for a smaller boat.

Moorings: http://https://www.moorings.com/dest...&productType=1

Prices for monohulls are less than for catamarans, the smaller, the less expensive. Plus, go in the low season, roughly May- August to save $$.

Thank you. Moorings is what original person i talked to mentioned.

Moorings had this about covid & bvi:
https://www.moorings.com/covid19/tra...virgin-islands

https://www.moorings.com/insurance