PomPoot

I am looking at the Dec 12 from Panama City on Jewel.

I am trying to decide if I should do a 1 or 2 day deviation for the air on the outbound into Panama City. I Want to get in as early as possible, but I cannot depart any earlier than 7:30 pm on Dec 9 from Chicago. Could I do a 2-day deviation or would that be too risky?

Has anyone been on Jewel recently? do you know if the cigar lounge was open and being used? Please let me know when you sailed and any details (size amenities features availability—if it was crowded)

Thanks all--one more question: HAL's website says I must test within 3 days of embarking. I am embarking in Amsterdam on June 5, so I take it that time differences don't matter, and I can get my test at any time on June 2 and it will suffice. Is that your experience? 

Has anyone actually used an ID NOW covid test, which is one of the three tests available at Walgreen's, to meet HAL requirements? I want to know if it was accepted and if there was any hassle.

Has anyone used a online travel agency specializing in cruises that:

—offered them cash back 

—required them to send in their final cruise statement (bill furnished to them on the last day of the cruise or whenever) to get the cash back

what were your experiences like? Was it easy? A hassle? Did you ever get it?

I bought CHEERS the day before embarking. The first entry on my account is a line that says “Cheers prepay” and it shows what I paid for that. But below that is what appears to be a full reversal of that charge and it says “100% Bon Voyage”

what is that?

also, it appears my card was never charged for CHEERS

Anyone on this sailing? Anything to share? Did you get any explanation, info from others or additional compensation?

If you were on this sailing, you know the following:

—embarkation day was bad, with people waiting hours without any word from Norwegian due to a covid event. There wasn’t an NCL person where they had people wait in tents. The scene was chaotic with people given pieces of paper with hand-written numbers no one actual called or called out of earshot of those in the two of the three separate tents the overwhelmed local agents had people wait in. 

—Turkey portion of itinerary completely canceled without explanation or any advance notice. We were told when we got our key cards.

—Catania canceled due to weather (hour or so after official cancellation it was sunny)

Grand total of compensation: $100 NON-refundable credit for solo travelers (up to $200 per stateroom)

Note: people on the Epic sailing after this got MORE compensation for losing ONE port of call and being told about it weeks in advance. 

I know enough about this industry and this cruise line to know they can do wildly negligent things and still owe you nothing because of the ridiculous contract you enter into when checking in, but this was pretty rough treatment.

1 hour ago, julig22 said:

Yes, just got back.  As far as I know, nobody was able to leave the ship unless it was with an excursion.  However, we were allowed free-time but I think that depends entirely on the location and/or tour guide.  I went to Sorrento and Pompeii out of Napoli and our guide said that both locations were unrestricted - so after the guided tour, we could wander around town.

Out of Liverno, (Lucca and Pisa), our guide said we had to stay with the group (wink wink) - so again, free time to wander.

You are just the most helpful person! Thanks! I'm so touched you'd take time out of your day to help me out so much. 

My understanding is you had to take NCL shore excursions to leave the ship in Italy.  What was your experience like doing Italian shore excursions? Good? Bad? Many of the shore excursions available boast "alone time," which doesn't seem possible given the Italian mandate. Did you actually get any time to explore alone or are they actively misinforming guests with the descriptions? (Example: one of the shore excursions is titled "see [name of Italian city] on your own.")

On 10/27/2021 at 2:28 AM, julig22 said:

Antigen.  I didn't keep the info sheet but as I recall, if you need PCR it was available but you have to request it - and I think there might be an additional fee.

I forgot to ask: were you able to schedule the test on certain days or did they specify when you had to? I have a very tight window when I need to be tested in order to meet requirements--really, one specific  day. Do you sense I'll be able to do that? Did they ask you what kind of test you needed, antigen or PCR?

1 minute ago, julig22 said:

Antigen.  I didn't keep the info sheet but as I recall, if you need PCR it was available but you have to request it - and I think there might be an additional fee.

I am terribly grateful to you. Thanks!

50 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Results from test on the Getaway, (start/stop in Italy).  You will get a printed copy onboard, plus you can access your results in your Eurofins (Trust One) app. You use the same Eurofin QR code as used for embarkation, no QR code with your results.  No country code that I can see - results are in English and Italian.

One question: It boldly states "antigen" test and doesn't say "PCR" or "molecular" anywhere. Was it a PCR test?

Julig22, You are wonderful for sharing this. I am going to do my best to confirm, but you may very well have saved me a LOT of money in rebooking my flight home after a cruise (Hungarian authorities will only accept test results from certain countries, and they made clear they'd not accept the Bahamas, the flag Epic flies under). This document shows the test was conducted in Italy. The Italian Doctor and his facility is indicated on the test. I believe this should be enough. Thanks again!

Note to others: I would appreciate seeing more examples like this and getting more comments!

Did you take a PCR test during a European NCL cruise to go home? If so:

Was it conducted by Eurofins?

What was the documentation you received to present to authorities? A piece of paper? A QR code?

MOST IMPORTANTLY: What country did it say the test was taken in?

If issued a QR code, was it EU covid passport compliant?

My understanding is that the Hungarian government will only accept test results from certain countries, and the Bahamas isn't one of them. Hungary apparently considers the flag the ship flies under its "country" and so tests conducted on an any of the many cruise ships sailing under that flag are not acceptable.  

Have you been issued a covid test aboard a ship? Would you be willing to show what it looks like? Feel free to redact any sensitive info. I'm mostly interested in what info about the ship it includes and if it's "American" or lists the ship's registry nation.

Have you had difficulty using your on-board test result at airports/immigration? Do you have any experience with Budapest specifically?

Do you know if there is a place in Rome that gives PCR test results really quickly--in less than a day? (Not antigen test, but PCR)

4 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

@PomPoot And you seem determined to not read what has been posted and clarified for you.  Read the paragraph after the itemized list immediately the sentence you have fixated on.  Note, that sentence ends in a colon, indicating the list is a linked continuation.  I’ve bolded and underlined the critical additional information.  

 

Persons over the age of 12 must present a COVID-19 digital green pass in order to access certain services and activities:

• Travelling by air, train, ship, ferry or bus throughout Italy
• Restaurants, bars, ice cream parlours and pastry shops for consumption at table indoors
• Performances open to the public, sporting events, both outdoors and indoors
• Museums and places of culture, shows 
• Swimming pools and gyms 
• Private parties, such as wedding receptions
• Festivals and trade fairs
• Conventions and congresses
• Spas and fitness centres
• Gaming halls and betting shops, bingo halls and casinos

Access to these services and activities is allowed on presenting the EU Digital COVID Certificate or an equivalent certificate issued by the health authorities of Canada, Japan, Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States.

You're not making a new point and you're also either not understanding my concern or dismissing it, which is fine but not helpful.

There's a reason I am 'fixated" on the sentence you're paying no credence to: it contradicts what else is said. That's the point. You're arguing about what the writer is likely intending to communicate, and I am talking about what was actually written. I'm really not sure why you think anything has been clarified. The sentence in question is literally all that matters. Written improperly, as it may have been, it calls into question all the other statements. Unless they've issued a new statement that says, "Persons over the age of 12 must present a COVID-19 digital green pass in order to access certain services and activities:...unless they are American tourists with a CDC card," then you can't clarify anything using the statement in question.

Besides, clarifying the statement was never the intent of this post. It was to get advice from Americans who've been to Italy recently. But as is always the case with boards like this, at least half the responses are from bitter know-it-alls who have no interest in helping and are exclusively concerned with being condescending. Take care. 

In closing, a sincere thank you to the people who were helpful, some very much so. Thank you for actually responding to the question and sharing what you know so kindly. 

On 10/18/2021 at 5:48 AM, euro cruiser said:

I don't know how to help you with this, it's a language issue you seem determined to ignore or misunderstand.  It's about the order of the statements, the first one (persons over the age of 12 ...) is a broad statement and is followed by the "how" statement (access to these services...).  The second statement qualifies the first and clearly says the EU digital certificate OR the equivalent document from your home country.

You seem determined to ignore the following statement.

"Persons over the age of 12 must present a COVID-19 digital green pass in order to access certain services and activities:"

You are likely correct about what the person who wrote this intended. But the above doesn't say "Italian persons," it doesn't say "non-tourists," it says persons. That implies ALL persons. You can't seem to even admit that the statement above isn't written clearly and contradicts what was stated before it, which indicates to me which of us is being stubborn about this. It's very simple: If the statement above is true as opposed to the other things that were written, the CDC card is not adequate or at least isn't fully equivalent to the green pass. While that may not be the case, it's more that reasonable to have an issue with the way this thing was written and feel the need to seek out clarification. 

I'm clearly not going to change your mind that this is rock solid clear, there is no ambiguity of any kind and that the word "persons" unqualified would not include American tourists who apparently don't qualify as persons in your mind, but given that you went out of your way to discuss what I am "determined to ignore or misunderstand,"  I thought it might be worth underlining why I feel the information is unclear again for anyone else who stumbles on this post. Take care. 

5 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

It is not contradictory at all - read the entire thing.  The line about requiring the green pass is in the beginning, then all the details.  After this is the summary line about what Americans (and certain other nationalities) must do to achieve the same ends.

I disagree. After suggesting that American tourists can present a CDC card in lieu of a Green Pass, it states:

"Persons over the age of 12 must present a COVID-19 digital green pass in order to access certain services and activities:"

"Must" present a "green pass." And there are no qualifications to that, nothing that says American tourists are exempt.

The first statement about CDC cards is at odds with the second statement. It only would not be contradictory if the second statement was qualified as I suggest.

10 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

From the official Italian tourism web site:

 

Travellers from Canada, Japan, Israel and the United States can enter Italy without quarantine obligation and must:

1. Fill in the Passenger Locator Form before entering Italy

2. Present COVID-19 green certification on arrival, issued by the health authority of their country certifying complete vaccination against COVID-19, performed at least 14 days beforehand, using a vaccine recognized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA)

3. Present a document certifying that they have performed a molecular or antigenic swab test in the 72 hours prior to arrival in Italy with negative results.

Green Passes must be in Italian, English, French or Spanish and can be presented in digital or printed formats.

 

It goes on to say the following about the green pass:

 

In Italy, the COVID-19 green certificate facilitates attendance at certain public events (such as trade fairs, concerts, sports competitions, parties following religious or civil ceremonies) and access to health care facilities for the elderly (RSA). It is also mandatory when moving into and out of areas that may be classified as "red" or "orange" zones in the absence of valid reasons for work, health or proven urgency.

Persons over the age of 12 must present a COVID-19 digital green pass in order to access certain services and activities:

• Travelling by air, train, ship, ferry or bus throughout Italy
• Restaurants, bars, ice cream parlours and pastry shops for consumption at table indoors
• Performances open to the public, sporting events, both outdoors and indoors
• Museums and places of culture, shows
• Swimming pools and gyms
• Private parties, such as wedding receptions
• Festivals and trade fairs
• Conventions and congresses
• Spas and fitness centres
• Gaming halls and betting shops, bingo halls and casinos

Access to these services and activities is allowed on presenting the EU Digital COVID Certificate or an equivalent certificate issued by the health authorities of Canada, Japan, Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States.

 

So, as it says, an American citizen needs to present their official, which means CDC vaccine card.  

 

You can read the entire statement here, but do note that this is a fluid situation and the current regulations are only in effect until October 25, 2021:  Covid-19 updates: information for tourists - Info (italia.it)

"So, as it says, an American citizen needs to present their official, which means CDC vaccine card."

While it says that, it also says:

"Persons over the age of 12 must present a COVID-19 digital green pass in order to access certain services and activities:"

And then lists anything a person could possibly do while there. I've seen the policy. Clearly, it's contradictory. It's why I am here trying to find out from people who have actually been there recently. 

8 hours ago, zdcatc12 said:

We were in Italy two days before and two days after our cruise and had zero issues. Wherever they say to show your green pass, just show your CDC card and you will be fine. There is no reason to jump through hoops trying to get one.

Thanks, this is exactly the kind of first-hand experience I was looking for. 

7 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

What, you didn't believe us last time? 

The questions in this post are clearly phrased differently than last time to elicit additional information. No American responded that they had a green pass and the main point of this post is determining if it's even possible for an American to get one. Also, the rules as written can be vastly different in practice. While it's it's clear the CDC card should allow you equal access as the Green Pass in some circumstances, there's lots of conflicting anecdotal evidence as to how it works in practice, with some media claiming folks were turned away with a mere CDC card. I wanted to see if that was the experience of those who have actually been there recently. 

If you are an America citizen and have obtained a green pass, please let me know how to do it. If you know definitely that it is not possible for American tourists to obtain a green pass, please link me to a source explaining. I am aware that many people say a CDC card functions as the equivalent of a green pass. And while that may be true, I would appreciate answers to my specific questions. 

Follow up question: If you only have the CDC card and recently visited Italy, were you turned away from any service or not allowed to do anything, such as use public transport?

I can confirm that you DO NOT pay for debarkation day. 

The cruises are listed as per day and so is the drink package. Does that mean I pay for CHEERS on debarkation day? That would be a massive rip. The boards on other websites have conflicting info. 

8 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

In addition to the above and in answer to your question about the Green Pass, the Italian authorities have also stated (in writing) that an official vaccination card from the US (or other countries) is considered equivalent to the Green Card. So if you are visiting Italy from the US you'll need to have your vaccination card with you and be prepared to show it if you want to visit museums, certain sites, and/or if you want to dine indoors in a restaurant and so on.

 

Are you suggesting that one does not need a green pass--they can use their American CDC card? I haven't seen that before. Can you link me to a website?