jennjess

Well I find the current NCL safety page more than a little confusing.  Europe now listed as requiring a booster 14 days before and testing done at port for free by NCL, whilst there are separate listings for Greece, Portugal and Spain but not Italy.  So no free testing in Greece which is Europe?

I have jumped ship early a couple of times.  This was in Europe and as a EU citizen this wasn't a problem.  Told the ship that I was going to beforehand obviously.

46 minutes ago, ChC said:

 

It does appear only Barcelona confirmed as pier test. Greece currently did not confirm it will be pier test paid for by NCL. Just saying 72 hours PCR or 24 hours Anti-gen. Different wording in Europe/Greece/Spain...etc. The Europe section and Spain section says paid by NCL a t the pier. Others seems to be prior arrival to pier at customer's cost. I read the NCL section several times and could not confirm about Greece.

All of this just adds to the confusion doesn't it? 

I'm wondering if those who did have a booster (and were refused) had travelled with those who had not and were therefore considered to be a higher risk.  NCL and or the port authorities decided it wasn't worth the risk of them becoming sick whilst onboard.

All Covid vaccinations do take about 14 days to become fully effective I'm led to believe by experts.

12 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

Yes, the mask policy is European (not just Greece), and hasn't changed.

 

To be clear, I am not saying that there won't be a future requirement to test at the port in Greece. My only point is that this was an NCL thing last year and applied to every port in the world, so the fact that you had to test there last year tells us nothing in itself. You would equally have had to test in Miami.

 

The current NCL guidance is that there is no port testing required in Athens. That is per the details that I have been supplied for my cruise from there next week, and the details currently on the NCL website. That may change, but at the moment there is no port testing required in Athens.

The mask policy is not a Europe wide policy.  Each country decides on that themselves, here for instance masks are no longer required (The Netherlands), but in Greece and Italy they still are inside most venues.  Cruises will be obliged to follow the rules of the countries they are visiting and sailing from.  Port testing also seems very likely imo.

1 hour ago, KeithJenner said:

Testing at the port was a requirement last year regardless of the port. That was NCL policy at the time, but that was officially changed from the start of March, so experience from last year is now irrelevant.

 

So far I have seen absolutely nothing to suggest that port testing may be required in Greece. That isn't to say that it won't be, but so far the discussions seem to centre around Spain and maybe Italy.

We will see what happens I guess.  I believe the onboard masking last year was a greek policy rather than NCL's choice.  Greece still does require face masks in indoor areas.

5 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

Yes, that is the keep passage, and it does seem to be new. That wasn’t on the email I received a couple of weeks ago.

 

As reeinaz says, there are currently no European countries on the  country specific requirements page yet. If Barcelona is in fact requiring on the day testing then I would expect that to change soon.

 

As I see it, this is a potential inconvenience on the day, but if NCL are paying for it then it isn’t a major issue.

It could be that testing at boarding is a requirement to sail from Greece.  It certainly was last year and personally I'll be happy if it still is. So I'll test twice, 3 days before cruising, and again at the port if it is still needed (and hopefully free as it was last year).

9 hours ago, Janet&Carl said:

 

So sorry it wasnt the costa site it was the Cruise Guru site that allowed you to see which cabins were vacant.  I then booked direct with Costa EU because they couldnt give me the loyalty discount and premium voucher discount where booking direct I got both.

Checking the Cruise guru site shows only guarantees available so I guess there are very few balconies left.

3 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

Does the 270 day limit apply to boosters as well. I have read that, at least in some places, it only applies to the first and second doses.

 

Many countries, including most of Europe I believe, are still only offering one booster, so they would be setting a limit that is impossible for many people to hit if the expiry does apply to boosters. Our booster will be 270 days old in September, and I don't expect us to be offered another one until later in the year than that.

Currently if fully vaccinated + boostered there is no time limit in the EU.  But obviously this can always change so constant checking of the rules is essential when travelling.

I've just made an appointment for a second booster as they are being rolled out now for the over 60's in the Netherlands.

11 hours ago, Alex71 said:

 

Same here. 

 

They also insist that one has insurance covering trip interuption as well as accomodation and meals during quarantine, which is included in my credit card as well but which I also feel is a risk on could easily cover oneself.

 

Here's what they wrote to me:

 

Lieber Costa Gast,

 

wir freuen uns sehr, Sie schon bald an Bord von Costa Kreuzfahrten begrüßen zu dürfen. Unsere Priorität ist es immer, allen unseren Gästen ein sicheres, friedliches und unvergessliches Urlaubserlebnis zu bieten.

 

Mit Beginn der Pandemie hat Costa Kreuzfahrten die bestehenden Sicherheits- und Hygieneprotokolle weiterentwickelt um Maßnahmen zum Schutz der Gesundheit aller Gäste, Besatzungsmitglieder und lokalen Gemeinschaften der Reiseziele, die wir besuchen, zu ergreifen. Um unseren Gästen weiterhin einen komfortablen Urlaub mit der höchstmöglichen Gesundheitssicherheit zu bieten, wurden die Reiseanforderungen für die bestehenden Kreuzfahrten aktualisiert.

 

Costa Kreuzfahrten kann die Einschiffung nur denjenigen gestattet und garantieren:

 

• die den Impfzyklus vollständig abgeschlossen haben und eine Impfbescheinigung vorlegen können
• als genesen bescheinigt wurden und ein COVID-19-Genesenenzertifikat vorlegen können
• die eine einmalige Impfung erhalten haben, nachdem sie von COVID als genesen bescheinigt wurden, sofern sie zusätzlich eine Bescheinigung der zuständigen Gesundheitsbehörde vorlegen können
• Kinder unter 12 Jahren sind davon ausgenommen

Je nach örtlichen Bestimmungen des jeweiligen Einschiffungshafens kann unser Protokoll zusätzliche Maßnahmen beinhalten. Bitte informieren Sie sich rechtzeitig.

 

Diese Anforderungen sind notwendig, um allen Gästen ein angemessenes Kreuzfahrterlebnis sowohl an Bord als auch während der Ausflüge an Land zu garantieren. Der Einschiffungstestprozess bleibt zusätzlich bestehen.

 

Wir freuen uns Ihnen mitteilen zu können, dass für unsere Kreuzfahrten ab dem 01. April 2022 auch wieder individuelle Landausflüge möglich sind. Bitte beachten Sie, dass je nach Entwicklung der pandemischen Lage eine Änderung jederzeit vorbehalten ist.

 

Bei dieser Gelegenheit möchten wir Sie auch darüber informieren, dass der Abschluss einer Corona-Reiseschutz Versicherung für alle Gäste verpflichtend ist. Diese ist zwingend notwendig, um die Kosten im Falle einer vorzeitigen Ausschiffung aufgrund eines positiven Befundes, eines eventuellen Krankenhausaufenthalts und eines Rücktransports zu decken. Der Abschluss einer Corona-Reiseschutz (Covid) Versicherung ist auch nachträglich und bis 1 Tag vor Abreise bei Costa Kreuzfahrten möglich. Bitte wenden Sie sich bei Bedarf telefonisch oder auch per E-Mail an unsere Kreuzfahrtexperten.

 

Natürlich kann die Coronaversicherung auch separat bei einer anderen Versicherungsgesellschaft abgeschlossen werden. In diesem Fall sollte darauf geachtet werden, dass folgende Risiken abgedeckt sind: Arzt- und Krankenhauskosten, Kosten für einen verlängerten Aufenthalt (Mahlzeiten und Unterkunft) an Land aufgrund einer Quarantäne, Rückführung (auch mit geschützten Transportmitteln für positiv getestete Personen und ihre engen Kontaktpersonen), Erstattung des anteiligen Reisepreises für die unterbrochene Kreuzfahrt. Ohne Covid-Versicherung wird die Einschiffung verweigert.

 

Unser Gesundheits- und Sicherheitsteam arbeitet zusammen mit einer Gruppe unabhängiger wissenschaftlicher Experten daran, Ihren Urlaub zu einem unvergesslichen Erlebnis zu machen, bei dem Sie sich ganz entspannt zurücklehnen können. Das Costa Sicherheitsprotokoll ist ein Protokoll zum Schutz Ihrer Gesundheit, das neue Betriebsabläufe enthält, die an die Erfordernisse der COVID19-Situation angepasst sind. Alle wichtigen Informationen finden Sie auch immer aktuell auf unserer Homepage unter www.costakreuzfahrten.de/gesundheit und www.costakreuzfahrten.de/boardingregeln www.costakreuzfahrten.at/gesundheit und www.costakreuzfahrten.at/boardingregeln www.costakreuzfahrten.ch/gesundheit und www.costakreuzfahrten.ch/boardingregeln

 

Für Rückfragen stehen wir Ihnen selbstverständlich gerne zur Verfügung.

 

Alle unsere Besatzungsmitglieder und Mitarbeiter freuen sich auf schöne Momente mit Ihnen an Bord.

 

Herzliche Grüße

 

Ihr Costa Team

Sounds to me like they are just trying to cover themselves from any extra costs.  If you have health cover and travel expense cover you should be OK. 

Has anyone had noise problems in particular Costa cabins.  I now have a cabin booked close to the lido pool so am wondering if this will be a noisy location.

I website won't let me read the letter you posted but I would be interested to hear what Costa have to say when they reply.  Our party are all Dutch citizens and our health insurance is valid across the EU (and we will not be travelling outside the EU on this cruise) so I don't feel I need to add any additional medical insurance. 

I booked recently with Costa and on the insurance page no options came up at all.  I assume that it is no longer required or only required for those who are non EU citizens perhaps?

The last time I cruised from Civitavecchia I flew into Pisa as there is a direct train from Pisa central to Civitavecchia. Always find the Rome to Civ a bit of a pain tbf.

I am planning to book a Costa cruise but when I try I get only one cabin offered and that is above all the entertainment areas so I am worried that it will be very noisy at night.

Is it normal that Costa chooses your cabin and is there anyway to find out if there are others available? 

1 hour ago, gerryuk said:

Unless its changed, coffee, tea and water is only available for free when the buffet is open, if you do not have the drinks package. 

Thanks, this is what I had heard somewhere so will get some kind of package to cover that.  Just don't need the full all inclusive.

46 minutes ago, Janet&Carl said:

 

 

There is tea coffee water etc.. available all day in the buffet and its included in your fare.  You just go help yourself.  You can also buy your drinks as needed - you dont need a package.  The first time we bought a package we struggled to get our monies worth.  Felt I had to drink too much to make it worth while.  

Thanks, I thought I read somewhere that no drinks were available when the buffet closed so this is very good to know.  There is no way we would drink enough to cover the cost of the all inclusive drinks package so will skip that for sure.

11 hours ago, dritan said:

Hi  I had a look on the MyCosta area for packages and there is a 20 drink and 40 drink non alcoholic package. The package is described as 

The best of non-alcoholic beverages from the bar drinks list. This package provides easy access to: fruit juices, cold teas, cordials, and non-alcoholic long drinks. Maximum freedom  for you to enjoy or offer to anyone at any time during the cruise.

The 20 and 40 drink option is 65 euros and 110 euros respectively. 

 

There is also a water, coffee and beer package:

 

 

Enjoy this little package for your day by day enjoyment, with a package of 7 water bottles (1lt), 7 draft beers (40cl) and 14 coffees (normal or decaf). 

This is 69 euros

 

And a water package of 13 1 litre bottles for 36 euros. 

Many thanks for the info.  It's not possible to look this up before booking so I appreciate you passing this on.

Can someone give me some info on Costa drinks.  The all inclusive rate is rather high for the amount we are likely to drink, we are not big drinkers. Is there a possibilty to book a non alcholic package after booking the standard rate.  And what if any drinks are available free, water, tea or coffee.

This is the news I was waiting for to book a Costa cruise.  Great news.

2 hours ago, Woody14 said:

2024, we will be in a whole different situation by then, I would not be stressing.      Right now the folks at Costa are just reinforcing the current rules and making the assumption they will be in place forever.   As we all know things will change.   Italy just announced that most of there current restrictions will be gone by May 1 so I would bet that you will get different updates after that.

I noticed that MSC, the other Italian line, are dropping their compulsory ship excursions on April 1st, so I hope very much that Costa will follow.  It would be a disadvantage for them not to I would think.

I was considering booking a Costa cruise but the mandatory Costa excursions really puts me off.  Hope that they change this soon as other cruiselines do not insist on this.

3 hours ago, pooh/tigger said:

How close is it to everything? (Plaka, Acropolis, etc) 

 

Thank you

5 minute walk into the Plaka maybe 10 minutes to the Acropolis (not sure exactly where the entrance is for visiting).

On 3/7/2022 at 11:48 AM, pooh/tigger said:

Anyone ever stayed at Elia Ermou? 

 

If so, good location? I've used google maps to check out location but having never been there, don't know if a good location. 

 

We are stuck between that one and Athens Gate. 

 

Thanks,

Kelly

I stayed at the Elia Ermou last year and would recommend.  Liked it better than the Athens Gate actually.  It's laid back from the main shopping street so is quiet but very central for walking around.

On 9/10/2021 at 3:22 PM, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

We will be  fly on October 18 from Italy.

Currently the Dutch do not see Italy as a high risk country for covid when it comes to entering the Netherlands.  It does depend where else you have been in the preceding 10 days.  If it is only Italy you should be OK but things change fast so keep checking.