Anyone currently sailing Oosterdam(Adriatic Dream)?

[Skai]

With Kusadasi(and Split) being canceled and replaced on the (7/23)itinerary with Rhodes(and Kotor), can anyone provide an updated schedule reflecting this modified itinerary? -- Specifically the order the ship will be visiting the Adriatic/Dalmation coast ports of the cruise.

 

We are sailing on the Sep. 16th sailing. AFIAK, HAL has decided to continue with a 'wait and see' approach, having so far kept Kusadasi on the schedule for that date.

 

However, It would be nice to have alternative plans in place for these two new ports (Rhodes and Kotor), as it seems very likely that HAL will also modify the Sep. 16th sailing to mirror the current (7/23)itinerary.

 

TIA.

[Wehwalt]

With Kusadasi(and Split) being canceled and replaced on the (7/23)itinerary with Rhodes(and Kotor), can anyone provide an updated schedule reflecting this modified itinerary? -- Specifically the order the ship will be visiting the Adriatic/Dalmation coast ports of the cruise.

 

We are sailing on the Sep. 16th sailing. AFIAK, HAL has decided to continue with a 'wait and see' approach, having so far kept Kusadasi on the schedule for that date.

 

However, It would be nice to have alternative plans in place for these two new ports (Rhodes and Kotor), as it seems very likely that HAL will also modify the Sep. 16th sailing to mirror the current (7/23)itinerary.

 

TIA.

 

I'm on her. The itinerary is:

 

Day 1. Dep Civitavecchia 6 pm

2. Naples 8-6

3. At sea (formal)

4. Iraklon 12-8

5. Santorini (tender) 8-5

6. Rhodes 8-4

7. Piraeus 8-5

8. Katakolon 10-6

9. Corfu 8-5 (formal)

10 Dubrovnik 8am-11pm

11 Kotor 8am-2pm (tender)

12. Venice arrive 10am

13. Disembark

Edited August 1, 2016 by Wehwalt

[Skai]

I'm on her...

 

Thanks a lot. That is a big help.

[123freetothesea]

Thanks a lot. That is a big help.

Kotor and Rhodes are both ports you can walk off the ship and explore on your own. Be sure to be up early for the gorgeous sail into Kotor it is beautiful!

[Lady Arwen]

With Kusadasi(and Split) being canceled and replaced on the (7/23)itinerary with Rhodes(and Kotor), can anyone provide an updated schedule reflecting this modified itinerary? -- Specifically the order the ship will be visiting the Adriatic/Dalmation coast ports of the cruise.

 

We are sailing on the Sep. 16th sailing. AFIAK, HAL has decided to continue with a 'wait and see' approach, having so far kept Kusadasi on the schedule for that date.

 

However, It would be nice to have alternative plans in place for these two new ports (Rhodes and Kotor), as it seems very likely that HAL will also modify the Sep. 16th sailing to mirror the current (7/23)itinerary.

 

TIA.

May I ask why Split has been replaced? Split is one of our ports on our Med cruise in May and was wondering if we can expect to lose it.

[Skai]

May I ask why Split has been replaced? Split is one of our ports on our Med cruise in May and was wondering if we can expect to lose it.

 

As far as I understand it, it has to do with the European Union VAT(tax).

 

Similar to how the PVSA affects domestic sailings (from/to U.S. ports of call) -- in that foreign flagged vessels must visit a foreign port to comply with the act -- Sailings that start and end in European Union countries must visit a non-member country to avoid having to pay a VAT tax on purchases made while on board (including while underway at sea) - Something in the range of 9% on certain items(beverages?) upwards to 20+% on other items(purchases in shops on board).

 

As of now, with Croatia recently joining the EU a few years back, I believe the only coastal Continental Europe countries in the Med. that aren't members of the EU are Albania, Montenegro and Turkey.

 

With the recent turmoil in Turkey and cruiselines canceling calling there, to avoid having to pass the VAT tax onto passengers, cruiselines have been forced to substitute Albania or Montenegro instead.

 

So check your itinerary -- If Turkey is listed and is the only non-member EU country for your sailing and the cruiselines continue to stop calling there, it may be possible that one's itinerary may be altered to accomodate the addition of a port stop in Albania or Montenegro to avoid having to apply the VAT.

 

EDIT: IIRC Gibraltar also counts as a visit to a non-EU country for W. Med itineraries. Not completely 100% on that though.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Skai

[Wehwalt]

Kotor and Rhodes are both ports you can walk off the ship and explore on your own. Be sure to be up early for the gorgeous sail into Kotor it is beautiful!

 

We are tendering at Kotor in a few hours. I agree with you on Rhodes. I regret losing the Turkish call, but this is no time to be visiting there. Erdogan seems to be conducting a purge. I'm hoping that Istanbul will be back in time for the Grand Mediterranean next spring, on which I am booked.

 

Kotor is our only non-EU port. For the western Med segment before this, our only non-EU ports were Gibraltar and Monte Carlo. Kotor is about 50 miles the "wrong way", but it makes more sense to have a lat evening in Dubrovnik and then a short visit to Kotor than the other way around.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Wehwalt

[Lady Arwen]

As far as I understand it, it has to do with the European Union VAT(tax).

 

Similar to how the PVSA affects domestic sailings (from/to U.S. ports of call) -- in that foreign flagged vessels must visit a foreign port to comply with the act -- Sailings that start and end in European Union countries must visit a non-member country to avoid having to pay a VAT tax on purchases made while on board (including while underway at sea) - Something in the range of 9% on certain items(beverages?) upwards to 20+% on other items(purchases in shops on board).

 

As of now, with Croatia recently joining the EU a few years back, I believe the only coastal Continental Europe countries in the Med. that aren't members of the EU are Albania, Montenegro and Turkey.

 

With the recent turmoil in Turkey and cruiselines canceling calling there, to avoid having to pass the VAT tax onto passengers, cruiselines have been forced to substitute Albania or Montenegro instead.

 

So check your itinerary -- If Turkey is listed and is the only non-member EU country for your sailing and the cruiselines continue to stop calling there, it may be possible that one's itinerary may be altered to accomodate the addition of a port stop in Albania or Montenegro to avoid having to apply the VAT.

 

EDIT: IIRC Gibraltar also counts as a visit to a non-EU country for W. Med itineraries. Not completely 100% on that though.

Thanks for your reply. Looks like we'll be visiting Split. We stop in Dubrovnik the day before and we are not doing Turkey. We do Spain, France, Italy, Albania, Croatia and then back to Venice, Italy for debarkation.