Only allowed off ship for Cruise Line Shore Tours

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, BoozinCroozin said:

The current CDC guidelines are that vaccinated passengers are free to explore on their own and take independent excursions. There are caveats in the information on the word "may" and "advised" being used. But common sense says you can do your own thing if vaccinated. 

 

At the moment the guidance is very clear that the decision is "at the discretion of the operator".  And of course is subject to local regulations.

 

You can't be certain that your cruise line of choice will NOT require ship excursions until they explicitly say so.

 

[Hlitner]

There are a few different "sub" issues.  Regarding the CDC requirements it has become pretty obvious that the CDC is "wishy washy" with its decision making and can change their mind overnight (with absolutely no scientific proof or new studies).  So on Tuesday the CDC's CSO demanded cruise lines implement small group mandatory shore excursions that maintained a bubble.  But by the close of business on Wednesday the CDC changed their mind.  By Friday.....who knows!      But Cruisemom has it right that the ultimate decision will likely be up to the cruise line and the port.   The cruise line's have a financial incentive to mandate shore excursions (they are quite profitable) while most ports have a financial incentive to give passengers freedom to explore on their own.  At the moment you just have to roll  the dice.

 

A couple of weeks ago, while we were still deciding whether to book a 14 day Seabourn cruise out of Pireaus, I called Seabourn to inquire on the issue.  At that time I was told that Seabourn was not going to require that passengers use their excursions and that the Greek government had indicated they had no interest in mandating the use of excursions.  Based on that info we booked the cruise and (also planned a post cruise independent island hopping sojourn).   So far, all indications is that Greece, Cyprus, and Croatia are not going to require mandatory shore excursions.  In fact, it would make no sense since those countries are opening to tourism for folks that have proof of vaccination.   There also seems to be a growing list of Caribbean islands (i.e. BVI, Berlize, St Maarten, etc) that are going to be open for cruisers (with or without an excursion).    The cruise lines have been all over the place on the issue but I suspect they will ultimately go along with whatever is decided by the ports and CDC (for cruises that involve US Ports).

 

Hank

[evandbob]

This entire thread may become moot as the CDC has announced that fully vaxxed persons may now go on independent shore excursions if allowed in the ports visited by the ship:

 

Cruise operators may also allow fully vaccinated passengers and crew members to "engage in self-guided or independent exploration during port stops, if they wear a mask while indoors." https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/cdc-cruise-ship-status-and-where-americans-can-travel/ar-BB1gH5bL?li=BBnbklE

 

I imagine a few other threads will on cruise restrictions will also just become posters expressing some opinions about imaginary scenarios.  But hey, it kept people, including myself,  on their keyboards, phones or tablets a bit, so there was less of a chance they contributed to the viral spread.

[EDLOS]

22 hours ago, neverbeenhere said:

https://thepointsguy.com/news/msc-cruises-covid-port-tour-rules/

 

 

 

The above information is dated August of 2020 !  Does anyone have an updated Shore Excursion  info on MSC and are all Cruise lines coming on line this summer going to be at 70% of capacity for social distancing ?? Also the recent spike in many European countries, i.e. Norway,  could change the playing field again ?????  Also, packing people densely on a 45 seat bus is better than letting them off to wander a town in the fresh air, Hello  !!!!!

[sverigecruiser]

28 minutes ago, EDLOS said:

The above information is dated August of 2020 !  Does anyone have an updated Shore Excursion  info on MSC and are all Cruise lines coming on line this summer going to be at 70% of capacity for social distancing ?? Also the recent spike in many European countries, i.e. Norway,  could change the playing field again ?????  Also, packing people densely on a 45 seat bus is better than letting them off to wander a town in the fresh air, Hello  !!!!!

 

I looked at MSCs Swedish website now and they have the "ship excurtions only" information now so the updated information is that only passengers on ship excurtions are allow to leave the ship. 

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, evandbob said:

This entire thread may become moot as the CDC has announced that fully vaxxed persons may now go on independent shore excursions if allowed in the ports visited by the ship:

 

Cruise operators may also allow fully vaccinated passengers and crew members to "engage in self-guided or independent exploration during port stops, if they wear a mask while indoors." https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/cdc-cruise-ship-status-and-where-americans-can-travel/ar-BB1gH5bL?li=BBnbklE

 

I imagine a few other threads will on cruise restrictions will also just become posters expressing some opinions about imaginary scenarios.  But hey, it kept people, including myself,  on their keyboards, phones or tablets a bit, so there was less of a chance they contributed to the viral spread.

"May also allow" does not mean that they can use "as an abundance of caution, we are only allowing our bubble cruise excursions" without of course saying as an abundance of not wanting to give away a highly profitable protocol we are only allowing our excursions. Also, the CDC mandate gives ports the option of not allowing self exploring.

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, BoozinCroozin said:

The current CDC guidelines are that vaccinated passengers are free to explore on their own and take independent excursions. There are caveats in the information on the word "may" and "advised" being used. But common sense says you can do your own thing if vaccinated. 

 

The United States CDC requirements are only applicable to cruise ships operating in US Territorial Waters. They are also mimimum requirements and cruise lines can implement higher standards.

 

Since cruises are currently operating mostly in EU, UK/Territories and Iceland waters, the cruise ships must comply with those countries CDC, or equivalent organisations. Not the US CDC. Many of the cruise ships currently operating, or about to operate, never sail in US Waters, so the frequently changing US CDC requirements are of no concern. 

[K32682]

Cruise-line only excursions are a deal breaker for me. Being shepherded around like toddlers in a day care is not my idea of an enjoyable port visit. 

 

It may be that the cruise lines have no choice in some countries but that is not my problem.  

[Sinfonia2005]

Also has anybody looked into the buffet dining ? Queues will be horrendous we should imagine 🥴

[ontheweb]

35 minutes ago, Sinfonia2005 said:

Also has anybody looked into the buffet dining ? Queues will be horrendous we should imagine 🥴

In 2018, we were on a HAL ship that had servers for the buffet, and I do not remember any horrendous lines. It was a fairly small ship, so it may be different of the extremely large new ships once they get up to capacity.

[donaldsc]

5 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

In 2018, we were on a HAL ship that had servers for the buffet, and I do not remember any horrendous lines. It was a fairly small ship, so it may be different of the extremely large new ships once they get up to capacity.

 

HAL has always had servers at the buffet for the first few days of the cruise.  It works well.

 

DON

[ontheweb]

18 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

HAL has always had servers at the buffet for the first few days of the cruise.  It works well.

 

DON

If I remember correctly, they were there our entire 7 day cruise from Boston to Montreal. Maybe there was a norovirus outbreak that we were not aware of.

[Flatbush Flyer]

54 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

In 2018, we were on a HAL ship that had servers for the buffet, and I do not remember any horrendous lines. It was a fairly small ship, so it may be different of the extremely large new ships once they get up to capacity.

Oceania has had servers in the Terrace Café for many. That, along with the quality/variety of offerings and the a la minute cooking plus al fresco dining option are what make it the “gold standard” of casual onboard dining.

[BoozinCroozin]

I think the cruise lines may require their own excursions for the first few cruises. Then after 2-4 weeks, just open it up completely.

[sverigecruiser]

9 hours ago, K32682 said:

Cruise-line only excursions are a deal breaker for me. Being shepherded around like toddlers in a day care is not my idea of an enjoyable port visit. 

 

It may be that the cruise lines have no choice in some countries but that is not my problem.  

 

It's not your problem, unless you want to leave the ship without a cruiseline excursion.

[wowzz]

5 hours ago, Sinfonia2005 said:

Also has anybody looked into the buffet dining ? Queues will be horrendous we should imagine 🥴

And exactly what has this to do with shore excursions?  

Post on the correct thread please.

[shipgeeks]

On 5/13/2021 at 10:27 AM, EDLOS said:

The above information is dated August of 2020 !  Does anyone have an updated Shore Excursion  info on MSC and are all Cruise lines coming on line this summer going to be at 70% of capacity for social distancing ?? Also the recent spike in many European countries, i.e. Norway,  could change the playing field again ?????  Also, packing people densely on a 45 seat bus is better than letting them off to wander a town in the fresh air, Hello  !!!!!

You might find it interesting to read the "live from" posts during MSC cruises, by Petra and others, especially regarding excursions.  They were hardly cramming people onto buses!  They took part in scooter, bike, and walking tours, all small groups.  There are some buses with open tops and apparently a limit on number of passengers, as we never see crowds disembarking when we watch the port webcams.

I believe MSC has done a good job with finding the balance between a worthwhile cruise experience and health protocols.  However, if a ship excursion is a deal-breaker, I wouldn't recommend taking the cruise.  They have been very strict about the rules.

[Hlitner]

4 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

It's not your problem, unless you want to leave the ship without a cruiseline excursion.

True.  On the other hand, having cruised for over forty years DW and I might take one cruise line excursion in every hundred port stops and that would only happen when that excursion does something we want to do and cannot reasonably do on our own or on a private tour.   But what does this mean in the real world.  We had (until today) a MSC Caribbean cruise (in their Yacht Club) booked for this coming October.  But a couple of days ago we simply booked a Seabourn Caribbean cruise (that embarks from Barbados so is beyond the control of our CDC) and today finally got around to cancelling MSC.  While DW and I do really enjoy cruising in MSC's Yacht Club, we did not want to take the risk that MSC might impose a mandatory excursion policy.  To be honest, we knew all those Caribbean ports quite well and had no need for any kind of excursion or tour.  With Seabourn, we feel confident there will not be a mandatory shore excursion policy.   I post this to simply point out that for many folks, mandatory shore excursions may well be the deal breaker.

 

Hank

[navybankerteacher]

On 5/13/2021 at 8:37 AM, Sinfonia2005 said:

We have just cancelled our upcoming cruise on Oct 2nd to Greece due to all the restrictions ie stuck on ship unless you pay for a tour ( we love going off by ourselves & explore) dining options No buffet very disappointing, wearing of masks even on top deck by pool. Even tho we are both fully vaccinated. So think we will now wait it out

It always make sense to only buy something you really want — and not settle for what might be offered at one time:   things change.

[getting older slowly]

shore excursions..... really depend on the country you are visiting,  not the CDC or Cruise Line.

 

If one must go of only excursions provided by the cruise line so be it.....

 

So they are trying to herd the cats..... if you don't like it..... nobody is forcing you to go on the cruise 

[K32682]

15 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

It's not your problem, unless you want to leave the ship without a cruiseline excursion.

 

It won't be my problem. I am not sailing on any cruise line that forces me to take their excursions only if I want to get off the boat while in port. 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2021 by K32682

[Joebucks]

17 hours ago, BoozinCroozin said:

I think the cruise lines may require their own excursions for the first few cruises. Then after 2-4 weeks, just open it up completely.

 

Not happening. It may sound reasonable because it has been talked about so much on here, but it would be a disaster. First, there's a lot of people that would reconsider their cruise. Myself included. We do not want to be herded up like cattle at the port only to do things preapproved for us. That is not fun to the average person, no matter how many excursions a poster has done. Second, there would undoubtedly be people who didn't know this until they try to get off the boat. A mutiny.

[Hlitner]

7 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

shore excursions..... really depend on the country you are visiting,  not the CDC or Cruise Line.

 

If one must go of only excursions provided by the cruise line so be it.....

 

So they are trying to herd the cats..... if you don't like it..... nobody is forcing you to go on the cruise 

That might be true down under but not here in the USA.  Up until a few days ago our CDC (the national public health agency) had demanded in their Conditional Sail Order that ships, as part of their planning to get approval, must only allow folks ashore as part of a supervised ship excursion that maintained a safe "bubble."  What this meant was that any cruise that involved even a single US Port would need to follow this dictate if they wanted any chance of getting their CDC approval (necessary for any ship visiting a US Port).  By Friday (you can look at my older post where I asked who knows what they will do by Friday) it seem that the CDC changed their rules to allow folks to go ashore without being part of an excursion.  That being said, our CDC has yet to approve a single ship and as of today have yet to issue the necessary "Phase 3" rules that are necessary in order for the cruise lines to resume operations involving US Ports.

 

So the bottom line is that when folks hear that our CDC has relaxed their requirements, are working with the cruise lines, etc. it is almost laughable.  As this point, despite all the rhetoric it is impossible for any cruise ship to meet the CDC's requirements since that agency as stubbornly refused to release the actual detail of Phase 3.  Of course this may all change by next Monday and then perhaps change again on Tuesday etc etc.

 

Hank 

[cruisemom42]

59 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Up until a few days ago our CDC (the national public health agency) had demanded in their Conditional Sail Order that ships, as part of their planning to get approval, must only allow folks ashore as part of a supervised ship excursion that maintained a safe "bubble." 

 

Accuracy check:

 

CDC nowhere mentioned shore excursions being mandatory in the original CSO. In fact this was not included at all until the revised technical information was released on May 5th.  

 

So I hardly think it is far to say that the CDC has required it "up until a few days ago".  

 

I suspect it was added to the May 5th instructions out of a sense of frustration that the cruise lines were not universally planning to move ahead with vaccinated passengers only. And if that were, true, then mandated shore excursions might make some sense from an infection point of view (much as I personally abhor them).

 

[Hlitner]

4 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Accuracy check:

 

CDC nowhere mentioned shore excursions being mandatory in the original CSO. In fact this was not included at all until the revised technical information was released on May 5th.  

 

So I hardly think it is far to say that the CDC has required it "up until a few days ago".  

 

I suspect it was added to the May 5th instructions out of a sense of frustration that the cruise lines were not universally planning to move ahead with vaccinated passengers only. And if that were, true, then mandated shore excursions might make some sense from an infection point of view (much as I personally abhor them).

 

I do remain corrected and should have mentioned that mandatory shore excursions were added on May 5 before it was modified the following week (one wonders what will change next week) to rescind that restriction....maybe!.  But also consider that the CSO, to this day, does not include the necessary instructions or guidance that can get anything approved.  So the cruise lines waited months for guidance on Phase 2A and now they are waiting for Phase 3, etc etc.  Why does all this matter to me?  Because we had an October MSC cruise booked (until yesterday) that was a 14 day booking (back to back) out of Miami.   Nobody can answer the question as to whether we would even be able to take a back to back...given the current CSO.  Even MSC admits they are not clear on the issue so they finally stopped selling a 14 day cruise (back to back 7 day cruises) on their web site but did not cancel our 14 day booking because they admit they have no clue as to what will be allowed by the CDC.

 

So this week we booked a 14 day Seabourn out of Barbados (not subject to anything CDC) and cancelled MSC.  Another concern DW had about that MSC cruise was that the CDC might say it is OK but then put on some kind of going ashore restriction (such as needing to book excursions) whereas Seabourn will not do such a thing on their cruise since they are not subject to the CDC rules (which now seem to changing several times a week).  And we now have the further complication of Florida's new anti-vaccination certificate law which really tosses a monkey wrench into an already messy situation.

 

Hank

P.S. If it's Tuesday you need to wear a mask.  If it is Thursday no need to wear a mask.  But wait, you still need to wear a mask outdoors on cruise ships.....or do you?

 

Hank