Spain on your own?

[milepig]

I just saw a post in the Windstar Facebook page that you can now get off ship on your own in Spain.  It this was posted here, I apologize. Can anyone confirm and I’m curious if there’s testing involved. 

[Barrycat]

Spain is now one of the countries where independent touring is allowed by Windstar. 

[BruceMuzz]

Correction: Spain is now one of the countries whose Government has allowed Windstar and other cruise lines to have independent touring.

[milepig]

1 hour ago, BruceMuzz said:

Correction: Spain is now one of the countries whose Government has allowed Windstar and other cruise lines to have independent touring.

Point taken. Meanwhile, for those of us who are traveling, does this mean a return to the days when we could just disembark at, say, Malaga and walk around and have some coffee and visit a museum and then have a little lunch and  just get back on board? It all seems too easy. 
 

I have many fond memories of a morning tour followed by lunch on board and then an afternoon walkabout before a siesta. 

Edited October 3, 2021 by milepig

[Strenz]

Milepig, I am dreaming of being able to do that again. Fond memories, I hired a guide, went to Picasso museum, lunch on board, afternoon exploring and an ice cream cone, back on board to read a sentence on deck followed by a great snooze in the salt air. The good life! Happy Return to Sailing for you. 

[sb44]

Hopefully the rest will be following shortly and we will be back on board. To me the requirement of going in a van or bus, which means close contact with others, is not something I'll be doing. We went to Bermuda on another line last month and were able to get off on our own to explore. It was wonderful! The next cruise people who were in close contact with those who wound up Covid positive were removed from the ship for having been in their presence for more than 15 minutes. That was quite a wakeup. We have always toured on our own and intend to continue that when that option resumes in other countries. I can't imagine being taken off a ship because I was in the same van with someone who later tested positive. I have enough aggravation in my life without that!

[Pudgesmom]

We had a great time at the beach in Malaga (actually Torremolinos short cab ride) in 2019 at this beach bar. We rented chairs and umbrellas for the day. It was easy to get a cab back to the ship. The Sangria and music were perfect.  https://www.playamiguel.es/

Edited October 3, 2021 by Pudgesmom

[new_cruiser]

Here's the page where Windstar lists the exceptions to the excursion policy:

https://www.windstarcruises.com/health-safety/shore-excursions/

 

The current list is: "Exceptions where guests are allowed ashore to explore on their own: Tahiti, Greece, Croatia, Spain, Gibraltar, and Costa Rica."

 

[milepig]

13 hours ago, Strenz said:

Milepig, I am dreaming of being able to do that again. Fond memories, I hired a guide, went to Picasso museum, lunch on board, afternoon exploring and an ice cream cone, back on board to read a sentence on deck followed by a great snooze in the salt air. The good life! Happy Return to Sailing for you. 

Exactly, except you left out the G&T served by a smiling server. 
 

malaga was where we learned what happens when you miss the departure. 2 young

cruisers fell asleep on the beach. They didn’t show, WS offloaded their passports and off we went. They showed up the next day showing no remorse, having taken the train overnight.