Independent Shore Excursions in Italy - are they allowed

[cinbeach]

Anyone sailing on Viking now in Italy - have you been able to get off the ship and do your own private shore excursions.  I have planned a Private Tour in Florence next week  and my guide is asking me for a Letter From Viking itself on their Letterhead that we will be able to get off and do the Tour.

 

Thank you for help

[TayanaLorna]

In your My Viking Journey, if you click on Pre-Cruise Embarkation Requirements, a pdf will download.  Yours should be called RestartPreCruiseRequirement-Italy-US CAN UK Final.  Read every word of this document, don't just skim it.  There are things you should be doing 2-7 days before your cruise.  Ours for Spain has Independent Exploration on page 3 under During Your Cruise.  

[Twitchly]

2 hours ago, cinbeach said:

Anyone sailing on Viking now in Italy - have you been able to get off the ship and do your own private shore excursions.  I have planned a Private Tour in Florence next week  and my guide is asking me for a Letter From Viking itself on their Letterhead that we will be able to get off and do the Tour.

 

Thank you for help

In My Viking Journey, under “Important Information About Your Cruise,” it says: “Some cities in Italy do not allow independent exploration at this time.” It goes on to say that things could change any time. It doesn’t mention any cities by name. I imagine Viking would know if Florence is among them.

[bbtondo]

Just got off the viking sea today and in Rome at our post cruise hotel. We have scheduled private tours in Rome. You're free to do and go where you want.

 

 Did 2 days in Florence on viking sea excursions.  We enjoyed them. Both tours had lunch included at really cute restaurants.  Also some free time for shopping. No private tours allowed per italy for cruise passengers. 

 

yup, doesn't make sense for fully vaccinated,  negative covid test,, tested everyday and contact tracing. Their country their rules.. This was our first viking cruise and first trip to Europe.  

[JeriGail]

31 minutes ago, bbtondo said:

Just got off the viking sea today and in Rome at our post cruise hotel. We have scheduled private tours in Rome. You're free to do and go where you want.

 

 Did 2 days in Florence on viking sea excursions.  We enjoyed them. Both tours had lunch included at really cute restaurants.  Also some free time for shopping. No private tours allowed per italy for cruise passengers. 

 

yup, doesn't make sense for fully vaccinated,  negative covid test,, tested everyday and contact tracing. Their country their rules.. This was our first viking cruise and first trip to Europe.  

I'm on the Sea on 11/29/2021 for a TA to San Juan.  Was the World Café still crew served or was it self-serve?  This will also be my first Viking cruise and my first trip to Europe.

[mjox32]

No independent shore excursions allowed in Italy.   You have to stay in your ship bubble.   We are on a cruise now and spent a week touring Rome and Venice on our own before embarking.  Once we boarded our ship we could only go ashore with the ships tours.   

 

[Mich3554]

Not right now.  We are in Livorno right now and all excursions are Viking only, nothing independent.  

[Mich3554]

15 hours ago, JeriGail said:

I'm on the Sea on 11/29/2021 for a TA to San Juan.  Was the World Café still crew served or was it self-serve?  This will also be my first Viking cruise and my first trip to Europe.

Self serve.  
 

I have noticed that staff comes through and replaces serving utensils very regularly.

[uktog]

44 minutes ago, Mich3554 said:

Self serve.  
 

I have noticed that staff comes through and replaces serving utensils very regularly.

Oh dear, thats an eating venue off our list then

[Cienfuegos]

Going to self serve in the World Cafe strikes me as a big step backward.

[Mich3554]

17 hours ago, Cienfuegos said:

Going to self serve in the World Cafe strikes me as a big step backward.

Why?  Fomites have been determined that they are not the greatest source of covid infection.  Aerosols are.  

[1985rz1]

COVID is not the only virus to worry about.  Norovirus, for example, can be a real problem. It is transmitted on surfaces, particularly from pax who relax their vigilance of often and thorough handwashing.

[Twitchly]

So back to Italy … for our upcoming cruise, I’m now able to book excursions in MVJ. But I noticed that there are still no excursions listed for Rome. I called Viking to ask about it and was told that Rome currently has some “travel restrictions.” Don’t know what that means, but the Viking rep said they hoped to get things ironed out within the next couple of weeks. 
 

We were able to book excursions for our other Italy stop (Naples). So it looks like there are some differences among cities.

[Cienfuegos]

8 hours ago, Mich3554 said:

Why?  Fomites have been determined that they are not the greatest source of covid infection.  Aerosols are.  

 

"Not the greatest source" doesn't fill me with confidence. The norovirus is another concern.

 

I mentioned the Viking guests declining to wash hands when entering World Cafe two years ago. Even when requested.

[Mich3554]

15 hours ago, Cienfuegos said:

 

"Not the greatest source" doesn't fill me with confidence. The norovirus is another concern.

 

I mentioned the Viking guests declining to wash hands when entering World Cafe two years ago. Even when requested.

EVERYONE washes now.  Declining isn’t accepted.  I have been on this ship since 10/31, eaten many meals in World Cafe and have yet to see anyone balk at being requested to wash their hands.

[Mich3554]

17 hours ago, Twitchly said:

So back to Italy … for our upcoming cruise, I’m now able to book excursions in MVJ. But I noticed that there are still no excursions listed for Rome. I called Viking to ask about it and was told that Rome currently has some “travel restrictions.” Don’t know what that means, but the Viking rep said they hoped to get things ironed out within the next couple of weeks. 
 

We were able to book excursions for our other Italy stop (Naples). So it looks like there are some differences among cities.

We wound up booking our Rome excursions once we got on board.  They weren’t available until then.  

[Twitchly]

2 hours ago, Mich3554 said:

We wound up booking our Rome excursions once we got on board.  They weren’t available until then.  

Interesting. Wonder what the issue is.

[Mich3554]

1 hour ago, Twitchly said:

Interesting. Wonder what the issue is.

Clueless.  It was one of the first things we did when we got on board, along with the switch of booking excursions from Turkey to Santorini.  
 

As I said earlier, I got the impression from one of the Italian tour guides we had that things changed on a dime and Viking has to pivot quickly.  Rome was one of the cities we visited that we had the tightest tour bubble.   Maybe Viking wants the flexibility to offer something ‘looser’ if regulations change?  This is just speculating on my part, but if Italian regulations loosen and Viking has locked in a specific type of tour, then Viking guests are going to be all kinds of ticked off if they can’t roam.

[bbtondo]

On 11/8/2021 at 8:32 PM, JeriGail said:

I'm on the Sea on 11/29/2021 for a TA to San Juan.  Was the World Café still crew served or was it self-serve?  This will also be my first Viking cruise and my first trip to Europe.

Self serve on the sea last week.

[bbtondo]

We ended our sea cruise in Rome yesterday.  We were there for 4 days. Booked private tours no problem!  The Vatican museum was wonderful! No crowds. 

 

[ctparson]

Any updates to this policy? ALL of our ports are in Italy!!  Really want to be about to walk about.

Thanks.

[claranda]

As of 21 January, Viking was still saying:

Independent Exploration: At this time, we expect to allow independent exploration ashore for departures beginning March 1, 2022 or later. However, please note that Viking’s medical team continues to monitor conditions in all destinations to which we operate and may adjust this policy as necessary at the time of travel.

I can find nothing from Italian or EU websites on this subject and the Viking statement is very vague. So hope for the best and be resigned if it doesn’t happen. The way things are going, I should expect a relaxation from Italy pretty soon.

[lackcreativity]

1 hour ago, claranda said:

As of 21 January, Viking was still saying:

Independent Exploration: At this time, we expect to allow independent exploration ashore for departures beginning March 1, 2022 or later. However, please note that Viking’s medical team continues to monitor conditions in all destinations to which we operate and may adjust this policy as necessary at the time of travel.

I can find nothing from Italian or EU websites on this subject and the Viking statement is very vague. So hope for the best and be resigned if it doesn’t happen. The way things are going, I should expect a relaxation from Italy pretty soon.

We leave for the Mediterranean in April and have received the same email. While that news is promising, the last two years have taught me that things can change rapidly and unexpectedly. I am committed to enjoying our first cruise in three years in whatever form it takes.

[austinetc]

For us, the question is essentially academic. We don't plan to cancel the cruise (in April), regardless of Viking's policy. What concerns we have goes both ways. If we're required to stay in Viking groups we'll miss some oppurtunities ashore, but we'll have more confidence that our shipmates aren't getting infected.  If we can roam free we'll have a more rewarding experience, but also a persisting fear that some shipmates may bring the virus on board.

 

Of course, if we stay home we'll miss the adventure AND have to contend with 36% of the population being unvacinated. RIght now I consider a Viking cruise ship safer than my local Alberton's. 

[Mrs Miggins]

Italy - fully vaccinated 77.5%