Covid entry requirements for countries on Quest 29th March

[difranco]

As a UK resident fully vaccinated with booster dose I have just carried out a preliminary check on covid entry requirements for all countries we are visiting during our Quest cruise on 29th March 2022.

Obviously this is only a snap shot as of today and will no doubt change as we approach the commencement of a new month ahead of the Easter break.

1. Entry flight from UK to Lisbon Portugal = No testing pre or post arrival, proof of Covid vaccination in your possession, a Portuguese passenger locator form must be completed online within 92 hours of arrival.

2. Entry into Morocco by sea = Can only find information on arrival by aircraft, however, possibly the same by sea. Proof of covid vaccination, negative a PCR test 48 hours prior to arrival, completion of a health form.

3. Entry into Gibraltar = From 18th March the same as mainland UK. No pre arrival tests required, however, UK online passenger locator form must be completed within 48 hours of arrival.

4. Entry into Spain = No pre arrival tests required, however, this is based on arrival from the UK and could be different having visited Morocco within the previous 10 days. Online Spanish health form needs to be completed by all vaccinated travellers.

5. Entry into Portugal for the second time = 2nd Portuguese passenger locator form.  Visit to Morocco my require testing prior to arrival.

6. Return to the UK = 2nd passenger locator form within 48hrs of arrival.

 

Confused, so am I. Not only must we avoid close contact before arriving  in Lisbon through fear of testing positive on embarkation, but there is a myriad of forms to fill out online before arrival in each country.

Are cruise ships exempt? I doubt it.

This is the first Azamara cruise in the Med/North Africa since 2020 and I hope they are going to assist with all entry requirements once we set sail. If not we will need free internet minutes to fill out the forms and generate QR codes and provide Testing facilities.

Has anyone else checked the above, as although we are now consumed with the Ukraine humanitarian crisis, Covid (Omicron) hasn’t gone away.

 

[john1970]

We are booked on Pursuit on April 2nd. We are also trying to work out what we need to do for the ports we are visiting. We leave from Spain so for UK passport holders with a covid pass that is easy. It's the onward visits that are not so clear. As you say I don't fancy fighting ship wifi to complete all the documents as a lot of them can't be done before we leave the UK. I know it's not possible for Azamara to give individual advice but it would be good to know if they have any processes that cover all passengers. I know for visas they sometimes have a whole ship visa and wondered if they had something similar. 

[uktog]

Only worry about entry to country of embarkation as Azamara worries about the rest and tells you what to do if anything. Recheck your UK/ home country rules about 72 hours before arrival again if you need tests Azamara will get them if you’re heading home within 24 hours of disembarkation 

[john1970]

13 minutes ago, uktog said:

Only worry about entry to country of embarkation as Azamara worries about the rest and tells you what to do if anything. Recheck your UK/ home country rules about 72 hours before arrival again if you need tests Azamara will get them if you’re heading home within 24 hours of disembarkation 

Thanks a lot. That makes sense. 

[anniesh]

Thanks uktog.

We ,like John are on the April 2nd Pursuit cruise.

Azamara have only just informed us that our 9-15 flight to Barcelona is now 6-15.

I am sure ,once onboard ,the staff will be wonderful , as always but since the change of ownership there is a lot to be desired from the office.

[Riocca]

The flight change is probably not an Azamara problem, British Airways have been cancelling and consolidating a number of flights since lifting of the pandemic restrictions.

We do our own flights and have been keeping a careful eye on our flights to Nice, currently there are 9 Heathrow to Nice flights scheduled for the 1st May, but this has often been consolidated to 4 or 5 flights recently at quite short notice.

[ECCruise]

5 hours ago, anniesh said:

Thanks uktog.

We ,like John are on the April 2nd Pursuit cruise.

Azamara have only just informed us that our 9-15 flight to Barcelona is now 6-15.

I am sure ,once onboard ,the staff will be wonderful , as always but since the change of ownership there is a lot to be desired from the office.

Of the 20 or so flights that we have taken or have scheduled recently, I can offhand think of less than a half dozen that have NOT been changed (some a lot more than 3 hours)

Unless Azamara changed the airline provider, I can't see how it would be their problem, new owners or old.

[Mrs Miggins]

Our Barcelona BA flight on April 16th to Barcelona has also been changed to 6.15.  Hope that our early arrival means we will board early, rather than the 2 p.m. that others are quoting.

[EdinburghTim]

We're on a Silversea cruise in May and were told this week

'We have been advised that, unfortunately, Morocco remains closed to cruise ships. As such we have amended the itinerary to now visit Gibraltar in lieu of Tangier, Morocco.

Don't know if this is an accurate statement, but if true, the concern over the Covid entry requirements for Morocco may well be moot. Anyway, as uktog says, Azamara take care of all the various testing requirements once on board.

[floridafolks]

Also I believe Viking Jupiter had a scheduled stop in Casablanca Morocco on April 3  that has been cancelled. They have already received a revised schedule plus OBC and 25% FCC as they lost a couple other stops as well on a 21 day cruise. 

 

In regard to the Mar 29th Quest sailing referenced by OP,  we have scheduled stops in both Agadir and Casablanca  on a 7 day Morocco and Iberia voyage. I can imagine Azamara would be looking at alternate plans in case ports are closed. In these times, flexibility is a must.  
 

[KirkNC]

We are currently on Quest and staying on through Morocco and have not heard about any changes yet but obviously anything is possible.

[ddpe]

Thanks for posting.  I am on April 5 Portugal to Barcelona.  We do not know if we need to fill out Spain QR code as we want to take a private excursion for sherry tasting.  This is very stressful.  Almost not worth a vacation at all.  I will have to lug all my work stuff throughout the vacation in case I get stuck with Covid in Spain.

[difranco]

Spoke to Azamara Customer Services this morning and they have confirmed the following regarding covid entry requirements.

Regarding Morocco, they are still planning to sail to both Agadir and Casablanca. The PCR test carried out on embarkation on 29th will still be within the 48hr window for entry into Morocco (Agadir) and as we will not have left Moroccan territorial waters to get to Casablanca there will be no requirement for an additional PCR test.

Passenger locator forms will still be needed for entry into Gibraltar and Spain, plus when returning to Portugal. AZAMARA will be assisting with these forms and generating QR codes.

IMHO the only reason AZAMARA are still entertaining ports of call in Morocco for this cruise is the fact that the negative embarkation PCR tests will still be valid.

Other cruise lines with larger ships visiting Morocco beyond 48hrs from the embarkation PCR test would need to re-test all passengers. This could throw up a large number of positive cases which would become their liability whilst still on board.

Random test by all port authorities could be a possibility so it is a good idea to be covid safe whilst on board.

[floridafolks]

58 minutes ago, difranco said:

Spoke to Azamara Customer Services this morning and they have confirmed the following regarding covid entry requirements.

Regarding Morocco, they are still planning to sail to both Agadir and Casablanca. The PCR test carried out on embarkation on 29th will still be within the 48hr window for entry into Morocco (Agadir) and as we will not have left Moroccan territorial waters to get to Casablanca there will be no requirement for an additional PCR test.

Passenger locator forms will still be needed for entry into Gibraltar and Spain, plus when returning to Portugal. AZAMARA will be assisting with these forms and generating QR codes.

IMHO the only reason AZAMARA are still entertaining ports of call in Morocco for this cruise is the fact that the negative embarkation PCR tests will still be valid.

Other cruise lines with larger ships visiting Morocco beyond 48hrs from the embarkation PCR test would need to re-test all passengers. This could throw up a large number of positive cases which would become their liability whilst still on board.

Random test by all port authorities could be a possibility so it is a good idea to be covid safe whilst on board.

That is interesting as I thought that the test at embarkation was an antigen test where result come back quickly. 

[EdinburghTim]

Testing at embarkation is a lateral flow (antigen) test. You get your results in about 15 minutes. It would take several hours and a sizable laboratory with skilled technicians to process pcr tests for several hundred embarking passengers.

Perhaps Az have agreed with Morocco that this antigen testing is sufficient because I agree, it's pretty late in the day to start changing ports for the end of March but you never know? Anyway, I wouldn't get stressed about it. You have to be flexible in the era of Covid and 'go with the flow'. Wherever you end up,  you will have a wonderful time aboard Az!

[difranco]

Customer service agent stated PCR test, however, what she stated and what is reality could be something completely differen't.

Official Moroccan entry website states PCR test.

It maybe a good idea if passengers boarding on the transatlantic on 17th March who are staying on for this cruise put the question to those in charge of covid management.

 

[Mrs Skip]

Thanks @difranco for checking this out.  I have added to the Roll Call for our cruise.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forum/338-azamara-quest-roll-calls/

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone 2 weeks today (all going well) !

 

[difranco]

It’s official, Morocco is off the menu.

Was pretty obvious from looking at Moroccan tourist websites but Azamara slow off the blocks.

Unfortunately no Arabian nights just Almeria and Malaga. Not quite the same.

 

Email received below:-

 

Dear Azamara Guest,

We're writing to inform you of an important change regarding your upcoming voyage scheduled to depart on March 29, 2022 on Azamara Quest®.

Morocco's government has restricted all cruise ships from entering any of their ports. As a result, we've cancelled our calls to Morocco and will instead make our way to Almeria and Malaga, Spain. We're confident that these alternative additions will be well worth the trip, and we can't wait for you to immerse yourself in their fascinating histories and cultures. In addition, you'll find that you will now get a full day in Gibraltar, giving you more time to explore this destination at a slower pace. Full itinerary details can be found in the chart below.

Rest assured, any shore excursions purchased for Agadir and Casablanca through Azamara will be automatically canceled and fully refunded to the original form of payment. 

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause; however, these changes are the result of Azamara's continued efforts to bring you the best possible shore side experience. Should you have any questions, or need guidance of what you can explore in Almeria and Malaga please visit https://www.azamara.com/contact-us for your local Azamara call center number. 

We look forward to welcome you aboard in Lisbon. 

Sincerely,

AZAMARA®

[Mrs Skip]

45 minutes ago, difranco said:

It’s official, Morocco is off the menu.

Was pretty obvious from looking at Moroccan tourist websites but Azamara slow off the blocks.

Unfortunately no Arabian nights just Almeria and Malaga. Not quite the same.

 

Email received below:-

 

Dear Azamara Guest,

We're writing to inform you of an important change regarding your upcoming voyage scheduled to depart on March 29, 2022 on Azamara Quest®.

Morocco's government has restricted all cruise ships from entering any of their ports. As a result, we've cancelled our calls to Morocco and will instead make our way to Almeria and Malaga, Spain. We're confident that these alternative additions will be well worth the trip, and we can't wait for you to immerse yourself in their fascinating histories and cultures. In addition, you'll find that you will now get a full day in Gibraltar, giving you more time to explore this destination at a slower pace. Full itinerary details can be found in the chart below.

Rest assured, any shore excursions purchased for Agadir and Casablanca through Azamara will be automatically canceled and fully refunded to the original form of payment. 

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause; however, these changes are the result of Azamara's continued efforts to bring you the best possible shore side experience. Should you have any questions, or need guidance of what you can explore in Almeria and Malaga please visit https://www.azamara.com/contact-us for your local Azamara call center number. 

We look forward to welcome you aboard in Lisbon. 

Sincerely,

AZAMARA®

This is disappointing but in the big scheme of things ….

[Baynanno1]

I guess that as the world evolves and more countries open up, Azamara must have been hoping Morocco would follow suit prior to the scheduled stops.

[Grandma Cruising]

A trip to the Alhambra in Almeria is well worth it.

Edited March 19, 2022 by Grandma Cruising