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Amsterdam has nothing to do with the CDC ;-). If RCI is dropping the tests it will be August 1st (as NCL, Regent, Oceania). So no chance that you won´t need a test for next Tuesday out of Amsterdam steamboats

Ups, sorry, I didn´t realize you´re in Livorno. I was automatically thinking of La Spezia. steamboats

I can only provide photos of our cabin which was a triple with a small sofa bed. steamboats

You can either take the train or the boat to Cinque Terre without any kind of tour (ship or private). steamboats

But I´ve never seen an OV or inside with the bed against the wall and the TV on the wall on the foot side of the bed. It´s also only one matress. Even if an OV or inside is not very spacious you can access the bed from both sides, you have a bed which can be separated with two matresses. steamboats

Looks more like a crew cabin than a passenger cabin. steamboats

Here are some photos and a short video of the ship and the guests standing on the sun deck in their robes. The incident happened yesterday morning around 8 am. 115 guests, a total of 151 (pax and crew). Nobody was injured but the cabin can´t be used anymore. steamboats

Be aware that most of them are made in China... For a real German one you have to pay a real high price... steamboats

@HeinBloed you can confirm that the shuttle bus is back to Largo della Pace since late June. steamboats

This is correct. steamboats

I read an article in a local newspaper yesterday interviewing someone of the authorities responsible for the traffic on the Danube river. That person said that river cruise ships with a deeper draft might get alrealy into troubles. Freight ships are still o.k. when taking less freight. The gauges are falling and there´s no rain in the forecast. We do expect a heat wave with extreme high temps. steamboats

Here´s what you can see in Messina itself - but we did a lot of walking that day. steamboats

It´s a couple of years ago I´ve been to Messina (2016 to be exact, been there last year too but not off the ship). I did take a photo of the taxi price list so this may help as orientation. The prices are for sure a bit higher now. steamboats

Actually I once met a male therapist when I toured the spa. It turned out that he was German (as we are) so we talked for a while. He was a German phyisotherapist and wanted to explore the world by working on a ship. steamboats

You don´t need any passport information for booking a flight. You need the passport for check-in (either online or at the counter). steamboats

NHS = National Health Service (in UK) steamboats

True is that you don´t need a mandatory Covid insurance for all bookings starting July 1st 2022. So by "threatening" you they just wanted to sell you insurance or tell you that it´s still a good thing to have insurance. steamboats

In Genoa you can just walk off the ship and are directly at the historic city center. But be aware that for many areas you have to walk upwards (with mainly cobblestone streets). steamboats

You missed out the sentence prior to your quote: For the best European cruise experience, we strongly recommend guests be “up to date” on their COVID-19 vaccination per the European Medicines Agency (EMA). So you can cruise with being "fully vaccinated" but not "up to date" (boostered). But you might face extra costs due to extra tests. steamboats

No, RCI only recommends the booster but does not require it. Anyway Spain does require the booster for entering the country if your second shot is older than 270 days. Plus you need to fill in the online health form. France does require a test which is either done onboard or in the terminal and it´s 55 USD. As you are not regarded as "up to date" when your last shot is older than 270 days you might need another test returning to Spain. It´s not for the flight to the US. steamboats

Wow, really just 10 $??? Back in 2011 there was no free port shuttle and the RCI shuttle was 14 $!! steamboats

But actually only 6% of the visitors were coming by cruise ship. The cruise ships were never the problem regarding overtourism in Venice. steamboats

You are absolutely fine with a booster! No extra test needed for shore stops. The booster does not have an expiration date here in Europe. You are "up to date". steamboats

Actually all specialty coffees are Starbucks onboard POA. Coffee in restaurants is only offered as after dinner coffee (and then would be included). Currently the only place to get coffee is the John Adam´s Café at the Atrium. MDR is currently not open for breakfast or lunch - only for dinner. There is no coffee machine at the Aloha Café, so no specialty coffees at the buffet. There is a coffee machine at the Lanai Bar (outside of the Aloha Café) but that one is currently also closed. As I do not really like Starbucks and the coffee at the Aloha Café is sort of undrinkable (yeah, hot brown water) I had a hard time. And the lines at the John Adam´s Café were very long each morning. BTW in some ports there is a local tax and even with the package you get charged the tax. On the other side if you do have a drink which is more than 15 USD you only pay the difference (plus 20% service charge plus tax...). An Espresso Martini is 18 USD. You can find all menus in my review. steamboats

BTW MSC is also offering a (paid) shuttle from Steinwerder to Hamburg Central Station and also from Kiel Central Station to Ostuferhafen. steamboats