ugagrad97

Excellent point. With the time change, it actually helps us if we test in the states though.

Excellent question. I was going off 72 hours from the airline. We aren't vaccinated, so we had to have a covid test to even just fly into Barcelona. And our airline said 72 hours for a PCR test. However, it looks like Spain is changing their flight arrival rules LITERALLY TODAY. So not sure we even need that test anymore. But you're right. To board NCL, their language just says two days and three days. Ugh. We are going to get covid tests for the flight just in case (we leave in two days) since the rule change is so recent. Not sure if/when the airlines will keep up and adopt the new change, so we are doing the test anyway as a precaution.

Yep...UGA Grad!!! Class of 1997! Lol. Love my internet user name. I've been using it probably since 1997 too. Haha. GO DAWGS!!!

We have to covid test for our upcoming cruise. If it leaves boards and leaves on a Sunday, can we get a covid test on Thursday late afternoon? That truly is less than 72 hours. Just making sure they don't count the day you get your test as day one, and then two days after that. Only reason this is important is that our flight is Thursday night, so it would be a lot easier to test Thursday in our local area where we know where to go. If we have to wait until Friday, we will be testing in a foreign country and completely at the mercy of our hotel suggesting where to test. I'm thinking Thursday late afternoon is fine, but just thought I'd ask the group. Thanks.

I asked this question two weeks ago, but the topic has gotten so buried. (If anyone knows how to delete a previous post, I would love to go delete the first one and just leave this one active.) I know the Epic in particular is doing the Med with embarkation in Barcelona and a port stop later in Palma. There has been one full cruise completed since the vaccine rules changed on 9/3 and allow unvaccinated on board. The second cruise since the rules changed is underway right now. So, I'm curious what the on board testing might look like to get off at the different ports in Spain. (They say you might be subject to additional testing throughout the cruise if the Spanish government requires.) Did that happen? Did anyone have to test mid vacation on board so you could get off in Palma again toward the end of the trip? How many days in advance did they test you? PCR or rapid antigen? No judgement. No opinions. No criticism. FACTS ONLY, please. Everyone has made their personal choice, and this was ours. We know we have to have a negative test to board in Barcelona (or a letter of recovery), but weren't sure what to expect during the cruise as the Palma port comes around or what to expect on the final day when we get off in Barcelona again. Or was anyone on the Epic (vaccinated) but observed some of what was going on with unvaccinated passengers?

I believe if you book a cruise while the vaccine rules state one thing and then they change them later, making you not eligible to cruise, they will refund your money. They would have to. Think I saw something to this effect somewhere on their website. I'd double check, but that just doesn't sound right if they would keep your money.

That would be great. How do you know this though? Are you on board now? The country guidance for Spain says you could be tested periodically on board. Allowing unvaccinated persons on board is brand new this week. So there's only one cruise that has gone out, visiting Spain, with anyone unvaccinated on board. The Epic left Barcelona on the 4th and then it picked up more in Rome on the 6th. Those folks aren't even back yet.

Curious what the on board testing might look like to get off at the different ports in Spain. Barcelona and Palma I guess are the two I can think of. Did you test on board? How many days in advance? PCR or rapid antigen? No judgement. No opinions. No criticism. Facts only please. Everyone has made their personal choice and this was ours. My husband and I are not vaccinated and we will be taking the Epic out of Barcelona on the 25th. So we're just wondering what to expect. We know we have to have a negative test to board but weren't sure what to expect when the Palma port comes around or what to expect on the final day when we get back off in Barcelona.

We are going late September and would also just like a lazy beach day. This is our last port after a week long cruise of lots of sight seeing. We just want to relax. What would be your best recommendation for a beach day? Is late September too cold?

NCL updated their country specific guidance two days ago. Any country with a specific requirement or deviation is listed in a very easy to understand grid/chart now. It wasn't as straight forward before. I commend whomever thought charts are easy to read and understand and made every country into a chart. You mentioned Belgium and France. There aren't any country specific guidelines for those. However, nearby Spain does have country specific rules. So if you're unvaccinated and not visiting one of the country specific locations, I think all you have to do is comply with NCL's initial boarding requirement for an unvaccinated individual of having a negative covid test.

Everyone cruising on the Epic in various different weeks of September are posting on FB that they're receiving emails a few weeks before their cruise that it's still closed and each cabin is getting $50 credit as an accommodation. So it sounds for sure like they don't expect it to be open at least for most of the September cruises. I'm late September on the Epic and haven't gotten this email yet. But the Sept 4th and 11th cruises sound like they did. The online chatter doesn't sound promising. Sounds like a fairly big issue with the smoke stacks and soot.

Question on St Peters and Vatican regarding clothing. I have seen that women need to cover their shoulders and likely their knees. Is the knees true for men too? Meaning does my husband need pants for this. I believe we were thinking he could wear nice khaki shorts, but figured I would double check. Never good to assume.

So generous of you Disney when all the other cruise lines are dropping mandates completely. Just don't get it. Long time Disney lover. Been on like 7 Disney cruises. Shareholder. The company is not headed in the right direction. Good grief.

Do we think their country specific guidance for Spain is wrong though? I have googled and googled and googled, and in June, Spain changed their rules. You can test or have a letter of recovery even if you're not vaccinated, let alone not boosted. The fourth bullet under NCL's guidelines for Spain seem to indicate you can test or have a letter, but that bullet is under another bullet that implies you need the first primary vaccination series. That's where I think their website is wrong. Anyone actually know what's going on in Spain? Curious because we'd like to take unvaccinated kids on a Med cruise this September while school is on fall break.

Thanks. I understand all of this. I have done my research on Spain. I just wasn't interpreting the NCL rule the same way you did because of the "primary series" language in their second bullet point. The bottom line, though, is NCL can still do whatever they want with their ships. So while I know I can go to Spain without any vaccine (and just a test instead) via Delta airlines, that wasn't how I interpreted NCL's rules. So I'm not convinced they will allow us on the ship. They can deny me and my party boarding on their ship if they don't think I've complied with THEIR rules. One would hope that on September 3rd, NCL comes out with clear instructions for everyone who works at every single one of their ports worldwide, focusing particularly on the ports that have different local rules, and that something like this wouldn't happen. But until we pass September 3rd and some people have real world experience (or if they amend their website), we don't really know how NCL views that last bullet point. For me, I would like NCL to amend their language on the website to make it crystal clear before I book a cruise with unvaccinated persons in the party. We are looking at September so it would not even be just the deposit at this point. The entire balance would be due. That's too much money on the hook. Have fun in October. Sounds like a great trip. We're looking at a similar trip but must be just a few days less because we aren't looking at one that includes Portugal. We're looking just the 7 day round trip out of Barcelona on the Epic.

Curious why then they even need to single Spain out on their country specific guidance. Is it because a vaccinated guest with an expired booster might think they don't have to test and they're trying to prevent that misunderstanding? So you really think an unvaccinated person can take a Med cruise with just a test? I mean, that's the way I read Spain's rules. But you're the first to point out that NCL's last bullet should be (could be) interpreted for a completely unvaccinated individual. On their website, that last bullet point is actually indented UNDER the second bullet, which implies a guest has his/her "primary series," so that's where I was getting tripped up.

Yep, it's like a different person wrote the guidance for each country. There's nothing uniform about the way it's all laid out. And it is confusing. Charts are a great idea and the way to go.

Hilarious. I'm the same way. Coke is better than Pepsi. Diet Pepsi is better than Diet Coke. But Coke Zero is better than both! Someone said they didn't think NCL was going to offer Coke Zero though. What a bummer. Maybe it's just my perception, but I think Coke Zero is more popular than Diet Coke now.

I agree. That's not how I interpret NCL's website though. Wish someone in their corporate office would get their act together and update their site guidance for Spain now that they have waived the vaccine requirement as a company. I'll either book with someone else (Royal) which isn't what I want, or I can wait about one more week and hope for NCL. End of September is school break so I'm running out of time. Grrr. Surely this is someone's job at NCL.

But what if no original vaccine at all. I would love to hope that means that those travelers are considered the same as someone not boosted, thus test. But that's not good enough to book a cruise for thousands of dollars. Especially when it does have that clause that says "after the primary series." When you call or online chat them, those agents can only regurgitate what they read on the website. So it's a mystery that really needs clarification. On Spain's ministry of health websites, it's clear. Unvaccinated (not just lacking a booster) are welcome with a test. But can't risk that if NCL's rules don't mirror that.

Just be careful to note that those are the rules from other EU countries. Not from the US. Not sure where you live of course. But I'm in the US. I have researched coming into Spain from the US though since that's what applies to me on other sites like their ministry of health site. I still think NCL's rules are outdated as they pertain to Spain.

Did you look at the country specific requirements on NCL's sail safe. You have to do this extra click and go to the country page. Spain is listed. That's not my take on what I read. I would love for you to be right though.

Correct. That's my whole point. NCL's rules do not jive with the rules of the country. Of course they can set their own rules too. It's their ship. But if they're dropping vaccine requirements, pending only local restrictions, I'm not sure why they're saying someone not vaccinated cannot travel from Barcelona. That is not what I read when I research Spain's rules.

I have used a certificate of recovery to fly into the US last year when that was still required. I didn't even have to take a covid test because I had that letter instead. No idea if a cruise line is the same, but you would kind of think so. Hopefully someone has experience with this from a cruise perspective. But common sense would say if you have this letter, they would take it just as Delta Airlines did for me last year.

I still don't know that any of this makes sense. Europe is difficult to figure out, at least for me. And you have competing companies that have different things published on their website. If NCL is dropping vaccine requirements except when it has to follow local regulations (their words), then I'm not sure why NCL would have harder rules for Spain than it's competitors. If the competitors can offer the trip, then that means the local regulations allow it. So why does NCL have a higher bar? I may end up just cruising on Royal which is not what I wanted. I like all the free at sea deals with NCL. I really just think someone in the compliance department has dropped the ball and not updated Spain appropriately. But with school break in September, I'm not sure how much longer I want to wait to book something. So be it.