Apex moving to Athens for 7 night cruises for summer 2021

[Hlitner]

4 hours ago, GlobalMethod said:

The Greek government just approved funding to help the closed restaurants open up, so I imagine it will certainly reopen. We are sorry for the local employees too as they often stayed in their jobs for years, thus being able to recognize regular customers. We dine out in Athens (over 2000 restaurants) a lot since prices are so reasonable ... how was the Moussaka at Daphne's?

I have never had Moussaka at Daphne's.  When we visit that restaurant I always get some kind of fresh fish dish.  That place has terrific seafood.  DW has had their Moussaka and always thought it was among the best she had in Greece.

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

On 3/31/2021 at 5:54 PM, Bruin Steve said:

In the meanwhile, I just booked air via Celebrity air round trip LAX to Athens in coach--$699 per person, flying in 4 nights early, leaving one day after disembarkation...makes it a 12 night trip...better than nothing...

 

Did you end up canceling your Infinity cruise?

[ian441672]

On 3/30/2021 at 8:32 PM, Bruin Steve said:

 

 

Does anyone know at what capacity X are booking these cruises at? We have a cabin booked, so just wondered how busy it might feel? I appreciate they have to weigh up income/cost with safety and transmission.

 

Thanks.

[C-Dragons]

Just now, ian441672 said:

 

Does anyone know at what capacity X are booking these cruises at? We have a cabin booked, so just wondered how busy it might feel? I appreciate they have to weigh up income/cost with safety and transmission.

 

Thanks.

The first cruises to sail will be booked from 40 to 50 percent capacity.

[Bruin Steve]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Did you end up canceling your Infinity cruise?

We are leaving ourselves in "cruise limbo" for now...

We won't cancel the Infinity cruise...our deal is too good to lose to a simple refund...and it is already paid in full (including FCC we had from a 2019 situation)...

So, we're "playing chicken" with Celebrity...Waiting for THEM to cancel, figuring if they do, they'll offer some sort of lift-and-shift and we'll move it to 2022.  If things change drastically and, somehow, they don't cancel it, we will re-do the flight arrangements and fly into Rome instead and do both cruises, flying Venice to Athens in between (there would be a five-day gap).  If they move the ship somewhere else, we'll have to figure it out...If they decide to change course and allow back-to-backs, we'll try to get them to let us do the back-to-back on Apex.

That Infinity cruise is now only 107 days away, you'd think they'd have to make some sort of decision soon...On their website, they are still offering Infinity cruises as early as June 1...

[librarylady19]

4 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Do you know which US cities they will fly from? It would be nice for us if one was DFW. We are considering doing the Apex just prior to our Westerdam cruise as a backup if our September 9th Infinity cruise is canceled and we need to change our air.

Definitely Chicago O'Hare. A quick check of Google Flights will get you an answer! 

[Bruin Steve]

Based on the choices we were offered--and ended up booking, it's O'Hare, Philadelphia and JFK...

 

We ended up flying to Athens via O'Hare...and home through JFK...and have 4+ hour layovers each way...But I'm okay with that if it gets us there...and who knows how long we'll need to clear customs coming home?

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, ian441672 said:

 

Does anyone know at what capacity X are booking these cruises at? We have a cabin booked, so just wondered how busy it might feel? I appreciate they have to weigh up income/cost with safety and transmission.

 

Thanks.

The Apex is only booking Veranda and up, no inside or outside view cabins, so that will limit capacity to 50-60%

[tulok]

5 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Do you know which US cities they will fly from? It would be nice for us if one was DFW. We are considering doing the Apex just prior to our Westerdam cruise as a backup if our September 9th Infinity cruise is canceled and we need to change our air.

ORD, JFK, PHL as of now

[KWW88]

45 minutes ago, Bruin Steve said:

Based on the choices we were offered--and ended up booking, it's O'Hare, Philadelphia and JFK...

 

We ended up flying to Athens via O'Hare...and home through JFK...and have 4+ hour layovers each way...But I'm okay with that if it gets us there...and who knows how long we'll need to clear customs coming home?

Does Celebrity include airfare with some of their sailings or do you have to have a special status, like frequent flier on airlines?

[Bruin Steve]

20 minutes ago, KWW88 said:

Does Celebrity include airfare with some of their sailings or do you have to have a special status, like frequent flier on airlines?

No...Not a "package"...You can always click on the link...or make a call...to Celebrity Choice Air (what we did)...They offer fully refundable flights with no payment until "final payment day".  Right now, from "selected" cities in the US, they are offering $699 airfare round trip to Athens. (The :"selected" cities are major US portals--like LAX, JFK, DFW, O'Hare, ATL, etc.)

[KWW88]

51 minutes ago, Bruin Steve said:

No...Not a "package"...You can always click on the link...or make a call...to Celebrity Choice Air (what we did)...They offer fully refundable flights with no payment until "final payment day".  Right now, from "selected" cities in the US, they are offering $699 airfare round trip to Athens. (The :"selected" cities are major US portals--like LAX, JFK, DFW, O'Hare, ATL, etc.)

this is very helpful, thanks very much

[terrydtx]

55 minutes ago, Bruin Steve said:

No...Not a "package"...You can always click on the link...or make a call...to Celebrity Choice Air (what we did)...They offer fully refundable flights with no payment until "final payment day".  Right now, from "selected" cities in the US, they are offering $699 airfare round trip to Athens. (The :"selected" cities are major US portals--like LAX, JFK, DFW, O'Hare, ATL, etc.)

They are also offering better deals on Business class than what the airlines are quoting direct. The best part of Choice Air is you can book now lock in the price and make changes anytime until final payment. We prefer Business class when flying Internationally and Choice Air makes it more affordable, at least for us.

[BubbaBoat]

On 3/30/2021 at 9:09 AM, TeeRick said:

It begs the question as to why there are some American passengers so eager to cruise on APEX with the virus surging in Greece and with no current way to fly there.  Maybe in a few months this will all look much better.

Funny...I hop on United and can book airfare to and from Athens.  I'm vaccinated so I'm not really worried about COVID surging anywhere.  My concern is that I won't be able to hop off the boat to walk around the ports.

[cruiserchuck]

13 minutes ago, BubbaBoat said:

Funny...I hop on United and can book airfare to and from Athens.  I'm vaccinated so I'm not really worried about COVID surging anywhere.  My concern is that I won't be able to hop off the boat to walk around the ports.

 

United is happy to take your booking and money, but as of now, you cannot legally fly there.  Hopefully things will change soon, but with COVID on the rise in both the US and Greece, who really knows.

[KWW88]

2 minutes ago, cruiserchuck said:

 

United is happy to take your booking and money, but as of now, you cannot legally fly there.  Hopefully things will change soon, but with COVID on the rise in both the US and Greece, who really knows.

I had an email from Celebrity last week which said they have made arrangements with the Greek government for these return to cruises from their ports.  Is this accurate do you know?  I am not doing one of these, but was just curious.

[Presto2]

Just seen these cruises and have to say that these itineraries on Edge's sister would be perfect for us. Just sad that they don't seem to be using them next year 2022 😞

Now if they did them another year we would book in a heart beat - some of our most favourite places in the world on what is probably our favourite cruise ship (if she is like her sister).

 

(May miss the fact she has no horse though !)

Edited April 3, 2021 by Presto2

[cruiserchuck]

This information is from the US Embassy and Consulate in Greece:

 

Are U.S. citizens permitted to enter? No

• Greece will currently only allow EU citizens, EU residents, and residents of certain other specific countries to enter. The United States is not one of those countries.  U.S. citizens traveling to Greece will not be permitted to enter unless they meet one of only a few narrow exceptions detailed in the Greek Embassy’s information on entrance into the European Union/Schengen Area.  There is no projected date when entry will be permitted.  A long visit in a third country will not help you get around EU restrictions.
• The Embassy is aware that high-level officials have spoken of intentions to facilitate summer 2021 tourism to Greece.  However, there is no projected date when entry will be permitted for residents of the United States.  The U.S. Embassy in Athens cannot give you any assurance regarding whether or when residents of the United States may be allowed to enter Greece.

[GlobalMethod]

11 hours ago, cruiserchuck said:

This information is from the US Embassy and Consulate in Greece:

 

Are U.S. citizens permitted to enter? No

• Greece will currently only allow EU citizens, EU residents, and residents of certain other specific countries to enter. The United States is not one of those countries.  U.S. citizens traveling to Greece will not be permitted to enter unless they meet one of only a few narrow exceptions detailed in the Greek Embassy’s information on entrance into the European Union/Schengen Area.  There is no projected date when entry will be permitted.  A long visit in a third country will not help you get around EU restrictions.
• The Embassy is aware that high-level officials have spoken of intentions to facilitate summer 2021 tourism to Greece.  However, there is no projected date when entry will be permitted for residents of the United States.  The U.S. Embassy in Athens cannot give you any assurance regarding whether or when residents of the United States may be allowed to enter Greece.

The age old battle between commerce and national public benefit is fully engaged in Greece ... the Embassy presents a conservative view and the tourism minister for Greece presents a very positive view on opening tourism.

 

I believe from reading the local tea leaves here every day that 'lockdown fatigue' is increasing, since there is a spike in infections despite very strict measures. The majority here might slightly favor continuing efforts to fight the virus but the momentum is starting to move to opening things up.

 

As of next week, we can do some retail (hairdressers ... 🙂 ..., small shops (only by appointment, no malls) so that is a start to opening up the country!

Edited April 4, 2021 by GlobalMethod

[Miaminice]

15 hours ago, KWW88 said:

I had an email from Celebrity last week which said they have made arrangements with the Greek government for these return to cruises from their ports.  Is this accurate do you know?  I am not doing one of these, but was just curious.

Celebrity keep saying this - what else would they say if they want to sell the cruises... however, the restrictions are EU restrictions. Greece alone can’t simply open the border alone.

 

 

Edited April 4, 2021 by Miaminice

[GlobalMethod]

2 hours ago, Miaminice said:

Celebrity keep saying this - what else would they say if they want to sell the cruises... however, the restrictions are EU restrictions. Greece alone can’t simply open the border alone.

 

 

Of course, anyone with something to sell will present the most positive view ... as I've written in other posts ... who knows?

[upwarduk]

2 hours ago, Miaminice said:

Celebrity keep saying this - what else would they say if they want to sell the cruises... however, the restrictions are EU restrictions. Greece alone can’t simply open the border alone.

 

 

Greece say UK citizens can visit, I think because our vaccination programme has been so effective. We are no longer in the EU, but are part of the continent of EUROPE. 
Our PM is announcing which countries we will be able to visit tomorrow, using a traffic light system. Travellers from certain RED countries already have to quarantine in hotels when they enter UK, the Philippines will be added to this list at the end of this week. This could further impact ships sailing, as of course they make up a large % of the crew.

[Miaminice]

23 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Greece say UK citizens can visit, I think because our vaccination programme has been so effective. We are no longer in the EU, but are part of the continent of EUROPE. 
Our PM is announcing which countries we will be able to visit tomorrow, using a traffic light system. Travellers from certain RED countries already have to quarantine in hotels when they enter UK, the Philippines will be added to this list at the end of this week. This could further impact ships sailing, as of course they make up a large % of the crew.

why go through Brexit if being on the continent is all that counts... 😂😂

[kittywife77]

25 minutes ago, Miaminice said:

why go through Brexit if being on the continent is all that counts... 😂😂

Cutting their noses off to spite their faces (I'm a UK remainer).

[Presto2]

1 hour ago, kittywife77 said:

Cutting their noses off to spite their faces (I'm a UK remainer).

 

Loving every minute of being out of the EU -- I'm not a remainer 😉

 

Seriously folks, any idea if Celebrity will use Athens again - the itineraries look amazing but I notice that they are not repeated in 2022. We've waited since 2010 to sail to Israel in August and it looks like it may be another while after this year. 😞

Edited April 4, 2021 by Presto2
Wrong year put 2023 not 2022 !