Italian ports now require shp tours ONLY again!

[hank_moody_pl]

I asked the editor of the Italian marine portal shipmag.it if he knew anything about the new restrictions of the Italian government and he said that nothing is known about it and the last regulation is from March 2, 2021. In point 53, paragraph 5, we can read: "Stopovers are permitted only in the states and territories listed in lists A, B and C of Annex 20 and free excursions are prohibited, for which the cruise services cannot adopt specific measures to prevent contagion. " According to him, or from the beginning, NCL knew that it would not be possible to leave the ship without excursions, but maybe they tried to negotiate it with the Italian government. Either way, it was unfair to advertise this option before getting government approval. In my case, I will cancel my cruise and request a cash refund.

[HelenaHaz]

4 hours ago, Trimone said:

I don’t know what the fuss is all about? Just book a NCL excursion, personally I can’t be bothered booking independent tours, the cost difference is minimal and your guaranteed the ship will wait, if you don’t book a tour, the ports in Italy are mostly industrial and not worth walking off.

Exactly. I booked this cruise in April of last year for September 8th and got lucky that it wasn’t cancelled. I’m just happy about that. 

3 ports in which I will have to book a cruise sponsored excursion, well I was prepared for something that because NCL always had on their website that this particular issue was up to local authorities. Well, authorities have spoken. The decision might be related to the fact that British passengers need to quarantine, so they instituted the rule for everyone, or because port authorities have a different rule. I will wait until September, and if I need to, book ship excursions with my 50 dollar discount and OBC. 
For me, it is not a reason to cancel and it won’t ruin my vacation. 

[SpainAlien]

1 hour ago, HelenaHaz said:

Exactly. I booked this cruise in April of last year for September 8th and got lucky that it wasn’t cancelled. I’m just happy about that. 

3 ports in which I will have to book a cruise sponsored excursion, well I was prepared for something that because NCL always had on their website that this particular issue was up to local authorities. Well, authorities have spoken. The decision might be related to the fact that British passengers need to quarantine, so they instituted the rule for everyone, or because port authorities have a different rule. I will wait until September, and if I need to, book ship excursions with my 50 dollar discount and OBC. 
For me, it is not a reason to cancel and it won’t ruin my vacation. 

Cagliari is Italy too, so 4 ports actually

 

[emerald6273]

I don't think the decision is related to fully vaccinated UK residents having to currently self isolate for 5 days on arrival to Italy.  If that current rule is extended beyond 30th August, UK residents wouldn't even be permitted to cruise as they would still be arriving into Italy via the 4 Italian Ports, albeit on a cruise ship. They would still be required to self isolate 

Edited August 18, 2021 by emerald6273

[SwimmingDragon]

So, I’m not cruising to Italy. And just to point out a small particular some people here might not have thought of, the United States of America is considered a hot spot for Covid-19 right now. I would be wary if I had to run another countries tourism and letting in people who are vaccinated. You might be vaccinated, but it doesn’t mean you aren’t able to get it and pass it on to other people. I get why they are doing what they are. One option is to still allow people the ability to go on excursions that are controlled. It prevents the possibility of a spread. There are so many people who are not vaccinated and who can still die from this. I think people are trying to save lives, not ruin someone’s vacation. I think they are trying to find a way for everyone to get by. 

[Trimone]

Currently, guests who are residents of the United Kingdom are required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 antigen or PCR test, performed by a third party and taken no more than 72-hours prior to embarkation, upon boarding. Additionally, these guests will receive an antigen test at the terminal as part of the standard protocols. Those that cannot present a negative test at the terminal during check in will be denied boarding without refund.
Don't forget!,

[debenson0723]

3 hours ago, SwimmingDragon said:

So, I’m not cruising to Italy. And just to point out a small particular some people here might not have thought of, the United States of America is considered a hot spot for Covid-19 right now. I would be wary if I had to run another countries tourism and letting in people who are vaccinated. You might be vaccinated, but it doesn’t mean you aren’t able to get it and pass it on to other people. I get why they are doing what they are. One option is to still allow people the ability to go on excursions that are controlled. It prevents the possibility of a spread. There are so many people who are not vaccinated and who can still die from this. I think people are trying to save lives, not ruin someone’s vacation. I think they are trying to find a way for everyone to get by. 

Well I am traveling to Italy and have private tours booked.  My biggest issue is that there is nothing that I can find which states the Italian Government has made this mandate.  They do have certain restrictions (no more than 6 passengers per vehicle and masking indoors) but nothing re: cruise ship passengers.  Why is it ok for 60 people to get on a bus, be dropped off in Florence or Rome (per the "on your own" tours that NCL is offering) for 5-6 hours versus 6 people in a van doing the same thing?  The issue is money and NCL wants ours (at a markup of about double what the private vendors charge). The other countries we are visiting (Spain, France, Croatia and Greece) do not have these government mandates and we are free to do as we please in these ports so I doubt NCL is really concerned about letting their 100% vaccinated passengers loose in Italy to infect their citizens.

 

I am hoping this restriction is changed prior to my cruise (not until November) but if not, I will do one of the NCL 'on your own' tours and visit/eat where I want while allowed to roam free.  But I feel bad for the Italian tour operators who are struggling to survive and thought they would finally be able to provide the services they have been so good at doing for many years.

[hylasgirl]

On 8/16/2021 at 11:42 PM, roxette said:

EU citizens can register at EUPLF and register before they travel to Italy. There you can choose Cruise ship as transportation to Italy. So, according to official EU/Italian web sites, EU citizens who are fully vaccinated can travel to Italy and do as you wish.

 

I find this very strange, with such different information from NCL.

 

I do hope that NCL Will add some inexpensive sightseeing tours if passengers must take tours. It will be very, very pricey just to put a foot om land, otherwise.

 

My Italian tour company is saying it is NOT true that the Italian government is mandating a ship excursion.  That all they are required is no more than 6 people per van and a passenger locator card filled out. 

[hylasgirl]

43 minutes ago, debenson0723 said:

Well I am traveling to Italy and have private tours booked.  My biggest issue is that there is nothing that I can find which states the Italian Government has made this mandate.  They do have certain restrictions (no more than 6 passengers per vehicle and masking indoors) but nothing re: cruise ship passengers.  Why is it ok for 60 people to get on a bus, be dropped off in Florence or Rome (per the "on your own" tours that NCL is offering) for 5-6 hours versus 6 people in a van doing the same thing?  The issue is money and NCL wants ours (at a markup of about double what the private vendors charge). The other countries we are visiting (Spain, France, Croatia and Greece) do not have these government mandates and we are free to do as we please in these ports so I doubt NCL is really concerned about letting their 100% vaccinated passengers loose in Italy to infect their citizens.

 

I am hoping this restriction is changed prior to my cruise (not until November) but if not, I will do one of the NCL 'on your own' tours and visit/eat where I want while allowed to roam free.  But I feel bad for the Italian tour operators who are struggling to survive and thought they would finally be able to provide the services they have been so good at doing for many years.

Yes, I am finding the same as you!  I'm so beyond frustrated.  My tour company says the same thing... that this is in no way an Italian mandate.  Why would they let us all come as tourist, not on a cruise, and wander anyway we wish?  Or to be on a private tour, totally vaccinated with locator card filled out in a van of only 6 people.  And I do NOT want to put my 80+ parents on a big bus at twice the price.  It just makes no sense!   I feel bad for the tour operators as well!  This is not right!  NCL should offer a full refund if this is how they are going to handle this.  This was not as it was sold! 

[billslowsky]

1 hour ago, hylasgirl said:

NCL should offer a full refund if this is how they are going to handle this.  This was not as it was sold! 

 

Go for it!

[butabeach]

Also scheduled to sail on the Getaway 9/13. So far I’ve received no emails from NCL re booking only NCL tours while in Italy. 

[SpainAlien]

1 minute ago, butabeach said:

Also scheduled to sail on the Getaway 9/13. So far I’ve received no emails from NCL re booking only NCL tours while in Italy. 

I'm booked on Epic 26th Sept and I haven't received an email about but still found it in their Sail Safe page

 

[JohnandRebecca]

We are sailing with NCL in September and have reservations with outside tour companies in Italy as well. It is truthfully a mark on the NCL brand that all of this has been hidden by NCL.  Customer relations at NCL will not send copies of said regulations when members of our group have requested same, nor will they budge on the issue.  I read above that NCL has sent an email to customers. Our cruise is scheduled to sail on 9.26 and neither Rebecca nor myself have received any such email.  Additionally, we are traveling with seven other family members and none of them have received the email.  And yes, I found the little asterisked mention of it at the bottom of a Sail Safe page.  But keep in mind this is not what they have advertised. It flies in the face of what they represent to the public on their website. We are extremely disappointed in Norwegian's handling of the issue and their lack of transparency.  We anxiously await the end of the month determination by the Italian government mentioned above. 

[DCGuy64]

MSC is requiring the same thing and has done since August of 2020, it’s not just NCL. It’s all part of keeping a safe bubble around cruise passengers and avoiding contact with potentially unvaccinated others. Italy IS requiring a Green Pass (or its equivalent) to enter some historical sites and museums. 

[sunseeker88]

3 hours ago, debenson0723 said:

Well I am traveling to Italy and have private tours booked.  My biggest issue is that there is nothing that I can find which states the Italian Government has made this mandate.  They do have certain restrictions (no more than 6 passengers per vehicle and masking indoors) but nothing re: cruise ship passengers.  Why is it ok for 60 people to get on a bus, be dropped off in Florence or Rome (per the "on your own" tours that NCL is offering) for 5-6 hours versus 6 people in a van doing the same thing?  The issue is money and NCL wants ours (at a markup of about double what the private vendors charge). The other countries we are visiting (Spain, France, Croatia and Greece) do not have these government mandates and we are free to do as we please in these ports so I doubt NCL is really concerned about letting their 100% vaccinated passengers loose in Italy to infect their citizens.

 

I am hoping this restriction is changed prior to my cruise (not until November) but if not, I will do one of the NCL 'on your own' tours and visit/eat where I want while allowed to roam free.  But I feel bad for the Italian tour operators who are struggling to survive and thought they would finally be able to provide the services they have been so good at doing for many years.

I feel the exact same way! Its ridiculous that we have to pay NCL unreasonable prices just to set foot on land. Plus, I am traveling with my senior parents and have private tours booked through RomeInLimo because we wanted to limit our exposure to large groups of people on a bus. This is my first time cruising with NCL and will probably be my last. We are considering canceling our booking.

[Trimone]

This appeared in the early hours of Monday U.K.time, remember you still need masks walking in public areas on the ship too.

Its better to be safe than sorry, just book NCL excursions they will enforce standards.

[sunseeker88]

I am beyond disappointed with NCL! This is my first experience with them and will be the last. Their lack of transparency is terrible. I was told that an email notification was sent out...I did not receive said email and no one in our party of 9 has received it either. We booked private tours through RomeInLimo who we have used in the past and they are great! We prefer private tours especially since we are traveling with my parents who are in their 80's. We were hoping to limit large group exposure as much as possible on this trip, but now we have to sit on a bus with 100 other people and drive for 3 hours in Florence and Rome. How is that protecting the passengers? It doesn't make sense.

 

To NCL: I understand cruise lines have lost millions of dollars, but don't try and make it up this way. You are putting more people at risk of spreading COVID by mandating us to book excursions through you and cramming us all on a bus together, walk close to each other in tours to keep us all together, etc. It goes against everything the WHO and CDC have recommended!!! Traveling can be safe if everyone is responsible and takes precautions like staying 6 feet apart!! 

[Trimone]

It amazes me that people are upset about travelling on a coach but quite happy to go on a airplane and a ship! 
 

[DCGuy64]

10 minutes ago, sunseeker88 said:

but now we have to sit on a bus with 100 other people and drive for 3 hours in Florence and Rome

Where did you get that idea? 100 people

on a bus? Is that the NCL excursion you’re talking about? I was under the impression their excursions would limit people, plus don’t you have to be fully vaccinated, anyway? That wouldn’t be true on an excursion you booked independently, unless the tour operator guaranteed it. 

[DCGuy64]

9 minutes ago, Trimone said:

It amazes me that people are upset about travelling on a coach but quite happy to go on a airplane and a ship! 
 

People are angry about things changing and they’re looking for someone to blame. My view is that booking anything right now is risky, and we’re willing to take the risk. If our upcoming cruise ends up being a “cruise to nowhere,” so what? We’ll go to Italy again later for a land based vacation. (And that’s exactly what I’d recommend people who are mad about NCL changing the rules should do). NCL’s ship = NCL’s rules, period. 

[dowsk]

Trimone and DCguy You are not getting the point. Just let people complain if they want to. NCL is out right lying on the website.  Its not the fact that they are doing this it is how they did it in such a deceitful way. You keep saying the other cruise lines are doing it as well, however, they are not advertising 100% percent vaccinated cruises which allows private shore excursions and then adding small print 3 weeks prior to sailing that they were wrong. NCL is still hiding the fact they are doing this as they have not advised any passengers except with fine print and an asterisk buried in the website.  NCL knows when the majority of passengers find out, they may cancel. 

 

I myself will not cancel but let people vent if they want

[julig22]

43 minutes ago, Trimone said:

It amazes me that people are upset about travelling on a coach but quite happy to go on a airplane and a ship! 
 

And assume this is something arbitrary on the part of NCL.  If it were an arbitrary decision, then they would require NCL excursions at the other ports as well.  My instinct is that the requirement is coming from outside Italy, which is why nobody is finding info from Italy.

[julig22]

Just curious - did the people complaining that they didn't get the email book through a TA or with NCL directly?

[roxette]

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

MSC is requiring the same thing and has done since August of 2020, it’s not just NCL. It’s all part of keeping a safe bubble around cruise passengers and avoiding contact with potentially unvaccinated others. Italy IS requiring a Green Pass (or its equivalent) to enter some historical sites and museums. 

But MSC are not promoting 100% vaccinated, No mask, and such...

[GolfHawaii]

14 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Just curious - did the people complaining that they didn't get the email book through a TA or with NCL directly?

I have booked many NCL cruises with the same PCC and have never used a TA for cruising with NCL.  I have not received said email from NCL.  I agree with the fact that this is not how this cruise was promoted, but things do change daily in these times we are living in.  I will monitor this over the next couple of weeks and make a decision then.  I have not been a fan on cruise line excursions and normally booked all of them on my own.  I find that most local tour operators will work with you to give you the best experience for your money.  Let's hope that this will change for the better at the end of August. 🙏