Italian ports now require shp tours ONLY again!

[julig22]

22 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

That's been true in the past, I've seen plenty of posts on here from other NCL passengers reporting that they were able to negotiate OBC equal to 25% of the reduced fare. That said, we got a great deal on our cabin and are perfectly satisfied with what we have now. We're not expecting anything more and that's fine with us.

I got a little clarification from my TA.  To upgrade, the perks have to be the same.

So my take is that if you extrapolate from that, the airfare perks window is closed by 60 day final payment, so no upgrades. And without the airfare perk, presumably they can lower the cost.

[oliver67]

9 hours ago, julig22 said:

I got a little clarification from my TA.  To upgrade, the perks have to be the same.

So my take is that if you extrapolate from that, the airfare perks window is closed by 60 day final payment, so no upgrades. And without the airfare perk, presumably they can lower the cost.

That was also my experience. My balcony cabin with went down from 1350 € with 4 perks to 850 € with only two and they (=NCL Germany) are not willing to give any discount, OBC or upgrade. And now they are cutting the "on your own" excursions which they promoted and which were one of the reasons I booked that cruise after all. There was no notification of that change via e-mail or anything. It is all very disappointing and not the customer service I previously experienced on NCL (it is my sixth cruise with them). 

[jennjess]

On 8/19/2021 at 8:58 AM, Trimone said:

It’s worth noting that most of Europe is cashless now, even tips are discouraged with cash.

 

On 8/19/2021 at 9:53 AM, WildAtlantic said:

This does not tally at all with my experiences. I spent the last 10 days in Italy as a regular tourist and use of cash was the same as before. People very much appreciated cash tips too! Here in Ireland, I would say slightly more people are using contactless payments than before the pandemic but there is still plenty of cash around! 

Certainly not my experience either.  Varies from country to country but cash still widely used and accepted. 

[classy_cruiser]

Can’t you cancel under peace of mind and rebook with the FCC? Or does it take too long? 

Edited August 20, 2021 by classy_cruiser

[Trimone]

23 minutes ago, jennjess said:

 

Certainly not my experience either.  Varies from country to country but cash still widely used and accepted. 

On a recent visit to Exeter I couldn’t pay for anything cash, in fact I banked the cash whilst there it was pointless!

[SpainAlien]

1 hour ago, Trimone said:

On a recent visit to Exeter I couldn’t pay for anything cash, in fact I banked the cash whilst there it was pointless!

Perhaps UK is going that way but certainly not Spain, there is too much of a black economy

[LyonTerry]

And here's the latest (from the Message Center for our Sep 19 Epic cruise)... "Effective August 20, 2021 , guests from the UK departing from Barcelona aboard Norwegian Epic will not be allowed to disembark the vessel at Italian ports due to the currently required 5 day self-isolation period for Italy. We apologize for the inconvenience but we are working to ensure compliance with evolving regulations."

[Trimone]

5 minutes ago, LyonTerry said:

And here's the latest (from the Message Center for our Sep 19 Epic cruise)... "Effective August 20, 2021 , guests from the UK departing from Barcelona aboard Norwegian Epic will not be allowed to disembark the vessel at Italian ports due to the currently required 5 day self-isolation period for Italy. We apologize for the inconvenience but we are working to ensure compliance with evolving regulations."

Just got it for the 5th September 

From: Norwegian Communications CentreSubject: Important Shore Excursion Information

Important information: Due to local government regulations, guests are required to take a Norwegian Cruise Line shore excursion while visiting ports in Italy as guests will not be allowed to explore on their own. 

 

You can book your shore excursions through your MyNCL account or once onboard. 

 

Effective August 20, 2021 , guests from the UK departing from Barcelona aboard Norwegian Epic will not be allowed to disembark the vessel at Italian ports due to the currently required 5 day self-isolation period for Italy. We apologize for the inconvenience but we are working to ensure compliance with evolving regulations.

[dowsk]

7 minutes ago, LyonTerry said:

And here's the latest (from the Message Center for our Sep 19 Epic cruise)... "Effective August 20, 2021 , guests from the UK departing from Barcelona aboard Norwegian Epic will not be allowed to disembark the vessel at Italian ports due to the currently required 5 day self-isolation period for Italy. We apologize for the inconvenience but we are working to ensure compliance with evolving regulations."

WOW Now they are going to not let people from the UK off the ship period in Italy. I dont think Rules and Regs have changed in Italy for months but NCL is telling UK people effective today they cannot get off the ship in Italy. Pure deception on NCL's part. 

[Trimone]

What about the British that are joining in Civitavecchia Rome? 
Are they cancelled, or are NCL flying them out early 

[Trimone]

Until 30 August travellers who have been in the UK, in the previous 14 days, must present a negative molecular or antigen test taken in the 48 hours preceding entry into Italy. They must also self-isolate for 5 days, at the end of which they must take a rapid antigenic or molecular swab test for COVID-19 and test negative for release. Children under the age of 6, from the UK, do not need to test but are not exempt from self-isolation
Me think NCL are jumping the gun slightly?

[SpainAlien]

1 hour ago, Trimone said:

Until 30 August travellers who have been in the UK, in the previous 14 days, must present a negative molecular or antigen test taken in the 48 hours preceding entry into Italy. They must also self-isolate for 5 days, at the end of which they must take a rapid antigenic or molecular swab test for COVID-19 and test negative for release. Children under the age of 6, from the UK, do not need to test but are not exempt from self-isolation
Me think NCL are jumping the gun slightly?

We can hope that Italy change their regs at the end of August but honestly given the UK's current numbers I doubt it.

 

[Trimone]

36 minutes ago, SpainAlien said:

We can hope that Italy change their regs at the end of August but honestly given the UK's current numbers I doubt it.

 

Personally I’m not bothered about getting off in Italy, I have been many times, I’m grateful to be sailing because in Europe, I think there’s only a small window before the forth wave gets bigger towards autumn, our R number has increased slightly over the last seven days, schools and universities are going back shortly.

So I’m just grateful 😇 

 

[Steff79]

don´t blame NCL for the rules of Italy:

https://www.salute.gov.it/portale/nuovocoronavirus/dettaglioContenutiNuovoCoronavirus.jsp?lingua=english&id=5412&area=nuovoCoronavirus&menu=vuoto

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Based on the Order of the Ministry of Health of 29 July 2021, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (including Gibraltar and the Isle of Man, Channel Islands and British bases in Cyprus) belongs in List D

Therefore, travellers from these countries must do the following:

fill out the dPLF

take a swab test within 48 hours prior to their arrival in Italy

be in self-quarantine for 5 days

take a swab test at the end of the 5-day quarantine

 

european union and Schengen countries are safe with the green pass :

have completed the prescribed anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination cycle for at least 14 days

or have recovered from COVID-19

or have taken a molecular or antigen swab test within 48 hours prior to entering Italy with negative results. 

+ fill out the passenger locator form before leaving your home ( not sure how with cruise ship, need it if i travel direct to italy )

Edited August 20, 2021 by Steff79

[jennjess]

18 hours ago, Trimone said:

On a recent visit to Exeter I couldn’t pay for anything cash, in fact I banked the cash whilst there it was pointless!

Well here in the Netherlands cash is still very much in use.  Debit cards have gained ground during covid but credit cards are rarely used and many shops and most supermarkets do not allow their use at all.

[ScratchTheRat]

16 hours ago, Trimone said:

What about the British that are joining in Civitavecchia Rome? 
Are they cancelled, or are NCL flying them out early 

People joining in Rome are unaffected as to board they will have already quarantined, so they will be able to get off in Italian ports 🙂

[ScratchTheRat]

16 hours ago, Trimone said:

Until 30 August travellers who have been in the UK, in the previous 14 days, must present a negative molecular or antigen test taken in the 48 hours preceding entry into Italy. They must also self-isolate for 5 days, at the end of which they must take a rapid antigenic or molecular swab test for COVID-19 and test negative for release. Children under the age of 6, from the UK, do not need to test but are not exempt from self-isolation
Me think NCL are jumping the gun slightly?

It does say the regulations are evolving. I'd rather they jump the gun than wait til the last second.

[Trimone]

23 minutes ago, ScratchTheRat said:

People joining in Rome are unaffected as to board they will have already quarantined, so they will be able to get off in Italian ports 🙂

So NCL British customers are being accommodated in Italy for 5days before the cruise? 
think about it 🤫

[Notts1964]

2 hours ago, Trimone said:

So NCL British customers are being accommodated in Italy for 5days before the cruise? 
think about it 🤫

We’re supposed to be starting our cruise in Rome.

We have booked the whole package with NCL (via a travel agent) and are supposed to be flying out on 8 Sept. so won’t be quarantining in Rome for 5 days.

We haven’t received any updated information from NCL or our travel agent.

I presume we just wait and see if the Italian government change their rules prior to the cruise 🤷‍♀️. If not, I presume our cruise will be cancelled.

[Trimone]

1 hour ago, Notts1964 said:

We’re supposed to be starting our cruise in Rome.

We have booked the whole package with NCL (via a travel agent) and are supposed to be flying out on 8 Sept. so won’t be quarantining in Rome for 5 days.

We haven’t received any updated information from NCL or our travel agent.

I presume we just wait and see if the Italian government change their rules prior to the cruise 🤷‍♀️. If not, I presume our cruise will be cancelled.

We were notified on day 16, so watch out for email 

[WildAtlantic]

1 hour ago, Notts1964 said:

We’re supposed to be starting our cruise in Rome.

We have booked the whole package with NCL (via a travel agent) and are supposed to be flying out on 8 Sept. so won’t be quarantining in Rome for 5 days.

We haven’t received any updated information from NCL or our travel agent.

I presume we just wait and see if the Italian government change their rules prior to the cruise 🤷‍♀️. If not, I presume our cruise will be cancelled.

Did you book this some time ago? If you booked it only recently, the TA should really have told you about the quarantine requirement in Italy. It is widely known and travel agents should certainly be aware of it.

 

If you are going straight from the airport to the ship, then you might be allowed to quarantine on the ship i.e. not come off the ship in Italian ports. But your travel agent should really confirm this in my opinion.

 

What is funny about this rule is that we are not affected by it here in Ireland. I have recently travelled to Italy and did not need to quarantine. Yet, if you live a few miles up the road, over the border in Northern Ireland, you have to quarantine when arriving in Italy. And the levels of virus are not that different in the space of those few miles!

 

[Trimone]

15 minutes ago, WildAtlantic said:

Did you book this some time ago? If you booked it only recently, the TA should really have told you about the quarantine requirement in Italy. It is widely known and travel agents should certainly be aware of it.

 

If you are going straight from the airport to the ship, then you might be allowed to quarantine on the ship i.e. not come off the ship in Italian ports. But your travel agent should really confirm this in my opinion.

 

What is funny about this rule is that we are not affected by it here in Ireland. I have recently travelled to Italy and did not need to quarantine. Yet, if you live a few miles up the road, over the border in Northern Ireland, you have to quarantine when arriving in Italy. And the levels of virus are not that different in the space of those few miles!

 

It’s so stupid, I could be sat in a friends apartment in menton and get up and walk over the Italian border, it’s the one unmanned with a tank on display? Must be an old Mussolini thing! 

[Notts1964]

1 hour ago, WildAtlantic said:

Did you book this some time ago? If you booked it only recently, the TA should really have told you about the quarantine requirement in Italy. It is widely known and travel agents should certainly be aware of it.

 

If you are going straight from the airport to the ship, then you might be allowed to quarantine on the ship i.e. not come off the ship in Italian ports. But your travel agent should really confirm this in my opinion.

 

What is funny about this rule is that we are not affected by it here in Ireland. I have recently travelled to Italy and did not need to quarantine. Yet, if you live a few miles up the road, over the border in Northern Ireland, you have to quarantine when arriving in Italy. And the levels of virus are not that different in the space of those few miles!

 

We booked in May, we were told we had to be fully vaccinated but that was all. 

[emerald6273]

3 hours ago, WildAtlantic said:

Did you book this some time ago? If you booked it only recently, the TA should really have told you about the quarantine requirement in Italy. It is widely known and travel agents should certainly be aware of it.

 

If you are going straight from the airport to the ship, then you might be allowed to quarantine on the ship i.e. not come off the ship in Italian ports. But your travel agent should really confirm this in my opinion.

 

What is funny about this rule is that we are not affected by it here in Ireland. I have recently travelled to Italy and did not need to quarantine. Yet, if you live a few miles up the road, over the border in Northern Ireland, you have to quarantine when arriving in Italy. And the levels of virus are not that different in the space of those few miles!

 

I live in Northern Ireland and will be flying on an Irish passport from Dublin to board Epic in Barcelona  The rule just doesn't make sense.

[emerald6273]

No 5 days self isolation rule for US residents arriving in Italy plus they're allowed off ship. Meanwhile the self isolation rule for UK residents arriving in Italy makes no sense based on today's Covid statistics. US Covid cases are currently 11380k per 100k people vs UK currently 9620 per 100k people. 70% of population vaccinated in UK and 60% in US.