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The German automobile club states that the mask mandate has been prolonged til September. They only speak uf busses and trains. June 22nd doesn´t make much sense as the old regulation was due to end by June 15th. steamboats

I also highly recommend to get the return ticket either when buying the ferry ticket to Capri or in Capri port (especially when you intend to take a different ferry company back to Naples). I usually take a ferry back between 3 and 4 pm. I´m worn out by the heat by that time anyway. Plenty of boat tours are available at the port of Capri. Those are boat tours going around the island. They usually stop at the Blue Grotto - but the entry to the Blue Grotto is not included in the boat tour. You pay extra to those guys who operate the row boats into the Blue Grotto. Anyway, it´s not really worth the money. If you plan to take the funicular or the local busses. There´s a ticket office to the right side when you leave the pier in Capri. You can buy all tickets there. Bus and funicular are the same ticket. The line at the funicular is usually pretty busy. I usually take the bus up to Anacapri. From there you can take a bus to Capri town. From Capri town you can take the funicular down to the port. This would be 3 tickets per person. But if you do the boat tour first, then maybe the funicular up to Capri town is the better option (and back down again). steamboats

They don´t get any staff... As the POA has to have at least 75% US / Greencard staff in the hotel department and there is a lack of staff in hospitality landside in the US they simply don´t get the staff. That´s why they had to reduce the passenger capacity. They won´t cancel booked cabins just out of nothing ;-). steamboats

The hotel doesn´t matter... And as they were tested positive onboard the cruise line did organize the hotel. Sure, you can fly back home being positive... But I definitely don´t want to sit next to you for 6 to 8 hours ;-)! steamboats

Aloha! I totally agree... We hardly spent any time onboard except for sleeping. steamboats

As they are running on limited passenger capacity until October, I doubt that there will be any changes. steamboats

Seems like Italy has prolonged the mask mandate in public transportation til September. It was to expire tomorrow, June 15th. Therefore masks are still required flying to/from Italian airports. steamboats

Fact is that only Cagney´s and Jefferson´s Bistro are open as specialty restaurant. Fact is that Skyline is only open for dinner and there are waits (our max. was 40 min at 6:30 pm). Aloha Café and Cadillac Diner are open for all meals. Outdoor bars - there´s only Ocean View Bar open (until 6 pm). The John Adams Coffee Bar is open in the morning til 9 pm including full bar service. Pink´s Champagne Bar and Napa Valley Bar are open in the evening. Mardi Gras is serving during activities there (as well as the theater). You usually have to go to the bar and place your order there. No waiters to take your order. Skyline and Cadillac had good to excellent service. Jefferson was o.k., Cagney´s we ran out of luck which a not really experienced guy who even had to ask whether there are sauces for the steak. There were no regular shows in the theater but guest entertainers. The two overnight evenings there were movies shown in the theater. There´s a singer/piano player, singer/guitar player and the house band. steamboats

BTW, I currently have a friend from the US self-isolating in a hotel in Amsterdam - organized by the cruise line as this friend has been tested positive onboard. steamboats

And my first reply was regarding the "confiscation". You then asked my whether I accuse you of lying. No, I just said the passports have been taken but not confiscated. steamboats

Yes, the self-isolation is on your own responsability. Nobody does check on you on whether you do self isolate or not. Mandatory isolation can be checked by the authorities. Usually when you´re from abroad the mandatory isolation is in a designated hotel. As the Netherlands don´t have a mandatory isolation anymore there are no designated hotels for this. steamboats

I´ve been on the May 14th cruise (see my review here). The crew manning situation has not changed and will not at least until October. NCL did cancel a couple of people to keep the number of passengers between 1100 and 1200 (which is app. 45-50%). Until the end of October there restaurant and bar situation will not change. steamboats

No, but you passports have not been "confiscated" but taken for a passport control. "Confiscated" means they take them and don´t give them back. Yours were obviously handed over to the Dutch authorities for a check and you got them back from them. "Confiscated" for a positive person would mean that Celebrity keeps the passport to avoid the person leaving the country until the end of a certain number of days of isolation (and as I said before the Netherlands don´t have a mandatory isolation anymore for a long time). steamboats

I don´t thank that passports were ever "confiscated". Celebrity might have collected the passports for the passport control which was necessary entering the Schengen area after the TA. But neither the Dutch authorities nor Celebrity has any legal right to "confiscate" a passport. And during more than 2 years of cruising with Covid-19 I never ever heard that passports of those having tested positive (plus having to isolate) have been "confiscated" by anyone - neither the cruise line nor any local health authorities. steamboats

That was the plan... one cruise out of Southampton, one out of Amsterdam prior to the August 17th cruise. But all those cruises have been cancelled. So now the pre-inaugural invitation only is the christening cruise August 26th out of Reykjavik to Amsterdam. steamboats

Surprisingly there was no passport control on our Southampton - seaday - Cherbourg - Southampton - neither for entering France (aka Schengen) nor for returning back to UK. steamboats

There is no August 17th cruise anymore. This was for paying guests but has been cancelled. August 26th is the first cruise now but for invited guests only. September 3rd is the first for paying guests out of Amsterdam. And I don´t see a question in your post. steamboats

Netherlands don´t have a mandatory quarantine anymore. They ship has to report all cases to the local authorities. But then you´re basically on your own. steamboats

Yes, they hardly can control the tickets. Actually I for my yearly ticket I have a plastic card with no name on in. Just a number and an expiry date (which is just a technical one and does not have anything to do with my ticket). The card has a chip and the people checking the tickets here in Munich do have a special device which can read the number on the chip and then checks online my name and the validity of my ticket. But the DB staff does not have those machines (except for Munich S-Bahn). So I already wondered how they want to check my ticket. Just trust me that I do have a valid ticket? I received a letter from DB telling my that my plastic card serves as a 9 Euro ticket. Maybe I should carry that with me in case I´m using a train. I only went out to the airport this week (single ticket it 12.30 Euro) for meeting up with a friend for dinner. steamboats

We still had local taxes on our final bill for beverages (although we had the package). You can spend money on shore tours, in the spa, in the shops or for a Lobster Thermidor (which is an upcharge of 25 USD). Starbucks in not included in the beverage package. Some drinks have an upcharge... Espresso or Chocolate Maritinis are 18 USD (so an upcharge of 3 USD if you have the package). steamboats

They still can spread it... even when fully vaccinated, boosted and zero or little symptoms. That´s what they want to prevent. And actually that´s what the cruise lines did work out with the CDC so the CDC allowed the restart. steamboats

Because you are moved into the isolation section which is a part of the ship which is not accessible for the public. The fire doors to those cabin aisles are closed. Crew is only allowed to go in with full protection. In case there are more cases than those reserved cabins they need to close down another section of the ship and move the passengers there. All food has to come in disposable cartons. No silverware but plastic. No room cleaning. No contact to the crew. steamboats

After a break of a couple of days - as I was out of town - all parts of the review are online now. Enjoy! steamboats

Thanks all! Part 2 is online covering decks 7 to 14. Restaurants will follow tomorrow. steamboats

They think that about 140 passengers were in the train. It was the major train for school kids to return home. And unfortunately a 5th person has been found underneath the derailed car and it´s a school kid. 15 soldiers from the German mountain forces were in the train and the first ones to help others out. A fire commander and his collegues were driving by to pick up a new fire engine. He immediately took over control and stopped the traffic asking the people to help as first responders. A US soldier driving along in his car did see the train derailing - according to the news reports. The street - which is a major connection to Austria - will be closed at least until mid next week. steamboats