defbref

9 minutes ago, TheGuv316 said:

Im sailing on 2nd April in the Med looks like myself and my wife will be able to go shoreside freely (we are all boostered)  but not sure how they will treat our 3 year old, she is still too young for vax 

You got a source for that ? I am also sailing in the med from 2nd April and all I can see is that you MIGHT be able to go ashore freely, not seen a confirmation anywhere from MSC.

Thanks Carlmm, and for excursions you just got off the ship, no need to show any forms or vaccination certificate ? Just passport.

Are MSC still insisting on only using their excursions to exit the ship?

I'm due to be on the Grandiosa on the 3rd April from Civitavecchia. Porting in Malta, Spain, France and then back to Italy (Genoa and back to Civitavecchia).

Current rules state that for some countries in the EU you need to fill in a EU PLF (Passenger Locator Form) before entry. 

entry into Italy I need to fill in a PLF

entry into Malta I need to fill in a PLF

entry into Spain I need to fill in a Health Declaration form (not a PLF)

entry into France no forms needed.

So do I need to do multiple PLF or is one listing all the ports visited enough ? Another wrinkle is that I'm in Rome for two days before boarding so intend to fill in a separate PLF for that, flying from UK and listing my hotel as my temporary address and not mentioning a cruise (as it doesn't ask for when and how you are leaving the country only how and when you enter).

When ?

Italy (and most of the EU) are currently in the practice of relaxing covid testing requirements for foreign visitors, you may not need the testing for entry into Italy.

Italy to Relax Entry Restrictions for Third-Country Travellers From March 1 - SchengenVisaInfo.com

MSC may or may not follow thru and remove testing requirement for getting on board, we need to wait and see. Thats why when you are travelling is important, seen many posts on this boards about people asking about covid requirements when they aren't even travelling for 6 months!!! They are changing all the time, and TBH I wouldn't be looking and planning until within at least a month of your travel date, probably two week.

@Ride-The-Waves yes that's the first step its been approved for use but it has not yet been authorised to actually give it to under 12's  except if they are in a vulnerable category.

So yes its approved but nobody can get it because the NHS will not give it to under 12's unless they meet the vulnerable category conditions.

From who can get the vaccine: Who can get the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Some children aged 5 to 11

Some children aged 5 to 11 can get a 1st and 2nd dose of the COVID-19 vaccine if either:

• they have a condition that means they're at high risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19
• they live with someone who has a weakened immune system

Parents and guardians will get an invitation from a local NHS service such as a GP surgery or a hospital specialist to make an appointment for their child.

A small number of walk-in COVID-19 vaccination sites are also offering the vaccine to children aged 5 to 11. You'll need to bring the letter, email or text inviting your child for their vaccine.

Well you won't be able to get off at 5am, as the ship has to go thru Port clearance first, which could take an hour or more.

Also they normally start boarding for the next voyage about 11am, and need to zero the ship first (ensure all previous passengers have left) before that can begin.

Most cruise lines will assign you a disembarkation time which will usually be between 7am and 10am. You can also self disembark (carrying your luggage yourself off), which allows you a bit more flexibility but still would mean leaving within the above time frames.

Define normal

Cruises have and continue to operate around the UK since May 2021, but are working under Covid restrictions, if that counts as normal for you.

I'm on the Grandiosa in April and have just received the upgrade offer email, I have never upgraded previously so never looked at the offer.

As this is for my 50th birthday I'm considering upgrading, we currently have a room with me and my two kids in (12 and 14) and the offer says it based on two people sharing and only the first two guests will be charged. Does that mean its ok for me to bid and only pay the upgrade price for two of us despite three of us moving to the new room (assuming we win that is) or can I not bid because I need a room for 3 ?

1 hour ago, chrysalis said:

spent 28 days on the Sky in Nov/Dec....Cielo is less crowded and never had a line up to get in.

That's because nobody can figure out how to get to it 🙂

Not specifically for Solos, but your probably best join the roll call thread:

What time was it due to dock ? And what was your embark time ? Unfortunate if they are really late and haven't tried to get in touch with you.

Marine Traffic.com shows it as docked at Doha now, It docked about 40 minutes ago I think. Of course got to wait for port clearance before disembarking can occur, then embarkation

He was on Sky Princess this summer (2021) when it was doing staycations around the UK. Met him when I was on board, what a gent and perfect cruise captain, number one priority was everyone was enjoying themselves.

He actually joined our quiz team for a few minutes as he passed thru the Princess Lounge, couldn't make us win though! 

22 hours ago, mcoler181 said:

I'm keeping a close eye on this, our two will be 8 and 11 at the time of sailing. Currently in the UK not Vaxing that age.

TBH UK under 17's would be screwed as 12 to 17 year olds are only getting one jab of a two jab vaccine and that doesn't count as fully vaxed either. Also currently under 18's vaccine record are not added to the NHS App for travel passes, so thats another problem even if they manage to get vaccinated fully.

In the UK I think there is going to be a big outcry that people haven't realised yet, travelling abroad with kids may come next to impossible.

No YC will give you unlimited drinks throughout the ship, its the Premium Extra (not plus I got it wrong as corrected below) Package you get in YC now

I would expect YC to maintain a higher ratio of staff to passengers than the rest of the ship, if they can do that, then the number of passengers is not necessarily a problem.

I think you want this thread in the roll call section.

If you have the e tickets then your checked in, credit card details is not required to complete check in

I think we have cleared it up thanks to kernow and 8420pr, but to put it beyond all doubt, here's the reply from MSC on twitter:

Hi Defbref the rules apply to your country of residence so as you are from the UK please follow the non-schengen travel requirements. We hope this helps!

so for the Caribbean section it has:

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

BEFORE YOUR CRUISE

CARIBBEAN CRUISES - COVID-19: MEASURES TO EMBARK FOR US RESIDENTS

CARIBBEAN CRUISES - COVID-19: MEASURES TO EMBARK FOR NON-US RESIDENTS

Which is much more clearer on what you need to apply for whom. If the Mediterranean section was as clear I wouldn't have got so confused in the the first place. 

1 minute ago, kernow said:

We are going on Northern Europe cruise in Feb which also has different requirements for Schengen/non Schengen countries. I'm understanding it to mean the country that you come from ie for us Non Schengen rules apply.

Yes that's how I originally read it, but still think that seems a bit silly to have different boarding requirements for people going on to the same ship. For instance you could be assuming its a fully vax cruise but somebody from a different country with different boarding requirements (pcr test only) could get on the same time as you and you might not realise it. 

Ok I am confusing myself, and I know protocols can change overnight, but currently on Travel Requirements Mediterranean | MSC Cruises 

 it has the following:

32 minutes ago, showingdiva said:

 

?  What is ridiculous?   FEDERICOGRUMP asked a reasonable question and got a reasonable answer.  Many people on both sides of the Atlantic have had issues contacting MSC.   When I asked them the question, I wasn't expecting a dissertation back.  I got a simple answer back, which was all that was required.

I don't think they were criticising the question or the fact you contacted msc, they are criticizing the answer that msc gave where in you were told to basically lie to the answer to that question

2 minutes ago, sidari said:

As far as I understand it is 2, Despite the fact that only 1 will be given in the UK. Might be worth ringing MSC to see what response they give.

 

I agree they probably mean two which effectively means they can't travel, but saying full set rather than 2 does leave it open to interpretation. For instance they could even say, when boosters are widely available, that a full set includes a booster.

17 minutes ago, SeaSwirl66 said:

All Guests (12 years old and over) must be fully vaccinated (i.e full set of vaccine shots received more than 14 days before the start of the cruise, with an approved Covid-19 vaccine: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson)

What exactly does full set of shots mean for 12 to 16 year olds in the UK ? They currently are only receiving one dose, does that count as a full set ?