Has France Said When Cruises Can Start?

[tring]

Has anyone got an update on France's view about when they will accept foreign cruise ships?

 

We are due to dock at two ports in Brittany as well as Bordeaux late July and the cruise company say it will go ahead, but I am not convinced it will.  It is not a big ship, but we not at all keen on going if we have to stay in tour groups, which is what I expect will happen if it goes ahead.  TBH we would be happier if it was cancelled before we need to pay our balance at the beginning of April.

[mskaufman]

We have a Seine cruise this summer  and our flights were sent this week.  Wonder if it will happen?

[tring]

9 hours ago, mskaufman said:

We have a Seine cruise this summer  and our flights were sent this week.  Wonder if it will happen?

 

Is that purely a river cruise, or a small ocean cruise ship starting from another country and going up the Seine to Rouen as part of the itinerary?

 

Cruises within a single country are likely to start up before international cruising.  Ocean cuise companies in the UK have now been given the go ahead to plan for cruises within UK waters, with no or possibly a few ports.  They should take place in the summer, but maybe not start until late June or July and even those plans could change.

 

It does seem highly unlikely we will be able to cruise to any other country before late summer, but we will have to see.  Good luck with your cruise 🙂

 

 

Edited March 11, 2021 by tring

[mskaufman]

Purely a river cruise

[Hlitner]

We have two issues in this thread.  The OP is in England and I have no clue as to whether France will open up to Brits this summer.  But for those of us in North America I think much is going to depend on the success of Greece, whose Tourist Minister wants to open up in May.  His idea is to open up to North Americans who have proof of COVID vaccinations.  Since Greece is a Schengen country it will be difficult for Greece to do this on their own.  So we will wait and see.  Personally, although we normally cruise over 100 days a year (much of it in Europe) we have no cruises booked prior to October!  I have no faith in European cruises in 2021 and would not even want to waste my time making various arrangements.  We are hopeful that we can travel to Europe this year, but will simply watch what happens (with restrictions) and keep our flexibility.  If Greece and/or other countries open up to us (we will be vaccinated) then we can simply book a flight and do our own thing once we are on the Continent.  But "doing our thing" this summer will not include a cruise since I do not want to deal with the hassles and risk.  If Greece opens we might use an overnight ferry (they are like cruise ships) to get to one or more Greek Islands where we can enjoy ourselves without being overrun by cruise passengers :).  Just think about it!  Being on an island like Santorini with few to no cruise ships is a true joy.

 

Hank

[tring]

22 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We have two issues in this thread.  The OP is in England and I have no clue as to whether France will open up to Brits this summer.  But for those of us in North America I think much is going to depend on the success of Greece, whose Tourist Minister wants to open up in May.  His idea is to open up to North Americans who have proof of COVID vaccinations.  Since Greece is a Schengen country it will be difficult for Greece to do this on their own.  So we will wait and see.  Personally, although we normally cruise over 100 days a year (much of it in Europe) we have no cruises booked prior to October!  I have no faith in European cruises in 2021 and would not even want to waste my time making various arrangements.  We are hopeful that we can travel to Europe this year, but will simply watch what happens (with restrictions) and keep our flexibility.  If Greece and/or other countries open up to us (we will be vaccinated) then we can simply book a flight and do our own thing once we are on the Continent.  But "doing our thing" this summer will not include a cruise since I do not want to deal with the hassles and risk.  If Greece opens we might use an overnight ferry (they are like cruise ships) to get to one or more Greek Islands where we can enjoy ourselves without being overrun by cruise passengers :).  Just think about it!  Being on an island like Santorini with few to no cruise ships is a true joy.

 

Hank

 

Thanks for your comments, all of which make perfect sense.  We were pretty sure our July cruise would be cancelled, but were keen to see that happen before early April when our balance is due.  Our cruise line has since told me they are working on what they are going to do with the cruises and make an announcement within a week now, so our problem is solved.

 

Regards your situation, although it is normally possible to travel anywhere within the Schengen area, covid times are very different regards movement.  I am pretty sure there are still restrictions on travelling even between different areas within Spain and almost certainly within France along with other countries, so not easy to move round at all. Also, within lockdowns you could also find hotels and restaurants closed.  In fact the numbers are going up in a number of mainland European countries at present, so it seems they are likely heading for another covid wave.  Vaccinations are extremely slow in the EU as well, so there could still be problems there in the summer.  Even when they have enough vaccine there are a number of anti-vaxers in France and possibly other EU countries, so may be slow getting sorted, though some countries like Greece and Spain will be wanting to get tourists in asap since tourism is a major part of their

ecconomies.  So best to make sure any travel plans are cancellable with refunds available.  The TA forums are worth keeping an eye on as it is not always easy to pick up various government statements in other languages for most people.  There was travel to the continent last summer, but tests needed to get in and masks need to be worn even outdoors if on a public road in Spain, for instance.

 

Like you, we are doing very well with vaccinations and it is hoped all UK adults will have been able to get vaccinated by summer (?July) and we also have a fairly high uptake of the jab.  Not sure our government will want overseas tourists here or us popping abroad for some time to come though as there is concern over variants, some of which could render the current vaccines less effective.

 

Greece does seem to have fared better to date, but if they do let tourists visit, the situation could change of course, but I do hope you manage to get some sort of holiday arranged.

 

 

 

[tenmile]

We are booked on a Uniworld Burgandy and Provence cruise that leaves Avignon on May 23 (yes, in 6 weeks) which was a rebooking from last year's cancelled cruise. Uniworld has yet to cancel it. Yesterday they did cancel their first 3 cruises in May, but not their May 23 and May 30 sailings. All ports are in France---does Uniworld know something that we don't? I just don't see how we can cruise this soon, and, frankly, I think this is poor customer service on Uniworld's part. They are being very vague with my TA and just telling her that the remaining cruises in May are still scheduled. We have been told nothing about boarding requirements such as COVID tests, vaccination requirements, etc. Of course, we don't know France's requirements either, because right now Americans are not allowed in the country for leisure travel. AND Uniworld is still selling their May cruises and beyond on their website. I realize that the cruise industry has taken a large financial "hit" because of the pandemic, but it seems Uniworld is more concerned about making money than about customer service. I do not respect any company that does "last minute" cancellations (6 weeks and less). I won't sail with them again once we rebook and take our fully paid cruise (since July 2019). Uniworld changed their refund policy last year during the pandemic and did not want to honor their 2019 full refund policy when we booked --will only refund 50 percent and the other 50 percent is FCC.  So we will do one cruise with them, whenever that is. 

[Hlitner]

Multiple issues here with Uniworld.  As the OP is aware, that cruise cannot possibly happen because Americans cannot enter France!  And that is not going to change in the next month as France deals with a COVID surge.   But the other issue is what happens when Uniworld finally cancels their cruise.  Under most consumer laws Uniworld must refund the customer's money.  If Uniworld refuses to issue a refund the OP should immediately contact their credit card company and put the payment into "dispute."  

 

The European Union likes to boast about their excellent consumer protection policies which do look good in writing.  But in practice things do not always go as advertised.  When Czech Air cancelled our flight from Paris to Prague I asked Czech Air for a refund citing the EUs own rules.  The airline admitted they should give me a refund but then said I  would have to wait many months until after the cancelled flight was scheduled and then I could submit a "request" for a refund which would be investigated.  I immediately called my credit card company, disputed the charge, and had the money refunded to my account the same day.  

 

By the way, if Uniworld is still selling cruises (on their US web site) you might want to take some screen shots and document the date.  Selling a product you cannot possibly deliver might be considered fraud by some...and a bad error by others.  But it would be good to have a record, keep a file, and be prepared for a future battle.

 

Hank

[GoesBoom]

On 4/6/2021 at 4:14 PM, Hlitner said:

Multiple issues here with Uniworld.  As the OP is aware, that cruise cannot possibly happen because Americans cannot enter France!  And that is not going to change in the next month as France deals with a COVID surge.   But the other issue is what happens when Uniworld finally cancels their cruise.  Under most consumer laws Uniworld must refund the customer's money.  If Uniworld refuses to issue a refund the OP should immediately contact their credit card company and put the payment into "dispute."  

 

The European Union likes to boast about their excellent consumer protection policies which do look good in writing.  But in practice things do not always go as advertised.  When Czech Air cancelled our flight from Paris to Prague I asked Czech Air for a refund citing the EUs own rules.  The airline admitted they should give me a refund but then said I  would have to wait many months until after the cancelled flight was scheduled and then I could submit a "request" for a refund which would be investigated.  I immediately called my credit card company, disputed the charge, and had the money refunded to my account the same day.  

 

By the way, if Uniworld is still selling cruises (on their US web site) you might want to take some screen shots and document the date.  Selling a product you cannot possibly deliver might be considered fraud by some...and a bad error by others.  But it would be good to have a record, keep a file, and be prepared for a future battle.

 

Hank

I’m in the same boat with Uniworld.  They are still selling cruises in France that depart in less than 45 days.  They have my money and I can’t get it back.  My TA no long will sell a cruise on Uniworld.  I’ve got 13 Crystal Cruises under my belt.  If this trip ever goes, it will be my first and last time on Uniworld.  I fear that Uniworld is about to go out of business.

Edited April 8, 2021 by GoesBoom

[John Bull]

So many issues to consider here.

In no particular order.....

 

As per Tring's post, not for the first time EU rules are being over-ridden by national interests. And in fact, Schengen rules actually allow extra-ordinary monitoring and countries' own rules for those who wish to cross between Schengen countries and even to close internal borders in the event of pandemics, terrorism etc.

Tourism is a massive contributor to the Greek economy, and if it's happy with safety it will open up in May regardless of any dictates from the EU.  And it may also bar residents of high-risk Schengen countries whilst welcoming those from safe non-EU countries.

Same applies to Spain & Portugal, altho unlike the Greek Isles their geography doesn't permit easy division into open and closed areas, and last year Spain lumped the comparatively low-risk Canary & Balearic islands in with the closed borders of mainland Spain. 

A further complication is that Greece is now going through a third spike in cases, which may dampen their enthusiasm for opening up to tourists, the willingness of tourists, and the attitudes of countries toward their citizens returning from Greece.

The UK govt is setting up a traffic-light banding of travel requirements for those returning to the UK - green for return from safe countries (just proof of non-infection), amber (multiple tests and self-isolation on return) and red (includes monitored self-isolation in Covid hotels).  Problem is that circumstances change and, as happened to last year's "safe" list of countries, and traffic lights also have a habit of changing colour.

 

Hank - I think you're being a bit harsh about the excellent consumer protection laws in Europe (not just the EU). Yes, airlines, cruiselines, hotels & such wee trying very hard to persuade customers to accept future-use vouchers rather than cash refunds. I can understand that - big refunds on top of negative cashflows could send a viable business under. Most operators tried that, some (including the usual suspects) hung out too long and the enforcers didn't bare their teeth as quickly as perhaps they should, but that can't be blamed on the legislation - it is just so very very very very much better than in the US of A.

Witness the time & trouble I had in getting a refund for an Avis car rental screw-up, despite involving my credit card supplier - that ended up in a stand-off, with Avis saying they'd refund in full as soon as I removed the hold on the payment & me saying that it'd be a whole lot simpler if they simply cancelled the charge or - if they want to play at silly-buggars - they're the ones who charged me twice whereas I'd not given them any cause for concern, so THEY should trust ME by refunding and I'd then withdraw the hold. I won the stand-off. 🙂     .

But yes, Hank, in many many cases seeking recompense from the credit card company involved in the transaction is so much quicker and easier than relying on consumer laws. Oh - and thanks for the opportunity to take another pop at Avis 🤣

 

A cruise (this'll be mainly river cruises) which remains in one country can still be cancelled due to Covid. Cruise ships / boats are effectively HOTELS (and pretty cramped hotels at that) so will come under the same restrictions as hotels. In the UK, despite massively more comforting levels of infection and vaccination, hotels will remain closed (with exceptions) until 12th May, and self-catering (caravan parks, chalets, etc) only re-opened this week.

 

But if cruises in Europe CAN still go ahead, any restrictions on folk flying in from elsewhere in the world won't mean that cruises will be cancelled, Hank - it's not only Americans who cruise 😉. So only cruises that need viable numbers from excluded countries are at risk of cancellation - and even that depends whether the operator's terms & conditions give refunds to those who can't travel due to such force-majeure.

 

I'm glad I don't have the difficult decisions that Tring, Tenmile and GoesBoom have to make, but each might choose a different course depending on the size of irretrievable funds already spent. 

But I can't help thinking that it's in the interests of Uniworld to delay any decision about cancellation until after final payments are due.

Or am I just being a cynical old grumpy? 

 

Sheesh - is that the time? 

Amazing how time flies when you're involved in a complex issue - especially for us one-fingered typists 🙄

 

JB 🙂 

 

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by John Bull

[tring]

4 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

I'm glad I don't have the difficult decisions that Tring, Tenmile and GoesBoom have to make, but each might choose a different course depending on the size of irretrievable funds already spent. 

 

 

Ours was an Ocean cruise and we got email confirmation of the cancellation on 16th March from Fred, at the same time as he released his short summer cruises for sale and more than two weeks before final balance was due.

 

I am pretty confident all or at least a good number of the short UK only cruises for UK residents will go ahead this summer, (especially the ones without any port stops), but I am not so confident any cruises leaving the UK to international locations, or with other nationals coming here to embark a ship, will be happening any time soon.  There are still some cruises planned from September onwards (I think), so we will have to see what happens nearer the time.  It is now seeming that some foreign travel may be allowed for us this year, but if that is to Europe, or just the odd country like Israel, remains to be seen and, as you say things change quickly, so people could be in the same situation as last year, when they went abroad thinking they could return to work on the return, to find that they needed to get back to the UK within 48 hours, or they would have to quarantine for a couple of weeks.  That of course is still not the same as cruising being allowed to other countries as that was not allowed last year, even when fly holidays were happening to selected countries.  

 

I did hear one reporter mentioning yesterday on TV that in Europe, Spain are not doing as badly as Italy or Germany with vaccines, though they are doing better than France, which is way behind.  I am thinking that may give a general idea of which countries may come on line earlier than others, though will still depend on decisions of each individual country as well as the UK.  You are right about Spain initially imposing the same restrictions on the Canaries as they did for the mainland, where virus numbers were far greater (has been pretty low in the Canaries).  However I had a holiday booked to the Canaries, so was keeping an eye on the TA forums which included a lot of posts from Canary Island residents.  It seems the Canarian authorities did push back so those restrictions were less strict for them in the end.  Hence, I do see the Canary authorities opening up their Islands before mainland Spain, and also for the UK gov to look more favorably at the Canaries (and possibly also the Balearics), compared to mainland Spain.

 

We are booked on a Princess cruise from Southampton to the Med round trip, leaving late October and am not confident it will happen, but we will see.  Otherwise we (like many Brits) have knuckled under and just planned some UK breaks for this summer/early autumn, though it is normally the winter when we head abroad anyway.  The "strain" of not having any winter sun holidays booked for any time in the future, along with good prices for the P&O winter 2022/3 cruises just released for pre-registration, has seen us booking three of them (Oct and Nov 2022 + March 2023).  Two to the Med and Canaries and one round trip Caribbean.  That is very out of character for us as we usually go for more unusual locations and avoid the mainstream cruise lines and holiday companies, but TBH we are not confident the world will have opened up completely, even by then.  The thing which was pretty much top of our wish list was an around S. America cruise and a re-booking of our N. American Eastern Seaboard cruise from UK before we get too old, but we are not convinced they will go ahead in the next year or so - at least in a manner we would like, with passengers being allowed to go ashore and explore independently.  We may fly to Canada to see relatives next year, if we can though.

 

I have gone on a bit here with a lot of off topic stuff, but may be of use as information to those in other parts of the world regards the general feelings over here, as I know I am not alone in my thoughts.  What does happen remains to be seen though as no one can predict anything, though our government scientists are warning there will be some restrictions for some years to come -  especially in the winter months.  Even we may decide it is worth being herded round in a group at times, if it is the only way we can get our fix of winter sun from a cruise ship 🙂

 

I hope those booked on river cruises in mainland Europe are able to get their money back without too much trouble.  It does seem highly unlikely that anything like that can go ahead this year with residents of other countries, though I wish those affected good luck in that respect. 

Edited April 9, 2021 by tring

[Dukefan]

Iceland is a Schengen Country and Viking last week started taking bookings for June and July, 2021 there.   Iceland's requirement was that all passengers and crew must have been vacinated with an EU or US approved vaccine and that everyone on the cruise must follow Iceland Covid Policies while there.  The UK which is leaving the EU but I believe might continue to be a Schengen Country has cruises on Viking starting in May, 2021, but only for UK citzens.  Based on this, I believe that Greece probably will be able to return to cruising if its govenment approves under some special rules such as crew and passengers being vaccinated with an approved vaccine and the ship only stopping in countries when the local govenment approves.

[tring]

1 hour ago, Dukefan said:

Iceland is a Schengen Country and Viking last week started taking bookings for June and July, 2021 there.   Iceland's requirement was that all passengers and crew must have been vacinated with an EU or US approved vaccine and that everyone on the cruise must follow Iceland Covid Policies while there.  The UK which is leaving the EU but I believe might continue to be a Schengen Country has cruises on Viking starting in May, 2021, but only for UK citzens.  Based on this, I believe that Greece probably will be able to return to cruising if its govenment approves under some special rules such as crew and passengers being vaccinated with an approved vaccine and the ship only stopping in countries when the local govenment approves.

 

Thanks for the update re Iceland.

 

Just to correct your information regards the UK.  The UK have now fully left the EU from the beginning of this year, we had left last year but were in a "half way" situation which was a transition state were the EU rules still applied to us.  We have never been in the Schengen area, even when we were in the EU, so that has no relevance to us.

 

A lot of cruise companies have planned short UK cruises this summer, but all are only for UK residents, which is not the same as UK citizens.  A UK citizen living in another country is not allowed to travel to the UK to take one of those cruises.  There have been, and continue to be, some cruises taking place in other countries, but as far as I know they too are only available to residents of the country from which the cruise takes place.  Many (possibly all) of the cruises taking place are just what are often called "cruises to nowhere", meaning that they just pooter out into the sea/Ocean and sail around, possibly taking in scenic locations whilst doing so.

 

Yes there are specific requirements for all cruises, though vaccination requirements vary with the cruise line, MSC for instance intend to just use testing and crew may not be able to be vaccinated before any of the cruise lines sail, but will be tested regularly on board and will have to Quarantine on the ship, before being allowed to take up their duties.  A fair bit of that is Gov rules (after a lot of consultation etc.) and other things are the individual decisions of the cruise line concerned.  Of course there will be more clarification before the cruises take place, so any rules, regulations and plans may well change and could indeed change again once the ship's are sailing in the UK and likely other countries as well.

 

International cruising from any country is a much different ball game, but when and how that happens remains to be seen.  I see the Republic of Ireland are adding the US, Canada, Italy Belgium and France to their red list, meaning anyone coming in from those countries will need to quarantine in specific hotels on arrival at their own expense (and they are pricey in the UK, so likely so there).  Not something allowed for travel purposes either, but more a matter of returning nationals or the Republic for instance.  In some ways everything is closing in rather than opening up in many parts of Europe.

Edited April 10, 2021 by tring

[Dukefan]

38 minutes ago, tring said:

 

Thanks for the update re Iceland.

 

Just to correct your information regards the UK.  The UK have now fully left the EU from the beginning of this year, we had left last year but were in a "half way" situation which was a transition state were the EU rules still applied to us.  We have never been in the Schengen area, even when we were in the EU, so that has no relevance to us.

 

A lot of cruise companies have planned short UK cruises this summer, but all are only for UK residents, which is not the same as UK citizens.  A UK citizen living in another country is not allowed to travel to the UK to take one of those cruises.  There have been, and continue to be, some cruises taking place in other countries, but as far as I know they too are only available to residents of the country from which the cruise takes place.  Many (possibly all) of the cruises taking place are just what are often called "cruises to nowhere", meaning that they just pooter out into the sea/Ocean and sail around, possibly taking in scenic locations whilst doing so.

 

Yes there are specific requirements for all cruises, though vaccination requirements vary with the cruise line, MSC for instance intend to just use testing and crew may not be able to be vaccinated before any of the cruise lines sail, but will be tested regularly on board and will have to Quarantine on the ship, before being allowed to take up their duties.  A fair bit of that is Gov rules (after a lot of consultation etc.) and other things are the individual decisions of the cruise line concerned.  Of course there will be more clarification before the cruises take place, so any rules, regulations and plans may well change and could indeed change again once the ship's are sailing in the UK and likely other countries as well.

 

International cruising from any country is a much different ball game, but when and how that happens remains to be seen.  I see the Republic of Ireland are adding the US, Canada, Italy Belgium and France to their red list, meaning anyone coming in from those countries will need to quarantine in specific hotels on arrival at their own expense (and they are pricey in the UK, so likely so there).  Not something allowed for travel purposes either, but more a matter of returning nationals or the Republic for instance.  In some ways everything is closing in rather than opening up in many parts of Europe.

Thanks tring for the clarification.  Since being part of the EU was not a requirement to be part of the Schengen Agreement, I was unsure what the UK would do once they left the EU.  I never released until your post that they were never part of the Schengen Agreement even when they were in the EU.   

[tenmile]

Thank you, everyone, for enlightening me on the current cruise situation as you know it from your countries. I would hate to think that Uniworld or any other cruise line would just string along Americans booked on their cruises, knowing full well we can not enter the EU countries, and go forward with the cruises because they had an adequate number of local nationals (in our case, French) on board. I have no problem if the company moves forward with the cruise, but some communication should be given to non French guests who will not be allowed to travel. At the least, we should be given a future cruise credit and allowed to re-book a cruise for later. If not, it is fraud. I will not only contact my credit card company, but I will also contact my Congressman. Hank, thank you for the advice to screen shot and begin documentation that Uniworld is still selling their May cruises on their US website. 

[GoesBoom]

3 hours ago, tenmile said:

Uniworld is still selling their May cruises on their US website.

I look in amazement at Uniworld selling May 3rd cruises in Portugal.  I hope they aren’t going to sail with the EU passengers they can scrape up and tell the Americans it isn’t canceled, but we have to cancel and thus incur a $1,000 penalty.  At this point my TA will not sell a Uniworld cruise.

[tenmile]

46 minutes ago, GoesBoom said:

I look in amazement at Uniworld selling May 3rd cruises in Portugal.  I hope they aren’t going to sail with the EU passengers they can scrape up and tell the Americans it isn’t canceled, but we have to cancel and thus incur a $1,000 penalty.  At this point my TA will not sell a Uniworld cruise.

I sent Uniworld an email this afternoon and copied it to my TA. I asked them to tell me the status of our cruise that sails in 30 days and asked how they planned to handle passengers who can not sail because of France’s border closures. I asked my TA if Uniworld  could legally force us to cancel and pay the under 30 day cancellation forfeiture. If that happens, I will be getting CLIA and my Congressman involved, as well as being sure this is addressed by Cruise Critic on their social mediums. After this, I’m not sure my TA will sell Uniworld cruises either. Exactly one year ago our TA was battling Uniworld because they were back peddling on their 2019 100 percent refund policy in place when we originally purchased our 2020 cruise. They offered us a suite upgrade to rebook in 2021. And here we are, wishing now we had pushed back and taken our full refund.

[GoesBoom]

12 hours ago, tenmile said:

I sent Uniworld an email this afternoon and copied it to my TA. I asked them to tell me the status of our cruise that sails in 30 days and asked how they planned to handle passengers who can not sail because of France’s border closures. I asked my TA if Uniworld  could legally force us to cancel and pay the under 30 day cancellation forfeiture. If that happens, I will be getting CLIA and my Congressman involved, as well as being sure this is addressed by Cruise Critic on their social mediums. After this, I’m not sure my TA will sell Uniworld cruises either. Exactly one year ago our TA was battling Uniworld because they were back peddling on their 2019 100 percent refund policy in place when we originally purchased our 2020 cruise. They offered us a suite upgrade to rebook in 2021. And here we are, wishing now we had pushed back and taken our full refund.

Please let me know what Uniworld responds with.  Does your my.Uniworld page show the telephone number of your boat now?  It should.  Given their actions, or lack there of, I am worried about Uniworld’s financial viability.

[tenmile]

Uniworld has not responded to my email yet, BUT my TA also emailed Uniworld yesterday and she received an email this morning saying Uniworld has suspended our May 23 cruise as of yesterday. No other details about FCC, rebooking, etc yet. Interesting about a boat phone number. I never saw that, but I didn’t look for one. I never thought I would feel relief about a suspended cruise, but I do today! 

[GoesBoom]

2 minutes ago, tenmile said:

Uniworld has suspended our May 23 cruis

Well, at least you know.  So they are suspending about 30 days out.  My Grand France cruise is scheduled for June 20th.  Time to sit and wait.

[tenmile]

5 hours ago, GoesBoom said:

Well, at least you know.  So they are suspending about 30 days out.  My Grand France cruise is scheduled for June 20th.  Time to sit and wait.

Goes Boom, I hope you learn about your cruise status soon and not have to wait until 30 days out like we did. Uniworld is offering no increase in cruise price  IF  we book a cruise with the same itinerary and category later in 2021 or book same category, itinerary and date in 2022. Otherwise they offer a FCC for amount paid to be used toward any cruise booked in 2021 or 2022. FCC can also be applied to their sister companies, Insight and Luxury World Tours or U cruises. That was our offer. Good luck!

[CruiserBruce]

Just an update...France announced this last week it will start allowing US tourists in. Didn't catch a date, but imagine it will be this month.

[Hlitner]

8 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Just an update...France announced this last week it will start allowing US tourists in. Didn't catch a date, but imagine it will be this month.

But the questions should be "let in with what rules" and "will anything be open?"  Much of Europe is going through a similar exercise to what has been happening here in the USA.  The various government entities do not want to let go of their power (to shut things down) and the public is getting sick and tired of the restrictions and dictatorial powers assumed by some government officials.  I suspect that just like here in the USA, the people in the EU (and UK) are going to force the issue while government officials capitulate "kicking and screaming."   Science and common sense have exited government offices and now it is about political power grabs.  In the end, the public will win...but the question remains how long and how much more economic pain.

 

Hank 

[CruiserBruce]

Minus the politics, France will open tomorrow to vaccinated Americans, or if you have a negative test. Technically, essential travelers can enter without both a vaccine, or without a negative test, but it sounds like you would need to be VERY essential to enter.