Silver Moon Greece 10 day itineraries beginning June, 2021

[Stumblefoot]

2 hours ago, jollyjones said:

If I were to transit through Heathrow directly to Athens on the same ticket on the same day, it's just a security check and no immigration queues.

That’s a good thing considering LHR immigration lines have been running 6+ hours this week according to contacts there.

[jollyjones]

24 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

That’s a good thing considering LHR immigration lines have been running 6+ hours this week according to contacts there.

Yes, and that’s before international travel for UK folk becomes allowed on May 17th. 
So far, the U.K. gummint hasn’t answered Heathrow’s pleas to do something to help. 

[Fletcher]

I know these June-July-Aug sailings are still 3 months away at least and no one can really predict what the situation might be.  But at the moment air travel through the UK is completely chaotic.  Six hour waits at customs are the norm.  And personally I don't think the UK government cares that much; they don't want people travelling abroad and coming from abroad, mainly due to fears of mutant strains being imported and also to help the local economy by forcing everyone to stay at home.   There's no way I would book any sort of a cruise right now.

 

And apologies if I have missed previous discussions on this topic - I have just looked at the Silver Moon deck plans and see there is no Main Dining Room, just five or six seriously pretentious smaller venues, some of which you have to pay extra for.  The ship also looks extremely brown and beige.

 

Finally, may I ask . . . ? Do our American friends have proof of being vaccinated and are Silversea offering tests at the end of the cruise and are they included in your fare?

Edited April 16, 2021 by Fletcher

[Lois R]

Good morning, my flights don't have to stop in the UK.........going from where I live to Newark and then directly across to Athens.

 

I don't think all the restaurants look pretentious, but that is just my opinion.  I love Terazza and will be happy to dine there multiple times🙂

 

As for testing, my SS rep told me they will be offering testing. I didn't ask her about a fee. 

 

I know there will be many folks who think this summer is too early to start cruising. I am willing to take the jump.

[dawntrdr]

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

know there will be many folks who think this summer is too early to start cruising. I am willing to take the jump.

 

Good for you, Lois!  Many people reading these boards will secretly envy you, and we all want to hear about the impression that the stunning new Moon makes in person.

[Lois R]

2 minutes ago, dawntrdr said:

 

Good for you, Lois!  Many people reading these boards will secretly envy you, and we all want to hear about the impression that the stunning new Moon makes in person.

Thanks so much🙂

[spinnaker2]

Wonderful news Lois. You will have a blast.

 

 

[SummmerInKefalonia]

For your information today Silver Whisper and Silver Spirit were registered to the official cruise schedule of Piraeus port from July 2021. 😉

[Lois R]

19 minutes ago, spinnaker2 said:

Wonderful news Lois. You will have a blast.

 

 

Hi Spins, thanks so much😃

[QueSeraSera]

8 hours ago, Fletcher said:

Do our American friends have proof of being vaccinated

Yes, we are given a small card with our name & date of birth, then a table indicating vaccine type and lot number, date administered, and Healthcare Professional or Clinic Site signature. 

Mine has 4 rows labeled

1st dose Covid-19

2nd dose Covid-19

Other

Other

with the underlined terms above as columns

[Whaleofatime]

After a week of negotiating and weighing up pros and cons of cancelling or rebooking we have decided to go for one of these Greek island itineraries. 
 We were on the Silver Muse in Aus and NZ last March and were so impressed with the ship that we definitely wanted to book on the Moon as soon as we saw a voyage we liked. So we were due to do Bermuda to Barcelona this March...cancelled...rebooked Rome to Venice for Aug/Sept.... cancelled. Now we have absolutely everything crossed that we   Sail on July 28th from Athens. It is not an itinerary we would have chosen but under the circumstances we desperately need a change of scenery and     despite the expense, the balance tipped slightly in favour of rebooking versus taking the refund and facing a very large price hike for any future booking if and when our preferred itineraries are likely to go ahead.

Regarding comments on the decor and dining venues from an earlier post, we found the general ambience very comfortable and relaxing especially at breakfast. We don’t do lunch but in the evenings the open seating dining room did get very busy. However things will be managed very differently this year and sailings will probably be less than full capacity for the first few months according to Silversea protocol.

Hope to meet some of you on July 28 to Aug 7th.

 

 

[Lois R]

1 hour ago, Whaleofatime said:

After a week of negotiating and weighing up pros and cons of cancelling or rebooking we have decided to go for one of these Greek island itineraries. 
 We were on the Silver Muse in Aus and NZ last March and were so impressed with the ship that we definitely wanted to book on the Moon as soon as we saw a voyage we liked. So we were due to do Bermuda to Barcelona this March...cancelled...rebooked Rome to Venice for Aug/Sept.... cancelled. Now we have absolutely everything crossed that we   Sail on July 28th from Athens. It is not an itinerary we would have chosen but under the circumstances we desperately need a change of scenery and     despite the expense, the balance tipped slightly in favour of rebooking versus taking the refund and facing a very large price hike for any future booking if and when our preferred itineraries are likely to go ahead.

Regarding comments on the decor and dining venues from an earlier post, we found the general ambience very comfortable and relaxing especially at breakfast. We don’t do lunch but in the evenings the open seating dining room did get very busy. However things will be managed very differently this year and sailings will probably be less than full capacity for the first few months according to Silversea protocol.

Hope to meet some of you on July 28 to Aug 7th.

 

 

Let me give you a big CONGRATS on booking the cruise!😃 So we are both going to try it!  I hope you have a great time.  As I mentioned earlier, I am sure these will be a bit different from the "normal" sailing but I think SS will handle things in a most professional manner.  And as you said,  it won't be at full capacity so a chance for more of a smooth sailing as well........protocols and all!

[sea bright]

Our June 10th Spirit cruise to Scandinavia was canceled (the 6th or 7th SS cruise we have had canceled due to the pandemic). After a zoom presentation by Silversea's Mark Conroy (organized by Tully) in which he stated he was as certain as possible in a pandemic that the Greek Moon itineraries would go this summer we booked a btb (the June18th and 28th sailings). When questioned, he said Iceland was a possibility later in the summer, but had not been finalized and UK cruises were potentially possible if Britain re-opens May 17th as is apparently being discussed. Norway, Sweden and Denmark were said to be very very unlikely this summer. The crew of the Origin is vaccinated and they hope to have sailings in the Galapagos starting by June.  They plan on having the Muse  start in the fall in Japan.  They hope to have the Moon resume its previously planned itineraries beginning in October. He explained that getting the crew vaccinated and getting countries to open their borders to tourists were the 2 biggest issues for the re-start.  Apparently the Greek and Ecuadorian governments provided vaccine for the crew of the 2 vaccinated ships. The hope is to have most ships in operation by October, all in operation by January and a full season in 2022. However, when asked about Australia in early 2022 (we have a Feb  '22 booked) he indicated it was a crapshoot.  While its not my first choice itinerary, I'm glad to (hopefully) get back on a Silversea ship!

 

 

 

[les37b]

On 4/15/2021 at 4:16 PM, Stumblefoot said:

£5K now looks good compared to the £5.7K they want to charge U.S. passengers. 

 

Dont forget - you have transatlantic flights included in this price.

 

 

5 hours ago, sea bright said:

When questioned, he said Iceland was a possibility later in the summer, but had not been finalized and UK cruises were potentially possible if Britain re-opens May 17th as is apparently being discussed. 

 

Out of curiosity, when was this conference call?

 

I'm aware SS were looking at UK cruises and genuinely expected to see then, but allegedly they believed there wasn't enough interest, which I'm surprised to hear and dropped the idea. That said, I'd hate to think what my 12 night Tower Bridge cruise cancelled for last August would cost now!

 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2021 by les37b

[Stumblefoot]

2 hours ago, les37b said:

 

Dont forget - you have transatlantic flights included in this price.

Yeah, I thought of that.  Was just teasin’ you as I’m squarely in your camp.

[carefreecruise]

Funny that Silversea picked Greece to start cruising to. Lots of country's already allow tourist to Inter with a negative Covid test but Greece is still in a lockdown and no  entry is allowed for US citizens. See below from the US Embassy 

 

Entry and Exit Requirements:

• Are U.S. citizens permitted to enter? No
  • Greece will currently only allow EU citizens, EU residents, and residents of certain other specific countries to enter. The United States is not one of those countries.  U.S. citizens traveling to Greece will not be permitted to enter unless they meet one of only a few narrow exceptions detailed in the Greek Embassy’s information on entrance into the European Union/Schengen Area.  There is no projected date when entry will be permitted.  A long visit in a third country will not help you get around EU restrictions.
  • The Embassy is aware that high-level officials have spoken of intentions to facilitate summer 2021 tourism to Greece.  However, there is no projected date when entry will be permitted for residents of the United States.  The U.S. Embassy in Athens cannot give you any assurance regarding whether or when residents of the United States may be allowed to enter Greece.
  • If you do not meet the conditions or exceptions mentioned above but believe your circumstances merit entry to Greece, or if you need clarification, contact the closest Greek Embassy or consulate prior to travel.  The U.S. Embassy in Athens cannot give you permission to enter Greece or request exceptions to EU travel restrictions.

[Lois R]

It is not just Silversea........Celebrity is also booking cruises out of Greece starting in June.  I guess they are trying to get bookings with an intent of sailing from there.  I haven't looked at every forum but there may be other lines starting from there as well.

 

Princess and Seabourn are also starting from Athens in June.    

 

Maybe  the cruiselines know something we don't............

[frantic36]

3 minutes ago, Lois R said:

It is not just Silversea........Celebrity is also booking cruises out of Greece starting in June.  I guess they are trying to get bookings with an intent of sailing from there.  I haven't looked at every forum but there may be other lines starting from there as well.

 

Lois, Seabourn is also starting sailings from Greece in early July for vaccinated guests. I have a couple of friends on the sailings and will look forward to their reports. They, like you just want to get sailing again and are fine with using masks, social distancing etc  when needed.

[Lois R]

11 minutes ago, frantic36 said:

 

Lois, Seabourn is also starting sailings from Greece in early July for vaccinated guests. I have a couple of friends on the sailings and will look forward to their reports. They, like you just want to get sailing again and are fine with using masks, social distancing etc  when needed.

I saw that🙂..I  was perusing some of the other forums.......I guess we will all find out if the cruises will actually sail in the next couple of months!

[Lois R]

I found this article on a  thread over on the Celebrity board.......

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/04/14/greece-will-reportedly-reopen-to-us-tourists-next-week---if-they-meet-these-conditions/?sh=4fbd251f424b

[Randyk47]

9 minutes ago, Lois R said:

I found this article on a  thread over on the Celebrity board.......

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/04/14/greece-will-reportedly-reopen-to-us-tourists-next-week---if-they-meet-these-conditions/?sh=4fbd251f424b

I wonder what is sufficient “proof of vaccination”?   

[Stumblefoot]

2 hours ago, Randyk47 said:

I wonder what is sufficient “proof of vaccination”?   

A little white card with a couple of lines filled in. 😉

[Fletcher]

Greece in July and August is going to be biggest traffic jam on Earth.  Afloat. 

[sea bright]

les37b - call was on April 14th.

[Whaleofatime]

5 hours ago, Fletcher said:

Greece in July and August is going to be biggest traffic jam on Earth.  Afloat. 

I think the North Sea and Irish Sea will be a bit like the M25 too 🙄