Jade Athens - Pre Board and Trip Experiences

[cfelbab]

4 hours ago, bratts2go said:

We're booked for September 29th and on the brink of making the same decision.  Too many unknowns are piling up.

 

We made the decision a few days ago to postpone our Jade sailing as well. We were scheduled for middle of September. We're replaced it with a nearly identical sailing on the Jade a year out. While it is frustrating to wait another year for this cruise, I really am hopeful that the experience will be much better. When we factored in the significant cost of such a trip against the anxiety and hassles that doing the trip at this time would involve, cancelation seemed to best choice. I don't much fear getting COVID as we are vaccinated but the possibility of a false positive test or other disruptions coupled with the accommodations required by COVID (e.g. masks, potential impacts to shore excursions, etc) would have absolutely impacted on enjoyment level on the trip. 

 

Like most others on this forum, I'm disappointed that as much as I would like for this pandemic to be over - it does not appear to be so. Never did I imagine a year and a half ago when I canceled the first of many vacation attempts that we'd still be doing that now. I sure hope I am not typing a similar message next year at this time!

 

For those of you sailing, I wish you happiness and safe travels. Enjoy the trip a bit extra on behalf of people like me who are watching from the sidelines for a bit longer...

[Nola26]

Finally sailing this itinerary on Sunday, August 28th. Took my COVID test today and bags are packed. Heading to airport in the morning as we have a one-day deviation. Hoping for smooth travels and a great cruise. We haven't sailed since March 2020.

 

I used Viator to book transportation from airport to hotel then to pier. We also have an Athens tour booked for Sunday prior to heading to the port. 

 

NCL excursions for all ports except Mykonos and we'll find something to book once we are onboard.

 

Specialty meals will be LaCucina and LeBistro.

[cmecruise1962]

5 hours ago, Nola26 said:

Finally sailing this itinerary on Sunday, August 28th. Took my COVID test today and bags are packed. Heading to airport in the morning as we have a one-day deviation. Hoping for smooth travels and a great cruise. We haven't sailed since March 2020.

 

I used Viator to book transportation from airport to hotel then to pier. We also have an Athens tour booked for Sunday prior to heading to the port. 

 

NCL excursions for all ports except Mykonos and we'll find something to book once we are onboard.

 

Specialty meals will be LaCucina and LeBistro.

Just came back...it was amazing!  One thing to be aware of, your last covid vaccination has to be within 9 months.  Not sure how I missed that!  My son brought the card without his latest booster and we had a huge panic when we were "denied" boarding!  Thank goodness, I have a very understanding sister, who got up at 5AM to help us out!

Edited August 26, 2022 by cmecruise1962

[Crazy planning mom]

8 hours ago, Nola26 said:

Finally sailing this itinerary on Sunday, August 28th. Took my COVID test today and bags are packed. Heading to airport in the morning as we have a one-day deviation. Hoping for smooth travels and a great cruise. We haven't sailed since March 2020.

 

I used Viator to book transportation from airport to hotel then to pier. We also have an Athens tour booked for Sunday prior to heading to the port. 

 

NCL excursions for all ports except Mykonos and we'll find something to book once we are onboard.

 

Specialty meals will be LaCucina and LeBistro.

Have a great trip!

[Crazy planning mom]

2 hours ago, cmecruise1962 said:

Just came back...it was amazing!  One thing to be aware of, your last covid vaccination has to be within 9 months.  Not sure how I missed that!  My son brought the card without his latest booster and we had a huge panic when we were "denied" boarding!  Thank goodness, I have a very understanding sister, who got up at 5AM to help us out!

Whew!  Glad it worked out.  How was embarkation otherwise?  How crowded was the ship?

[cmecruise1962]

We had an amazing time!!  The ship was not crowded at all, the service was great, the weather was HOT!  Embarkation would have been a breeze if we had not had that little hiccup!  I highly recommend looking for local tours, but we also had a good time on our NCL tours.  The best tour we had was from Trip Advisor, a three-spot swimming tour in Rhodes from Faliraki Fun Club, the water was so beautiful and clear!

[thera]

@cmecruise1962, hello, we'll be on the ship in a few weeks.  Can you tell me if you did a Covid test at the port or beforehand?  Thanks!