Changes on the itinerary of SS cruise Lisbon~Lisbon 8th October 2021

[BuenaVista1]

We booked this cruise and looked forward to visit Madeira. We received an email from Silversea they cancelled this port. Looking at the official Madeira website we read that Madeira is open for all cruise ships??? The email also mentioned going ashore on the Azores Islands ( we will visit 3 of them) is only permitted on Ship excursions??? So this was never mentioned at time of booking…. We think it would be a fare case is Silversea offer his passengers the excursions for free on this specific ports. @SilverseaCruises

 

[Fletcher]

And La Palma is currently being rocked by the volcano . . . 

[Lois R]

I received that email a couple of weeks ago.  Am I disappointed we will be missing Madeira?  Yes, but in these times I am of the mindset that things are just constantly fluid and there is always a chance ports/times will be changing.  Just going with the flow.

[BuenaVista1]

Maybe you missed my point? @Lois R

[Observer]

4 hours ago, BuenaVista1 said:

The email also mentioned going ashore on the Azores Islands ( we will visit 3 of them) is only permitted on Ship excursions??? So this was never mentioned at time of booking…. 

 

 

Welcome to travel in the time of COVID.  Lots of things change between the time of booking and the time of travel.  The requirement that one participate in ship's excursions to go ashore is a minor inconvenience compared with the major disruptions (cancellations of cruises, etc.) experienced by many travelers.  People who expect everything to be spelled out at time of booking (months or even years before travel) should probably stay at home until the plague has ended.

[Lois R]

3 hours ago, BuenaVista1 said:

Maybe you missed my point? @Lois R

Good afternoon, not really. You are upset about the changes and I can understand......but that does not mean I agree. I am just taking it as it comes.......fortunately for me I had a large OBC and will be using much of it for  excursions.  But even if I didn't,  this is the "new normal" and realizing changes will be part of that "new"....I am really just happy to be back on board the ship😀

[cruiseej]

@Lois R I think the point @BuenaVista1 was making is that Silversea should make the excursions free in ports where people can only leave the ship on bubble excursions. I understand that wish; adding a bunch of excursions you hadn't planned to pay for can significantly increase the total cost of a cruise. But I also think it's just not practical. The excursions cost SS money; on the 2022 and beyond cruises where they are offering free excursions, they raised the base cruise price significantly to cover those costs. Here, they are at the mercy of local governments, which can change the rules at any moment to allow or disallow independent travel. (Before the summer Greece cruises began, they were going to not allow independent travel ashore, but Greece rescinded that limitation on the first day of the first cruise.) Making excursions free on a cruise where they are probably already losing money just isn't likely to be feasible. They want to be customer-friendly, but they also have to be reasonably fiscally sound. 

 

This issue isn't unique to SS, by the way. On our Seabourn cruise in the Caribbean next week, it's all bubble-excursion or nothing on all the islands, due to requirements imposed by Barbados in order to allow Seabourn to home port there. 

[Lois R]

Hi,🙂 I understood.......that is why I mentioned it in my reply............and you are right, originally Greece was going to be "Ship excursions only" but then the restrictions were lifted. So maybe they will be lifted for our sailing......we still have 2 weeks to go.  I wasn't trying to be smart.......I just think the cruise lines are basically in the dark sometimes as well....maybe I am in the minority but I will give them the benefit of the doubt......these new normal times seem to make it difficult on everyone. 

[mchell810]

4 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi,🙂 I understood.......that is why I mentioned it in my reply............and you are right, originally Greece was going to be "Ship excursions only" but then the restrictions were lifted. So maybe they will be lifted for our sailing......we still have 2 weeks to go.  I wasn't trying to be smart.......I just think the cruise lines are basically in the dark sometimes as well....maybe I am in the minority but I will give them the benefit of the doubt......these new normal times seem to make it difficult on everyone. 

 

Lois -- I really like your outlook.  You accept the current, chaotic, constantly changing world means one has to be flexible and accept changes if one is going to travel right now.  Months ago I knew I couldn't handle so many unknowns, so I am sitting on the sidelines for now.  I have a SS cruise set for June 2022 and I've decided I am going if it sails.  Hopefully things will be more settled than they are now. 🤞

[Lois R]

25 minutes ago, mchell810 said:

 

Lois -- I really like your outlook.  You accept the current, chaotic, constantly changing world means one has to be flexible and accept changes if one is going to travel right now.  Months ago I knew I couldn't handle so many unknowns, so I am sitting on the sidelines for now.  I have a SS cruise set for June 2022 and I've decided I am going if it sails.  Hopefully things will be more settled than they are now. 🤞

Thank you🙂.  I took the opposite view and when the spring of this year came around I said when cruising re-starts I am going.  As for accepting the changes? It is really the one thing life that always happens.....change.  Of course, not as much as when there is a world pandemic happening, I grant you that. And I know I don't have any control over those things........I can control if I sail or not but not all the other "stuff"......and I love being on the water (more than being home LOL). 

 

You know I went on The Moon in July and honestly, it is like the outside world was "Outside".......even with protocols in place on the ship?  It brought me so much joy😀......and joy on the Muse and I am sure it will bring me joy on this cruise too.

[QueSeraSera]

12 hours ago, Fletcher said:

La Palma is currently being rocked by the volcano . . .

saw this on the news, seems like a bigger issue to me

Madeira does seem like a nice place to visit @BuenaVista1 but they are asking for specific testing within a defined time period, from their web site Information COVID 19 (visitmadeira.pt) or see below

I have had the good fortune to visit Belgium a few times and you have a beautiful country!  Incredibly good food, including Vlaamse frites!

Lois, you have the go-with-the flow down pat.

Ports and Marinas are open to all types of vessels, including cruise ships. 

All passengers who disembark at the ports and marinas of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, from any territory outside the Region, may proceed to their destination upon the presentation of proof of having carried out PCR or TRAg screening tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection with a negative result, provided they are carried out within the maximum period of 72 and 48 hours respectively.
 

[Lirio]

Volcano activity in Canary Islands is getting worse.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/la-palma-island-intensifies-suspending-flights-intl/index.html