indie Posted October 15, 2021 #1 Share Posted October 15, 2021 First time visiting in November and not able to find an answer on whether or not I need to book a ship excursion to your Antigua? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjenaz Posted October 15, 2021 #2 Share Posted October 15, 2021 As of now, based on the Celebrity ship, we can only get off the ship in Antiqua if you are on a ship shore excursion. Hoping that RCL will post protocols soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indie Posted October 15, 2021 Author #3 Share Posted October 15, 2021 I will be on Royal Harmony of The Seas going to Antigua on Thanksgiving week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susiesan Posted October 18, 2021 #4 Share Posted October 18, 2021 (edited) No, Antigua will not allow independent shore ex per government edict from Minister of Health document from April 2021. Cruise ship operators should arrange shore excursions to reduce passengers and crew from being exposed to COVID-19. In ports of call, shore excursions should be limited to cruise line-controlled offerings and conducted in a manner consistent with Antigua and Barbuda Port Health authorities and local public health laws, regulations and protocols. Edited October 18, 2021 by susiesan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indie Posted October 20, 2021 Author #5 Share Posted October 20, 2021 On 10/18/2021 at 3:57 PM, susiesan said: No, Antigua will not allow independent shore ex per government edict from Minister of Health document from April 2021. Cruise ship operators should arrange shore excursions to reduce passengers and crew from being exposed to COVID-19. In ports of call, shore excursions should be limited to cruise line-controlled offerings and conducted in a manner consistent with Antigua and Barbuda Port Health authorities and local public health laws, regulations and protocols. Thank you. I guess I better see what is available through royal. I don't want to not be able to see Antigua my first visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OntarioCruiser38 Posted October 24, 2021 #6 Share Posted October 24, 2021 Cruise bubble removed, vendors and operators in St John’s stand to benefit 22 October 2021 https://antiguaobserver.com/cruise-bubble-removed-vendors-and-operators-in-st-johns-stand-to-benefit/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indie Posted October 24, 2021 Author #7 Share Posted October 24, 2021 Awesome and timely news, I had not booked with Royal yet and still had a deposit through shoreexcursioneer since early this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susiesan Posted October 25, 2021 #8 Share Posted October 25, 2021 Hopefully Celebrity and the other cruise lines will remove their restrictions soon. As of 10/22 Celebrity still shows restricted touring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjenaz Posted October 25, 2021 #9 Share Posted October 25, 2021 Please re-check, RCCL just sent out protocols for trips leaving from San Juan. You must book shore Excursions for Antigua thru the ship for November cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indie Posted October 25, 2021 Author #10 Share Posted October 25, 2021 (edited) On 10/23/2021 at 8:53 PM, OntarioCruiser38 said: Cruise bubble removed, vendors and operators in St John’s stand to benefit 22 October 2021 https://antiguaobserver.com/cruise-bubble-removed-vendors-and-operators-in-st-johns-stand-to-benefit/ Edited October 25, 2021 by indie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indie Posted October 25, 2021 Author #11 Share Posted October 25, 2021 (edited) Sorry phone wouldn't let me delete the quote above. I am a bit more confused as I have read the protocols but Royal doesn't say the tours must've booked through the cruise line except in the section regarding those with unvaccinated kids. The kids section specifically says you must book at tour through Royal Carribean. Vaccinated Guests Fully vaccinated parties may book a shore excursion or visit most ports freely — with the exception of those listed below, which will require tours for all guests who wish to go ashore, regardless of their vaccination status. St. Lucia (November visits) Barbados (November visits) St. Kitts (November visits) Antigua (November visits) Tours Required for Families With Unvaccinated Children Families traveling with unvaccinated kids must purchase a local tour through Royal Caribbean if they wish to go ashore. This applies to all ports of call except Perfect Day at CocoCay, and Port Canaveral, Florida. Vaccinated parents wishing to go ashore freely can visit our youth facilities onboard to learn about drop off program hours and availability, and reserve time for their child on the day they wish to go in port. Edited October 25, 2021 by indie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OntarioCruiser38 Posted October 26, 2021 #12 Share Posted October 26, 2021 (edited) 56 minutes ago, indie said: Sorry phone wouldn't let me delete the quote above. I am a bit more confused as I have read the protocols but Royal doesn't say the tours must've booked through the cruise line except in the section regarding those with unvaccinated kids. The kids section specifically says you must book at tour through Royal Carribean. Vaccinated Guests Fully vaccinated parties may book a shore excursion or visit most ports freely — with the exception of those listed below, which will require tours for all guests who wish to go ashore, regardless of their vaccination status. St. Lucia (November visits) Barbados (November visits) St. Kitts (November visits) Antigua (November visits) Tours Required for Families With Unvaccinated Children Families traveling with unvaccinated kids must purchase a local tour through Royal Caribbean if they wish to go ashore. This applies to all ports of call except Perfect Day at CocoCay, and Port Canaveral, Florida. Vaccinated parents wishing to go ashore freely can visit our youth facilities onboard to learn about drop off program hours and availability, and reserve time for their child on the day they wish to go in port. When is your cruise? I’m going in January. All of this is subject to change at any time. What I provided was posted by Antigua on October 22. The notification your referenced also stated the following. Requirements for Going Ashore Below are our current tour requirements at ports of call, which are subject to change as we continue to evaluate circumstances around the globe. If in doubt check when you get on the ship. Edited October 26, 2021 by OntarioCruiser38 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indie Posted October 26, 2021 Author #13 Share Posted October 26, 2021 I am sailing November 21st. I already had a tour booked for several months through shoreexcursioneer. I went ahead and booked a tour just in case through Royal as all of the excursions are almost sold out. It was only about two options left. I will figure out if I can get a definitive answer in the next couple of weeks and decide which one to cancel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OntarioCruiser38 Posted October 26, 2021 #14 Share Posted October 26, 2021 58 minutes ago, indie said: I am sailing November 21st. I already had a tour booked for several months through shoreexcursioneer. I went ahead and booked a tour just in case through Royal as all of the excursions are almost sold out. It was only about two options left. I will figure out if I can get a definitive answer in the next couple of weeks and decide which one to cancel. Thanks for posting what you did. We were going to go on a cruise on November 27th through celebrity but postponed because Grand Cayman was closed and there were questions about Key West so it was down to two ports for a week. I took a look at my notes and what I found was only St. Kitts was still in a bubble however you could get two tours on shore. All four ports were asking for recent PCR tests. It may be the cruise won’t do PCR tests for ports. Your approach of booking ship and private is a good strategy. We will do the same just to be safe. You can still likely cancel the private when you find out on board what the situation is on the 21st. Would you mind posting when you get back and let us know how things evolved for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjenaz Posted October 26, 2021 #15 Share Posted October 26, 2021 Royal sent emails and updated their web site yesterday. For the Month of November (at least) if you want to get off the ship in Antiqua you must book a Royal Excursion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indie Posted October 26, 2021 Author #16 Share Posted October 26, 2021 13 hours ago, OntarioCruiser38 said: Thanks for posting what you did. We were going to go on a cruise on November 27th through celebrity but postponed because Grand Cayman was closed and there were questions about Key West so it was down to two ports for a week. I took a look at my notes and what I found was only St. Kitts was still in a bubble however you could get two tours on shore. All four ports were asking for recent PCR tests. It may be the cruise won’t do PCR tests for ports. Your approach of booking ship and private is a good strategy. We will do the same just to be safe. You can still likely cancel the private when you find out on board what the situation is on the 21st. Would you mind posting when you get back and let us know how things evolved for you? Thank you, I followed up with someonr from Royals executive office who I had corresponded with before. Here was their response today. Per our current tour requirements, Antigua is listed as one of the ports requiring tours booked through Royal for all guests going ashore regardless of vaccination status. As stated in the email notification sent, these tour requirements at ports of call are subject to change as we continue to evaluate circumstances around the globe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susiesan Posted October 26, 2021 #17 Share Posted October 26, 2021 2 hours ago, indie said: Thank you, I followed up with someonr from Royals executive office who I had corresponded with before. Here was their response today. Per our current tour requirements, Antigua is listed as one of the ports requiring tours booked through Royal for all guests going ashore regardless of vaccination status. As stated in the email notification sent, these tour requirements at ports of call are subject to change as we continue to evaluate circumstances around the globe. Hope your pushing RC to relax the restriction which is the same as Celebrity. I am scheduled to be in Antigua on Dec. 4 and surely the greedy cruise lines will release us to go ashore independently. It took Celebrity over a month to clear us for Nassau, long after everyone else was able to tour independently there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare crewsweeper Posted October 31, 2021 #18 Share Posted October 31, 2021 As the Bubble is removed, do note that it takes time for cruise lines to update their web sites. But this is good news, I just want to go down to Nelson's Harbor, visit any Atlantic Challenge rowers arriving and come back. Maybe grabbing a local bite on return. RCCL's excursion there looks a bit too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjenaz Posted November 1, 2021 #19 Share Posted November 1, 2021 Antigua was just removed from the "Must do Ship Excursion" list for Royal Caribbean in November. 🙂 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indie Posted November 2, 2021 Author #20 Share Posted November 2, 2021 8 hours ago, kjenaz said: Antigua was just removed from the "Must do Ship Excursion" list for Royal Caribbean in November. 🙂 Of course, now that I have canceled my local tour and booked a Royal Tour. Im thinking about cancelling with Royal and rebooking what I had originally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jy_cruisefan Posted November 2, 2021 #21 Share Posted November 2, 2021 Hello again.Looks like Celebrity has just updated (Oct 31st) their list of ports that you can explore on your own. In particular, Antigua has been added to the list.Travel Requirements for US Cruises | Celebrity Cruises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macaroni Posted November 3, 2021 #22 Share Posted November 3, 2021 Antigua was just removed as a port of call for our Oceania January 2022 cruise…..St. Maarten was substituted instead…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunchaser247 Posted November 14, 2021 #23 Share Posted November 14, 2021 On 10/15/2021 at 3:52 PM, indie said: HI We will be also. According to the RCL site all the shore excursions are sold out. So does that mean we cant get off the ship do you know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunchaser247 Posted November 14, 2021 #24 Share Posted November 14, 2021 On 11/1/2021 at 1:41 PM, kjenaz said: Antigua was just removed from the "Must do Ship Excursion" list for Royal Caribbean in November. 🙂 Thank you for sharing. All RCL excursions are sold out so now I have to find a private tour. Know of any good ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indie Posted November 15, 2021 Author #25 Share Posted November 15, 2021 I canceled my rcl tour and rebooked the tour I originally had through Shoreexcursioneer: Antigua Traditional House, Pineapple Farm, Fryes Estate, Beach Break and Lunch Excursion, it is with Heavenly Tours 7 hours ago, RentSunnyFlorida.com said: Thank you for sharing. All RCL excursions are sold out so now I have to find a private tour. Know of any good ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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