Timing strategy for scheduling airline flights and Danube cruise followed by Black Sea cruise.

[robert32asp]

In this era of Covid, mandatory testings and possible quarantines are there any Best Practices on the scheduling of trip segments.  The reason I am asking is that we have had some really bad luck and harsh learning lessons over the past five years on all kinds of surprise events creating a travel mess.

 

Specifically, I can put myself in a bubble prior to getting on a nonstop airplane in Seattle, WA for say Amsterdam or Paris.  I can be very careful and mostly masked up while in the SEA airport and on the overnight flight. 

 

1. But should I book an immediate same day flight from my primary European destination to the city where the cruise ship leaves?   Or should there be some time between that and where the cruise ship leaves so I can quarantine, if needed?  Or would it be better to have potential quarantine time in the city where the Danube river cruise leaves?
2. What about when the cruise ship docks at the end of the cruise?  Based on our vaccination status and the fact that the last cruise we were on (Norwegian Joy) had a Nora Virus outbreak that we were able to avoid), I feel we have a good chance of avoiding getting Covid on the cruise.  Should my wife and I plan for some spare potential quarantine time at the city where the Danube cruise docks, or would it be better to fly quickly to Istanbul where the Black Sea cruise starts.  Part of this has to do with how likely are cruise ships to keep their schedule on the Danube? (yes, I am aware that in years of low water flow they may bus people between ports of call----decades ago, high water caused a huge port and schedule issue on a Rhine cruise that changed the beginning and end which were all messed up).
3. Should Russia do something against Ukraine, how can we minimize our financial risk?   (When Russia invaded Crimea, we had a Viking Black Sea cruise canceled from under us, that would have messed up our airline tickets, but luckily we got lots of vouchers from everyone.)  (On an eastern Mediterranean cruise, we had our cruise company change the ports of call while at sea and it ended in Athens instead of Istanbul (because of credible terrorism threat) where we had hotel reservations and airline bookings home.  That cruise line gave us a voucher for airfare from Athens to Istanbul and we had enough spare time that would have been for a trip to see the ruins of Troy (which we canceled) that allowed us to use most of the hotel reservation and make the flight home.
   
   So any Best Practices folks with more experience on strategizing the scheduling of various trip segments and airline tickets.

 

Thank you.

 

Edited January 18, 2022 by robert32asp

[CruiserBruce]

First of all, when is your cruise. If its more than 60 days away, anything we discuss here can, and most likely will, change before the cruise.

 

Is any European country requiring quarantine if you are vaccinated and have any required test(s)?

 

At this point in time, you need a negative test to fly back to the US. No required quarantine unless your test is positive.

 

I would not book my flights based on quarantining requirements, unless I see an actual requirement. More importantly, I would book my flights to make sure I made all connections, and arrived in the port city with time to get a probably required test prior to boarding.

 

As long as you aren't going anywhere near Ukraine or Russia, I wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying about that.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, robert32asp said:

In this era of Covid, mandatory testings and possible quarantines are there any Best Practices on the scheduling of trip segments.  The reason I am asking is that we have had some really bad luck and harsh learning lessons over the past five years on all kinds of surprise events creating a travel mess.

 

Specifically, I can put myself in a bubble prior to getting on a nonstop airplane in Seattle, WA for say Amsterdam or Paris.  I can be very careful and mostly masked up while in the SEA airport and on the overnight flight. 

 

1. But should I book an immediate same day flight from my primary European destination to the city where the cruise ship leaves?   Or should there be some time between that and where the cruise ship leaves so I can quarantine, if needed?  Or would it be better to have potential quarantine time in the city where the Danube river cruise leaves?  Different countries have different requirements for quarantine; many do not require it if you are "in transit".  I would do research on potential routes and select one that does not require "in transit" quarantine. IMO, at this time you are better off getting to the city from which your cruise departs and leave time for quarantine there, if quarantine is needed or if you feel it is prudent.
2. What about when the cruise ship docks at the end of the cruise?  Based on our vaccination status and the fact that the last cruise we were on (Norwegian Joy) had a Nora Virus outbreak that we were able to avoid), I feel we have a good chance of avoiding getting Covid on the cruise.  Should my wife and I plan for some spare potential quarantine time at the city where the Danube cruise docks, or would it be better to fly quickly to Istanbul where the Black Sea cruise starts.  Part of this has to do with how likely are cruise ships to keep their schedule on the Danube? (yes, I am aware that in years of low water flow they may bus people between ports of call----decades ago, high water caused a huge port and schedule issue on a Rhine cruise that changed the beginning and end which were all messed up).  I don't have any substantive recommendations. How much time do you have between the two cruises?  If possible, you might want to leave this portion flexible, if possible, to accommodate the possibility of a positive test on leaving your river cruise. (My first thought would be to get to Istanbul as quickly as possible but that is colored more by my love for that unique city than by any informed decision making....)
3. Should Russia do something against Ukraine, how can we minimize our financial risk?   (When Russia invaded Crimea, we had a Viking Black Sea cruise canceled from under us, that would have messed up our airline tickets, but luckily we got lots of vouchers from everyone.)  (On an eastern Mediterranean cruise, we had our cruise company change the ports of call while at sea and it ended in Athens instead of Istanbul (because of credible terrorism threat) where we had hotel reservations and airline bookings home.  That cruise line gave us a voucher for airfare from Athens to Istanbul and we had enough spare time that would have been for a trip to see the ruins of Troy (which we canceled) that allowed us to use most of the hotel reservation and make the flight home.  As in most cases, your best bet to minimize your risk is to insure your trip against these potential events. Talking to a good travel insurance rep and laying out your main concerns in terms of financial loss vs. medical insurance vs. travel assistance would be helpful to you,.
   
   So any Best Practices folks with more experience on strategizing the scheduling of various trip segments and airline tickets.

 

Thank you.

 

 

See my comments within your text above. Most of the suggestions are general but the devil is in the details -- at this time you have to do your research and be prepared with a Plan B, with a flexible mindset, and with insurance if it makes sense.

[robert32asp]

3 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

See my comments within your text above. Most of the suggestions are general but the devil is in the details -- at this time you have to do your research and be prepared with a Plan B, with a flexible mindset, and with insurance if it makes sense.

Thank you.

 

I am thinking cancel for any reason insurance on portions of the Black Sea cruise that are likely to be a potential financial loss if Russia invades or does things that make me want to avoid.

I also love Istanbul, so maybe that is the way to go.

 

The in-transit comment was interesting.  I will have to research this more.

 

The Turkish Airlines site states:

"Passengers arriving to Turkey from abroad are required to have taken a PCR test with a negative result with the sample given within 72 hours prior to their scheduled flight departure. Turkish citizens are required to submit a personal HES code for domestic and TRNC flights. Passengers arriving from abroad and have a domestic transit are not required to submit a personal HES code provided that the duration between the two flights is less than 12 hours. Passenger admissions on international flights are made according to the restrictions of the destination country. In our stations where temperature measurement is allowed, measurement is made with non-contact temperature meters during boarding. If our passengers show illness symptoms and their fever is above 38°C, they may not be permitted to board to our flights."

 

 

Again, thank you.

[robert32asp]

5 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

1) when is your cruise. If its more than 60 days away, anything we discuss here can, and most likely will, change before the cruise.

 

2)Is any European country requiring quarantine if you are vaccinated and have any required test(s)?

 

3) I would not book my flights based on quarantining requirements, unless I see an actual requirement. More importantly, I would book my flights to make sure I made all connections, and arrived in the port city with time to get a probably required test prior to boarding.

 

4)As long as you aren't going anywhere near Ukraine or Russia, I wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying about that.

1) Danube cruise early June.  Black Sea cruise late June

2)Data from US Embassy in Romania;  ".......Are U.S. citizens required to quarantine? Yes.

• There are some exceptions but in general, U.S. citizens must quarantine.
• According to Romania’s National Committee for Emergency Situations Decision no. 2  of January 7, 2022, beginning January 9, 2022, foreign citizens arriving in Romania from third countries (countries that are not member of the European Union, the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation) must quarantine for 5 days if they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 within 180 days of travel, or 10 days if they are unvaccinated or have not recently recovered from COVID-19.........."

3) See 2 above.

4) I will be in Russia and Ukraine, which is why I am very concerned.

The Black Sea cruise has ports of call

  Istanbul Turkey

  Varna & Burgas Bulgaria

  Constanta Romania

  Odessa Ukraine

   Sochi Russia

  Batumi, Georgia

  Istanbul Turkey

 

I hope this adds some context.  Thank you for your questions.

[sanger727]

I personally would cancel if the country I was traveling to required a quarantine. I work so my vacation time is too valuable to spend 5 days in a hotel room. I would schedule at least an overnight between flights. My real world situation when traveling to Ecuador and Peru last year. We booked a cruise in Ecuador, a 3 night stay in our own in the Galapagos, and then a 10 night Peru tour. First, our flight from Ecuador to Peru was cancelled so we rescheduled it. We had to move it to at least 1 day earlier so we abandoned the Galapagos extension and instead had one overnight in Ecuador and 2 extra in Peru. Then the covid test requirement to enter Peru changed from rapid test to PCR, so we were really glad we had almost 24 hours in Ecuador. We would have been in trouble if we had tried to fly straight on through.

[lissie]

14 hours ago, robert32asp said:

1) Danube cruise early June.  Black Sea cruise late June

2)Data from US Embassy in Romania;  ".......Are U.S. citizens required to quarantine? Yes.

• There are some exceptions but in general, U.S. citizens must quarantine.
• According to Romania’s National Committee for Emergency Situations Decision no. 2  of January 7, 2022, beginning January 9, 2022, foreign citizens arriving in Romania from third countries (countries that are not member of the European Union, the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation) must quarantine for 5 days if they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 within 180 days of travel, or 10 days if they are unvaccinated or have not recently recovered from COVID-19.........."

3) See 2 above.

4) I will be in Russia and Ukraine, which is why I am very concerned.

The Black Sea cruise has ports of call

  Istanbul Turkey

  Varna & Burgas Bulgaria

  Constanta Romania

  Odessa Ukraine

   Sochi Russia

  Batumi, Georgia

  Istanbul Turkey

 

I hope this adds some context.  Thank you for your questions.

So you point #4 says you don't need to quarantine - you're arriving in Romania from Bulgaria (part of the EU) If there  was a quarantine requirement the cruise wouldn't be happening or they wouldn't be selling to non-EU passengers. 

 

BTW it looks like an amazing itinerary - can I ask which cruise line... 

[robert32asp]

BTW it looks like an amazing itinerary - can I ask which cruise line... 

 

Danube is Ama and Black Ses is Azamara.

 

Thanks.

 

I will have to read the quarantine info again.