New COVID-19 Entry Requirements

We returned from lunch today to find a 3-page document outlining the entry requirements for the ports ahead … as they stand as of 1 April 2022.

The good news is that Italy, Turkey, and Greece require nothing special. Guests are allowed to go ashore independently or with tours … masking required for all three countries — with Italy specifying FFP2 masks — when in public and communal places and when using public transportation … vaccination certificates may be checked when entering indoor venues such as restaurants and museums. All things we’re used to already.

[KN95 masks, by the way, fit the bill for the FFP2 requirement; the ship has them available for those who need them.]

Malta has similar requirements. But they threw us a slight curve ball by requiring that vaccine cards be approved through the VeriFLY app. This is for USA and Canada residents only. We handled that easily enough. Mui downloaded the app to his phone, and with a little assistance from Carlos at the purser’s desk, he set up our profiles. Luckily, I had already completed the PLF (passenger locator form) for Malta before departing Colorado Springs, so we had the QR codes handy to complete the process.

[For those USA/Canada citizens who are having problems with the VeriFLY app and/or completing the Malta PLF, Oceania has arranged a special session tomorrow to assist them.]

Israel, also has the usual masking, etc. But they threw us a MAJOR curve ball with the most onerous entry requirements.

Upon arrival in Ashdod, they insist on the Israeli Health Authorities administering PCR tests to everyone. I guess they don’t trust Oceania to administer the tests on the sea day before our arrival to make things less cumbersome. Once tested, but before we get the results, they then require us to go to the terminal to pick up our passports and complete the immigration formalities. That done, we are to return to the ship to await clearance.

Oceania has been told to expect that the whole process might take as long as 6 hours!!!! Needless to say, despite our rather lengthy port call (6:00a to 10:00p), all-day excursions to places like Jerusalem and Masada are no longer possible. Once I confirmed that Oceania had canceled their all-day ship’s tours, I canceled the private tour I had organized to Masada and the Dead Sea. I’m not sure what we will do when we call on Ashdod now … I still have time to figure that out.

The one bit of good news in Israel’s onerous requirements is that we’ll be cleared for Haifa by the steps taken in Ashdod, so at least those plans remain intact … for now.

(P.S. Viking Star, also doing a world cruise, has finagled its itinerary to arrive a day early in Ashdod and remain at anchor to take care of the testing by having the Israeli authorities come aboard the ship. But they are already in the area, so that is easier for them to do. For us to be able to take similar action, one of the three ports en route to Ashdod would have to be canceled. No one wants that after so many cancelations.)

Frankly, if I had any say in the matter, I’d skip Israel entirely and head to Turkey … plenty of ports to choose from there … could also stop somewhere like Rhodes along the way. But I have no say in the matter. So, we’ll go with the flow wherever the ship takes us.Читать далее