Welcome to Ashdod Port

I say port, because that’s where we are … and where we will remain until the results for the Israeli-administered PCR tests come back. Last announcement I heard, there were 9 or so passengers who had not yet been to the Insignia Lounge PCR Clinic. Hopefully, they have since made their way to complete the testing requirement.

The process went very smoothly this morning. Our side of the deck 7 cabins were slated for 8:50a. But at 8:30a, an announcement was made for anyone who had not been tested to make their way down to the lounge. By 8:45a, Mui and I had taken our turn and were back in the cabin to finish preparing for our day in Ashdod.

Next, we await the announcement to complete immigration formalities in the terminal. We’ve got a little twist in the process, however. Apparently there is a crane near the terminal so we were not allowed to dock there as scheduled. Instead, we will have to be shuttled to the terminal.

Will that mean that we’ll get shuttled, go through the formalities, and then return to the ship to await PCR results before being shuttled to the Sea Mall when said results are ready?

Or will that mean that they will wait for the test results to come back first so that we can then proceed to the Sea Mall once the immigration formalities in the terminal are completed?

That question has not been answered by the authorities as yet.

In the meantime, we did get some good news on the shuttle front. The last shuttle back from the Sea Mall to the port is now at 8:00p. That’s more like it since Insignia is in port until 10:00p. We won’t need to seek alternative means to get back to the ship and can enjoy our time in the city.Baca selengkapnya