Eastern Mediterranean

Turning her bow away from Valetta, Insignia set a course for Ashdod, Israel.

We were already dressed for the day, so we went up to the jogging track on deck 10 to put in a couple of miles worth of steps as the ship danced on the 10-12 foot waves. The wind was strong … and would be getting stronger. In his noon announcement, in fact, Captain B reported gusts up to 40 knots.

A couple of quiet hours of reading and it was time for lunch in the dining room. It was then that the P/A system went ding-dong … again. What now?

Turns out that it was Leslie, our Cruise Director … with more news of entry requirements for Israel. Actually, I already knew about the online entry statement required to be completed within 48 hours of arrival … the information was in the first pre-embarkation letter sent out by Oceania HQ. I had heard through the rumor mill, however, that O might be trying to negotiate an exemption to the requirement. The Israelis obviously weren’t playing ball.

Anyway, step-by-step instructions for completing the form were awaiting us when we returned to the cabin. I have since completed the form, adding Mui as my companion. The internet signal was good … no glitches along the way.

The proud bearers of the Green Pass that says we can enter Israel from Ashdod on the 10th — pending the PCR testing that the authorities will conduct that morning — off we went to Horizons on deck 10 forward for afternoon tea.

We were sipping our tea when ding-dong went the P/A system. Not again, we both thought. It was CD Leslie with a teaser announcement advising that trivia was canceled due to “a situation” and promising to return in 15 minutes with more information.

True to his promise, the P/A system went ding-dong again. We’d been discussing what the news could be. Israel canceled and replaced with other ports? That was at the forefront of our minds. After all, it didn’t feel like they really wanted us visiting.

Turns out that we are still going, but are having to jump through another hoop … a PCR test at sea, in advance of the one the Israeli Authorities will be giving us when we arrive in Ashdod.

Mui and I will go with the flow, as we usually do. After all, these are the tribulations of travel during COVID-19 times. But I will say that the Israeli requirements are really above and beyond the pale!

I think we might skip dinner tonight! Don’t need any more ding-dongs today 😉😀Read more