Cruising choices with an active Pandemic

[Pushka]

But the invitations for the free cruise have already been sent.

Oh drron. It's a joke.

 

[RB]

Carnival Splendor visible off our back deck just now. Has been a scarcity the last few years

 

[Pushka]

Carnival Splendor visible off our back deck just now. Has been a scarcity the last few years

At Henley Beach we used to see them coming in to Outer Harbour. For 3 months. And then, well, Covid. Now we don't live there anymore.

 

[Pushka]

Viking ships have a cam as do many. This is the one for the ship we are on next May.

Webcam Viking Cruises - Mars - PANOMAX 360°

Live picture of Viking Cruises - Mars - Panomax - 360° high resolution interactive panorama web cam

viking.panomax.com

It has been in Athens for a couple of days. And it suddenly dawned on me that we were supposed to be on that ship today for a 21 day trip through Egypt and Israel and Suez Canal, down through Red Sea then into India. We deferred it to next May, in reverse, but their port timing on this cruise are much better than ours. We actually arrive into Israel on May 19 which is Jerusalem Day which is marked be celebration on one side and riots on the other. i expect when they contact local operators this will be rejigged. It's too dangerous. We deferred because when we had to pay in full Covid was a significant issue. Sigh.

 

[love_the_life]

Viking ships have a cam as do many. This is the one for the ship we are on next May.

Webcam Viking Cruises - Mars - PANOMAX 360°

Live picture of Viking Cruises - Mars - Panomax - 360° high resolution interactive panorama web cam

viking.panomax.com

It has been in Athens for a couple of days. And it suddenly dawned on me that we were supposed to be on that ship today for a 21 day trip through Egypt and Israel and Suez Canal, down through Red Sea then into India. We deferred it to next May, in reverse, but their port timing on this cruise are much better than ours. We actually arrive into Israel on May 19 which is Jerusalem Day which is marked be celebration on one side and riots on the other. i expect when they contact local operators this will be rejigged. It's too dangerous. We deferred because when we had to pay in full Covid was a significant issue. Sigh.

It's such a pity and it often happens that the timings are great on one itinerary and bleh on the reverse. Personally, I am not planning anything in the middle east for the foreseeable future. And a couple of countries we choose not to visit, unfortunately included on many ship itineraries.

 

[Pushka]

Viking have just realised the issue with Jerusalem Day port. So the itinerary has been all switched up. Lose an overnight in Athens - excellent - and now a stop in Jeddah Saudi Arabia. Not so good. But hopefully better port times and means we can safely do the Jerusalem and Bethlehem trip.

 

[RooFlyer]

Viking have just realised the issue with Jerusalem Day port. So the itinerary has been all switched up. Lose an overnight in Athens - excellent - and now a stop in Jeddah Saudi Arabia. Not so good. But hopefully better port times and means we can safely do the Jerusalem and Bethlehem trip.

I wonder how the stop in Jeddah is going to work? The Saudis are opening up to tourism (a bit) but I don't think they'd be wild about a hoard of tourists galivanting about the city (especially - gasp, scandal - possibly unaccompanied females). Maybe bus tours, with tinted windows, no getting-off?

The King has a palace (complex) on a near-shore island and when I was there - some time ago - it was strictly no photographs (armed soldiers in pillboxes along the shoreline to make sure, amongst other duties). Wonder how they are going to enforce it with a cruise boat coming in? "All passengers face the sea!"

That said, the old town in Jeddah was a wonderful place to visit. And then there were the works of art along the Corniche ... I suspect things have changed now ...

 

[Pushka]

I wonder how the stop in Jeddah is going to work? The Saudis are opening up to tourism (a bit) but I don't think they'd be wild about a hoard of tourists galivanting about the city (especially - gasp, scandal - possibly unaccompanied females). Maybe bus tours, with tinted windows, no getting-off?

The King has a palace (complex) on a near-shore island and when I was there - some time ago - it was strictly no photographs (armed soldiers in pillboxes along the shoreline to make sure, amongst other duties). Wonder how they are going to enforce it with a cruise boat coming in? "All passengers face the sea!"

That said, the old town in Jeddah was a wonderful place to visit. And then there were the works of art along the Corniche ... I suspect things have changed now ...

View attachment 305622

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I've been reading up on the World Cruise reports on this port in Cruise Critic. Their first stop there was last year. Let's just say it wasn't an exemplary process. Photographed and fingerprinted on arrival. I'll put a couple of blogs here worth reading because, well, it sounds awful. At least we will be prepared. Anyone have any spare riyal?

World Cruise Day 96/152 - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - Clean, mostly welcoming, and a pain in the keister to get into

Cruise day: 96/152 Ports days: 39 Sea days: 57 Countries: 16 Continents: 5 Ports: 29 I kept meaning to add this to the blog but kept forgett...

kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com

World Cruise Day 97/152 - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Day 2 - Communication breakdown and the kindness of strangers

Cruise day: 97/152 Ports days: 40 Sea days: 57 Countries: 16 Continents: 5 Ports: 29 Today, we decided to do something different - we were g...

kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com

Day 79 ~ Jeddah Day One. In which we become travelers...

Join an author and her DH as they plan for and take the trip of a lifetime--around the world on the Cunard Queen Anne in 2025!

roundtheworldwriter.blogspot.com

Episode 236 – Camel!

March 30, 2022. 87°F/31°C #myvikingstory I cancelled my walking tour in Jeddah today, which was to be a recap of yesterday but from a woman’s perspective. Frankly, I was uncharacteristically grumpy…

roseandtedsexcellentadventure.com

But worse - no service of alcohol when in their waters even on the ship and no consumption on the balcony either . Viking apparently send out orders the days before because their provision of alcohol at meals is one of their marketing features. The world cruise had four days of it

Cruise Saudi Welcomes Viking to Saudi Arabia

Cruise Saudi has welcomed the Viking Star from Viking to Saudi for its inaugural visit. The ship called at Jeddah Islamic Port on March 30 where a plaque and key exchange ceremony took place before traveling on to call at Yanbu Port. The visit from Viking Star marks the fifth ship to sail Saudi...

www.cruiseindustrynews.com

 

[RooFlyer]

Spare riyals ( but stuck down, sorry)

 

[drron]

Silversea had a ship there for 3 months and it was not good for non Saudis.
Definitely no alcohol which included clearing out your room fridge.
Though some in the know secreted some in their suitcase under the bed.

 

[Pushka]

Silversea had a ship there for 3 months and it was not good for non Saudis.
Definitely no alcohol which included clearing out your room fridge.
Though some in the know secreted some in their suitcase under the bed.

I see in the cruise port schedules that Silverseas is one of the more frequent visitors.

 

[moa999]

Oh dear

'Plenty of protections in place' as 800 COVID-19 infected passengers disembark cruise ship in Sydney

 

[zig]

Oh dear

'Plenty of protections in place' as 800 COVID-19 infected passengers disembark cruise ship in Sydney

Yikes

 

[kpc]

Oh dear

'Plenty of protections in place' as 800 COVID-19 infected passengers disembark cruise ship in Sydney

I still don't understand the rush to get back to cruising....* having caught Covid myself flying back from Europe and being sick for 3 weeks!

 

[Major]

I still don't understand the rush to get back to cruising....

Totally agree

 

[GrahamBRI]

I still don't understand the rush to get back to cruising....

For me it is another status run - double points on offer and status is for life

 

[drron]

I still don't understand the rush to get back to cruising....* having caught Covid myself flying back ftom Europe and being sick for 3 weeks!

Because when we got back on the cruise ship for 18 days we felt back to normal. And that was worth it.

 

[RooFlyer]

I still don't understand the rush to get back to cruising....* having caught Covid myself flying back from Europe and being sick for 3 weeks!

If you caught it flying back, why the concern over cruising?

The local media in Hobart went ga-ga recently over a cruise ship with some cases ( in isolation etc). Yet the cases arriving on aircraft, free to walk about, didn't rates a mention

 

[Pushka]

I still don't understand the rush to get back to cruising....* having caught Covid myself flying back from Europe and being sick for 3 weeks!

So it wasn't the cruise at all then but travel.

We caught covid in UK, not on a cruise. I cannot wait to get back to cruising. Can't come fast enough.

 

[Anna]

I'm not so much worried about falling ill, as I am about some sort of overreaction by officials either onboard where everyone gets confined to their cabin, or by the ports not letting the ship dock. So I'm happy to leave cruising for a while until the hysteria has subsided.