Tag Archives: Greece

Norwegian Getaway Kicks Off Summer Program in the Mediterranean

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Completing Norwegian Cruise Line’s 2023 lineup in Europe, the Norwegian Getaway is kicking off its summer program in the region today.

Sailing in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, the 2014-built vessel is set to offer a series of nine- to 16-night itineraries departing from different ports.

The first cruise of the season, for instance, sails from Lisbon, Portugal, to Civitavecchia, a port near Italy’s capital city Rome.

Cruising in the Western Mediterranean, the nine-night itinerary includes visits to a total of seven destinations in Spain, France and Italy, such as Málaga, Ibiza, Barcelona, Villefranche and Livorno.

Continuing its season, the ship offers an Eastern Mediterranean itinerary on June 24. Also sailing one-way, the nine-night voyage sails from Civitavecchia to Italy’s Trieste after visits to ports in Italy, Sicily, Greece and Croatia.

Between late July and October, the Norwegian Getaway is also set to offer itineraries in Northern and Western Europe.

On September 15, for instance, the 4,000-guest ship offers a 16-night cruise to the British Islands and Iceland.

Sailing roundtrip from England’s Southampton, the itinerary also features visits to Western European destinations, including France’s Le Havre, Germany’s Hamburg and Belgium’s Zeebrugge.

Following additional itineraries in the region, the Getaway is set to return to North America on November 4. On that day, the ship wraps up a 13-night transatlantic crossing that sails between Southampton and New York City.

In addition to the Norwegian Getaway, eight Norwegian Cruise Line ships are set to operate in Europe in 2023.

The local program stretches through December and features the company’s two newest vessels – the 2022-built Norwegian Prima and the 2023-built Norwegian Viva.

Other vessels sailing in Europe this year include the Norwegian Breakaway, the Norwegian Epic, the Norwegian Dawn, the Norwegian Star, the Norwegian Jade and the Norwegian Gem.

Norwegian Escape Resumes Service After Drydock

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Norwegian Bliss arriving in Southampton photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)

The Norwegian Escape is resuming service today in Civitavecchia, Italy. After spending most of September at a drydock in France, the vessel is welcoming guests for the final part of its 2022 season in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The program, which started in May, includes nine- to 11-night cruises to popular destinations in Greece, Malta, Italy and France.

The Oct. 12 departure, for instance, sails to Livorno, Naples, Messina, Valletta, Corfu, Piraeus and Santorini before returning to Civitavecchia.

Following an incident that took place earlier this year, the drydock period was confirmed by Norwegian Cruise Line in June.

At the time, the cruise line said that the ship required a shipyard visit but did not reveal the nature of the work being carried out onboard.

Previously, in March, the Norwegian Escape ran aground in the Dominican Republic during a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean.

After being refloated, the 163,000-ton ship was said to have suffered minor damage and spent a month undergoing repairs before resuming regular operations in mid-April.

The Norwegian Escape is set to return to North America following its European cruise program.

In November, the ship offers a trans-Atlantic crossing to New York City before kicking off a season in the Caribbean.

Highlighted by a visit to the Azores Archipelago, the 16-night voyage includes calls in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and the United States.

Continuing its winter program, the 4,200-guest vessel launches a series of week-long Eastern Caribbean cruises on November 19.

Departing from Port Canaveral, the regular itineraries sail to the Dominican Republic and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Before returning to its Florida homeport, the vessel also visits the British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas.

Part of the Breakaway-Plus Class, the Norwegian Escape originally entered service in 2015. After nearly two years out of service due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the vessel resumed revenue operations in late 2021.

Celebrity Cruises Announces New Protocols for Sailing

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Celebrity Cruises today announced new protocols for guests sailing from U.S. and European ports by dropping vaccination requirements and simplifying testing guidelines.

Beginning September 5, 2022, all guests, regardless of vaccination status, departing on most sailings from the U.S. and Europe can now cruise as long as they meet local testing requirements to board. Celebrity Cruises will also now accept any commercially available test, including unsupervised self-tests, in many destinations. 

“A new world is waiting and I’m thrilled to now more closely align our operations with the rest of the travel industry and open up opportunities for everyone to explore, once again,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises. “Travel is making its grand comeback and we’re looking forward to the continued momentum from consumers around the world.” 

New pre-boarding testing requirements for the U.S. and Europe include:

  • Fully vaccinated guests no longer need to test to board sailings from the U.S. that are nine nights or less (excluding sailings that visit Canada and Bermuda). 
  • A negative test result from a simple, unsupervised and self-administered test will be accepted for all sailings (excluding sailings that visit Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Greece or New Zealand).
  • Children under 5 years of age sailing from the U.S. and guests under 12 years of age sailing from Europe do not need to test prior to boarding. 

Requirements in Other Regions

While Celebrity Cruises has dropped vaccination requirements, sailings to and from ports in Canada, Australia and New Zealand require all guests ages 12 and up to be fully vaccinated to sail in keeping with country requirements. Galapagos cruises require guests ages 3 and older to be vaccinated.