You're Cruising during a Pandemic? Are you nuts?

        Scenic Cruising by Mt. Athos

The question you are all asking - why are we on a cruise when we are still in the midst of a pandemic? Trust me, when we booked this trip back in 2020, we never thought restrictions such as masking and testing would still be in place. And we did not know how the ship would be handling things, although we expected Viking to handle it well.

Yes, I fretted about this trip since January. We did have the option of canceling up to 24 hours ahead and would receive a full voucher - that voucher required us to book a new cruise within 24 months - so it really was a win-win situation. But as we have additional cruises booked this year I thought, how many vouchers do I want to accrue?

The good news is that Viking has strict protocols in place. 

• You have to be vaccinated and boosted at least once to cruise. 
• You have to produce a negative Covid PCR test taken within 72 hours of your flight. 
• Once on board, you are PCR tested (saliva) the day you arrive and then every morning throughout the cruise. 

SO, before you eat or brush your teeth each morning, there you are spitting into a tube with your name on it. The room stewards are always anxious to pick up your tube and after that's done - you are on your way. So far, so good with us. We are being as careful as possible, wearing masks when in crowds (even outside at times - when we waited in the queue for the Acropolis, we put on our masks, as did many others). 

The ship allows you to move about without masks and I will say that most people do; however, Ed and I have continued to wear them when we are moving about the interior of the ship, getting our food, etc. 

The Viking Sea is a much smaller cruise ship than those that sail in the Caribbean - and it does not feel crowded to us. Perhaps today, when we are spending a day at sea, we will see more people, but on other days, there have not been crowds and it has been easy to find a spot to sit or relax - mainly outside. With the good weather we have been able to be out on deck, enjoying the fresh air.

This morning we passed Mt. Athos, a mountain and peninsula in northeastern Greece and an important center of Eastern Orthodox Monasticism since 1054 It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has enjoyed an autonomous statute since Byzantine times and is home to some 1400 monks. We were able to see one of the 20-some monasteries, perched on the side of hill. I've added a couple of pictures below.

Off to enjoy the rest of the day - thanks for reading!