Italy to allow cruises to resume later this month
Cruising out of U.S. ports is on hold until at least November, and maybe longer, but some cruise ships soon will be sailing out of Italy.
Citing a reduction in coronavirus cases across the country, Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte late Friday relaxed coronavirus-related restrictions on cruise ship operations in Italy, effective Aug. 15.
The move will allow Europe's two biggest cruise lines, MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises, to resume limited sailings out of Italy in the coming weeks.
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Both lines have been preparing for such an announcement, which has been expected for several weeks. Italy has been recording fewer than 300 new coronavirus cases on most days for several months, down from more than 5,000 a day earlier this year.
Italy was one of the hardest-hit countries in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic and has recorded more than 35,000 deaths from the illness.
In the wake of the prime minister's announcement, MSC Cruises on Saturday said it would resume cruises out of Italy on Aug. 16 with a sailing of its 4,842-passenger MSC Grandiosa. The ship will sail seven-night voyages out of Genoa to Civitavecchia (the port for Rome), Naples and Palermo in Italy; and Valletta, Malta.
A second MSC Cruises ship, the 2,550-passenger MSC Magnifica, will resume sailings out of Italy on Aug. 29 with seven-night departures from the ports of Bari and Trieste to the Greek ports of Corfu, Katakolon and Piraeus.
Greece in recent days also has announced that cruise ships could resume operations.
Related: How to book a cruise with points and miles
Costa Cruises hasn't announced a resumption date for cruises from Italy yet but is expected to restart at least a few cruises out of the country in the coming weeks.
Initially, the cruises out of Italy only will be open to passengers from select European countries where coronavirus case counts are low. Americans currently are banned from visiting Italy and most other countries in Europe due to the high number of coronavirus cases in the U.S.
Both MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises have announced an array of new health and safety measures to ensure that COVID-19 doesn't spread on ships. MSC Cruises, notably, is planning to do a COVID-19 swab test of every passenger just before boarding. Passengers who test positive for COVID-19 at embarkation or show symptoms of the illness will be denied boarding.
MSC Cruises is the first cruise line to announce plans to test all passengers for COVID-19 on the day of departure.
MSC Cruises also plans to only let passenger get off its ships in ports if they're on an official, MSC Cruises-organized tour with a guide.
Related: New COVID-era cruise restriction: No leaving the ship without an escort
In restarting cruises from Italy, MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises will be joining a handful of other cruise lines that have started to resume voyages in Europe in recent weeks on a limited basis. The sailings have mostly been on small ships sailing out of Norwegian, German and French ports, and they have had mixed results.
In recent days, two relatively small cruise ships that resumed operations in Norway with trips aimed at local Norwegians and other Europeans have experienced COVID scares.
One of the vessels that started back up, Hurtigruten’s Roald Amundsen, has had a major outbreak of the illness. More than 60 passengers and crew from the ship have tested positive for COVID-19, and several have been hospitalized.
Hurtigruten has canceled all further sailings of Roald Amundsen and two other ships that it had tried to bring back into service in recent weeks.
Related: Are cruise ships returning to service too soon?
In the wake of the Hurtigruten incident, Norway halted all cruise stops in the country by cruise vessels with more than 100 people on board for at least the next two weeks.
The MSC Cruises vessel resuming sailings out of Italy on Aug. 16, MSC Grandiosa, will be by far the largest ship in the world to resume sailings to date. But it won't be sailing full. MSC Cruises has said it would operate voyages at a maximum 70% of capacity when it returns to service.
Additional resources for cruisers during the coronavirus outbreak:
- When will cruising resume? A line-by-line guide
- Why you shouldn't expect bargain-basement cruise deals anytime soon
- How to cancel or postpone a cruise due to coronavirus
- Expecting a refund for a canceled cruise? Here's how long it will take
- Some of the year's hottest new ships could be delayed
- Stream these 13 movies, television shows to get your cruise ship fix
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.