A retrospect

 Now that I'm back home and back at work, here are a few thoughts on my trip.

First of all, the trip was wonderful. All destinations were excited to have tourists returning, and all places were less busy than usual. The crew on Azamara were very glad to be back at work, and service was second to none. 

Covid protocols requiring a negative test prior to boarding, and in our case another test before disembarking in Israel do add an extra layer of anxiety. But once onboard I felt very safe. There is lots of room to spread out, and options to eat outside if you want. All staff and crew are masked. Masks are recommended for passengers while moving around the ship indoors, though I would estimate that only about 1/3 of passengers followed this (I did so) . Many of the countries required masks while on shore excursion buses. And of course masks are required in airports and on flights. To me wearing a mask isn't a big deal, it's become second nature.

I would recommend a few things if you are wanting to travel now. First of all, be prepared for changes. There are still a lot of schedule changes in flights and cruises. Travel requirements keep changing as well. It's important to keep connected so you can be advised, and so you can fill out any of the applications required. Also, not everything is back to capacity, and not everything is open. Many hotels, airlines, restaurants are short staffed There could be longer waits for many things.

But for me, it was a great time to travel!