November 2020

Daniel is the Director of Marketing for Katarina Line, a Croatian company that specializes in small-ship cruises throughout the Adriatic Sea. Each of the Premium ships in the Katarina Line fleet has just 19 cabins, so travelers get personalized attention in an uncrowded, restful atmosphere; small ship cruises are also ideal for families/family gatherings or groups of friends, because it's easy to stay together and cater to a variety of needs as you go island-hopping. 

Q. Can you tell us about Croatia and what it's like to travel there?
A. I live in Croatia, and have been here since the COVID crisis. In March, I was in the Atlanta area for some trade shows but had to return home since Croatia was on a full lockdown from the middle of March till the beginning of May. Since the 18th of May, Croatian borders are open to tourists with pre booked accommodations.

In terms of personal experience, we took the lockdown fairly easy...there was never any type of shortage of food or any resources;  grocery stores were operational all the time. The lockdown impacted businesses, hotels, and restaurants. Lockdown helped with the Corona crisis, and we got our COVID numbers down to 0 cases in May and were doing very well till mid-June when a few COVID cases began with the return of tourism which was when our cruise season also started. We still have one ship at sea. Actually, we had a group from the US on our cruises from 12th of October. 

Q. Are all tourist services/facilities/attractions open? 
A. Most of these opened in May and are still open.

Q. Are activities and excursions available? 
A. Yes, excursions that are running this late in the season are still operating, but since the number of tourists is down by 60% compared to last season, many are operating on shorter hours.

Q. What’s it like to dine out, go shopping, or sightsee around the country 
A. Bars and restaurants are open and operate at full capacity. Opening hours are reduced till midnight....No masks required in bars and restaurants but are mandatory in all the malls, shops, and government facilities. Sightseeing and excursions can be done without any restrictions, masks are optional, and this summer was excellent for many activities because of the low overall number of tourists.

Q. What makes Croatia better than before?
A. Currently it is the low number of tourists...But I must say that overall numbers of COVID cases are very low because our citizens were following government instructions from the beginning, and have adjusted to the "new normal" quickly. Restrictions were changing on a weekly basis and were reduced already in May, now with the new wave of COVID cases some minor restrictions were introduced, but mostly it is business as usual.

Q. What are the requirements to enter Croatia? 
A. EU/EEA nationals and individuals holding permanent residence or long-term visas in these countries can enter Croatia freely, without restrictions. All other foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, may enter Croatia for business, tourism, education, or other pressing personal reasons if they present a completed entry form and a negative PCR test not older than 48 hours (starting from the time of taking the swab until arrival at our border). This also applies for passengers and crews traveling by yacht. 

Q. Anything else you'd like to share?
A. US clients were allowed to enter and stay in Croatia as soon as we opened borders for the EU. PCR testing was introduced in July, and we had some brave US clients here this summer. Katarina Line introduced additional measures aboard our ships, by doing even more than what our Croatian "CDC" advised.  We are proud to announce that we did not have any COVID outbreaks or COVID cases on our ships. But small ship cruising has always been one of the safest and most enjoyable ways to experience the all the beauty and charm of Croatia;  you enjoy the views, the clean fresh air, visiting historical sites, and swimming at uncrowded and normally inaccessible beaches the larger ships can't reach. Of course, there's the wonderful Croatian food and wine culture you can experience. Katarina Line offers a wide variety of land and sea experiences to appeal to every taste and special interest.