lhsail Posted May 12, 2021 #101 Share Posted May 12, 2021 19 minutes ago, abbydancer said: Probably. Since you just made final, you're probably a week behind us in August. Things could very much change by then or, more likely, be corrected. We’d love to be joining you on the 8/14 cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare abbydancer2003 Posted May 12, 2021 #102 Share Posted May 12, 2021 2 hours ago, lhsail said: We’d love to be joining you on the 8/14 cruise. We're on 7/31. Our final was a week or so ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhsail Posted May 12, 2021 #103 Share Posted May 12, 2021 8 hours ago, abbydancer said: We're on 7/31. Our final was a week or so ago. Oh, that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chawkjewel Posted May 12, 2021 #104 Share Posted May 12, 2021 On 5/8/2021 at 5:17 PM, DallasGuy75219 said: Their website still doesn't have it right🙄 St. Maarten's requirement is RT-PCR test 72 hours before departure to SXM, or 120 hours (or antigen test 48 hours before) for US or Canadian citizens. Celebrity's website says 3 days/5 days, respectively. I think the website is confusing because it is trying to combine both requirements for St. Maarten and Greece in one statement. The requirements for Millennium is 5 days and for Apex is 3 days. Hopefully they will amend the site to reflect the separate sailings. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare AstoriaPreppy Posted May 12, 2021 #105 Share Posted May 12, 2021 40 minutes ago, chawkjewel said: I think the website is confusing because it is trying to combine both requirements for St. Maarten and Greece in one statement. The requirements for Millennium is 5 days and for Apex is 3 days. Hopefully they will amend the site to reflect the separate sailings. TBH, this is exasperating because Celebrity KEEPS CHANGING THE REQUIREMENTS.I know this because on 9 May (Sunday) , I copied and pasted the requirements to the 12 June roll call. There was no "three day PCR test" noted in the Celebrity guidelines for vaccinated guests when I coppied and pasted them on Sunday morning. At some point between Sunday and today, Celebrity slipped in another bullet point and changed the requirements, adding "Upon embarkation, all guests are required to present negative RT PCR test results taken within 3 days prior to arrival. Negative test results required, and name on test results must match government issued identification." This is an actual what the blank sort of moment, as it doesn't work with any sort of realistic timeframe (unless you're flying in and transiting directly to the ship).As someone who is both fully vaccinated, and was planning on flying into St Maarten on Thursday, I'm confounded as to what to do. It seems we have two options: get our PCR tests on Wednesday, hope to get them processed and notified of results in a few hours, and then submit everything to the EAHS and hope that gets processed. I assume by three days, Celebrity means 72 hours... because if they mean three calendar days, Wednesday tests may not be valid on Saturday. Alternatively, we could get our PCR tests earlier in the week as originally outlined, get approved for admittance to the island, and then try to find rapid PCR testing once we land in St. Maarten to meet Celebrity's three-day requirements? I totally understand the line is trying to figure out best practices and keep everyone safe, but it appears they're now attempting to get people to just cancel bookings by setting up nearly impossible testing hoops to jump through. I can't comprehend getting a PCR test for pre-admitance to the island... and then another test on the island?? What is going on?? If ANYONE from Celebrity is monitoring this, please PLEASE figure this out ASAP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare AstoriaPreppy Posted May 12, 2021 #106 Share Posted May 12, 2021 (posted this multiple places, so apologies for duplicate posts) Just got off the phone with Celebrity. Indeed, the policy was updated yesterday, 11 May. The agent wasn't sure why the page still lists the St. Maarten travel requirements as 7 May, as they have definitely changed. Per the agent, as of 11 May, all passengers WILL need a negative PCR test within three days or 72 hours of boarding in St Maarten. This means the latest you can get a PCR test in the States that would qualify (based on your check in time) would be Wednesday afternoon at some point. Keep in mind, you'll still need a PCR test for pre-admission to St. Maarten, so whether or not these can be the same with your arrival may vary. I expressed my frustration, and he said he'd speak to his supervisor about why we're not getting blast emails about the updates. I explained that had I not re-read the page today, I would not have seen that the guidelines changed dramatically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhsail Posted May 12, 2021 #107 Share Posted May 12, 2021 52 minutes ago, AstoriaPreppy said: (posted this multiple places, so apologies for duplicate posts) Just got off the phone with Celebrity. Indeed, the policy was updated yesterday, 11 May. The agent wasn't sure why the page still lists the St. Maarten travel requirements as 7 May, as they have definitely changed. Per the agent, as of 11 May, all passengers WILL need a negative PCR test within three days or 72 hours of boarding in St Maarten. This means the latest you can get a PCR test in the States that would qualify (based on your check in time) would be Wednesday afternoon at some point. Keep in mind, you'll still need a PCR test for pre-admission to St. Maarten, so whether or not these can be the same with your arrival may vary. I expressed my frustration, and he said he'd speak to his supervisor about why we're not getting blast emails about the updates. I explained that had I not re-read the page today, I would not have seen that the guidelines changed dramatically. This makes me livid. How can they keep selling cruises and accompanying airfare under one set of rules and then continue to change them? I guess I could have some understanding if these were government regulations, but these are the cruise line requirements. Guess it’s time to find the email address for the CEO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare AstoriaPreppy Posted May 12, 2021 #108 Share Posted May 12, 2021 10 minutes ago, lhsail said: This makes me livid. How can they keep selling cruises and accompanying airfare under one set of rules and then continue to change them? I guess I could have some understanding if these were government regulations, but these are the cruise line requirements. Guess it’s time to find the email address for the CEO. As I noted in our role call for the 12 June sailing, they're not only changing the rules, they're making them *more* restrictive, while not notifying us either way. I'm especially annoyed that we made flight and hotel arrangements around their published 7 May guidelines... and then four days later they changed them again. I totally understand the desire to keep everyone safe and healthy, but at this rate it looks like we're going to need a PCR test on Monday (to submit to the government for pre-approval through the EAHS that would meet the original 120 hour rule), and then another PCR test on Wednesday that would meet Celebrity's new 72 hour rule. I could risk it with a single test on Wednesday, but I don't want to not even make it to St. Maarten if the lab is backed up, etc. The only people this really works for are the one who are flying in and going directly to the ship... if they get tested Wednesday/Thursday, they'll still be able to submit to the EAHS on Friday for pre-approval, and then use the same test for boarding Saturday. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeekWithMuscles Posted May 12, 2021 #109 Share Posted May 12, 2021 I'm booked for July, it's my understanding that you do not want to fill out the EHAS form until you have the results of your COVID test, because they base your approval on that. We are in a unique situation, since we are staying at a resort for two days prior to sailing. I called Celebrity yesterday, and they said they also require a negative test. There is only one day that falls into the 72 hour window for both entry to St. Maarten AND the vessel itself. It's cutting it way too close so we probably will need to get tested two times and also wait the twelve hours for entry approval (according to their website). I'm wondering how St. Maarten is going to handle this rush of approvals being that so many people are booking cruises for June and July. The entire process was very overwhelming for me at first, I had to write everything down to get a visual... not to mention I wasn't sure if the ".com" website was actually theirs, or a third party trying to make money. Celebrity also told me they will test on-board prior to arrival at end of cruise, which is needed for our trip back home through customs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeekWithMuscles Posted May 12, 2021 #110 Share Posted May 12, 2021 1 hour ago, AstoriaPreppy said: As I noted in our role call for the 12 June sailing, they're not only changing the rules, they're making them *more* restrictive, while not notifying us either way. I'm especially annoyed that we made flight and hotel arrangements around their published 7 May guidelines... and then four days later they changed them again. I totally understand the desire to keep everyone safe and healthy, but at this rate it looks like we're going to need a PCR test on Monday (to submit to the government for pre-approval through the EAHS that would meet the original 120 hour rule), and then another PCR test on Wednesday that would meet Celebrity's new 72 hour rule. I could risk it with a single test on Wednesday, but I don't want to not even make it to St. Maarten if the lab is backed up, etc. The only people this really works for are the one who are flying in and going directly to the ship... if they get tested Wednesday/Thursday, they'll still be able to submit to the EAHS on Friday for pre-approval, and then use the same test for boarding Saturday. This is my situation as well!!!! Two tests and we're wondering what's going to change a week before we sail in July. Called Celebrity and they didn't seem to really know what was going on.... I didn't get the "confidence" vibe from them. I think the company is so desperate to start cruising, they are rushing the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare lazydayz Posted May 13, 2021 #111 Share Posted May 13, 2021 19 hours ago, GeekWithMuscles said: This is my situation as well!!!! Two tests and we're wondering what's going to change a week before we sail in July. Called Celebrity and they didn't seem to really know what was going on.... I didn't get the "confidence" vibe from them. I think the company is so desperate to start cruising, they are rushing the process. It is frustrating that they don't just let you use the same one you used to get into St. Maarten. Or just do a rapid test when you arrive at the port. I hope Celebrity figures this out soon. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seatrial Posted May 13, 2021 #112 Share Posted May 13, 2021 Celebrity is not listening to "the science" on this change. There is no reason to be testing fully vaccinated passengers at all. I was willing to play the game this one time with the 5-day testing requirement aligning with St. Martin's rule. I have airfare book with Celebrity to fly in Thursday. I am 100% convinced that there is more risk to my health having that swab stuck up in my brain twice than from catching COVID while vaccinated. This is all just stupid and I am getting close to canceling my 7/10 cruise; it's just not worth the hassle at this point. Why are they doing this? Why are passengers putting up with this? I'm tired of playing dumb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouremco Posted May 13, 2021 #113 Share Posted May 13, 2021 25 minutes ago, lazydayz said: It is frustrating that they don't just let you use the same one you used to get into St. Maarten. Or just do a rapid test when you arrive at the port. I hope Celebrity figures this out soon. I suspect that Celebrity was slow in recognizing that a number of passengers felt the trip to Sint Maarten for just a 7-night cruise wasn't worth the trouble. Add a week pre-cruise, or at least a few days, and it becomes a more attractive vacation. But that means that passengers might be on the island for an extended period of time beforehand, and the results of their island entry test no longer meaningful. Consequently, the recent addition of PRC testing to Celebrity's timetable. That said, if someone has been fully vaccinated and passed a PCR test before flying to the island, a second PCR test does seem to be overkill. For an unvaccinated 15 year old who has a longish pre-cruise stay, it might be warranted, but I think that for vaccinated passengers it is unnecessary. Of course, for these first restart cruises, Celebrity is being super cautious, so I don't think that they'll relax these requirements until they've had a number of COVID-free sailings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhsail Posted May 13, 2021 #114 Share Posted May 13, 2021 29 minutes ago, seatrial said: Celebrity is not listening to "the science" on this change. There is no reason to be testing fully vaccinated passengers at all. I was willing to play the game this one time with the 5-day testing requirement aligning with St. Martin's rule. I have airfare book with Celebrity to fly in Thursday. I am 100% convinced that there is more risk to my health having that swab stuck up in my brain twice than from catching COVID while vaccinated. This is all just stupid and I am getting close to canceling my 7/10 cruise; it's just not worth the hassle at this point. Why are they doing this? Why are passengers putting up with this? I'm tired of playing dumb. We don’t cruise until early August so have time to learn from the early sailings, but that doesn’t mean things can’t change again. We talked last night and are resolved to the fact we may end up canceling kind of last minute if things aren’t going well. Going to look into resorts in the Bahamas. They currently have discontinued all testing requirements for fully vaccinated individuals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare FlyerTalker Posted May 13, 2021 #115 Share Posted May 13, 2021 4 hours ago, lhsail said: We don’t cruise until early August so have time to learn from the early sailings, but that doesn’t mean things can’t change again. We talked last night and are resolved to the fact we may end up canceling kind of last minute if things aren’t going well. Going to look into resorts in the Bahamas. They currently have discontinued all testing requirements for fully vaccinated individuals. Take a look also at the Dominican Republic. No entry test requirements and most all resorts provide the testing to get back into the USA at no additional cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covepointcruiser Posted May 13, 2021 #116 Share Posted May 13, 2021 Enjoy the Dominican Republic. The U.S. government wants its citizens to avoid all travel there because of the high risk of COVID infection even with the vaccine. I can see why they don’t require a COVID test since you bringing COVID is the least of their worries. Countries trying to keep COVID under control do require tests for visitors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare FlyerTalker Posted May 13, 2021 #117 Share Posted May 13, 2021 1 hour ago, Covepointcruiser said: Enjoy the Dominican Republic. The U.S. government wants its citizens to avoid all travel there because of the high risk of COVID infection even with the vaccine. I can see why they don’t require a COVID test since you bringing COVID is the least of their worries. Countries trying to keep COVID under control do require tests for visitors. The problem with US Govt "declarations" is that they lump an entire country into one bucket. Yet we all know that are wide variations within any country - hey, just look at the USA for an example. The resort areas around Punta Cana are wide open and are getting lots of USA tourists. Mask usage is optional and widely ignored by the guests, while staffs wear masks and do all the "surface disinfecting" (which even the CDC says is not a transmission route). Stay under the bed until Fauci gives the all-clear. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tallyho8 Posted May 17, 2021 #118 Share Posted May 17, 2021 I need some help filling out my EHAS Form. Can anyone tell me what to put in the blanks marked in red? Also please let me know if you see anything else that needs correcting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arzeena Posted May 17, 2021 #119 Share Posted May 17, 2021 (edited) Is the same form as the folllowing? https://stmaartenehas.com/application-form/ I do not see any of the red lined questions in my application form. Edited May 17, 2021 by Arzeena Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tallyho8 Posted May 17, 2021 #120 Share Posted May 17, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Arzeena said: Is the same form as the folllowing? https://stmaartenehas.com/application-form/ I do not see any of the red lined questions in my application form. Those come up when you click on air/sea travel as you must do if you are cruising from there. By the way, I remember you being on about 3 roll calls I have cruised on but due to my poor memory, I do not remember meeting you. Edited May 17, 2021 by tallyho8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seany527 Posted May 18, 2021 #121 Share Posted May 18, 2021 5 hours ago, tallyho8 said: I need some help filling out my EHAS Form. Can anyone tell me what to put in the blanks marked in red? Also please let me know if you see anything else that needs correcting. Good questions and this got me thinking. I’m flying in one day early so do I put the cruise terminal information like you are doing or do I put the information of the hotel I'm staying at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arzeena Posted May 18, 2021 #122 Share Posted May 18, 2021 16 hours ago, tallyho8 said: Those come up when you click on air/sea travel as you must do if you are cruising from there. By the way, I remember you being on about 3 roll calls I have cruised on but due to my poor memory, I do not remember meeting you. Yes I remember you too. And I think we met long ago on NCL out of New Orleans? or to New Orleans? Boston? Or was it the Sun out of Miami? But it definitely was NCL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arzeena Posted May 18, 2021 #123 Share Posted May 18, 2021 (edited) 15 hours ago, Seany527 said: Good questions and this got me thinking. I’m flying in one day early so do I put the cruise terminal information like you are doing or do I put the information of the hotel I'm staying at? I am also flying in one day early and staying back one day after. So I do not see these on my form. I have filled out the contact us form and emailed for further verification. Edited May 18, 2021 by Arzeena 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine2000 Posted May 19, 2021 #124 Share Posted May 19, 2021 Arzeena, Thanks for taking your time and contacting EHAS. It seems many of us will be interested in their responses especially for the Agent Name, Contact Person, Phone, etc. I've also emailed Celebrity for clarification to these required items on the EHAS form and also look forward to a reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine2000 Posted May 19, 2021 #125 Share Posted May 19, 2021 I just received a call from Celebrity replying to my email from earlier today. I have shared notes on this under "Milliennium arrvives in Phillipsburg!" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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