Just back from Oasis Oct 24'th Cruise - Happy to answer any questions about travel from Canada

[Jcol5786]

Hello - Cruise was for 7 days out of Bayonne New Jersey. This is the last Oasis cruise out of NJ till next spring. Anthem is returning from the UK and is starting up next week doing the winter season. We drove from Kingston ON to Toronto and flew on Porter out of Billy Bishop airport.  We had no issues with our vax documentation, pre and post testing or the ArriveCan app. It was great to be on a cruise again and the protocols that Royal has in place did not really impact our enjoyment of the cruise. We were told there were 3800 passengers onboard so it seemed significantly less crowded than it did when we were on Oasis back in 2018 at full capacity. Happy to answer any questions about the cruise and the travel details.

[d9704011]

Do they have CBP preclearance at Billy Bishop or do you do your business with CBP upon arrival in US?  I'm thinking on using Porter out of Ottawa and want a fairly quick/smooth connection in Toronto.

[Barwick Cruiser]

3 hours ago, Jcol5786 said:

Hello - Cruise was for 7 days out of Bayonne New Jersey. This is the last Oasis cruise out of NJ till next spring. Anthem is returning from the UK and is starting up next week doing the winter season. We drove from Kingston ON to Toronto and flew on Porter out of Billy Bishop airport.  We had no issues with our vax documentation, pre and post testing or the ArriveCan app. It was great to be on a cruise again and the protocols that Royal has in place did not really impact our enjoyment of the cruise. We were told there were 3800 passengers onboard so it seemed significantly less crowded than it did when we were on Oasis back in 2018 at full capacity. Happy to answer any questions about the cruise and the travel details.

Happy to hear you had a fun cruise and smooth travels. Was there masking required on the ship, other than eating or drinking? Also, did RC do your PCR test on the ship on the last day or on the dock after disembarking?

Edited November 1, 2021 by Barwick Cruiser

[loupana]

I'm also interested in details on how and when you requested PCR test for return trip to Canada.

[DHP1]

Me too.  I’m also interested on your PCR test and how long did it to get the results and at what cost. 

[nickiford]

Same, here for the timing and details of the return PCR.  Did you do it onboard?

[Diane67B]

4 hours ago, LouTheGlue said:

I'm also interested in details on how and when you requested PCR test for return trip to Canada.

Yes, me too!

[Jcol5786]

For the PCR test my wife and I went to Guest Services on the 3rd day of the cruise. They gave us a QR code to scan which brought up  an appointment scheduler. You don't need the an internet package to access the scheduler however you do need to be connected to the "guest" wifi which is the same wifi that  the Royal App uses. We had to fill in our names and cabin number and indicate that we required the test for travel. At that point we were given the available appointment times. We selected Saturday at 8 am which was the last day of the cruise. Shortly after we both received emails confirming our appointments. There were lots of available appointment slots. The testing is done on deck 3 in a large conference room which they have sectioned off. We checked in at around 7:55 am and went straight in and had our nasal swab. They do both nostrils for about 5 seconds each, they did not go very deep. We were told that the results would be emailed to us within a few hours. They confirmed both my wife's and my email address just to make sure.  They said that if we didn't get our results there is a web-site that we can check. At this point we went off to breakfast and then up to the Solarium. About 9:30 am my wife's phone chirped indicating an email had arrived. It was her results. I logged into our single device Zoom account with my phone and saw that my results had also just arrived. So it took about 90 minutes from being tested to getting the results. As an added precaution we went down to guest services and asked if they could print out our results which they did. Very easy process and the results were accepted by the ArriveCan app and Canadian border inspectors.

[Jcol5786]

5 hours ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

Happy to hear you had a fun cruise and smooth travels. Was there masking required on the ship, other than eating or drinking? Also, did RC do your PCR test on the ship on the last day or on the dock after disembarking?

As for masking requirements there was a lot of signage indicating whether or not a mask was required. Generally masks were required in all interior corridors, elevators etc. Specific vaccinated only areas did not require masking such as the Schooner Bar. It got a little tricky when areas would alternate between E (everyone) and V (vaccinated)  such as Studio B which had a V show one night and an E show the next night. It was all clearly marked in the Cruise Compass but you did need to be aware of what was what. The outside areas on the pool deck did not require mask nor did the Solarium however the Solarium was a V only area. 

[Jcol5786]

8 hours ago, d9704011 said:

Do they have CBP preclearance at Billy Bishop or do you do your business with CBP upon arrival in US?  I'm thinking on using Porter out of Ottawa and want a fairly quick/smooth connection in Toronto.

Sorry - not a frequent flyer so I didn't notice any sort of CBP preclearance at BB. We went through US customs when we arrived at Newark. 

[loupana]

12 minutes ago, Jcol5786 said:

For the PCR test my wife and I went to Guest Services on the 3rd day of the cruise. They gave us a QR code to scan which brought up  an appointment scheduler. You don't need the an internet package to access the scheduler however you do need to be connected to the "guest" wifi which is the same wifi that  the Royal App uses. We had to fill in our names and cabin number and indicate that we required the test for travel. At that point we were given the available appointment times. We selected Saturday at 8 am which was the last day of the cruise. Shortly after we both received emails confirming our appointments. There were lots of available appointment slots. The testing is done on deck 3 in a large conference room which they have sectioned off. We checked in at around 7:55 am and went straight in and had our nasal swab. They do both nostrils for about 5 seconds each, they did not go very deep. We were told that the results would be emailed to us within a few hours. They confirmed both my wife's and my email address just to make sure.  They said that if we didn't get our results there is a web-site that we can check. At this point we went off to breakfast and then up to the Solarium. About 9:30 am my wife's phone chirped indicating an email had arrived. It was her results. I logged into our single device Zoom account with my phone and saw that my results had also just arrived. So it took about 90 minutes from being tested to getting the results. As an added precaution we went down to guest services and asked if they could print out our results which they did. Very easy process and the results were accepted by the ArriveCan app and Canadian border inspectors.

 

Thank you for the details, it is very helpful.

Although this does not sound like a PCR test. Glad it was accepted by ArriveCan and Canadian Border.

[Jcol5786]

2 minutes ago, LouTheGlue said:

 

Thank you for the details, it is very helpful.

Although this does not sound like a PCR test. Glad it was accepted by ArriveCan and Canadian Border.

Yes I was a little concerned after the shallow swab that it wasn't  a PCR test but the tech assured me that it was. The documentation also listed the test type as PCR.

[lots-of-km2]

21 minutes ago, Jcol5786 said:

Sorry - not a frequent flyer so I didn't notice any sort of CBP preclearance at BB. We went through US customs when we arrived at Newark. 

 Yep, US border processing is always at the Newark end of a flight from Billy Bishop.  CBP doesn't process people at Billy Bishop.  That, along with the tiny scale of airport, makes it a lot faster to move through than Pearson.  Where a traveller can get bogged down is at the Newark arrival. 

Edited November 1, 2021 by lots-of-km2

[nickiford]

29 minutes ago, Jcol5786 said:

For the PCR test my wife and I went to Guest Services on the 3rd day of the cruise. They gave us a QR code to scan which brought up  an appointment scheduler. You don't need the an internet package to access the scheduler however you do need to be connected to the "guest" wifi which is the same wifi that  the Royal App uses. We had to fill in our names and cabin number and indicate that we required the test for travel. At that point we were given the available appointment times. We selected Saturday at 8 am which was the last day of the cruise. Shortly after we both received emails confirming our appointments. There were lots of available appointment slots. The testing is done on deck 3 in a large conference room which they have sectioned off. We checked in at around 7:55 am and went straight in and had our nasal swab. They do both nostrils for about 5 seconds each, they did not go very deep. We were told that the results would be emailed to us within a few hours. They confirmed both my wife's and my email address just to make sure.  They said that if we didn't get our results there is a web-site that we can check. At this point we went off to breakfast and then up to the Solarium. About 9:30 am my wife's phone chirped indicating an email had arrived. It was her results. I logged into our single device Zoom account with my phone and saw that my results had also just arrived. So it took about 90 minutes from being tested to getting the results. As an added precaution we went down to guest services and asked if they could print out our results which they did. Very easy process and the results were accepted by the ArriveCan app and Canadian border inspectors.

Excellent info!  Exactly what I was looking to hear about.  Question though, you need to get an internet package I suppose to get your email and your results?  Or would there be a way to report back to the testing center to get them?  Thanks.

[Jcol5786]

2 minutes ago, nickiford said:

Excellent info!  Exactly what I was looking to hear about.  Question though, you need to get an internet package I suppose to get your email and your results?  Or would there be a way to report back to the testing center to get them?  Thanks.

We were told that if we didn't have an internet package we could check in at Guest Services to get our results which is makes sense since they were able to give us a print out of our results. I also assume that if you have a positive test they would contact you very quickly.

[nickiford]

Perfect!  Thanks so much.  

[GeriatricNurse]

4 hours ago, Jcol5786 said:

We were told that if we didn't have an internet package we could check in at Guest Services to get our results which is makes sense since they were able to give us a print out of our results. I also assume that if you have a positive test they would contact you very quickly.

So, the hard copy of your test results was sufficient for the border officials on your return to Canada & you did not have to have had your test results uploaded, before disembarcation,  to your ?Smartphone/Tablet?

[d9704011]

13 hours ago, lots-of-km2 said:

 Yep, US border processing is always at the Newark end of a flight from Billy Bishop.  CBP doesn't process people at Billy Bishop.  That, along with the tiny scale of airport, makes it a lot faster to move through than Pearson.  Where a traveller can get bogged down is at the Newark arrival. 

That's OK.  I'd rather cool my heels at the final destination than wonder whether I'll get my connecting flight in Toronto!

[Jcol5786]

10 hours ago, GeriatricNurse said:

So, the hard copy of your test results was sufficient for the border officials on your return to Canada & you did not have to have had your test results uploaded, before disembarcation,  to your ?Smartphone/Tablet?

Paper copies of our test results and proof of vaccination were accepted by the airline people (Porter) when we checked in at the airport however they also needed to see our ArriveCan Receipt on our phones. I believe it is possible to submit the required information to the ArriveCan app via a computer on the ship and then have the receipt printed out but I can't verify that for sure.

[Diane67B]

Thanks for all this fantastic information! I am travelling in January from Ontario to Fort Lauderdale to get on NCL. 

[rvlandandsea]

You were on the ship at 9:30. When did you finally have to disembark. Great info.

 

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, rvlandandsea said:

You were on the ship at 9:30. When did you finally have to disembark. Great info.

 

I suspect that the OP meant that they were tested on the last FULL day of the cruise and didn't disembark to the following day.

[Welly9]

Do your best to upload all its ask on the ArriveCan App, makes the border officials job easy and will push you thru, trust us we have done it twice, 1st time we missed the upload of our vax but still gave us prompts and a code, user or app error?? lol and Border official wasnt happy we had to re do in front of her, 2 weeks ago, all uploads, went in this time, and was a breeze thru Nexus and officials, and out of that TO airport fast as we can, dislike TO airport!

[Jcol5786]

6 hours ago, rvlandandsea said:

You were on the ship at 9:30. When did you finally have to disembark. Great info.

 

The cruise ended on Sunday and our flight back was on Sunday as well so we booked our test on Saturday. Sorry if I wasn't clear about the timing.