Nov 30, 2021 // Canada announces new Travel Restrictions

[flyboy88]

I just got off the Sky Princess this past weekend, and let me see I felt very safe.  It felt like a homecoming as my last cruise was on the Sky in Feb 2020. The whole cruise was amazing, and it felt good and emotional to be back onboard. Out of the 2100 guests, 450 were Canadian.  
I was looking forward to booking another cruise for March 2022, however just now Canada has introduced new travel restrictions due to the Omicron Variant. 

All Vaccinated travellers entering Canada from anywhere (except the US), will be required to take an arrival test at the airport and quarantine until the results come back negative. Non-Vaccinated travellers will be required to complete the arrival test, however must complete the a full 14 day quarantine in addition to an extra covid test on day 8 of quarantine. 

Obviously, I wonder how this will affect those of us who cruise the Caribbean, but return to Canada via the US. 

I've attached a video of the announcement from the news, and here is a link about the announcement: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/feds-to-reinstate-testing-for-foreign-air-travel-reviewing-booster-strategy-in-light-of-omicron-1.5687538

Edited November 30, 2021 by flyboy88

[dog]

Is isolation at a airport hotel required while waiting for negative test result?

[flyboy88]

9 minutes ago, dog said:

Is isolation at a airport hotel required while waiting for negative test result?

At this point, as long as you have an acceptable 'quarantine plan' which you will submit via the ArriveCAN app, you should be able to quarantine at home.  Just need to be mindful that results can take between 24-72hours to come back, in case you need to take more time off work after vacation. 

[Pharry]

4 hours ago, flyboy88 said:

At this point, as long as you have an acceptable 'quarantine plan' which you will submit via the ArriveCAN app, you should be able to quarantine at home.  Just need to be mindful that results can take between 24-72hours to come back, in case you need to take more time off work after vacation. 

This will make it very difficult if your flying into Vancouver from Australia 48 hours before your cruise. 

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, Pharry said:

This will make it very difficult if your flying into Vancouver from Australia 48 hours before your cruise. 

By the time ships are cruising out of Vancouver, this Omicron will be a distant memory and we may be nearer the end of the Greek alphabet (hopefully not).  There isn't much point losing any sleep or fretting about a temporary travel measure with this changing pandemic - which might not even be considered a pandemic in six months.

[Steelers36]

7 hours ago, flyboy88 said:

Obviously, I wonder how this will affect those of us who cruise the Caribbean, but return to Canada via the US.

As it stands, I do not see any difference for returning Canadians from US cruise ports.  You have to be vaccinated to cruise (generally and certainly with Princess).

[dog]

10 hours ago, flyboy88 said:

At this point, as long as you have an acceptable 'quarantine plan' which you will submit via the ArriveCAN app, you should be able to quarantine at home.  Just need to be mindful that results can take between 24-72hours to come back, in case you need to take more time off work after vacation. 

Oh, thanks for posting. Watched a couple of newscasts tonight and they mentioned more changes could be announced re: USA-Canada , as well 

I don’t mind the tests , just prefer to isolate at home rather then airport hotel like was required last year. 

[lx200gps]

One thing is not clear to me right now. Doesn't the PRE-flight PCR test requirement still exist?  This new requirement announced in the last few days seems to exempt any of us returning home from a US cruise from the requirement to take a test on arrival and quarantine at home until the results are known, but don't we still have to have taken a PCR test in the US before getting on the plane to come home, as has been required for many months? It's too much to hope that they would completely eliminate ALL testing requirements if flying home from the US

[dog]

43 minutes ago, lx200gps said:

One thing is not clear to me right now. Doesn't the PRE-flight PCR test requirement still exist?  This new requirement announced in the last few days seems to exempt any of us returning home from a US cruise from the requirement to take a test on arrival and quarantine at home until the results are known, but don't we still have to have taken a PCR test in the US before getting on the plane to come home, as has been required for many months? It's too much to hope that they would completely eliminate ALL testing requirements if flying home from the US

I believe you still need the pre flight PCR test, as well as this new test at arrival airport in Canada 

[lx200gps]

46 minutes ago, dog said:

I believe you still need the pre flight PCR test, as well as this new test at arrival airport in Canada 

I'm with you on the pre-flight test, but why would they also require the post-arrival test, when they've stated pax returning from the US are exempt. In the case, say, of us returning from Florida post-cruise, that could literally mean two COVID tests just a few hours apart, immediately before and after the flight. Could there be issues with people returning from a cruise, who have visited OTHER countries before returning to the US, which is usually the case with cruises? I haven't seen any mention of that in the news recently.

[dog]

48 minutes ago, lx200gps said:

I'm with you on the pre-flight test, but why would they also require the post-arrival test, when they've stated pax returning from the US are exempt. In the case, say, of us returning from Florida post-cruise, that could literally mean two COVID tests just a few hours apart, immediately before and after the flight. Could there be issues with people returning from a cruise, who have visited OTHER countries before returning to the US, which is usually the case with cruises? I haven't seen any mention of that in the news recently.

I can’t tell you why 

 

A PCR test pre flight to Canada makes since to me. 
Government is wasting time, money re testing fully VAX & tested negative passengers on arrival. 
To discourage travel by air?

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, dog said:

Oh, thanks for posting. Watched a couple of newscasts tonight and they mentioned more changes could be announced re: USA-Canada , as well 

I don’t mind the tests , just prefer to isolate at home rather then airport hotel like was required last year. 

No way in a million years would I have gone to one of those hotels.  I would go home and they would have to drag me there in handcuffs.  But, thankfully, that is a done thing for Canadians.  I think they may use such a facility for anyone with a non-suitable Q plan.

[GonzoWCS]

Wow, watching this thread & thanks for the information

 

Cheers

[Bgwest]

11 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

By the time ships are cruising out of Vancouver, this Omicron will be a distant memory and we may be nearer the end of the Greek alphabet (hopefully not).  There isn't much point losing any sleep or fretting about a temporary travel measure with this changing pandemic - which might not even be considered a pandemic in six months.

A welcome voice of measured reason in a sea of toxic hyperbole. 
Thank you @Steelers36!!

[phabric]

Thanks for keeping us informed 

[Thrak]

17 hours ago, Pharry said:

This will make it very difficult if your flying into Vancouver from Australia 48 hours before your cruise. 

 

Talk about difficult: Our B2B2B cruises down under keep getting cancelled because nobody is allowed to enter the countries in that part of the world. Being allowed to go the other way is pretty amazing.

[nocl]

7 hours ago, dog said:

I can’t tell you why 

 

A PCR test pre flight to Canada makes since to me. 
Government is wasting time, money re testing fully VAX & tested negative passengers on arrival. 
To discourage travel by air?

The Netherlands required people to to test before flying to the Netherlands.  In spite of that when they tested the two flights on arrival from South Africa they found 61 positives.  

[phabric]

Correct me if wrong -

 

Entering Canada -

Canadians - vaccinated, PCR, ArriveCAN

Americians - vaccinated, ArriveCAN, NO TEST at  Canadian airport

other countries - vaccinated, ArriveCAN, test at a Canadian airport, quarantine until results are in

 

Why are Canadians needing to have a PCR test?

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, phabric said:

Correct me if wrong -

 

Entering Canada -

Canadians - vaccinated, PCR, ArriveCAN

Americans - vaccinated, ArriveCAN, NO TEST at  Canadian airport

other countries - vaccinated, ArriveCAN, test at a Canadian airport, quarantine until results are in

 

Why are Canadians needing to have a PCR test?

It seems ever since some politicians were outed for travelling in last holiday season, the government is determined to discourage travel by the masses.  Americans need the pre-test to travel in.  You seem to conflate pre-travel requirement with arrival requirement.

[HappyInVan]

2 hours ago, phabric said:

Correct me if wrong -

 

Entering Canada -

Canadians - vaccinated, PCR, ArriveCAN

Americians - vaccinated, ArriveCAN, NO TEST at  Canadian airport

other countries - vaccinated, ArriveCAN, test at a Canadian airport, quarantine until results are in

 

Why are Canadians needing to have a PCR test?

 

I think you have misunderstood. The required testing at the airport is based on your port of departure. All travelers (all nationalities) need to have an arrival test unless they originate from the USA. 

 

There's a clearer discussion at the HAL forum.

 

 

Edited December 2, 2021 by HappyInVan

[Spudd]

4 hours ago, phabric said:

Correct me if wrong -

 

Entering Canada -

Canadians - vaccinated, PCR, ArriveCAN

Americians - vaccinated, ArriveCAN, NO TEST at  Canadian airport

other countries - vaccinated, ArriveCAN, test at a Canadian airport, quarantine until results are in

 

Why are Canadians needing to have a PCR test?

The actual policy as I understand it is:

 

Arriving from any country except USA:

Everyone - vaccinated, PCR, ArriveCAN, test at Canadian airport, quarantine until results are in

 

Arriving from USA, 1st 3 points still apply, but no test at the Canadian airport

 

Canadians (and everyone else) have needed a PCR test to enter by air since the beginning just about. We were hoping that at some point, the PCR test requirement would be lifted for vaccinated travelers, but that hasn't happened yet. 

[dog]

On 12/1/2021 at 12:06 PM, HappyInVan said:

4 hours ago, phabric said:

Correct me if wrong -

 

Entering Canada -

Canadians - vaccinated, PCR, ArriveCAN

Americians - vaccinated, ArriveCAN, NO TEST at  Canadian airport

other countries - vaccinated, ArriveCAN, test at a Canadian airport, quarantine until results are in

 

Why are Canadians needing to have a PCR test?

Using my example:

to return from LHR to YYZ I will have to provide a PCR test & be fully Vaccinated to get on the plane., 

upon arrival at YYZ I will have a test provided by Canadian government, then go home and isolate until I get a negative result 

to return to YYZ from Ft Lauderdale I will need to have a pre flight negative PCR test; 

upon arrival at YYZ I will not need another Covid test at YYZ 

 

Is this correct?

[awinte2]

For anyone like myself whose cruise is in February the rules of tests, vaccines, quarantine, etc is going to change 10 fold in the next few months depending on what happens with the new variant.  Things are changing daily. I am from Canada and it is too difficult right now to know what is going to happen down the road.  For people that are cruising in the next few weeks could be a roller coaster as one day it is this and the next day that.  Right now to fly into the states your test must be taken the day before. No more 72 hours. Tommorrow there could be something else.

As I get closer to my cruise I will assess whether it will be worth it to cruise now or cancel.

 

 

[HappyInVan]

2 hours ago, dog said:

to return to YYZ from Ft Lauderdale I will need to have a pre flight negative PCR test; 

upon arrival at YYZ I will not need another Covid test at YYZ 

 

Is this correct?

 

AFAIK, you are correct, unless they count your cruise days in the Caribbean as an international itinerary. "Have you traveled to other countries in the last 2 weeks?"

 

I suggest that everyone wait for more details. Likely to take several weeks because of the typical confusion. When does it take effect? Does it apply to cruise passengers? Is the arrival test done at the airport? Do we need to book the test ourselves? Will it be a quick test or PCR?

 

 https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ottawa-confusion-new-travel-measures-1.6271297

 

For myself, I don't intent to book another trip until I have seen the details. 😒

[HappyInVan]

Here are the main details. No word about the implementation date.

 

Looks like PCR tests taken at the airport or at home. The good news for Canadian residents is that they can self-isolate at home while waiting for the results. The bad news is that the amount of time needed to process the sample at the lab will vary.

 

 https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/arrival-testing-regime-explainer-1.6272919

 

Be safe.