Questions related to all things Covid testing relating to Princess Cruises

[Hugahav]

Princess updated their protocols on August 24th for all voyages departing September 6, 2022 and beyond (copied and pasted from the Princess website):

 

Vaccination Status	Definition by Country's Health Authority	Pre-Travel Test Type &  When to Take Test Before Boarding Age: 5 Years and Up
		Voyages from the U.S., UK, EU	Voyages with Enhanced Guidelines^
Fully Vaccinated*	Received primary series of COVID-19 vaccines with final dose at least 14 days before embarkation.	Testing not required	Medically assisted Antigen or PCR within 3 days
Not Vaccinated	Not fully vaccinated are welcome to cruise. If cruise includes a Canadian port, an additional medical exemption is needed.	Self-administered Antigen OR medically assisted PCR within 3 days	Medically assisted Antigen or PCR within 3 days

Edited August 26, 2022 by Hugahav

[Hugahav]

^Enhanced Guidelines Voyages include full Panama Canal transits, Trans-Ocean crossings, special voyages, Greek guidelines (voyages departing, arriving or visiting Greece), Canadian guidelines (voyages, arriving or visiting Canada).

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, nmhouchin said:

 Steeler36 you are mistaken ,  my cruise spans 16 days , 15 nights. embarking Dec. 7, Disembarking Dec. 22.

That length of cruise is sold as 15 days, but it is also - and more realistically - 15 nights.  Yes, you are on board for all or parts of 16 calendar days, but that is like having a 7-night hotel stay.  You check-in on Day 1 and check-out on Day 8.  But you are staying 7 nights.  A lot of vacation packages bump up the days by 1 as a marketing ploy.  But Princess uses days and nights interchangeably.  When you book a 7 or 10 day cruise, it means 7 or 10 nights - not 6 or 9 nights.

[Steelers36]

On 8/17/2022 at 1:54 PM, Steelers36 said:

Don't believe it, however.  No basis in fact.  Just wait for Princess to correct yet again.

 

Yes, it certainly seems like I need to eat my words.  No correction or change from Princess on Greece since last week.  It appears as though there are requirements for cruise ships that Greece does not publish publicly.  Now, whether these include mandatory in-person live testing and covers visiting Greece days after a test is done, may not be clear.  But so far, HAL's protocols are not as demanding as PCL and they share medical mgmt.  I guess I'll stop holding my breath waiting for Princess to change requirements for Greece. 

 

[nmhouchin]

Steeler36 that being said on Princess web site they listed  my cruise as 16 days and it is only 15 nts.

[Steelers36]

19 minutes ago, nmhouchin said:

Steeler36 that being said on Princess web site they listed  my cruise as 16 days and it is only 15 nts.

What market area of the world do you live in?  I am in North America using princess.com.  All of their voyages are listed as X Days when you use the Find Cruises link.  Whatever the length as listed (X Days), this also means X Nights.  For example, a 10-night Caribbean cruise departing from FLL (Port Everglades) on Feb 17 returns to port on Feb 27.  The 10 nights are Feb 17 thru Feb 26. 

 

So, I am not sure which sample voyage you are looking at that is the way you describe. 

[sidvan]

On 8/26/2022 at 9:38 AM, Steelers36 said:

 

Yes, it certainly seems like I need to eat my words.  No correction or change from Princess on Greece since last week.  It appears as though there are requirements for cruise ships that Greece does not publish publicly.  Now, whether these include mandatory in-person live testing and covers visiting Greece days after a test is done, may not be clear.  But so far, HAL's protocols are not as demanding as PCL and they share medical mgmt.  I guess I'll stop holding my breath waiting for Princess to change requirements for Greece. 

 

Just arrived Athens from Rome and will be continuing on to Barcelona. Athens is our 3rd Greek stop and we have Santorini tomorrow. Other than the last minute change from 3 days to 2 days pre-boarding in Rome for testing, there has been no further discussion or mention of testing. 😁

[RV Queen]

Thank you for the update. 

[Loveh2ofl]

8 hours ago, sidvan said:

Just arrived Athens from Rome and will be continuing on to Barcelona. Athens is our 3rd Greek stop and we have Santorini tomorrow. Other than the last minute change from 3 days to 2 days pre-boarding in Rome for testing, there has been no further discussion or mention of testing. 😁

Did they care what vaccination level (boosted or not) you were?  Did they check?

[Kamfish642]

We are planning to spend a week in Brisbane prior to cruise out of Sydney in February 2023.  Planning to arrive in Sydney the day prior to cruise.  Does anyone have an idea where we can get a rapid antigen test within 24 hours of cruise, since we plan to arrive in Sydney the day prior to cruise?

[Allograft]

On 8/25/2022 at 9:21 PM, Hugahav said:

Princess updated their protocols on August 24th for all voyages departing September 6, 2022 and beyond (copied and pasted from the Princess website):

 

Vaccination Status	Definition by Country's Health Authority	Pre-Travel Test Type &  When to Take Test Before Boarding Age: 5 Years and Up
		Voyages from the U.S., UK, EU	Voyages with Enhanced Guidelines^
Fully Vaccinated*	Received primary series of COVID-19 vaccines with final dose at least 14 days before embarkation.	Testing not required	Medically assisted Antigen or PCR within 3 days
Not Vaccinated	Not fully vaccinated are welcome to cruise. If cruise includes a Canadian port, an additional medical exemption is needed.	Self-administered Antigen OR medically assisted PCR within 3 days	Medically assisted Antigen or PCR within 3 days

Thanks. Nothing yet for Antarctica. Will have to check back.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, Kamfish642 said:

We are planning to spend a week in Brisbane prior to cruise out of Sydney in February 2023.  Planning to arrive in Sydney the day prior to cruise.  Does anyone have an idea where we can get a rapid antigen test within 24 hours of cruise, since we plan to arrive in Sydney the day prior to cruise?

Google this "covid testing near circular quay cruise terminal".

[Tedferg]

Any experience regarding Canadian ports - NY - Quebes. Is Princess or Canada checking for test?

[walkingsoon]

1 hour ago, Tedferg said:

Any experience regarding Canadian ports - NY - Quebes. Is Princess or Canada checking for test?

Last month I drove through the crossing at Blaine, WA. I had filled out the ArriveCAN app, which required a snapshot of our vaccine records. Their border agent told my wife that she had been randomly selected to take a Covid test. He asked how long we were going to be there, as it would have required going to a pharmacy and having the test witnessed. When I told him we were only in Canada long enough to drive on to Vancouver, park and board the ship he said: "I'd just ignore it, then".

 

At the port, the US border people were remarkably quick. I had never gotten the medallion app to recognize my vaccination record upload, but the first Princess employee I ran into scanned my medallion and directed me toward the brow .As I walked on I realized that no one had asked for either vaccination proof or test results.

[Muffinz]

14 hours ago, Kamfish642 said:

We are planning to spend a week in Brisbane prior to cruise out of Sydney in February 2023.  Planning to arrive in Sydney the day prior to cruise.  Does anyone have an idea where we can get a rapid antigen test within 24 hours of cruise, since we plan to arrive in Sydney the day prior to cruise?

Chemist warehouse or bargain chemist will sell RAT tests.

There’s stores all over Sydney.

We’re  on the same cruise as you in February and it’s 6 months away so things could have changed by then 

[Kamfish642]

7 hours ago, Muffinz said:

Chemist warehouse or bargain chemist will sell RAT tests.

There’s stores all over Sydney.

We’re  on the same cruise as you in February and it’s 6 months away so things could have changed by then 

Do these RAT tests need to be monitored? 

[Happiest when cruising]

18 hours ago, walkingsoon said:

Last month I drove through the crossing at Blaine, WA. I had filled out the ArriveCAN app, which required a snapshot of our vaccine records. Their border agent told my wife that she had been randomly selected to take a Covid test. He asked how long we were going to be there, as it would have required going to a pharmacy and having the test witnessed. When I told him we were only in Canada long enough to drive on to Vancouver, park and board the ship he said: "I'd just ignore it, then".

 

At the port, the US border people were remarkably quick. I had never gotten the medallion app to recognize my vaccination record upload, but the first Princess employee I ran into scanned my medallion and directed me toward the brow .As I walked on I realized that no one had asked for either vaccination proof or test results.

I don’t understand why you didn’t do the test upon entering Canada. If people choose to come here, they should be prepared for the request of the random test.  
I’m not sure you got good advise from the border staff. Watch your email, you could get a letter asking why you haven’t submitted it, as requested. 
Princess didn’t need to see your results when you boarded, as you should have already submitted them electronically. Or.. were you actually going to show them at the port instead? 
 

How long ago was your cruise? I am attaching bits of the information from the Canadian website. I am curious to know if our Government is doing what it says it is doing. 

[clueless2]

Under the CruiseHealth FAQ /Before you sail

Will I be able to book multiple cruises, back to back?

Yes, we will offer back-to-back bookings, subject to availability. Guests ages 5 and above on such sailings will need to take a complimentary rapid antigen test within two days of the second cruise if the that sailing includes a trans-ocean voyage or full Panama Canal transit and the itinerary is 10 days or more.

Guests who test positive for COVID-19 will not be able to sail on the next voyage, nor will their family members and close contacts who are not fully vaccinated. If you, your family members, travel companions or other close contacts are suspected of having COVID-19, you are entitled to a 100% Future Cruise Credit (FCC).

[Muffinz]

5 hours ago, Kamfish642 said:

Do these RAT tests need to be monitored? 

They did need to be a supervised / monitored test, but I'm not sure if that's the case now, or if you can just take one at your hotel room on the morning of check in and just tell Princess when boarding that you took a test and it was negative....

someone in the know would be able to tell us

 

bus as I said the cruise is 6 months out and the Australian government could have changed or dropped the requirement to have a negative test by then

 

[ricki]

This is so confusing! We are boarding Enchanted Princess on September 2 in Southampton, UK.

 

When  I spoke to 2 “Navigators” at Princess, I was told the pre-cruise antigen test does not have to be observed, and we can attest to the results. The second person said we had to bring the actual test to show at the pier—REALLY???  That sounds absurd and incorrect.

 

Must we be observed via telemedicine as we self administer the antigen test and  then upload the results received from the telemedicine company—or can we independently take the test and attest to the results?

 

Thank you!

[devonuk]

31 minutes ago, ricki said:

This is so confusing! We are boarding Enchanted Princess on September 2 in Southampton, UK.

 

When  I spoke to 2 “Navigators” at Princess, I was told the pre-cruise antigen test does not have to be observed, and we can attest to the results. The second person said we had to bring the actual test to show at the pier—REALLY???  That sounds absurd and incorrect.

 

Must we be observed via telemedicine as we self administer the antigen test and  then upload the results received from the telemedicine company—or can we independently take the test and attest to the results?

 

Thank you!

Take your own test and if negative attest accordingly 👍

[ricki]

6 hours ago, devonuk said:

Take your own test and if negative attest accordingly 👍

OK, so no need to have a third party witness it.   Thanks much!

[walkingsoon]

6 hours ago, Happiest when cruising said:

I don’t understand why you didn’t do the test upon entering Canada. If people choose to come here, they should be prepared for the request of the random test.  
I’m not sure you got good advise from the border staff. Watch your email, you could get a letter asking why you haven’t submitted it, as requested. 
Princess didn’t need to see your results when you boarded, as you should have already submitted them electronically. Or.. were you actually going to show them at the port instead? 
 

How long ago was your cruise? I am attaching bits of the information from the Canadian website. I am curious to know if our Government is doing what it says it is doing. 

There were several reasons, Happiest. Most importantly, the gentleman with the uniform and badge told me that I wouldn't have enough time to do so. Had I planned to stay for a land tour visit, I would have certainly complied. As it was, I was back across the border within an hour. Would you, in my shoes, have missed the sailing in order to get a test? 

 

I've received no communication from CBSA about the test and have had no problems with several subsequent crossings within the last six weeks. Interestingly, there are a number of ongoing scams related to border crossing tests in which people from apparently hacked lists are being blackmailed by crooks posing as CBSA agents.

 

Thank you for your feedback. I generally try to do the right thing, yet still run afoul of the occasional government regulation. I would suggest that your government is indeed doing what it says it is (and I'm a fan of the concept of random testing, btw  - I wish it had been done more earlier on), but there are some wrinkles in the program as it relates to visitors such as cruisers who are in and out so quickly. Perhaps the man's advice was based on his recognition of that.

 

 

Princess had no electronic record of my vaccination status or negative test result as far as I know. I was never able to get the very faulty app to accept them. I had paper copies to show, but was never asked.

 

[Happiest when cruising]

6 hours ago, walkingsoon said:

There were several reasons, Happiest. Most importantly, the gentleman with the uniform and badge told me that I wouldn't have enough time to do so. Had I planned to stay for a land tour visit, I would have certainly complied. As it was, I was back across the border within an hour. Would you, in my shoes, have missed the sailing in order to get a test? 

 

I've received no communication from CBSA about the test and have had no problems with several subsequent crossings within the last six weeks. Interestingly, there are a number of ongoing scams related to border crossing tests in which people from apparently hacked lists are being blackmailed by crooks posing as CBSA agents.

 

Thank you for your feedback. I generally try to do the right thing, yet still run afoul of the occasional government regulation. I would suggest that your government is indeed doing what it says it is (and I'm a fan of the concept of random testing, btw  - I wish it had been done more earlier on), but there are some wrinkles in the program as it relates to visitors such as cruisers who are in and out so quickly. Perhaps the man's advice was based on his recognition of that.

 

 

Princess had no electronic record of my vaccination status or negative test result as far as I know. I was never able to get the very faulty app to accept them. I had paper copies to show, but was never asked.

 

Thanks for your response. It worries me a bit about your vaccination and test results, though. 

[Expo67]

They need to just discontinue testing completely as the variables are too complicated to make any sense from. So we are on our 3rd back to back on the same ship and while all new incoming paxs had to provide was an attest to a negative test Princess required all of us to test onboard at their testing site. We tested negative and went out in town and when coming back onboard heard the famous question entering the terminal … you have tested negative to Covid. 😂