Questions related to all things Covid testing relating to Princess Cruises

[Happiest when cruising]

12 hours ago, Expo67 said:

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. 😂

Some of it does seem crazy. I see they have to test negative before boarding in Seattle, for entry to Canada, which is several days after the cruise starts. So…could be as much as a week later. I’m not sure that is really helpful, since someone could have picked it up while on the ship and Be quite sick before they ever reach Canada. 

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, Happiest when cruising said:

Some of it does seem crazy. I see they have to test negative before boarding in Seattle, for entry to Canada, which is several days after the cruise starts. So…could be as much as a week later. I’m not sure that is really helpful, since someone could have picked it up while on the ship and Be quite sick before they ever reach Canada. 

Preaching to the choir here if you want to say Canada's requirements are onerous and unjustified.  They are Justin-fied, however, (as in our PM's first name), and that's about the extent of it.  He claims to follow the science, but increasingly you have to hunt under rocks to find that science that matches his ideas.

[Musky Ike]

1 hour ago, Happiest when cruising said:

Some of it does seem crazy. I see they have to test negative before boarding in Seattle, for entry to Canada, which is several days after the cruise starts. So…could be as much as a week later. I’m not sure that is really helpful, since someone could have picked it up while on the ship and Be quite sick before they ever reach Canada. 

Same for Greece. Test two days before we board and the first Greece stop is day three, so five days out from the test. I think politicians everywhere just want to say they are doing something, even when it is almost pointless.

[devonuk]

The worldwide differences and thus the confusion that exists is so annoying 😡

Edited August 29, 2022 by devonuk
Error

[ROWSE]

2 hours ago, Musky Ike said:

Same for Greece. Test two days before we board and the first Greece stop is day three, so five days out from the test. I think politicians everywhere just want to say they are doing something, even when it is almost pointless.

I see your 5 and raise you 4 on the stop in Greece!   Our October 15, on the Regal won't be for 9 days, 7 after cruise leaves but if you do the 2 before,  it is 9.  UGH!!!  

[Musky Ike]

25 minutes ago, ROWSE said:

I see your 5 and raise you 4 on the stop in Greece!   Our October 15, on the Regal won't be for 9 days, 7 after cruise leaves but if you do the 2 before,  it is 9.  UGH!!!  

No way in 9 days of travel with stops in other countries that you possibly have come in contact with someone positive 🤔

[mcrimmins]

On 8/28/2022 at 2:16 PM, devonuk said:

Take your own test and if negative attest accordingly 👍

I spoke to a rep from Carnival today who confirmed this.  Mike

[Musky Ike]

Just got an email from Princess via our TA on our Sept. 10 Rome cruise. It says fully vaccinated do NOT need to test before embarkation! This is even though we visit Greece. The website has not changed...…yet. 

[Davey Jones Dentist]

This morning the web pages are "updated" but still not completely understandable.

 

Guests sailing on voyages 16 nights or longer, or sailing on full Panama Canal transits, trans-ocean and other specific itineraries, need to take a supervised test within three days of embarkation (guests 5 and older). Guests on these types of voyages will be contacted directly by an Ocean Navigator to assist.

 

And it also says;

 

Unvaccinated guests, or those who do not provide proof of vaccination, on those itineraries will self-test within three days of sailing and upload proof of a negative test on the MedallionClass® app before boarding.

 

Note that it does NOT say that unvaccinated guests need a SUPERVISED test. 

 

I guess we just have to wait and see what the next Princess update says.

 

 

[Tedferg]

4 minutes ago, Davey Jones Dentist said:

and upload proof of a negative test on the MedallionClass® app before boarding.

 

How do you upload proof of negative test, do you take a picture of the test strip?????

[Rebels82]

Is a Rapid NAAT test accepted for cruises starting in Canada? It has been accepted for all of our others. Thanks.

[d9704011]

17 minutes ago, Rebels82 said:

Is a Rapid NAAT test accepted for cruises starting in Canada? It has been accepted for all of our others. Thanks.

Yes.  Here is a list of acceptable tests:

Accepted types of tests

Molecular tests

• PCR - Polymerase chain reaction
• Nucleic acid test (NAT) or Nucleic acid amplification test (NAATs)
• Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP)

These tests use methods such as a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab, nose swab, or saliva sample.

Other acceptable types of molecular tests:

Antigen tests

Your antigen test must be administered or observed by a laboratory or testing provider.

Phrases indicating a test is an antigen test could include, but is not limited to:

• rapid antigen test
• viral antigen test
• diagnostic immunoassay
• lateral flow test (LFT)
• also could be noted as an Antigen Chromatographic Digital Immunoassay, Antigen Chemiluminescence Immunoassay, or Antigen Lateral Flow Fluorescence

[Rebels82]

47 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

Yes.  Here is a list of acceptable tests:

Accepted types of tests

Molecular tests

• PCR - Polymerase chain reaction
• Nucleic acid test (NAT) or Nucleic acid amplification test (NAATs)
• Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP)

These tests use methods such as a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab, nose swab, or saliva sample.

Other acceptable types of molecular tests:

Antigen tests

Your antigen test must be administered or observed by a laboratory or testing provider.

Phrases indicating a test is an antigen test could include, but is not limited to:

• rapid antigen test
• viral antigen test
• diagnostic immunoassay
• lateral flow test (LFT)
• also could be noted as an Antigen Chromatographic Digital Immunoassay, Antigen Chemiluminescence Immunoassay, or Antigen Lateral Flow Fluorescence

Thanks! It is confusing since sometimes a test is referred as a PCR and sometimes a NAAT. Am I correct to assume the rapid NAAT can be done like a PCR test which is within 72 hours?

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, Tedferg said:

How do you upload proof of negative test, do you take a picture of the test strip?????

And that would not be proof in any case since it could be anyone's strip in the photo.

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, Musky Ike said:

Just got an email from Princess via our TA on our Sept. 10 Rome cruise. It says fully vaccinated do NOT need to test before embarkation! This is even though we visit Greece. The website has not changed...…yet. 

Agree - I see no changes on Princess.com. 

It is also possible that this email was pre-written and auto-scheduled to go out and doesn't reflect the onerous and unnecessary changes made in the Greece section.

[Tedferg]

18 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

And that would not be proof in any case since it could be anyone's strip in the photo.

My point, precisely.

[d9704011]

40 minutes ago, Rebels82 said:

Thanks! It is confusing since sometimes a test is referred as a PCR and sometimes a NAAT. Am I correct to assume the rapid NAAT can be done like a PCR test which is within 72 hours?

Sorry, no idea.  I just copied the information off the Government of Canada website; unfortunately, I cannot 'add value' to it.

 

 

[Muffinz]

28 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

And that would not be proof in any case since it could be anyone's strip in the photo.

Ideally you'd take a photo of yourself (or get someone else to) holding up the test strip and have the date function turned on your phone / camera.

 

I had to do this for work earlier in the year when I got covid and had to send it through to my boss

[Steelers36]

9 minutes ago, Muffinz said:

Ideally you'd take a photo of yourself (or get someone else to) holding up the test strip and have the date function turned on your phone / camera.

 

I had to do this for work earlier in the year when I got covid and had to send it through to my boss

Sorry, but still no proof that the test strip was created by a sample from the person in the photo.  This is why they have online proctoring - to preserve the integrity/validity of the test.  Not suggesting you would cheat the boss, but just saying it isn't proof.

[blizzard44ca]

1 hour ago, Rebels82 said:

Thanks! It is confusing since sometimes a test is referred as a PCR and sometimes a NAAT. Am I correct to assume the rapid NAAT can be done like a PCR test which is within 72 hours?

Yes, 72 hours prior to “boarding” for your NAAT.

[LACruiser88]

4 hours ago, Musky Ike said:

Just got an email from Princess via our TA on our Sept. 10 Rome cruise. It says fully vaccinated do NOT need to test before embarkation! This is even though we visit Greece. The website has not changed...…yet. 

Hopefully, they will update their web site after Sept 6th.  There are lots of us that board in Rome (with ports in Greece) after you and are in "limbo" regarding the pre-boarding testing.   🥺

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 30, 2022 by LACruiser88

[Musky Ike]

9 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

Hopefully, they will update their web site after Sept 6th.  There are lots of us that board in Rome (with ports in Greece) after you and are in "limbo" regarding the pre-boarding testing.   🥺

 

 

 

 

 

Don't see how the changes beginning on the 6th would have anything to do with the Greece rules. Otherwise the webpage section on cruises visiting Greece would have the until Sept. 6 wording like the others do. 

[LACruiser88]

6 minutes ago, Musky Ike said:

Don't see how the changes beginning on the 6th would have anything to do with the Greece rules. Otherwise the webpage section on cruises visiting Greece would have the until Sept. 6 wording like the others do. 

On the 6th, they should be updating the web site by deleting all of the protocols for cruises departing prior to the 6th.

 

Maybe they will take the opportunity to update the protocols for cruises departing after the 6th???

[Tedferg]

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Sorry, but still no proof that the test strip was created by a sample from the person in the photo.  This is why they have online proctoring - to preserve the integrity/validity of the test.  Not suggesting you would cheat the boss, but just saying it isn't proof.

But the poster showed  "self-test within three days of sailing and upload proof of a negative test on the MedallionClass® app before boarding." So, this is not proctored.

[Kamfish642]

16 hours ago, Tedferg said:

But the poster showed  "self-test within three days of sailing and upload proof of a negative test on the MedallionClass® app before boarding." So, this is not proctored.

You upload the results received via email of your proctored test.