Info about Canada's new covid rules for Cruise ships?

[seatrial]

Thanks Ruth and HAL4NOW. 

I still wonder what the logistics will be in Montreal for a B2B passenger. How might testing be handled and would a B2B passenger be required to disembark and the return for the second leg? Any thoughts?

[naskeag]

3 hours ago, HAL4NOW said:

Thanks, Ruth. That explains why the Boston to Montreal and Montreal to Boston are two separate legs. So, booking them B2B is no problem, but they cannot be combined into one sailing?

Ruth does point out the rule why one cannot book a FL to Boston round trip.  But I cannot  understand how that explains why a Bos to Montreal must be two separate bookings.  We have booked and sailed on HAL round trip to Canadien ports from both Boston and Seattle.  A Boston to Montreal and return could in fact be a round trip if HAL desired.   We have a B to B  Boston to Quebec City on the NS in Aug 2022 and have same cabin both cruises.  Good discussion as the season begins and waiting for more government relaxation of regulations.  

Edited March 20, 2022 by naskeag
clarification

[Fouremco]

@dave34, please never book a cruise out of the UK and rent a car to do a bit of touring pre- or post-cruise. Your moaning and complaining about the UK rules of the road would be endless! 🙄

[dave34]

4 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

@dave34, please never book a cruise out of the UK and rent a car to do a bit of touring pre- or post-cruise. Your moaning and complaining about the UK rules of the road would be endless! 🙄

🤔 thank you so much for your unsolicited advice SA

[Fouremco]

12 minutes ago, dave34 said:

🤔 thank you so much for your unsolicited advice SA

I'm always happy to help those in need! 😇

[RuthC]

4 hours ago, HAL4NOW said:

Thanks, Ruth. That explains why the Boston to Montreal and Montreal to Boston are two separate legs. So, booking them B2B is no problem, but they cannot be combined into one sailing?

The PVSA isn't an explanation of why the round trip from Boston isn't offered as a collector's cruise, though. 

The difference between the poster's wish to sail from Ft. Lauderdale to Montreal, then on to Boston, and Boston to Montreal and return to Boston is that the starting/ending points in the first are different, while in the second example they are the same. 

The PVSA says that if the starting/ending points of the consecutive cruises are the same US port, a near foreign port is the requirement. It's when the starting/ending ports are different US ports that there must be a distant foreign port on the itinerary. 

[HAL4NOW]

1 hour ago, RuthC said:

The PVSA isn't an explanation of why the round trip from Boston isn't offered as a collector's cruise, though. 

The difference between the poster's wish to sail from Ft. Lauderdale to Montreal, then on to Boston, and Boston to Montreal and return to Boston is that the starting/ending points in the first are different, while in the second example they are the same. 

The PVSA says that if the starting/ending points of the consecutive cruises are the same US port, a near foreign port is the requirement. It's when the starting/ending ports are different US ports that there must be a distant foreign port on the itinerary. 

Thanks again, Ruth, for your patient explanation. That makes sense. It would be nice if the two cruises we booked could be a collector cruise instead of B2B. That would make the Shareholder Benefit higher ($250 instead of two times $100). Other than that, it is about the same. We booked the same room for both cruises.

[seatrial]

HAL4NOW,

What do you plan to do for testing prior to the second leg of your B2B cruise from Montreal back to Boston? Has HAL verified that testing will be done on the ship for you? Will you be required to leave the ship in Montreal and reboard?

Thanks for any information. 

[Florida_gal_50]

43 minutes ago, seatrial said:

HAL4NOW,

What do you plan to do for testing prior to the second leg of your B2B cruise from Montreal back to Boston? Has HAL verified that testing will be done on the ship for you? Will you be required to leave the ship in Montreal and reboard?

Thanks for any information. 

While I can't speak for that particular cruise I've done 2 b2b since the start up.  Both were on the koningsdam.  In between the cruises I was tested on board.  Who knows what things might look like a few months down the road.

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, seatrial said:

HAL4NOW,

What do you plan to do for testing prior to the second leg of your B2B cruise from Montreal back to Boston? Has HAL verified that testing will be done on the ship for you? Will you be required to leave the ship in Montreal and reboard?

Thanks for any information. 

Latest from the HAL website:  "Guests on back-to-back voyages will need to disembark the ship at the end of each voyage, receive a complimentary viral COVID-19 test, and will be permitted to board the ship again once they receive a negative test result."

[seatrial]

Thank you Crew News,

 

This is what I have been waiting to hear. I am assuming that disembark means leaving with packed suitcases and all belongings and waiting to return for the second voyage. I understand this policy, but I I'm not willing to do that packing and unpacking. I think I'm going to pass on B2B cruises for now. Thanks for posting!

[Crew News]

17 minutes ago, seatrial said:

Thank you Crew News,

 

This is what I have been waiting to hear. I am assuming that disembark means leaving with packed suitcases and all belongings and waiting to return for the second voyage. I understand this policy, but I I'm not willing to do that packing and unpacking. I think I'm going to pass on B2B cruises for now. Thanks for posting!

All of your belongings can remain in your stateroom.  You will only need your passport and stateroom card when you leave the ship.  I have been on many of these B2B and the only thing that has changed is taking a rapid Covid test during the brief time you are off the ship.

 

From the HA: website:  "Guests on back-to-back voyages will need to disembark the ship at the end of each voyage, receive a complimentary viral COVID-19 test, and will be permitted to board the ship again once they receive a negative test result. 

Our current policy is that guests will not need to pack and disembark with luggage for this testing between cruises.  Final details will be confirmed once on board, including when and where to go for testing."

 

You may also change staterooms on the turnaround day with the help of your Room Steward.  They bring a trolley for your hang up items and just swap drawers for the rest.  Very little suitcase packing.

 

Please reconsider B2B.  It is a breeze and you reboard the ship about an hour before the new passengers do.

Edited March 21, 2022 by Crew News

[Florida_gal_50]

1 minute ago, Crew News said:

All of your belongings can remain in your stateroom.  You will only need your passport and stateroom card.  I have been on many of these B2B and the only thing that has changes is taking a Covid test during the brief time you are off the ship.

 

You may also change staterooms on the turnaround day with the help of your Room Steward.  They bring a trolley for your hang up items and just swap drawers for the rest.  Very little suitcase packing.

 

Please reconsider B2B.  It is a breeze and you reboard the ship about an hour before the new passengers do.

I agree with the previous poster.  I have a hard time believing they would let you back on the ship should you test positive 

[triiip42]

22 hours ago, Crew News said:

Latest from the HAL website:  "Guests on back-to-back voyages will need to disembark the ship at the end of each voyage, receive a complimentary viral COVID-19 test, and will be permitted to board the ship again once they receive a negative test result."

Hi crew news, do you might shareing where on the site you found this? I am missing it....thanks

[Crew News]

3 minutes ago, triiip42 said:

Hi crew news, do you might shareing where on the site you found this? I am missing it....thanks

as reqiuested:  https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/worry-free-promise/travel-well/frequently-asked-questions/faq-for-cruises-from-usa.html#testing

[seatrial]

It's worth noting that the information linked in the previous post is from F.A.Qs for U.S. sailings. 

I have just been told by the travel agent that I normally book with, that per HAL I am not allowed to book the following cruises back to back:

 

Zaandam -5/12 to 5/21 - Fort Lauderdale to Montreal

Zaandam - 5/21 to 5/28 -Montreal to Boston

 

This really surprises me. I am going to seek information directly from HAL when I have a few free minutes. This just seems odd.

 

 

[broberts]

18 minutes ago, seatrial said:

It's worth noting that the information linked in the previous post is from F.A.Qs for U.S. sailings. 

I have just been told by the travel agent that I normally book with, that per HAL I am not allowed to book the following cruises back to back:

 

Zaandam -5/12 to 5/21 - Fort Lauderdale to Montreal

Zaandam - 5/21 to 5/28 -Montreal to Boston

 

This really surprises me. I am going to seek information directly from HAL when I have a few free minutes. This just seems odd.

 

 

 

PVSA.

[gilboman]

On 3/18/2022 at 2:23 PM, dave34 said:

Most if not all have went to a 2, mostly 3 day antigen that make it a lot more simple for people traveling all day before.   

US is one day for antigen for flights into US ..so makes sense canada is consistent with the US in that regard.

[RuthC]

4 hours ago, seatrial said:

This really surprises me. I am going to seek information directly from HAL when I have a few free minutes. This just seems odd.

Not odd at all, since it is against the law. 
Did you not read the thread? 

[seatrial]

RuthC. You are of course correct. By “odd” I mean that this law is outdated and serves little if any purpose today. It should be repealed or modified immediately. Things were very different when this law was enacted. It’s a good example of the government never letting go once they have their hands in something. 
 

[Fouremco]

5 hours ago, seatrial said:

It's worth noting that the information linked in the previous post is from F.A.Qs for U.S. sailings. 

I have just been told by the travel agent that I normally book with, that per HAL I am not allowed to book the following cruises back to back:

 

Zaandam -5/12 to 5/21 - Fort Lauderdale to Montreal

Zaandam - 5/21 to 5/28 -Montreal to Boston

 

This really surprises me. I am going to seek information directly from HAL when I have a few free minutes. This just seems odd.

 

 

Under the PVSA, you can't take a cruise from one US port that finishes in a different US city. The B2B cruise that you would like to book starts in Fort Lauderdale and finishes in Boston, so not allowed under the PVSA. 

[RuthC]

31 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Under the PVSA, you can't take a cruise from one US port that finishes in a different US city.

Yes, you can take such a cruise. Or, more accurately, you could if a suitable itinerary were offered. 

The ship must stop at a distant foreign port. The cruise referenced only stops at a near foreign port. 

[Fouremco]

34 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Under the PVSA, you can't take a cruise from one US port that finishes in a different US city. The B2B cruise that you would like to book starts in Fort Lauderdale and finishes in Boston, so not allowed under the PVSA. 

Too late to edit, but I just realized that my first sentence dropped some key words:

Under the PVSA, you can't take a cruise from one US port that finishes in a different US city without visiting a distant foreign port.

 

And now I see that Ruth caught the faux pas as well. Thanks!

 

 

Edited March 22, 2022 by Fouremco

[seatrial]

I find that it’s best not to ask “why” for most things related to government in the interest of maintaining sanity.  However, does anyone have a good explanation as to why this law is in effect?  Does it protect a thriving US passenger vessel industry with which I’m not familiar? Maybe it somehow protects border security? In reading the law, if the cruise visited Aruba it would all be fine. I would truly like to understand the purpose of this law if anyone gets it. 

[Fouremco]

58 minutes ago, seatrial said:

I find that it’s best not to ask “why” for most things related to government in the interest of maintaining sanity.  However, does anyone have a good explanation as to why this law is in effect?  Does it protect a thriving US passenger vessel industry with which I’m not familiar? Maybe it somehow protects border security? In reading the law, if the cruise visited Aruba it would all be fine. I would truly like to understand the purpose of this law if anyone gets it. 

There are dozens and dozens of threads on the PVSA that present the reasons for the PVSA. Look in particular for posts by @chengkp75