to board in Spain a covid test is now required 24 hours before not 72

[susiesan]

Apparently Spain just changed the rules for testing before boarding a ship there from 3 days before to 24 hours before. People boarding NCL ship Norwegian Star today  are being tested at the pier by NCL and not being charged. With Riviera boarding in BCN April 4 I wonder if Oceania will do the same? The current info about testing 72 hours before boarding in Europe is out of date. I cannot find anything where Oceania has updated this to show covid test required 24 hours before.

 

Also, the EU just changed the vaccine rules. If your vaccination is over 270 days you must be boosted to board ships. There are people in Barcelon getting ready to cruise who are being denied boarding because they haven't had a booster. This just changed April 2. Some people were already in Europe when the change was announced and  couldn't do anything about this.

 

O cruisers in Europe this summer: be sure you have received your booster or no cruise for you.

[Cruzin Terri]

We are on the Nautica on April 11 beginning in Barcelona.  We were told to be tested 72 hours prior to boarding and that we would be again tested at the pier the day of boarding.

That is the information we received last Monday.

Terri

Edited April 3, 2022 by Cruzin Terri

[basor]

36 minutes ago, susiesan said:

Apparently Spain just changed the rules for testing before boarding a ship there from 3 days before to 24 hours before. People boarding NCL ship Norwegian Star today  are being tested at the pier by NCL and not being charged. With Riviera boarding in BCN April 4 I wonder if Oceania will do the same? The current info about testing 72 hours before boarding in Europe is out of date. I cannot find anything where Oceania has updated this to show covid test required 24 hours before.

 

Also, the EU just changed the vaccine rules. If your vaccination is over 270 days you must be boosted to board ships. There are people in Barcelon getting ready to cruise who are being denied boarding because they haven't had a booster. This just changed April 2. Some people were already in Europe when the change was announced and  couldn't do anything about this.

 

O cruisers in Europe this summer: be sure you have received your booster or no cruise for you.

Thanks for pointing this out....The EU had made the the 270 day rule applicable since the beginning of 2022 - New EU Travel Restrictions: Boosters Required After 9 Months To Travel Freely (forbes.com)  The most reliable place for information on your particular cruise/ports is the US Embassy for that country.   

[Robjame]

14 hours ago, basor said:

  The most reliable place for information on your particular cruise/ports is the US Embassy for that country.   

Rather the most reliable source for EU countries is:

https://vaccination-info.eu/en/trusted-sources

 

This site consolidates EU vaccination information with specific links for each country showing the particular, up-to-date, vaccination requirements.

[susiesan]

17 hours ago, Cruzin Terri said:

We are on the Nautica on April 11 beginning in Barcelona.  We were told to be tested 72 hours prior to boarding and that we would be again tested at the pier the day of boarding.

That is the information we received last Monday.

Terri

Oceania has notified their impacted passengers, NCL has not. Good for O.

 

Does anyone know what other embarkation countries have this same change in testing applied? I board a Baltic cruise in Stockholm in August and am having trouble finding out if the 24 hour rule will apply there. 

At the moment, I do not need any covid test to fly to Sweden, just proof of vaccination and booster.

[basor]

1 hour ago, susiesan said:

Oceania has notified their impacted passengers, NCL has not. Good for O.

 

Does anyone know what other embarkation countries have this same change in testing applied? I board a Baltic cruise in Stockholm in August and am having trouble finding out if the 24 hour rule will apply there. 

At the moment, I do not need any covid test to fly to Sweden, just proof of vaccination and booster.

 August is a long way away.........you should check in June/July and use the link ROBJAME posted

[avalong]

21 hours ago, susiesan said:

Apparently Spain just changed the rules for testing before boarding a ship there from 3 days before to 24 hours before. People boarding NCL ship Norwegian Star today  are being tested at the pier by NCL and not being charged. With Riviera boarding in BCN April 4 I wonder if Oceania will do the same? The current info about testing 72 hours before boarding in Europe is out of date. I cannot find anything where Oceania has updated this to show covid test required 24 hours before.

 

Also, the EU just changed the vaccine rules. If your vaccination is over 270 days you must be boosted to board ships. There are people in Barcelon getting ready to cruise who are being denied boarding because they haven't had a booster. This just changed April 2. Some people were already in Europe when the change was announced and  couldn't do anything about this.

 

O cruisers in Europe this summer: be sure you have received your booster or no cruise for you.

My sister-in-law boarded Riviera today and has not had a booster shot.  Looks like the new rule is not being enforced uniformly.

[ORV]

40 minutes ago, avalong said:

My sister-in-law boarded Riviera today and has not had a booster shot.  Looks like the new rule is not being enforced uniformly.

Do you know if she is in the 270 day window since her last shot? 

[avalong]

31 minutes ago, ORV said:

Do you know if she is in the 270 day window since her last shot? 

Her last shot was more than a year ago.

[Torquer]

12 hours ago, Robjame said:

Rather the most reliable source for EU countries is:

https://vaccination-info.eu/en/trusted-sources

 

Has anyone been able to find country-specific information on this website they can actually read in English?  I spent about 15 minutes checking the countries we will be traveling through this summer:  Germany, Italy, and Greece.  Either I could not figure out how to get English on the websites or the information on travel requirements were not obvious.  There has got to be a better place to get concise information.

[Robjame]

Try this more user friendly site:

 

https://www.euronews.com/travel/2022/03/18/what-s-the-latest-on-european-travel-restrictions

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Torquer said:

 

Has anyone been able to find country-specific information on this website they can actually read in English?  I spent about 15 minutes checking the countries we will be traveling through this summer:  Germany, Italy, and Greece.  Either I could not figure out how to get English on the websites or the information on travel requirements were not obvious.  There has got to be a better place to get concise information.

There is usually a place to change the language to English near the top of the page  but that said it seems most  sites it is about Data   does not really address current requirement for entering each Country

Unless I missed that also

[PhD-iva]

29 minutes ago, Robjame said:

Try this more user friendly site:

 

https://www.euronews.com/travel/2022/03/18/what-s-the-latest-on-european-travel-restrictions

Regs changed on 1 April, so this information could be out of date…….

[curmudgeon98]

I've used this site, relatively official (EU).  You need to enter to:from countries to see what rules apply.  Still not super easy to use or parse, but it is somewhat helpful.  Often your airline will have pretty current info somewhere as well.

 

https://reopen.europa.eu/en

Edited April 5, 2022 by curmudgeon98
clarify

[roger b]

 I JUST HAD THIS FROM OCEANIA !!!!

Dear Valued Guests and Travel Advisors,

 

As we are all aware, international travel requires a measure of flexibility as policies, protocols, and regulations are fluid and ever evolving.

 

We have an important update for all guests sailing on voyages embarking from European ports.

 

Effective immediately, EU Healthy Gateways has implemented the following updated definition of “Fully Vaccinated” against COVID-19:  

 

A passenger or crew member who carries a proof of vaccination, and at least 14 days and no more than 270 days have passed since the last dose of the primary vaccination series or if the person has received a third dose.    

 

Any guest whose primary COVID-19 vaccination will be beyond 270 days at the time of disembarkation from their voyage must have a COVID-19 “booster” at least 14 days prior to embarkation

[NattilyAttired]

The Euronews site that Robjame posted above was updated today, April 5, so it may indeed be accurate. It is not cruise-specific, however.  Also, as we all know, there is a lot of conflicting information out there, so take this with a degree of caution.

[susiesan]

Can anyone point pout a website that is cruise specific to European sailings? If the country where your cruise embarks  no longer requires a test to enter then does that mean we don't need a test to board a ship there? If you don't need a test to board a train or ferry in a particular country why do you need one to board a cruise ship? Is the precruise testing an Oceania requirement or a EU/country specific one?

[basor]

4 minutes ago, susiesan said:

Can anyone point pout a website that is cruise specific to European sailings? If the country where your cruise embarks  no longer requires a test to enter then does that mean we don't need a test to board a ship there? If you don't need a test to board a train or ferry in a particular country why do you need one to board a cruise ship? Is the precruise testing an Oceania requirement or a EU/country specific one?

It can be both - I believe with COVID continuing to be an issue that O will continue the pre-embarkation testing requirement.  I have not found a website that is cruise specific since different cruise lines have different requirements.  The best option is to keep checking with the cruise line you will be sailing for their most current requirements.  Also, I would not get too excited about what the requirements are until 2 - 3 weeks before embarkation - COVID is a very fluid problem.

[NattilyAttired]

I agree with Basor. Oceania's stated policy is that passengers must be fully vaccinated and currently covid-free to board. That's why the testing requirement. Countries allow people to enter if they are vaccinated, or test negative. Oceania requires both, regardless of a country's requirements. We sail April 23 and are expecting our requirement notification from Oceania for each port we visit to be emailed to us this weekend.

[basor]

Another aspect of travel these days is that your latest vaccine/booster must be no older than 270 days from embarkation......for many of us, that means we will need to get a 2nd booster prior to traveling.  There may be an exception here and there but best to just plan on the 270 day rule and get boosted..

[NattilyAttired]

Basor, I must disagree with you on this one. If a passenger's PRIMARY vaccine dose was more than 270 days ago, then they must have a booster. There is no time limit on boosters. The time limit is only on the first two doses (or single-dose J&J).

[basor]

35 minutes ago, NattilyAttired said:

Basor, I must disagree with you on this one. If a passenger's PRIMARY vaccine dose was more than 270 days ago, then they must have a booster. There is no time limit on boosters. The time limit is only on the first two doses (or single-dose J&J).

Thanks for your clarification - I have seen some ambiguity in interpretation of this and first hand report of people being denied boarding due to their booster being more than 270 days old.   I think we will error on the side of caution and make sure it has been less than 270 days since our last booster in case we run into someone that interprets differently.

[roger b]

Here is my take on it as i live in Majorca  , Spain has no requirement  for a 270 day rule all that is needed  is proof  of a third booster .

  If Oceania are following  the rules of the country where a cruise starts it should not be necessary  .

  As far as a cvoid test is concerned  Spain do not require  any such tests to enter the country only a passenger locator form which has a QR code to say you have been fully vaccinated.

     I can understand  Oceania  wanting  proof of an antigen  test, as I will be starting my cruise  next Monday  on Nautica i shall take a test 72 Hours before hand if this not good enough Oceania will have to do the test before boarding.

[susiesan]

3 hours ago, roger b said:

Here is my take on it as i live in Majorca  , Spain has no requirement  for a 270 day rule all that is needed  is proof  of a third booster .

  If Oceania are following  the rules of the country where a cruise starts it should not be necessary  .

  As far as a cvoid test is concerned  Spain do not require  any such tests to enter the country only a passenger locator form which has a QR code to say you have been fully vaccinated.

     I can understand  Oceania  wanting  proof of an antigen  test, as I will be starting my cruise  next Monday  on Nautica i shall take a test 72 Hours before hand if this not good enough Oceania will have to do the test before boarding.

Based on what NCL passengers are reporting from last weekend fiasco in Barcelona, both O and NCL now require a test at 24 hours. The lines are testing at the pier for now but we don't know how long this will be in place, as it gets expensive .

[roger b]

1 hour ago, susiesan said:

Based on what NCL passengers are reporting from last weekend fiasco in Barcelona, both O and NCL now require a test at 24 hours. The lines are testing at the pier for now but we don't know how long this will be in place, as it gets expensive .

In my latest advice  from Oceania there is no mention of this and as i will be arriving in Barcelona on the monday  and there are no test facilities open on a Sunday this is impossible!!