Carnival gets serious about ArriveCan in Seattle

[cheer25mom]

On 5/11/2022 at 12:39 AM, cruisingguy007 said:

Sounds like another reason to avoid cruising to/through Canada until all the covid testing nonsense ends. They should have just kept it like it was and allowed the exception to continue without stopping in Canada. All these different travel rules are ridiculous, inconsistent and redundant (USA include) for international travel. Same with that Verifly nonsense, no way I'm giving my personal information to a third party app that is a direct/metadata collection point. People need to wake up and start getting paid for selling their information instead of giving it away for free. This data collection is what makes these companies valuable, much like watching TV commercials, they should be paying us for our time/data instead of the other way around and/or making money off our data without kicking back some.  

1. Its NOT nonsense. It is definetly helping stop the spread of Covid.

 

2. Both Verifly and ArriveCan are simple and easy to use, and I didn't have to give Verifly anything other than name and date of birth. Not sure what personal information you think they are selling. You give oth much more every time you purchase a product online, or in store for that matter. 

[Homosassa]

14 hours ago, Moviela said:

The scanner optical recognition has problem with spelling of names and reading passport numbers, but thankfully the app now allows you to edit the information for passport or Global Entry. 

 

 

This is certainly true.

 

As I mentioned above, I had problems with misspelling of my husband's last name (different each time).  When the name was finally correct, the information was flagged as having an invalid passport number. The number was correct, but the site was insisting the number needed to be an alphanumeric (starting with letters) number.

 

Not true for an US passport.  I finally was able to just type the number in and it was accepted.

 

Very frustrating.

 

Now for some good news, on the ArriveCan thread on the Celebrity forum, a poster stated that the on line version and the App are now synchronized so that information can be added to your account by either method.

 

This is great because I find it easier to use a computer keyboard than my cell phone for data entry.  It also means I will be able to easily print out any document I need to show for ArriveCan. 

[RazorPokesHoney]

We were on the 5/2 Splendor. I had everything ready, showed my verifly when we checked in, past that there were people checking to make sure we had the qr code and there was a great number of people who had to step out of line to download the app. We did get off in Victoria just to go to the gift shop and they did not ask to see anything there but some of our table mates rented cars in Skagway to cross the border did and didn't have any issues. 

[Eli_6]

Just downloaded it and uploaded all of our passports and vax cards. Took about 30 minutes for 4 people. It did misspell my son's name from the passport scan, but I corrected it manually.  It would not allow me to "finalize" the entry, though, because I was too far out...I sail in 12 days.  It would only allow me to enter through the 16th so I would assume that means we will have to finalize this after the cruise has started since we are in Canada the second to last day of the cruise and you can't finalize it until 4-5 days before entry per the app. 

[Homosassa]

48 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

J It would not allow me to "finalize" the entry, though, because I was too far out...I sail in 12 days.  It would only allow me to enter through the 16th so I would assume that means we will have to finalize this after the cruise has started since we are in Canada the second to last day of the cruise and you can't finalize it until 4-5 days before entry per the app. 

You must submit the ArriveCan within 72 hours of embarkation and have the approval code in hand to show at the embarkation port.

[cruisingguy007]

On 5/12/2022 at 6:31 AM, cheer25mom said:

1. Its NOT nonsense. It is definetly helping stop the spread of Covid.

 

2. Both Verifly and ArriveCan are simple and easy to use, and I didn't have to give Verifly anything other than name and date of birth. Not sure what personal information you think they are selling. You give oth much more every time you purchase a product online, or in store for that matter. 

 

Sorry, disagree, it is nonsense and redundant. Takes all of 30 seconds to show passport, vax card and negative test printout. 

[atexsix]

I did the initial part with passport and vax cards, but what's involved with the rest of it?  I clicked on the first page and didn't even know what to select, I'm assuming a cruise is considered "discretionary/optional" travel?

[klfrodo]

39 minutes ago, atexsix said:

I did the initial part with passport and vax cards, but what's involved with the rest of it?  I clicked on the first page and didn't even know what to select, I'm assuming a cruise is considered "discretionary/optional" travel?

Yes it is

[atexsix]

9 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

Yes it is

Thanks!

[cmcsharon]

I leave Monday on the 10 day Alaska trip out of San Francisco and over the last 3 days I've received at least 2 phone calls, 3 emails and 2 text messages all from Carnival alerting me about the ArriveCAN requirement.  So that seems to be the timeframe, you're not going to be notified by Carnival until close to your cruise (less than a week), which makes sense to me because Canada's requirements continue to change and that's out of Carnival's control.

[cruisingguy007]

32 minutes ago, cmcsharon said:

I leave Monday on the 10 day Alaska trip out of San Francisco and over the last 3 days I've received at least 2 phone calls, 3 emails and 2 text messages all from Carnival alerting me about the ArriveCAN requirement.  So that seems to be the timeframe, you're not going to be notified by Carnival until close to your cruise (less than a week), which makes sense to me because Canada's requirements continue to change and that's out of Carnival's control.

 

Yeah, show the same documents required for a cruise already. Brilliant. But it's helping to "stop the spread of covid" in some peoples eyes, same with the 30 second documents required to cruise with Verifly. 🙄

Edited May 14, 2022 by cruisingguy007

[1kaper]

16 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Sorry, disagree, it is nonsense and redundant. Takes all of 30 seconds to show passport, vax card and negative test printout. 

 

There are many COVID vaccines. Many combinations people have taken. Some are accepted and some are not. 
 

There are time lines involved. 
 

The different vaccination papers look different. 
 

If you are really checking vaccine status it takes more than a glance.  We have an app at work where people could input their vaccination status. Every single one was reviewed by a person. For the straight forward ones - two shots of vaccines used in Canada, it was a nurse. 
For the others, it was reviewed by someone else with special training. 
 

im also not sure if you’ve been to Canada lately but the major airports are seriously understaffed. Line ups to get cleared through security and customs are huge as it is. An extra 30 seconds per person would add a huge ton of time. 
As it is now, I don’t even have to show my ArriveCAN. It is linked to my passport and when I get to a border agent they see it’s been uploaded and cleared. 
 

 

ArriveCAN also helps track people afterwards. Initially people were required to quarantine for two weeks
That is no longer required but people are still being selected for random covid tests and it helps track them as well. 
 

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

20 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

Sorry, disagree, it is nonsense and redundant. Takes all of 30 seconds to show passport, vax card and negative test printout. 

 

30 seconds to review all information from a passport, vax card and negative test result?  That would be a Pier Shore-side staff member's dream!   ;  )

Could they get an extra 15 seconds if they had to look at a birth certificate & DL??  LOL

 

 

[FruitStandaficionado]

On 5/11/2022 at 3:50 AM, CruisingFromLA said:

Thanks to CruiseCritic I know that ArriveCan is a requirement. However, I haven't recieved any communication from Carnival about it. When did you get notification that we need it for boarding? Or does it randomly pop up in the cruise manager saying so? My cruise on the Spirit isn't until the end of July, so I am curious if that is why I haven't recieved anything from Carnival about it yet.

Carnival never sends out this type of information until close to cruise time because things frequently change.

[cruisingguy007]

2 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

30 seconds to review all information from a passport, vax card and negative test result?  That would be a Pier Shore-side staff member's dream!   ;  )

Could they get an extra 15 seconds if they had to look at a birth certificate & DL??  LOL

 

 

 

That's exactly how it was on my last Panorama cruise a few weeks ago. Maybe even less than 30 seconds each person in fact. Granted, I had all the documents sorted for each person and grouped together but yeah, 30 seconds tops.  

[cruisingguy007]

6 hours ago, 1kaper said:

 

There are many COVID vaccines. Many combinations people have taken. Some are accepted and some are not. 
 

There are time lines involved. 
 

The different vaccination papers look different. 
 

If you are really checking vaccine status it takes more than a glance.  We have an app at work where people could input their vaccination status. Every single one was reviewed by a person. For the straight forward ones - two shots of vaccines used in Canada, it was a nurse. 
For the others, it was reviewed by someone else with special training. 
 

im also not sure if you’ve been to Canada lately but the major airports are seriously understaffed. Line ups to get cleared through security and customs are huge as it is. An extra 30 seconds per person would add a huge ton of time. 
As it is now, I don’t even have to show my ArriveCAN. It is linked to my passport and when I get to a border agent they see it’s been uploaded and cleared. 
 

 

ArriveCAN also helps track people afterwards. Initially people were required to quarantine for two weeks
That is no longer required but people are still being selected for random covid tests and it helps track them as well. 
 

 

 

The cruise lines have already sorted this, it's redundant and unnecessary.  

[chocolate melting cake]

Just back from the May 2 Miracle cruise. Almost the same story as reported by many others. A large number of people were taken out of line if they couldn't show the QR. For 2 days before reaching Canada announcements were made, room stewards came to the room, and waiters at dinner all reminded us to have the QR ready to show in Canada or each person (including frightened staff members) was subject to a $3,000.00 fine! We left, walked around and NOT ONCE were we asked to show this code that had cost me $300, since we had to cancel our CT covid tests (3 days before boarding---acceptable except in Canada) and have them done 2 days before in San Francisco!!!

[1kaper]

1 hour ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

The cruise lines have already sorted this, it's redundant and unnecessary.  

 

ArriveCan is not just for people arriving by cruise ship. Anyone arriving at any entry is required to use it in some form or another. 
 

also. Based on this thread, clearly the cruise lines don’t have it sorted. They literally had tons of people on the ship not fill it out. Since they don’t check passports getting off the boat some people may have entered Canada without it having filled out the app. 
It is literally the entire premise of this thread. 
 

I’m not relying on any other entities to verify information I require. Particularly not one that would benefit by letting requirements slide. 
If Canada wasn’t so strict on ArriveCAN and entry requirements, Carnival  wouldn’t be either. 

[1kaper]

56 minutes ago, chocolate melting cake said:

Just back from the May 2 Miracle cruise. Almost the same story as reported by many others. A large number of people were taken out of line if they couldn't show the QR. For 2 days before reaching Canada announcements were made, room stewards came to the room, and waiters at dinner all reminded us to have the QR ready to show in Canada or each person (including frightened staff members) was subject to a $3,000.00 fine! We left, walked around and NOT ONCE were we asked to show this code that had cost me $300, since we had to cancel our CT covid tests (3 days before boarding---acceptable except in Canada) and have them done 2 days before in San Francisco!!!

You may not have had to show it but border services can see if passengers don’t fill it out. 
 

I have never had to show my QR code going through the border but the agents know that I’ve done it. And know my vax status. 
 

 

[cruisingguy007]

On 5/14/2022 at 12:44 PM, 1kaper said:

 

ArriveCan is not just for people arriving by cruise ship. Anyone arriving at any entry is required to use it in some form or another. 
 

also. Based on this thread, clearly the cruise lines don’t have it sorted. They literally had tons of people on the ship not fill it out. Since they don’t check passports getting off the boat some people may have entered Canada without it having filled out the app. 
It is literally the entire premise of this thread. 
 

I’m not relying on any other entities to verify information I require. Particularly not one that would benefit by letting requirements slide. 
If Canada wasn’t so strict on ArriveCAN and entry requirements, Carnival  wouldn’t be either. 

 

Why would they need to recheck all the information that the cruise lines already checked? It's literally the exact same information that the cruise lines have already complied. It's redundant and unnecessary. When you acquiesce to nonsense, you invite more of it. Skipping the ports would have been a better position. Play ball with those who want to play and let the excuse makers and hesitators play with themselves. Not a strong hand move by the cruise lines, if the ports want tourists dollars, make then make sense, don't bend over.      

Edited May 16, 2022 by cruisingguy007

[Ferry_Watcher]

40 minutes ago, cruisingguy007 said:

Skipping the ports would have been a better position. Play ball with those who want to play and let the excuse makers and hesitators play with themselves. Not a strong hand move by the cruise lines, if the ports want tourists dollars, make then make sense, don't bend over.      

 

Oh my argumentative friend,  let me spell it out for you in simple terms:

The US law

All cruises sailing from the U.S. must stop in Canada or another foreign port due to the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA). Under this act, foreign-flagged ships must visit at least one foreign country during the cruise. A cruise line would face significant penalties for not complying.Apr 27, 2021

 

 

• In order for cruise ships to sail from US ports to Alaska, the must make a stop at a foreign port (Canada).
• Canada, a sovereign nation, sets it own laws, rule and regulations for it's people and those visiting.
• Canada decides that all visitors must register their Canadian visits (by land, sea or air) so Canada       can track any  potential Covid outbreak to help keep it's citizens safe.
• The cruise lines want to resume sailing the lucrative mainland/Alaska market and acknowledges Canada's prerogative to set terms, limits and conditions on ships entering Canadian ports
• Canada sets up a somewhat simple app to assist visitors (also an online web version)
• Cruise companies unfortunately are slow to pass the mandatory ArriveCan requirement along to their passengers, leading to confusion, frustration and long lines.

 

How will it all resolve?  As the season goes on, the cruise line will become more pro-active in getting information out about the required ArriveCan registration.  The pier side staff will become more adapt in assisting those passengers who are truly confused, or sadly too pigheaded to complete the app (at home), while standing outside the terminal building.  Eventually, we will see a higher compliance rate of passengers arriving with their ArriveCan QR code ready to be looked at.  The long lines will disappear, and we will return to the smooth embarkation ease of pre-pandemic 2019.

 

@cruisingguy007,  my friend, instead of complaining about something that you can't change,  (i. e.,  a foreign country's reasonable requirement), try focusing on what can be done to make it work.

 

[cruisingguy007]

12 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

Oh my argumentative friend,  let me spell it out for you in simple terms:

The US law

All cruises sailing from the U.S. must stop in Canada or another foreign port due to the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA). Under this act, foreign-flagged ships must visit at least one foreign country during the cruise. A cruise line would face significant penalties for not complying.Apr 27, 2021

 

 

• In order for cruise ships to sail from US ports to Alaska, the must make a stop at a foreign port (Canada).
• Canada, a sovereign nation, sets it own laws, rule and regulations for it's people and those visiting.
• Canada decides that all visitors must register their Canadian visits (by land, sea or air) so Canada       can track any  potential Covid outbreak to help keep it's citizens safe.
• The cruise lines want to resume sailing the lucrative mainland/Alaska market and acknowledges Canada's prerogative to set terms, limits and conditions on ships entering Canadian ports
• Canada sets up a somewhat simple app to assist visitors (also an online web version)
• Cruise companies unfortunately are slow to pass the mandatory ArriveCan requirement along to their passengers, leading to confusion, frustration and long lines.

 

How will it all resolve?  As the season goes on, the cruise line will become more pro-active in getting information out about the required ArriveCan registration.  The pier side staff will become more adapt in assisting those passengers who are truly confused, or sadly too pigheaded to complete the app (at home), while standing outside the terminal building.  Eventually, we will see a higher compliance rate of passengers arriving with their ArriveCan QR code ready to be looked at.  The long lines will disappear, and we will return to the smooth embarkation ease of pre-pandemic 2019.

 

@cruisingguy007,  my friend, instead of complaining about something that you can't change,  (i. e.,  a foreign country's reasonable requirement), try focusing on what can be done to make it work.

 

 

Meh, that's nothing new, an exception was made before and could be made again. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

10 minutes ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Meh, that's nothing new, an exception was made before and could be made again. 

But an exception wasn't made again (i.e., skipping stopping in Canada as what happened in 2020). 

 

So, time to move on and deal with what people who want to cruise to Alaska need to do.  Fill out, and complete ArriveCan within 72 hours of embarking on a cruise ship from a US port.  

[jsglow]

Exactly Ferry.  Last years both sides of the aisle worked hard to salvage an Alaska cruise season because Canada effectively blocked it (as was their right as a sovereign nation).  They're not going to do the same thing and create another exception because some folks don't want to fill out an App.

[nissach]

Being a Canadian I am very familiar with the ArriveCan app.  Once the app is on your phone it is very easy to use.  However, Carnival  should have notified US citizens that this would be a requirement to get into Canada (Victoria/Vancouver).