Covid Tests needed to get from Vancouver to USA?

[Petrocelli]

I am going on an Inside Passage cruise in July on the Konigsdam.  I heard today from a friend that you need a Covid test to get back into the USA.  If that's the case, does Holland America help us get tested?

[Mary229]

If you are flying you need the test.  If you use the shuttle or other ground transportation back to the US you do not.  I don’t know the status of onboard Covid testing in Canada.  Things may be different by July, so don’t sweat it yet

[Petrocelli]

My flight is out of Vancouver, so I will have to get tested somewhere if this continues.  I was wondering if someone had experience with this.

[Storylady]

3 minutes ago, Petrocelli said:

My flight is out of Vancouver, so I will have to get tested somewhere if this continues.  I was wondering if someone had experience with this.

From photos on another site, I would recommend NOT getting tested at the Vancouver Airport, the lines were extremely long from the photos I have seen taken by recent passengers. We are planning on staying a couple of extra days to enjoy the city. We plan to make an appointment for couple of hours after getting off the ship. Less stressful. 
 

if you don’t mind the long day, take the bus from Vancouver to Seattle Airport. No need for a test if you drive across the board.

[AMPM]

Holland will not be testing…… so disappointed. We are starting our land portion on the 2nd in Fairbanks and they will test before embarking on the 5th. But we are on our own in Vancouver. We have scheduled appointments at the airport on the 12th. We were hoping that the testing would have been dropped by now but maybe you will get lucky !

[Gray Lady]

27 minutes ago, Petrocelli said:

My flight is out of Vancouver, so I will have to get tested somewhere if this continues.  I was wondering if someone had experience with this.

We don’t have time to get tested at the airport before our flight. Everything was booked with HAL back when they said they would test us before flying home. We are going to do proctoring the day before arrival in Vancouver. They have assured me TWICE that premium wifi would support this. Please let us know how things go with you. Good luck and hope you have a wonderful and safe vacation!

[Petrocelli]

19 minutes ago, Gray Lady said:

We don’t have time to get tested at the airport before our flight. Everything was booked with HAL back when they said they would test us before flying home. We are going to do proctoring the day before arrival in Vancouver. They have assured me TWICE that premium wifi would support this. Please let us know how things go with you. Good luck and hope you have a wonderful and safe vacation!

I did not even consider this.  Has anyone on this forum assured you that the Wifi is capable of doing that?  (i'd believe them more than a HAL customer service rep.)

[ShipWalker]

We were on the Noordam 2 weeks ago arriving in Vancouver from the Panama Canal transition.

Everyone received a letter in their stateroom informing us that for those flying out of Vancouver on the day of arrival HAL would provide complimentary Covid testing the day before. (We drove home.)

 

As to whether this practice is still happening I do not know.

 

 

 

 

 

[Gray Lady]

1 minute ago, Petrocelli said:

I did not even consider this.  Has anyone on this forum assured you that the Wifi is capable of doing that?  (i'd believe them more than a HAL customer service rep.)

I keep asking, but haven’t heard back from anyone. Some did say they used their own wifi and phone to do it early in the morning of arrival. Since you are cruising before us, I would call HAL on Tuesday to ask them. I was told that guest services would help if for some reason the wifi wouldn’t work when we needed to test. Did you book your transfers and flights with HAL? 

[shiner6]

We also booked this cruise when HAL included the testing in Vancouver. Now, it has changed and guests are left to their own devices. We ended up purchasing online tests for the 7 of us. We plan on doing the tests before we disembark.

[Gray Lady]

7 minutes ago, ShipWalker said:

We were on the Noordam 2 weeks ago arriving in Vancouver from the Panama Canal transition.

Everyone received a letter in their stateroom informing us that for those flying out of Vancouver on the day of arrival HAL would provide complimentary Covid testing the day before. (We drove home.)

 

As to whether this practice is still happening I do not know.

 

 

 

 

 

They changed their policies on the 19th saying that everyone flying home out of Canada was responsible for their own tests. Many think it is due to their liability if you test positive while on the ship. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Gray Lady]

3 minutes ago, shiner6 said:

We also booked this cruise when HAL included the testing in Vancouver. Now, it has changed and guests are left to their own devices. We ended up purchasing online tests for the 7 of us. We plan on doing the tests before we disembark.

Nothing like added stress to what is supposed to be a relaxing vacation!

[Travelight]

We returned to Vancouver last Wednesday, May 25. We had flights out of YVR for Friday, May 27. Since you have to have a negative Covid test within 24 hours of your return flight to the United States, we were a bit concerned about that. We called Shoppers Drug close to the Blue Horizon Hotel. They gave us an appointment time for Thursday evening. There was no wait. The results came back quickly and paperwork was given to us for boarding. The more difficult part was uploading information into VeriFLY and getting it to update for check in. I could never get it to work properly. But we had help with it at the airport. Everyone there was very nice and helpful. Vancouver is a wonderful city. I can’t wait to return someday ❤️

Edited May 30, 2022 by Travelight

[Travelight]

Best prices at Shoppers Drug, also. Each test was $50 

[Gray Lady]

2 minutes ago, Travelight said:

We returned to Vancouver last Wednesday, May 25. We had flights out of YVR for Friday, May 27. Since you have to have a negative Covid test within 24 hours of your return flight to the United States, we were a bit concerned about that. We called Shoppers Drug close to the Blue Horizon Hotel. They gave us an appointment time for Thursday evening. There was no wait. The results came back quickly and paperwork was given to us for boarding. The more difficult part was uploading information into VeriFLY and getting it to update for checking. I could never get it to work properly. But we had help with it at the airport. Everyone there was very nice and helpful. Vancouver is a wonderful city. I can’t wait to return someday ❤️

We are on a land tour before our cruise. We are only coming into Canada to debark and fly home. I have already uploaded our info into ArriveCAN. HAL said we don’t need to use  Verifly  because we fly from US to US to begin our tour. Do you think we need Verifly for flying back to the US? It is difficult to get any straight answers. Thanks for your help!

[Travelight]

I was unable to check into American Airlines without using VeriFLY for our return home to U.S. from YVR. That is where AA required us to post our negative Covid tests information and photos of paperwork. I did not need ArriveCan when disembarking cruise or boarding flight home. 

[Travelight]

You will probably not need negative Covid tests if your flights are within U.S.  Therefore, you will probably not need VeriFLY. What airline are y’all on?  

[Travelight]

From Canada to U.S. a negative Covid test is required within 24 hours of flight. 

[Gray Lady]

36 minutes ago, Travelight said:

You will probably not need negative Covid tests if your flights are within U.S.  Therefore, you will probably not need VeriFLY. What airline are y’all on?  

At the beginning of our cruise tour, we fly on Alaska from San Francisco to Fairbanks. On the way home, we booked with Delta, but it is a Westjet flight out of Vancouver to San Francisco. We are going to try and do our COVID test the day before debarkation on the ship while cruising.

[Travelight]

You will have a wonderful cruise!  Do not worry about the testing. It will all work out fine. There will be others with the same concerns, for sure. Have fun!!!

[jcgoldfein]

We disembarked from the Konigsdam on Saturday, 5/28.   With the upgraded internet, we had no problem completing two eMed Binox Ag Card covid tests on Friday 5/27 while at sea.  I printed the emailed  lab results at the business center in the Crows Nest ; then uploaded to check in for our flight.  Always good to have a hard copy.

 

As to the timing of the test, here is what is on the CDC website:

Required

Testing

Before boarding a flight to the United States, you are required to show a negative COVID-19 test result taken no more than 1 day before travel. There is also an option for people who have documented recovery from COVID-19 in the past 90 days. Learn more about these requirements.

 

We did our testing at just over 24 hours from our expected flight take off.  No problems with the timing.

 

This isn't the first time we've use these tests, but the first time while at sea.  I was very happy to have this done before getting to the airport.  

 

Hope your experiences go as smoothly!

 

[wesport]

I am getting off in vancouver on Seabourn. I have a proctored test for the day before, and a test scheduled at the cruise terminal for 10:30am. Just in case.flight not till 5:30pm.  If I get the proctor test done the day before, I brought three for just me just in case, I will take the excursion that tours vancouver. Hope this is the case. 

[NCTribeFan]

There have already been about a dozen threads about this subject, no?

 

I fly to Seattle very early tomorrow morning.  I'm staying there and taking the HAL transfer to Vancouver on Wednesday morning.  I fly home from Vancouver (via Seattle).  Booked my flights before HAL changed their policy or I would've flown RT Seattle.  Checked what it would cost to change flights and decided it wasn't worth it to take out the Vancouver-Seattle leg, and add in the bus transport just to keep from having to test to get home.

 

Unfortunately, I was exposed to Covid on Thursday, the 19th.  When I returned home on Friday, I tested myself with one of the free (non-proctored) tests.  It was negative.  Tested myself again on Tuesday and again this past Friday.  All negative.

 

Then I discovered I could not schedule a rapid test for today because it's a holiday.  Yikes!  Thank goodness I have ONE eMed test left.  Thing is, I was going to take it with me to do the self test before I disembark (I'm doing a B2B so disembark on 6/15).  Now, I have to use that last test today for my pre-cruise test.

 

Oh well.  Looks like I'll be testing in Vancouver on 6/15.  I imagine I'll book a test at Canada Place.  Glad I booked a late afternoon flight, at least.  No early-morning panic to get tested and get to the airport.  Not looking forward to the red-eye flight home, but it is what it is.

[Gray Lady]

3 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

There have already been about a dozen threads about this subject, no?

 

I fly to Seattle very early tomorrow morning.  I'm staying there and taking the HAL transfer to Vancouver on Wednesday morning.  I fly home from Vancouver (via Seattle).  Booked my flights before HAL changed their policy or I would've flown RT Seattle.  Checked what it would cost to change flights and decided it wasn't worth it to take out the Vancouver-Seattle leg, and add in the bus transport just to keep from having to test to get home.

 

Unfortunately, I was exposed to Covid on Thursday, the 19th.  When I returned home on Friday, I tested myself with one of the free (non-proctored) tests.  It was negative.  Tested myself again on Tuesday and again this past Friday.  All negative.

 

Then I discovered I could not schedule a rapid test for today because it's a holiday.  Yikes!  Thank goodness I have ONE eMed test left.  Thing is, I was going to take it with me to do the self test before I disembark (I'm doing a B2B so disembark on 6/15).  Now, I have to use that last test today for my pre-cruise test.

 

Oh well.  Looks like I'll be testing in Vancouver on 6/15.  I imagine I'll book a test at Canada Place.  Glad I booked a late afternoon flight, at least.  No early-morning panic to get tested and get to the airport.  Not looking forward to the red-eye flight home, but it is what it is.

Do you have any of the free government tests or can you go get an FDA approved one at a drug store? If yes, I can give you two links to get a proctored test done using those tests. The cost is $15 to $20 dollars.

[Gray Lady]

10 hours ago, jcgoldfein said:

We disembarked from the Konigsdam on Saturday, 5/28.   With the upgraded internet, we had no problem completing two eMed Binox Ag Card covid tests on Friday 5/27 while at sea.  I printed the emailed  lab results at the business center in the Crows Nest ; then uploaded to check in for our flight.  Always good to have a hard copy.

 

As to the timing of the test, here is what is on the CDC website:

Required

Testing

Before boarding a flight to the United States, you are required to show a negative COVID-19 test result taken no more than 1 day before travel. There is also an option for people who have documented recovery from COVID-19 in the past 90 days. Learn more about these requirements.

 

We did our testing at just over 24 hours from our expected flight take off.  No problems with the timing.

 

This isn't the first time we've use these tests, but the first time while at sea.  I was very happy to have this done before getting to the airport.  

 

Hope your experiences go as smoothly!

 

Thank you for sharing your experience. It helps to hear from someone who has done it!