Ovation OTS passenger reports ArriveCAN now has to be shown by each passenger at pier

[barbeyg]

Currently passengers on Ovation, which is docked in Victoria today, are reporting hours-long waits to exit the ship in Victoria, as the ArriveCAN code has to be shown when they exit the ship, and again in the terminal.  Many will miss scheduled tours because Canada and the cruise lines apparently didn’t work something out to expedite this process.  
 

We sailed last week, and no one even wanted to see our ArriveCAN, at any point. That has apparently changed.
 

Just a heads up for those of you sailing this summer. Hopefully after this debacle of a day, the Canadian govt and the cruise lines will figure out a way to make this more functional. 

[mauimary]

Are there two lines?  With App and those who do not have it.  That would be maddening if this were not the case!  

[Ferry_Watcher]

15 hours ago, barbeyg said:

Currently passengers on Ovation, which is docked in Victoria today, are reporting hours-long waits to exit the ship in Victoria, as the ArriveCAN code has to be shown when they exit the ship, and again in the terminal.

 

The ArriveCan completion check at Pier 91 was dropped for Royal and Celebrity passengers in order to prevent long lines outside the terminal building.  Passengers were told that they had to complete ArriveCan before docking in Victoria. 

I think the reasoning was that:

A) not all the passengers would be getting off the ship to go into Victoria; 

B) Royal and X passengers were more likely to complete ArriveCan on the 'honor system';

C) doing away with the ArriveCan check would make embarkation faster, which means happier passengers. 

All passengers still must complete the ArriveCan registration.

 

The passengers on Carnival ships leaving Pier 91 still have to show their ArriveCan QR code to enter the terminal building at Pier 91.

Edited June 3, 2022 by Ferry_Watcher

[barbeyg]

1 hour ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

The ArriveCan completion check at Pier 91 was dropped for Royal and Celebrity passengers in order to prevent long lines outside the terminal building.  Passengers were told that they had to complete ArriveCan before docking in Victoria. 

I think the reasoning was that:

A) not all the passengers would be getting off the ship to go into Victoria; 

B) Royal and X passengers were more likely to complete ArriveCan on the 'honor system';

C) doing away with the ArriveCan check would make embarkation faster, which means happier passengers. 

All passengers still must complete the ArriveCan registration.

 

The passengers on Carnival ships leaving Pier 91 still have to show their ArriveCan QR code to enter the terminal building at Pier 91.

Thanks for the clarification. 🙂 You would think with technology today, that ArriveCAN and the digital manifests could be compared. But I guess not. 

[cruiseryyc]

Cruise lines were supposed to be ensuring their passengers had the ArriveCan forms filled out before boarding the ship at point of embarkation.  Sounds like the cruise lines have dropped the ball here.

[mauimary]

Are you having to show the QR code to get off the ship?   Sounds like that was where the hold up was yesterday as many did not have it?  

Edited June 3, 2022 by mauimary

[kona_wahine]

When we boarded the NCL Encore on May 8th we were required to show the QR code before we could board. There was no way around it. We also had to fill out a form on board the ship. Some kind of declaration form. We didn’t get off at Victoria, too short a port, been there before and didn’t feel the need. 

[karatemom2]

1 hour ago, cruiseryyc said:

Cruise lines were supposed to be ensuring their passengers had the ArriveCan forms filled out before boarding the ship at point of embarkation.  Sounds like the cruise lines have dropped the ball here.

 

Here is what I do not understand about that. When we used ArriveCAN for our recent cruise out of Vancouver, the system would absolutely not let you complete travel information outside of 72 hours prior to entering Canada. You could upload all of your other information like passport and vaccine record, but the actual section on travel into Canada required the date you were going to be coming into the country and mode and area of entry. Most Victoria stops are at the end of the cruise, so you would not be able to complete the travel section before cruising because you would be ahead of the 72 hours prior to entering Canada.

 

We had to update the travel section three times - once when we flew into Vancouver, once for our day trip into the Yukon from Skagway and a third time at the request of Princess a few days before we stopped in Victoria. Each time we were entering and exiting Canada back to the US.

[mauimary]

We are arriving on June 17 and we were able to complete everything including the entry date into Victoria. The only part we could not complete was our date of embarkation from Seattle as that can only be done about a week before. 

[westcoasttech]

To clarify ... When using ArriveCAN for a cruise, it should be submitted within the 72 hours BEFORE embarking a ship that will be visiting or returning to Canada in the following ONE MONTH period following the initial sail date.  The dates and times applicable are displayed in ArriveCAN as you fill it in - that is, it will state the 72 hours window before the supplied embarkation date and the date range that your ship can be visiting or returning to Canada.  So it's 72 hours before embarkation, not 72 hours before the port visit!

 

As I understand it, it is required even if you have no plans to exit the ship in a Canadian port visit - like most visas and border entry requirements of most countries that cruise ships visit.  

 

If the cruiselines are not enforcing that it is being submitted prior to embarkation and/or not providing the appropriate data to the border officers, then I'm not surprised that they are enforcing it at the Victoria port stop - I might suspect that the border staff are trying to get a point across that the cruiselines need to follow the rules!  I'm pretty sure most countries don't allow you to pick and choose which border requirements are required.  

 

I've been told by a border officer that the system is electronic and they can see when they check passports if you have an applicable ArriveCAN application on your file - whether that is true or not, I don't know, but I generally don't question the border officers extensively, that normally wouldn't end well!

 

I would suspect from the original posting that there may have been a software failure somewhere along the process, either on the ship's side or the border's side, and that they could only check the forms physically - but that's a total guess. 

[rj59]

That seems insane, with up to 10,000 passengers a day arriving in Victoria, usually after 7 pm, so I can't imagine the Canadian customs would want to endure that all summer, especially with so many cruise passengers not being tech-savvy about QR codes and ArriveCAN requirements. I was there 10 days ago and there was no check, but I didn't get off anyway, because there were a thousand or so people waiting in public areas for the loong process of just getting the stupid stairs for the gangways. I would think local businesses, especially Butchart having thousands of people staying on the ship instead of going to spend money, would highly encourage the authorities to stop being so strict about a largely useless bureaucratic step, since they know that almost everyone on every ship is vaccinated and tested already. They already caved on their previous idiotic requirements, like testing every cruise passenger within 24 hours of arrival in Victoria. 

[5waldos]

Canada is serious about passengers being required to have ArrivveCAN completed. The cruise lines are lucky that those who ignore Canadian regulations aren’t simply banned from entering Canada. Which would end trips to Alaska for those lines because of the need to make a foreign stop.