Daily testing is over

[keokukjoe]

9 minutes ago, Kamfish642 said:

Stop your arguing.  Simply do your own research if you don't believe me and take the risk.  done responding.

I'm not arquing. just posting the facts. I've done my research. I've given you the reputable, proven sources. You haven't , perhaps because you can't. End of discussion.

Edited June 15, 2022 by keokukjoe

[Flgreg]

6 minutes ago, keokukjoe said:

I'm not arquing. just posting the facts. I've done my research. 

I have also thoroughly researched this as we have a Viking cruise in November Athens to Athens. There is nothing anywhere to indicate this is an EU requirement. 

 

There is no mention of it on the Piraeus Port Authority or in any official EU covid travel requirements.

[keokukjoe]

1 minute ago, Flgreg said:

I have also thoroughly researched this as we have a Viking cruise in November Athens to Athens. There is nothing anywhere to indicate this is an EU requirement. 

 

There is no mention of it on the Piraeus Port Authority or in any official EU covid travel requirements.

Exactly. Kamfish642 is spouting false info.

[Myrtle Ave. Mayhem]

On 6/14/2022 at 4:12 AM, TayanaLorna said:

Last November Spain required proof of vaccination OR negative Covid test.  It was only Viking that required both.

@TayanaLornaGreat, even better! Thank you. 

[OnTheJourney]

Here are the most up-to-date requirements for Viking. https://docs.vikingcruises.com/pdf/14-PreCruiseRequirement-All-US_CAN_UK_AU_NZ.pdf

 

Viking's policies do not apply in all cases. A few of these appear to require covid testing:  

Argentina, Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, Chile, Egypt, France, Netherlands, Panama, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, Turkey and United States

Edited June 15, 2022 by AnyWayIsGood

[OnTheJourney]

21 hours ago, Kamfish642 said:

EU cruise protocol still requires a pre-cruise negative COVID test prior to embarkation on a cruise departing from EU European port. 

Only certain countries, not all...actually not most the way it seems. 

[FetaCheese]

10 minutes ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

Here are the most up-to-date requirements for Viking. https://docs.vikingcruises.com/pdf/14-PreCruiseRequirement-All-US_CAN_UK_AU_NZ.pdf

 

Viking's policies do not apply in all cases. These countries appear to require covid testing:  

Argentina, Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, Chile, Egypt, France, Netherlands, Panama, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, Turkey and United States

I just read Spain section on new doc.  they do not require testing if fully vaxxed.  Also, for US citizens:     

 

the following is copied from Spain travel site--link from V doc

 

" b) If you do not have an EU Digital COVID Certificate or equivalent, you must complete a health control form before your departure and manually enter the details of your vaccination certificate, diagnostic test or recovery certificate"

Edited June 15, 2022 by FetaCheese

[OnTheJourney]

Feta....You quoted me before I edited (post #80). I changed it to "some" of these countries appear to require covid testing. Spain does not. Of course, relative to covid nothing can be engraved in stone. Policies can change at any time. My next Viking cruise isn't till January, so I'm hoping but not going to count on the policy staying as relaxed as it is following the recent revision. 

Edited June 15, 2022 by AnyWayIsGood

[FetaCheese]

Thank You.  Sorry, I was giving my response, when you also were responding.  Yours appeared after I submitted

[OnTheJourney]

LOL...messages nearly crossing simultaneously in cyberspace!!! No problem!  

[FetaCheese]

I wonder how we all were able to live prior to instantaneous communication.  And cell Phones.  Do younger kids know what a pay phone is ? !

[DGHOC]

9 hours ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

Deb, my apologies! (I think I have the right name?!)  Wish we had gotten to meet somewhere along the way!  Apparently you know who my wife and I are, but you have me at a disadvantage of not having recognized you, though we surely must have crossed paths. Definitely would have likely seen each other at the winery dinner and perhaps that last (extension) lunch in Orvieta. I felt pretty crappy during most of that unfortunately. I was most sorry to hear that you (both?) had gotten covid following the trip and hope all is well by now.

 

You are correct in that we were indeed quite hesitant and dithered at length as to going on the Chairman's cruise or not. The invitation allowed for little time to make some scheduling adjustments - for many of us no doubt - and I regret having prattled on at length about some of that as well as rehashing the Sky episode so many times in the months leading up to the cruise. I think some comments back then may indeed have been directed at me!  I do get a bit 'carried away' at times.

 

We are so thankful we decided to go. It was truly an amazing trip, especially for us having never been anywhere in the Mediterranean. Being a tad prone to motion sickness at times, I found the sailing, except for that one night, to be amazingly smooth. I typically wear sea (wrist) bands while on any cruise but didn't need them at all except for that one kind of rocky evening. 

 

I was wondering about this also being that I just chatted with a Viking agent last night and she said that there is no need for a test before, during, or after the cruises - at least at the present time. Change is the only constant, so see where it all goes!  

No need to apologise, I remembered your wife from a video you posted post Sky incident and recognised her instantly at the vineyard dinner. I was the lady who tried to assist you when you stumbled on the coach step on one of the excursions from Mars. 

 

We too were masked a great deal of the time. Italy still has the stipulation that folk are masked on public transport, medical masks are required too, therefore the flight out to Rome was fine with everyone masked as were the internal excursions. However, on the return flight to Heathrow, when there were no requirements, few were masked and there was some seriously heavy coughing going on. We suspect we contracted Covid then I'm afraid. It was really no walk in the park and C was positive for 11 days but we're both repairing now. Wish we could just get rid of the coughs! Thanks for your good wishes though!

[OnTheJourney]

2 hours ago, DGHOC said:

I remembered your wife from a video you posted post Sky incident and recognised her instantly at the vineyard dinner.

Oh my....now that you mention it I did put that video on CC. It must have made quite an impression! We were interviewed by the local newspaper shortly after the Sky event and so that's how that came about.

 

I thank you so much for your kindness and the offer of assistance with that bus incident!!  That was pretty crazy...I sort of just slid all the way down the bus steps, thankfully uninjured. Had forgotten about that. The sneakers I had on have pretty smooth, slippery bottoms.

 

At the hotel we stayed at in Perugia, we had a very scary incident with one of our group members. The carpeted steps had these metal bars at each step - all the way on the inside of each, held by a clip on both sides. They basically held the carpet in place. They're old and apparently get loose from the retaining clips...since one was laying out of its clips just waiting for someone to trip over it. I told the staff about it the one day and they fixed it, but then we came back from an excursion and noticed that night that one of the bars was dislodged again. A bit too tired to say something that evening, I fixed it best I could. The next morning, however, one of our group slipped on another loose bar on the way to breakfast and tumbled down a few steps near the bottom - landed on her face. It was REALLY scary cause had no idea how badly she might have been hurt. Turns out she had a cut on her head and other bruising but thankfully nothing serious. She used ice that day while riding on the bus - and the next day as well. Just watching her fall, though, was quite agitating and upsetting. I have no doubt the hotel fixed and / or replaced those bars already. It was a nice decorative design but surely in need of attention. 

 

Hope the cough goes away soon!!  

[OnTheJourney]

5 hours ago, DGHOC said:

at the vineyard dinner.

I just get the feeling you have an excellent memory for names and faces. One of our group took several nice pictures at the vineyard dinner. If you'd like, I'd gladly share them but a bit hesitant to post them right on the open forum since some folks may not take to that too well. I'd be curious, for one thing, for you to point out who you are if in the picture. I'm trying to remember in more detail that moment where I almost fell off the bus! 

 

Did you do the Barcelona extension?  

Edited June 16, 2022 by AnyWayIsGood

[DGHOC]

No sadly we didn't do Barcelona. It's one of my fav cities and it was so frustrating being whisked away to the airport without time to enjoy it. Unlike for you all on the other side of the pond, Barcelona is just a short hop for us, and we pop over to mainland Europe really frequently. I hope you enjoyed your time there, though short and sweet!

 

I'm supposing the photos of the vineyard dinner were of your group table? I wasn't aware of anyone taking photos of our group. Shame, that would have been a great captured memory.

[les37b]

On 6/14/2022 at 11:23 PM, Kamfish642 said:

US CDC and EU cruise protocols still require a negative COVID test prior to embarkation.  This is separate from cruise line requirement.

 

I am certain before our current sailing that was the case and the requirement of a 24 hour antigen or 72 hour PCR was an official policy of the EU to board (despite no test needed to enter the country.)

 

However since the CDC US entry changed, that requirement by the EU seems to now have been dropped. That said, it was the Portugal Passport control people in the port in Lisbon who checked the PCR results, not the CL (which kinda suggests it's an official government policy.)

 

So now, it's cruise lines requiring it. I searched for a ages and I can't find anything EU official - it just seems to have vanished as if it wasnt ever there.

[DGHOC]

Les, from our experience of travelling around Europe over the past two years we realised that each and every individual country needs to be checked rather than a centralised European one. Each country had their own 'rules' about entry requirements and sometimes even different entry requirements for cruise passengers. Travelling was a minefield! I got to the point when I was printing everything off just in case our phones died on us.

Even now, some of the regs differ and we still check to be sure. 

[OnTheJourney]

4 hours ago, DGHOC said:

I hope you enjoyed your time there, though short and sweet!

Indeed we greatly enjoyed Barcelona! Once again, having never been anywhere in Spain, it was most exciting to see a new place. We had booked a private tour through Viator and so got to see Park Guell along with the Sagrada - both pretty amazing. Since the tour didn't take us back to the hotel, we used the HOHO bus to do some additional sightseeing. One of the stops was at the train station - right next to the hotel. 

 

4 hours ago, DGHOC said:

I'm supposing the photos of the vineyard dinner were of your group table?

Actually, another look at the pics shows that it was pretty much just of our table. Yours is visible in the pic as well but hard to make out who everyone is. 

[OnTheJourney]

18 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

Do younger kids know what a pay phone is ? !

LOL....when I was still teaching the one duty was monitoring the kids as they either arrived in the morning or at afternoon dismissal. I was a bit shocked to see a good number of 3rd and 4th graders pop open a cell phone nearly as soon as they left the building, and that was about 15 years ago - can only suppose that just about every kid has one by now. 

 

I can remember when I was in college in the 70s waiting in line to use the pay phone at the end of the hall in the dorm to make a call...wow....talk about retro! Kids today can't even imagine how it was. As you said, no instantaneous communication, no internet, etc. My grandfather, during his lifetime, saw some amazing changes - from horse and buggy on the farm to the space age. 

Edited June 16, 2022 by AnyWayIsGood

[Twitchly]

30 minutes ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

I can remember when I was in college in the 70s waiting in line to use the pay phone at the end of the hall in the dorm to make a call...wow....talk about retro! Kids today can't even imagine how it was. As you said, no instantaneous communication, no internet, etc. My grandfather, during his lifetime, saw some amazing changes - from horse and buggy on the farm to the space age.

It’s stories like these that make me realize how old we are. 
 

I lived for some years in Asia back in the ‘80s. We were 5 hours’ drive from the closest phone. I called family in the US once a year, and it cost about $25 for a few minutes. A couple of international operators had to put you through. 
 

We sent aerograms (remember those?) because they were cheaper and quicker than sending envelopes. Turnaround time between sending a letter and receiving a response was a minimum of 2 weeks, sometimes closer to a month. 
 

We’ve seen some amazing changes in our lifetimes, too!

[OnTheJourney]

1 hour ago, Twitchly said:

5 hours’ drive from the closest phone. I called family in the US once a year, and it cost about $25 for a few minutes. A couple of international operators had to put you through. 
 

Wow....can't say I ever went through that much trouble to make a call!  

 

1 hour ago, Twitchly said:

aerograms (remember those?)

Nope....not familiar with that

 

1 hour ago, Twitchly said:

how old we are. 

LOL....to quote Indiana Jones, "it's not the years, it's the mileage"  

 

1 hour ago, Twitchly said:

We’ve seen some amazing changes in our lifetimes, too!

For sure!  I'm still astounded at every time I transfer pics and videos to my small external hard drive - considering that a thing that size can hold a few terabytes of info - the equivalent of probably a really large room full of hard copies. Other things too - cars with navigational systems that talk to you (I've yet to buy one of those - so far have never bought a car manufactured in the 21st century - talk about dating myself), being able to (for an exhorbitant cost) actually take a short trip in space, AI, drones, DNA testing, 3D printers, etc. And the rate of technological change just continues to exponentiate. My wife worked in a local hardware store during the 70s, and when the Atari video game "pong" came out and hit the shelves, she assumed that such a thing would never sell or catch on!   😁  Virtual reality, too. I've no doubt that someday the "holodeck" idea ala Star Trek TNG will be a commonplace thing - probably even in peoples' homes, thus rendering archaic the current home theatre setup. I often think about how much easier it is for musicians nowadays to sell their stuff on digital streaming platforms compared to back in the day where you had to drive to the store and buy a record!  Can you imagine telling kids today the old phrase, "you sound like a broken record"....say what?  Gotta admit, when I transfer LPs to digital I still like hearing those pops and crackles that are part of well-used vinyl recordings. What can I say, old school....still have my '76 turntable, receiver, and speakers - and cabinets full of VHS and CDs. 

[Kamfish642]

12 hours ago, les37b said:

 

I am certain before our current sailing that was the case and the requirement of a 24 hour antigen or 72 hour PCR was an official policy of the EU to board (despite no test needed to enter the country.)

 

However since the CDC US entry changed, that requirement by the EU seems to now have been dropped. That said, it was the Portugal Passport control people in the port in Lisbon who checked the PCR results, not the CL (which kinda suggests it's an official government policy.)

 

So now, it's cruise lines requiring it. I searched for a ages and I can't find anything EU official - it just seems to have vanished as if it wasnt ever there.

Can you please point me to where EU pre-cruise testing requirement has been dropped.  I am sailing on July 10, and as of today, cruise line (HAL) still says requirement exists.

[BigBee51]

maybe here: 

https://www.healthygateways.eu/Portals/0/plcdocs/EUHG_Operational_guidelines_CoV_June2022.pdf?ver=2022-06-10-140149-413

[Kamfish642]

On 6/15/2022 at 10:19 AM, keokukjoe said:

I'm not arquing. just posting the facts. I've done my research. I've given you the reputable, proven sources. You haven't , perhaps because you can't. End of discussion.

Will see when you try to get on cruise ship in EU port.   At least for now.  See Section 7.4 of the link above.

Edited June 16, 2022 by Kamfish642
Edit

[BigBee51]

page 26 of the document:

"7.4. Testing of passengers on the day of embarkation All passengers (except children under the age of 12 years) should hold proof of a negative:  NAAT performed within 72 hours before embarkation, OR  RADT performed within 48 hours before embarkation"