Will pre cruise testing end on Azamara soon?

[uktog]

1 hour ago, Codymomma said:

Is there more to this letter?  I am looking for an update if you test positive after recovering from Covid and provide a certificate of recovery.  I just got off the phone with AzAmara and they are saying they don’t accept the letter.  I read on a previous post they do.  Wondering if they updated their policy and some CSRs are not aware.  

They have never accepted Covid Recovery Certificates unfortunately.  It is a worry for those of us who might not be infectious but have legacy viral load

[DaveA]

4 hours ago, Codymomma said:

Is there more to this letter?  I am looking for an update if you test positive after recovering from Covid and provide a certificate of recovery.  I just got off the phone with AzAmara and they are saying they don’t accept the letter.  I read on a previous post they do.  Wondering if they updated their policy and some CSRs are not aware.  

The 15 June email from Azamara does say "A COVID-19 recovery letter does not negate our vaccination requirements as stated above" but that's the only mention. One might think it implies that a recovery letter DOES negate the testing requirements - but the email is silent on that point so we can only guess. Here's the email in full:

 

June 15, 2022

Dear Travel Partner,

Hope you are doing well and staying safe. As we prepare to welcome your clients onboard, we'd like to keep you both of you up to date on the latest health protocols. As of June 12, 2022, U.S. CDC will no longer require air passengers traveling from a foreign country to the United States to show a negative COVID-19 viral test, making travel easier for our U.S. guests returning from cruises outside the country, and international guests cruising from U.S. homeports.

Important Note: Many governments and certain airlines require proof of a negative SARS-CoV-2 test before entry or flight departure. Please check with have your client check with their airline, local health authority or government travel agency regarding any requirements they may have when exiting or entering the countries they will visit.

Azamara Testing Requirements

• To strive for a COVID-19 free environment, guests will be required to provide a negative COVID-19 test upon embarkation. The COVID-19 test can either be:
  • PCR: Test date no older than three days prior to embarkation; OR
  • Antigen: Test date must be within one day of embarkation
• For Guests that cannot present a negative COVID-19 test upon embarkation testing is available in the terminal or on the boarding deck for $59 USD.
• Boarding will be denied to those guests who test positive or cannot provide a negative COVID-19 test.
  • Prior to Disembarking: Guests who are required to take a COVID-19 test before returning home can do so onboard for $59 USD for Antigen and $85 USD for PCR. For more information, please contact Guest Relations while onboard.
• Although some of our guests are COVID-19 tested as a prerequisite to travel to the ship, for those guests that do not have this requirement (for instance US domestic travel, inter-EU travel, or those driving to the port), we strongly recommend all guests take a COVID-19 self-test at home prior to traveling.

Vaccination Requirements

• To ensure the safety and health of our guests and crew members, all guests 12 years and older must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before sailing with all required COVID-19 vaccine doses. Children under 12 will not need to be vaccinated.
• All our crew members are fully vaccinated, have received booster shots when eligible, and are tested frequently.
• All guests are required to bring proof of vaccination, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) COVID-19 vaccination record card, with the final dose of the vaccine completed at least 14 days before sailing.
• All vaccinated guests eligible for a booster, are required to have their booster dose in order to sail with Azamara. However, a second booster is not required.
• Azamara currently only accepts guests that are vaccinated with WHO approved vaccines.
• A COVID-19 recovery letter does not negate our vaccination requirements as stated above.
• Check out our Explore Well At Sea page for the latest Covid-19 Vaccine and Booster guidelines.
  • Please note that vaccine requirements may vary on the country they are visiting. Although, we are continually adding, monitoring and adjusting information on vaccination requirements as public health conditions evolve, we suggest visiting the countries government site for the most up to date information.

Face Masks

• Following the guidelines as per the CDC's COVID-19 Voluntary Program, and the EU Healthy Gateways guidelines, indoor mask wearing is optional but recommended. Masks might be required in the terminals of the ports of call we visit and within cities and touristic sites.
• Certain countries we visit (such as Greece) require that masks are worn by cruise ship guests and crew members when indoors onboard the ship under certain circumstances. We will keep them informed during the voyage when masking is optional, and when masking is required.

Thank you for your understanding. We take great pride in bringing every Azamara guest unforgettable experiences both onboard our ships and within our destinations. We can assure them that their future Azamara vacation will deliver the highest standards of service and quality for which we are known. We will continue to update you as other countries' requirements become available.

If you have any further questions, please visit our Explore Well At Sea FAQs page for answers to our most recent frequently asked questions. We look forward to welcoming your clients onboard.

Sincerely,

AZAMARA®

 

[uktog]

I have had it checked twice, the recovery certificate does not negate the requirement to evidence a negative covid test on boarding.  I wish they would avoid confusion and put it in their communications.  Same as I wish they made clear that the tests have to be supervised.  Reading that email many UK guests would think a self test which is what we are required to do for testing now is valid.  

[Codymomma]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

I have had it checked twice, the recovery certificate does not negate the requirement to evidence a negative covid test on boarding.  I wish they would avoid confusion and put it in their communications.  Same as I wish they made clear that the tests have to be supervised.  Reading that email many UK guests would think a self test which is what we are required to do for testing now is valid.  

It doesn’t make sense to me as you can test positive and not be contagious or sick for 90 days after recovery.  That is the point of the certificate.  We are sailing with Celebrity after this cruise and they accept it. 

[Codymomma]

1 hour ago, DaveA said:

The 15 June email from Azamara does say "A COVID-19 recovery letter does not negate our vaccination requirements as stated above" but that's the only mention. One might think it implies that a recovery letter DOES negate the testing requirements - but the email is silent on that point so we can only guess. Here's the email in full:

 

June 15, 2022

Dear Travel Partner,

Hope you are doing well and staying safe. As we prepare to welcome your clients onboard, we'd like to keep you both of you up to date on the latest health protocols. As of June 12, 2022, U.S. CDC will no longer require air passengers traveling from a foreign country to the United States to show a negative COVID-19 viral test, making travel easier for our U.S. guests returning from cruises outside the country, and international guests cruising from U.S. homeports.

Important Note: Many governments and certain airlines require proof of a negative SARS-CoV-2 test before entry or flight departure. Please check with have your client check with their airline, local health authority or government travel agency regarding any requirements they may have when exiting or entering the countries they will visit.

Azamara Testing Requirements

• To strive for a COVID-19 free environment, guests will be required to provide a negative COVID-19 test upon embarkation. The COVID-19 test can either be:
  • PCR: Test date no older than three days prior to embarkation; OR
  • Antigen: Test date must be within one day of embarkation
• For Guests that cannot present a negative COVID-19 test upon embarkation testing is available in the terminal or on the boarding deck for $59 USD.
• Boarding will be denied to those guests who test positive or cannot provide a negative COVID-19 test.
  • Prior to Disembarking: Guests who are required to take a COVID-19 test before returning home can do so onboard for $59 USD for Antigen and $85 USD for PCR. For more information, please contact Guest Relations while onboard.
• Although some of our guests are COVID-19 tested as a prerequisite to travel to the ship, for those guests that do not have this requirement (for instance US domestic travel, inter-EU travel, or those driving to the port), we strongly recommend all guests take a COVID-19 self-test at home prior to traveling.

Vaccination Requirements

• To ensure the safety and health of our guests and crew members, all guests 12 years and older must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before sailing with all required COVID-19 vaccine doses. Children under 12 will not need to be vaccinated.
• All our crew members are fully vaccinated, have received booster shots when eligible, and are tested frequently.
• All guests are required to bring proof of vaccination, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) COVID-19 vaccination record card, with the final dose of the vaccine completed at least 14 days before sailing.
• All vaccinated guests eligible for a booster, are required to have their booster dose in order to sail with Azamara. However, a second booster is not required.
• Azamara currently only accepts guests that are vaccinated with WHO approved vaccines.
• A COVID-19 recovery letter does not negate our vaccination requirements as stated above.
• Check out our Explore Well At Sea page for the latest Covid-19 Vaccine and Booster guidelines.
  • Please note that vaccine requirements may vary on the country they are visiting. Although, we are continually adding, monitoring and adjusting information on vaccination requirements as public health conditions evolve, we suggest visiting the countries government site for the most up to date information.

Face Masks

• Following the guidelines as per the CDC's COVID-19 Voluntary Program, and the EU Healthy Gateways guidelines, indoor mask wearing is optional but recommended. Masks might be required in the terminals of the ports of call we visit and within cities and touristic sites.
• Certain countries we visit (such as Greece) require that masks are worn by cruise ship guests and crew members when indoors onboard the ship under certain circumstances. We will keep them informed during the voyage when masking is optional, and when masking is required.

Thank you for your understanding. We take great pride in bringing every Azamara guest unforgettable experiences both onboard our ships and within our destinations. We can assure them that their future Azamara vacation will deliver the highest standards of service and quality for which we are known. We will continue to update you as other countries' requirements become available.

If you have any further questions, please visit our Explore Well At Sea FAQs page for answers to our most recent frequently asked questions. We look forward to welcoming your clients onboard.

Sincerely,

AZAMARA®

 

Thanks for sharing.  This is illogical as the recovery letter has nothing to do with vaccines status.  We are boosted and recovered but may test - for 90 days. And they don’t clearly state they will accept the letter if one tests negative.  
very frustrating.   I for one will not be booking cruises for quite some time. 

[ShopperfiendTO]

1 hour ago, Codymomma said:

Thanks for sharing.  This is illogical as the recovery letter has nothing to do with vaccines status.  We are boosted and recovered but may test - for 90 days. And they don’t clearly state they will accept the letter if one tests negative.  
very frustrating.   I for one will not be booking cruises for quite some time. 

 

For your "illogical" sentence, my understanding of why the statement is in that section is to stop the argument that you don't need to be vaccinated because you had COVID and have recovered from it.  This has been used/accepted by some countries to allow entry by unvaccinated people (i.e., to board a flight to that country) and perhaps there was a concern that a similar reasoning would try to be used to board the ship.

 

This clearly says that even if you have a recovery letter, you still need to be vaccinated.

 

So it is logical because it is to expressly block people from using a recovery from a previous infection as some justification for not needing to be vaccinated.  Azamara still requires you to be vaccinated to board the ship.

 

 

[DS]

Going back to the original topic:  will-pre-cruise-testing-end-on-azamara-soon,....I hope NOT!

       If you read this and other boards you will see than many people come down with COVID on the cruise or shortly after.   And most people are not masked on board.... even though they seem to be coughing up a storm, including in the Cabaret Theater.

       The demographic of Azamara cruisers make many of us more susceptible to adverse outcomes of COVID, even if not more susceptible to catching it.

       Even granting that many of these positive cases were “negative” upon boarding, it just seems foolish to remove any protection that is available.   Allowing “positive” people to board will only increase the bad outcomes.

 

[Scots Caz]

14 hours ago, Codymomma said:

We are boosted and recovered but may test - for 90 days.

whilst it is 'possible' to still test positive in a PCR for 90 days, the average for a negative PCR test is likely in the 20-30 days mark

A Lateral Flow Antigen test would likely be best bet as would be common to be negative within 12 days (often less)

[royallondon]

P&O (UK) are trialing dropping pre departure tests on 5 Iona sailings during  June/July.  As always, an evolving situation.

 

Regards

[les37b]

1 hour ago, royallondon said:

P&O (UK) are trialing dropping pre departure tests on 5 Iona sailings during  June/July.  As always, an evolving situation.

 

Regards

Are they UK round trips, or any EU starters? 

[Oslo Dutch]

19 minutes ago, les37b said:

Are they UK round trips, or any EU starters? 

These are 7-day cruises to Norway from Southampton

[royallondon]

36 minutes ago, les37b said:

Are they UK round trips, or any EU starters? 

As Oslo Dutch has replied, 7 day Norway from Southampton.  
We booked an Iona cruise this morning and was made aware of this trial when asking about current “C” testing arrangements.  
We will be on “Onward” in 3 weeks but not expecting any changes to current protocols.

Who’d want to be running a cruise line right now!

 

Regards