Covid testing on B2B in Alaska on the Jewel with COR

[hoopslover]

We are going B2B on the Jewel in August.  We recently had covid proven with a PCR test and quarantined at home and are now recovered.  Having a hard time finding someone to write a Certificate of Recovery.  Our personal doctors don't have any appointments until October.  The county test center that performed our test won't give us one and neither will the ER that my DH went to. We may have to go online and find a telemed doctor to submit tests to.

 

We plan to test in Vancouver and hopefully will be negative.  If not we will use our COR.

 

My question is what happens after the first part of the b2b before we continue with our 2nd cruise?  We have been on 4 b2b cruises on NCL but all were before covid. If we use our COR will we need testing in Seward?  Does NCL test at the end of the first part of the cruise for those continuing?

 

If anyone has been on a b2b from Vancouver to Seward and back what was your experience?

 

Thanks for any advice from those who have done this b2b.

[Yo Adrienne]

We are doing a B2B in September on the Jewel (Vancouver-Seward-Vancouver) too...and we're very curious about the covid protocols for testing for the second half of the cruise.  We're in the US...so will test before we depart our home city (3 days prior to the embarkation), then fly into Vancouver 2 days before (assuming we're covid negative) to board the ship.

 

I know protocols may change between now and then, so I'll be anxious to hear what others have found on this B2B route currently, and as the summer progresses. 

 

Hope you'll post about your experience too, once you've returned...! 

 

Happy cruising...! 🙂 

[YVRteacher]

Hi! I was on the Jewel in May for a B2B.  While I can’t predict what the procedure will be in September or October, our experience was NCL provided free Covid tests on the morning of the second to last day (so the day before we arrived in Seward) and the results were available in 15 minutes.  It was quick, easy and organized.

There are greater detailed about the Covid testing in this thread:

 

[hoopslover]

1 hour ago, YVRteacher said:

Hi! I was on the Jewel in May for a B2B.  While I can’t predict what the procedure will be in September or October, our experience was NCL provided free Covid tests on the morning of the second to last day (so the day before we arrived in Seward) and the results were available in 15 minutes.  It was quick, easy and organized.

There are greater detailed about the Covid testing in this thread:

Thanks for the reminder on your testing procedure.  I couldn't remember what you had posted.  As for as you know were there any people onboard using a Certificate of Recovery instead of antigen tests?  Did anyone test positive at the mid way point and if so what happened to them if you know?

Hope my questions aren't needed and I test negative and don't need to use my COR.

[Yo Adrienne]

3 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Hi! I was on the Jewel in May for a B2B.  While I can’t predict what the procedure will be in September or October, our experience was NCL provided free Covid tests on the morning of the second to last day (so the day before we arrived in Seward) and the results were available in 15 minutes.  It was quick, easy and organized.

There are greater detailed about the Covid testing in this thread:

 

I remember reading your review(s) of your cruise...what a great sense of humor you have...! 🙂  (I have a note to go back and re-read the full thread...! 🙂 ) 

 

Do you know what would have happened...had you tested positive in Seward...?  And then what about when returning into Vancouver...? 

 

[YVRteacher]

While we were waiting outside the terminal for the free shuttle into Seward, the Covid vaccine checking and Covid test checking team was setting up.  (This would be port staff, not NCL staff.)  The Jewel was the first ship in Seward this season, so we were the “test run.”  The woman in charge was briefing her team and I heard her explain that embarkation Covid testing was taking place at a hotel.  She told her team that anyone who tested positive would be quarantining at that hotel and she explained how luggage would need to be transferred if someone’s luggage was at the pier and they were at the hotel.

 

We were B2B passengers so our testing took place on the ship, not in Seward.  I don’t know what would have happened if anyone had tested positive as a B2B passenger.  Can anyone else answer that?

 

Since Canada has done away with Covid tests to enter the country, we did not need to test before arriving back in Vancouver.

Edited July 12, 2022 by YVRteacher

[Yo Adrienne]

10 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

We were B2B passengers so our testing took place on the ship, not in Seward.  I don’t know what would have happened if anyone had tested positive as a B2B passenger.  Can anyone else answer that?

 

Since Canada has done away with Covid tests to enter the country, we did not need to test before arriving back in Vancouver.

Very helpful...! 🙂 

 

Just a few quick questions:

 

* Were you staying in the same cabin for the return trip to Vancouver...?  (If so, did you just leave your belongings in your cabin while you went to explore Seward...or did you have to pack up, even if you were staying in the same cabin...?  If you were switching to a different cabin, did the crew move your luggage for you, or did you have to retrieve/move it yourselves...?) 

 

* Could you have stayed on the ship (instead of going into Seward) if you'd chosen to do so (even if it had been in a designated area other than your cabin)...? 

 

* How was the flow of the crowd when you were returning back to the ship to re-board when you were done exploring Seward...(i.e., did you have any type of priority embarkation or special line because you were already a checked in passenger)...? 

[YVRteacher]

We had an issue with the toilet in our cabin leaking so they did switch our cabin for the second leg of the B2B even though we were supposed to stay in one cabin for the whole two weeks.  We had a team of people help us move.  Normally if you are doing a B2B and staying in the same cabin you don’t need to pack up your luggage.

 

Yes, we could have stayed on the ship instead of exploring Seward.  That said, we love Seward and always enjoy our days there.

 

Seward is a very small, basic terminal. There is a separate line for B2B passengers who only need to go through security before boarding.  We have never stood in a line in the Seward terminal just because it has never been crowded.

[apietros]

I am currently on the second leg of a B2B on the Breakaway - we did not have to Covid test in between weeks. They told us they are not doing that anymore. 

[hoopslover]

1 hour ago, apietros said:

I am currently on the second leg of a B2B on the Breakaway - we did not have to Covid test in between weeks. They told us they are not doing that anymore. 

Thanks for up to date information.  I am concerned that my Certificate of Recovery won't be accepted or otherwise keep us off of our cruises.

[Pat.D]

4 hours ago, apietros said:

I am currently on the second leg of a B2B on the Breakaway - we did not have to Covid test in between weeks. They told us they are not doing that anymore. 

 

Makes sense, I'm sailing the Getaway B2B next month and found this recent change to the Sail Safe page when I researched it:

 

Edited July 14, 2022 by Pat.D

[Yo Adrienne]

On 7/14/2022 at 11:07 AM, apietros said:

I am currently on the second leg of a B2B on the Breakaway - we did not have to Covid test in between weeks. They told us they are not doing that anymore. 

 

 

19 hours ago, Pat.D said:

 

Makes sense, I'm sailing the Getaway B2B next month and found this recent change to the Sail Safe page when I researched it:

 

Very interesting...!  Do you know if that's specific to the Breakaway...?  It would be great news if that's the case for all NCL B2B passengers on all of their ships. 🙂 

 

According to the NCL website, Canada and the US are still requiring negative test results prior to boarding...so unless a B2B cruise is considered just one cruise (not two), it sounds like we still might need to do a test onboard before the second leg of B2B Alaska cruise on the Jewel...? 

[apietros]

On 7/15/2022 at 12:24 PM, Yo Adrienne said:

 

 

Very interesting...!  Do you know if that's specific to the Breakaway...?  It would be great news if that's the case for all NCL B2B passengers on all of their ships. 🙂 

 

According to the NCL website, Canada and the US are still requiring negative test results prior to boarding...so unless a B2B cruise is considered just one cruise (not two), it sounds like we still might need to do a test onboard before the second leg of B2B Alaska cruise on the Jewel...? 

I can't imagine it is only for one ship out of the entire fleet.