Revised NCL/Oceania COVID Guidelines Out Today: Drops Pre-Cruise Testing for the Vaccinated

[LHT28]

4 minutes ago, WESTEAST said:

p.s. SailSafe is no longer on the home page oceaniacruises.com / you can find on Plan Your Cruise.

It shows on the top of the page on my computer in the yellow banner 

click on Health & Safety  link

then click on the link post Sept 3rd

[Nuka]

11 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Do you know what other insurance companies in Canada sell Trip cancellation/interuption  ins  that cover Covid??

 

Medjet seem to cover medical only  at least  from what I found

Its layered coverage that one might consider-  a few policies = more $ for insurance companies in Canada.  Manulife sells regular trip/cancellation which would cover in event one or a companion gets Covid before travelling or non-Covid trip interruption/cancellation.  There is no coverage after trip starts for Covid related claims.  They also sell a Covid policy which covers trip interruption due to Covid - quarantine and medical care.. I have medical coverage through work so I am covered for medical expenses like drugs, doctors and hospitalization, but not for quarantine or getting home after feeling better. Best to read policies and call insurer with questions.

[escrick]

17 hours ago, susiesan said:

If that's the case then maybe you shouldn't be cruising on Oceania. The majority of O pax fall into the "vulnerable" category based on age and health demographics as evidenced by half the regular O posters/cruisers here on CC. If you get it and you are like me, had no idea I had covid, you would be inadvertently spreading it to all of your fellow vulnerable passengers.

 

Interesting comment.  People who are young may be “vulnerable” in that they have an underlying health condition that makes them susceptible to viruses. I do hope you do not resent the elderly because, if we are fortunate, we might be old ourselves one day.😉

 

 

[susiesan]

Hey, I am technically one of the elderly, but not in my mind.😏

[escrick]

3 hours ago, susiesan said:

Hey, I am technically one of the elderly, but not in my mind.😏

Hurrah!   Ageing is an adventure.

 

 

 

[CurlerRob]

On 8/12/2022 at 1:24 PM, LHT28 said:

Do you know what other insurance companies in Canada sell Trip cancellation/interuption  ins  that cover Covid??

 

Medjet seem to cover medical only  at least  from what I found

 

It has been about six weeks since I did my last scan. At that time, I only found Manulife.

CAA, TD and all of my credit card vendors had all run for the hills with respect to cancellation/interruption policies.

 

Even the Manulife Covid interruption policy was clear that it did not cover cancellation - you needed the "standard" cancellation policy as well for that coverage (and it required Covid illness - no coverage for wanting to cancel due to concerns of being infected - CFAR has never been a thing in Canada as far as I can tell).

 

There may have been some changes over the past weeks, especially with a number of the lines relaxing protocols. 🍺🥌

[LHT28]

26 minutes ago, CurlerRob said:

 

It has been about six weeks since I did my last scan. At that time, I only found Manulife.

CAA, TD and all of my credit card vendors had all run for the hills with respect to cancellation/interruption policies.

 

Even the Manulife Covid interruption policy was clear that it did not cover cancellation - you needed the "standard" cancellation policy as well for that coverage (and it required Covid illness - no coverage for wanting to cancel due to concerns of being infected - CFAR has never been a thing in Canada as far as I can tell).

 

There may have been some changes over the past weeks, especially with a number of the lines relaxing protocols. 🍺🥌

Thanks  I had heard that Manulife  covered covid  but we usually get trip Cancel/interruption  as well

We have out of country medical through DH retirement benefits  must check if they now cover covid

 

[Guppy99]

I am utterly disappointed that Oceania is allowing unvaccinated persons to travel and not requiring that persons show proof of being vaccinated. 

[LHT28]

2 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

I am utterly disappointed that Oceania is allowing unvaccinated persons to travel and not requiring that persons show proof of being vaccinated. 

Do pax still have to fill out the preboarding  forms online ?

[MEFIowa]

13 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

I am utterly disappointed that Oceania is allowing unvaccinated persons to travel and not requiring that persons show proof of being vaccinated. 

All passengers essentially have to inform O whether they are vaccinated or not. IF you are vaccinated, you'd provide the documentation for your vaccination and you would then not have to test before boarding. IF, however, you are not vaccinated or can't prove it, then you have to pre-test before boarding and provide the negative test result to board.

[Guppy99]

6 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

All passengers essentially have to inform O whether they are vaccinated or not. IF you are vaccinated, you'd provide the documentation for your vaccination and you would then not have to test before boarding. IF, however, you are not vaccinated or can't prove it, then you have to pre-test before boarding and provide the negative test result to board.

Not as of Sep. 3

Vaccines, Masks and Testing: What Cruise Lines Require Now (2022) (cruisecritic.com)

 

[Guppy99]

21 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Do pax still have to fill out the preboarding  forms online ?

I don't know. Just what the article says.

[LHT28]

17 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

Not as of Sep. 3

Vaccines, Masks and Testing: What Cruise Lines Require Now (2022) (cruisecritic.com)

 

How will they know  who is  vaccinated  or not  if they do not have to provide some proof  at some point in the process

The article  is  just  a snapshot  I would go by what Oceania  has on their  website or check in  forms

If  in doubt call Oceania 

[MEFIowa]

30 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

Not as of Sep. 3

Vaccines, Masks and Testing: What Cruise Lines Require Now (2022) (cruisecritic.com)

 

I'm discussing the newly issue protocols for Oceania/NCL:

 

FOR VOYAGES DEPARTING ON OR AFTER SEPTEMBER 3, 2022

We've revised our SailSafe Health and Safety protocols to be simpler, easier, and offer all travelers an open door to explore the world. Effective September 3, 2022, for all sailings embarking from that date forward, Vaccinated travelers will no longer need to test to embark a sailing and Unvaccinated travelers may embark by providing proof of a negative Antigen or PCR test not more than 72 hours old. Ease of access to travel is also provided for guests of all ages as children will also be welcomed without restriction of age or vaccination status. Certain destinations have specific requirements which will vary from our new base-level protocols.

 

SailSAFE™ - Oceania Cruises

[Guppy99]

35 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

How will they know  who is  vaccinated  or not  if they do not have to provide some proof  at some point in the process

The article  is  just  a snapshot  I would go by what Oceania  has on their  website or check in  forms

If  in doubt call Oceania 

They  won't. That's why I am so disappointed that they care so little for our safety.

This is a cruise critic article. It goes into affect Sep 3. The quote above is silent regarding proof of vaccination.

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by Guppy99

[MEFIowa]

2 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

They  won't. That's why I am so disappointed that they care so little for our safety.

This is a cruise critic article. It goes into affect Sep 3. I wouldn't expect Oceania's website to reflect it yet. A couple other cruise lines are doing the same. 

 

STOP THE MISINFORMATION! For those who do NOT want to pre-test, they must prove their vaccination status. From Oceania:

 

Fully Vaccinated travelers aged 12 and older will not need to test to embark. Fully Vaccinated travelers must meet the generally-accepted definition of “fully vaccinated” based on the destination they are embarking and/or traveling to and must provide proof of vaccination.

 

BUT if you are unvaccinated or don't have the proof:

 

Un-vaccinated travelers will need to present a negative, medically administered covid-19 test. Antigen and PCR test results may not be more than 72 hours old at the time of boarding.

 

sails-safe-program.pdf (oceaniacruises.com)

[Guppy99]

1 hour ago, MEFIowa said:

STOP THE MISINFORMATION! For those who do NOT want to pre-test, they must prove their vaccination status. From Oceania:

 

Fully Vaccinated travelers aged 12 and older will not need to test to embark. Fully Vaccinated travelers must meet the generally-accepted definition of “fully vaccinated” based on the destination they are embarking and/or traveling to and must provide proof of vaccination.

 

BUT if you are unvaccinated or don't have the proof:

 

Un-vaccinated travelers will need to present a negative, medically administered covid-19 test. Antigen and PCR test results may not be more than 72 hours old at the time of boarding.

 

sails-safe-program.pdf (oceaniacruises.com)

REad the Cruise Critic article. It clearly says that  for Oceania:

"Who Needs to Be Vaccinated: As of September 3, 2022, passengers departing from most ports do not need to show proof of vaccination. Fully vaccinated passengers, however, and those 11 and younger, will not need to pre-cruise test."

 

 

[1985rz1]

1 minute ago, Guppy99 said:

REad the Cruise Critic article. It clearly says that  for Oceania:

"Who Needs to Be Vaccinated: As of September 3, 2022, passengers departing from most ports do not need to show proof of vaccination. Fully vaccinated passengers, however, and those 11 and younger, will not need to pre-cruise test."

 

 

Cruisecritic articles are not totally reliable, so go with the source (Oceania), not secondhand, information.  

[Guppy99]

12 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

Cruisecritic articles are not totally reliable, so go with the source (Oceania), not secondhand, information.  

Hmmm interesting.  Cruise line websites are also not always reflective of what actually happens.

[ORV]

Make it stop, .........please.............

[shepherd really]

28 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

Hmmm interesting.  Cruise line websites are also not always reflective of what actually happens.

When your income depends on keeping your advertisers happy, take the messenger with a grain of salt.

42 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

Cruisecritic articles are not totally reliable, so go with the source (Oceania), not secondhand, information.  

 When your income depends on keeping your shareholders happy, take the source with a grain of salt.

 

[sunlover12]

There is a lot of discussion about embarkation but what is not being addressed is what will be done in ports that require a negative test for the unvaccinated.  There are some countries that Oceania sails to that require a negative test for the unvaccinated.  On the SailSafe webpage it states:

 

"Sole and ultimate responsibility for compliance with health and entry requirements lies with the traveling guests." and

 

"if an additional test is required at a port of call, we will provide advance notice to all guests."

 

This is very vague. There is nothing that says there will be testing on the ship if the country requires it.  Oceania should be addressing this, IMO. If I were unvaccinated and traveling to these countries I'd be asking a lot of questions. 

[njhorseman]

You have to love social media. 🙄

 

Where else could you take a poorly written paragraph from an unofficial source and repeatedly insist it's correct and that the official documentation is wrong. 🤢

[LNielsen]

Add HAL and Seabourn to the ever growing list of cruise lines dropping the need for vaccinations.  Of course,  each has caveats attached to the change.  
 

https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/HAL-Seabourn-drop-vax-requirement

 

edited to add start dates of September 6th and 7th respectively.  

Edited August 15, 2022 by LNielsen

[chloemonkey]

On 8/15/2022 at 7:39 AM, MEFIowa said:

STOP THE MISINFORMATION! For those who do NOT want to pre-test, they must prove their vaccination status. From Oceania:

 

Fully Vaccinated travelers aged 12 and older will not need to test to embark. Fully Vaccinated travelers must meet the generally-accepted definition of “fully vaccinated” based on the destination they are embarking and/or traveling to and must provide proof of vaccination.

 

BUT if you are unvaccinated or don't have the proof:

 

Un-vaccinated travelers will need to present a negative, medically administered covid-19 test. Antigen and PCR test results may not be more than 72 hours old at the time of boarding.

 

sails-safe-program.pdf (oceaniacruises.com)

For those of us that ARE fully vaccinated - do we still need a negative PCR(lab) test to be done within 72 hours of embarkation SHOULD we become positive at some point?  I ask as I really need to do everything possible to assure reimbursement/quarantine assistance, in the case of catching Covid sometime during our 21 day journey....