8/12/22 PRINCESS CRUISES REMOVES VACCINE REQUIREMENT FOR MOST VOYAGES, ELMINATES PRE-CRUISE TESTING FOR VACCINATED GUESTS

[prmssk]

3 minutes ago, Z0nker said:

When did they stop accepting eMed? Princess' website still recommends them. 

@JimmyVWine's comment was very specific to Greece.  If you click on the FAQ for Europe itineraries, you will see the Greece exception to the supervised home tests.  

[caribill]

10 hours ago, Lido deck main said:

Hi, current Canadian rules are for fully vaccinated with a Covid test for any ship that will dock in Canada at any point.

https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/cruise

 

Some very interesting points at the start of that link:

 

COVID-19 continues to circulate in Canada and internationally. The virus can spread easily between people in close quarters, such as on cruise ships. The chance of being infected with COVID-19 on cruise ships is very high, even if you’re fully vaccinated.

 

Follow individual public health measures such as wearing a mask and physical distancing, even if it’s not required.

 

If you aren’t fully vaccinated, or if you’re at higher risk for developing severe disease from COVID-19, you should avoid cruise ship travel.

 

 

[caribill]

9 hours ago, Lido deck main said:

The government realizes that wifi is not available or reliable for passengers on a cruise ship.

 

Are you saying the Canadian government does not know that Princess has MedallionNet®, "The Best Wi-Fi at Sea"  ?

[caribill]

8 hours ago, AF-1 said:

Yea that article mentions cruises starting or ending in Canada.  It does not mention a covid test for ships on shore excursions.

 

"All travellers 5 years of age or older must have a COVID-19 test to board a cruise ship in Canada or to board a cruise ship that will dock in Canada at any point on the cruise."

 

It does not mention shore excursions, but says you need the test just being on the cruise ship if it will dock in Canada.

[caribill]

      .

[Cruise till you drop]

2 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

The Canada government website is extremely clear. I provided the relevant quote in my earlier post along with the link. Regardless of your entry port if at any time your ship stops in Canada you must have a test. It must be 72 hours prior if PCR. They actually spell out an example. If your boarding group starts at noon Monday your test must be noon or later Friday or anytime Saturday, Sunday or Monday (as long as you get results in time). 

No link is provided for the previous reference contradicting this in ArriveCAN and I simply cannot find evidence of it. 
 

It will be fine once on board. Safe travels. 

 

And what you also have to plan for Canada is 72 hours means 72 hours, not 3 days.  So if you take your test on a Friday for a Monday cruise, you need to take it later on the Friday so the 72 hour time limit doesn’t expire

[caribill]

4 hours ago, Daniel A said:

You are correct, I see what you were referencing on Princess' website.  I just checked the itinerary for a "15 Day" Hawaii cruise on Ruby in October.  It is clearly advertised as a 15 Day voyage, but PAX are actually onboard 16 calendar days.  It looks as if Princess is not counting disembarkation day as a day onboard, making it only 15 days.  The cruise is October 8 to 23.  It would be much easier to understand if they either quantified by number of days or number of nights and have that standard be consistent in their releases.

 

But you are on the ship for only fifteen 24 hour periods. You board around 11 AM the first day and are off the ship before 11 AM the last day.

[suekel]

4 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

Isn’t all this discussion about Canada a bit disproportionate?  There are only two cruises scheduled to depart or return to Vancouver after 9/30. A R/T to Hawaii and a departure from Vancouver that ends in Los Angeles. Once these new procedures are implemented on 9/16, Canada will be largely irrelevant. When the next season resumes in 2023, I am certain that ArriveCan or whatever it is called will have been sunsetted. At least that’s my humble opinion. 

There are New England Canada cruises that go through October

[caribill]

4 hours ago, Level six said:

  We usually book as 2 cruises to get extra shareholder credit and mini bar set up

Even if booked as a single cruise, you should get the mini-bar setup each segment.

[caribill]

3 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

Edited:  Please help me out.  If my cruise leaves on Monday, I can take a PCR test on Friday (72 hours prior) in the afternoon if I plan on boarding in the morning.

 

 

Yes, but watch out if boarding time is delayed.

[clueless2]

Do you know of anyone that's been denied boarding because delayed boarding caused their covid test to go over 72 (or 48) hours?

[cr8tiv1]

6 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

Yes, but watch out if boarding time is delayed.

 

I've taken that into consideration.  NOT taking the PCR test until the afternoon.  Timing is critical.  It is the start of a weekend.  If I miss the pick up time, my sample may not make it to the lab overnight.  I do have a back up eMed test.  Was hoping to just have one less obstacle to overcome. Thanks

 

Now I have to be concerned about the after arrival test.  I am lousy with raffles, door prizes, slot machines, but just know that I will be selected for an after arrival random test.

[cr8tiv1]

3 minutes ago, clueless2 said:

Do you know of anyone that's been denied boarding because delayed boarding caused their covid test to go over 72 (or 48) hours?

 

I can only speak for Safe Travels Hawaii.  If your flight is delayed, the State of Hawaii allowed you to use the time stamped results. 

 

I do not expect embarkation in Vancouver will start later than noon.  

[Steelers36]

21 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

 

Yes, but watch out if boarding time is delayed.

But that won't be the guest's fault and I would imagine Princess isn't going to hold it to the minute if they have a delay.  Things need to be handled reasonably in the circumstances and what would a reasonable person do is my thinking. 

 

ETA:  Or just forget the PCR altogether.  Why not just do the antigen?

Edited August 14, 2022 by Steelers36

[memoak]

23 minutes ago, caribill said:

Even if booked as a single cruise, you should get the mini-bar setup each segment.

Yes you will and if you are in a full suite you can get another each leg. 

[memoak]

1 minute ago, Steelers36 said:

But that won't be the guest's fault and I would imagine Princess isn't going to hold it to the minute if they have a delay.  Things need to be handled reasonably in the circumstances and what would a reasonable person do is my thinking. 

 

ETA:  Or just forget the PCR altogether.  Why not just do the antigen?

For many of us the PCR is free through our health provider

[EllieinNJ]

Does anyone know if any Caribbean islands still require a Covid test.  Someone on my FB group said you still need one for St. kitts which we are stopping at.

[Steelers36]

7 minutes ago, memoak said:

For many of us the PCR is free through our health provider

I see and perhaps you can get timely results back.  I would say that here in Ontario, you have to have a good reason to get a free PCR, and then results are not likely going to be back within the 72 hrs.  Otherwise, you pay big bucks for a private service test and to get results in time.  An online proctored antigen test is the best option for us.  Those test kits are free for the taking and just have to pay for the online supervision.  But, we don't need a test now anyway (at least the way things have been presented ... not sailing from/to Canada).

 

Edited August 14, 2022 by Steelers36

[PacnGoNow]

5 minutes ago, EllieinNJ said:

Does anyone know if any Caribbean islands still require a Covid test.  Someone on my FB group said you still need one for St. kitts which we are stopping at.

Are you not traveling until November or later?  Princess, I believe starts back in November.

 

St Kitts does require a covid test arriving by air.

 

If you are required to have one arriving by ship, then Princess should update tnat on the website.  Or they would test you before arrival in St Kitts, if it’s not required before boarding from the US.

 

We were there in March and

we were required at that time to have a test before boarding the ship.  Once we arrived in the different islands, some wanted to see a copy Of our vax card.  Others didn’t care.  

So, as the rules are changing now, I would recheck about a month before on the Princess website under health protocols.

 

[suekel]

51 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

 

Yes, but watch out if boarding time is delayed.

 

Edited August 14, 2022 by suekel
added info

[JUST CRUZIN]

Finally booked a plain vanilla 7 day out of Ft Lauderdale 2/2023 to restart cruising. So confused with different links for the unvaxed cruisers…. 10% max unvaxed pax allowed?? Only time will tell I guess.

[Steelers36]

2 minutes ago, suekel said:

It's not 72 hours, it's 3 days.  So you're good.  

Not in Canada's situation.  Pity that.  The PCR is 72 hrs.  So, they expect guests to measure it from boarding time.  Pretty dumb since that can vary.  Maybe they should have made it from sailing time - at least that is the same for every passenger.

[suekel]

37 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Not in Canada's situation.  Pity that.  The PCR is 72 hrs.  So, they expect guests to measure it from boarding time.  Pretty dumb since that can vary.  Maybe they should have made it from sailing time - at least that is the same for every passenger.

How would they know what time you  board?  hmmm

[SiliconCruiser]

1 hour ago, clueless2 said:

Do you know of anyone that's been denied boarding because delayed boarding caused their covid test to go over 72 (or 48) hours?

Ours was, last month.  No one seemed to care.  Our 72 hour window expired about 2 hours before they started to board.

[caribill]

4 hours ago, suekel said:

How would they know what time you  board?  hmmm

 

When you check in and show your test results, they can tell if the test was more than 72 hours earlier.