Have the Testing Rules for Greece Ports Changed?

[FateHappens]

13 hours ago, drkoz23 said:

From the Celebrity website for leaving from Rome...

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/italy-travel-requirements

 

Sailing Testing Requirements:

• Up-to-Date* Guests: 
  • For all sailings 9 nights or shorter, no pre-boarding testing is required. 
  • For all sailings 10 nights or longer, guests ages 12 and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken within 3 days prior to boarding. Test results from any commercially available Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), including self-tests, will be accepted. Tests do not have to be supervised or proctored. Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot or photo of the test result or the actual test. Antibody tests are not accepted.
• Fully Vaccinated** and Unvaccinated Guests: 
  • All guests ages 12 and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken within 3 days prior to boarding. Test results from any commercially available Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), including self-tests, will be accepted. Tests do not have to be supervised or proctored. Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot or photo of the test result or the actual test. Antibody tests are not accepted.

Please Note: Greece has removed its unique testing requirements as of Sept. 24, 2022. Please disregard any previously received communication with special instructions for sailings visiting Greece and follow the above guidelines.

 

Thank you for sharing this wonderful information!!!  I have been keeping my fingers crossed that this would happen before our upcoming cruise.  

[wineoclock]

15 hours ago, drkoz23 said:

From the Celebrity website for leaving from Rome...

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/italy-travel-requirements

 

Sailing Testing Requirements:

• Up-to-Date* Guests: 
  • For all sailings 9 nights or shorter, no pre-boarding testing is required. 
  • For all sailings 10 nights or longer, guests ages 12 and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken within 3 days prior to boarding. Test results from any commercially available Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), including self-tests, will be accepted. Tests do not have to be supervised or proctored. Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot or photo of the test result or the actual test. Antibody tests are not accepted.
• Fully Vaccinated** and Unvaccinated Guests: 
  • All guests ages 12 and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken within 3 days prior to boarding. Test results from any commercially available Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), including self-tests, will be accepted. Tests do not have to be supervised or proctored. Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot or photo of the test result or the actual test. Antibody tests are not accepted.

Please Note: Greece has removed its unique testing requirements as of Sept. 24, 2022. Please disregard any previously received communication with special instructions for sailings visiting Greece and follow the above guidelines.

Thank you for this. 

[-Lew-]

I was hoping to receive an email from Celebrity reflecting the relaxation of Greece's COVID requirements in advance of boarding the Edge on Sunday, but I guess that would be asking too much.  Today's email contains the following paragraph:

 

For all sailings visiting Greece, self-tests will not be accepted. Guests who are required to test must complete a supervised COVID-19 test from either an antigen test result taken within 2 days prior to boarding or a negative PCR test result taken within 3 days prior to boarding. The test must be supervised by a health professional, such as a doctor, pharmacy technician, public health worker, or telehealth representative. We are pleased to make supervised test kits available for order pre-cruise below. Fully-Vaccinated** Guests and Unvaccinated Guests may be subject to additional mid-cruise testin.

 

The Celebrity website tells us Greece's requirements have changed while their email indicates no change.  What are we to do?

[Jeremiah1212]

35 minutes ago, -Lew- said:

The Celebrity website tells us Greece's requirements have changed while their email indicates no change.  What are we to do?

 

22 hours ago, drkoz23 said:

Please Note: Greece has removed its unique testing requirements as of Sept. 24, 2022. Please disregard any previously received communication with special instructions for sailings visiting Greece and follow the above guidelines.

 

Seems pretty clear, no?

[-Lew-]

19 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

Seems pretty clear, no?

 

Not really...  Greece changed requirements effective September 24th.  The email from Celebrity I quote from above is dated today, September 27th.

[Maria63]

1 hour ago, -Lew- said:

 

Not really...  Greece changed requirements effective September 24th.  The email from Celebrity I quote from above is dated today, September 27th.

We got a similar email from Celebrity a couple of days ago. If you read the whole thing, I think the meaning of the paragraph you quoted above in your post #28 refers specifically to those guests who are required to test, ie those who are "fully vaccinated" as per EU-definition, but not "up to date". If you are required to test (= not "up to date") Greece does not accept self-tests. This is the point of the paragraph as I understand it when put into context:

 

•Up-to-Date* Guests: For all sailings 9 nights or shorter, no pre-boarding testing is required. For all sailings 10 nights or longer, guests ages 12 and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken within 3 days prior to boarding. Test results from any commercially available Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), including self-tests, will be accepted. Tests do not have to be supervised or proctored. Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot or photo of the test result or the actual test. Antibody tests are not accepted.

•Fully Vaccinated** and Unvaccinated Guests: All guests ages 12 and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken within 3 days prior to boarding. Test results from any commercially available Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), including self-tests, will be accepted. Tests do not have to be supervised or proctored. Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot or photo of the test result or the actual test. Antibody tests are not accepted.

For all sailings visiting Greece, self-tests will not be accepted. Guests who are required to test must complete a supervised COVID-19 test from either an antigen test result taken within 2 days prior to boarding or a negative PCR test result taken within 3 days prior to boarding. The test must be supervised by a health professional, such as a doctor, pharmacy technician, public health worker, or telehealth representative. We are pleased to make supervised test kits available for order pre-cruise below. Fully-Vaccinated** Guests and Unvaccinated Guests may be subject to additional mid-cruise testing.

[Jeremiah1212]

26 minutes ago, Maria63 said:

We got a similar email from Celebrity a couple of days ago. If you read the whole thing, I think the meaning of the paragraph you quoted above in your post #28 refers specifically to those guests who are required to test, ie those who are "fully vaccinated" as per EU-definition, but not "up to date". If you are required to test (= not "up to date") Greece does not accept self-tests. This is the point of the paragraph as I understand it when put into context:

 

•Up-to-Date* Guests: For all sailings 9 nights or shorter, no pre-boarding testing is required. For all sailings 10 nights or longer, guests ages 12 and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken within 3 days prior to boarding. Test results from any commercially available Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), including self-tests, will be accepted. Tests do not have to be supervised or proctored. Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot or photo of the test result or the actual test. Antibody tests are not accepted.

•Fully Vaccinated** and Unvaccinated Guests: All guests ages 12 and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken within 3 days prior to boarding. Test results from any commercially available Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), including self-tests, will be accepted. Tests do not have to be supervised or proctored. Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot or photo of the test result or the actual test. Antibody tests are not accepted.

For all sailings visiting Greece, self-tests will not be accepted. Guests who are required to test must complete a supervised COVID-19 test from either an antigen test result taken within 2 days prior to boarding or a negative PCR test result taken within 3 days prior to boarding. The test must be supervised by a health professional, such as a doctor, pharmacy technician, public health worker, or telehealth representative. We are pleased to make supervised test kits available for order pre-cruise below. Fully-Vaccinated** Guests and Unvaccinated Guests may be subject to additional mid-cruise testing.

 

No....Greece no longer has their own rules that, regardless of vax status, you have to use a proctored test 2 days before sailing. You follow the rules for Italy sailings just like normal. 

[Host Anne]

No email from Celebrity and we sail out of Rome on October 7.  I've been asking this question for weeks.  I'm not happy!  Everyone sailing with me just waisted a lot o money ordering the Abbott tests to take to Europe.  It's really unacceptable.

 

SIGH....sorry for the vent....this one really annoyed me.  

[-Lew-]

In yet another email from Celebrity received today at 9:13am CEST, the following...

SAILING TESTING REQUIREMENTS

PRE-ARRIVAL/EMBARKATION COVID-19 TEST

All guests must present a digital or physical copy of a supervised, negative COVID-19 test result at check-in to board their sailing.

Guests must present a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 2 days prior to sailing. Pre-arrival testing must be completed by an authorized provider at your own expense.

 

Supervised...really?

[-Lew-]

 

 

A section of a new email from Celebrity received today at 10:54am CEST, Is below.  Note the final paragraph.  Could Celebrity be finally getting its act together?

SAILING TESTING REQUIREMENTS

PRE-ARRIVAL/EMBARKATION COVID-19 TEST

Test results from any commercially available Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), including self-tests, will be accepted. Tests do not have to be supervised or proctored. Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot or photo of the test result or the actual test. Antibody tests are not accepted.

•Up-to-Date* Guests: For all sailings 9 nights or shorter, no pre-boarding testing is required. For all sailings 10 nights or longer, guests ages 12 and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken within 3 days prior to boarding. Test results from any commercially available Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), including self-tests, will be accepted. Tests do not have to be supervised or proctored. Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot or photo of the test result or the actual test. Antibody tests are not accepted.

•Fully Vaccinated** and Unvaccinated Guests: All guests ages 12 and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken within 3 days prior to boarding. Test results from any commercially available Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), including self-tests, will be accepted. Tests do not have to be supervised or proctored. Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot or photo of the test result or the actual test. Antibody tests are not accepted.

Please Note: Greece has removed its unique testing requirements as of Sept. 24, 2022. Please disregard any previously received communication with special instructions for sailings visiting Greece and follow the above guidelines.