Australia/New Zealand Antigen 1 Day Testing Requirement Prior to Boarding

[Ken the cruiser]

We're getting prepared to leave in less than 2 weeks for our 33-day Australia to Vancouver B3B, which I will also be posting our adventures in a Live From thread. However, it seems we get to do some more antigen testing before we can board the Eclipse on April 19th. Yay! The issue is the unsupervised Antigen tests must be taken within 1 day of boarding our first leg, which is a RT Sydney "Cruise to Nowhere". Here is the Australia/New Zealand testing requirement as posted on the Celebrity website:

 

Sailing Testing Requirements 

 

Pre-Arrival/Embarkation Covid-19 Testing

All guests ages 2 and older must test negative for COVID-19 in order to board their sailing. 

 

Accepted test options include:

• A PCR test taken at a private laboratory within 3 days prior to boarding;
• Any commercially available Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), including self-tests, within 1 day of boarding. Tests do not have to be supervised or proctored. (For guests  selecting this option who are traveling internationally, we strongly recommend pre-purchasing your test kit in your home country and traveling with it to Australia.)
• Antibody tests will not be accepted.  

 

The way we understand this 1-day timing issue, based on past Celebrity cruise experiences since cruising restarted, is that if we take the antigen test any time on either April 18 (Sydney time) or April 19 (Sydney time), the tests should be valid.

 

Here's our plan and are wondering if we are interpreting Celebrity's testing rule correctly?

 

Our flight is scheduled to leave Alabama April 17 at 15:44 pm (Alabama time), or more precisely April 18 at 6:44 am (Sydney time). We're figuring if we take our "official" antigen test any time on April 17 after 9:01 am (Alabama time), or more precisely April 18 after 12:01 am (Sydney time), the test should be valid for boarding the Eclipse on April 19. We will of course change our iPhones to Sydney time before taking pictures of the results to verify the time. 

 

Is this a valid interpretation of the 1 day rule?

 

Australia New Zealand Travel Requirements (celebritycruises.com)

 

Edited April 4, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[cruisestitch]

You could just bring the test result with you.  No need to fuss so much about setting your camera clock.  Do the test, put the result back in the pouch, bring it to show them if they ask.

[Ken the cruiser]

Just now, cruisestitch said:

You could just bring the test result with you.  No need to fuss so much about setting your camera clock.  Do the test, put the result back in the pouch, bring it to show them if they ask.

Yes, we can do that as we will be bringing extra tests. But we're also going to be taking an antigen test before getting on the plane just to make sure we test negative before flying to Sydney. So we're wondering if our pre-flight test would be valid.

[cruisestitch]

Are you spending the night in Sydney?  You could also do the test then.

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

5 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Are you spending the night in Sydney?  You could also do the test then.

No, we fly in on the same day we board the ship. Basically, the 3-night Sampler cruise will be our hotel. However, our Plan B would be staying in a Sydney hotel for a few days until we board the Eclipse TP on April 22 and filing an insurance claim for the 3-night cruise if for some unknown reason our flight is delayed in a major way.

Edited April 4, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

14 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

You could just bring the test result with you.  No need to fuss so much about setting your camera clock.  Do the test, put the result back in the pouch, bring it to show them if they ask.

I see what you're saying, and yes, we will be bringing the test results with us in a plastic baggie. I just wanted to make double sure our bases were covered if they wanted "photo time stamp" proof that we took the test within 1 day of boarding the cruise.

[Zacb]

I boarded in Sydney. Couple of weeks ago. All they want to see is the physical test or a photo of the test. You could even do it at the dock or on board your flight. 
 

Since there is no way to prove exactly when you took the test you could do it prior to leaving home. 😉

[Ken the cruiser]

21 minutes ago, Zacb said:

I boarded in Sydney. Couple of weeks ago. All they want to see is the physical test or a photo of the test. You could even do it at the dock or on board your flight. 
 

Since there is no way to prove exactly when you took the test you could do it prior to leaving home. 😉

True, and we want to make sure we test negative before flying all the way to your beautiful country. That would definitely be a bummer if we tested positive on the flight over or once we arrived and weren't allowed to board the ship. That would be bad.

 

But when I woke up this morning, I started thinking about that 1-day timeframe, especially since Sydney is 15 hours ahead of us. The math does work to the point of being able to take the test 2-3 hours before even heading to the airport, and still being in sync with the rules at the same time. We definitely don't want any surprises once we arrive!

 

I know, we're probably overthinking this. But what can I say, we're low stress cruisers.😃

 

Edited April 4, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Northern Aurora]

I am posting from the Eclipse.  We boarded on March 10th and will leave the day our OP boards.  The boarding staff in Sydney closely examined our test strips upon boarding.  Just take the required tests for boarding at the Sydney airport.

[RichYak]

4 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

 

I know, we're probably overthinking this.

Probably? 😂

[Ken the cruiser]

15 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

I am posting from the Eclipse.  We boarded on March 10th and will leave the day our OP boards.  The boarding staff in Sydney closely examined our test strips upon boarding.  Just take the required tests for boarding at the Sydney airport.

If I might ask, what does “closely examined” mean? Either the test has one stripe or two, and if they been placed in a plastic baggie, they should look like new. But understand. If necessary, we’ll bring extra tests just in case we need to take another one prior to boarding if the original ones don’t pass the boarding staff examination and they don’t accept our photos. 

[Northern Aurora]

The particular boarding staff person took our original tests, which were in separate plastic bags, and closely examined them by spending several seconds looking at them and moving them back and forth as if the results would look different at different angles.  It was not a quick glance.

[Binirobinson7]

2 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

The particular boarding staff person took our original tests, which were in separate plastic bags, and closely examined them by spending several seconds looking at them and moving them back and forth as if the results would look different at different angles.  It was not a quick glance.

Funny, reminds me of last year in Athens when the port immigration officer took the time to review each and every page of my passport, sighed heavily and then thumbed through each page again. That being despite the fact that there was a very long line up of passengers waiting to embark behind me.  I don't know if he was disappointed in the fact that I have very few stamps in it or what exactly he thought might pop out on the second look.    

[The_Big_M]

As per the lead-in to that statement, these are the options:

Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot or photo of the test result or the actual test. 

 

So either is fine. They actually prefer the photo to the physical test, but understandably aren't going to turn people away who brought the test with them, and didn't take a photo.

 

As for date, yes, if it's dated 18 April that's fine.

[terrydtx]

We have been getting the free US government test kits in the mail for months and saving them for our trips this year and next. We will be on a B2B Edge Australia/NZ cruise next January and hope this testing has ended by then.

[Ken the cruiser]

12 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We have been getting the free US government test kits in the mail for months and saving them for our trips this year and next. We will be on a B2B Edge Australia/NZ cruise next January and hope this testing has ended by then.

We have 26 antigen tests stacked up which will definitely come in handy when we head out on our upcoming Eclipse cruise as well as on our Japan family cruise with Princess this summer, which currently is also requiring 1-day negative antigen test results prior to boarding. But, yes, it will be nice when these testing requirements are one day all in the past. 🙂

[TeeRick]

Ken you are being upright and following the rules.  But there seems to be no requirement that you have to show a date or timestamp or dated photo.  From what I read anyway from the link you posted.

[Ken the cruiser]

32 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Ken you are being upright and following the rules.  But there seems to be no requirement that you have to show a date or timestamp or dated photo.  From what I read anyway from the link you posted.

What can I say, we're both retired military and rule following has been engrained into both of us for decades. We have also learned cruise lines have a hard time writing complete sentences, so I had to read between the lines on this one.

 

Here's what's listed on the Celebrity website today that I didn't include with my original post.

 

All guests ages 2 and older will be asked to present proof of a negative test result. Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot, or photo of the test result or the actual test. 

 

So if you combine the 1-day testing requirement with the "screenshot or photo" option, it would definitely make sense to change our iPhones to local Sydney time prior to taking the pictures just to make sure that detail isn't overlooked. Have I mentioned we are low stress cruisers. 😃

 

 

Edited April 5, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Wineaux007]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

What can I say, we're both retired military and rule following has been engrained into both of us for decades. We have also learned cruise lines have a hard time writing complete sentences, so I had to read between the lines on this one.

 

Here's what's listed on the Celebrity website today that I didn't include with my original post.

 

All guests ages 2 and older will be asked to present proof of a negative test result. Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot, or photo of the test result or the actual test. 

 

So if you combine the 1-day testing requirement with the "screenshot or photo" option, it would definitely make sense to change our iPhones to local Sydney time prior to taking the pictures just to make sure that detail isn't overlooked. Have I mentioned we are low stress cruisers. 😃

 

 

If you bring the "actual test" as they say, how are they going to know when it was taken?

[Ken the cruiser]

33 minutes ago, Wineaux007 said:

If you bring the "actual test" as they say, how are they going to know when it was taken?

We're going to do both, take a photo and bring it with us. So hopefully all of our bases are covered.

[Norwaylady]

@Ken the cruiser looking forward to your adventure⚓️👏🏻🤩😎 

Fingers crossed all goes well🙃⚓️

We had a stack of test for our Alaska/Hawaii adventure😜 

Just in case. And we also brought test now, just in case. 

[RichYak]

4 hours ago, Wineaux007 said:

If you bring the "actual test" as they say, how are they going to know when it was taken?

Or IF it was taken. Or if so by whom.

[Ken the cruiser]

35 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Or IF it was taken. Or if so by whom.

Personally, all we can do is worry about us when it comes to producing the required “honor system” testing results. If someone wants to skate the rules, that’s on them. After all, once you’re on the ship, all bets are off anyway, as those other wonderful shipboard illnesses, besides “C”, are starting to pop back up. 😉

[RichYak]

42 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

If someone wants to skate the rules, that’s on them

On this we disagree. I would blame Celebrity for employing nonsense requirements. Either have a testing requirement or don’t. This half a$$ed approach is a waste of time. 

[Ken the cruiser]

36 minutes ago, RichYak said:

On this we disagree. I would blame Celebrity for employing nonsense requirements. Either have a testing requirement or don’t. This half a$$ed approach is a waste of time. 

I hear you. This will be our 8th cruise, mostly B2Bs since cruising started back up, where we have had to pass an antigen test before embarking on the first leg of a cruise. But I have to say we definitely like these “honor system” tests! 
 

But I have to say the most stressful pre-cruise COVID related requirements was on our recent 38-day NCL cruise last November from Athens to Cape Town by way of Dubai. It started with the Greek Port Authority requiring a monitored antigen test before boarding the Jade, even though no testing requirements had existed for the previous 9 months to enter Greece. Then we had to provide personal data via an Israeli app before visiting their country. Then the UAE in Dubai would only accept our CDC vaccination record if it was in QR code format, which was nearly impossible to get if you live in a state like ours. Then once onboard on our 2nd leg of the cruise a few days before visiting Seychelles and Madagascar, the ship was asking everyone to fill out a form asking if we had proof of receiving a Yellow Fever vaccine at some point in your life, which we didn’t have. But in the end, all we had to produce was our CDC vaccination card when we boarded the ship in Athens. No antigen test, no QR vaccination code, no Israeli form via their app to complete, and no proof of a Yellow Fever vaccine.
 

But the stress associated with having to deal with all that, most of which was during the last 3-4 months prior to boarding the ship, was definitely a real pain as you might imagine. So for us this “honor system” self-administered antigen test is no big deal, especially since we have 26 test kits sitting on a shelf. That is of course as long as we both test negative! 😂

 

Edited April 6, 2023 by Ken the cruiser