yellow fever advice anomaly from RCCL

[owl61]

I'm going on a So Am cruise aboard Radiance of the Seas. We embark in Santos, Brasil and then have port stops in Arg, Uruguay, and Chile.

According to the CDC and WHO, travellers entering Uruguay after having recently been in Brasil need to have a yellow fever certificiate evidencing a shot in order to enter the country. See also the discussion at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=859390&page=5.

My TA advises me that RCCL is not requiring passengers to have a yellow fever certificate in order to board. Assuming my TA is correct, how could this be so?

[paul929207]

I just got a visa for Brazil for an upcoming cruise. Brazil requires the yellow fever vaccination before they will issue the visa.

[owl61]

I just got a visa for Brazil for an upcoming cruise. Brazil requires the yellow fever vaccination before they will issue the visa.

I find this quite curious. I live in Rio. I am pretty sure that the YF vaccination is NOT required if you are coming from the US and going to enter Brasil in Rio or Sao Paulo as those are not endemic zones (assuming you have not recently been in another country which has an endemic zone). However, when you leave from Brasil and seek to enter Uruguay, the CDC site referenced in the board link above provides you are required to have a yellow fever certificate. The Uruguayan custom offcials will not know where in Brasil you were, whether in an endemic zone or not and may therefore require the YF documentation. When applying for your Brasilian visa did you indicate that you were planning on travelling to Iguazu Falls by any chance? It is in an endemic zone. Could that be why the YF was required?

[paul929207]

I find this quite curious. I live in Rio. I am pretty sure that the YF vaccination is NOT required if you are coming from the US and going to enter Brasil in Rio or Sao Paulo as those are not endemic zones (assuming you have not recently been in another country which has an endemic zone). However, when you leave from Brasil and seek to enter Uruguay, the CDC site referenced in the board link above provides you are required to have a yellow fever certificate. The Uruguayan custom offcials will not know where in Brasil you were, whether in an endemic zone or not and may therefore require the YF documentation. When applying for your Brasilian visa did you indicate that you were planning on travelling to Iguazu Falls by any chance? It is in an endemic zone. Could that be why the YF was required?

No we are on a cruise from Fort Lauderdale that goes up the Amzon to Manaus. I had to attach a copy of our innoculation certificate showing we had each had a YF shot in th last 10 years.

 

And this is from the Princess site:

 

"A yellow fever vaccination is required for all passengers. This is a

requirement of the governments of French Guiana and Brazil based on the ports

of call. The ORIGINAL International Certificate of Vaccination for Yellow

Fever MUST be brought to the ship. "

[FLACRUISER99]

I just got a visa for Brazil for an upcoming cruise. Brazil requires the yellow fever vaccination before they will issue the visa.

Not true in Florida. I got my visa in October and was never asked for a YF Certificate.

[venusbello1]

On my recent Princess cruise to Devil's Island we were required to have the YF shot or a letter from a doctor stating why you couldn't have it.

 

Our TA gave us the information as soon as we booked the cruise, and on our Princess booking it was clearly stated under emergency notices and on our itinerary that YF was necessary to board the ship.

 

Good luck and have a wonderful cruise!

VB1

[FLACRUISER99]

I'm going on a So Am cruise aboard Radiance of the Seas. We embark in Santos, Brasil and then have port stops in Arg, Uruguay, and Chile.

According to the CDC and WHO, travellers entering Uruguay after having recently been in Brasil need to have a yellow fever certificiate evidencing a shot in order to enter the country. See also the discussion at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=859390&page=5.

My TA advises me that RCCL is not requiring passengers to have a yellow fever certificate in order to board. Assuming my TA is correct, how could this be so?

Let me add that if I were you I would get a yellow fever certificate. RCI is notorious for giving out bad info about requirements. On my three Continents TA on the Grand Princess about 30 people were put off the ship some for no YF Cert. in Senegal, Africa the Brazilian authorities came onboard the ship in Gibraltar. RCI also also to let board about 80 people in Port Canaveral for no visas even they claimed that they called RCI and RCI told then they did not need a visa. I recommend you don't take a chance!!

[owl61]

How to explain the seeming contradiction? Presumably if you are entering into an endemic zone within Brasil (the Amazon) or known to be going into any endemic zone within any other country, then you would be required to get a YF shot (or valid med excuse). The cities of Sao Paulo and Rio are not within endemic zones so you don't need a YF cert if ticketed there.

My OP concerned the anamoly that Uruguay requires a YF cert for recent arrivals from Brasil, however the cruise line does not require the YF cert to board even though it goes from Brasil to Uruguay.