broberts

The correct link is https://www.canada.ca/en/border-services-agency/services/arrivecan.html Timing doesn't matter. Depends on the itinerary. If cruise enters Canada (e.g. round trip Alaska out of Vancouver), yes. Otherwise no, although some cruise lines seem to think it is required. From the above link Who needs to use ArriveCAN All travellers, with limited exceptions, whether entering Canada by air, land, rail or marine vessel, must use ArriveCAN unless you're exempt from this requirement due to an accessibility need. You'll need to submit your information within 72 hours: before your arrival in Canada and/or before boarding a cruise ship destined for Canada

Arrivals are randomly selected for testing. Don't worry about it. If selected you should get instructions for being tested. There is no cost for the test.

The question has no bearing on the point I was making.

See https://www.carnival.com/legal/covid-19-legal-notices/covid-19-guest-protocols

For testing see https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/cruise for current requirements. Your questions are answered at https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/cruise#pre-embarkation-test. A test is not required to enter Canada. A test is required to board a cruise ship that ports in Canada. You will only need the one test for boarding. No test is required to disembark.

I believe the Canadian position is that CBP agents should only be armed in places where CBSA agents may be armed, e.g. airports.

This is not an excuse. It was not an unscheduled stop. By no stretch of the imagination could one reasonably imagine that no passengers would require COVID isolation at the end of a voyage. A competent operation would have appropriate staffing for expected situations. You have really pushed one of my buttons with the Seattle office hours argument. I am continually disappointed by those that seem to think a world wide multi-billion dollar business should be excused for not having duty personnel to handle serious customer issues 24x7. The lack of such service should be understood as a lack of interest in customer care.

Doesn't the Vancouver stop eliminate the PVSA concerns?

A COVID test is no longer required to enter Canada. ArriveCAN does not require uploading of test results. (It did some time ago when a test was required to enter the country.) Vaccination certificates must be uploaded. However, you will be required to have a negative test to board a cruise porting in Canada. Some cruise lines require results to be uploaded to their online system. ArriveCAN accounts can be setup ahead of time. Passport and vaccination data can be entered ahead of time. See https://www.canada.ca/en/border-services-agency/services/arrivecan.html for latest guidance and links to the app and online versions.

If you want @Fouremco to be notified you need to type an at sign (@) and the first few letter of his username. Wait a bit and a list of matches will popup. Find his username and tap / click on the name. If done properly the name will appear in a blue bubble, as it does in this post.

Keep in mind that mid August to mid September is typically the height of hurricane season in the Caribbean. Storms rarely stop cruising but sometimes alter itineraries and seas can be heavier. A number of Carnival ships out of Miami alternate 6 and 8 day itineraries. January is nice for more moderate temperatures. In the past early January has often had slightly better pricing. Many schools schedule a break in the last two weeks of March. It's a very popular time for family & college age vacations. Eastern Caribbean routes are extremely popular. Ports like Nassau, Charlotte Amalie, and St Maarten generally have several ships in port each day. In fact there are days when tourists out number residents. Or so it seems. Western routes usually include a Central American port. These ports are different from the more typical "island" ports.

ArriveCAN submission is tied to passenger passports. There is no need for Canadian authorities to waste passenger time asking for the QR code. They already have all the information from the manifest filed by the cruise line before departure. The only ones I see calling for elimination are those that want to go back to lines of people waiting for those in front of them digging out vaccination records to present to border officers. ... and those that simply object to any government requirement.

This may be true for some cruise lines, but not all and as post #1 lays out definitely not a requirement of GOC. In fact the ArriveCAN instructions say that it should not be used by those boarding a cruise that leaves Canada and does not return. A number of posters that have consulted their cruise lines have reported being told to use the port of embarkation, i.e. Vancouver. I have not seen a post saying that cruise lines are suggesting use of any other port. Regardless, any Canadian port used as the port of entry in this situation is a false statement so it really doesn't matter.

It is possible for a port to be a port of call, a home port, and a cargo port all at the same time.

People have reported that the cruise lines requiring a fictitious submission have recommended using the port of departure.

Thanks for the effort.

It's sad that HAL is apparently advising passengers to make false submissions to GOC. I don't know what one can do in this situation, lie to the government or risk being denied boarding. ☹️ From https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/cruise Cruises that are staying in Canadian waters or not returning to Canada All travellers are required to take a pre-embarkation COVID-19 test before embarking on a cruise in Canada, even if the cruise ship is not leaving Canadian waters Travellers who are staying within Canada throughout their entire journey or who are leaving Canada and not returning don’t have to complete ArriveCAN.

As its name implies ArriveCAN only needs to be used when entering (arriving in) Canada. Leaving Canada does not require use of ArriveCAN. In fact it is not possible to properly complete the questions if one is not entering the country. If your cruise returns to Canada, ArriveCAN will be needed to board. If you are returning to Canada by some other means, it will need to be completed following the rules for that means.

Roam Better isn't available on cruise ships Cell charges on cruises can add up.

Post #1

If a cruise started six weeks before arriving in Canada a test would still be required to board. No test would be required arriving in Canada. There is no cruise ship exception.

A test is not required to enter Canada. A negative test is required to board a cruise ship that leaves from, calls at, or ends in Canada.

A smart phone is not needed. Any internet connected device with a browser can be used. If one travels internationally I would be shocked to learn that such a device was not available. In the pantheon of travel hurdles, a few minutes filling an online form hardly rates.

Sleep when you can during the flight. When you arrive spend as much time as you can outside in sunlight, it helps your body adjust its circadian rhythm. Try to follow your normal routine based on local times. (Don't forget the sunscreen.) In the days I wore a watch I'd set it to the destination local time right after takeoff. It helped me adjust mentally to the time change.