Storylady

Louise, she was frustrated by having her appointment cancelled at the last minute. She probably shouldn't have blamed Vancouver. But it was frustrating when two sites in the vicinity of Canada Place closed at the last minute. By that time other places didn’t have appointments or they weren’t open on Saturday, I had recommended she get the PCR which you can get three days before flight which would work for boarding the ship. But she replied that she didn’t have the time due to other appointments. I can understand her frustration even though I am still happy that HAL still requires the test before cruising.

Louise, she needed a test to get on the cruise and wasn’t able to do it before leaving home. CMV notified her too late to make other arrangements. Luckily for her, everything worked out okay thanks to another mariner who knew the name of the clinic in the Fairmont Hotel across the street,

Cruises are still operating. I just read that the Nieuw Amsterdam has not cancelled any cruises, just the land plus cruise packages. As for crew getting COVID onboard. When a crew member gets COVID, they are quarantined along with anyone they have been in contact with, Tina, the Pinnacle Grill Hostess was quarantined, but didn’t have COVID. One of the BB King Members tested positive, but 3 others were also quarantined. I am glad that HAL is being cautious. There might be a small number that actually tested positive for COVID, but lots more that tested negatuve that have to be quarantined, plus new crew members who are also quarantined. So it is hard to tell how many actually have the virus.

Sharon, check Post #57. Coquitlam has the name of the clinic across from the Pan Pacific Hotel. And they have lots of appointments open for this Saturday.

@SharonN Coquitlam Cruiser has suggested the Fairmont Hotel across from the Pan Pacific. They have testing available for this Saturday. Hope you see this before you go to the Airport. Thanks Coquitlam for your suggestion. You saved us a long walk to Burrard Street. I knew there was a testing site at the Fairmont but couldn’t find the name

It is noises the closer you get to the aft of the ship. But I am really sensitive to noise. So we book the middle of the ship either side of the middle elevators.

I truly can’t say. The Oosterdam photos that I saw were of the ship sitting on blocks. From the more detailed photos that I saw of the Noordam, they scrapped all the barnacles and sea life off the bottom is the ship. They then checked it and repainted. Ships go faster when they don’t have the sea life dragging them. The Noordam was painted everywhere on the outside. I suspect that carpets were replaced. Not sure what they may have done to the staterooms. I haven’t seen any photos from HAL fans that have been cruising on her.

The OP needs a test for boarding the ship.

If you decide not to get the test when you arrive at the Vancouver Airport on Friday. You might consider taking the SkyTrain that is near Canada Place. It has been a long time, but I remember buying an inexpensive pass to Vancouver’s transportation system which allowed the sky train, the ferry to North Vancouver and the buses for a reasonable price in those days of $8. I suspect the price has doubled. But I would take the sky train to the airport and back rather than Uber or the taxi. It is a fun scenic ride.

Also, not everyone is comfortable with doing a proctored test with or without slow internet! The majority of the cruise lines are doing the same. I would be willing to pay for the test onboard. But that isn’t an option.

Hope they are adding more nurses to do the tests. You would think the Convention Center would be the perfect site. What a mess! Really glad, we booked our flight home two days after the cruise. And anyone from US that is booking a flight, might consider changing their flights to Seattle and taking a bus.

Of course it would if they have time. Someone already suggested an antigen test two days before. But if there isn’t time to do before flight and they are concerned about after flight. Then a PCR 3 days before might be worth it.

Sharon, if you are on afternoon flight, book the appointment at the airport. They aren’t busy later in the day. Shouldn’t take you more than 10 or 20 minutes. Also, there is a site in the domestic terminal that is extremely slow from what I understand. Problem is leaving Canada for the US with an early flight. It is a real bummer that you booked your appointment, paid and then they notify you at the last minute that they are closed. So glad we didn’t book ours. Wonder if it is a strike! The site is on the Departure level at the end of the International building from what I understand. I didn’t look for it when I was there in early May. You could also get PCR test at home the day before your flight. It would be expensive, but maybe the hassle is worth the price. PCR tests are okay 3 days before cruise if you are up to date with your vaccinations. Check HAL website.

This site in the photo does COVID testing. It is a 10 minute walk from Pan Pacific. And they have a Saturday appointment when I last checked. There is a 1:10 appointment left.

This site does have appointments. As long as you aren’t doing it on the day of your cruise, you should be able to make an appointment. We are staying at the Pan Pacific and I had checked and they said they were doing it. But it looks like the Pan Pacific and Convention Center site have temporarily closed. https://www.canadiantravelclinics.ca/Clinics/Vancouver/1056-/Travel-Clinic-Vancouver-Burrard-St

I just checked this site. It should work for you. It is in downtown Vancouver within walking distance of most hotels. They do have appointments for Saturday. https://www.canadiantravelclinics.ca/Clinics/Vancouver/1056-/Travel-Clinic-Vancouver-Burrard-St

Unfortunately, I tried to book and this site is also closed temporarily. The other Fast Test site at the Downtown Fairmont is available. So sorry that I posted this before checking for an appointment.

HAL recommends flights after 1 PM if you take their shuttle. Before COVID, it wasn’t a problem getting an 11:30 AM flight. But since HAL and the other cruise lines dropped the COVID testing onboard, more time is required. You need to be first off, arrange transport, find a testing site and make the trip to the airport. Sounds stressful to me. It appears that both Pan Pacific and Vancouver Convention Center have dropped their COVID testing temporarily. Which means you need to find a place that opens early somewhere else. . Most COVID sites don’t open early. Closest site I could find was Sinclair Center and the center doesn’t open until 10:00 AM. That means making an appointment amongst all the hassle of the Vancouver airport, unless you have a taxi take you to a testing site and wait while you get the test.

This is the other Fast Test location: Pan Pacific Vancouver 999 Canada Pl #300 Vancouver, BC, V6C 3B5 Hours of Operation Monday – Sunday: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM Tests Available RT-PCR/NAAT 12 & 24-hour results Rapid Antigen Testing Serving all ages

Fairmont Vancouver 900 W Georgia Street (Fairmont Hotel Vancouver) Vancouver, BC, V6C 2W6 MAP (opens Google Maps) Hours of Operation Monday – Friday: 7:00AM – 9:30PM Saturday – Sunday: 8:30AM – 4:30PM Tests Available RT-PCR/NAAT 12 & 24-hour results Rapid Antigen Testing Serving all ages This is a Fast Test Clinic

Travel Clinic Vancouver Suite 102 970 Burrard St Vancouver British Columbia V6Z 2R4 Tel: +1 888 672 0005 Email: info@canadiantravelclinics.ca Vancouver Canada Place, Sinclair Center 232- 757 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada Phone: 604.704.4216 This testing site isn’t in Canada Place according to the map, but close to Canad Place.

No there isn’t. But it goes too late to get tested, checked in and go through security to get an 11:00 flight. Normally, there wouldn’t be a problem. But the checkin line for the the COVID test, kiosks and verification of test and the long line for security when three or more ships are in port doesn’t allow enough time. Afternoon flights should be okay. We took a taxi as we wanted a leisurely breakfast. The bus left at 8:30 AM I believe, not earlier. It is a half hour to the airport. That allows 2 hours to do everything before an 11:00 AM flight.sounds stressful to me. We had the test so we didn’t have to worry about getting it.

You should be fine. We decided to stay the extra couple of days so as to enjoy Vancouver. When we arrive, we are just staying the night. So no time to enjoy this lovely city. You have a late flight. All the problems, I have read about are the early flight people. People forget it takes almost a half hour or more to get to the airport. If doing a taxi, there is going to be a long line. We waited an hour for the taxi. For early flights, you need to carry luggage off the ship, arrange your transport to the airport, wait for your appointment and then wait for results. You are very smart booking the late flight. Everyone said that the commotion calms down later in the day. The more ships in port, the more the congestion and long lines.

No, I can’t answer that question as to whether they have two lines. It is much easier getting tested with an appointment just after you disembark. By the time you get to the airport, you should have your results. Just make sure to get your e-mail address correct. If you wait till you get to the airport, I suspect even if they give priority to appointments that there is still a line. And then you still have to wait for results.

According to photos and comments, the one place you don’t want to get tested for your flight is the Vancouver Airport. There is a test site in Canada Place, across the street at the Fairmont and at the Convention Center next to Canada Place. If you have an afternoon flight, you will be okay testing at airport. But for early flights, the comments on another forum mentioned 3 hours. Two waiting in line and 45 minutes for results. You need the results before checking in.