wendycook22

I tried to post this on the weekend but it appears it was "lost"  

Please in the comment below my experience of travel as a Canadian, and our sailing on the Celebrity Summit.  

On 12/12/2021 at 9:46 AM, AlbertaCruisers said:

 

Yes, the old attestation, which I found on the CDC website could be filled in electronically (I used it on my last two trips but deleted the form now since it was old), but really only your name, date and the check box needed to be completed.  I've looked and the non-fillable form that someone linked to seems to be the only thing available now, even on the CDC website.

 

As a note, the CDC website did note (somewhere) to contact your airline in relation to the type of attestation they will require, so I believe that means the electronic ones during check in are sufficient.  That being said, I'm still going to print the forms and fill them out and take them because it is so much easier to have a form with me that I never end up using (and shred later) then stressing about filling it out somewhere in line or against a wall, if it ends up it is needed!

I can verify when we completed our flight from YYZ to MIA on December 10 with AC that we did not require our paper forms as we answered an attestation during our online check in.  We had the paper forms but they were not required. 

We arrived home yesterday from the Celebrity Summit sailing.  Everything went extremely smooth for us. We had most of the ArrivCan App filled out prior to travel.  We completed it on the last day in Miami prior to flying home (we did one night post cruise).  The custom/boarder officer asked us where we were coming in from, we stated that we flew in from Miami, after doing a cruise.  He handed us our passports back with a neon green PHAC sticker.  We presented the passport with our sticker to another check point after baggage claim and was given the green light to exit without going through additional testing. 
 

It was clear that Pearson (YYZ) has not been able to fully implement the current protocols at the time of testing all travellers entering outside the US.  All the signs in the airport were still indicating randomized testing and potential quarantine. Now that testing is going to be implemented across the board it will be interesting to see how the airports will transition given they currently already can’t keep up with the volume of testing.  The line up looked long but it was hard to tell due to the set up how far it went back. 

On 11/15/2021 at 1:05 PM, Fouremco said:

No, you will have to complete the form prior to boarding. Remember, if you are flying commercially, you will go through the US CBP pre-clearance process at the airport and are deemed to have entered the US before you set foot on the plane. 

I just checked in for my AC flight, and it was part of the check in process.  I had my physical forms printed off and ready to go but noticed the questions were included during the check in process.  I will bring them just in case.  WestJet may likely handle it in the same fashion.  Having it electronic verses paper is probably much more efficient for those handling/verifying the forms. 

I have also heard the airline may also sometimes provide the form to passengers if needed .  

11 hours ago, K_e_short said:

 

I'm flying home on January 2nd.

 

Is anyone flying home earlier and can report back?

 

Obviously those that have already come home don't count as the changes are still in the process of being finalized.

I fly out Friday, and will be returning on the 17th and will report back what protocols and process we received on arrival.  

4 hours ago, lovescarborough said:

That's interesting. We depart end of January so hopefully we may know more by then. We won't have a car so can't do drive through test and don't fancy spending our last day in Fort Lauderdale trying to get to a pharmacy for a test. Celebrity didn't give you much notice did they !

In case you weren't aware, you can do the drive through testing with a cab or Uber.  Many have reported it was very easy, and worked well. Just recommending it in the event you are in a pinch 😀  You can make your appointment a head of time at a nearby location not out of the way,  this way you aren't waiting to be tested, or wasting time driving around looking for pharmacies.  

The discount on my sailing's excursions just showed up this morning.  We sail on Saturday on the Summit.  Glad I held off, I booked a snorkeling excursion this morning and saved $35.00 pp.  🙂 

On 12/1/2019 at 12:28 PM, kimberlydrzymala said:

Has anyone done this tour from Celebrity? We are on the Equinox in two weeks and we have quite a few OBC so we would like to book something on the ship. I have tried googling, searching trip advisor and I am not finding any exact matches on this and I would love to know if someone has done this excursion and how they liked it. I appreciate it in advance!

 

Kim Drzymala

Hi Kim,  

I was curious if you ended up going on this excursion, and what your experience was like.  We just booked it for our cruise (we sail on Saturday).  Any insight on your experience would be greatly appreciated.  

I fly out Friday YYZ - MIA, and sail Saturday on the Celebrity Summit.  We also had a final payment due by the end of this week for a February 19 Caribbean sailing on the Reflection.    We decided to keep the booking, and see what happens as the sailing date approaches.  We are tired of cancelling trips (there has been many), and have come to the realization that if we want to travel, we need to stay on top of protocols, be willing to roll with the changes, and "jump through the hoops" in the current climate. 

In the event that someone would prefer proof of this retraction, I have located an article below for reference.  I heard it directly from my marketing manager from Celebrity Cruises.  

https://www.cruisehive.com/celebrity-cruises-backtracks-on-planned-vaccine-mandate-for-kids/60889

I was informed that Celebrity's announcement of a February 1 2022 implementation for this policy has been postponed and more details relating to the 5-11 vaccination policy will be provided when available.   

10 minutes ago, Froufie said:

This is already happening - I have friends recently returned from a cruise and had the dreaded 'red' sticker on her passport and had to be tested at the airport - despite having a negative test in hand (from the cruiseline) taken the day before!

Did your friend(s) confirm if that was due to random selection or if it was across the board protocol being enforced?  

49 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

 

If you go through Air Canada site, and put in your flight details (or mock details) it will give you the requirements and links to the sources (such as CDC) as well as the date it was last updated (currently last updated Dec 02). I find it a useful place to review both in and out requirements for our flight dates and airports.

 

https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/book/travel-news-and-updates/2020/covid-19.html#/entryRequirements

 

Yes, it has been helpful - but it also is not all encompassing.  I also use the IATA site for verifying travel and entry requirements.  It does not speak to details in full particularly for the arrival testing.  Specifically, clarity on arrivals from the US with cruise vacations or visits to other countries. I am interested in seeing if the government use the term flights from the US are exempt from testing, or if they state travel strictly confined to the US.  The wording is key.    

12 hours ago, Fouremco said:

From tonight's Globe and Mail emailed Evening Update:

 

Air travellers could wait up to three days in isolation for on-arrival COVID-19 test result in Canada

Travellers arriving in Canada from countries other than the United States can expect to isolate for as many as three days while they wait for their COVID-19 test results, part of Ottawa’s evolving strategy to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.

The new on-arrival testing rule for air travellers was first announced Tuesday in a suite of new measures. However, the details of its implementation were still foggy Wednesday, with the country’s major airports waiting for more information and the government not saying when the rule will be fully in place.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said travellers will either be tested at the airport or given one to take at home in isolation. He said the expected “service standard” to receive a test result is three days, but at the moment the majority of tests come back in a day. That could change, he cautioned, as the government increases the number of travellers being tested by more than 50 per cent.

The government said the on-arrival test and isolation rule will apply to all travellers who have been in a country other than the U.S. in the past 14 days – even if they arrive in Canada via the U.S.

 

So, for all of us with Caribbean cruises coming up, be prepared for a period of isolation upon return after taking a second PCR test. 

 

 

I wish the Government of Canada would update their website with the actual language for the new testing requirement.  I prefer to see the guidelines from the source and not reports from media.  It eliminates the risk of misinterpretation.  For example some media outlets using 24 hours and 1 day interchangeably.

1 hour ago, Purplsmurf said:

Thank you! I did see that. We sail on December 11 and it’s still listed, so hopefully this starts on the 8th. Don’t think we can book much more on line after that date. 

I am on the same sailing and am keeping my fingers crossed the sale appears.  I have held off on booking anything.  

17 hours ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

So, we are still on the Equinox and it appears that they have changed the process again. We got a form to sign up for an appointment in the terminal on disembarkation, but then we got a call from front desk to ignore that and she took down our flight info.  It appears they are doing testing on the ship again. We get off the ship on Friday, Nov 19. The people next door to us got a letter that their test is tomorrow, Nov 17 (the second last day) at 4:00 in Quasar. We have not received our letter yet, but I called front desk and they said we should get the letter today at some point and that we are scheduled for our test at Nov 18 at 5:00 pm. Our flight isn’t until Nov 20, so they may be scheduling appointments based on flight times.  I will provide a further update later.  

Thank you!  Yes, I received notification today that they were not happy with how the testing was being executed off ship in the terminal, and have relocated the testing to be back on board.  

That would be fantastic if they were evaluating and accommodating flight times.  A morning test on our last full day (for our February cruise) would not put us inside the 72 hours, but a late afternoon test (after 2:00) would satisfy the 72 hour rule.  I have already looked into testing arrangements in Miami in the event we require an alternative. 

21 minutes ago, Froufie said:

so it this going to be indicated in 'writing' somewhere?  Would love to see it online or in an email or something like that?

 

I am not certain if Celebrity will circulate additional correspondence or provide updates on their site further clarifying their policy.  It would definitely be helpful if they did.  It would have been ideal to have included some of this in their second email clarifying the policy. 

Yes, I am flying out the following day,  late afternoon/early evening. My flight does not depart until after 5:00pm, so regardless of disembarkation time I would be well outside of the 24 hours.  I used my situation as an example and was informed anytime the next day would be considered 24hours.  Which leaves me to believe it is the 1 day rule, not a specific or strict 24 hour period.  

3 hours ago, GeriatricNurse said:

I would like to know the answers as well as I (will be) in the same situation!

I was advised by my industry travel contact for Celebrity, that flying out the next day (anytime) would be considered within their 24 hour window.  It sounds like they are doing 1 day opposed to 24 hours as stated in their policy.  Again, the clarity of their message sent to clients and the travel industry is vague.  

I came here to post the same.  It is nice to have further clarification. 

11 minutes ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

I wish we knew when they were doing the PCR tests…day of disembarkation in the terminal or onboard the ship day before disembarking. We can’t afford to stay 14 days in Florida after our cruise in the event we test positive after booking under different conditions promised by Celebrity. Final payment is only two weeks from now…decisions decisions 

I agree 100%.  That is my concern.  Not the cost but the operation and execution that may alter the protection testing on board provided.  

I am past final payment and committed with flights.  

11 hours ago, SeasideMemories said:

Did you call the number that was listed for questions in the email? If this only applies to new bookings, I’m wondering why I received this pertaining to my existing booking (I have no cruises booked past mid-December of this year) with a link for me to click on to verify that I received the notice. I don’t plan to click the link until I verify what is going on a bit more as I suspect that would constitute accepting the new terms.

 

I received the email for my December 11 2021 sailing.  

I followed up with my Celebrity representative (I am a PT Travel Consultant). That is the reply I received from my rep.  I also confirmed that message was received by other agencies in a travel agent group.  Their message was scripted the exact same way.  

I also have not yet clicked the link.  I wanted to receive more details, particular relating to the operational side that is yet to be determined.  

Celebrity will be picking up the cost of the PCR testing for existing reservations from December 3-31 sailings.  The costs will be applicable to all new bookings. 
 

They are still working on operational details.  
 

My representative stated they are optimistic that the PCR requirement will be dropped by 2022.  
 

This is the response I received. 

Celebrity will be picking up the cost of the PCR testing for existing reservations from December 3-31 sailings.  The costs will be applicable to new bookings. 
 

They are still working on operational details.  
 

They are also optimistic that the PCR requirement will be dropped by 2022.  
 

This is the response I received.