Vaccinations requirements in South America

This may have been addressed in some other forum. Star Princess March 3rd.

Going to Santiago for a cruise. Going to be a few days early in Chile. Are there any vaccinations I ought to get prior to leaving stateside. Having been in the military I still have some left in my body, but you never know what new strains have popped up.

This may have been addressed in some other forum. Star Princess March 3rd.

Going to Santiago for a cruise. Going to be a few days early in Chile. Are there any vaccinations I ought to get prior to leaving stateside. Having been in the military I still have some left in my body, but you never know what new strains have popped up.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1311864

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1309036

You won't need any vaccinations for this cruise from Santiago to San Francisco. Come and join the roll call. Actually, there are two very active roll calls because this cruise is being sold as both a 30-day from Rio to SF and 16-day from Santiago.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1311864

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1309036

You may want to recheck the information about vaccinations. I see you are stopping in Peru prior to Manta, Ecuador. I am on a HAL cruise that will be doing a similar itinerary, except we go through the canal and then to FLL. HAL has informed us that Ecuador is requiring Yellow Fever vaccinations for anyone entering the country from Peru. It does not matter where you have been in Peru because the immigration officials in Ecuador have no way of checking if your stay in Peru was in an area that is endemic to Yellow Fever.

Originally we were not required to get shots, however at final payment our invoice showed that YF vaccinations were necessary to enter Ecuador and anyone not having the correct documentation would be denied boarding.

I would check with Princess to be sure.

Terri

We will be on that March 3rd cruise as well. I read all the threads about immunization for S.A... especially for Yellow Fever. I e-mail the U.S. Consulate General in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

The reply was: "A Yellow Fever vaccination is not required to travel to Manta, Montecristi, or the Pacoche Rainforest." (which is where we're going during our day in Manta) The reply continued, "Yellow Fever vaccinations are not required in Lima, either, unless you'll be going deep into the jungle in Peru."

So far, Princess is not requiring YF innoculations.

We will be on that March 3rd cruise as well. I read all the threads about immunization for S.A... especially for Yellow Fever. I e-mail the U.S. Consulate General in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

 

The reply was: "A Yellow Fever vaccination is not required to travel to Manta, Montecristi, or the Pacoche Rainforest." (which is where we're going during our day in Manta) The reply continued, "Yellow Fever vaccinations are not required in Lima, either, unless you'll be going deep into the jungle in Peru."

 

So far, Princess is not requiring YF innoculations.

Then it is really strange that HAL is requiring the vaccinations and the logic is that Ecuador requires the vaccination for anyone entering from Peru. The nurse at the travel clinic where I received my shots also said the same thing.

Terri

We will be on that March 3rd cruise as well. I read all the threads about immunization for S.A... especially for Yellow Fever. I e-mail the U.S. Consulate General in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

 

The reply was: "A Yellow Fever vaccination is not required to travel to Manta, Montecristi, or the Pacoche Rainforest." (which is where we're going during our day in Manta) The reply continued, "Yellow Fever vaccinations are not required in Lima, either, unless you'll be going deep into the jungle in Peru."

 

So far, Princess is not requiring YF innoculations.

Don't know how many days you are traveling through Peru (one stop in Callao or two or three stops like the HAL cruise-which is it???).

But as a business frequent traveler to Peru, Chile, Ecuador-BE PREPARED.

There IS YELLOW FEVER in Peru. Granted, it is primarily in the Amazon. BUT how does the Ecuadorian Immigration agent KNOW you went to Machu Pichu or Iquitos??? He doesn't-hence the REQUIREMENT for YF vaccinations to enter Ecuador from Peru.

I know one lady in particular on the HAL cruise who CANNOT take the altitude of MP and I helped her plan a trip to Iquitos and the Amazon for the time MOST on the cruise went to MP. Not the norm but you see the problem???

My own suggestion-GET the vaccination. IF you can't get the vaccination due to health reasons, have your own doctor write a letter on LETTERHEAD for the REASON you can't get the vaccination and take it to the local county health dept. County/State health depts are the ONLY ones who control YF vaccine/waivers other than a few EXPENSIVE health travel companies. IF you live in a small county, allow 4-6 weeks for your County health dept to get the forms.

You need your doctor's letter ON LETTERHEAD, PLUS the yellow card which in the middle states "Contraindication to Vaccination" which will be filled out by the local health dept and your DOCTOR'S letter stamped, as well as the middle section filled out.

This is the ONLY internationally recognized YF waiver.

PLEASE check your cruise line. I don't care what the Ecuadorian Consulate says. Do you REALLY think they have time to ask EVERY person where they were in Peru??? And how may people LIE???

Ecuador almost always asks for YF records IF you have been in Peru. There is almost always an outbreak in Peru every Spring/Summer when you will be cruising (granted, it is the jungle/Amazon) but how would the Immigration officer know that is where you were???

You may want to recheck the information about vaccinations. I see you are stopping in Peru prior to Manta, Ecuador. I am on a HAL cruise that will be doing a similar itinerary, except we go through the canal and then to FLL. HAL has informed us that Ecuador is requiring Yellow Fever vaccinations for anyone entering the country from Peru. It does not matter where you have been in Peru because the immigration officials in Ecuador have no way of checking if your stay in Peru was in an area that is endemic to Yellow Fever.

Originally we were not required to get shots, however at final payment our invoice showed that YF vaccinations were necessary to enter Ecuador and anyone not having the correct documentation would be denied boarding.

I would check with Princess to be sure.

Terri

In reading your post again, I think that instead of emailing the US consulate in Guayaquil, an email to the Ecuadorian embassy in the US would have been more appropriate. The Ecuadorians make the rules in Ecuador, not the US.

Take Greatam's advice and get the shot or the waiver. You may find some very unhappy cruisers at the port when they are either denied boarding or forced to get a shot at the pier by God knows who. I, for one, would not take that chance. I am spending too much money on this cruise to be denied boarding because of a vaccination--expensive as it may be.

Terri

Hi Greatam... I always read your posts with interest. Thank you for sharing your first-hand knowledge. We don't plan to do anything other the ship's itinerary, which calls for 1 day in each port. We board the ship in Santiago and ends in San Francisco. As I said in my previous post, at this point Princess has not required the YF inoculation. If they do, we will get it.

In reading your post again, I think that instead of emailing the US consulate in Guayaquil, an email to the Ecuadorian embassy in the US would have been more appropriate. The Ecuadorians make the rules in Ecuador, not the US.

Take Greatam's advice and get the shot or the waiver. You may find some very unhappy cruisers at the port when they are either denied boarding or forced to get a shot at the pier by God knows who. I, for one, would not take that chance. I am spending too much money on this cruise to be denied boarding because of a vaccination--expensive as it may be.

 

Terri

Thanks for the support. So many DO NOT REALIZE that Ecuador REQUIRES a YF vaccination or WAIVER IF they have been in Peru for more than a day stop in Lima/Callao. The cruise lines are VERY negligent NOT warning their passengers UNLESS there is only a day port stop in Lima/Callao..

As a frequent business traveler to SA, I WOULD NOT take the chance of NOT having the vaccination or the waiver (PROPERLY PRESENTED WITH THE YELLOW CARD) going into Ecuador from Peru.

Get the vaccination or the PROPER WAIVER. Anything else may not fly either boarding the ship or entering Ecuador.

Hi Greatam... I always read your posts with interest. Thank you for sharing your first-hand knowledge. We don't plan to do anything other the ship's itinerary, which calls for 1 day in each port. We board the ship in Santiago and ends in San Francisco. As I said in my previous post, at this point Princess has not required the YF inoculation. If they do, we will get it.

GET the vaccination or the waiver (PROPERLY DONE at your local health dept or a travel clinic-usually pretty expensive).

You don't need any last minute surprises OR be banned from traveling to other parts of the world (particularly China or Africa) in the future

I don't care what Princess says. It is your own health and FUTURE travel plans that may be impacted. Princess screwed me out of a trip to Asia in 2005 AND would NOT let us board the ship in Alaska last September for a trip to Asia (with us getting off the ship in Vladivostok Russia) UNLESS we purchased a PRINCESS visa from their visa service-Zierer) even though I had a Russian visa purchased well before I even asked Princess to get off the ship in Vladivostok. I have little faith in Princess cruises, even though I have two FREE certs to take a Princess cruise. JMHO

dup post

As I said in my previous post, at this point Princess has not required the YF inoculation. If they do, we will get it.

It is not up to Princess to require it. It is up to Ecuador to decide who they let in and what are the conditions for entry. Don't rely on the cruise line's negligence in not giving you the right info. Play it smart. GET THE VACCINATION!

And this question has been done to death. Why isn't it a sticky? It is vital for the health and purse of the cruisers! You could get really sick or you could lose a lot of $ when denied entry to a country.

Get the vaccination. When the mosquito is ready to bite, it doesn't ask you if you have a waiver! Enough said.

Princess may not tell you you need the shot, but Ecuador may refuse to let the ship dock if there are passengers on board who do not have the proper documentation regarding vaccinations.

I think the cruise lines (not only Princess) need to be proactive in keeping abreast of the rules regarding vaccinations and inform the passengers. HAL is at fault too. On our role call (Veendam - March 19, 2012) only one person received an email from HAL informing them of the vaccination. We picked up on it because of another roll call and a post on the HAL forum.

HAL did not make it clear, just added "VC" next to Manta and Guayaquil on the itinerary with final payment. I wonder how many noticed it. I wonder how many travel agents noticed it. Mine did not. I pointed it out to her.

I have gotten my shots and glad I am protected.

Terri

I always go with the CBC...

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/chile.htm

This may have been addressed in some other forum. Star Princess March 3rd. Going to Santiago for a cruise. Going to be a few days early in Chile. Are there any vaccinations I ought to get prior to leaving stateside. Having been in the military I still have some left in my body, but you never know what new strains have popped up.

 

Other forums are saying it's up to Ecuador whether the Yellow Fever shot is required. Others are saying Princess will let you know, or that Princess is negligent if they don't requre the vaccination. Someone unwind this issue for us. And Princess if you are reading this, what's the latest.

As always, it's a good idea to have your standard immunizations up-to-date, including tetanus and polio. I happen to have Hep A&B, Typhoid, and Yellow Fever current due to other travel.

Also note that your passport is taken and held by the ship. These are checked and stamped by the various countries prior to stopping at their ports. Thus you are denied boarding prior to the cruise even starting if you do not have proper documents; the cruise line does not take a chance of having anyone on board who cannot leave the ship at some port. In fact, little is done to check you as you leave the ship to enter the various cities because it has all been done behind the scenes. Get the Yellow Fever shot or get the waiver. And make sure it is the proper waiver and not just a letter from your doctor! An awesome cruise; enjoy it.

Posters can give their opinions but the last word is the cruise line. If Princess has not required a YF inoculation prior to boarding, you won't be denied boarding for not having gotten a YF inoculation. If a port stop during the cruise requires a YF inoculation all passengers will be out of luck even if those who have been inoculated. Keep checking on the Personalizer. If a YF inoculation is required for a port stop, it will be noted on your Personalizer. A Princess agent told me, if inoculations were going to be required, passengers would have been notified before final payment. Makes sense to me!

Posters can give their opinions but the last word is the cruise line. If Princess has not required a YF inoculation prior to boarding, you won't be denied boarding for not having gotten a YF inoculation. If a port stop during the cruise requires a YF inoculation all passengers will be out of luck even if those who have been inoculated. Keep checking on the Personalizer. If a YF inoculation is required for a port stop, it will be noted on your Personalizer. A Princess agent told me, if inoculations were going to be required, passengers would have been notified before final payment. Makes sense to me!

I sincerely hope you are correct in putting your trust in a cruise line as the final authority as to the vaccination requirements. I still think that Ecuador has control of their entry requirements and not Princess Cruise Lines.

Terri

I sincerely hope you are correct in putting your trust in a cruise line as the final authority as to the vaccination requirements. I still think that Ecuador has control of their entry requirements and not Princess Cruise Lines.

Terri

As I posted in post #10, the Star Princess cruise ONLY has a day stop in Callao (Lima). NO other Peru stops, NO overnight any place in Peru (unlike the HAL cruise). Straight from Chile (2 stops) to Lima for 10 hours or less. You can't go very far with only 10 hours in Lima and make it back to the ship in time.

IF Princess offers their very pricey MP trip on this cruise (which would be a charter flight out of Coquimbo), they will have precleared those few passengers on the MP trip with Ecuador.

HOWEVER, if anyone ON THEIR OWN gets off the ship in Lima to go to MP (they would have to fly into Guayaquil to rejoin the ship and it would be too short a trip IMHO), I would almost GUARANTEE that when they land in Guayaquil with Peruvian stamps in their passport, they will be asked for YF.

I have to laugh as I looked at the itinerary. They try to make it look like the ship goes to Quito. NO, you have to take a bus (or fly). And you certainly subject yourself to the real chance of AMS (altitude sickness) with a 12 hour port stop. It's about a 4 hour bus ride EACH WAY going from sea level to over 9,000 feet. Unless you are in fantastic physical shape (lots of muscle to hold a lot of oxygen), you may spend the day dealing with AMS.

While I think some of the markets around Quito (Octavalo and Saquisili) offer some of the best wood crafts and pottery in South America, I sure wouldn't be making a 6-8 hour bus trip just to go, particularly due to the altitude.

As I posted in post #10, the Star Princess cruise ONLY has a day stop in Callao (Lima). NO other Peru stops, NO overnight any place in Peru (unlike the HAL cruise). Straight from Chile (2 stops) to Lima for 10 hours or less. You can't go very far with only 10 hours in Lima and make it back to the ship in time.

 

IF Princess offers their very pricey MP trip on this cruise (which would be a charter flight out of Coquimbo), they will have precleared those few passengers on the MP trip with Ecuador.

 

HOWEVER, if anyone ON THEIR OWN gets off the ship in Lima to go to MP (they would have to fly into Guayaquil to rejoin the ship and it would be too short a trip IMHO), I would almost GUARANTEE that when they land in Guayaquil with Peruvian stamps in their passport, they will be asked for YF.

 

I have to laugh as I looked at the itinerary. They try to make it look like the ship goes to Quito. NO, you have to take a bus (or fly). And you certainly subject yourself to the real chance of AMS (altitude sickness) with a 12 hour port stop. It's about a 4 hour bus ride EACH WAY going from sea level to over 9,000 feet. Unless you are in fantastic physical shape (lots of muscle to hold a lot of oxygen), you may spend the day dealing with AMS.

 

While I think some of the markets around Quito (Octavalo and Saquisili) offer some of the best wood crafts and pottery in South America, I sure wouldn't be making a 6-8 hour bus trip just to go, particularly due to the altitude.

Greatam,

You are right, if there is only one stop in Peru, the requirements may be different. However, the people going to MP may be in for a surprise in the Guayaquil airport if they do not have YF documentation.

We have received some of our shots. I have gotten Hep A and a flu shot. DH got Hep A and YF. He still needs a tetanus and pneumonia and I need YF and pneumonia. The clinic did not want to give all at the same time. We are going to Iguazu Falls prior to the cruise and that is endemic for YF. Also Ecuador is requiring it on our HAL cruise.

I do think that it is a bit misleading on Princess' part to show Quito as a stop when it is a good distance away from Guayaquil. I guess they offer it as a day trip. HAL offers an overnight to Quito returning the next day to Manta for $1199 per person. Since we are going to Machu Picchu on our own and not on the same days as HAL, we will be returning to Guayaquil in the afternoon. No opportunity for Quito.

Thanks for all your posts. You are a wealth of information.

Terri

Greatam,

Since we are going to Machu Picchu on our own and not on the same days as HAL, we will be returning to Guayaquil in the afternoon. No opportunity for Quito.

Not knowing your itinerary this may be out of line. Why not fly back to Quito and rejoin the cruise at the next port? IMO, Otavalo is not worth the trip. The mountain areas around Quito are. Quito itself is more than worth a full day of sightseeing. Wonderful history and architecture in the old city.

There is a lot of wishful thinking on this board about YF requirements. Glad to see you are protecting yourself and covering all eventualities. And also going to MP on your own. You are doing it it right.

Greatam,

You are right, if there is only one stop in Peru, the requirements may be different. However, the people going to MP may be in for a surprise in the Guayaquil airport if they do not have YF documentation.

IF passengers take the very pricey Princess excursion to MP, Princess will CHARTER a plane from Coquimbo, fly them to MP and they will rejoin the ship in Lima (short-3 + day trip). So it will only appear in their passports that they left Chile and entered Peru at Lima/Cusco where the ship only makes a day port stop. No problem there with YF. And I am sure Princess will make pre arrangements with Ecuador if they do the ship controlled MP trip.

HOWEVER, IF someone independently gets off the ship in Lima, flies to MP (too short a time for me-less than 3 days), they will most likely be asked for YF BECAUSE their passports will show Peru entry and direct into Ecuador entry. This is where the problem MAY come in with the Star Princess cruise.

We have received some of our shots. I have gotten Hep A and a flu shot. DH got Hep A and YF. He still needs a tetanus and pneumonia and I need YF and pneumonia. The clinic did not want to give all at the same time. We are going to Iguazu Falls prior to the cruise and that is endemic for YF. Also Ecuador is requiring it on our HAL cruise.

I do think that it is a bit misleading on Princess' part to show Quito as a stop when it is a good distance away from Guayaquil. I guess they offer it as a day trip. HAL offers an overnight to Quito returning the next day to Manta for $1199 per person. Since we are going to Machu Picchu on our own and not on the same days as HAL, we will be returning to Guayaquil in the afternoon. No opportunity for Quito.

 

Thanks for all your posts. You are a wealth of information.

Terri

The Princess trip doesn't even go to Guayaquil, just Manta (whoop ti do) and then straight out of Ecuador. I think there will be a lot of disappointed people when they think they will get to Quito but have yet to realize that it is only a 12 hour port stop and 6-8 hours of that time will be spent on a bus (I guess you could take a plane independently or I am sure Princess will offer some very overpriced trip via plane for a few more hours in Quito). I would definitely worry about AMS within this short a time.

Enjoy your trip!!! We were seriously thinking of booking the Valpo/NYC portion but we have been in the areas so much and I may have to go back overseas for work, we decided it wasn't a good time to do this. I absolutely LOVE sailing into NY harbor.

Not knowing your itinerary this may be out of line. Why not fly back to Quito and rejoin the cruise at the next port? IMO, Otavalo is not worth the trip. The mountain areas around Quito are. Quito itself is more than worth a full day of sightseeing. Wonderful history and architecture in the old city.

 

There is a lot of wishful thinking on this board about YF requirements. Glad to see you are protecting yourself and covering all eventualities. And also going to MP on your own. You are doing it it right.

Our plane tickets are all set and we didn't even think about Quito at the time. So no opportunity for that on this trip. It may be our only trip to SA so at least we are doing MP and Iguazzu.

We are not fans of Ship shore excursions and do things on our own as much as possible. All the preparations for MP were a bit daunting and we have booked with Abercrombie and Kent, who are doing everything for us. In the other ports in some cases we are on tours and in others we will do our own thing. I speak Spanish so do not plan into running into too much difficulty language wise.

We are leaving Lima the second day in port and flying to Cuzco, then staying the night in the Sacred Valley. Second day is MP with the night at the Sanctuary Lodge. After early morning sunrise in MP we take the train to Ollantaytambo and then on to Cuzco for a tour and overnight at the Monasterio Hotel.

A&K is charging less than half of HAL's price for two nights and we are staying three nights. I am very happy with the arrangements and feel comfortable with A&K.

We will have all our shots so we will be all set and protected.

In a way we are sorry not to get to Quito. My husband has a friend there that he would have liked to see, however, our arrangements are made and we will have to skip that opportunity.

Terri

IMO, Otavalo is not worth the trip. The mountain areas around Quito are. Quito itself is more than worth a full day of sightseeing. Wonderful history and architecture in the old city.

I know you are into textiles. How did you miss some of the great weavers there?? And the wood carvers are some of the best I have found worldwide-even better than the ones in Bali and Indonesia. I order between 400-500 2.5 feet high and 3.5 feet long full size Harley's from some expert woodcarvers outside Otavalo every year

Exquisitely detailed with all the handlebars, individual lights, kickstands, etc. I take some pre-orders with pictures for those who want a mantle piece that looks like THEIR bike. But even the "standard" ones are HUGE sellers at both the Laughlin River Run and Sturgis. I won't even tell you what I get for them but I pay $200 each for them in Ecuador for the standards and no more than $400 for the customs. What I make funds almost a years worth of "fun travel" in style even after shipping expenses, booth rental (which is pricey, particularly in Sturgis), help to sell the things (I'm too old to put up with the nonsense at Sturgis anymore), etc. etc.

There is a lot of wishful thinking on this board about YF requirements. Glad to see you are protecting yourself and covering all eventualities. And also going to MP on your own. You are doing it it right.

I wouldn't even think about NOT getting YF going to some of the places both cruises go to. BUT oh well, wishful thinking may not prevent people from making FUTURE travels. I am sure there will be problems for someone in their future travels. We tried-best we can do.

IF passengers take the very pricey Princess excursion to MP, Princess will CHARTER a plane from Coquimbo, fly them to MP and they will rejoin the ship in Lima (short-3 + day trip). So it will only appear in their passports that they left Chile and entered Peru at Lima/Cusco where the ship only makes a day port stop. No problem there with YF. And I am sure Princess will make pre arrangements with Ecuador if they do the ship controlled MP trip.

 

HOWEVER, IF someone independently gets off the ship in Lima, flies to MP (too short a time for me-less than 3 days), they will most likely be asked for YF BECAUSE their passports will show Peru entry and direct into Ecuador entry. This is where the problem MAY come in with the Star Princess cruise.

 

The HAL cruise has many more stops in Peru AND isn't it at least a day or two in Lima???

 

 

 

The Princess trip doesn't even go to Guayaquil, just Manta (whoop ti do) and then straight out of Ecuador. I think there will be a lot of disappointed people when they think they will get to Quito but have yet to realize that it is only a 12 hour port stop and 6-8 hours of that time will be spent on a bus (I guess you could take a plane independently or I am sure Princess will offer some very overpriced trip via plane for a few more hours in Quito). I would definitely worry about AMS within this short a time.

 

Enjoy your trip!!! We were seriously thinking of booking the Valpo/NYC portion but we have been in the areas so much and I may have to go back overseas for work, we decided it wasn't a good time to do this. I absolutely LOVE sailing into NY harbor.

I have looked at the Princess itinerary and am glad I didn't book with them. They have fewer ports in SA and then do some in Central America and Mexico. Been there, done that! Princess' itinerary pales in comparison to HAL's.

I like HAL's itinerary, especially since I studied all about South America and will finally get to see some of the places I studied about. We are not afraid of going off on our own and I speak Spanish well enough to get along. Was fluent at one time, but not using it everyday (since I am now retired), one gets a bit rusty. It is not my native language. I figure that by the time I get out of BA after five days, I should be back on the road to fluency and don't expect to have problems communicating.

As for sailing into New York Harbor, I wish we could (we are disembarking in Fort Lauderdale). I was born and raised in New York and it's still in my blood. Moved to South Carolina 10 years ago and still long to go back to NY--I miss it terribly (except for the cold weather).

However, Fort Lauderdale is closer to home and car drive away rather than taking a plane after disembarking the ship.

Greatam, I appreciate your words of wisdom--and Marazul too. You two have given invaluable information.

Terri