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Process Details for the Celebrity Millennium Sint Maarten Sailings

Seany527

By Seany527,
in Celebrity Cruises

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Seany527

Seany527

Posted
Posted

I’m fortunate enough to be on the first sailing of the Millennium on June 5. 
 

A lot of people have been asking questions about the Sint Maarten entry process as well as what life will be like on the ship. 

 

While we haven’t boarded just yet, I did arrive in Sint Maarten today and I wanted to document the experience while it was fresh in my head. Hopefully others can use this as a resource going forward. Just keep in mind things are changing constantly so what the process was for the first sailing might be different for each sailing there after. 


I’ll start with the Sint Maarten EHAS form. Currently US citizens are required to have a rt-PCR test 120 hours or an Antigen test 48 hours prior to your departure flight. 

To satisfy this requirement, I went to Walgreens to have the rt-PCR test administered. It was a super easy process, I didn’t even have to leave my car. So for those who are worried about the test, it’s completely fine. 

 

The test results were returned less than 24 hours later and I submitted the EHAS form. Because I arrived a day early, I was required to purchase the insurance. 


The EHAS form can seem overwhelming but if you follow step by step, and select air travel as your arrival method, the pieces will fall into place. 

 

You are required to indicate the number of days you are in Sint Maarten for. Because technically I will be on the island for 3 days (the day prior and day of the cruise and the day we fly home) plus the cruise days in-between, I selected 9 days total. This way I was covered for the insurance for all days I will be on the island. Whether that is the correct procedure or not, I don’t know. But either way the EHAS people were happy and I was approved for travel about 1 hour later. 

 

Subsequently prior to leaving, but after I had taken my COVID test at Walgreens, Celebrity updated their policy and also required a test, 72 hours prior to boarding. I did have to get another test, but going forward people should be aware of the rules and schedule their tests accordingly. 

 

Fast forward to Friday, June 4 when I arrived at JFK airport. I flew with Delta so the experience I had may be different from yours. 


When I entered the airport, before I could even approach the check in line there was a Delta worker who asked where I was flying to. When I said SXM, he asked to see my EHAS form.  That’s one down. A million more to go. 

 

Next I checked in with a Delta rep. She asked for the EHAS form and my negative COVID test. This rep definitely looked over the results of my COVID test very throughly, to the point where I thought I made a mistake and took the wrong test. But my test was valid and she compared the name against my passport and I was good to go. 

 

Now I’m at the gate ready to board. The agent said we needed to show our EHAS form and the mandatory health insurance form. It ended up being a mix up however and all we actually needed was the EHAS form. We did not have to show proof of insurance. I presented my EHAS form and I was all set to board. 


There were actually people there who didn’t have the EHAS form with them or hadn’t received approval yet. I would have been sick to my stomach. I actually don’t know what happened to them because at that point I had to board. 

 

Flight in was great and beautiful. It was nice to see Maho beach and finally be back in the Caribbean again. 

 

Upon leaving the plane in SXM, we were all gathered into a bus and shuttled to the terminal. We made like a weird half circle and to be honest it would have been a lot easier and faster to just walk. 

 

Once inside we had to have our EHAS form and negative COVID test in our hands before we could proceed through the building. At this point no one actually looked at the documents. I think they just wanted us to be prepared for when the time came to present them. 

 

We walked up a ramp and then down a ramp and then waited in line. It moved fairly quickly. We then met with an airport representative who asked to see the EHAS form and test results. She compared the names against the passport. She stamped the documents and we proceeded to the next agent who asked to see the stamped documents. We showed those to her and she asked which hotel we would be staying at and for how many nights. I told her one night and then a cruise. She had no idea the ship was sailing. She said you’re boarding here in Sint Maarten!? She seemed excited but then again checked the 2 documents against the passport. 

 

Next step is to grab your luggage and head out to get a taxi. 

 

I roughly timed the process from the point of getting off the plane to when I was at baggage claim and it was at most 15 minutes. Overall, it was a super smooth process but it was nerve wracking having so many people look at the forms and being worried that something was completed incorrectly. 

 

So then I finally arrived at my hotel and they asked to see the EHAS form with the stamp from the airport. Once they looked over the form and compared it to the passports, I was able to check in. 
 

Tomorrow is boarding day so I will update that process for everyone as well as what life is like onboard. 

 

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer based off of my experience.  If anyone else arrived in Sint Maarten today, or over the past days, feel free to share your experience as well.

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Seany527

Seany527

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21 minutes ago, TreeCity said:

Thank you so much.

How much was the taxi? Was it hard to find one?

Taxi was super easy. When you exit there will be a bunch of tour operators, car rental companies and taxi drivers. The drivers were lined up and waiting for work.
We are staying at Little Divi Bay Resort which you have to drive past to reach the Millennium. The cost was $20 total for two people. I would imagine from airport to cruise ship it would be around $25 total. 
 

I did some research on taxi costs and it was reported airport to cruise terminal was $9 per person. However, all of those reports were prior to COVID, so it looks like they raised their prices. 
 

For what it’s worth, traffic was pretty bad and it took us about 30 mins to reach the hotel. I thought $20 was pretty good price. 

 

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chawkjewel

chawkjewel

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Posted
13 hours ago, Seany527 said:

No problem. The post is actually obnoxiously long. I should have broken it up a little. 

 

It's fine.  At least you have paragraphs, etc.  I know you have seen some that appear to be one long sentence/paragraph.  We appreciate you doing this!!

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wesport

wesport

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, Seany527 said:

I’m fortunate enough to be on the first sailing of the Millennium on June 5. 
 

A lot of people have been asking questions about the Sint Maarten entry process as well as what life will be like on the ship. 

 

While we haven’t boarded just yet, I did arrive in Sint Maarten today and I wanted to document the experience while it was fresh in my head. Hopefully others can use this as a resource going forward. Just keep in mind things are changing constantly so what the process was for the first sailing might be different for each sailing there after. 


I’ll start with the Sint Maarten EHAS form. Currently US citizens are required to have a rt-PCR test 120 hours or an Antigen test 48 hours prior to your departure flight. 

To satisfy this requirement, I went to Walgreens to have the rt-PCR test administered. It was a super easy process, I didn’t even have to leave my car. So for those who are worried about the test, it’s completely fine. 

 

The test results were returned less than 24 hours later and I submitted the EHAS form. Because I arrived a day early, I was required to purchase the insurance. 


The EHAS form can seem overwhelming but if you follow step by step, and select air travel as your arrival method, the pieces will fall into place. 

 

You are required to indicate the number of days you are in Sint Maarten for. Because technically I will be on the island for 3 days (the day prior and day of the cruise and the day we fly home) plus the cruise days in-between, I selected 9 days total. This way I was covered for the insurance for all days I will be on the island. Whether that is the correct procedure or not, I don’t know. But either way the EHAS people were happy and I was approved for travel about 1 hour later. 

 

Subsequently prior to leaving, but after I had taken my COVID test at Walgreens, Celebrity updated their policy and also required a test, 72 hours prior to boarding. I did have to get another test, but going forward people should be aware of the rules and schedule their tests accordingly. 

 

Fast forward to Friday, June 4 when I arrived at JFK airport. I flew with Delta so the experience I had may be different from yours. 


When I entered the airport, before I could even approach the check in line there was a Delta worker who asked where I was flying to. When I said SXM, he asked to see my EHAS form.  That’s one down. A million more to go. 

 

Next I checked in with a Delta rep. She asked for the EHAS form and my negative COVID test. This rep definitely looked over the results of my COVID test very throughly, to the point where I thought I made a mistake and took the wrong test. But my test was valid and she compared the name against my passport and I was good to go. 

 

Now I’m at the gate ready to board. The agent said we needed to show our EHAS form and the mandatory health insurance form. It ended up being a mix up however and all we actually needed was the EHAS form. We did not have to show proof of insurance. I presented my EHAS form and I was all set to board. 


There were actually people there who didn’t have the EHAS form with them or hadn’t received approval yet. I would have been sick to my stomach. I actually don’t know what happened to them because at that point I had to board. 

 

Flight in was great and beautiful. It was nice to see Maho beach and finally be back in the Caribbean again. 

 

Upon leaving the plane in SXM, we were all gathered into a bus and shuttled to the terminal. We made like a weird half circle and to be honest it would have been a lot easier and faster to just walk. 

 

Once inside we had to have our EHAS form and negative COVID test in our hands before we could proceed through the building. At this point no one actually looked at the documents. I think they just wanted us to be prepared for when the time came to present them. 

 

We walked up a ramp and then down a ramp and then waited in line. It moved fairly quickly. We then met with an airport representative who asked to see the EHAS form and test results. She compared the names against the passport. She stamped the documents and we proceeded to the next agent who asked to see the stamped documents. We showed those to her and she asked which hotel we would be staying at and for how many nights. I told her one night and then a cruise. She had no idea the ship was sailing. She said you’re boarding here in Sint Maarten!? She seemed excited but then again checked the 2 documents against the passport. 

 

Next step is to grab your luggage and head out to get a taxi. 

 

I roughly timed the process from the point of getting off the plane to when I was at baggage claim and it was at most 15 minutes. Overall, it was a super smooth process but it was nerve wracking having so many people look at the forms and being worried that something was completed incorrectly. 

 

So then I finally arrived at my hotel and they asked to see the EHAS form with the stamp from the airport. Once they looked over the form and compared it to the passports, I was able to check in. 
 

Tomorrow is boarding day so I will update that process for everyone as well as what life is like onboard. 

 

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer based off of my experience.  If anyone else arrived in Sint Maarten today, or over the past days, feel free to share your experience as well.

Technical, but if I leave at 11am, I cannot schedule the pcr test earlier than 11am five days prior. I would need to do a test after 11 am five days prior?

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prbffd28

prbffd28

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I have to say thanks for posting too, this definitely helps ease the anxiety a bit. We are on the August 14th sailing, now aboard Summit apparently, and flying in the day before staying at Little Divi Bay as well. If you want to share your hotel experience that would be appreciated too. This will be our first time in St Maarten and also our first time on Celebrity. Hope you have a great cruise!!

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Arzeena

Arzeena

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Posted
12 hours ago, Seany527 said:

Taxi was super easy. When you exit there will be a bunch of tour operators, car rental companies and taxi drivers. The drivers were lined up and waiting for work.
We are staying at Little Divi Bay Resort which you have to drive past to reach the Millennium. The cost was $20 total for two people. I would imagine from airport to cruise ship it would be around $25 total. 
 

I did some research on taxi costs and it was reported airport to cruise terminal was $9 per person. However, all of those reports were prior to COVID, so it looks like they raised their prices. 
 

For what it’s worth, traffic was pretty bad and it took us about 30 mins to reach the hotel. I thought $20 was pretty good price. 

 

Thank you for your report. It is really helpful. We are also arrivng a day earlier and staying at the Divi. Would love to hear your thoughts on Divi.

Have a safe trip! BON VOYAGE!

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larry_s_taco

larry_s_taco

Posted
Posted
16 hours ago, Seany527 said:

I’m fortunate enough to be on the first sailing of the Millennium on June 5. 
 

A lot of people have been asking questions about the Sint Maarten entry process as well as what life will be like on the ship. 

 

While we haven’t boarded just yet, I did arrive in Sint Maarten today and I wanted to document the experience while it was fresh in my head. Hopefully others can use this as a resource going forward. Just keep in mind things are changing constantly so what the process was for the first sailing might be different for each sailing there after. 


I’ll start with the Sint Maarten EHAS form. Currently US citizens are required to have a rt-PCR test 120 hours or an Antigen test 48 hours prior to your departure flight. 

To satisfy this requirement, I went to Walgreens to have the rt-PCR test administered. It was a super easy process, I didn’t even have to leave my car. So for those who are worried about the test, it’s completely fine. 

 

The test results were returned less than 24 hours later and I submitted the EHAS form. Because I arrived a day early, I was required to purchase the insurance. 


The EHAS form can seem overwhelming but if you follow step by step, and select air travel as your arrival method, the pieces will fall into place. 

 

You are required to indicate the number of days you are in Sint Maarten for. Because technically I will be on the island for 3 days (the day prior and day of the cruise and the day we fly home) plus the cruise days in-between, I selected 9 days total. This way I was covered for the insurance for all days I will be on the island. Whether that is the correct procedure or not, I don’t know. But either way the EHAS people were happy and I was approved for travel about 1 hour later. 

 

Subsequently prior to leaving, but after I had taken my COVID test at Walgreens, Celebrity updated their policy and also required a test, 72 hours prior to boarding. I did have to get another test, but going forward people should be aware of the rules and schedule their tests accordingly. 

 

Fast forward to Friday, June 4 when I arrived at JFK airport. I flew with Delta so the experience I had may be different from yours. 


When I entered the airport, before I could even approach the check in line there was a Delta worker who asked where I was flying to. When I said SXM, he asked to see my EHAS form.  That’s one down. A million more to go. 

 

Next I checked in with a Delta rep. She asked for the EHAS form and my negative COVID test. This rep definitely looked over the results of my COVID test very throughly, to the point where I thought I made a mistake and took the wrong test. But my test was valid and she compared the name against my passport and I was good to go. 

 

Now I’m at the gate ready to board. The agent said we needed to show our EHAS form and the mandatory health insurance form. It ended up being a mix up however and all we actually needed was the EHAS form. We did not have to show proof of insurance. I presented my EHAS form and I was all set to board. 


There were actually people there who didn’t have the EHAS form with them or hadn’t received approval yet. I would have been sick to my stomach. I actually don’t know what happened to them because at that point I had to board. 

 

Flight in was great and beautiful. It was nice to see Maho beach and finally be back in the Caribbean again. 

 

Upon leaving the plane in SXM, we were all gathered into a bus and shuttled to the terminal. We made like a weird half circle and to be honest it would have been a lot easier and faster to just walk. 

 

Once inside we had to have our EHAS form and negative COVID test in our hands before we could proceed through the building. At this point no one actually looked at the documents. I think they just wanted us to be prepared for when the time came to present them. 

 

We walked up a ramp and then down a ramp and then waited in line. It moved fairly quickly. We then met with an airport representative who asked to see the EHAS form and test results. She compared the names against the passport. She stamped the documents and we proceeded to the next agent who asked to see the stamped documents. We showed those to her and she asked which hotel we would be staying at and for how many nights. I told her one night and then a cruise. She had no idea the ship was sailing. She said you’re boarding here in Sint Maarten!? She seemed excited but then again checked the 2 documents against the passport. 

 

Next step is to grab your luggage and head out to get a taxi. 

 

I roughly timed the process from the point of getting off the plane to when I was at baggage claim and it was at most 15 minutes. Overall, it was a super smooth process but it was nerve wracking having so many people look at the forms and being worried that something was completed incorrectly. 

 

So then I finally arrived at my hotel and they asked to see the EHAS form with the stamp from the airport. Once they looked over the form and compared it to the passports, I was able to check in. 
 

Tomorrow is boarding day so I will update that process for everyone as well as what life is like onboard. 

 

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer based off of my experience.  If anyone else arrived in Sint Maarten today, or over the past days, feel free to share your experience as well.

Great info. We are getting on when you guys get off. Looking forward to your posts about boarding. Bon Voyage!

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jbirds

jbirds

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Posted
16 hours ago, Seany527 said:

I’m fortunate enough to be on the first sailing of the Millennium on June 5. 
 

A lot of people have been asking questions about the Sint Maarten entry process as well as what life will be like on the ship. 

 

While we haven’t boarded just yet, I did arrive in Sint Maarten today and I wanted to document the experience while it was fresh in my head. Hopefully others can use this as a resource going forward. Just keep in mind things are changing constantly so what the process was for the first sailing might be different for each sailing there after. 


I’ll start with the Sint Maarten EHAS form. Currently US citizens are required to have a rt-PCR test 120 hours or an Antigen test 48 hours prior to your departure flight. 

To satisfy this requirement, I went to Walgreens to have the rt-PCR test administered. It was a super easy process, I didn’t even have to leave my car. So for those who are worried about the test, it’s completely fine. 

 

The test results were returned less than 24 hours later and I submitted the EHAS form. Because I arrived a day early, I was required to purchase the insurance. 


The EHAS form can seem overwhelming but if you follow step by step, and select air travel as your arrival method, the pieces will fall into place. 

 

You are required to indicate the number of days you are in Sint Maarten for. Because technically I will be on the island for 3 days (the day prior and day of the cruise and the day we fly home) plus the cruise days in-between, I selected 9 days total. This way I was covered for the insurance for all days I will be on the island. Whether that is the correct procedure or not, I don’t know. But either way the EHAS people were happy and I was approved for travel about 1 hour later. 

 

Subsequently prior to leaving, but after I had taken my COVID test at Walgreens, Celebrity updated their policy and also required a test, 72 hours prior to boarding. I did have to get another test, but going forward people should be aware of the rules and schedule their tests accordingly. 

 

Fast forward to Friday, June 4 when I arrived at JFK airport. I flew with Delta so the experience I had may be different from yours. 


When I entered the airport, before I could even approach the check in line there was a Delta worker who asked where I was flying to. When I said SXM, he asked to see my EHAS form.  That’s one down. A million more to go. 

 

Next I checked in with a Delta rep. She asked for the EHAS form and my negative COVID test. This rep definitely looked over the results of my COVID test very throughly, to the point where I thought I made a mistake and took the wrong test. But my test was valid and she compared the name against my passport and I was good to go. 

 

Now I’m at the gate ready to board. The agent said we needed to show our EHAS form and the mandatory health insurance form. It ended up being a mix up however and all we actually needed was the EHAS form. We did not have to show proof of insurance. I presented my EHAS form and I was all set to board. 


There were actually people there who didn’t have the EHAS form with them or hadn’t received approval yet. I would have been sick to my stomach. I actually don’t know what happened to them because at that point I had to board. 

 

Flight in was great and beautiful. It was nice to see Maho beach and finally be back in the Caribbean again. 

 

Upon leaving the plane in SXM, we were all gathered into a bus and shuttled to the terminal. We made like a weird half circle and to be honest it would have been a lot easier and faster to just walk. 

 

Once inside we had to have our EHAS form and negative COVID test in our hands before we could proceed through the building. At this point no one actually looked at the documents. I think they just wanted us to be prepared for when the time came to present them. 

 

We walked up a ramp and then down a ramp and then waited in line. It moved fairly quickly. We then met with an airport representative who asked to see the EHAS form and test results. She compared the names against the passport. She stamped the documents and we proceeded to the next agent who asked to see the stamped documents. We showed those to her and she asked which hotel we would be staying at and for how many nights. I told her one night and then a cruise. She had no idea the ship was sailing. She said you’re boarding here in Sint Maarten!? She seemed excited but then again checked the 2 documents against the passport. 

 

Next step is to grab your luggage and head out to get a taxi. 

 

I roughly timed the process from the point of getting off the plane to when I was at baggage claim and it was at most 15 minutes. Overall, it was a super smooth process but it was nerve wracking having so many people look at the forms and being worried that something was completed incorrectly. 

 

So then I finally arrived at my hotel and they asked to see the EHAS form with the stamp from the airport. Once they looked over the form and compared it to the passports, I was able to check in. 
 

Tomorrow is boarding day so I will update that process for everyone as well as what life is like onboard. 

 

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer based off of my experience.  If anyone else arrived in Sint Maarten today, or over the past days, feel free to share your experience as well.

Thank you so much, the info helped immensely. Did the taxi take US dollars or credit cards?

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gmjc2

gmjc2

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We booked a taxi in advance so we would not stress about waiting for one. We were told 20 dollars plus 2 dollars per suitcase. 

 

As for the tests. The wording on Celebrity website says 72 hrs before arriving in St.Maarten not before boarding. I am printing this out so if the check in person tries to say we are not in the time frame I can produce the document! We cannot get our test late enough on Weds  if we had to be before ship check in.

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mab4285

mab4285

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5 minutes ago, gmjc2 said:

We booked a taxi in advance so we would not stress about waiting for one. We were told 20 dollars plus 2 dollars per suitcase. 

 

As for the tests. The wording on Celebrity website says 72 hrs before arriving in St.Maarten not before boarding. I am printing this out so if the check in person tries to say we are not in the time frame I can produce the document! We cannot get our test late enough on Weds  if we had to be before ship check in.

You’ll want to check that site again. It specifically states 72 hours before boarding 

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gmjc2

gmjc2

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Just got an E.Mail where they have changed the wording to be before boarding. When will they stop changing things. So now we are in trouble just when I thought we had it set. We need to have the test after 5pm now which I can't do because I will be doing my Colonoscopy prep after 3 pm on Weds. If we wait to get the test after my procedure the chance of  the results getting back in time would be very slim. What a nightmare!

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