Covid Requirements

[Firepath]

I found an Alaska cruise I would like to book for August. TA is telling me that in addition to proof of vaccination, I will have to pay for a negative Covid test for all 4 of us (fully vaccinated and over 12 yrs). That makes the price total too much for me. Is my TA correct?

[Fouremco]

As of June 24, there is no such stated requirement: https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/us-travel-requirements

 

Things may change as we date of the Alaskan cruises re-start approaches, of course, so even if you book when the requirement doesn't exist, it could be in play by time your cruise rolls around. Are tests really that expensive where you live that you would have to cancel? 

[Firepath]

Aren’t they about $200 pp or about $800/4 persons?

[jelayne]

15 minutes ago, Firepath said:

Aren’t they about $200 pp or about $800/4 persons?

It depends upon where you get tested.  We can get tested for between &80 -$150.   Asked on the current requirements the OPs TA seems to be misunderstanding who needs testing.

[PhD-iva]

Aren’t they covered by insurance? Maybe not…..?

[wrk2cruise]

Generally non medically required testing is not covered by insurance.

[Ken the cruiser]

You may want to make sure your TA isn’t confusing the Alaska cruise requirements with the ones for X cruises out of St Maarten which require a negative PCR test prior to boarding. As far as I’m aware as long as you’re vaccinated, a negative COVID test is not required prior to boarding on cruises out of US ports. 

Edited June 26, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[Fouremco]

8 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

You may want to make sure your TA isn’t confusing the Alaska cruise requirements with the ones for X cruises out of St Maarten which require a negative PCR test prior to boarding. As far as I’m aware as long as you’re vaccinated, a negative COVID test is not required prior to boarding on cruises out of US ports. 

The link I provided in post #2 has the US requirements. There are webpages for the other homeports, including Sint Maarten, Athens, Southampton and the Galapagos. As you say, the TA seems unaware of the differences from country to country.

[Daniel A]

17 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

You may want to make sure your TA isn’t confusing the Alaska cruise requirements with the ones for X cruises out of St Maarten which require a negative PCR test prior to boarding. As far as I’m aware as long as you’re vaccinated, a negative COVID test is not required prior to boarding on cruises out of US ports. 

As I understand it, X is getting a work around the Florida law which prohibits mandatory vaccinations.  They ask at booking if you are vaccinated and when you indicate yes or no, then they require everybody to get $180 Covid tests prior to boarding and on board several times and they restrict where you can go onboard the ship.  If you volunteer to present your proof of vaccination at the port, you are exempted from the testing requirements and have free access onboard.

 

This may be what the TA is looking at, but may be applying this to Alaska - or - maybe X is applying this protocol across the board.

[Intrepidgranny]

We found several places near where we live  with quick results that were free.  

[Fouremco]

52 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

As I understand it, X is getting a work around the Florida law which prohibits mandatory vaccinations.  They ask at booking if you are vaccinated and when you indicate yes or no, then they require everybody to get $180 Covid tests prior to boarding and on board several times and they restrict where you can go onboard the ship.  If you volunteer to present your proof of vaccination at the port, you are exempted from the testing requirements and have free access onboard.

 

This may be what the TA is looking at, but may be applying this to Alaska - or - maybe X is applying this protocol across the board.

See the link in post #2 for Celebrity's US requirements. The additional provisions for Florida are provided and apply to Florida departures only:

 

For Sailings from Florida
Guests over 16 years old (over 12 for any sailing on or after August 1st) who decline or are unable to show proof of vaccination at boarding will be treated as unvaccinated and subject to additional protocols, restrictions, and costs for COVID-19 testing. 

Additional requirements for unvaccinated guests 16 +

• You will need to arrive for embarkation with a negative PCR test taken within 3 days in advance of arrival to the terminal.  
• You will be subject to a Covid-19 test at the pier.
• A mid cruise antigen test onboard will be required. 
• An antigen test will be required at the end of the cruise.  Please do not make early travel plans on the day of debarkation to allow time for the required testing process. 
• The per person cost for these tests is $178 and will be applied to your onboard folio. 
• Masks will be required at all times onboard except while eating or drinking. 
• Unvaccinated guests are required to book a Celebrity curated tour, and depending on local government requirements, unvaccinated guests may be further restricted from going ashore. 
• And unvaccinated guests will have designated seating areas in some venues such as the dining rooms, casino, theatre, etc.  

[TeeRick]

3 hours ago, Firepath said:

I found an Alaska cruise I would like to book for August. TA is telling me that in addition to proof of vaccination, I will have to pay for a negative Covid test for all 4 of us (fully vaccinated and over 12 yrs). That makes the price total too much for me. Is my TA correct?

I do not believe so.  I booked a cruise on Millennium to Alaska from Seattle RT.  This is all within the USA and CDC does not require testing for the fully vaccinated.  According to the link below, you do not require testing for entry into Alaska if from the US.  Nor do you need a test for Washington state as it is following CDC guidelines as well for travel and fully vaccinated travelers within the US.  International travelers will need to check for their personal situation.

 

https://www.travelalaska.com/covid/covid19.aspx

[Daniel A]

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

See the link in post #2 for Celebrity's US requirements. The additional provisions for Florida are provided and apply to Florida departures only:

 

For Sailings from Florida
Guests over 16 years old (over 12 for any sailing on or after August 1st) who decline or are unable to show proof of vaccination at boarding will be treated as unvaccinated and subject to additional protocols, restrictions, and costs for COVID-19 testing. 

Additional requirements for unvaccinated guests 16 +

• You will need to arrive for embarkation with a negative PCR test taken within 3 days in advance of arrival to the terminal.  
• You will be subject to a Covid-19 test at the pier.
• A mid cruise antigen test onboard will be required. 
• An antigen test will be required at the end of the cruise.  Please do not make early travel plans on the day of debarkation to allow time for the required testing process. 
• The per person cost for these tests is $178 and will be applied to your onboard folio. 
• Masks will be required at all times onboard except while eating or drinking. 
• Unvaccinated guests are required to book a Celebrity curated tour, and depending on local government requirements, unvaccinated guests may be further restricted from going ashore. 
• And unvaccinated guests will have designated seating areas in some venues such as the dining rooms, casino, theatre, etc.  

Thanks,, that is what I had understood.  The TA must be confused on the policy.

[drakes2]

17 hours ago, Fouremco said:

The link I provided in post #2 has the US requirements. There are webpages for the other homeports, including Sint Maarten, Athens, Southampton and the Galapagos. As you say, the TA seems unaware of the differences from country to country.

@Fouremcois there any news on Canadians who received Astrazeneca as their vaccines not being allowed into the US? I have both doses but heard some venues don't recognize that particular vaccine. Don't want to book and be turned away.

[Earthworm Jim]

9 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

@Fouremcois there any news on Canadians who received Astrazeneca as their vaccines not being allowed into the US? I have both doses but heard some venues don't recognize that particular vaccine. Don't want to book and be turned away.

 

Looks like you're good to go:

 

What vaccines are accepted?

Vaccines that are fully approved or authorized for emergency use by a national regulatory authority (such as the U.S. FDA), or global health organization (such as the World Health Organization) are accepted. Please be aware that certain countries we sail from or visit during a voyage may require a specific vaccine, and only those travelers vaccinated with the requisite vaccine will be considered fully vaccinated. Be sure to review your departure country's requirements or consult our guest materials prior to sailing for these requirements.

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/faqs

[BostonBud]

18 hours ago, Fouremco said:

See the link in post #2 for Celebrity's US requirements. The additional provisions for Florida are provided and apply to Florida departures only:

 

For Sailings from Florida
Guests over 16 years old (over 12 for any sailing on or after August 1st) who decline or are unable to show proof of vaccination at boarding will be treated as unvaccinated and subject to additional protocols, restrictions, and costs for COVID-19 testing. 

Additional requirements for unvaccinated guests 16 +

• You will need to arrive for embarkation with a negative PCR test taken within 3 days in advance of arrival to the terminal.  
• You will be subject to a Covid-19 test at the pier.
• A mid cruise antigen test onboard will be required. 
• An antigen test will be required at the end of the cruise.  Please do not make early travel plans on the day of debarkation to allow time for the required testing process. 
• The per person cost for these tests is $178 and will be applied to your onboard folio. 
• Masks will be required at all times onboard except while eating or drinking. 
• Unvaccinated guests are required to book a Celebrity curated tour, and depending on local government requirements, unvaccinated guests may be further restricted from going ashore. 
• And unvaccinated guests will have designated seating areas in some venues such as the dining rooms, casino, theatre, etc.  

i believe in my latest email from either Royal Caribbean or Celebrity, it stated that unvaccinated guests will not be able to utilize the casino because it is too small to provide designated areas for the unvaccinated.

[TeeRick]

Just now, BostonBud said:

i believe in my latest email from either Royal Caribbean or Celebrity, it stated that unvaccinated guests will not be able to utilize the casino because it is too small to provide designated areas for the unvaccinated.

No problem.  Most unvaccinated guests are children on these cruises.

[Fouremco]

3 hours ago, drakes2 said:

@Fouremcois there any news on Canadians who received Astrazeneca as their vaccines not being allowed into the US? I have both doses but heard some venues don't recognize that particular vaccine. Don't want to book and be turned away.

Although there was a short-lived issue with some Broadway venues not accepting AZ vaccinations, both the US and Celebrity accept AZ. 

 

Where there might be an issue is in the case of mixed 1st and 2nd doses. As you know, Canada has approved this approach, but it's questionable whether Celebrity's Health At Sea policy does:

 

Vaccines that are fully approved or authorized for emergency use by a national regulatory authority (such as the U.S. FDA), or global health organization (such as the World Health Organization) are accepted.

 

While each vaccine individually might well be approved for a double dose, the level of acceptance of a combination is yet to be determined.

 

 

[TeaBag]

We heard the other day that people here who got AZ for the first dose are being advised to get Pfizer or Moderna for the second.

[Fouremco]

29 minutes ago, TeaBag said:

We heard the other day that people here who got AZ for the first dose are being advised to get Pfizer or Moderna for the second.

The recommendation from The National Advisory Committee on Immunization on interchangeability of vaccines was revised on June 17, 2021, "based on emerging evidence":

 

 When the first dose in a COVID-19 vaccine series is an mRNA vaccine, the same mRNA vaccine product should be offered for the subsequent dose if readily available. When the same mRNA vaccine product is not readily available, or is unknown, another mRNA COVID-19 vaccine product recommended in that age group can be considered interchangeable and should be offered to complete the series.

 

 When the first dose in a COVID-19 vaccine series is the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine, either the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine or an mRNA vaccine product may be offered for the subsequent dose to complete the series; however an mRNA vaccine product is preferred as a subsequent dose due to emerging evidence including the possibility of better immune response, and the safety of heterologous schedules. Individuals who have already received two doses of the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine are considered protected and do not require further vaccination.

 

https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/documents/services/immunization/national-advisory-committee-on-immunization-naci/recommendations-use-covid-19-vaccines/recommendations-use-covid-19-vaccines-en.pdf

Edited June 27, 2021 by Fouremco

[Blackduck59]

Thanks @Fouremco I'm not sure "The National Advisory on Immunization" has been all that helpful throughout this process. There have ben several instances when their pronouncements have caused unnecessary worry and confusion. The latest trade off experiments will be interesting to see how they pan out. My mother in law had 2 doses of Moderna, my wife had 2 doses of Pfizer and I guess I will find out Friday what they have on hand for my 2nd dose. A co-worker's wife got the first dose as AZ and was prepared to get the 2nd but changed to a different 2nd vaccine. It really feels like a rolling  clinical trial without any proper data collection.

[kiwimum]

As someone who participated in the AstraZeneca trial in the US and did receive the actual vaccine.  The CDC is going to issue vaccinated participants in the trial with approved CDC card and enter the data into the IIS system.

 

[Fouremco]

2 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Thanks @Fouremco I'm not sure "The National Advisory on Immunization" has been all that helpful throughout this process. There have ben several instances when their pronouncements have caused unnecessary worry and confusion. The latest trade off experiments will be interesting to see how they pan out. My mother in law had 2 doses of Moderna, my wife had 2 doses of Pfizer and I guess I will find out Friday what they have on hand for my 2nd dose. A co-worker's wife got the first dose as AZ and was prepared to get the 2nd but changed to a different 2nd vaccine. It really feels like a rolling  clinical trial without any proper data collection.

There is a degree of risk management going on resulting from the lack of guaranteed availability of the same vaccine that was used for the first shot. Based on information available to date, they have concluded that it's preferable to mix a first shot of vaccine "A" with a second shot of vaccine "B" than it is to wait for an indeterminate period of time for vaccine "A" to become available for the second shot. This is the same type of risk management that led to the decision to delay second shots to enable a greater number of people to get their first shot, an approach that has been judged very successful.

 

At some future point, when all approved vaccines become readily available, I've no doubt that they'll rescind this recommendation.

[RomanyUY]

13 hours ago, drakes2 said:

@Fouremcois there any news on Canadians who received Astrazeneca as their vaccines not being allowed into the US? I have both doses but heard some venues don't recognize that particular vaccine. Don't want to book and be turned away.

We're in Uruguay and I got Sinovac so I have the same question.

As far as I know, the current requirement allows for any vaccine approved by the US FDA, European EMA (which includes AstraZeneca) or WHO (which includes Sinovac).

These things change minute by minute though. By the time we get to cruise will they be up to some Omega Variant and have new rules on which vaccines are acceptable, which boosters you need?