Pre-Embarkation Covid Tests for EU sailings

[KeepSailing]

FYI, I was just on hold with MSC on phone to resolve an different issue on my transatlantic sailing leaving Genoa on Oct 31 and their message while waiting now says that regardless of vax status, all passengers embarking on EU departing cruises must arrive at pier with a negative Covid test. 

 

Appears their website under "Health & Safety" does not yet match this as it still says vaxed do not need pre-test.

[ditmar2007]

38 minutes ago, KeepSailing said:

FYI, I was just on hold with MSC on phone to resolve an different issue on my transatlantic sailing leaving Genoa on Oct 31 and their message while waiting now says that regardless of vax status, all passengers embarking on EU departing cruises must arrive at pier with a negative Covid test. 

Thank you. 

[ditmar2007]

Andplusalso: The Travel and Health Update on msccruises.dk says: 

"Cruises until the end of September 2021 are only available to guests who are residents in Schengen countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland) and in Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania."

Presently no US citizens.

[DCGuy64]

42 minutes ago, KeepSailing said:

FYI, I was just on hold with MSC on phone to resolve an different issue on my transatlantic sailing leaving Genoa on Oct 31 and their message while waiting now says that regardless of vax status, all passengers embarking on EU departing cruises must arrive at pier with a negative Covid test. 

 

Appears their website under "Health & Safety" does not yet match this as it still says vaxed do not need pre-test.

Any word on whether they will also administer a swab test at embarkation? Thanks for the update!

[DCGuy64]

3 minutes ago, ditmar2007 said:

Andplusalso: The Travel and Health Update on msccruises.dk says: 

"Cruises until the end of September 2021 are only available to guests who are residents in Schengen countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland) and in Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania."

Presently no US citizens.

That isn't correct. US citizens are allowed, as are people from Cyprus. I'm not sure why but the various MSC sites don't line up.

This is from the Canadian site:

*Cruises until September 30, 2021 are only available to guests who are residents in Schengen countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland) and in Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania and USA.

Edited August 24, 2021 by DCGuy64
added link

[KeepSailing]

1 minute ago, DCGuy64 said:

Any word on whether they will also administer a swab test at embarkation?

Their automated voice msg did not mention anything about testing at pier and I was so involved in solving my other problem that I did not ask.  Sorry

[DCGuy64]

1 minute ago, KeepSailing said:

Their automated voice msg did not mention anything about testing at pier and I was so involved in solving my other problem that I did not ask.  Sorry

It's OK, we're getting tested tomorrow and if they do one at the pier, too, that's fine. Just thought I'd ask. 🙂

[ditmar2007]

6 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

That isn't correct. US citizens are allowed, as are people from Cyprus. I'm not sure why but the various MSC sites don't line up.

This is from the Canadian site:

*Cruises until September 30, 2021 are only available to guests who are residents in Schengen countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland) and in Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania and USA.

That is how it was worded on the Danish site last time I checked. Today: Not so.

It could be a question of timezones. We've been up the last 10 hours here - parts of Canada hasn't started work yet.

 

Edited August 24, 2021 by ditmar2007

[ditmar2007]

6 minutes ago, ditmar2007 said:

That is how it was worded on the Danish site last time I checked. Today: Not so.

It could be a question of timezones. We've been up the last 10 hours here - parts of Canada hasn't started work yet.

 

It may be an error: The Swedish page includes USA, but not Cyprus. There are no German, French, or Estonian pages.

"For cruises until the end of September 2021, we will initially only welcome guests who are residents in the 26 European ‘Schengen’ countries (Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland) and also Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and the USA."
 

 

[marielco]

Ireland is non-Shengen and not listed under the exceptions and MSC have told me I can cruise in September.  All so confusing. 

[phred119s]

I had to call about something else today. I heard that in the recorded message, and the representative I spoke to made sure I was aware when we were gearing off the phone. I immediately looked on the website (US), and it still says only lists pre-departure tests for unvaccinated. Our flight from the US leaves at about the 46 hour mark. Could be interesting….

[KeepSailing]

31 minutes ago, phred119s said:

Our flight from the US leaves at about the 46 hour mark.

For our cruise, luckily we get into Italy a few days ahead and I plan on getting rapid antigen test at Genoa train station - they have walk-in booth administered by Italian Red Cross with no appt, and free .

[soloadventurer]

On 8/24/2021 at 10:45 PM, marielco said:

Ireland is non-Shengen and not listed under the exceptions and MSC have told me I can cruise in September.  All so confusing. 

 

And the UK site includes the following 

 

 

[Beamafar]

1 hour ago, soloadventurer said:

 

And the UK site includes the following 

 

 

I see that Ireland is not included in that list, though we are outside Schengen, too.

 

I rang MSC yesterday and asked them to explain their reasoning behind  having Ireland on the restricted list as a non-Schengen country and was told that MSC was just following other countries’ restrictions.  When I asked which ones (there are no current restrictions on the Irish for travel within the EU) she named Spain and Italy.

 

This is patently not true.  I reckon it’s just for MSC’s convenience as we book through the UK office and it’s a blanket policy.

 

@marielco I do hope that you’ll be able to cruise next month.  Perhaps you’ll let us know at the time.  We’re booked for October and the MSC rep just kept saying that our cruise isn’t affected by the restriction extension to Sept 30th.  Well, I know that!   

Edited August 26, 2021 by Beamafar

[KeepSailing]

Looks like MSC has now updated the US website to confirm pre-test required before arriving at pier for EU deparrtures.  Silent as to whether they also test at pier (assume not with this change).

[KeepSailing]

Sorry, appears they are still testing unvaxed at pier (did not read that initially since I am vaxed).  Also looks like they may be charging for this test?

[phred119s]

2 hours ago, KeepSailing said:

Sorry, appears they are still testing unvaxed at pier (did not read that initially since I am vaxed).  Also looks like they may be charging for this test?

What the actual heck!! We just had Covid recently and booked because they were recognizing infections within 6 months. Guess I’ll call again tomorrow. 

[marielco]

14 hours ago, Beamafar said:

I see that Ireland is not included in that list, though we are outside Schengen, too.

 

I rang MSC yesterday and asked them to explain their reasoning behind  having Ireland on the restricted list as a non-Schengen country and was told that MSC was just following other countries’ restrictions.  When I asked which ones (there are no current restrictions on the Irish for travel within the EU) she named Spain and Italy.

 

This is patently not true.  I reckon it’s just for MSC’s convenience as we book through the UK office and it’s a blanket policy.

 

@marielco I do hope that you’ll be able to cruise next month.  Perhaps you’ll let us know at the time.  We’re booked for October and the MSC rep just kept saying that our cruise isn’t affected by the restriction extension to Sept 30th.  Well, I know that!   

@BeamafarI will certainly let you know if we get to cruise. At the moment I still don’t know. We are 14 days from cruise and do not yet have our tickets but neither have we got anything to say our cruise is cancelled!

[CruisingFox27]

The EU may be making more changes to the travel rules for US passengers according to this news report. 

https://tamarathiessen.com/europe-new-travel-restrictions-us-america/

[Beamafar]

Not much to argue with, there. 
 

I was over on the NCL forum and saw that the Epic’s itinerary has had to be changed to accommodate a new Spanish requirement that passengers be tested onboard prior to the return of the ship to Barcelona. 

Edited August 27, 2021 by Beamafar

[Beamafar]

1 minute ago, Beamafar said:

Not much to argue with, there. 
 

I was over on the NCL forum and saw that the Epic’s itinerary has had to be changed to accommodate a new Spanish requirement that disembarking passengers be tested onboard prior to the return of the ship to Barcelona. 

 

[ditmar2007]

On 8/24/2021 at 5:37 PM, ditmar2007 said:

Andplusalso: The Travel and Health Update on msccruises.dk says: 

"Cruises until the end of September 2021 are only available to guests who are residents in Schengen countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland) and in Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania."

Presently no US citizens.

Apparenly this only applies to sailings in the Baltic Sea with MSC Seaview.

It's still in the Travel and Health Update