New quarantine requirements in Netherlands??

[lindalouT]

We just got an email from Viking (it’s all very confusing) saying it NOW requires a pcr test prior to departing home for any cruises leaving after sept 23. Everything I was told and read said this was already the case but now they are saying the 72-hour pcr test BEFORE was “recommended”...United has consistently said we need a pcr test 72 hour shift before leaving , although France isn’t requiring vaccinated Americans to be tested ...we had already scheduled a pcr test w guaranteed 48 hours to hedge bets BECAUSE  the contradictory Info from both Viking and United . Also confusing...Viking’s new email says required test is to be given no more than 72-hours PRIOR TO departure...so technically folks flying on their own several days before hand will have an out dated test ...but that’s how it’s worded. Seems a moot point cause Viking tests prior to embarkation too....wish they required their staff to jump through all these hoops (our vaccines protect them I guess) as we do to protect each other! Anyone else get this email? Might wanna check if you’re leaving soon 

[Roz]

@NavyCruiser and @lindalouT, it's all a conspiracy to drive us crazy!  Honestly, I'm questioning if it's worth it.  

[Blue Eyes]

58 minutes ago, Roz said:

@NavyCruiser and @lindalouT, it's all a conspiracy to drive us crazy!  Honestly, I'm questioning if it's worth it.  

I’m was thinking the same thing. We have had our trip booked since February 2019. 

[mhb1757]

3 hours ago, lindalouT said:

We just got an email from Viking (it’s all very confusing) saying it NOW requires a pcr test prior to departing home for any cruises leaving after sept 23. Everything I was told and read said this was already the case but now they are saying the 72-hour pcr test BEFORE was “recommended”...United has consistently said we need a pcr test 72 hour shift before leaving , although France isn’t requiring vaccinated Americans to be tested ...we had already scheduled a pcr test w guaranteed 48 hours to hedge bets BECAUSE  the contradictory Info from both Viking and United . Also confusing...Viking’s new email says required test is to be given no more than 72-hours PRIOR TO departure...so technically folks flying on their own several days before hand will have an out dated test ...but that’s how it’s worded. Seems a moot point cause Viking tests prior to embarkation too....wish they required their staff to jump through all these hoops (our vaccines protect them I guess) as we do to protect each other! Anyone else get this email? Might wanna check if you’re leaving soon 

We have not gotten this info from Viking….when does your cruise begin?

[lindalouT]

1 hour ago, mhb1757 said:

We have not gotten this info from Viking….when does your cruise begin?

i am on Cities of light and the whole "cruise" starts with a non-cruise two-day stay at paris hotel...then we are doing pre-cruise for an additional two days in paris thru viking. so tricky question...1) OUR official viking journey starts 9/20...the whole boat load of folks will be at hotel in Paris 9/22 and we embark onto boat (after bus trip) 9/24. So Viking uses all three of these dates as the "start of my cruise". but email said "for cruises embarking 9/23 thru oct 31" . want me to post a screen shot? like i said, they always gave me impression this was required ,but apparently NOW it's required!

[lindalouT]

Here you go…one thing I thought was odd it said something like , “information will be updated online in the next several days “ …I mean how long does it take to change a paragraph on the web page for consistency and to avoid confusion. But my impression was it’s a company-wide policy and maybe cause I am less than three days out they had to get it to me ASAP? Check your spam folder daily! The important stuff is stuck there with all the “Viking tv recipes” and junk mail! 

[Psoque]

45 minutes ago, lindalouT said:

Here you go…one thing I thought was odd it said something like , “information will be updated online in the next several days “ …I mean how long does it take to change a paragraph on the web page for consistency and to avoid confusion. But my impression was it’s a company-wide policy and maybe cause I am less than three days out they had to get it to me ASAP? Check your spam folder daily! The important stuff is stuck there with all the “Viking tv recipes” and junk mail! 

Maybe I'm not reading this correctly, but to me, this is not that confusing or contradictory.  It appears Viking is asking all passengers on cruise departing Sept 23 thorugh Oct 31 to have had a negative coronavirus PCR test to be performed within 72 hours of departure from their respective home countries.

[lindalouT]

What’s confusing….is they’ve been telling me I need a PCR TEST  three days before departing for several months . And that a person leaving a week to travel before embarking and a person flying out 9 hours before embarking have the same requirements . “To test before you leave “ … 

[NavyCruiser]

6 hours ago, Roz said:

@NavyCruiser and @lindalouT, it's all a conspiracy to drive us crazy!  Honestly, I'm questioning if it's worth it.  

 

Agreed.

This cruise is supposed to be a "Vacation", to get away from the stress at work at home.  

But to spend all this money, time, & effort to try to keep up with all these constantly changing & contradictory rules & policies, the uncertainty of testing pre-cruise & daily tests during the cruise, plus having to wear masks while in public spaces while onboard, then another negative test in order to fly back to the States.

We too are wondering if it's worth it, & maybe rebook for late next year...

[terry&mike]

3 hours ago, NavyCruiser said:

 

Agreed.

This cruise is supposed to be a "Vacation", to get away from the stress at work at home.  

But to spend all this money, time, & effort to try to keep up with all these constantly changing & contradictory rules & policies, the uncertainty of testing pre-cruise & daily tests during the cruise, plus having to wear masks while in public spaces while onboard, then another negative test in order to fly back to the States.

We too are wondering if it's worth it, & maybe rebook for late next year...

We have had to test a couple times, submit documents, and wear masks along the way, and I will say that for both of us it has been so very worth it! 

[Roz]

8 hours ago, NavyCruiser said:

 

Agreed.

This cruise is supposed to be a "Vacation", to get away from the stress at work at home.  

But to spend all this money, time, & effort to try to keep up with all these constantly changing & contradictory rules & policies, the uncertainty of testing pre-cruise & daily tests during the cruise, plus having to wear masks while in public spaces while onboard, then another negative test in order to fly back to the States.

We too are wondering if it's worth it, & maybe rebook for late next year...

 

100 times this!

[Roz]

5 hours ago, terry&mike said:

We have had to test a couple times, submit documents, and wear masks along the way, and I will say that for both of us it has been so very worth it! 

 

I enjoy hearing opposing views.  Let's suppose one or both of you tested positive and couldn't get back into the US.  What would you have done?  I'm just throwing this out there as I try to mentally formulate Plan B, C, etc. 

[terry&mike]

1 hour ago, Roz said:

 

I enjoy hearing opposing views.  Let's suppose one or both of you tested positive and couldn't get back into the US.  What would you have done?  I'm just throwing this out there as I try to mentally formulate Plan B, C, etc. 

We return home next week. If one of us tests positive we will quarantine in a hotel for the required time, 10-14 days, until we can return home. 

[Roz]

1 hour ago, terry&mike said:

We return home next week. If one of us tests positive we will quarantine in a hotel for the required time, 10-14 days, until we can return home. 

 

Would your insurance cover this or would it be out of pocket?  I don't have the financial resources to stay in a hotel for that long, as well as pay for room service.

[terry&mike]

1 hour ago, Roz said:

 

Would your insurance cover this or would it be out of pocket?  I don't have the financial resources to stay in a hotel for that long, as well as pay for room service.

I haven’t looked into it, so I’m not sure. We purchase an annual policy from GeoBlue. In just guessing, I would doubt it as this type of policy is generally geared more to major expenses (evacuation, medical) than for smaller ones (trip cancellation). 
Possibly there are some policies around that cover hotel quarantine expenses, for travelers who were interested in buying that feature. 

[lindalouT]

a gal who tested positive said she'd been in a hotel (i think in venice) with her husband for lime 24 days. she tested positive a bunch of times (didnt say if husband was in same room, but he tested negative ...and they were about to go home...and he tested positive for an extended time. She said (i thought this was interesting) her trip insurance only paid for the first week because it ended when the date of the original cruise ended. Gotta say, I never THOUGHT of that!

[Psoque]

On 9/16/2021 at 8:39 PM, lindalouT said:

What’s confusing….is they’ve been telling me I need a PCR TEST  three days before departing for several months . And that a person leaving a week to travel before embarking and a person flying out 9 hours before embarking have the same requirements . “To test before you leave “ … 

That's because that's the most reasonable and non-draconian requirement for everyone involved to get tested somehow.  I don't think the requirements are confusing/contradictory based on my understanding of the words confusing/contradictory.  And obviously, exact wording of the requirements might and most likely will change based on how different organizations announce them.  Furthermore, there's nothing "confusing" about how the airlines, cruise lines, and governments have slightly different levels of restrictiveness.  We just have to comply with all.

[lindalouT]

6 hours ago, Psoque said:

That's because that's the most reasonable and non-draconian requirement for everyone involved to get tested somehow.  I don't think the requirements are confusing/contradictory based on my understanding of the words confusing/contradictory.  And obviously, exact wording of the requirements might and most likely will change based on how different organizations announce them.  Furthermore, there's nothing "confusing" about how the airlines, cruise lines, and governments have slightly different levels of restrictiveness.  We just have to comply with all.

Good for you!

I see a bunch of people trying to navigate the changing requirements and help each other ..hundreds of them. I don’t see them refusing to comply or bitching,- just sharing observations and news and new protocols in real time to help each other. And I hope henceforth, anyone won’t be intimidated from sharing new developments or requirements or worries because they’re afraid of being told that they are wrong...that there is in fact,  NOTHING confusing...no new news that needs deciphering, no changing regulations that have to “figured out...no  contractions from different sources.  It’s ok for folks to share information and aid in understanding the ever-changing news. If you understand it all perfectly and don’t find it a bit confusing or contradictory...maybe you can quietly pat yourself on the back? 

[Roz]

6 hours ago, Psoque said:

 We just have to comply with all.

 

But how do we do that?  

 

The way it stands right now I'll need a negative test to get into the Netherlands 3 days before my cruise, another test while I'm in Amsterdam to board my Tauck ship, and yet another test in Brussels in order to board the plane home.  

 

Just for the heck of it, I checked Publix, Kroger, and Walgreen's, and no home tests are available that are accepted by the powers that be.  No appts. available at any walk-in clinics or drugstores, and no guaranteed test results within a 48-72 hr. window.  

 

Yesterday I read on Tauck's website that some places in the Netherlands will only accept a digital vaccination record.  All I have is a card with a QR code on it.  Is that digital?  

[lindalouT]

Check to see if your airline has recommended sites they work with. United had links to a bunch of places and we went to a grocery store 3 miles away w 48-hour pcr tests. They send results directly to United and your email. I suggest taking screen shots (in case there’s no WiFi and you need digital back up) and sending in email attachments as well. I figured if I used United’s “recommended partner” they’d be more understanding.

[lindalouT]

I’m in NJ and I googled. “ digital vaccine record” there was an app that I input my name and birthdate and “POOF” my vaccine record showed up (it’s not a copy of card it was from the state.) I had option to “send” to an email in PDF version you can print out. Again, if you can pull up these on a smartphone, take a screen shot too that will be in your photos, and you can kinda “flash” to anyone checking 

[Psoque]

23 hours ago, Roz said:

 

But how do we do that?  

 

The way it stands right now I'll need a negative test to get into the Netherlands 3 days before my cruise, another test while I'm in Amsterdam to board my Tauck ship, and yet another test in Brussels in order to board the plane home.  

 

Just for the heck of it, I checked Publix, Kroger, and Walgreen's, and no home tests are available that are accepted by the powers that be.  No appts. available at any walk-in clinics or drugstores, and no guaranteed test results within a 48-72 hr. window.  

 

Yesterday I read on Tauck's website that some places in the Netherlands will only accept a digital vaccination record.  All I have is a card with a QR code on it.  Is that digital?  

The Dutch website is being updated every now and then, and there is a mixture of updated and old information at any given moment, but last time I looked (just now), I think people entering the Netherlands (on and after September 22) from "very high risk" countries such as the US would need both a proof of COVID-19 vaccination (paper certificate would suffice for those coming from outside EU/Schengen countries, according to the same website) and a negative PCR test within 48 hours or departure OR a negative antigen test within 24 hours of departure from your home country.  I am surprised there is no place to get tested in Nashville, but perhaps our current surge in the disease and travel is outstripping the testing availability??

 

 I will not take a river cruise in Europe until later this year, so I am not sure how it works, but I think the testing for boarding, depending on the line, is arranged by the line.  I would ask Tauck about how that happens.  I also read a section about the CoronaCheck app, which is an app for people who were vaccinated in the Netherlands.  I read that some private businesses in Netherlands are only accepting that as the proof of vaccination, since that's a very secure and verifiable proof compared to what is available to those from other countries, especially outside EU, and especially from most US states where an essentially unverifiable paper certificate is the only proof available.  I believe this sort of thing (only accepting the French/EU digital certificate in France, etc.) in other EU countries for the same reason.

 

I am already assuming that, if and when we take our Rhine cruise in November, it is very likely that we may not be able to access some museums, etc. because our proof of vaccination (paper certificate) is not robust enough for some establishments.  We also have the Clear Health Pass, but I doubt most places would accept it as a robust digital certificate because that's still a digital representation of a non-robust paper certificate.  That's just the price many US citizens (from most states) would have to pay for rolling out our vaccination program without a plan for a robust and verifiable proof of proper vaccination.

 

In regard to getting your negative test before flying home, if the flight is soon after the end of the cruise, I have read that the the final test result while you are on the ship could suffice, but if you are doing a post-cruise stay, you may need to get tested again.  I would go to the airlines website to confirm the locations of acceptable testing sites and the exact required timing of acceptable test result.  My understanding that some of the large European airports are offering the tests, though I guess you may have to make a separate trip to the airport to obtain a negative result, instead of doing this while checking in to your flight home.

 

I guess it takes a lot of reading from various sources to put it all together, and since both the actual outbreak as well as the responses of various organizations are constantly changing, we just have to keep re-checking the information.  It is a pain, but I'm personally not finding this that big of a problem, since we are (planning to) taking this cruise because we want to.  Also, I stopped looking at the details of all of the requirements all that closely for now, since I am convinced that the requirements will change, most likely multiple times, before late November when we take our cruise.

Edited September 19, 2021 by Psoque
fixed some typos

[notamermaid]

17 minutes ago, Psoque said:

I am already assuming that, if and when we take our Rhine cruise in November, it is very likely that we may not be able to access some museums, etc. because our proof of vaccination (paper certificate) is not robust enough for some establishments. 

That would be a real pity. Remember, you can always take a test when you are in the area, turn around time for a simple test for accessing many venue is just 15 to 30 minutes in Germany. Do check with the the cruise director before assuming you cannot access a place with your vaccine card and that is it. It can then still be possible to enter with a quick test.

 

notamermaid

 

[Psoque]

2 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

That would be a real pity. Remember, you can always take a test when you are in the area, turn around time for a simple test for accessing many venue is just 15 to 30 minutes in Germany. Do check with the the cruise director before assuming you cannot access a place with your vaccine card and that is it. It can then still be possible to enter with a quick test.

 

notamermaid

 

Yes, it would be a bummer, and I am assuming that by November, things would be different, either for better or worse.   I am just saying that the paper vaccination certificate I have is not as robust and verifiable as what citizens of most industrialized nations are currently receiving.

 

However, if a quick and simple testing alone could potentially overcome this unchangeable limitation, I am all for that.

[Roz]

@Psoque, thank you for your detailed response.  Yes, the lack of tests is due to TN's status as #1 in the country for new Covid cases.  With a shortage of tests and test appts., going on a river cruise isn't  a high priority in the medical community here.  Tauck already indicated in the info they emailed me that I'm on my own in Amsterdam as far as finding a test site,  but Tauck requires one to board.  At the end of the cruise Tauck provides a test for an extra fee.  I assume United will accept it but I don't know how to verify that.  I'll check to see if possibly the Nashville airport offers tests.