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Confused & Frustrated - What Would You Do?


Roz
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Looking for advice from my CC river cruising friends.  I have an 8-day Yuletide cruise booked with Tauck that departs Amsterdam on Dec. 6 and sails to Brussels.  I'll leave Nashville on Dec. 2 and arrive in Amsterdam on Dec. 3.  Final payment is due on Oct. 7.  I spent over an hour last night on United Airlines, Tauck, and the Gov't. of the Netherlands websites and was close to tears.  The information is so confusing and I don't know if I have the wherewithal to coordinate the Covid testing requirements for this trip.  If one thing goes wrong I'm stranded by myself in a foreign country.  I'm very close to canceling even though it would mean losing some money.  I looked at transferring to next year but my cruise is already sold out in 2022.  

 

The biggest obstacle I'm facing is meeting United Airlines' testing window and coordinating it with entry to the Netherlands.  With overnight flights I obviously lose a day.  Will the Netherlands go by my departure date and time in the US or my arrival time at Schipol?  The Netherlands says they won't accept self-tests but I don't know if that includes the medically supervised self-tests I see touted here on CC.

 

I was so looking forward to this trip but now it's turned into an obstacle course.  Another consideration is some places in Amsterdam requiring a digital vaccination record to get in.  I don't have that and would hate to spend 3 days in Amsterdam not being able to visit museums, restaurants, stores, etc.  

 

I'm feeling overwhelmed and don't know if I can do this.  I'm not going to enjoy myself if I'm in a constant state of anxiety.  I'm retiring next year and it pains me to think my traveling days may be over but I can't deal with this.  

 

What would you do in my situation?  

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Roz - I am so sorry as I know how much you were looking forward to this trip.

 

I had booked a Princess cruise next April and then a river cruise 2 days later. My head was spinning also trying to figure out how to test over Easter in Spain  or Austria (both very Catholic countries with a lot closed during that time) and then worried that I may contact COVID and test positive but not have symptoms. Then I was worried as I would have to test to fly through Heathrow. I cancelled. Now I am more worried about traveling and having symptoms as I know several who have had symptoms even vaccinated.

 

My trip wasn't until next year. I can't even imagine what you are going through.

 

I am finally flying to a nearby state soon for my first trip since COVID. I had planned to drive but with the day light hours getting shorter.

 

I can't offer any advice but I understand your frustration. I had called Tauck and did not like their cancellation policies and with so much uncertainty - I felt uncomfortable booking them right now due to COVID (this was probably 6 months ago when things were going better).

 

Good luck and please let us know what you decide and how things go. Wishing you the best.

Edited by Coral
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You're not alone.  The stress that covid testing, and arranging flights, has caused made me almost bail on our recent trip.

 

I can't answer specifically for Amsterdam, but hopefully someone here can answer.  Another really good source is the TripAdvisor forums.  LOTS of people are traveling, and can tell you what does and does not work.  I even had to have someone on the Czech Republic forum translate a passenger locator form because I just couldn't make the computer take the information as I had it.

 

Some countries do want testing within 72 hours of arrival.  That can be hard, but doable with effort.  There are places that will get a PCR test back within 24 hours.

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BTW - I did a COVID test through a Walgreens drive through this summer. It was self administered, though medically supervised in the drive through. The results come from a lab and didn't say anything about being self administered.

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Roz, I am really sorry to read that. Travelling alone does make it harder and I understand your concern about being stranded in a foreign country. Your fellow countrymen are a better help than I can ever be so I will leave practical things to them. I get the feeling that your frustration is made by the deadline 7 October so I think that call to your TA is a good idea, perhaps you can play on the idea that uncertainty as regards the Christmas markets would prefer you to push the final payment date. That may be cheeky but I would try it myself. Your TA will have dealt with many travellers that have been to Europe in the last month or so I hope, also practical stuff like testing requirements can be discussed to reassure you.

 

Do not give up on that cruise yet.

 

Good luck!

 

notamermaid

 

Edited by notamermaid
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4 hours ago, Roz said:

@Coral, thank you for your reply.  Good to know someone else out there shares my concerns.  I'm going to call my TA later and discuss this all with her.

Is this the case that the airlines, the Dutch government, and the cruise line are asking you to do something impossible to do?  Or is it the case that you have having trouble obtaining clear guidance from some/all of them?

 

From what I can see, the guidance from the Dutch government is fairly clear:  Either a PCR test (no earlier than 48 hours before your departure from your home country) or an antigen test (no earlier than 24 hours before your departure from your home country).

 

 

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1 minute ago, Psoque said:

From what I can see, the guidance from the Dutch government is fairly clear:  Either a PCR test (no earlier than 48 hours before your departure from your home country) or an antigen test (no earlier than 24 hours before your departure from your home country).

 

I was not able to find this information explained concisely.  It was not clear to me.  Thank you and I will verify with my TA.  I don't know if I will be able to get the test (and more importantly the results) within the 48 hr. window.  Is the departure time based on when I fly out of Nashville or out of Newark?

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2 minutes ago, Roz said:

 

I was not able to find this information explained concisely.  It was not clear to me.  Thank you and I will verify with my TA.  I don't know if I will be able to get the test (and more importantly the results) within the 48 hr. window.  Is the departure time based on when I fly out of Nashville or out of Newark?

I encourage you to look at the Dutch website closely now and even later (since the rules could change), but the current version of the rules on the website does not really define it that precisely, but it just says 24 hours/48 hours before departure from foreign country.  So I would use the departure of the first segment of your full itinerary as the “time of departure.”

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Hi Roz.  Not sure if this will help you or not but there is testing offered at Newark Airport.  I don’t know the timing of your connection but wanted to relay that info to you.   We are weeks away from going to Amsterdam and I need a calendar to keep track of dates to get everything done by.  It is indeed overwhelming.   Thinking of you.  

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Hi Roz, I can feel your angst in your post and  want to say hope it all works out. You know I also sail solo and would say, if you cannot find satisfactory answers to your specific questions? I would ask you this......how much is the anxiety worth?  I am sailing next week.......flying to Lisbon for an ocean cruise. My return flight home stops in Amsterdam for a short layover.........I was continually reading the Netherlands website and for my flight home I should be good.  But I understand your anxiety. If you feel it is too much and will be worried the whole time on the river cruise? I would say it is probably not meant to be and to cancel. 

Let us know what you decide.  Sending you all the best though🙂

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1 hour ago, Roz said:

 

I was not able to find this information explained concisely.  It was not clear to me.  Thank you and I will verify with my TA.  I don't know if I will be able to get the test (and more importantly the results) within the 48 hr. window.  Is the departure time based on when I fly out of Nashville or out of Newark?

Hi again, I am flying to Lisbon on United......I am getting an Antigen test within the 48 hours before I fly out of here.......departure from home.  Portugal allows the rapid test with the 48 time frame.

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Rules will constantly be changing however as of now to fly to AMS you need to be 1. vaccinated and 2. have a test.  There are 2 tests, PCR taken within 48hrs of departing (from US) OR Antigen within 24hrs.  The antigen will be cheaper with faster results.  Both tests should come back same day however it depends on where you go, etc....  I would only hope things get better over the next 2 months.  You'll also need to complete a health declaration form stating you have no symptoms, etc...    There is plenty of time for us to help you through this and no reason to cancel your trip over a test. 

 

For the Netherlands you will need to get their equivalent of a EU covid passport to go to museums etc...  Each country has their own but can be used all across the EU so only need to get one countries EU QR code.  We were able to get one from France but NL has one called coronacheck.nl which is where I would start.

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This does not sound too complicated to me.  You live in a fairly metropolitan area where tests should be readily available and you just need to work with the window in hours not flight times because you’ll lose some hours with the time change.  If these guidelines work then the rules will probably change by the time you take the trip so I wouldn’t be too worried about it.  The digital record is probably just a matter of uploading an image of your card to a site that produces a QR code.  Do you have a cell phone?  That’s all you need.

 

And finally, you ask what would I do?  I would not be traveling to Europe this year.  Can’t stand the thought of a 14 hour flight wearing a mask plus all the airport time, transfer time, etc.  My next Europe trip isn’t until April and now I’m worried that might be too soon.  People seem to be enjoying their trips so far and good for them for going with the flow.

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57 minutes ago, hoosier2017 said:

Hi Roz.  Not sure if this will help you or not but there is testing offered at Newark Airport.  I don’t know the timing of your connection but wanted to relay that info to you.   We are weeks away from going to Amsterdam and I need a calendar to keep track of dates to get everything done by.  It is indeed overwhelming.   Thinking of you.  

 

I saw that.  It costs $200 and you pre-register.  My question is would UA allow me to board in Nashville without the test, and then get it at Newark before I board the plane for Amsterdam?

 

8 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

This does not sound too complicated to me.  You live in a fairly metropolitan area where tests should be readily available and you just need to work with the window in hours not flight times because you’ll lose some hours with the time change.  If these guidelines work then the rules will probably change by the time you take the trip so I wouldn’t be too worried about it.  The digital record is probably just a matter of uploading an image of your card to a site that produces a QR code.  Do you have a cell phone?  That’s all you need.

 

I live in a Metro area and state with a low vaccination rate and high number of Covid cases so tests are hard to come by and are being rationed.  

 

My vax card has a QR code on it, so I'm not sure about uploading it but I'll check on that.

 

Thanks to everyone for your advice and guidance.

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I just checked Walgreen's and CVS.  They only offer one of the tests the Netherlands will accept (PCR) and results take 1-2 days to come back and results aren't guaranteed for travel.  Appts. are limited.  The closest rapid antigen test is offered in VA so that's out.  

 

They offer something called the Rapid Diagnostic Test (ID NOW) but I don't think it's accepted.  

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"No other type of test, including self-tests and serological tests used to detect antibodies in blood, is valid."

Does this include the BioNax test CCers are using and recommending?

 

 

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There are two BinaxNOW tests.  To be acceptable for flying you need the"BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag" test.  Here is an example: https://store.optum.com/shop/products/abbott-binaxNOW-COVID-19-ag-at-home-test-kit-2-pack/

 

Two websites we have found helpful are aggregate sites for multiple countries.   There are links to vaccine requirements, test requirements, and passenger locator forms.

 

This one is about the EU vaccine passport, but on the country map can click through to any European country: https://reopen.europa.eu/en

 

This is the IATA Travel Centre site" https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/world.php

 

We have the same issue with the acceptable time limit expiring for our tests while flying since we have a layover in another European country.  So our plan is get a test at our states testing site 2 days prior to our flight, with the results hopefully back before we leave.  Then on the way to the airport get another test so it is within the time limit when we finally arrive at our final European country.  After that another test in Europe to be ready for our train ride across a few more European countries before arriving at our ship.

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Roz - I feel for you. We just got back from France and a cruise around Corsica 10 days ago. The vacation itself was a lot of fun but the testing requirements made it pretty stressful. Chris was really wound up about it, to the point where I seriously wondered if we were better off canceling. We ran through so many potential scenarios and what-ifs. It got me stressed out too.

 

We tried twice, but could not get the darn QR code for France ahead of time. Their process was ungodly slow and they didn't even bother to look at our application until we'd already completed the trip and had been home for days. So we resorted to testing upon arrival in France, to get a temporary QR code.

 

France's entry requirement wasn't as stringent as the Netherlands' is. But since we had to test immediately upon arrival, we did a self-test at home just prior to leaving, to make sure. Then we tested on arrival in Nice to get the official QR code. That was easy but also stressful, because if we'd have tested positive then our vacation would have been over before it started! And Chris was not very happy to get off the plane and be greeted with a nasal swab... Welcome to France!

 

And then we had to test prior to coming home. I managed to get that done in a pharmacy ashore in Corsica with my bad French. The cruise line could have supplied us with tests that would have worked for the flight home, but their test would not have given us a QR code to enter restaurants and museums for our post-cruise day. The subtle nuances were a bear to figure out but we managed. I think I emailed our TA more for this trip, than I have in the last 10 years.

 

So, there is a dizzying array of things to consider. The regulations are indeed confusing. And they change by the day. I completely understand why you might feel overwhelmed and want to cancel. I am already getting wound up about going back to Europe for a Silversea cruise in Spain, in 7 weeks. It's a whole new set of hoops to jump through.

 

I hope you are able to find pre-flight testing that works for you, and that you are able to have your trip as you've planned. I agree with others that your TA should be your resource during this challenging time. And maybe you can get a little extension before final payment. Ponant did not ask for final payment for our Corsica cruise until 30 days before sailing.

 

A lot can change between now and December - hopefully for the better! Fingers crossed. I'm rooting for you!

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7 hours ago, Roz said:

 

 

My vax card has a QR code on it, so I'm not sure about uploading it but I'll check on that.

 

Interesting. Does the QR code point to the location of the test. Mine is handwritten.

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5 hours ago, Roz said:

They offer something called the Rapid Diagnostic Test (ID NOW) but I don't think it's accepted.  

 

I did the ID Now test at Walgreens. It is a rapid nucleic acid test. Results in less than 20 minutes. I don't know if it meets the requirements.

 

I found this info:
 

Rapid Molecular PCR Testing

While PCR tests for COVID-19 once could only be done in labs, they can now be carried out quickly on-site, producing results in a matter of minutes. Where these rapid COVID testing units are available, they are a great option for getting fast and reliable results.

At Physicians Immediate Care, we are able to offer the Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 Rapid Molecular PCR test (This is a Nucleic Acid Amplification Test – NAAT) with results in under 15 minutes. We prefer this test due to its high accuracy (less than a 0.5% chance that a negative result is inaccurate) and speed of results. Results are available in less than 15 minutes, making it the fastest rapid point of care molecular COVID-19 test. Fast, accurate results help us follow up immediately and provide the best possible care for our patients.

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My employer is providing PCR saliva tests. We do it on our campus - they send it over to a state university for testing purposes. We then get an email from the person in charge of COVID for our campus.

 

This is how the test comes to me in email:

 

Case ID: XXXXX

Test Date 08/31/2021:

Name: (My Full Name)

Test Type: Saliva PCR  

  

Dear (Full Name) :  

  

We are pleased to let you know that you have tested NEGATIVE for coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19. This means that the virus was not detectable at the time of the test. Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear 2-14 days after an exposure to the virus and may range from mild to severe. If you have had an exposure, please continue to self-monitor. 

 

 

-------------

 

I wonder if this would work for travel purposes?

Edited by Coral
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