Any Canucks just off HAL in Fort Lauderdale

[bobpell]

Does HAL offer a PCR test on board (you pay extra... or not) for flights home the day of arrival in port?

If not can you get a paper copy of your negative test when you are tested on the dock?

thanks

[shirley valentine]

Love to hear feed back on this soon . I’m supposed to make finally payment on Monday . But I suspect from hearing others on other sites , the PCR testing is not being done on board ,but at the dock after disembarking. Deal breaker for me . I booked with the knowledge it was being offered on board ! 
 

 

[Fouremco]

It appears that HAL is now providing the test ashore after you disembark, with test results available in approximately 60 minutes:

 

[rodndonna]

2 hours ago, shirley valentine said:

Love to hear feed back on this soon . I’m supposed to make finally payment on Monday . But I suspect from hearing others on other sites , the PCR testing is not being done on board ,but at the dock after disembarking. Deal breaker for me . I booked with the knowledge it was being offered on board ! 
 

 

 

We just off on Eurodam on Wednesday. I'm not sure what the benefit would be if it were on board, as the testing is literally right just out the door of the cruise terminal (between the exit point and the cabs/buses etc) so you can't miss it). You get the notices/reminders in your room about your test. It was a very simple process.

[Fouremco]

51 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

We just off on Eurodam on Wednesday. I'm not sure what the benefit would be if it were on board, as the testing is literally right just out the door of the cruise terminal (between the exit point and the cabs/buses etc) so you can't miss it). You get the notices/reminders in your room about your test. It was a very simple process.

The concern expressed by many of us when Celebrity considered doing the testing ashore after disembarkation was what happens if we test positive. If you test positive during the cruise, Celebrity will fly you home, but if you test positive at the terminal once you've disembarked and the cruise is finished, will they still take care of you? Celebrity dropped the idea before that question was ever answered.

 

With HAL, do you get similar protection if you test positive onboard? And will they provide the same protection if tested ashore when the cruise is finished? I can understand why it might be a deal breaker for @shirley valentine if a positive test at the terminal leaves you fending for yourself.

[rodndonna]

11 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

The concern expressed by many of us when Celebrity considered doing the testing ashore after disembarkation was what happens if we test positive. If you test positive during the cruise, Celebrity will fly you home, but if you test positive at the terminal once you've disembarked and the cruise is finished, will they still take care of you? Celebrity dropped the idea before that question was ever answered.

 

With HAL, do you get similar protection if you test positive onboard? And will they provide the same protection if tested ashore when the cruise is finished? I can understand why it might be a deal breaker for @shirley valentine if a positive test at the terminal leaves you fending for yourself.

 

For sure, I think you're right and it has to do with where the responsibilty lies if tested positive. Unfortunately as Canadians, being flown home is not an option after testing positive. We would have had to stay and isolate until we tested negative. We presumed we would be fending for ourselves and accepted the risk for this to be at our cost as no one would insure for this unless it became an emergency situation which would have been covered by our medical.

 

It is an additional risk international passengers take and why we were particularly very careful on our cruise (no shared dining, not seating near non-compliant masking folks in entertainment venues, etc) Many other passengers may think some of us were being overly paranoid or antisocial, but we just couldn't afford any risk of catching covid. Quite a number of the dining staff were double masked, and in their position that was what I would have done as well (since the interact with so many and unmasked at their  dining tables)

 

That being said, for us (certainly not everyone) we were comfortable and felt confident and safe on our cruise (it helps that we're introverts!)

[bobpell]

Fouremco brought up a valid concern, namely what happens if you test positive at the  end of your cruise. This element of stress having a flight back to Canada literally hours after our test and the 'what happens" factor 60 minutes later...maybe you are now at the airport in line to check in when your email says you are positive!!

HAL is not in the airport to aid in any decision

Bob.

[rodndonna]

33 minutes ago, bobpell said:

Fouremco brought up a valid concern, namely what happens if you test positive at the  end of your cruise. This element of stress having a flight back to Canada literally hours after our test and the 'what happens" factor 60 minutes later...maybe you are now at the airport in line to check in when your email says you are positive!!

HAL is not in the airport to aid in any decision

Bob.

 

Yes, 100%, this is a risk you have to assess and decide if you are willing to take to cruise while for a while yet anyway.

 

This is no way meant to attempt to sway anyone as risk comfort is very personal, but on our cruise at dinner one night we overheard a  woman at one table conversing with another table. The short story " 3 years March on my last cruise my husband died of sudden heart attack on excursion in Roatan"  (she returned with the cruise whoc she said was great (NCL) , he was cremated and took 6 weeks to  return home) I thought, WOW, that's about the worse thing that could happen on a cruise that you can't possible plan for. We had already accepted to the what if Covid risk, but when I heard that, it just made the whole "what if Covid" seem that much smaller.

[Fouremco]

17 hours ago, rodndonna said:

Unfortunately as Canadians, being flown home is not an option after testing positive. We would have had to stay and isolate until we tested negative.

My understanding is that Celebrity will fly you home on a private flight, and that this is permitted. You would be tested upon arrival and have to quarantine for 14 days. From the travel.gc.ca website:

 

You will not be able to board a public flight to come to Canada until:

• 14 days have passed or
• you present a medical certificate confirming that your symptoms are not related to COVID-19

When you are able to enter, you will need to follow testing and quarantine requirements to keep Canadians safe, particularly given the new COVID-19 variants in Canada and around the world.

[rodndonna]

9 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

My understanding is that Celebrity will fly you home on a private flight, and that this is permitted. You would be tested upon arrival and have to quarantine for 14 days. From the travel.gc.ca website:

 

You will not be able to board a public flight to come to Canada until:

• 14 days have passed or
• you present a medical certificate confirming that your symptoms are not related to COVID-19

When you are able to enter, you will need to follow testing and quarantine requirements to keep Canadians safe, particularly given the new COVID-19 variants in Canada and around the world.

 

Indeed, I was talking about public flights (testing after exiting the ship as per HAL). 

Not sure where other cruislines stand, but HAL removed itself from the liability of providing people with private international flights at the end of the cruise (can't say I am surprised really).

 

[Florida_gal_50]

18 hours ago, rodndonna said:

 

For sure, I think you're right and it has to do with where the responsibilty lies if tested positive. Unfortunately as Canadians, being flown home is not an option after testing positive. We would have had to stay and isolate until we tested negative. We presumed we would be fending for ourselves and accepted the risk for this to be at our cost as no one would insure for this unless it became an emergency situation which would have been covered by our medical.

 

It is an additional risk international passengers take and why we were particularly very careful on our cruise (no shared dining, not seating near non-compliant masking folks in entertainment venues, etc) Many other passengers may think some of us were being overly paranoid or antisocial, but we just couldn't afford any risk of catching covid. Quite a number of the dining staff were double masked, and in their position that was what I would have done as well (since the interact with so many and unmasked at their  dining tables)

 

That being said, for us (certainly not everyone) we were comfortable and felt confident and safe on our cruise (it helps that we're introverts!)

I could have written this post myself.  I didn’t mix with a lot of people on my cruise and I like it that way 😛.