Questions related to all things Covid testing relating to Princess Cruises

[lacy1101]

1 hour ago, capriccio said:

One would think so but I would certainly confirm it out of an abundance of caution.

Okay, thanks! 🙂

[denversees4me]

On 1/7/2022 at 9:32 AM, sarahbpate said:

We had no issues with eMed with our iPhones. I would suggest placing your iPhone on "Do Not Disturb" when getting ready to complete your test. I did get disconnected when someone tried calling me. I was able to get reconnected with another rep and we picked up right where I left off!

 

[denversees4me]

If you get disconnected and have to call back is the test null and void ? Someone told me yes you need a new test and to start over so I should order extras 

[CruzerDeb]

Has Princess stated a testing policy yet for European cruises this summer? I’ll be cruising from Rome to Athens and wouldn’t want to be stranded in either of those places (however amazing they might be). 

[LuvKruzn]

On 2/7/2022 at 1:34 PM, AstoriaPreppy said:

We're sailing on the Royal Princess in May from Vancouver. My question isn't about testing to get *on* the ship, but testing to get off. 

 

Currently, I believe Princess is doing complimentary disembarkation testing at US ports for foreigners who need a test to get back to their home country. But I can't seem to find anything for departures from foreign ports for US citizens. I'm just trying to figure out what we might need to do/book/plan, and I can't seem to find anything. Will Canada require on-board testing to disembark? Will Princess provide these onboard? Or in the terminal? Or are we on our own?

 

If anyone has any details, I'd appreciate it. 

Princess website updated Feb 7, 2022 states:

 

CruiseHealth™ FAQ: Sailings from the United StatesUpdated February 7, 2022

 

Post-Cruise

If my home country requires proof of a negative COVID-19 test result for re-entry following my cruise, will Princess administer and cover the cost of the test?

Yes, if a negative COVID-19 test is required for re-entry into your home country, Princess will cover the costs of a COVID-19 test administered within the timeframe required prior to travel.

Guests should disembark the ship, collect their luggage, clear customs and exit the terminal for testing. COVID-19 tests will be administered just outside the terminal. Antigen test results will be available in approximately 30 minutes and PCR test results will be available in approximately 60 minutes; please plan your post-cruise travel arrangements accordingly.

Guests are encouraged to review their home country’s health authority and travel websites to understand the latest guidance on required testing and timing for return travel.

If guests would prefer to have the required test completed while still onboard, Princess has partnered with Optum so that U.S.-based vaccinated guests can order an FDA-authorized at-home antigen test kit, shipped to your door in 3 business days or less, before traveling to the ship. Using MedallionNet onboard, these at-home tests include a personal virtually video-supervised visit with an eMed Certified Guide through telehealth services. These guides will help you properly administer the test while onboard and verify the results, within 15 minutes. The lab result report is delivered via email and can be printed or displayed on your mobile device during check-in. Please place your order with enough time to be shipped prior to your boarding. Order your test kit online.

UPDATED: What if I test positive at disembarkation while being tested as a requirement for re-entry to my home country?

Change fees and reasonable expenses related to shoreside quarantine and travel home for you and your immediate travel party will be covered by Princess if not reimbursable from travel protection plan or other responsible party.

Additionally, any shoreside meals will be covered through Princess by a per diem meal allowance. We will provide a dedicated Family Assistance liaison for care and logistical shoreside support and provide assistance opening insurance claims for those guests who purchased travel protection.

If you are unable to travel, our Family Assistance department will coordinate lodging and insurance support.

Can I book an extended stay in the embarkation city, following my cruise?

Yes, you may book lodging at your own discretion, following local guidelines. Guests must fulfill all requirements for post-cruise testing, if required by the destination.

Guests should check for the latest requirements on the destination official government websites to understand what documents and tests may be required for a post-cruise extended stay.

Edited February 9, 2022 by LuvKruzn
Add link to Princess website

[AstoriaPreppy]

2 minutes ago, LuvKruzn said:

Princess website updated Feb 7, 2022 states:

CruiseHealth™ FAQ: Sailings from the United States

Updated February 7, 2022

Post-CruiseIf my home country requires proof of a negative COVID-19 test result for re-entry following my cruise, will Princess administer and cover the cost of the test?

Yes, if a negative COVID-19 test is required for re-entry into your home country, Princess will cover the costs of a COVID-19 test administered within the timeframe required prior to travel.

Guests should disembark the ship, collect their luggage, clear customs and exit the terminal for testing. COVID-19 tests will be administered just outside the terminal. Antigen test results will be available in approximately 30 minutes and PCR test results will be available in approximately 60 minutes; please plan your post-cruise travel arrangements accordingly.

Guests are encouraged to review their home country’s health authority and travel websites to understand the latest guidance on required testing and timing for return travel.

If guests would prefer to have the required test completed while still onboard, Princess has partnered with Optum so that U.S.-based vaccinated guests can order an FDA-authorized at-home antigen test kit, shipped to your door in 3 business days or less, before traveling to the ship. Using MedallionNet onboard, these at-home tests include a personal virtually video-supervised visit with an eMed Certified Guide through telehealth services. These guides will help you properly administer the test while onboard and verify the results, within 15 minutes. The lab result report is delivered via email and can be printed or displayed on your mobile device during check-in. Please place your order with enough time to be shipped prior to your boarding. Order your test kit online.

UPDATED: What if I test positive at disembarkation while being tested as a requirement for re-entry to my home country?

Change fees and reasonable expenses related to shoreside quarantine and travel home for you and your immediate travel party will be covered by Princess if not reimbursable from travel protection plan or other responsible party.

Additionally, any shoreside meals will be covered through Princess by a per diem meal allowance. We will provide a dedicated Family Assistance liaison for care and logistical shoreside support and provide assistance opening insurance claims for those guests who purchased travel protection.

If you are unable to travel, our Family Assistance department will coordinate lodging and insurance support.

Can I book an extended stay in the embarkation city, following my cruise?

Yes, you may book lodging at your own discretion, following local guidelines. Guests must fulfill all requirements for post-cruise testing, if required by the destination.

Guests should check for the latest requirements on the destination official government websites to understand what documents and tests may be required for a post-cruise extended stay.

I know we Americans are notoriously bad at geography, but I'm sure most of BC and Canada would be annoyed if I didn't point out that Vancouver is very definitely still a foreign port, is not considered a sailing from the United States, and these regulations from Princess don't apply 🤣

[Roberto256]

2 minutes ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

I know we Americans are notoriously bad at geography, but I'm sure most of BC and Canada would be annoyed if I didn't point out that Vancouver is very definitely still a foreign port, is not considered a sailing from the United States, and these regulations from Princess don't apply 🤣

 

"Canada is like a foreign country, but attached."

 

Goldie Hawn in 'Protocol', 1984.

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087951/

[LuvKruzn]

4 minutes ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

I know we Americans are notoriously bad at geography, but I'm sure most of BC and Canada would be annoyed if I didn't point out that Vancouver is very definitely still a foreign port, is not considered a sailing from the United States, and these regulations from Princess don't apply 🤣

If Vancouver is still a foreign port ( as you indicate),  why isn't sailing from Los Angeles considered "sailing from the United States"?

Flying back to Los Angeles, California requires a COVID test per airline requirements.

[AstoriaPreppy]

19 minutes ago, LuvKruzn said:

If Vancouver is still a foreign port ( as you indicate),  why isn't sailing from Los Angeles considered "sailing from the United States"?

Flying back to Los Angeles, California requires a COVID test per airline requirements.

 

Uh... LA is definitely part of the United States. I can fly from JFK-LAX without a passport, or covid test (and have done so recently).

Not sure I'm following? 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2022 by AstoriaPreppy
confusion

[LuvKruzn]

7 minutes ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

Uh... LA is definitely part of the United States. I can fly from JFK-LAX without a passport, or covid test (and have done so recently).

Not sure I'm following? 

 

 

I intended to say, Flying back to Los Angeles, California from Vancouver, Canada requires a COVID test per airline requirements.

[AstoriaPreppy]

5 minutes ago, LuvKruzn said:

I intended to say, Flying back to Los Angeles, California from Vancouver, Canada requires a COVID test per airline requirements.

Yes of course! But we don't know what Princess is doing for foreign cruises at this point. 

 

The only guidelines Princess has released are about cruises from US ports, where foreigners (often Canadians and Brits) get complimentary COVID tests for departure back to their home countries. 

Will cruises from Vancouver or other foreign ports offer complimentary COVID testing for return home? Our Vancouver cruise on Royal Princess is 2 May, and we have zero details on any protocols yet. 

 

Edited February 9, 2022 by AstoriaPreppy

[memoak]

1 hour ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

Yes of course! But we don't know what Princess is doing for foreign cruises at this point. 

 

The only guidelines Princess has released are about cruises from US ports, where foreigners (often Canadians and Brits) get complimentary COVID tests for departure back to their home countries. 

Will cruises from Vancouver or other foreign ports offer complimentary COVID testing for return home? Our Vancouver cruise on Royal Princess is 2 May, and we have zero details on any protocols yet. 

 

The same goes for our LA to Vancouver cruise April 30. We usually take Amtrak from Vancouver to Portland after a 1 day stay in Vancouver. So far we cannot even book trains in early May from Vancouver 

[scooter6139]

4 minutes ago, memoak said:

The same goes for our LA to Vancouver cruise April 30. We usually take Amtrak from Vancouver to Portland after a 1 day stay in Vancouver. So far we cannot even book trains in early May from Vancouver 

We are doing the exact opposite of Seattle TO Vancouver via train.  Going a day early with an overnight stay before boarding the Alaska Sampler on Discovery.  Hoping the Canadian ingress requirements change by then, as trying to get a 72 hour pre COVID test done for both Canada and Princess is somewhat concerning on time constraints.

[chubbypiggy]

We will be disembarking at the Athens Princess cruise terminal in mid-April. At the Athens Princess cruise terminal, will we be able to get the required COVID test that we need to fly back to the U.S. for free?  Or the free testing that Princess mentioned in their FAQ only applies to passengers that will be disembarking at a U.S. Princess cruise terminal?   Thank you.

[memoak]

18 hours ago, scooter6139 said:

We are doing the exact opposite of Seattle TO Vancouver via train.  Going a day early with an overnight stay before boarding the Alaska Sampler on Discovery.  Hoping the Canadian ingress requirements change by then, as trying to get a 72 hour pre COVID test done for both Canada and Princess is somewhat concerning on time constraints.

We will be doing the same in August for a b2b  Alaskan cruise. Hoping no more testing will be in place to get on the train from Portland to Seattle to Vancouver. We like to break up the long  train ride

Edited February 10, 2022 by memoak

[acc1]

We are flying to Copenhagen a day early before our cruise departs. No way to get a Covid test done within 2 day prior to embark. Our flight is Saturday morning and we board ship on Monday in Copenhagen. Any suggestions.  Hopefully requirements will change, our cruise is June 6. 

Edited February 12, 2022 by acc1

[VibeGuy]

30 minutes ago, acc1 said:

We are flying to Copenhagen a day early before our cruise departs. No way to get a Covid test done within 2 day prior to embark. Our flight is Saturday morning and we board ship on Monday in Copenhagen. Any suggestions.  Hopefully requirements will change, our cruise is June 6. 

Has Princess actually indicated a test is required in that scenario, for a Copenhagen departure?

[kamelia]

5 hours ago, acc1 said:

We are flying to Copenhagen a day early before our cruise departs. No way to get a Covid test done within 2 day prior to embark. Our flight is Saturday morning and we board ship on Monday in Copenhagen. Any suggestions.  Hopefully requirements will change, our cruise is June 6. 

At the moment, it appears that there are testing locations at the airport in Copenhagen:

 

https://www.cph.dk/en/practical/covid19/test-in-copenhagen-airport

[nini]

There is hope and change coming:

 

 

"Last week, on February 1, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) sent a letter to the White House (here’s a PDF of it). In it, they asked that vaccinated Americans returning to the U.S. from abroad be exempt from the required pre-flight testing. They said that “Removing the requirement will greatly support the recovery of travel and aviation in the United States and globally without increasing the spread of COVID-19 and its variants.”

 

Newsweek dated 2/2/22

"The airline lobbying group Airlines for America, along with 28 other airline, travel, and business groups, issued a letter Wednesday to White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients to urge the removal of pre-departure COVID testing for vaccinated international travelers.

"Removing the requirement will greatly support the recovery of travel and aviation in the United States and globally without increasing the spread of COVID-19 and its variants," the letter says.

[Steelers36]

CANADA is going to can the PCR test requirement for entry into the country.  Fully-vaccinated travelers will be able to submit a Rapid Antigen test after end of FEB.  Should be great for all those looking to cruise out of/in to Vancouver this spring. 

[memoak]

9 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

CANADA is going to can the PCR test requirement for entry into the country.  Fully-vaccinated travelers will be able to submit a Rapid Antigen test after end of FEB.  Should be great for all those looking to cruise out of/in to Vancouver this spring. 

So on a 7 day coastal LA to Vancouver this April-May do you really think Princess will test the entire ship before disembarkation ?

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

So on a 7 day coastal LA to Vancouver this April-May do you really think Princess will test the entire ship before disembarkation ?

No, I do not.  Do you?  I never intended to imply such a thing.  I cannot imagine that happening.

[memoak]

15 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

No, I do not.  Do you?  I never intended to imply such a thing.  I cannot imagine that happening.

Well if you need a test to enter Canada where do you get one after 5-6 days on board ?

[VibeGuy]

Well, given that they’ve been doing just that before and three days after boarding for Hawaii and Transcanal sailings, as well as at return to port for unboosted pax on sailings from SF, yeah, I think they’re up for it, with surface antigen testing. 

[jenmbobbs]

Hi all,

 

We've just discovered that Princess don't accept un-vaccinacated children on board.  

 

Disappointed is an under statement as we are at a loss as to how we get to adhere to this rule considering he will be 10 years old at the time of travelling and currently Boris wont allow him to be vaccinated.

 

Anyone else come up against this and have any advice?

 

As you can imagine, we are now looking at alternatives, and P&O do accept children who are not of age to receive the vaccine, but find it bizarre that this is not mentioned more openly.

 

Any advice?

 

Thanks!