Celebrity has changed their protocol on Departure PCR testing for International Travellers

[Work2cruz!]

I just spoke to a supervisor at Celebrity to find out why we now have to get tested at the port on departure day instead of testing on the ship the day before

This was the process when I cruised last month.   I also asked if the Safe Passage Home policy still applied if you test positive in port.  Here’s what I’m told

 

The Safe Passage Home Policy states if you get Covid on board the ship Celebrity will cover all medical costs, Isolation cost and airfare home if required.

 

This same policy DOES NOT apply if you test positive at the port. Even though it’s obvious you would have contracted Covid from the ship.

 

if you test positive in the port on day of departure they will cover the follow

150.00 per day hotel for 5 days only

100.00 per day for food 

400.00 for any flight changes 

If your Canadian we have to wait 15 days from the 1st positive test before we can go home.  
 

looks like Celebrity has found a loop hold to get out of their Safe Passage Home Policy

 

[kjmvacation]

Good to know- looks like we will need to cancel our b2b cruises that were to start on Feb 5, as we were planning on flying home to Canada on the same day as we disembark at the end of the cruise. Disappointed at how many upsells Celebrity has been able to send us- but no mention of this change without going looking for it.  Losing more and more confidence in Celebrity these days as they navigate through this difficult time. I’ll wait to cancel during the last few days and check the current situation in case they change a few more times by then.  Thanks for pointing this out Work2cruz!

[AlbertaCruisers]

In case you weren’t aware already, check out the Canadian board. As a note, they aren’t flying anyone home anymore unless it is medically necessary (the wording has changed on the website).  My understanding is that what was noted above in the first post is all you get now if you test positive on the ship as well. Below is my experience from Jan 3. 

 

 

[Work2cruz!]

This is not true based on my conversation with Celebrity.  If you test positive on the ship they make all the arrangements and cover all costs including medical. What they changed was they would still arrange to fly you home but on a commercial flight.  The is very different than testing in port.  Everything is left to you to arrange and you have to submit receipts to get your money back and they only pay for 5 days.  Doesn’t work for Canadians as we have to isolate for 15 days before we can come back

[AlbertaCruisers]

49 minutes ago, Work2cruz! said:

This is not true based on my conversation with Celebrity.  If you test positive on the ship they make all the arrangements and cover all costs including medical. What they changed was they would still arrange to fly you home but on a commercial flight.  The is very different than testing in port.  Everything is left to you to arrange and you have to submit receipts to get your money back and they only pay for 5 days.  Doesn’t work for Canadians as we have to isolate for 15 days before we can come back

I was told different on the Constellation, I was told it is now 5 days and limited amounts now where you test positive onboard or on the port test. It was different before Omicron. If your interested check out the end bit of the Dec 22 Equinox roll call (link below), which has discussions from a number of people that tested positive on the ship. Post #1150 has the letter the got on Jan 2 for their Jan 3 disembarkation. I think that letter says they will pay $350 a day for hotel, but somewhere I think someone posted a more recent letter that says they will now only pay $150 a day for hotel. 
 

I see that letter doesn’t reference the 5 day limit, but we were told they follow CDC guidelines as referenced in that letter, which is currently 5 days. 
 

 

Edited January 14, 2022 by AlbertaCruisers

[AlbertaCruisers]

Just as a note, I caution against relying on any of this when making your decision to cruise or not.  We were on the Equinox in Aug 2021 and Oct/Nov 2021 and in both cases got our test onboard to come home to Canada by at least the last day of the cruise.  Everything went really well and dealing with flights, check in, arrivecan was easy with tests in hand. 

 

We went on our December 23 Constellation cruise relying on the wording on the website that said testing would be onboard prior to the end of the cruise and booked our flights the day of disembarkation on that basis.  All cruise, I kept calling and being told the testing would be the last day and we would get a letter.  The letter never came.  By the morning of the last day we went down to guest relations and were told we would not be tested on the ship and would be tested in the terminal the next day after we got our bags and cleared customs.  I was very upset and got a meeting to talk to the head of guest relations and showed him the wording on the website that said the testing would be onboard and he essentially said too bad, it had changed and there was nothing he could do about it.  He could not and would not live up to what their website specifically said.  They kept saying it was based on the change in CDC regulations, which makes no sense to me, how does the timing of testing us to return to Canada rely on CDC guidelines?  It was him that explained to me they had changed their policy and no matter if you test positive on board or at the pier they ask you to find your own accommodations and they will refund the set amounts for up to 5 days per the CDC guidelines.  I told him we were Canadian and would not be able to fly home for 15 days (FYI, I believe this changes to 10 on Jan 15) and he again essentially said too bad.  I believe essentially because they are dropping you off in the US, they feel they only have to comply with CDC guidelines.  

The testing was a nightmare, but the testing company was only told on Jan 2 they needed them to be there on Jan 3 to do our testing, so hopefully it will get better.

[snoopercruiser]

We have flights back to Canada booked on debarkation day at noon. Is the port testing PCR and how long for results? Of course, if we test positive, it's a different set of questions:)

Thanks.

[Work2cruz!]

Can take up to 2 hours based on what I’ve seen on blogs.  The other issue if you test positive at port it will be on you to deal with getting hotel etc - you pay up front and submit expenses and only for 5 days.   if you test on ship Celebrity takes care of this.  My understanding based on my discussion with Celebrity, however things seems to be changing fast so who knows anymore.  
I saw a Facebook post that someone said they’ve reversed  this and are now doing on board again.  However their website is still showing it as in the terminal.   Here’s hoping… 

[Work2cruz!]

On 1/10/2022 at 12:53 PM, wildtky101 said:

I heard on our ship they move you to deck 6 but I looked and those cabins seems as though they are already booked (unless they just have them blocked out). I'd hate to be moved to an interior cabin if I get quarantined.

 

On 1/10/2022 at 2:06 PM, NanaChar said:

Here is a story from well before the pandemic.  My niece and her husband were taking a cruise for their honeymoon on RCL.  One of her aunts discovered they were in an inside cabin, so she upgraded them to a suite.  (Every honeymooner deserves a suite.)  During the cruise, my poor niece went to doctor complaining about a stomach ache.  They quarantined her to her cabin.  She was forever grateful to her aunt that her quarantine was in a suite not an inside cabin.    

 

On 1/10/2022 at 2:21 PM, cruisinwithmaandpa said:

We are in a veranda on deck 6

 

On 1/10/2022 at 2:27 PM, Work2cruz! said:

 They moved the guests who were on deck 3 to deck 6 to accommodate Covid guests.   On other ships with more cases they used Deck 3 and Deck 6.  They would move people in those cabins to other locations and quarantine those decks.   In December Deck 3 was off limits.  

 

15 hours ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

In case you weren’t aware already, check out the Canadian board. As a note, they aren’t flying anyone home anymore unless it is medically necessary (the wording has changed on the website).  My understanding is that what was noted above in the first post is all you get now if you test positive on the ship as well. Below is my experience from Jan 3. 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

I was told different on the Constellation, I was told it is now 5 days and limited amounts now where you test positive onboard or on the port test. It was different before Omicron. If your interested check out the end bit of the Dec 22 Equinox roll call (link below), which has discussions from a number of people that tested positive on the ship. Post #1150 has the letter the got on Jan 2 for their Jan 3 disembarkation. I think that letter says they will pay $350 a day for hotel, but somewhere I think someone posted a more recent letter that says they will now only pay $150 a day for hotel. 
 

I see that letter doesn’t reference the 5 day limit, but we were told they follow CDC guidelines as referenced in that letter, which is currently 5 days. 
 

 

CDC guidelines are 5 days.  Canadian guides  to come back into Canada 

 

Effective January 15th if you come back in before the 15 days you can get a $5000.00 fine. This is from Govt website 

 

Positive results on your pre-entry test

A positive pre-entry test result within 72 hours of your planned entry is not a valid test result for entry to Canada. 

Foreign nationals with symptoms or with a positive result from less than 15 days before arriving (starting January 15, 2022, 11 days) will be denied entry. 

Canadians: To avoid being fined $5,000 per traveller (plus surcharges), wait to enter Canada until the 15th day (starting January 15, 2022, 11th day) after your positive test result. If you had symptoms without a positive result, wait until the symptoms have ended and you have a valid negative pre-entry test result.

• Canadians include citizens, people registered under the Indian Act, permanent residents and protected persons (refugee status)

If you have symptoms or a positive result, we recommend postponing your travel until you have: 

• a negative result for a COVID-19 molecular test taken within 72 hours of your scheduled flight to Canada or arriving at the land border; OR
• a positive result for a COVID-19 molecular test that was taken 15 to 180 days (starting January 15, 2022, between 11 and 180 days) before entering Canada

 

[AlbertaCruisers]

58 minutes ago, Work2cruz! said:

 

CDC guidelines are 5 days.  Canadian guides  to come back into Canada 

 

 

I don't disagree with you, I'm just telling you what I was told by Celebrity.  I told him the same thing and he said it doesn't matter, they only cover 5 days based on CDC guidelines.

[Fly and Sail]

4 hours ago, Work2cruz! said:

Can take up to 2 hours based on what I’ve seen on blogs.  The other issue if you test positive at port it will be on you to deal with getting hotel etc - you pay up front and submit expenses and only for 5 days.   if you test on ship Celebrity takes care of this.  My understanding based on my discussion with Celebrity, however things seems to be changing fast so who knows anymore.  
I saw a Facebook post that someone said they’ve reversed  this and are now doing on board again.  However their website is still showing it as in the terminal.   Here’s hoping… 

 

It took 5:10h on JAN 9th to receive the result and I was the first person at the desk.

[drakes2]

5 hours ago, Work2cruz! said:

Can take up to 2 hours based on what I’ve seen on blogs.  The other issue if you test positive at port it will be on you to deal with getting hotel etc - you pay up front and submit expenses and only for 5 days.   if you test on ship Celebrity takes care of this.  My understanding based on my discussion with Celebrity, however things seems to be changing fast so who knows anymore.  
I saw a Facebook post that someone said they’ve reversed  this and are now doing on board again.  However their website is still showing it as in the terminal.   Here’s hoping… 

I would not trust what is posted on Facebook as being true.

[Fly and Sail]

5 hours ago, snoopercruiser said:

We have flights back to Canada booked on debarkation day at noon. Is the port testing PCR and how long for results? Of course, if we test positive, it's a different set of questions:)

Thanks.

 

Forget it. Unless you're willing to gamble that the result will be sent to you by 11am for which there's NO guarantee that it will.