Info about Canada's new rules for cruise lines for 2022?

[basicprincess24]

I'll be interested to see what Princess implements to be compliant for port calls in Canada. We're on a 10 night out of SF in May with a quick stop in Victoria (6am - 12pm) on Day 9 of the cruise. This seems like quite a lot to implement for such a short time in port. 

[Glaciers]

13 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

We are given a rapid antigen test onboard when doing a B2B.  It was simple ... we gathered in the vista lounge, were given a test to self administer with a person from the medical staff walking around to make sure we were doing it correctly.  We dropped our test onto a table and waited a few minutes for our results.  Princess has the process down. 

 

Thank you.  We doing a b2b in May and were told they do it onboard for the return but they didn’t give any details. I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around testing so many but good to read Princess has it down!

[cruisingrob21]

If they are going to require testing before each port (especially for the C/NE cruises with b2b2b Canadian ports), they may as well make it part of the dining room experience, or a station in the buffet at dinner 🤪

 

Starters - soup - salad - covid antigen test - entree - desert

Edited March 7, 2022 by cruisingrob21

[Cruise Raider]

5 minutes ago, Glaciers said:

 

Thank you.  We doing a b2b in May and were told they do it onboard for the return but they didn’t give any details. I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around testing so many but good to read Princess has it down!

 

We were on the first sailing where B2B's were allowed.  Even though they were still trying to figure out the procedure, it was quick and painless.  I understand that now, they test you on the last day of the 1st leg of the cruise.  That way, you can pack up your stuff instead of the room steward having to do it and be escorted off before all the other passengers disembark.  That makes more sense as we weren't tested until the second day of the 2nd leg of our B2B.  Thankfully, everyone tested negative.  

[bmc alabama]

55 minutes ago, basicprincess24 said:

I'll be interested to see what Princess implements to be compliant for port calls in Canada. We're on a 10 night out of SF in May with a quick stop in Victoria (6am - 12pm) on Day 9 of the cruise. This seems like quite a lot to implement for such a short time in port. 

Yes.  I wonder for the round-trip passengers from Seattle, if we choose just not to get off at Victoria if we’d have to test.

[Italy52]

10 minutes ago, bmc alabama said:

Yes.  I wonder for the round-trip passengers from Seattle, if we choose just not to get off at Victoria if we’d have to test.

I was wondering the same thing.

[AstoriaPreppy]

Here's my experience with onboard testing last summer. When we sailed on the Celebrity Millennium in June 2021 (the second cruise after sailing restarted by any US owned/run line), Celebrity provided end of cruise testing for all passengers.

 

The ship was sailing round trip from Saint Maarten. Celebrity contracted an outside company, Eurofins, to run testing prior to disembarkation. This was for re-admittance to St. Maarten, as well as return back to the US via air. 

 

Passengers were asked to scan a QR code in the "Celebrity Today" daily program, which allowed you to book a testing window. The Millennium's relatively small conference center on deck 3 was converted into a testing center. You showed up during your 15 minute window, checked in, got swabbed, and on your way. It took less than 10 minutes from start to finish. PCR test results were delivered by email later that afternoon, and by hard copy that evening. 

 

I assume Princess would do something similar if required by the Canadian government, but as we're booked on the 2 May Royal Princess round trip sailing from Vancouver, I'm eagerly awaiting more details. 

[gilboman]

1 hour ago, cruisingrob21 said:

If they are going to require testing before each port (especially for the C/NE cruises with b2b2b Canadian ports), they may as well make it part of the dining room experience, or a station in the buffet at dinner 🤪

 

Starters - soup - salad - covid antigen test - entree - desert

Well it's quicker than washing your hands properly (30secs) lol. Should do it at same time as they ask you to sanitize before going into dining room/buffet lol

[julia]

59 minutes ago, bmc alabama said:

Yes.  I wonder for the round-trip passengers from Seattle, if we choose just not to get off at Victoria if we’d have to test.

Yep..... wondering the exact same thing. We have stayed in Victoria often on land vacations, so no need to get off a ship there.

[azbirdmom]

CC posted this article today and HAL is already "in" https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/6805/

[CeeCee59]

6 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

CC posted this article today and HAL is already "in" https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/6805/

Error in their reporting - religious exemptions will NOT be allowed.

[Ombud]

Isn't HAL & PCL under the same Carnival Corp umbrella?? 

[Ken the cruiser]

12 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

CC posted this article today and HAL is already "in" https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/6805/

I find this requirement interesting since the current requirement for a pre-cruise antigen test for passengers boarding a cruise ship at a US port is two days prior to boarding. 

 

In addition to requiring most guests to be fully vaccinated, rules require crew and passengers to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms, take either a molecular test within 72 hours before boarding a ship or an antigen test within one day of boarding, and to take either a molecular test within 72 hours of arriving in Canada or antigen test within one day of the scheduled arrival.

[Ombud]

13 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I find this requirement interesting since the current requirement for a pre-cruise antigen test for passengers boarding a cruise ship at a US port is two days prior to boarding. 

 

In addition to requiring most guests to be fully vaccinated, rules require crew and passengers to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms, take either a molecular test within 72 hours before boarding a ship or an antigen test within one day of boarding, and to take either a molecular test within 72 hours of arriving in Canada or antigen test within one day of the scheduled arrival.

When I log into my cruise with 2 ports in Canada, the February 28 update says:

• "Guests on sailings from the United States must provide proof at terminal check-in of a negative viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) taken within two days of their embarkation. Requirements for non-U.S. voyages coming soon." 

So if they regard Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and east coast to Quebec cruises under these guidelines .... looks like they were ready to modify. 

[rick160158]

3 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I find this requirement interesting since the current requirement for a pre-cruise antigen test for passengers boarding a cruise ship at a US port is two days prior to boarding. 

 

In addition to requiring most guests to be fully vaccinated, rules require crew and passengers to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms, take either a molecular test within 72 hours before boarding a ship or an antigen test within one day of boarding, and to take either a molecular test within 72 hours of arriving in Canada or antigen test within one day of the scheduled arrival.

Wouldn't be to concerned about this. Passengers "disembarking" in Canadian ports have to be tested anyways before disembarking. I don't believe at the Canadian port, that they will be to concerned about the pre "embarkation test", its the "pre disembarkation test" that really matters. If you've done a Panama Canal cruise, or an Alaska cruise, and stopped at a bunch of different ports, then stop in a Canadian port, why would the Canadian authorities even care about the pre embarkation test done 1 or 3 days prior to boarding. Makes no sense. Princess says 2 days before the cruise with an antigen test is good enough. So be it, unless they change it.

[memoak]

3 hours ago, Ombud said:

When I log into my cruise with 2 ports in Canada, the February 28 update says:

• "Guests on sailings from the United States must provide proof at terminal check-in of a negative viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) taken within two days of their embarkation. Requirements for non-U.S. voyages coming soon." 

So if they regard Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and east coast to Quebec cruises under these guidelines .... looks like they were ready to modify. 

This is only to get on the ship not visit Canadian ports. I will test prior to embarking in LA but that won’t help when we visit Victoria on day 6 of a coastal

[rick160158]

17 minutes ago, rick160158 said:

Wouldn't be to concerned about this. Passengers "disembarking" in Canadian ports have to be tested anyways before disembarking. I don't believe at the Canadian port, that they will be to concerned about the pre "embarkation test", its the "pre disembarkation test" that really matters. If you've done a Panama Canal cruise, or an Alaska cruise, and stopped at a bunch of different ports, then stop in a Canadian port, why would the Canadian authorities even care about the pre embarkation test done 1 or 3 days prior to boarding. Makes no sense. Princess says 2 days before the cruise with an antigen test is good enough. So be it, unless they change it.

I also fail to see how this announcement improves anything. These are the same regulations as before for the cruise ships and passengers. Nothing has changed. 

[Ombud]

8 minutes ago, memoak said:

This is only to get on the ship not visit Canadian ports. I will test prior to embarking in LA but that won’t help when we visit Victoria on day 6 of a coastal

I was referring to the blue text. And then walking through onboard testing in Club Fusion like the Hawaiian voyages did. Relieved that that protocol suffices 

 

 

Edited March 8, 2022 by Ombud

[Cruise Raider]

Not sure if anyone has experienced the lines and the appointments to go through customs and immigration when returning to a US port after visiting a foreign port, but this probably won’t be a lot more involved than that was.  
Now, we just flash our passport when leaving the terminal.  They are really getting these processes down!  Disembarkation is now a breeze … testing will probably be much of the same.  

Edited March 8, 2022 by Cruise Raider

[Linsifer]

On 3/2/2022 at 9:17 AM, Ombud said:

Thx. That was my feeling as well. Bumpy road for 10 day Alaska cruises from SF. 

 

I found this on the 2nd website link (post 15) "The Plan should include procedures to log passenger and crew activities in port to facilitate the case and contact management whenever possible." I'm fine with shore excursions (waitlisted on 1: Grouse Mtn). Not ideal but ok if that's what's required. 

We’ll be on a previously canceled (from 2021) 10 day sailing out of SF to Alaska in early August this year.   Just waiting to see what will happen.  Hope there isn’t another variant that changes things.  I got an email from Princess a few days ago saying that our cruise is ON regarding our stop in Canada but to stay tuned for more information about Canada’s protocols.  We shall see.  In the meantime, we’ve got a wedding go to about a week earlier—our daughter’s!  She used to be my cruising companion starting in 2002 on the brand NEW Star Princess.  

Edited March 15, 2022 by Linsifer

[Yehootu]

We have a  14 day Vancouver RT. does the stop in Whittier. The cruise is also sold as 2 7 day cruises. We will take a emed proctored test prior to flying to VYR the day before. We have a stop in Victoria, then Vancouver the next morning. We are waiting to see if Princess will give us a pre departure test, which we'll use for our flt home. WE will have another emed test for us to take if we don't like what Princess puts out. We will plan on testing PRIOR to leaving ship no matter which way we have to, as I'd rather have a positive test onboard( for insurance and Princess policy )  rather than off the ship and be responsible for quarantine hotel and set-up. We have Princess Platinum insurance.

[cruisingrob21]

As posted elsewhere, there is speculation that canada may drop the testing requirement in the near future.  This is speculation from a french canadian reporter based on verbal information, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

https://flytrippers.com/canada-test-requirement-elimination/

 

[broberts]

1 hour ago, cruisingrob21 said:

As posted elsewhere, there is speculation that canada may drop the testing requirement in the near future.  This is speculation from a french canadian reporter based on verbal information, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

https://flytrippers.com/canada-test-requirement-elimination/

 

 

Given the travel industry's effort in this direction I would discount any speculation by the media.

 

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, cruisingrob21 said:

As posted elsewhere, there is speculation that canada may drop the testing requirement in the near future.  This is speculation from a french canadian reporter based on verbal information, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

https://flytrippers.com/canada-test-requirement-elimination/

 

They do a good job outlining why it should change.  Hoping it's a real leak and change is coming soon.

 

[Redwing55]

I strongly suspect this policy will change as the weeks fly by... provided that the covid trends continue to go in the right direction.  Since we're planning to be on the NE cruise, here's hoping that things get simpler.