Announcement coming Monday March 7 re: cruises out of Canada

[bcwife76]

At the port of Halifax, the transportation minister is going to make an announcement regarding the upcoming cruising season and Canada:

https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2022/03/federal-minister-of-transport-to-make-an-important-announcement-on-the-return-of-cruise-ships-in-canada-and-on-trade-funding-at-the-port-of-halifax.html

 

[broberts]

Monday March 7 at 8:30 EST. Fingers and toes crossed.

[d9704011]

15 minutes ago, bcwife76 said:

At the port of Halifax, the transportation minister is going to make an announcement regarding the upcoming cruising season and Canada:

https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2022/03/federal-minister-of-transport-to-make-an-important-announcement-on-the-return-of-cruise-ships-in-canada-and-on-trade-funding-at-the-port-of-halifax.html

 

Time for the feds to play catch-up with the provinces...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/phac-march4-update-1.6373321

[broberts]

12 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

Time for the feds to play catch-up with the provinces...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/phac-march4-update-1.6373321

 

We've been through this once before. A little more patience would not hurt. Besides, I've yet to see any suggestions for how those at serious risk are going to stay protected.

[Fouremco]

🤞 🤞 🤞

[dawnvip]

Fingers crossed here too! I also doubt the minister would be making the announcement at the Halifax port if it was bad news...

[stoddaj1]

Would love to see cruises departing from eastern Canadian ports.  They go south from Boston and New York so it is doable.  Interesting to think about...

 

[Fouremco]

44 minutes ago, stoddaj1 said:

Would love to see cruises departing from eastern Canadian ports.  They go south from Boston and New York so it is doable.  Interesting to think about...

 

Other than those already departing from Montreal and Quebec City, I doubt that you'll see any mainstream cruises sailing from other eastern Canadian ports. While I'd love to see cruises starting from Halifax, I'm quite sure that the various lines that sail out of the north east have marketing studies that indicate that Boston and New York provide a greater passenger base. 

[broberts]

A problem using Halifax as a home port is the limited air transport. I don't believe any US airlines service YHZ.

[stoddaj1]

United does, though at the moment it's via Toronto due to covid.  They always flew from Halifax to Newark.

 

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, stoddaj1 said:

United does, though at the moment it's via Toronto due to covid.  They always flew from Halifax to Newark.

 

Not even via Toronto according to YHZ's list of airlines providing service to Halifax.

 

https://halifaxstanfield.ca/flight-information/airlines-at-yhz/regular-scheduled-airlines/

[*Miss G*]

The confusion is probably due to the codeshare between United and Air Canada. 

[stoddaj1]

That's exactly it. 

[d9704011]

An excerpt from the Halifax newspaper...

Alghabra announced details of the plan in Halifax on Monday. It will require: 

• Crew and passengers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19
• Crew and passengers to self-monitor for symptoms
• Passengers to take a COVID-19 molecular test within 72-hours before boarding a cruise ship OR take an antigen test within one day of boarding a cruise ship
• Passengers to take a COVID-19 molecular test within 72-hours before arriving in Canada or taking an antigen test within one day of the scheduled arrival. 

 

https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2022/03/preventing-or-limiting-the-spread-of-covid-19-on-cruise-ships.html

Edited March 7, 2022 by d9704011

[tottenhamfc]

So no exemptions. Same as any other travel. Now the cruiselines are obligated to test onboard it appears for port stops. Unless I am reading this incorrectly they reference embarkation, disembarkation but no port stops. Still confusing until we get clarity from the cruiselines. I dont have a problem with the rules, its just the logistics of testing to get off on a port stop.

[CruiseOrRust]

All of the cruise line and passenger obligations and requirements notwithstanding, a crucial element of the announcement is the vaccination exemption for children under the age of 12.  This means that most cruises scheduled to embark or visit Canadian ports in the 2022 cruise season will be able to go forward (contrary to many alarming reports last week).

[ceilidh1]

1 minute ago, tottenhamfc said:

So no exemptions. Same as any other travel. Now the cruiselines are obligated to test onboard it appears for port stops. Unless I am reading this incorrectly they reference embarkation, disembarkation but no port stops. Still confusing until we get clarity from the cruiselines. I dont have a problem with the rules, its just the logistics of testing to get off on a port stop.

Wondering the same thing. If you have a stop in Victoria and disembarking in Vancouver, would the ship do the 72 hour test and that would cover both? Or would it be two separate tests? I'm planning on a coastal that ends on Vancouver with a stop in Victoria...seems like a lot of testing for 5 days, LOL

[RickT]

Assuming debarkation applies to port stops this will make it difficult for cruise lines to do Alaska and New England/Canada cruises.  
 

Unfortunately the announcement lacks a level of clarity needed to know for sure.  Guess we’ll hear more in the next few days especially from the cruise lines that have stops in Canada starting in late April.

[ByThePond]

6 minutes ago, tottenhamfc said:

So no exemptions. Same as any other travel. Now the cruiselines are obligated to test onboard it appears for port stops. Unless I am reading this incorrectly they reference embarkation, disembarkation but no port stops. Still confusing until we get clarity from the cruiselines. I dont have a problem with the rules, its just the logistics of testing to get off on a port stop.

This does seem to focus on embarking/disembarking and not necessarily on port calls (for example, Seattle based Alaska cruises stopping in Seattle). 

[tottenhamfc]

3 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Wondering the same thing. If you have a stop in Victoria and disembarking in Vancouver, would the ship do the 72 hour test and that would cover both? Or would it be two separate tests? I'm planning on a coastal that ends on Vancouver with a stop in Victoria...seems like a lot of testing for 5 days, LOL

I am in the same boat so to speak. San Fran with a day of cruising before a port stop in Victoria, ending in Vancouver. This will come down to costing. They could forego Victoria and stop in Seattle or Oregon. Victoria and East coast ate vulnerable it appears.

[RickT]

If the rules are what they appear to be I can see Alaska cruises again bypassing Victoria and Vancouver.  
 

We should know shortly based on cruise line announcements.  I can’t imagine anyone sailing from Vancouver knowing every passenger would have to be retested prior to returning to Vancouver at the end.  

[ehogan]

Too many unknowns:

For the Alaska cruises Vancouver return, does that mean the cruise line will do testing on board or will passengers have to hunt for tests in Ketchikan or Juneau?

 

 

And if you test positive on board just before disembarkation the Cdn government would have no choice but to let you in and quarantine in Vancouver?  The ship sure wont take you back!

 

I was hoping for a removal of testing altogether.😟

[tottenhamfc]

I dont agree with that statement. They surely would have consulted with the cruiselines to see if it would be logistically possible. Canada continues to not offer clarity in their statements. Whatever the rules, it should be simple to understand. You would never believe that English is our primary language. 

Edited March 7, 2022 by tottenhamfc

[Fouremco]

Very disappointing, and not all all what I had anticipated. There appears to have been no effort made to meet the cruise lines or cruise passengers half way. For example, why not use the existing cruise standard of allowing antigen tests within two days instead of one prior to boarding. But the biggest question mark for me is whether cruise lines will be both willing and able to provide all crew and passengers the required tests aboard within the tight timeframes laid out by Alghabra.

 

1 minute ago, RickT said:

 I can’t imagine anyone sailing from Vancouver knowing every passenger would have to be retested prior to returning to Vancouver at the end.  

We already have to be tested to embark on the cruise, and if sailing RT the US, we need a second test to re-enter Canada. So having to take two tests for a cruise RT Vancouver isn't going to bother Canadian or international cruisers. I agree, though, that the large US passenger base for Alaskan cruises will look to Seattle. Another PVSA exemption request is already underway, and today's announcement may result in increased support.

 

 

2 minutes ago, RickT said:

Assuming debarkation applies to port stops this will make it difficult for cruise lines to do Alaska and New England/Canada cruises.

I don't think that this will actually be too much of an issue. For example, with a New England/Canada cruise out of Boston heading to Montreal, once a passenger has arrived at the first Canadian port of entry, the remainder of the cruise is in Canadian waters. Passengers do not have to re-enter Canada at subsequent ports, as they've not left Canada. Same thing with consecutive stops in Victoria and Vancouver.

 

 

 

[tottenhamfc]

17 minutes ago, RickT said:

If the rules are what they appear to be I can see Alaska cruises again bypassing Victoria and Vancouver.  
 

We should know shortly based on cruise line announcements.  I can’t imagine anyone sailing from Vancouver knowing every passenger would have to be retested prior to returning to Vancouver at the end.  

It is not just Alaska. Victoria is a big issue not so much Vancouver. The East coast are all port stops. Crazy!