Announcement coming Monday March 7 re: cruises out of Canada

[ladysail2]

1 hour ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

 

As a note, it says the below as well (under the Positive results heading)

 

Positive results on your pre-entry test

...

Canadians: To avoid being fined $5,000 per traveller (plus surcharges), wait to enter Canada at least 10 calendar days after your positive molecular test result. If travelling by air, you’ll be denied boarding. Counting starts the day following the day of testing.

 

https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/covid-vaccinated-travellers-entering-canada

 

1 hour ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

 

As a note, it says the below as well (under the Positive results heading)

 

Positive results on your pre-entry test

...

Canadians: To avoid being fined $5,000 per traveller (plus surcharges), wait to enter Canada at least 10 calendar days after your positive molecular test result. If travelling by air, you’ll be denied boarding. Counting starts the day following the day of testing.

 

https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/covid-vaccinated-travellers-entering-canada

Your information is from a March 1, 2022 documents.  I guess we have to read the ‘rules’ hourly…and hope for no changes on the way to the airport.

[AlbertaCruisers]

1 minute ago, ladysail2 said:

 

Your information is from a March 1, 2022 documents.  I guess we have to read the ‘rules’ hourly…and hope for no changes on the way to the airport.

 

The information I provided is the current information on their website right now. Link is below, in the portion of the website that tells you everything you need to know if you are a fully vaccinated traveler and all the steps you have to follow.

 

https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/covid-vaccinated-travellers-entering-canada

 

[ladysail2]

29 minutes ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

 

The information I provided is the current information on their website right now. Link is below, in the portion of the website that tells you everything you need to know if you are a fully vaccinated traveler and all the steps you have to follow.

 

https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/covid-vaccinated-travellers-entering-canada

 

The only observation that I can make is that the page from which you are quoting was modified as of March 1, 2022…..and the page from which I’m quoting was modified as of March 7, 2022.  I suppose printing the page and taking it with you would be useful if one tests positive.  They certainly are contradictory.   I noticed that nearly every page, that I looked at,  of the same website has a different modification date.  Like we need more confusion?? 😳

[broberts]

The rules for cruise ship arrivals are slightly different than land and air arrivals.

 

Cruise ship arrivals may disembark with a positive test. No mention of a fine. Must quarantine.

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, Dave from Ont said:

Passenger obligations

• Pre-boarding a cruise ship
  • Passengers must take a COVID-19 molecular test within 72-hours before boarding a cruise ship or take an antigen test within one day of the scheduled departure.

The quote above is from the newly released rules on Monday for passengers boarding a cruise ship in Canada.

Thanks for the tip on Medionerx in St, Catharines

But the cruise line could still have stricter qualifications. 

[Dave from Ont]

38 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

But the cruise line could still have stricter qualifications. 

Hopefully they will get on the same page. I think the Canadian Government has been stricter than the cruise lines. We will just have to wait and see I guess. Hopefully sorted by June.

 

[CruiseOrRust]

22 hours ago, Dave from Ont said:

We staying overnight in Toronto on June 9th, flying to Vancouver on June 10th. We will be staying overnight there and boarding our cruise on June 11th. We need a covid antigen test no more than 1 day before the cruise so we can board. Does anyone have any idea on where to get an antigen test in downtown Vancouver. We will be staying near Canada Place. Would it just be better to get a

As noted elsewhere there are various locations in downtown Vancouver where rapid antigen tests are available.  If memory serves, they range from $69 CAD and up.  But the number of locations is limited contrasted with the number of cruise passengers flying in from the US that will require prior-day tests.

We fly into Vancouver on June 8 for a June 10 cruise (Celebrity).  If employing rapid antigen tests, we will need one at home on June 7 to satisfy Canada entry requirements.  Then we will need another in Vancouver on June 9 to satisfy Canada and cruise line requirements.  We can schedule the Vancouver test ahead of time but the sheer volume of testing could delay results unacceptably.

My solution will be to get rapid PCR testing (rapid RT-PCR) here in Atlanta on June 7.  It will cost about $180 pp, but will satisfy everybody's (3-day) testing requirements in order to enter Canada on June 8 and board the cruise ship on June 10.

Ken

[LeDemonBlond]

I get to Vancouver to disembark from the ship however I  test positive. If I lived in Vancouver or drove to where I live in Canada, I would be allowed to go but expectation would be that I  head directly home and quarantine. I think I have to update my status with Arrivecan or the website when I test negative. 

 

In my case, I would be taking a domestic flight to get home from Vancouver.  If I test positive, the expectation is that the Cruise line has to put me in quarantine ( not sure if its a hotel of my choosing or not) and I cant leave until I test negative. Even though domestic flights do not require a PCR or Antigen test to fly for vaccinated passengers, the expectation is that I cant do this in this scenario.   Of course, I could leave anytime I wanted but I could ( and I think probably would) be fined $5000 as the Feds know I left as I assume the cruiseline would have to report that I left quarantine before testing negative.  

 

Am I interpreting how the rules are as they are today.?

[broberts]

13 minutes ago, LeDemonBlond said:

I get to Vancouver to disembark from the ship however I  test positive. If I lived in Vancouver or drove to where I live in Canada, I would be allowed to go but expectation would be that I  head directly home and quarantine. I think I have to update my status with Arrivecan or the website when I test negative. 

 

In my case, I would be taking a domestic flight to get home from Vancouver.  If I test positive, the expectation is that the Cruise line has to put me in quarantine ( not sure if its a hotel of my choosing or not) and I cant leave until I test negative. Even though domestic flights do not require a PCR or Antigen test to fly for vaccinated passengers, the expectation is that I cant do this in this scenario.   Of course, I could leave anytime I wanted but I could ( and I think probably would) be fined $5000 as the Feds know I left as I assume the cruiseline would have to report that I left quarantine before testing negative.  

 

Am I interpreting how the rules are as they are today.?

 

Why would one want to travel commercial when infectious with any easily transmissible disease? It would be the height of irresponsible behavior.

 

According to the GOC news release cruise lines are responsible for arranging quarantine quarters. I would expect that any passenger choice would be limited to a cruise line determined set of facilities.

[lovecruzin]

I am even more confused than before.
We are cruising from Vancouver on April 23. Celebrity requires a negative test within 2 days of embarkation so my plan was to do an Antigen test on the 21st, fly to YVR on the 22nd and board the ship on the 23rd. Now it sounds like that is not acceptable based on the following.

Passengers must take a COVID-19 molecular test within 72-hours before boarding a cruise ship or take an antigen test within one day of the scheduled departure

 Will I now have to take a Molecular test on the 20th to meet the time lines for cruising as well as for entering Canada?

 

 

[broberts]

20 minutes ago, lovecruzin said:

I am even more confused than before.
We are cruising from Vancouver on April 23. Celebrity requires a negative test within 2 days of embarkation so my plan was to do an Antigen test on the 21st, fly to YVR on the 22nd and board the ship on the 23rd. Now it sounds like that is not acceptable based on the following.

Passengers must take a COVID-19 molecular test within 72-hours before boarding a cruise ship or take an antigen test within one day of the scheduled departure

 Will I now have to take a Molecular test on the 20th to meet the time lines for cruising as well as for entering Canada?

 

 

 

Given your itinerary it's 2 antigen or 1 molecular. Keep in mind the molecular test must be within 72 hours of boarding. So your test on the 20th should probably not be scheduled in the morning.

 

[Fouremco]

21 minutes ago, lovecruzin said:

I am even more confused than before.
We are cruising from Vancouver on April 23. Celebrity requires a negative test within 2 days of embarkation so my plan was to do an Antigen test on the 21st, fly to YVR on the 22nd and board the ship on the 23rd. Now it sounds like that is not acceptable based on the following.

Passengers must take a COVID-19 molecular test within 72-hours before boarding a cruise ship or take an antigen test within one day of the scheduled departure

 Will I now have to take a Molecular test on the 20th to meet the time lines for cruising as well as for entering Canada?

 

 

Agreed. The GOC's decision to be even more restrictive than the cruise lines for boarding simply makes it more difficult for passenger travel with no tangible benefits IMO. As @broberts rightly points out, you must take care to ensure that you don't go over the 72 hour limit by being tested early in the day on the 21st. Had they used the same timing as the cruise industry, you could have been tested at any time on the 21st.

[DnA2010]

So I live 4 hours from the Vancouver port...in theory if one of us tested positive in the return testing, we would be allowed to still drive home (in Canada) and quarantine there? Or would a Vancouver hotel stay be required? or the $5000 fine if we did go home? 

[Fouremco]

Just now, DnA2010 said:

So I live 4 hours from the Vancouver port...in theory if one of us tested positive in the return testing, we would be allowed to still drive home (in Canada) and quarantine there? Or would a Vancouver hotel stay be required? or the $5000 fine if we did go home? 

I don't believe that there is sufficient clarity yet on this issue. The TC announcement and the existing regulations for entry to Canada don't quite match up in a number of areas, this being one of the more obvious ones. Hopefully it will get straightened out in the very near future.

[lovecruzin]

28 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Agreed. The GOC's decision to be even more restrictive than the cruise lines for boarding simply makes it more difficult for passenger travel with no tangible benefits IMO. As @broberts rightly points out, you must take care to ensure that you don't go over the 72 hour limit by being tested early in the day on the 21st. Had they used the same timing as the cruise industry, you could have been tested at any time on the 21st.

And to make matters more confusing. Celebrity requires test no more than 2 days out regardless. So we will have to do a molecular on the 21st so we don't have to test again upon arrival, which we may be randomly selected to do anyhow!
 

[Fouremco]

10 minutes ago, lovecruzin said:

And to make matters more confusing. Celebrity requires test no more than 2 days out regardless. So we will have to do a molecular on the 21st so we don't have to test again upon arrival, which we may be randomly selected to do anyhow!
 

Yes, Celebrity and most other lines require that tests be taken within the 2 days before sailing, which gives you a somewhat greater window than does the 72 hour requirement imposed by the GOC for molecular tests, and an even greater window for antigen tests, 2 days (Celebrity) vs 1 day (Canada).

[willing292]

5 hours ago, ladysail2 said:

The only observation that I can make is that the page from which you are quoting was modified as of March 1, 2022…..and the page from which I’m quoting was modified as of March 7, 2022.  I suppose printing the page and taking it with you would be useful if one tests positive.  They certainly are contradictory.   I noticed that nearly every page, that I looked at,  of the same website has a different modification date.  Like we need more confusion?? 😳

the page is again updated today, March 8, 2022

[Fouremco]

45 minutes ago, willing292 said:

the page is again updated today, March 8, 2022

With these constant changes, it would be so useful if they could be highlighted and easy to spot. 

 

 

Edited March 8, 2022 by Fouremco

[broberts]

2 hours ago, Fouremco said:

With these constant changes, it would be so useful if they could be highlighted and easy to spot. 

 

 

 

Given the frequency, I suspect a change log would be better. CDC does this with some of its more frequently updated pages.

[Fouremco]

1 minute ago, broberts said:

 

Given the frequency, I suspect a change log would be better. CDC does this with some of its more frequently updated pages.

Even better!

[tottenhamfc]

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

With these constant changes, it would be so useful if they could be highlighted and easy to spot. 

 

 

Great idea but the truth is that the Feds really don’t want us to travel. They have made it so difficult from day 1. Like I had inferred yesterday, English is our primary language and most struggle deciphering as the details are too complex. It really should be a few line items that are pertinent. The rest is all background info for passing into law. 

[broberts]

27 minutes ago, tottenhamfc said:

Great idea but the truth is that the Feds really don’t want us to travel. They have made it so difficult from day 1. Like I had inferred yesterday, English is our primary language and most struggle deciphering as the details are too complex. It really should be a few line items that are pertinent. The rest is all background info for passing into law. 

 

The writing is for a very broad audience. One shouldn't expect it to address a single reader's concerns.

[Greg8]

From RCCL website.

 

International Re-Entry Testing Options for Cruises from U.S. Homeports 

Many international travelers will require a negative COVID-19 test result for re-entry into their country of residence. Please see below for options available to you on your sailing.

Be sure to familiarize yourself with your country’s specific requirements prior to scheduling your re-entry test. 

Optional testing to satisfy your International Re-Entry Testing requirement is offered just outside the terminal after you disembark the ship, through our test provider partners. The cost of testing is the responsibility of the guest, and varies depending on the port, with antigen tests starting at $99 and PCR tests starting at $130. Either test is “swab and go,” and results will be emailed to you within an hour after testing. Once onboard, you will receive further guidance on how to schedule a test appointment.

• You can also make your own arrangements with test providers at the airport, or in the area of the port, such as local pharmacies or clinics. 

[mousefan73]

9 hours ago, Greg8 said:

From RCCL website.

 

International Re-Entry Testing Options for Cruises from U.S. Homeports 

Many international travelers will require a negative COVID-19 test result for re-entry into their country of residence. Please see below for options available to you on your sailing.

Be sure to familiarize yourself with your country’s specific requirements prior to scheduling your re-entry test. 

Optional testing to satisfy your International Re-Entry Testing requirement is offered just outside the terminal after you disembark the ship, through our test provider partners. The cost of testing is the responsibility of the guest, and varies depending on the port, with antigen tests starting at $99 and PCR tests starting at $130. Either test is “swab and go,” and results will be emailed to you within an hour after testing. Once onboard, you will receive further guidance on how to schedule a test appointment.

• You can also make your own arrangements with test providers at the airport, or in the area of the port, such as local pharmacies or clinics. 

99! for a 2 dollar antigen test! *****... Ok I get they need to pay for somebody to proctor, but still 99!!

[A&L_Ont]

16 hours ago, DnA2010 said:

So I live 4 hours from the Vancouver port...in theory if one of us tested positive in the return testing, we would be allowed to still drive home (in Canada) and quarantine there? Or would a Vancouver hotel stay be required? or the $5000 fine if we did go home? 

 

At this point in time, I'd expect that the negative person could drive home and the positive would have to stay behind at the quarantine hotel. If the positive individual left there would be a good chance of facing the fine.  I don't see them changing the rules for those that can drive home, if they already know they are positive before they step foot on land. Just my thoughts. 

 

Edit: it could change with time, but it's my interpretation as of now. 

Edited March 9, 2022 by A&L_Ont