Royal Caribbean is going to require pre boarding Covid testing for Alaska cruises this summer, will Celebrity Follow?

[terrydtx]

Looks like RCL is going to require pre boarding Covid testing for Alaska cruises for all passengers vaccinated or not. Will Celebrity do the same? 

 

Royal Caribbean releases COVID protocols for its Alaska 2022 sailings. Here's what you need to know. (cruisecritic.com)

Edited March 29, 2022 by terrydtx

[helen haywood]

How is this any different from what Celebrity is already requiring?

[terrydtx]

5 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

How is this any different from what Celebrity is already requiring?

I was just hopping Celebrity would stop all the needless testing by this summer. Most EU countries have dropped their pre-entry testing and it is time for the cruise industry to do the same. Current Celebrity pre boarding testing protocols, per their website, end April 28th. RCL is extending theirs beyond the April 28th for at least Alaska sailings.

 

Pre-Cruise Testing

Out of an abundance of caution, Celebrity Cruises will be enhancing COVID-19 testing requirements for both vaccinated and unvaccinated guests. For US sailings departing through April 30, 2022*, all vaccinated guests are required to present a negative COVID-19 test result at the time of embarkation. This test may be taken as either as an Antigen or PCR test, conducted within two days of boarding the ship. Each guest is responsible for making their own arrangements with an accredited testing provider as well as covering all associated costs. 

[TeeRick]

@terrydtx Me thinks your post here is a bit confusing as it really is just the current policy on all RCG ships.  Maybe they will makes changes (or Not) in the coming months.  I personally would like them to shift back to 3 day testing at some point as a first step.  It will really depend on Covid (+) levels on their ships and only they know the trends (and report them to CDC).

[Purplsmurf]

I’m pretty sure that testing won’t be ending any time soon, but I wish they would follow other lines and have testing 3 days before if vaccinated and boosted and if not boosted then it can remain at 2 days. It would really help with the European sailings when leaving from the US. For our upcoming sailing we will test Wednesday morning and then head to the airport for our flight and Friday sailing. I usually don’t pack until I get the negative results. Now we will be on our way to the airport when our results come in.

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

I was just hopping Celebrity would stop all the needless testing by this summer.

With so many Summer/Fall cruises calling in Canada/Bermuda, I wouldn't expect testing requirements to loosen until late Fall/early Winter at the earliest.

[PKB]

43 minutes ago, Purplsmurf said:

For our upcoming sailing we will test Wednesday morning and then head to the airport for our flight and Friday sailing. I usually don’t pack until I get the negative results. Now we will be on our way to the airport when our results come in.

We fly out at 6:00am Wednesday for Seattle and Friday sailing.  Testing at home would be too early.  Will have to do the proctored online tests at the hotel.  I plan to do an at home test Tuesday night before flying out the next morning just to make sure I am negative.  Would hate to waste a transcontinental flight because I was positive and could have canceled and stayed home.

[s0479]

2 hours ago, PKB said:

We fly out at 6:00am Wednesday for Seattle and Friday sailing.  Testing at home would be too early.  Will have to do the proctored online tests at the hotel.  I plan to do an at home test Tuesday night before flying out the next morning just to make sure I am negative.  Would hate to waste a transcontinental flight because I was positive and could have canceled and stayed home.

Why can’t u test before your flight?  We tested at about 4am before we flew.

[RichYak]

3 hours ago, PKB said:

Testing at home would be too early.

I beg to differ. It's not too early. Get it out of the way before you board a flight.

[PKB]

I meant testing at home at a pharmacy or clinic would be too early for the two day window.  

[lovecruzin]

Many Alaska cruises are from Vancouver and Celebrity will need to follow the Canadian Govt regulations which I imagine will continue to require testing.

[Northern Aurora]

Celebrity offers three Alaska itinerary options.  While there is the RT out of Seattle, which we periodically book if we want to attend a Mariner's game or catch a special exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum, the better options are the Eclipse RTs out of Vancouver, and the one ways on Millennium between Vancouver and Seward.  

 

A significant number of cruises to Alaska depart out of Vancouver.  We have been following the Canadian test requirements to board a cruise ship as next month as we are scheduled to board the Eclipse in Vancouver as the first leg of a B2B.  Canada is requiring an antigen test the day before boarding or a molecular test 72 hours before boarding.  If Celebrity could drop their test requirements but until Canada changes drops their test requirements too folks boarding in Vancouver will be seeking tests.

[rotoal]

I read somewhere in the last few weeks that there would be testing in Vancouver at Canada Place, here is the link: https://www.empowerclinics.com/covid-19-testing/ - it will be at the Fairmount Waterfront, and I imagine won't start up until the cruise season starts.   

 

We will arrive on a Thursday evening for a Sunday departure in June.  It would be very easy for us to make an appointment for the morning before we embark.  The cost is about the going rate, and it will be very convenient.   

 

 

[twincheryl]

2 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

Celebrity offers three Alaska itinerary options.  While there is the RT out of Seattle, which we periodically book if we want to attend a Mariner's game or catch a special exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum, the better options are the Eclipse RTs out of Vancouver, and the one ways on Millennium between Vancouver and Seward.  

 

A significant number of cruises to Alaska depart out of Vancouver.  We have been following the Canadian test requirements to board a cruise ship as next month as we are scheduled to board the Eclipse in Vancouver as the first leg of a B2B.  Canada is requiring an antigen test the day before boarding or a molecular test 72 hours before boarding.  If Celebrity could drop their test requirements but until Canada changes drops their test requirements too folks boarding in Vancouver will be seeking tests.

For those of us flying to Vancouver, we also have to hope that Celebrity will continue the Covid tests that we will need to fly back to the US... correct? 

[cdn_tbird]

1 hour ago, twincheryl said:

For those of us flying to Vancouver, we also have to hope that Celebrity will continue the Covid tests that we will need to fly back to the US... correct? 

Wouldn't that depend when you booked the cruise? The announcement last year was those that had booked prior to Nov. 16 you'd be grandfathered and X would cover the testing. After that you're on your own. Luckily for us, both our 2022 cruises were booked before Nov. 16th so I would have expected that X would cover the testing. However, the Canadian gov't has recently dropped the entry test requirement. 

[twincheryl]

1 hour ago, cdn_tbird said:

Wouldn't that depend when you booked the cruise? The announcement last year was those that had booked prior to Nov. 16 you'd be grandfathered and X would cover the testing. After that you're on your own. Luckily for us, both our 2022 cruises were booked before Nov. 16th so I would have expected that X would cover the testing. However, the Canadian gov't has recently dropped the entry test requirement. 

Correct… we booked prior to 11/16 so am aware of that.  Just making sure I haven’t missed an update.

[Dancing Shoes]

Pre-cruise testing is why I changed my flight to Anchorage to a later time.  I want to make sure I can get a test early morning at Walgreens.  I don't want to order and do it online.  I hear it's easy, but I have never even zoomed.

[SWFL Cruisers]

I am doing a cruisetour in June, we are doing the land first, and I am wondering if Celebrity will perform the test during the last two land days before boarding?

[Gia2cats]

3 minutes ago, SWFL Cruisers said:

I am doing a cruisetour in June, we are doing the land first, and I am wondering if Celebrity will perform the test during the last two land days before boarding?

Wondering the same thing. Doing a cruise tour on land prior to cruise in July.

[5waldos]

I believe that Canada still requires pretesting for all cruise passengers and their timing is more restrictive than the cruise lines. I would check what they are before planning your testing.  

 

Also- I was told by Celebrity that things might change at the end of April but no idea what changes might be made. 

 

Also- as tired as I am of the testing and the masks and everything- it is concerning to me that a number of Celebrity ships are showing more positive CoVid tests than in previous weeks- the Millenium, for example, was a CDC green for quite a while, then yellow and now orange. So this testing is not as needless as we would all like to believe. 

Edited March 31, 2022 by 5waldos