3/31/22: Princess Updated FAQ's for US and Canadian Cruises

[Buckeye10640]

2 hours ago, westcoaster said:

The rationale is that Covid is already circulating widely in Canada (at levels roughly similar to the U.S.), so there is no public health benefit to requiring fully-vaccinated travellers to provide a negative Covid test when entering the country, regardless if you are entering by car, plane, or cruise ship.

But why then is the testing requirement to BOARD the ship more restrictive (1 day vs 3 day for antigen). I am flying to Anchorage on Wed evening for a Sat embarkation. So now Wed morning I need a rapid test (to be sure I am ok to fly cross country) AND a PCR test (to board ship Sat and hope its negative since rapid test was negative). Or fly and then find a rapid test in Anchorage on Friday. And find a rapid test in Vancouver the flying home the following Sat.    Carribean cruise was alot easier....lol

[beg3yrs]

Delete - found the info I was looking for!

Edited April 1, 2022 by beg3yrs

[westcoaster]

37 minutes ago, Buckeye10640 said:

But why then is the testing requirement to BOARD the ship more restrictive (1 day vs 3 day for antigen). 

Because those are two different things.  Crossing a border isn't a particularly risky activity from a public health perspective when there is a similar level of virus circulation on either side.  On the other hand, public health officials in Canada want to prevent Covid outbreaks on ships operating from Canadian ports, so they are requiring the pre-embarkation testing.  

 

While it's less convenient, I'm okay with the 1-day testing requirement if it reduces the risk of a Covid outbreak on my cruise.  And reducing the timeframe from 3 days to 1 day will substantially reduce the risk that someone gets a negative test, but then subsequently catches Covid before actually boarding the ship. 

 

It would be even better if the cruise lines just tested everyone as they boarded, but it doesn't seem like that's going to happen.

[snoodqueen]

I just got off the phone with Princess and basically the response was 'too bad - that's the way it is'.  If I don't get another antigen test, I was told that I will be left at the pier.  Princess is not offering free testing at the pier for anyone other than toddlers and that it would be $150 person.  Totally unacceptable.  There should have been notice to us arriving on the first ship into Canada about this at least a week ago or offer to do the test for free.  The update may have gone onto their website yesterday but I'm sure Princess has known for a little longer than that.  It isn't their fault that Canada has stupid requirements but it is their fault for not informing those sailing on the ship.  I am steamed!

[snoodqueen]

Follow up to my rant!  I went online looking for testing sites in SF that I would be able to walk to from my hotel.  Either no appointments available or $250.  I then checked the YVR website and looked and behold, the testing they used to charge $150 for had dropped to $79.  That I could do.  Still not happy with Princess's lack of communication but I am breathing easier and looking forward to boarding on Sunday - negative tests in hand!😁

[ceilidh1]

32 minutes ago, snoodqueen said:

Follow up to my rant!  I went online looking for testing sites in SF that I would be able to walk to from my hotel.  Either no appointments available or $250.  I then checked the YVR website and looked and behold, the testing they used to charge $150 for had dropped to $79.  That I could do.  Still not happy with Princess's lack of communication but I am breathing easier and looking forward to boarding on Sunday - negative tests in hand!😁

I hope all goes smoothly - with yours being the first ship into Canada it will be watched very closely. It will be interesting to see the outcome if there are (as reports seem to suggest) positive cases onboard! Good luck and safe travels!

[rj59]

I'm curious to see how they'll handle things in Victoria and Vancouver for the coastal ones.  I really don't see how it makes sense for a pre-boarding 1-day test, since there will be ships taking 3-6 days to get to a Canadian stop, including Alaska ones out of Seattle. If the Canadians require vaccine checks or ArriveCan checks for every passenger getting off a ship in Victoria and/or Vancouver, it would just be chaos, I think, especially since the instructions are confusing and a lot of people won't understand what they actually need and how to accomplish it.  I'll be on the Grand Princess in a few weeks going northward, and I'd consider canceling, if I hadn't paid $79 for a solo inside, with $250 in OBC for cocktail sampling. I can just see things getting really ugly come the height of Alaska season, though, which so much confusion and such tight testing timelines. 

[travelbuds]

My wife and I are doing a 4 day land package to Denali in May prior to our cruise (Royal) and will be stopping at Victoria, BC and disembarking in Vancouver. 

 

Princess website today:

"For cruisetours that begin with the landtour, guests do not need to be tested prior to their landtour. We will also facilitate testing toward the end of the landtour prior to guests’ embarkation. No testing is required for disembarkation in Vancouver." 

 

My Princess vacation planner  said the test will  be complimentary (hope she is correct).

 

https://www.princess.com/plan/cruise-with-confidence/cruise-health/frequently-asked-questions/us-cruises/

[HaveDogWillTravel]

9 hours ago, westcoaster said:

The rationale is that Covid is already circulating widely in Canada (at levels roughly similar to the U.S.), so there is no public health benefit to requiring fully-vaccinated travellers to provide a negative Covid test when entering the country, regardless if you are entering by car, plane, or cruise ship.

We do have to provide a negative test before boarding a cruise ship with ports in Canada. Those testing requirements are different and more stringent than if I went on a cruise with a Mexican port. My point is that if I chose to drive to the border into Canada I would not need to show a negative test result at all.  But to board a cruise ship into Canada I do have to provide a negative result. 

[dog]

5 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

We do have to provide a negative test before boarding a cruise ship with ports in Canada. Those testing requirements are different and more stringent than if I went on a cruise with a Mexican port. My point is that if I chose to drive to the border into Canada I would not need to show a negative test result at all.  But to board a cruise ship into Canada I do have to provide a negative result. 

Yes,

 

no matter where you come from , to board/ embark ship in a Canadian port you must produce a negative Covid test within the time frame updated April 1/22. 

[erber]

So we have a cruise starting June 1 from Anchorage, ending in Vancouver. As I understand,  we need either an antigen test taken May 31( or June 1) or a pcr test within

 3 days of June 1. As we are flying from Florida, leaving early on the 31st, we don't have time to get a test that morning. We would miss our flight. 

 

Does anyone know if the rapid NAAT tests at Walgreens will satisfy the PCR requirement? We could get one of those 2 or 3 days before we fly out and if it's considered a PCR test we would meet the 3 day requirement. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

14 minutes ago, erber said:

So we have a cruise starting June 1 from Anchorage, ending in Vancouver. As I understand,  we need either an antigen test taken May 31( or June 1) or a pcr test within

 3 days of June 1. As we are flying from Florida, leaving early on the 31st, we don't have time to get a test that morning. We would miss our flight. 

 

Does anyone know if the rapid NAAT tests at Walgreens will satisfy the PCR requirement? We could get one of those 2 or 3 days before we fly out and if it's considered a PCR test we would meet the 3 day requirement. 

It must be medically supervised. And it must be one of these. 

 

What types of COVID-19 tests are accepted?

Guests must take a SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) viral test that's either an antigen test or a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT).

• Antigen tests include: 
  • Rapid antigen
  • Viral antigen
  • Antigen chromatographic digital immunoassay
  • Antigen chemiluminescence immunoassay
  • Antigen lateral flow fluorescence
• Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) include: 
  • Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
  • Reverse transcription real-time PCR (RT-PCR)
  • Quantitative PCR (qPCR)
  • Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP)
  • Transcription-mediated amplification (TMA)
  • Molecular test or molecular diagnostic
  • Isothermal amplification
  • Droplet digital PCR or digital droplet PCR (ddPCR)
  • Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)

Edited April 2, 2022 by HaveDogWillTravel

[Buckeye10640]

16 minutes ago, erber said:

So we have a cruise starting June 1 from Anchorage, ending in Vancouver. As I understand,  we need either an antigen test taken May 31( or June 1) or a pcr test within

 3 days of June 1. As we are flying from Florida, leaving early on the 31st, we don't have time to get a test that morning. We would miss our flight. 

 

Does anyone know if the rapid NAAT tests at Walgreens will satisfy the PCR requirement? We could get one of those 2 or 3 days before we fly out and if it's considered a PCR test we would meet the 3 day requirement. 

Good question!

Edited April 2, 2022 by Buckeye10640

[atexsix]

12 hours ago, rj59 said:

I'm curious to see how they'll handle things in Victoria and Vancouver for the coastal ones.  I really don't see how it makes sense for a pre-boarding 1-day test, since there will be ships taking 3-6 days to get to a Canadian stop, including Alaska ones out of Seattle. If the Canadians require vaccine checks or ArriveCan checks for every passenger getting off a ship in Victoria and/or Vancouver, it would just be chaos, I think, especially since the instructions are confusing and a lot of people won't understand what they actually need and how to accomplish it.  I'll be on the Grand Princess in a few weeks going northward, and I'd consider canceling, if I hadn't paid $79 for a solo inside, with $250 in OBC for cocktail sampling. I can just see things getting really ugly come the height of Alaska season, though, which so much confusion and such tight testing timelines. 

This.  

 

I can't see this being in place for the Alaska runs from Seattle, 1 day testing or 3, both would be useless by the time the ships arrive in Canada.

 

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by atexsix

[FTLCruiseGal]

Just curious as to whether we will have to rest if we do not get off the ship in Canada.  Would be nice to know as I will stay on the ship.

[dog]

3 minutes ago, FTLCruiseGal said:

Just curious as to whether we will have to rest if we do not get off the ship in Canada.  Would be nice to know as I will stay on the ship.

You have to test when you embark within the timeframe Canadian government says, if Canada is a port.

[westcoaster]

10 minutes ago, FTLCruiseGal said:

Just curious as to whether we will have to rest if we do not get off the ship in Canada.  Would be nice to know as I will stay on the ship.

Even if you do get off the ship in a Canadian port, you are not required to get tested.  

 

The only testing required is pre-embarkation, and that is required regardless if a ship is leaving from Canada, the U.S., Europe, etc.  The only difference is the time frame for antigen tests.

 

 

[westcoaster]

5 hours ago, atexsix said:

I can't see this being in place for the Alaska runs from Seattle, 1 day testing or 3, both would be useless by the time the ships arrive in Canada.

 

 

The pre-embarkation testing requirement has nothing to do with arrival in Canada.  Canada doesn't require testing when you enter the country by cruise ship, land or air.  The pre-embarkation testing is a public health measure to reduce the likelihood of a Covid outbreak on a ship while sailing in Canadian waters.

[westcoaster]

I just noticed that the Canadian government webpage on Cruise health measures now gives a timeframe of 2 days prior to boarding for getting an antigen test:

 

Pre-Embarkation Testing Requirements for Passengers

To fulfill the above requirements, passengers requiring a pre-embarkation test will need to provide one of the following:

• Evidence of a negative COVID-19 molecular test (e.g. PCR test) – performed on a specimen collected from the person no more than 72 hours prior to their initial boarding of the cruise ship.
• Evidence of a negative COVID-19 antigen test (e.g. RAT) – performed on a specimen collected from the person no more than 2 days before initially boarding the cruise ship.

Princess is still saying 1-day prior for antigen, so I'm not sure if they will update that.

[FTLCruiseGal]

23 minutes ago, westcoaster said:

Even if you do get off the ship in a Canadian port, you are not required to get tested.  

 

The only testing required is pre-embarkation, and that is required regardless if a ship is leaving from Canada, the U.S., Europe, etc.  The only difference is the time frame for antigen tests.

 

 

You are correct, my apologies.  I was hoping to test before flying out, but I guess that won’t be happening because we have to test 1 day before the cruise.