Unconscionable Rotterdam TA boarding line

[Laminator]

3 minutes ago, tcasey59 said:

This had nothing to do with assigned times. Holland America required all people to be tested at the terminal prior to boarding. The terminal had to be set up for testing. Holland America should have dispensed with the three day prior test if they knew in advance that all passengers would be tested at the terminal. it's poor planning on Holland Americas part and incompetence with shoreside management.

This supposedly was the result of the EU changing their policy yesterday. Doesn't leave a lot of time to get one's store in order.

[Florida_gal_50]

5 minutes ago, tcasey59 said:

This had nothing to do with assigned times. Holland America required all people to be tested at the terminal prior to boarding. The terminal had to be set up for testing. Holland America should have dispensed with the three day prior test if they knew in advance that all passengers would be tested at the terminal. it's poor planning on Holland Americas part and incompetence with shoreside management.

So there are a 1000 people in each boarding group?  That hasn’t been my experience.  I don’t doubt that some of the problem was poor planning on Hal’s part.

[kazu]

17 minutes ago, Laminator said:

This supposedly was the result of the EU changing their policy yesterday. Doesn't leave a lot of time to get one's store in order.

 

Agree.  All the facts aren’t known yet.  Horrific boardings are not always the fault of the cruise line.

It makes me remember when we were sailing out of San Diego.  We were lined up outside for at least 2 hours.  then the line slowly snaked inside.  When we finally got through (I think we were at 3 hours by then), the elevator to get to the walkway to the ship was broken.  People had to take the stairs.  All of this had NOTHING to do with HAL and was not their fault.  It was due to the port and the way it handled the passengers.

 

It was Captain Van Eerten and HAL that saved the day.  The entrance for the crew was opened (a first we were told) so that people could just walk on the pavement, skip the stairs and board the ship.  it wasn’t a glamorous way to board but it sure beat the wait we would have encountered otherwise.

 

[oaktreerb]

17 minutes ago, tcasey59 said:

This had nothing to do with assigned times. Holland America required all people to be tested at the terminal prior to boarding. The terminal had to be set up for testing. Holland America should have dispensed with the three day prior test if they knew in advance that all passengers would be tested at the terminal. it's poor planning on Holland Americas part and incompetence with shoreside management.

The three day prior test will  at least allow people who are flying to the port to cancel their flight if they had a positive test.  This is not the first time that HAL has been required to test at the port prior to boarding.  Covid is not done with us and rules will continue to fluctuate.

[OlsSalt]

9 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

 Covid is not done with us and rules will continue to fluctuate.

 

The administrative response to covid is not done with us either.  Fast moving front. But my first thought is HAL has no interest making passengers unhappy, so they are nor the first people in my own mind to blame. 

[Sea42]

41 minutes ago, Laminator said:

This supposedly was the result of the EU changing their policy yesterday. Doesn't leave a lot of time to get one's store in order.

I could find nothing about an EU policy change, do you have a link?

[VMax1700]

1 hour ago, Laminator said:

Someone posted in a roll call that the EU changed their requirements yesterday. 

Incorrect.  The EU has not changed requirements.

Think about it.  What relevance does testing today have when the pax will not enter the EU for another 10 days?

[MAVIP]

For our departure May 1st from Amsterdam to Norwegian Fjords we received the new "rules"  about testing last Thursday, April 14th. New rule: medically supervised pcr or antigen test within one day of embarkation. Without certificate: free test in cruise terminal.

Before that date the same rules as for departures in USA: 3 or 2 days before embarkation.  What did not change: the possibility to test in the cruise terminal.

Whether it was CDC or EU authorities or maybe both is an unanswered question for me. There must be a good reason. And it concerns the health of everybody on board. 

[Laminator]

2 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Incorrect.  The EU has not changed requirements.

Think about it.  What relevance does testing today have when the pax will not enter the EU for another 10 days?

It didn't make sense to me either at first until I saw a post where HAL sent out an email late Friday requiring all pax to have a covid test within 24 hours of boarding for this cruise. That is an EU requirement. Not a US requirement. Most pax on this cruise thought they had a 2 to 3 day leeway for the negative. And then another poster on a roll call stated that a staff member informed them that the EU informed HAL yesterday that the EU requirements would take precedence on this cruise. So prior to you stating I am incorrect let's wait for sone more information. 

[MAVIP]

6 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Incorrect.  The EU has not changed requirements.

Think about it.  What relevance does testing today have when the pax will not enter the EU for another 10 days?

Could it be that too many passengers are/were infected between the tests 3 or 2 days before and the day of embarkation embarkation?  

[ShipWalker]

Hey, boze9999!

 

What's happening and why? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, tcasey59 said:

This had nothing to do with assigned times. Holland America required all people to be tested at the terminal prior to boarding. The terminal had to be set up for testing. Holland America should have dispensed with the three day prior test if they knew in advance that all passengers would be tested at the terminal. it's poor planning on Holland Americas part and incompetence with shoreside management.

HAL was informed at 8 am today by a government agency 

[LindaJ+]

Are most boarding times early afternoon? ... therefore anxious folks line up then or earlier?  Would it be less stressful to wait until the line dies down?  How late can you board?  Our boarding pass time is 1:00.  Departure 5:00.  I'm sure we could stow our luggage at the hotel for a couple hours and just do a walkabout until ... say ... 3:00.

[OlsSalt]

Good sales pitch for newly FDA authorized Three-Minute "covid"  breathalyzer testing machines?

[StLouisCruisers]

3 minutes ago, LindaJ+ said:

Are most boarding times early afternoon? ... therefore anxious folks line up then or earlier?  Would it be less stressful to wait until the line dies down?  How late can you board?  Our boarding pass time is 1:00.  Departure 5:00.  I'm sure we could stow our luggage at the hotel for a couple hours and just do a walkabout until ... say ... 3:00.

 

In the past word was you had to be on board 90 minutes ahead of departure due to DHS (?) requirements.  I wouldn't wait too late to board.  That would stress me out!

[atexsix]

12 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

In the past word was you had to be on board 90 minutes ahead of departure due to DHS (?) requirements.  I wouldn't wait too late to board.  That would stress me out!

Me too.  For a 5:00 sailing I think 2 is the latest I'd do it.

 

Dear Dad and I are bringing walkers with the seats from now on, because you never know, if Dad went down to the ground I'm not sure I could get him up again without help.  Plus, terminals are the worst about having seating available.  

 

You would think someone at the terminal could go up and down the line to make sure people are okay, pass out waters to those overheating.  

[CruiserBruce]

20 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

Good sales pitch for newly FDA authorized Three-Minute "covid"  breathalyzer testing machines?

As mentioned in your other thread, while it sounds appealing, there are significant limitations to the machines...number of tests per day, per machine, for example, is pretty small. It doesn't sound like, without a cruise line putting a couple dozen machines on a ship, to be very appropriate application.

[POAII Cruiser]

The boarding process normally shuts down at 3:30. It will stay open later if there are significant numbers of passengers with late flights booked through the cruise line. The terminal door usually open between 10:00 and 10:30. 

[waiting2retire]

Yes, it was horrendous standing in the heat. We were lucky and managed to be the last ones into a shaded are before the lines spilled outside. There was no crowd control/line management but MOST passengers were well-behaved and did not attempt to jump the queue. 
 

We were early because we had an early flight in from Toronto this morning, arriving at the port around 11:15. The doors did not open to allow the first passengers in until after 12:30. 
 

A few HAL reps came around with bottled water about noon then about 12:30 local fire department showed up with more water and some folding chairs to give those in need somewhere to sit. 
 

we have been told that there were the usual suspects late leaving the ship to zero out capacity. Since we received no email from HAL regarding a change to COVID testing requirements, I believe the HAL employee who said they were only notified of the requirement last night. Given the lateness of the change, I actually think HAL did an amazing job testing everyone prior to boarding. 
 

And in this case having Verifly downloaded and completed saved us a ton of time. There was no usual priority line due to the testing, but those who had completed Verifly did have a “fast lane”. People who were in line around us had just had their Covid test done by the time we had waited for the negative result and proceeded to boarding. 
 

Although frustrating, seems a small price to pay to be back on a dam ship after more than two years!

 

 

[Vict0riann]

What they need is a Covid-sniffer dog.  He could just walk up and down the lines and pull out the positives!  😀

[rkacruiser]

21 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

What they need is a Covid-sniffer dog.  He could just walk up and down the lines and pull out the positives!  😀

 

Your job, if you wish to accept it, is to train such a dog.  😀

[ScoutDiver]

33 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

As mentioned in your other thread, while it sounds appealing, there are significant limitations to the machines...number of tests per day, per machine, for example, is pretty small. It doesn't sound like, without a cruise line putting a couple dozen machines on a ship, to be very appropriate application.

The test time is 3 minutes, but how much cleaning, etc needs to take place between each cycle ?
It sounded slow.  Might be ok for a clinic/Dr Office/Hospital

[CruiserBruce]

11 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Your job, if you wish to accept it, is to train such a dog.  😀

And, of course, sniffer dogs work limited shifts...last I heard, no more than 45 minutes, then mandatory rest, so they don't "burn out". There has been research on the topic, last I heard it seemed to be progressing the right direction. But no official outcome.

[atexsix]

Delete.

 

Already discussed above.

Edited April 17, 2022 by atexsix

[Vict0riann]

Amazing that the NS left on time!