Test onboard to re-enter US

[RichYak]

3 hours ago, lovecruzin said:

Of course you can take the test on the ship however they were told it wouldn't be valid for return to the US unless it was taken after debarking. 

Wow. Celebrity is so desperate to not have people testing on board that they've resorted to outright lying.

[danv3]

12 hours ago, misha1 said:

Because of this very debate, we have changed our flight home from Vancouver to Seattle and will hire a car service to Seattle.  Expensive?  Yes, but no more than trip insurance and we do not need to test and risk either missing our flight or having to isolate in Canada.  If we are symptomatic, then we test onboard and take it from there.  It was just too much stress after a vacation.  It's enough to cancel...once again.  First world problem

 

No more evidence is needed of the absolute absurdity of the return to US testing requirement.

[canderson]

Granted, it's a long way off (5-1/2 months can change things a lot in COVID time), but one wonders how westbound TAs from Europe will be handled if current policies were to remain in place.  The whole ship would have to be tested the day before U.S. arrival???

[Turtles06]

Just now, canderson said:

Granted, it's a long way off (5-1/2 months can change things a lot in COVID time), but one wonders how westbound TAs from Europe will be handled if current policies were to remain in place.  The whole ship would have to be tested the day before U.S. arrival???

But there is NO current requirement that anyone be tested to enter the U.S. by sea (or via a land border).    So nothing would change if “current policies were to remain in place.” 
 

 

[canderson]

28 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

But there is NO current requirement that anyone be tested to enter the U.S. by sea (or via a land border).    So nothing would change if “current policies were to remain in place.” 
 

 

Understood re land border, but hadn't seen any policy re cruise ships.  Where would I have seen that?  Seems all of the WB TAs this last fall were crew only, and they were required to quarantine for 14 days prior to U.S. arrival and test negative.  

[Turtles06]

24 minutes ago, canderson said:

Understood re land border, but hadn't seen any policy re cruise ships.  Where would I have seen that?  Seems all of the WB TAs this last fall were crew only, and they were required to quarantine for 14 days prior to U.S. arrival and test negative.  

 

You would not have seen a negative Order -- there is no testing requirement for people entering the U.S. from cruise ships. Nor would you have seen a negative Order re the land border -- again, no testing requirement. What you would see is the CDC's Order requiring testing for those entering by air:

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

 

However, in the FAQs at the same link, the CDC says this:

 

"Does this Order apply to land border crossings or persons arriving at seaports?

 

No, the requirements of this Order only apply to air travel into the U.S."

 

Also, it's not correct that there were no WB TAs last fall with passengers aboard.  One example:  the maiden voyage of HAL's new Rotterdam, from the Netherlands to Florida:

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/news/2021-press-releases1/news-10202021-RODMFirstCruise21.html

 

I hope this info is helpful! 🙂 

[Ocdublin]

When I originally book this cruise New England/Canada I was told test would be giving upon return to USA.  I’ll have to look through paper work I believe it stated that if you were booked by a certain date you were grandfathered for test to be completed by Celebrity.

[canderson]

Interesting.  I also recall that all crewmembers that had been on the X St. Maarten (foreign port based) cruises during the U.S. shutdown also had to quarantine 14 and test before arriving in Florida for U.S. based cruises.  Trying to recall what changed, if anything, and when.  Perhaps CDC 'recommendations' being optional?

 

[bama4cruisin]

1 hour ago, canderson said:

Understood re land border, but hadn't seen any policy re cruise ships.  Where would I have seen that?  Seems all of the WB TAs this last fall were crew only, and they were required to quarantine for 14 days prior to U.S. arrival and test negative.  

I am not certain of changes since last October.  We were on the westbound TA on Apex last October.  Testing was required and was done the day before arriving in FLL as we were arriving from Europe. For cruises starting the next week visiting the Caribbean there was no testing requirement.  

Again, no idea of changes since last October for cruises arriving from Europe.

[txtechmk]

42 minutes ago, Ocdublin said:

When I originally book this cruise New England/Canada I was told test would be giving upon return to USA.  I’ll have to look through paper work I believe it stated that if you were booked by a certain date you were grandfathered for test to be completed by Celebrity.

Yes, I found my paperwork and it does say if you booked your cruise prior to Nov.16, 2021, testing will be complimentary for guests onboard.  You must have proof of return travel scheduled within 24 hours of disembarkation.  We do not fly out until 10:55 AM the following day, so I'm not sure we will qualify, unless they would let us hang out in Michael's Club until 10:55.  We were planning on bring some proctored Covid tests to do at our hotel that evening, but I would rather the ship do it.......

 

 

 

[Random Cruizer]

9 minutes ago, txtechmk said:

Yes, I found my paperwork and it does say if you booked your cruise prior to Nov.16, 2021, testing will be complimentary for guests onboard.  You must have proof of return travel scheduled within 24 hours of disembarkation.  We do not fly out until 10:55 AM the following day, so I'm not sure we will qualify, unless they would let us hang out in Michael's Club until 10:55.  We were planning on bring some proctored Covid tests to do at our hotel that evening, but I would rather the ship do it.......

 

 

 

 

Can you tell me which paperwork contains that?  The travel docs they sent recently does not.  Thanks.

[Jeremiah1212]

35 minutes ago, canderson said:

Interesting.  I also recall that all crewmembers that had been on the X St. Maarten (foreign port based) cruises during the U.S. shutdown also had to quarantine 14 and test before arriving in Florida for U.S. based cruises.  Trying to recall what changed, if anything, and when.  Perhaps CDC 'recommendations' being optional?

 

 

This was part of the opt in program made in February but there were some special circumstance for a few westbound TA's last fall. I remember Apex had several hoops to jump through and it was only open to US citizens. Candians booked were not allowed to sail.

• CDC has provided an alternative to ships sailing out of foreign ports with passengers and repositioning to the U.S. and have choose to opt into CDC’s program, in lieu of operating with no passengers for 14 days prior to resuming passenger operations in U.S. waters. Cruise ship operators may contact CDC at eocevent349@cdc.gov to request this information.

[canderson]

27 minutes ago, bama4cruisin said:

I am not certain of changes since last October.  We were on the westbound TA on Apex last October.  Testing was required and was done the day before arriving in FLL as we were arriving from Europe. For cruises starting the next week visiting the Caribbean there was no testing requirement.  

Again, no idea of changes since last October for cruises arriving from Europe.

I hadn't recalled the Apex TA, but your situation is what I was considering.  How did they go about testing all of the pax ahead of arrival?  That must have been quite an exercise.

 

So as of October, it worked the way I suspected it must ... but now not??? 

 

And of course, after your cruise, they were R/T from Florida, so weren't an issue at that point.

[txtechmk]

11 minutes ago, Random Cruizer said:

 

Can you tell me which paperwork contains that?  The travel docs they sent recently does not.  Thanks.

It was page 6 of 8 in the www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/us-travel-requirements  in the section called "Travel Home--US and Abroad".  I couldn't find in my own paperwork and scrolled around online and printed out page 6 and will take with me on my next cruise.  

[canderson]

16 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

This was part of the opt in program made in February but there were some special circumstance for a few westbound TA's last fall. I remember Apex had several hoops to jump through and it was only open to US citizens. Candians booked were not allowed to sail.

• CDC has provided an alternative to ships sailing out of foreign ports with passengers and repositioning to the U.S. and have choose to opt into CDC’s program, in lieu of operating with no passengers for 14 days prior to resuming passenger operations in U.S. waters. Cruise ship operators may contact CDC at eocevent349@cdc.gov to request this information.

Shame the CDC didn't just include the information in their regularly updated Q&I bulletin.  Wonder what the conditions for the 'alternative' were?

 

 

Edited May 11, 2022 by canderson

[Jeremiah1212]

2 minutes ago, canderson said:

Shame the CDC didn't just include the information in their regularly updated Q&I bulletin.  Wonder what the conditions for the 'alternative' were?

 

 

 

It's buried in there somewhere. I remember reading it at one point but I gave up on trying to keep up with all the changes. 

[canderson]

Just now, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

It's buried in there somewhere. I remember reading it at one point but I gave up on trying to keep up with all the changes. 

Went cross-eyed looking, didn't see it, and didn't expect to since, as your helpful quote indicated, it was necessary to email the CDC to get the details. 

[Jeremiah1212]

13 minutes ago, canderson said:

Went cross-eyed looking, didn't see it, and didn't expect to since, as your helpful quote indicated, it was necessary to email the CDC to get the details. 

 

Celebrity's version of events said this:

 

We are reaching out to provide an update on the status of your client’s upcoming cruise vacation aboard Celebrity ApexSMdeparting from Barcelona, Spain on October 10, 2021. As we return to service with sailings arriving and departing from the United States, we are also ensuring alignment with US Travel Policy. The policies for entry into the United States continue to restrict all noncitizens who have been physically present within the Schengen Area, the UK, Ireland, Brazil and South Africa within 14 days prior to their planned arrival into the United States. As our sailing starts in Barcelona and visits multiple ports in Spain, all noncitizens will no longer be able to sail.

[bama4cruisin]

26 minutes ago, canderson said:

I hadn't recalled the Apex TA, but your situation is what I was considering.  How did they go about testing all of the pax ahead of arrival?  That must have been quite an exercise.

 

So as of October, it worked the way I suspected it must ... but now not??? 

 

And of course, after your cruise, they were R/T from Florida, so weren't an issue at that point.

As you probably recall, in Europe last summer Celebrity was testing passéngers at the cruise terminal before boarding.  They did the same for all passengers boarding the TA in Barcelona.  We had our boarding time, which appeared to be strictly enforced, went through one stage of check-in, sent to testing, got tested, then sent to a specific section of the terminal to wait for results.  Once we had the results and had been given our green sticker, we boarded.  All 1200 passengers were then tested after our 3 mainland Spanish ports on the sea day before arriving in the Canary Islands;  you had to sign up for a time (this could be done by scanning a QR code in Celebrity Today or at a desk in the Guest Services lobby.  Testing was done in the Meeting Place and was extremely organized since numbers for each time slot were limited.  Same exact process for the last sea day before disembarking, except all 1100 crew were also tested that day.  Again, very smooth.

[canderson]

Here's what I'm seeing on the Celebrity site, understanding that our port of departure for our WB TA is Barcelona, and that we'll be staying there for several days pre-cruise:

 

Testing Requirements

Pre-Arrival Covid-19 Testing

Our boarding requirements include that all guests present at embarkation a negative COVID-19 test result, either an Antigen or PCR test, conducted within two days* of boarding the ship. Pre-arrival testing must be completed by an authorized provider at your own expense.

*For itineraries that have a port of call in Spain OR that end in Spain, the pre-arrival test must be taken within one day of sailing, regardless of homeport.

 

If that stands, then we believe that our pre-cruise test will need to be done the day before the cruise, and not within 2 days as would normally be the case elsewhere.  So at least that much is different.  That means testing on a Sunday since the cruise starts 31 October, and that we will need to have a decent plan prepared for that.

 

 

[Guppy99]

On 5/9/2022 at 8:47 PM, lovecruzin said:

I have been having a conversation on social media with a cruiser on the May 4 Eclipse cruise (Honolulu to Vancouver) Apparently they inquired about premium internet to perform their return to the US Covid test onboard prior to disembarking and were told testing needs to be done off the ship, that they can’t test onboard. My first thought was that X doesn’t want to be responsible for them if they get a positive result onboard, perhaps I am missing something but this makes no sense.

Any info I can pass on? I feel badly for this person who is stressing about this on their vacation.

 

Who told them this? Celebrity "help" is anything but. They should call again and make sure they get the same answer.  Besides, while they are sitting having breakfast outside to wait for disembarkation, why would they be prevented from doing this?

[Guppy99]

18 minutes ago, canderson said:

Here's what I'm seeing on the Celebrity site, understanding that our port of departure for our WB TA is Barcelona, and that we'll be staying there for several days pre-cruise:

 

Testing Requirements

Pre-Arrival Covid-19 Testing

Our boarding requirements include that all guests present at embarkation a negative COVID-19 test result, either an Antigen or PCR test, conducted within two days* of boarding the ship. Pre-arrival testing must be completed by an authorized provider at your own expense.

*For itineraries that have a port of call in Spain OR that end in Spain, the pre-arrival test must be taken within one day of sailing, regardless of homeport.

 

If that stands, then we believe that our pre-cruise test will need to be done the day before the cruise, and not within 2 days as would normally be the case elsewhere.  So at least that much is different.  That means testing on a Sunday since the cruise starts 31 October, and that we will need to have a decent plan prepared for that.

 

 

You are embarking in Spain. It is not a port of call nor are you ending in Spain. So, I don't think either of these scenarios have been addressed by the statement in red above. that's not to say what the requirement for embarking in Spain is.

[pattycruisealot21]

Not sure if this may be helpful or an option to you but there is a testing clinic that is actually right next to the cruise ship terminal in Vancouver inside the Vancouver Convention Centre which is soo convenient for us cruisers!! You can book an appointment online and I heard they also accept walk-ins.  Here is the link in case you want to check them out https://covid-medical.ca/covid-19-test-book-online/  

On 5/9/2022 at 6:47 PM, lovecruzin said:

I have been having a conversation on social media with a cruiser on the May 4 Eclipse cruise (Honolulu to Vancouver) Apparently they inquired about premium internet to perform their return to the US Covid test onboard prior to disembarking and were told testing needs to be done off the ship, that they can’t test onboard. My first thought was that X doesn’t want to be responsible for them if they get a positive result onboard, perhaps I am missing something but this makes no sense.

Any info I can pass on? I feel badly for this person who is stressing about this on their vacation.

 

 

[Random Cruizer]

4 hours ago, txtechmk said:

It was page 6 of 8 in the www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/us-travel-requirements  in the section called "Travel Home--US and Abroad".  I couldn't find in my own paperwork and scrolled around online and printed out page 6 and will take with me on my next cruise.  

 

Thanks so much, I will look for it!

[Turtles06]

6 hours ago, Ocdublin said:

When I originally book this cruise New England/Canada I was told test would be giving upon return to USA.  I’ll have to look through paper work I believe it stated that if you were booked by a certain date you were grandfathered for test to be completed by Celebrity.

I believe you are referring to tests that might be needed by disembarking pax flying to destinations outside the U.S. (if there even are any such requirements now), not to tests required to enter the U.S. by ship (which are not currently required).