Good News: Elimination of Pre-Cruise Testing!

[BermudaBound2014]

30 minutes ago, MichiganBound said:

I'll be very disappointed if NCL reduces restrictions on the unvaccinated.

 

I will be shocked if NCL doesn't reduce their vaccination requirements to follow along with the rest of the world. As of yesterday, there are only three countries in the entire EU that require vaccines (Spain, Netherlands, Luxemburg).

 

Here is the list of EU countries that are wide open with no vaccine requirement, no booster, no testing, no quarantine. Notice France was also added this week.

With the improvement of the overall COVID-19 situation as well as with the increase in vaccination rates, almost all European Union/European Economic Area countries decided to drop all of their entry rules and permit restriction-free entry for all travellers.

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/eu-covid-travel-restrictions-are-there-any-left/

 

 

I can't guess when NCL will change vaccine requirements, but I'm guessing it will be sooner than most here believe. 

[anyman]

In reading this thread and barring any changes that may be on the horizon, it looks like on the NCL Spirit, which is going from Hawaii to Tahiti all have to test, as that is a US embarkation, but the reverse cruise from Tahiti to Hawaii doesn't. Am I understanding this right?

[Karaboudjan]

2 hours ago, scooter6139 said:

IF any cruise line wishes to require testing, they should offer it, for free, at the pier during embarkation.  Like NCL used to.  It worked, for the most part, when we went last August.  

 

I'm fine if they want to keep vaccination a requirement too, like NCL does then and now.  They likely gained more cruisers with that steadfast caution than they lost.

 

It seemed to generally work well when the ships were at around 30% occupancy.  It could be a whole lot worse trying to do it at 100%.  

[MichiganBound]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I will be shocked if NCL doesn't reduce their vaccination requirements to follow along with the rest of the world. As of yesterday, there are only three countries in the entire EU that require vaccines (Spain, Netherlands, Luxemburg).

With the improvement of the overall COVID-19 situation as well as with the increase in vaccination rates, almost all European Union/European Economic Area countries decided to drop all of their entry rules and permit restriction-free entry for all travellers.

 

I can't guess when NCL will change vaccine requirements, but I'm guessing it will be sooner than most here believe. 

I hope you are wrong but you may be right.

 

I would have thought that the sensible approach would be to get through one more northern hemisphere flu season (and see how that goes from a Covid standpoint) before relaxing the rules on unvaccinated cruising.  That would take us roughly to April 2023.  COVID is far from over.  We're still losing about 100 people a week to COVID in Michigan.  Obviously things are better than at the height of the pandemic but COVID is far from over.

[BermudaBound2014]

16 minutes ago, MichiganBound said:

I hope you are wrong but you may be right.

 

I would have thought that the sensible approach would be to get through one more northern hemisphere flu season (and see how that goes from a Covid standpoint) before relaxing the rules on unvaccinated cruising.  That would take us roughly to April 2023.  COVID is far from over.  We're still losing about 100 people a week to COVID in Michigan.  Obviously things are better than at the height of the pandemic but COVID is far from over.

 

I think it could be Spring of 2023 before ALL vaccine requirements are removed, but I suspect NCL will follow suit with Princess, Virgen, RCL, etc... and gradually increase the number of passengers they are allowing onboard that are unvaccinated. Example, it appears RCL just increased to welcome 20% unvaccinated. 

 

Mind you, I'm just guessing. There other people on this thread who believe NCL will have the vaccination requirement indefinitely. I think this is silly from a business perspective but what do I know lol.

Edited August 5, 2022 by BermudaBound2014

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I will be shocked if NCL doesn't reduce their vaccination requirements to follow along with the rest of the world. As of yesterday, there are only three countries in the entire EU that require vaccines (Spain, Netherlands, Luxemburg).

 

Here is the list of EU countries that are wide open with no vaccine requirement, no booster, no testing, no quarantine. Notice France was also added this week.

With the improvement of the overall COVID-19 situation as well as with the increase in vaccination rates, almost all European Union/European Economic Area countries decided to drop all of their entry rules and permit restriction-free entry for all travellers.

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/eu-covid-travel-restrictions-are-there-any-left/

 

 

I can't guess when NCL will change vaccine requirements, but I'm guessing it will be sooner than most here believe. 

Spain and the Netherlands are not on that list. We have had multiple cruises from Barcelona (including one on NCL.)  And our Prima Cruise next year includes a stop in Amsterdam.

[BermudaBound2014]

1 minute ago, ontheweb said:

Spain and the Netherlands are not on that list. We have had multiple cruises from Barcelona (including one on NCL.)  And our Prima Cruise next year includes a stop in Amsterdam.

 

LOL.. never said Spain and Netherlands were on the list.

 

Obviously you didn't read the article which clearly explains that there are only 3 countries in the EU that are have any covid protocols remaining; Spain, Netherlands, and Luxemburg.

 

 

The trend is clearly moving away from required vaccination/boosters/pre-testing in the EU. 

 

 

 

 

 

[BermudaBound2014]

5 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

.....and our Prima Cruise next year includes a stop in Amsterdam.

 

If I'm understanding this correctly, you think the protocols for Amsterdam are going to be the same in a year 😉 

[ontheweb]

2 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

If I'm understanding this correctly, you think the protocols for Amsterdam are going to be the same in a year 😉 

I am saying they are until they are not.

 

And I did read that Spain and the Netherlands were among the countries still having protocols which is why I posted what about that since they both host several cruises.

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, MichiganBound said:

COVID is far from over.  We're still losing about 100 people a week to COVID in Michigan. 

Are they dying with COVID or from COVID?

[BermudaBound2014]

I

37 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

I am saying they are until they are not.

 

And I did read that Spain and the Netherlands were among the countries still having protocols which is why I posted what about that since they both host several cruises.

 

Fair enough.

 

Seems pretty simple to me. For those who want to travel to Europe without taking tests or needing a vaccine, or needing a booster (in other words, you want to cruise in the EU without any covid protocols at all from the countries you are visiting), you only need to avoid Spain and the Netherlands. 

 

PS: Since Luxemburg is land locked we probably don't need to include them on the list 😄

[Keith.W]

Got this email this evening for our September 1 NCL Joy to Bermuda

 

Dear Valued Guest, On behalf of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), we thank you for your patronage and loyalty and for making us your vacation of choice. In advance of your upcoming cruise, we want to ensure that you are fully aware of our latest health and safety protocols, as well as the travel requirements for the destinations we will visit for sailings through and including September 2, 2022. We strongly encourage all guests to visit www.ncl.com/sail-safe for all vaccination and testing requirements and www.ncl.com/travel-requirements-by-country for all country specific requirements. While these resources are more detailed, below is a summary for your convenience of destination specific protocols: PRE-CRUISE COVID-19 TESTING REQUIREMENTS Cruises Originating from the U.S.: - Guests less than 2 years old (vaccinated or unvaccinated): no testing requirements - Unvaccinated guests age 2 through 11 years old: must provide proof of a negative NAAT (i.e.) PCR test taken within 3 days of embarkation, as well as additional testing at embarkation and disembarkation administered and paid for by NCL - Vaccinated guests age 2 and older: must provide proof of either a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within 2 days of embarkation; proof of a negative NAAT (i.e. PCR) test taken within 3 days of embarkation or a COVID-19 recovery certificate* - Unvaccinated guests age 12 and older: unable to cruise. Cruises Originating from Canada: - Guests less than 5 years old (vaccinated or unvaccinated): no testing requirements - Unvaccinated guests age 5 through 11 years old: must provide proof of a negative NAAT (i.e.) PCR test taken within 3 days of embarkation, as well as additional testing at embarkation and disembarkation administered and paid for by NCL - Vaccinated guests age 5 and older: must provide proof of either a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within 2 days of embarkation; proof of a negative NAAT (i.e. PCR) test taken within 3 days of embarkation or a COVID-19 recovery certificate* - Unvaccinated guests age 12 and older: unable to cruise. Cruises Originating from Piraeus, Greece: - Guests less than 12 years old (vaccinated or unvaccinated): no testing requirements - Vaccinated guests age 12 and older: must provide proof of either a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within 2 days of embarkation; proof of a negative NAAT (i.e. PCR) test taken within 3 days of embarkation or a COVID-19 recovery certificate* - Unvaccinated guests age 12 and older: unable to cruise. All COVID-19 tests, either antigen or NAAT (i.e. PCR) must be administered by a verified third party. Please note, proctored self-administered tests are not accepted for cruises embarking in Greece. *Please note, a COVID-19 Recovery Certificate may be presented as an alternative to the testing requirement as noted above if you have tested positive within 90 days (US) or 180 days (EU) of your scheduled embarkation date. This excludes all voyages visiting Bermuda. - At check in, these guests must have one of the below acceptable forms of COVID-19 Recovery available (dated no less than 10 days and no more than 90 days (US) and 180 days (EU) before embarkation): - For European citizens, this would include an EU Green Pass or comparable certificate. - For guests unable to present an EU Green Pass (i.e. U.S. citizens), a doctor's note, plus a laboratory-confirmed PCR test result with the proper information (i.e. name, date, date of birth, positive result etc.) will be accepted. Cruises originating from all other destinations: - All guests are not subject to pre-cruise COVID-19 testing.
VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS - All guests ages 12 and older must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days in advance of embarkation. - Children and teens between the ages of 12 and 17: Full vaccination protocol at least two weeks after receipt of the final dose of any WHO approved vaccine. Children under the age of 12 are not required to show proof of vaccination. - Please visit www.ncl.com/sail-safe for a full list of accepted vaccines and additional information. Boosters: - North American Itineraries - No booster required. - Northern Europe/Baltic Itineraries - No booster required. - Itineraries that include Mediterranean Ports and certain other countries: All guests over the age of 18, whose primary COVID-19 vaccination will be beyond 270 days at the time of disembarkation from their voyage, must have a COVID-19 booster prior to embarkation. - In lieu of a booster 270 days after the primary series, guests may present a government recognized or official medical Certificate of Recovery. - For European Citizens, this would include an EU Green Pass or comparable certificate. - For all others unable to present an EU Green Pass (i.e. U.S. citizens) a doctor's note, plus a laboratory confirmed PCR test result with the proper information (i.e. name, date, date of birth, positive result, etc.) will be accepted. - Please visit www.ncl.com/travel-requirements-by-country for further details. TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS BY DESTINATION - If traveling internationally, the countries you are flying to and/or connecting through may have different testing and booster stipulations, and we encourage you to visit the government and airport websites of every country you will be traveling to throughout your journey to familiarize yourself with their requirements. - There may be additional testing requirements and/or entry forms for certain embarkation ports and/or ports of call along an itinerary. Please visit www.ncl.com/travel-requirements-by-country for further details, and make sure to complete these forms before leaving home. - Masks are optional on board, with the exception of sailings visiting Italy, where they are required while the vessel is alongside and in port. Italian ports specifically require KN95/FFP2 type masks. - Please visit www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/cruise-travel-documents to learn about the required travel documentation that you will need for your voyage. Please remember that awareness and compliance with all travel requirements is the responsibility of the guest. Failure to comply with the requirements listed on the sites noted above will unfortunately result in denial of embarkation. We encourage you to check these sites often, as regulations change frequently and with very short notice. As government regulations evolve, our health and safety protocols will evolve as needed to ensure compliance. Thank you, and we look forward to welcoming you aboard very soon. Sincerely, Katty Byrd Senior Vice President, Guest Services

[cfelbab]

So if I am understanding the requirements for Greece departures (I am sailing from there in early September), a fully vaccinated and boosted person (like me) needs to get a NAT test within two days of the sailing or a PCR test within three days. The test has to be in person not online proctored. Does anybody know if two days means 48 hours from the sailing time or if two days means two days prior to the day of sailing. For example, if I sail on Sunday can I test on Friday (while still in the USA) and meet the requirement? I am trying to figure out the best way and place to get a test that will satisfy the need and ideally alert me if there is an issue before I leave the USA.

[njhorseman]

3 hours ago, Keith.W said:

Got this email this evening for our September 1 NCL Joy to Bermuda

 

Dear Valued Guest, On behalf of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), we thank you for your patronage and loyalty and for making us your vacation of choice. In advance of your upcoming cruise, we want to ensure that you are fully aware of our latest health and safety protocols, as well as the travel requirements for the destinations we will visit for sailings through and including September 2, 2022. We strongly encourage all guests to visit www.ncl.com/sail-safe for all vaccination and testing requirements and www.ncl.com/travel-requirements-by-country for all country specific requirements. While these resources are more detailed, below is a summary for your convenience of destination specific protocols: PRE-CRUISE COVID-19 TESTING REQUIREMENTS Cruises Originating from the U.S.: - Guests less than 2 years old (vaccinated or unvaccinated): no testing requirements - Unvaccinated guests age 2 through 11 years old: must provide proof of a negative NAAT (i.e.) PCR test taken within 3 days of embarkation, as well as additional testing at embarkation and disembarkation administered and paid for by NCL - Vaccinated guests age 2 and older: must provide proof of either a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within 2 days of embarkation; proof of a negative NAAT (i.e. PCR) test taken within 3 days of embarkation or a COVID-19 recovery certificate* - Unvaccinated guests age 12 and older: unable to cruise. Cruises Originating from Canada: - Guests less than 5 years old (vaccinated or unvaccinated): no testing requirements - Unvaccinated guests age 5 through 11 years old: must provide proof of a negative NAAT (i.e.) PCR test taken within 3 days of embarkation, as well as additional testing at embarkation and disembarkation administered and paid for by NCL - Vaccinated guests age 5 and older: must provide proof of either a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within 2 days of embarkation; proof of a negative NAAT (i.e. PCR) test taken within 3 days of embarkation or a COVID-19 recovery certificate* - Unvaccinated guests age 12 and older: unable to cruise. Cruises Originating from Piraeus, Greece: - Guests less than 12 years old (vaccinated or unvaccinated): no testing requirements - Vaccinated guests age 12 and older: must provide proof of either a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within 2 days of embarkation; proof of a negative NAAT (i.e. PCR) test taken within 3 days of embarkation or a COVID-19 recovery certificate* - Unvaccinated guests age 12 and older: unable to cruise. All COVID-19 tests, either antigen or NAAT (i.e. PCR) must be administered by a verified third party. Please note, proctored self-administered tests are not accepted for cruises embarking in Greece. *Please note, a COVID-19 Recovery Certificate may be presented as an alternative to the testing requirement as noted above if you have tested positive within 90 days (US) or 180 days (EU) of your scheduled embarkation date. This excludes all voyages visiting Bermuda. - At check in, these guests must have one of the below acceptable forms of COVID-19 Recovery available (dated no less than 10 days and no more than 90 days (US) and 180 days (EU) before embarkation): - For European citizens, this would include an EU Green Pass or comparable certificate. - For guests unable to present an EU Green Pass (i.e. U.S. citizens), a doctor's note, plus a laboratory-confirmed PCR test result with the proper information (i.e. name, date, date of birth, positive result etc.) will be accepted. Cruises originating from all other destinations: - All guests are not subject to pre-cruise COVID-19 testing.
VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS - All guests ages 12 and older must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days in advance of embarkation. - Children and teens between the ages of 12 and 17: Full vaccination protocol at least two weeks after receipt of the final dose of any WHO approved vaccine. Children under the age of 12 are not required to show proof of vaccination. - Please visit www.ncl.com/sail-safe for a full list of accepted vaccines and additional information. Boosters: - North American Itineraries - No booster required. - Northern Europe/Baltic Itineraries - No booster required. - Itineraries that include Mediterranean Ports and certain other countries: All guests over the age of 18, whose primary COVID-19 vaccination will be beyond 270 days at the time of disembarkation from their voyage, must have a COVID-19 booster prior to embarkation. - In lieu of a booster 270 days after the primary series, guests may present a government recognized or official medical Certificate of Recovery. - For European Citizens, this would include an EU Green Pass or comparable certificate. - For all others unable to present an EU Green Pass (i.e. U.S. citizens) a doctor's note, plus a laboratory confirmed PCR test result with the proper information (i.e. name, date, date of birth, positive result, etc.) will be accepted. - Please visit www.ncl.com/travel-requirements-by-country for further details. TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS BY DESTINATION - If traveling internationally, the countries you are flying to and/or connecting through may have different testing and booster stipulations, and we encourage you to visit the government and airport websites of every country you will be traveling to throughout your journey to familiarize yourself with their requirements. - There may be additional testing requirements and/or entry forms for certain embarkation ports and/or ports of call along an itinerary. Please visit www.ncl.com/travel-requirements-by-country for further details, and make sure to complete these forms before leaving home. - Masks are optional on board, with the exception of sailings visiting Italy, where they are required while the vessel is alongside and in port. Italian ports specifically require KN95/FFP2 type masks. - Please visit www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/cruise-travel-documents to learn about the required travel documentation that you will need for your voyage. Please remember that awareness and compliance with all travel requirements is the responsibility of the guest. Failure to comply with the requirements listed on the sites noted above will unfortunately result in denial of embarkation. We encourage you to check these sites often, as regulations change frequently and with very short notice. As government regulations evolve, our health and safety protocols will evolve as needed to ensure compliance. Thank you, and we look forward to welcoming you aboard very soon. Sincerely, Katty Byrd Senior Vice President, Guest Services

Please make sure you take note of a very important exception to NCL's protocols applicable to Bermuda cruises. Certificates of recovery aren't accepted in lieu of a negative test for Bermuda cruises. It's buried in the text of the email and easy to miss:

"*Please note, a COVID-19 Recovery Certificate may be presented as an alternative to the testing requirement as noted above if you have tested positive within 90 days (US) or 180 days (EU) of your scheduled embarkation date. This excludes all voyages visiting Bermuda ."

[travelhound]

23 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

For those interested here is RCL's official press release on the change in pre-testing protocols. Notice at the bottom how they are transitioning to the point where 'everyone can travel with us" 🙂 🙂 

 

 

 

👍

[travelhound]

8 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

More information was revealed today regarding RCL timeline for removing pre-testing. Looks like they are shooting for 45 days which would be sometime in September. Of course, ports have a say in the decision but the trend is positively moving toward ports reducing covid protocols and I suspect that those ports which depend on the cruise industry dollars will be the first to accommodate 😉 

 

 

https://www.thestreet.com/investing/royal-caribbean-ceo-hint-when-fully-drop-covid-testing

It will not be much longer before all the cruise lines will be forced to reduce these ridiculous protocols 🙂

[Keith.W]

16 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Please make sure you take note of a very important exception to NCL's protocols applicable to Bermuda cruises. Certificates of recovery aren't accepted in lieu of a negative test for Bermuda cruises. It's buried in the text of the email and easy to miss:

"*Please note, a COVID-19 Recovery Certificate may be presented as an alternative to the testing requirement as noted above if you have tested positive within 90 days (US) or 180 days (EU) of your scheduled embarkation date. This excludes all voyages visiting Bermuda ."

We will do, we are going to book our pre tests with onpoint , as we fly into NYC 3 days early so will schedule test for either the Tuesday 30th or Wednesday 31st August

[ChiefMateJRK]

44 minutes ago, Chasing Summer said:

People need to know whether you need a test, vaccine, booster - or not.

Are people really this stupid?

 

(disclaimer: that was a rhetorical question, please don't answer)

[cruise*enthusiast]

On 8/5/2022 at 2:23 PM, PTC DAWG said:

Zero symptoms, sounds like a big old pile of nothing.  I hate his trip was cancelled because of it. 

So they rebooked it for next week. Don’t you know that someone that visited them last week neglected to tell them that he/she had been exposed to someone with Monkeypox. They had quarantine for 7 days until the test results came back. Luckily, it was negative. I told him they should wear a mask 24/7 until they are safely aboard. This way their chance of catching either virus will be greatly reduced. Good grief!!

[cruise*enthusiast]

On 8/5/2022 at 2:27 PM, scooter6139 said:

 But it wasn't nothing and that is the point.  I am not certain this is true, but I thought a big portion transmissions were done by by folks who were not showing symptoms?  (I could be very wrong here though)

When my DH and I had it last year, he was very sick and I had no symptoms. I only tested because I knew he had it. I was extremely surprised that it came back positive. I had a little cough for a day maybe 5 days in. Other than that, I was fine. 
 

That’s why I’m hoping they don’t do away with it. People that have it and are adamant about not canceling their cruise will be boarding without a problem. Pretty sad but, that’s the world we live in. No one remembers what common courtesy and consideration is. 

[BermudaBound2014]

On 8/5/2022 at 10:11 AM, Karaboudjan said:

 

It could be a requirement specifically for Carnival.  Maybe something in their policies/procedures is more concerning to the Bahamas.

 

On 8/5/2022 at 10:43 AM, Karaboudjan said:

 

Let's hope it's not that short cruises to the Bahamas DO require pre-tests after all!  😬

 

 

Well we have the answer. Carnival totally backtracked (and look rather silly doing so). I believe the only island in the Caribbean holding out on pre-testing is Grand Cayman (they have cash and don't need cruise revenue). Of course Bermuda and Canada still holding out also. I expect Canada will change in the near future. France was just added to the list of wide open countries which leaves only Spain in the EU. 

 

https://www.cruisehive.com/cruise-news-update-august-6-2022/78244#h-carnival-cruise-line-backtracks-on-the-bahamas

 

[Oxo]

My opinion of testing. What is yours? 

 

 

[BermudaBound2014]

38 minutes ago, Oxo said:

My opinion of testing. What is yours? 

 

 

My opinion is that all covid protocols will be eliminated sooner rather than later. Changes will likely be phased in. Cruise lines are starting with 5 days for pre-testing and 10-20% unvaccinated. I suspect they are now collecting data on how fewer protocols effect bookings. Based on Travel Agent central, the number of bookings for 4-5 nights increased dramatically with the reduction of pre-testing. Of course, lots of factors can manipulate booking data so we need to be cautious there.

 

It maybe a bit before world cruises are included, but the trend is definitely moving away from ANY covid protocol, not just pre-testing.

[ChiefMateJRK]

"Do you think the Prima class will be the 'little brother' or Plan B for those that can't afford Regent Cruise Line"

 

Is that how folks choose a cruise line (or accommodations on a ship)?  Is it based upon what they can afford or what they choose to spend?  I know some people with a LOT of money who keep getting richer because they continue to live below their means.  Are cruisers familiar with this radical concept?

 

[Oxo]

55 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

"Do you think the Prima class will be the 'little brother' or Plan B for those that can't afford Regent Cruise Line"

 

Is that how folks choose a cruise line (or accommodations on a ship)?  Is it based upon what they can afford or what they choose to spend?  I know some people with a LOT of money who keep getting richer because they continue to live below their means.  Are cruisers familiar with this radical concept?

 

Confused? what does this have to do with 

Good News: Elimination of Pre-Cruise Testing!