Princess amends requirements for UK and EU cruises

[karatemom2]

So apparently according to an update posted today cruises out of the UK and EU will no longer require documentation of a negative test. You are still required to test within the three days prior embarkation, but will only need to attest to a negative test on your preboarding health questionnaire. So I guess we could have saved the money we just spent for our expensive proctored tests for our upcoming British Isles cruise and just stuck with the regular run of the mill antigen test from the government. Oh well - still happy to see things getting a bit more relaxed!

 

Updated today:

 

Have vaccination and testing requirements changed with the recently implemented guidelines in the UK and EU?

Unless otherwise communicated, all guests ages five and older must take a viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) within three days prior to embarkation on the ship. This can be done at any time in the three days before on the day of embarkation. Guests no longer need to provide a test certificate, however they will be asked to confirm that the test has been taken, with a negative result, as part of the pre-boarding health declaration at the cruise terminal/airport. Guests under five years of age are exempt from pre-cruise testing. (Please note that these updated guidelines apply to the UK and EU but not to the U.S., Canada or Greece)

[dog]

To Tell the truth.

[maggie777]

PLEASE TELL US WHERE YOU SAW THIS.

[victory2020]

31 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

So apparently according to an update posted today cruises out of the UK and EU will no longer require documentation of a negative test. You are still required to test within the three days prior embarkation, but will only need to attest to a negative test on your preboarding health questionnaire. So I guess we could have saved the money we just spent for our expensive proctored tests for our upcoming British Isles cruise and just stuck with the regular run of the mill antigen test from the government. Oh well - still happy to see things getting a bit more relaxed!

 

Updated today:

 

Have vaccination and testing requirements changed with the recently implemented guidelines in the UK and EU?

Unless otherwise communicated, all guests ages five and older must take a viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) within three days prior to embarkation on the ship. This can be done at any time in the three days before on the day of embarkation. Guests no longer need to provide a test certificate, however they will be asked to confirm that the test has been taken, with a negative result, as part of the pre-boarding health declaration at the cruise terminal/airport. Guests under five years of age are exempt from pre-cruise testing. (Please note that these updated guidelines apply to the UK and EU but not to the U.S., Canada or Greece)

I would want to test anyway even if not required. Just a home test, not proctored

[karatemom2]

11 minutes ago, maggie777 said:

PLEASE TELL US WHERE YOU SAW THIS.

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

[karatemom2]

4 minutes ago, victory2020 said:

I would want to test anyway even if not required. Just a home test, not proctored

You are still required to test. Just no need to show proof so it alleviates the need for proctored or in person testing. 

[wallyworld1059]

I JUST copied this from the Princess website FAQ for EU sailings updated today.  "Based on current European Union Healthy Gateways (EUHG) guidelines, to board the ship, all guests ages five years and above will require a medically observed, negative viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) result taken within three days of embarkation. "

[JimmyVWine]

You should change the title of this thread. The new procedure only applies to the UK, not Europe. As of today, here is what it says about Europe. 
“At terminal check-in guests must provide proof of a negative viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) taken before or at embarkation.”

[karatemom2]

7 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

You should change the title of this thread. The new procedure only applies to the UK, not Europe. As of today, here is what it says about Europe. 
“At terminal check-in guests must provide proof of a negative viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) taken before or at embarkation.”

It says right on the notice I posted copied directly from the Princess website:

 

(Please note that these updated guidelines apply to the UK and EU but not to the U.S., Canada or Greece)

 

[Rick&Jeannie]

It sounds as if somebody is falling behind in their job of updating the website.  I think it's safe to say that things are a'changing!

[JimmyVWine]

1 minute ago, karatemom2 said:

It says right on the notice I posted copied directly from the Princess website:

 

(Please note that these updated guidelines apply to the UK and EU but not to the U.S., Canada or Greece)

 

And what I posted was updated today and says that it applies to “Sailings From Europe” and in the chart provides the more restrictive rules for sailings out of Greece. 

[Steelers36]

12 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

And what I posted was updated today and says that it applies to “Sailings From Europe” and in the chart provides the more restrictive rules for sailings out of Greece. 

What isn't clear to me - assuming the EU except Greece is changing and perhaps website needs to get into sync - is if a guest is on a B2B, where the origination is not Athens, but the turnover day mid-voyage is Athens, is a test going to be required?  It clearly is not (I believe) if a port stop is in Greece. 

 

I would say that the UK protocol language IMPLIES all of Europe is changed, except Greece.  But the Europe page language doesn't say the same thing even though the latest update date is August 8 as well.

 

I wish Princess would put a "date last changed" on each section, instead of "Updated" as not all sections get changed each time.  "Updated" since when? 

 

I am thinking the jury is still out on rest of Europe, or they really mis-worded the UK thing.

[JimmyVWine]

5 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

 

I am thinking the jury is still out on rest of Europe, or they really mis-worded the UK thing.

There is clearly an inconsistency with contradictory information. We will have to wait for further clarification. 
 

In looking at the requirements for Greece, it appears that Tele-Med video proctored tests are not permitted and the test must be administered live and a hard copy letter must be presented as proof of a negative test. Has it always been this way or is this new?  How easy is it to get a live test in Athens? And don’t most tests give you your results by e-mail? How do you get a hard copy letter?  

[Steelers36]

6 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

There is clearly an inconsistency with contradictory information. We will have to wait for further clarification. 
 

In looking at the requirements for Greece, it appears that Tele-Med video proctored tests are not permitted and the test must be administered live and a hard copy letter must be presented as proof of a negative test. Has it always been this way or is this new?  How easy is it to get a live test in Athens? And don’t most tests give you your results by e-mail? How do you get a hard copy letter?  

Good questions on Greece.  I have not paid a lot of attention because we neither depart nor end in Greece and I knew back when if a test was required to continue on B2B, that Princess administers.  But, I think I read something about going into local pharmacies (or was that only for Italy)? 

 

Maybe the best thing has been for folks to do it at home before leaving?  But all you need is a situation where some land days are planned pre-cruise and you need another test.  Perhaps someone who has sailed from Athens this summer will drop in and answer.

[JimmyVWine]

1 minute ago, Steelers36 said:

But all you need is a situation where some land days are planned pre-cruise and you need another test.

Yup. Lots of people explore Greece on land for several days before departing. Including us. I was fairly certain that the video tests were acceptable and planned to do that from our AirBnB. But what I read today threw that out the window. I have been hoping that testing requirements would be getting easier, not harder. 

[Level six]

Wait............what? 

[devonuk]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

Good questions on Greece.  I have not paid a lot of attention because we neither depart nor end in Greece and I knew back when if a test was required to continue on B2B, that Princess administers.  But, I think I read something about going into local pharmacies (or was that only for Italy)? 

 

Maybe the best thing has been for folks to do it at home before leaving?  But all you need is a situation where some land days are planned pre-cruise and you need another test.  Perhaps someone who has sailed from Athens this summer will drop in and answer.

Some friends of mine left on a Seabourn ship from Athens at the weekend and had to do further testing before boarding which they were not expecting 🤷‍♂️

[vjmatty]

Well this does complicate things for us.....we're disembarking in Piraeus from the Regal and flying to a Greek island for a week, then after that we fly from Athens to the UK for a transatlantic sailing from Southampton. I'd planned for us to do the Emed tests before our domestic flights from and back to Athens, but now we'll have to find a pharmacy.