Mandatory COVID Test - New Zealand boarding HAL Noordam

[schag001]

Hello Community,

 

our 80+ year old parents are boarding the Noordam in a few month to sail from New Zealand to Vancouver Canada.
One of the requirements to even board the ship is to still show a COVID Test no older than 24 hours at embarkation.

 

They are not very good with technology and so far HAL is just telling them to call their hotel (they are staying in Auckland 3 days prior boarding) and ask "Where is the closest COVID test station?".

Obviously we live in 2023 now and those test stations are far an between, unlike in 2021 or early 2022 when you were able to find this service anywhere.

Anyone here that lives in Auckland that can give us some pointers how to navigate around this to find them a test station?

Any tips are appreciated as we want to ensure this embarkation is as painless as possible.
They are 4 Star Mariners, so travelled a bit however this requirement gives them and us anxiety.

 

Thank you

PS: We are actually wondering how this will pan out if they for some reason test positive before the cruise.
Stuck in Auckland....bye bye ship....

 

[colbe]

8 minutes ago, schag001 said:

Hello Community,

 

our 80+ year old parents are boarding the Noordam in a few month to sail from New Zealand to Vancouver Canada.
One of the requirements to even board the ship is to still show a COVID Test no older than 24 hours at embarkation.

 

They are not very good with technology and so far HAL is just telling them to call their hotel (they are staying in Auckland 3 days prior boarding) and ask "Where is the closest COVID test station?".

Obviously we live in 2023 now and those test stations are far an between, unlike in 2021 or early 2022 when you were able to find this service anywhere.

Anyone here that lives in Auckland that can give us some pointers how to navigate around this to find them a test station?

Any tips are appreciated as we want to ensure this embarkation is as painless as possible.
They are 4 Star Mariners, so travelled a bit however this requirement gives them and us anxiety.

 

Thank you

PS: We are actually wondering how this will pan out if they for some reason test positive before the cruise.
Stuck in Auckland....bye bye ship....

 

Requirements may well change by the time they board. In November when we boarded Noordam only a self administered test was required. Check for a direct message from me. I will send you my email address so that you can contact me closer to the time if they still need help. Colleen

[colbe]

8 minutes ago, colbe said:

Requirements may well change by the time they board. In November when we boarded Noordam only a self administered test was required. Check for a direct message from me. I will send you my email address so that you can contact me closer to the time if they still need help. Colleen

Hmm. Messenger is not available. I will 'follow' this post. If you need help with your parents in March post another message on this thread and I will see it. (We will be flying to Sydney in April to board this cruise as well).

[schag001]

17 minutes ago, colbe said:

Hmm. Messenger is not available. I will 'follow' this post. If you need help with your parents in March post another message on this thread and I will see it. (We will be flying to Sydney in April to board this cruise as well).

Thank you very much. 

[boeckli]

At the top of HAL's website is a link to "Look up Protocols" by voyage or booking number. Looking up the details for that voyage number it appears requirements were last updated very recently (on February 2, 2023).

[luv2cruisenz]

If they do need a supervised RAT test they can get this from a Unichem Pharmacy or Life Pharmacy. Most will do a walk in without an appointment but you can book online if they want that assurance, maybe the hotel reception can help with that. Allow 15 to 30 minutes for it and they’ll need to take their passports. It costs $65 New Zealand dollars each including tax, and the pharmacist will give each of them a printed certificate which they can also email to them, just ask. I did this last November (I live in Auckland) for our HAL Amazon cruise and it worked well, it meets all the HAL requirements. No stress at all! 
 

They have locations throughout Auckland including in the city if that’s where they’re staying. 
 

https://www.unichem.co.nz/

 

https://www.lifepharmacy.co.nz/

Edited February 4, 2023 by luv2cruisenz

[travelers07]

On Noordam now from Auckland. Self test  was all that was needed with a photo taken. I used a free test and did it myself.

Can you get some free tests and show them how to do it before they leave? Are they able to take a photo of the negative test the day before they board? Place the negative test on a piece of paper with name, date test was taken, and maybe their birthdate. Place open passport next to this and take a photo all together. Show this when asked. The checkin people seemed pretty casual about this so don’t worry too much as long as the photo shows the negative test.

 

The tests in Auckland seemed hard to find and expensive according to others on this cruise. And testing seems less available as time goes on. Or maybe HAL will even drop the requirement.

 

By the way, we missed 2 of the 3 Sounds today in Fjordland due to really bad weather. Hope they have better luck!

[Dutchman48]

On 2/3/2023 at 11:14 PM, travelers07 said:

On Noordam now from Auckland. Self test  was all that was needed with a photo taken. I used a free test and did it myself.

Can you get some free tests and show them how to do it before they leave? Are they able to take a photo of the negative test the day before they board? Place the negative test on a piece of paper with name, date test was taken, and maybe their birthdate. Place open passport next to this and take a photo all together. Show this when asked. The checkin people seemed pretty casual about this so don’t worry too much as long as the photo shows the negative test.

 

The tests in Auckland seemed hard to find and expensive according to others on this cruise. And testing seems less available as time goes on. Or maybe HAL will even drop the requirement.

 

By the way, we missed 2 of the 3 Sounds today in Fjordland due to really bad weather. Hope they have better luck!

Agree with Travelers07 self-test is the way to go.

My wife and I are on the same cruise and this is how we plane to handle it.

1. WE have obtained a bunch of self test to take along.

    We will self-test prior leaving home. (Seattle area)

    We will probably mask up in crowded places (Airport check-in etc.)

     WE will self-test at the Hotel prior to boarding.

2. Like your parents we will be arriving 3 days early.

     This means we will not be able to complete all the online check-in before leaving home. The health survey will need to be done in Auckland. All other online check-in such as preprinting Boarding Pass, Baggage Tags, ETC can be done before the leave home.

 

Here are the requirements form HAL's FAQ page on Health.

"For cruises visiting Australia that allow an at-home, self-administered Antigen COVID-19 test (RAT), guests should take one photo with their mobile device that meets all of the criteria outlined below:

Negative RAT test next to the guest’s government issued photo ID with a clock showing the time the test was complete (a wristwatch, mobile phone screen or a wall clock, etc.)."

 

 

 

 

 

[Native Floridian 26]

On 2/3/2023 at 10:09 PM, schag001 said:

Hello Community,

 

our 80+ year old parents are boarding the Noordam in a few month to sail from New Zealand to Vancouver Canada.
One of the requirements to even board the ship is to still show a COVID Test no older than 24 hours at embarkation.

 

They are not very good with technology and so far HAL is just telling them to call their hotel (they are staying in Auckland 3 days prior boarding) and ask "Where is the closest COVID test station?".

Obviously we live in 2023 now and those test stations are far an between, unlike in 2021 or early 2022 when you were able to find this service anywhere.

Anyone here that lives in Auckland that can give us some pointers how to navigate around this to find them a test station?

Any tips are appreciated as we want to ensure this embarkation is as painless as possible.
They are 4 Star Mariners, so travelled a bit however this requirement gives them and us anxiety.

 

Thank you

PS: We are actually wondering how this will pan out if they for some reason test positive before the cruise.
Stuck in Auckland....bye bye ship....

 

You said the cruise is in a few months. Are the protocols even published yet? I only see first quarter cruises listed.

Edited February 9, 2023 by Native Floridian 26

[Dutchman48]

2 hours ago, Native Floridian 26 said:

You said the cruise is in a few months. Are the protocols even published yet? I only see first quarter cruises listed.

The cruise in question Is the Pacific Crossing Collector in March. If you put in voyage # N318A on HAL's protocol page you will get the protocols as of February 2, 2023. Yes, things could change, but these protocols are what we should be prepared for. 

Edited February 9, 2023 by Dutchman48

[lissie]

On 2/4/2023 at 4:09 PM, schag001 said:

Hello Community,

 

our 80+ year old parents are boarding the Noordam in a few month to sail from New Zealand to Vancouver Canada.
One of the requirements to even board the ship is to still show a COVID Test no older than 24 hours at embarkation.

 

PS: We are actually wondering how this will pan out if they for some reason test positive before the cruise.
Stuck in Auckland....bye bye ship....

 

They will be given or allowed to pick up some free tests on arrival in NZ - its just near where you do the quarantine declaration at the airport - bags of about 5 individual RAT tests - which work fine for a self-test. 

 

If you test positive at the moment in NZ you need to isolate for 7 days - so in that case that would be in their hotel. The person who isn't positive is allowed out but obviously must mask at all times. If you have COVID-19 | Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz)

 

They may want to check on their travel insruance coverage for such a case 

[twosilly]

On 2/3/2023 at 11:13 PM, luv2cruisenz said:

If they do need a supervised RAT test they can get this from a Unichem Pharmacy or Life Pharmacy. Most will do a walk in without an appointment but you can book online if they want that assurance, maybe the hotel reception can help with that. Allow 15 to 30 minutes for it and they’ll need to take their passports. It costs $65 New Zealand dollars each including tax, and the pharmacist will give each of them a printed certificate which they can also email to them, just ask. I did this last November (I live in Auckland) for our HAL Amazon cruise and it worked well, it meets all the HAL requirements. No stress at all! 
 

They have locations throughout Auckland including in the city if that’s where they’re staying. 
 

https://www.unichem.co.nz/

 

https://www.lifepharmacy.co.nz/

 

[twosilly]

I have been working on this same issue! We fly out Thursday night from Seattle. We will do a test here before we are leaving for the airport. The test is supervised and if. For any reason we can’t get the results, I will bring a couple of rapid tests to get us on that ship! Good luck to all! See you there! 
twosilly Denise! 
 

[Torquer]

20 hours ago, twosilly said:

I have been working on this same issue! We fly out Thursday night from Seattle. We will do a test here before we are leaving for the airport. The test is supervised and if. For any reason we can’t get the results, I will bring a couple of rapid tests to get us on that ship! Good luck to all! See you there! 
twosilly Denise! 
 

Just make sure you get the right covid test.  To have it usable for the 48-hour window, it needs to be a PCR test, and not a simple antigen/RAT test.  PCR tests are relatively uncommon at this point in the pandemic and just because it is a supervised test, does not mean it is PCR, and if it is, you probably will not have the results before you get on the plane as it often takes a day or two for results.  The 24-hour window is for antigen/RAT tests, that may be supervised or ones you can do yourself.

 

BTW, we are on the same cruise as you.  We are taking a self-administered RAT test at home before we leave for the airport.  It would be horrible to fly 20 hours only to find we can't get on the ship because we have covid.  Then in our hotel room in Auckland on Friday night we are going to take another self-administered RAT test, and this will be the test we will use to board the ship.

[john2003]

Self tests are great if they meet the requirements but they aren’t for everyone. Someone has to be able to cope with the details, prior during and after. 

[colbe]

1 hour ago, john2003 said:

Self tests are great if they meet the requirements but they aren’t for everyone. Someone has to be able to cope with the details, prior during and after. 

Supervised RAT tests can be requested at many of the pharmacies in Auckland. There is a 15min wait and then you receive an official report to show at boarding.

[SusieKIslandGirl]

We just arrived in Auckland this morning and will board the ship on Saturday. Passport control didn’t take too long but Customs lines were insane. Just as you reach the front of the line, waiting for the next agent, there were big bins of Covid tests. 2 boxes of 2 tests were rubber banded together-1 set per person. And that line is probably where you might want your mask. Weather much nicer here than in Seattle when we left.

[boeckli]

42 minutes ago, SusieKIslandGirl said:

We just arrived in Auckland this morning and will board the ship on Saturday. Passport control didn’t take too long but Customs lines were insane. Just as you reach the front of the line, waiting for the next agent, there were big bins of Covid tests. 2 boxes of 2 tests were rubber banded together-1 set per person. And that line is probably where you might want your mask. Weather much nicer here than in Seattle when we left.

 

Happy to hear you've arrived safely. Just checked the weather app and the forecast seems to be for some showers over the next few days with pleasant temps. Hope no more flooding rains in Auckland. We had an absolute deluge here in Sydney last nite (120 mm - close to 5 inches).

Looking forward to Saturday 😁

[cruisemom42]

21 hours ago, john2003 said:

Self tests are great if they meet the requirements but they aren’t for everyone. Someone has to be able to cope with the details, prior during and after. 

 

The self-tests are very simple. Perhaps if uncomfortable, someone could practice with a few in advance. 

 

If a person can't manage to do a COVID self-test, how do they meet the challenges associated with travel???

[oakridger]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

If a person can't manage to do a COVID self-test, how do they meet the challenges associated with travel???

 

I had the same thought @cruisemom42. 

 

~Nancy

[colbe]

schag001 have you been able to sort this out for your parents? Is there anything that I can do to help in Auckland?