Verifly?

[habitatnal]

1 hour ago, Vict0riann said:

 

I did look it up and the requirements are vaccination and testing.  Happy to hear the app will cover both of us.  At least we will be able to do our own tests here at home and just take a photo of the results.

 

I figured it was the Bahamas, because that is our only "foreign" stop on the Caribbean portion of the Collector's - the TA does not require anything, as far as I can tell.  I'm just hoping that in the next couple of weeks, HAL will notify us that it's no longer required, but we received a special email telling us it was, and also it's on the protocol site.

It sounds like you are on a Enhanced Voyage so they are requiring testing/vaccination because of the length of the voyage.  I know Princess recently dropped all testing/vaccination requirements unless the country requires it.  I would think Holland America will soon follow.

[habitatnal]

21 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

 

This is what I see from the TA site when viewing a cruise that stops in GT

 

Covid-19 Requirements: There are no vaccine or testing requirements for this sailing. 

 

Perhaps this means you can board the ship but cannot get off the ship in GT?

 

We were there in November and there was nobody from GT checking anything when we got off the ship and headed up the beach to Jack's Shack.......They were glad to see us. 

For some reason Holland America doesn’t list on their website that Grand Turk requires vaccination to get off the ship.  All the other cruise lines list it as a requirement.  Yes, you can board the ship if you aren’t vaccinated but you can’t get off in Grand Turk.  Were you asked if you were vaccinated or did you show proof of vaccination when you checked in?

 

People that have sailed on Carnival that went to GT were just asked about their vaccination status but no one asked for proof.  If you aren’t going to ask for proof it seems stupid to have the requirement.  

https://www.visittci.com/travel-info/turks-and-caicos-coronavirus-covid-19

[Dutchman48]

On 2/25/2023 at 10:26 AM, Norvig said:

Does it help when disembarking on HAL cruise to have Verifly? 

Depends on cruise.

Have two upcoming cruises, will use it on one and not the other.

The cruise I plane to use it on still has testing and vaccine requirements. The verify only line is a little quicker and simpler at boarding. Not a whole lot of time difference just simpler, on our last cruise we got through the lines15 minutes faster than friends who did not use it.

On the cruise that no longer has covid requirements I am not sure if the hassle is worth it.

[PACD_JG]

I went to Grand Turk in November.  Didn't use Verifly.  Filled out the questionnaire on the HAL website before sailing attesting to being vaxxed.  At Port Everglades they asked me if I was vaxxed, I said yes - no proof provided.  Got off the ship in Grand Turk without issue.  In other words, theatre still exists...I assume until May.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/30/us/politics/biden-covid-public-health-emergency.html

[habitatnal]

6 minutes ago, PACD_JG said:

I went to Grand Turk in November.  Didn't use Verifly.  Filled out the questionnaire on the HAL website before sailing attesting to being vaxxed.  At Port Everglades they asked me if I was vaxxed, I said yes - no proof provided.  Got off the ship in Grand Turk without issue.  In other words, theatre still exists...I assume until May.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/30/us/politics/biden-covid-public-health-emergency.html

You do realize that the requirement to be vaccinated to get off the ship in Grand Turk is a requirement of the Government Turks and Caicos and has nothing to do with Biden or US Policy?  In theory the requirement will be dropped the end of March.

https://www.visittci.com/travel-info/turks-and-caicos-coronavirus-covid-19

 

[PACD_JG]

Just now, habitatnal said:

You do realize that the requirement to be vaccinated to get off the ship in Grand Turk is a requirement of the Government Turks and Caicos and has nothing to do with Biden or US Policy?  In theory the requirement will be dropped the end of March.

https://www.visittci.com/travel-info/turks-and-caicos-coronavirus-covid-19

 

So you're saying it's not all just for appearances?

[Haljo1935]

Went to Turks Feb 10 as part of 14 day B2B cruise. HAL website and Turks website contradicted each other, so we followed Turks site (same for other ports). HAL site mainly addresses requirements for boarding the ship, not for getting off at ports. They do recommend you visit their visa partner, which is helps and easy to understand. We did that AND the local agency (ie Turks).

We completed VeriFLY even though HAL and airline no longer require it, but as others have me tioned, we got emails encouraging us to use it. It was quick as was our boarding. We had 4 people in our group and 1 person was able to complete for all 4.

Enjoy your cruise!!

[Norvig]

We cruise to Hawaii in 04/2023 with HAL.   We are hoping that Hawaii does not require covid testing.  We have had 4 covid vaccinations.  In March 2022 we were required  to show proof of vaccination & a negative test to board the plane.  

[FlaMariner]

35 minutes ago, habitatnal said:

Were you asked if you were vaccinated or did you show proof of vaccination when you checked in?

 

We were just asked.  November 2022. Nieuw Statendam. Port Everglades. 

[habitatnal]

47 minutes ago, PACD_JG said:

So you're saying it's not all just for appearances?

What I am saying is that the Government of Turks and Caicos is requiring vaccination not the US government.  The Government of Turks and Caicos can implement whatever requirement it wants.

[PACD_JG]

1 minute ago, habitatnal said:

What I am saying is that the Government of Turks and Caicos is requiring vaccination not the US government.  The Government of Turks and Caicos can implement whatever requirement it wants.

And you don't think Turks and Caicos only has this policy because the US still requires all non-U.S. citizens, non-U.S. immigrants traveling to the United States by air to show proof of being fully vaccinated against Covid?  A tit-for-tat?  So in other words, yes (IMHO)...it does have something to do with "Biden or US policy."

[habitatnal]

2 hours ago, PACD_JG said:

And you don't think Turks and Caicos only has this policy because the US still requires all non-U.S. citizens, non-U.S. immigrants traveling to the United States by air to show proof of being fully vaccinated against Covid?  A tit-for-tat?  So in other words, yes (IMHO)...it does have something to do with "Biden or US policy."

Or maybe they think by requiring the vaccine there is less chance that someone that is unvaccinated will end up in their hospitals.  No other country in the Caribbean is requiring vaccinations.  Unless you know someone that works for the Government of Turks and Caicos we will never truly know the reason.  I will say that if the requirement is dropped by the end of March I don’t think keeping the requirement had to do with US policy because the US requirement is supposed to end in May.  There would be no way for the Government of Turks and Caicos to know if the US will continue the policy past May.

 

Your original post seemed to indicate that the US was requiring vaccination and not the Government of Turks and Caicos so I was correcting what I thought was misinformation.
 

 

[CruiserBruce]

3 hours ago, Norvig said:

We cruise to Hawaii in 04/2023 with HAL.   We are hoping that Hawaii does not require covid testing.  We have had 4 covid vaccinations.  In March 2022 we were required  to show proof of vaccination & a negative test to board the plane.  

Hawaii dropped the test requirements in June 2022.

[Haljo1935]

As previously stated, we were just in Turks Feb 10, 2023. See their website for requirements - they are different than HALs.

[FlaMariner]

Just had the pleasure of deleting VERIFLY this morning.....

 

....got an email from HAL and our 3/24 South America cruise now no longer requires any Covid drama/requirements!!!!!

 

Free at last!

[Mosaic]

We are so glad that we have VeriFly to use.  Our trip to South America next week still requires vax and or proof of negative testing.  So nice to have, and makes it easier to board.

[FlaMariner]

40 minutes ago, Mosaic said:

We are so glad that we have VeriFly to use.  Our trip to South America next week still requires vax and or proof of negative testing.  So nice to have, and makes it easier to board.

 

Are you boarding the Oosterdam 3/10 in BA?

 

If so, good news for you also, your roll call is reporting you got the email today that you are also free of Verifly!!!!!  Verify that and then delete Verifly and enjoy the cruise!

 

 

 

Edited February 28, 2023 by FlaMariner

[habitatnal]

I am going on the Nieuw Amsterdam in June.  Holland America released the protocols for my cruise and I don’t have any testing/vaccination requirements. When I try to add the cruise in VeriFLY it will not let me.  It seems like they have stopped adding all cruises to VeriFLY.  Just letting people know that are debating on using VeriFLY.

[habitatnal]

On 2/25/2023 at 1:14 PM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

That's how I read it, too.

 

But--When I tried to check in at the face scan kiosk in FLL, it said I hadn't done all my docs. That was wrong. I had done all the check-in stuff the website wanted, and HAL did not require Verifly to get all the green check marks and a boarding pass. The kiosk watcher sent me to a live check-in person, and a minute later I had my little paper boarding pass. So no big deal, but I wonder if the kiosk wanted me to have Verifly. HAL did send emails "encouraging" me to do it. But after going through ArriveCAN several times last year, if I wasn't required to do an app I had no desire to bother. OTOH, the kiosk might have been cranky for some other reason. 

I have not sailed HAL since they implemented the facial recognition at check-in.  Do you now go through security and then get in line for the facial recognition kiosk?  Then would just board after that?  It seems like no one checks your passport at check-in, correct?

[habitatnal]

I was able to add my June cruise to VeriFLY even though there are no protocols.  All I had to do was take a picture and the pass was available.  It said I could upload proof of vaccination but it was greyed out.  I don’t really know if having the pass will speed things up or not.  I’m just surprised that I could load my cruise on VeriFLY.  There has to be a reason why I could do it even though I really didn’t provide any information.

[PACD_JG]

[FlaMariner]

8 hours ago, habitatnal said:

Do you now go through security and then get in line for the facial recognition kiosk?  Then would just board after that?  It seems like no one checks your passport at check-in, correct?

 

All correct...if I recall correctly.....From our November Port Everglades Nieuw Statendam cruise:

 

• hand over luggage and several dollar bills to longshoreman (we skip this step and carry on)
• Enter building and first kiosk asked "are you vaccinated?"  (that should now go away)
• security scan/check
• passport scanned at kiosk (hope for green light) and given "all clear" paper
• surrender "all clear" paper to obtain boarding group card
• wait in area
• board when group called
• scan boarding pass at gangway (on iPhone)
• go to room and keycard waiting
• eat lunch

 

Am I missing a step? 

 

HAL has this down...Very efficient. 

 

 

 

Edited March 2, 2023 by FlaMariner

[FlaMariner]

8 hours ago, habitatnal said:

I was able to add my June cruise to VeriFLY even though there are no protocols.

 

For what benefit do you think you will gain using Verifly?

[3rdGenCunarder]

7 hours ago, habitatnal said:

I have not sailed HAL since they implemented the facial recognition at check-in.  Do you now go through security and then get in line for the facial recognition kiosk?  Then would just board after that?  It seems like no one checks your passport at check-in, correct?

 

Yes, security first, and then the kiosk. I think it must be linked to a passport data base, because the only thing I recall being scanned was the barcode on my boarding pass. IF it cooperates, the kiosk prints a little slip of paper, like a receipt from a store. That becomes your boarding pass for getting on the ship. In my case, the kiosk bounced me to a check-in person, who I think scanned my boarding pass again. Or maybe it was my passport. It was all so quick that I don't remember. 

 

This was Port Everglades. They do want to see ID as you enter the port, and boarding pass and/or passport at the door to the terminal. I've done it so often that I just have everything ready to show and don't pay attention to what is checked where. 

 

Returning to PE, Immigration had facial recognition kiosks. No need to show a passport. There was an agent at the kiosks to see that people cleared and then we were just sent on our way. Easy!

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

 

All correct...if I recall correctly.....From our November Port Everglades Nieuw Statendam cruise:

 

• hand over luggage and several dollar bills to longshoreman (we skip this step and carry on)
• Enter building and first kiosk asked "are you vaccinated?"  (that should now go away)
• security scan/check
• passport scanned at kiosk (hope for green light)
• boarding group card given
• wait in area
• board when group called
• scan boarding pass at gangway (on iPhone)
• go to room and keycard waiting
• eat lunch

 

Am I missing a step? 

 

The really have this down...Very efficient. 

 

 

 

 

One more step. In Jan, the kiosk step gave a little paper slip as a boarding pass. Then, as I entered the seating area, I was given the boarding group card there. I had to tell her I'm 4* to get the priority card. The pass did say "Loyalty Tier 4S," but it isn't obvious.