Happy July 4th From the Kimberley!

[taxatty]

15 minutes ago, LAexNY said:

That’s interesting because when we boarded the Wind in Helsinki last month, no testing was required.  Perhaps Silversea varies the requirement depending on the country. 

From our SS pre-cruise documents--

 

PRE-EMBARKATION TESTING REQUIREMENTS

 

Guests Embarkation Testing Requirements

 

All embarking fully vaccinated or up-to-date guests must hold proof of a valid PCR negative test result performed within 48 hours of embarkation OR a valid Antigen negative test result performed within 24 hours of embarkation.
• The PCR test must be administered by a laboratory.
• The Antigen test can either be performed by a third party, i.e. laboratory, pharmacy, telehealth advisor OR guests can perform a self-test at home where they must take a photograph of the negative result with a time stamp. (Note--this is what we did with a $12 test kit for two persons.)
• If guests choose to have a PCR or an Antigen test by a third party, the certificate must contain the guest’s name (as shown on the cruise ticket), the date of the test, and the result. You must provide digital or printed proof upon embarkation.

 

Unvaccinated Guest Testing Requirements

 

Unvaccinated Guests (we only accept unvaccinated individuals from 0 to 11 years old) must present a valid Antigen or PCR negative test result performed within 24 hours of embarkation:

 

• The PCR test must be administered by a laboratory.
• The Antigen test can either be performed by a third party, i.e. laboratory, pharmacy, telehealth advisor OR guests can perform a self-test at home where they must take a photograph of the negative result with a time stamp.
• If guests choose to have a PCR or an Antigen test by a third party, the certificate must contain the guest’s name (as shown on the cruise ticket), the date of the test, and the result. You must provide digital or printed proof upon embarkation.
• PLEASE NOTE: All guests aged from 0 to 11 years old must complete a Covid-19 test.

 

Silversea will NOT be providing pier-side testing for guests; as such, it is imperative that you arrive to the pier with your individual negative test result. If you arrive for embarkation without a valid negative test result, you will be denied boarding

 

Pre-Arrival Testing Option

 

• The Antigen test may be administered by a verified third party, either a laboratory or pharmacy OR a self-test at home, verified by a third party (telehealth provider, pharmacy or laboratory). The Certificate must contain the guest's name (as shown on the cruise ticket), as well as date of test, and result. You must provide a digital or printed proof upon embarkation.
• Whilst approved self-test kits are now readily available at pharmacies and drugstore chains,

 

Silversea is pleased to make them available for order pre-cruise. We suggest that you order them at least one full week in advance of your sailing. These tests allow you to complete your pre-cruise test at home, or in any place of your choosing, with the help of live video supervision by a Certified Testing Guide. Your results are typically ready in about 15 minutes. Please click here to order your home self-test kit.

 

For guests participating in a Pre-cruise Land Programme, Silversea will provide necessary testing if required.

[highplanesdrifters]

4 hours ago, taxatty said:

We enjoyed the Ghan trip from Adelaide to Darwin--very good food, drink, and service. Not "luxury" but quite nice.  The Gold Twin room is not spacious but it does the job (no Platinum cabin ever became available to us) as the seating and beds were comfortable and having the en-suite toilet/sink/shower was convenient. Our two included excursions (Simpsons Gap and nearby hikes in Alice Springs, the gorge boat tour in Katherine) were well organized and done. Sleeping the first night was difficult as the track in that section is old, but once the train stopped in the middle of the night in Marla, sleeping got much easier. We slept great on the second night, and delivering us to our Darwin hotel by coach at the end (also included) worked well. Absurdly expensive but definitely worth doing once.

Thanks for taking the time to write a very helpful review.

[tazza_0712]

6 hours ago, taxatty said:

AFAIK, Silversea. Australia didn't require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to enter from the US.

In a nutshell, Australian state governments still require the negative pre-cruise testing of cruise ship passengers, as well as full vaccination for at least 95% of those passengers onboard.
 

Cruise ships are governed under separate protocols and regulations, so this doesn’t apply to passengers arriving by air.

Edited July 7, 2023 by tazza_0712

[drron29]

No Australian State governments do not require any Covid test as a requirement for entering Australia. The Northern territory and Western Australia are the most stringent as the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia have a high proportion of indigenous persons. In the Northern Territory a third of their population is indigenous. They are one of the high risk groups for covid.

 

So to the NT rules for cruise ships.

7 The operator of a cruise vessel must ensure that the vessel does not
enter a port in the Territory, other than Port Darwin, unless the vessel:
(a) has first berthed at Port Darwin; and
(b) has not left Territory waters since berthing at Port Darwin.

 

24/06/2022 5:09 PM Page 3 of 16
8 The captain of a cruise vessel that enters Port Darwin must, on request
of an authorised officer, give the manifest for the vessel to the authorised
officer.
9 The operator of a cruise vessel must ensure that activities are not
conducted unless:
(a) a COVID-19 management plan in accordance with the Northern
Territory Cruise Protocols was submitted to Border Control Unit;
and
(b) a health practitioner who is suitably qualified in infection prevention
and control was appointed as the vessel's COVID-19 safety
supervisor and is on the vessel.

 

However if you have covid or are a close contact you must quarantine for at least 7 days plus-

16 A close contact must submit to or self-administer an approved COVID-19
testing procedure as follows:
(a) within 3 days of becoming a close contact; and
(b) on the 6th day after becoming a close contact; and
(c) if the close contact has symptoms of COVID-19 immediately after the symptoms start.

[tazza_0712]

Any ship visiting Western Australia (which Silver Explorer does) is bound by the Eastern Seaboard and Western Australian Cruise Protocols. These are state government imposed regulations. 
 

You can find the full list of requirements by googling the name of the protocols but in essence, these outline what I mentioned in my earlier post. 

 

 

[drron29]

Those guidelines are no longer in force throughout Australia. western australia still "suggests" they be used. there is no compulsion.

So here is what it says on the WA Health site about cruise ships.

 

"Cruise ship passengers

If you are entering WA via cruise ship, guidelines are in place to keep you and our community safe from COVID-19.

WA has adopted the Eastern Seaboard and Western Australia protocols, which provide cruise ships with policy guidelines about how to manage COVID-19 restrictions and outbreaks on board.

Please follow all guidelines put in place by your cruise ship and continue to engage in COVID-19 safe behaviour, both onboard and during shore excursions.

WA encourages all visitors on cruise ships to take a RAT prior to shore excursions and follow recommendations on mask wearing in WA to help protect local communities."

https://www.wa.gov.au/government/covid-19-coronavirus/covid-19-coronavirus-information-travellers#cruiseship

 

My previous quote is from the Northern Territory health department. so there is no requirement to test before boarding unless symptomatic or a close contact of a covid case.

 

[tazza_0712]

The ‘Protocols’ as noted in my earlier comment are most definitely still in effect. The cruise industry and CLIA are both lobbying government to remove or at least revise the protocols prior to the commencement of the upcoming Aus/NZ summer cruise season.

CC members reading these comments should feel even more compelled to conduct their own research, and always remember to consult the cruise line’s website to know what is required for your specific sailing. 

[taxatty]

On 7/4/2023 at 11:00 AM, highplanesdrifters said:

Thanks for the update.  Please tell us about your excursions and experiences on board.  I'm sure you will have different experiences than mine, fun to compare.  I can then live vicariously. 

 

Sorry about the Bungle Bungle flight.   Our horizontal falls was canceled, did yours go? Montgomery Reef was also a bit of a bust.  Both due to neap tides and poor itinary planning. There was a lot of poor itinary planning our our trip. I've been meaning to do a recap. 

 

A belated follow-up--we just got home from Australia.

 

We were lucky enough to see both the Horizontal Falls and Montgomery Reef during a spring tide. The "Falls" weren't high in height, either in the morning (incoming) or afternoon (outgoing) but were quite powerful. We were taken in the Zodiacs to see the effects of both tides. The SS Zodiacs weren't allowed to go through them when the tide is going in or out--only the local concessionaire's speed boats, which our Expedition Leader said that SS can't book. 

 

Sorry for the duplications below--CC isn't the easiest place to upload files.

 

 

 

Montgomery Reef was more impressive to us--SS got us off the ship starting at 6:00 AM shortly before sunrise to catch them at the optimal "water pouring off a table" time. We also saw some large turtles there, followed by a nice surprise from the crew at the end which I won't divulge.

       

 

 

After our Kimberley cruise, we spent disembarkation day enjoying Darwin, then took an evening flight back to our Australia starting point of Adelaide where we went on an escorted visit of several excellent McLaren Vale wineries. We finished our trip by flying to Melbourne, renting a car to spend two days sightseeing and hiking to various lighthouses and waterfalls on the spectacular Great Ocean Road, ending with four days in Melbourne--all very worthwhile. If you're flying many hours to get there, do try to explore more of that vast country than you can view in nine-hour shore excursions.

 

Edited July 21, 2023 by taxatty

[highplanesdrifters]

@taxatty. Thank you so very much for the report. 

Montgomery Reef does look impressive. I'm glad you were able to experience it.  Sorry we missed the show.  I wonder if SS has stopped using the Horizontal Falls guide permanently given the major accident they had last year.  If so, I hope they stop advertising this excursion.