Devil's Island

[Tradestock]

My husband and I have noticed that on many of the longer length, southerly cruises, Holland America port calls at Devil's Island.  Previously, there was a yellow fever vaccination requirement listed for this port, but it appears to be missing from the HAL website now.  I looked at the US Dept. of State travel information and it appears the yellow fever vaccination is still a requirement for this country.  We are not eligible for waivers to this vaccination requirement, yet. For us, this greatly adds to the cost of the cruise and is not covered by insurance.  This has removed any interest in the Amazon Explorer, roundtrip Antarctica cruises from Ft. Lauderdale and similar itineraries. Is this stop related to a ship need or requirement?  Please explain from past travels and/or experience what, if anything, would make the additional expense for this port more palatable.  

[Toad]

Just curious what would exempt one from getting the vaccination?

 

[CruiserBruce]

5 minutes ago, Toad said:

Just curious what would exempt one from getting the vaccination?

 

Health and age contraindications. 

[Toad]

Just now, CruiserBruce said:

Health and age contraindications. 

Oh good so maybe I would be so very old I wouldn’t need it, however I remember my Dad having to get one when he cruised the Amazon and he was in his 80’s! Admittedly that was a while back.

[sandiego1]

Costco offers YF vaccines and many other travel meds through their travel doctor program. It’s not offered in every state but was a big savings for us for last year’s World Cruise.

 

The issue with the waiver is that it’s just a piece of paper that says you are medically excused from getting the vaccines. It doesn’t save you from possibly getting YF from a mosquito as mosquitoes can’t read so they don’t know they aren’t supposed to bite you 😆

[I like vacation]

We visited Devil's Island on March 9, 2023 while on a Viking cruise of the Amazon.  Great place to explore but very hot.  There wasn't any vaccine requirement for the trip.

 

[OHCruiser]

The vaccine is a one and done, good for life, so if you have many years of travel ahead of you, it's a worthwhile investment.

[Mary229]

Look at Good RX for a coupon rate.  Holland does not always

provide a complete list of required or recommended vaccines and visas, it is always best to do your own research .  Brazil’s Visa requirements and price is in flux so pay attention there also. 

Edited January 22 by Mary229

[ski ww]

If you can afford the cost of that cruise what's a little extra  for the shot, also having peace of mind that you are vaccinated against Yellow Fever. It's not HAL's requirement that you need the shot but the country.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

12 hours ago, Tradestock said:

My husband and I have noticed that on many of the longer length, southerly cruises, Holland America port calls at Devil's Island.  Previously, there was a yellow fever vaccination requirement listed for this port, but it appears to be missing from the HAL website now.  I looked at the US Dept. of State travel information and it appears the yellow fever vaccination is still a requirement for this country.  We are not eligible for waivers to this vaccination requirement, yet. For us, this greatly adds to the cost of the cruise and is not covered by insurance.  This has removed any interest in the Amazon Explorer, roundtrip Antarctica cruises from Ft. Lauderdale and similar itineraries. Is this stop related to a ship need or requirement?  Please explain from past travels and/or experience what, if anything, would make the additional expense for this port more palatable.  

Yellow fever was not required for our Devil's Island visit a few weeks ago on the Zuiderdam.

[DCThunder]

My YF vaccination was covered by my Medicare Part D.  I got it from the travel department of the county public health service.  Total cost was $40.

[mgtravelsalot]

there are quite a few countries that require YF shots around the world If you get one then you are good to go anywhere in the world basically

[Tradestock]

Thank you for the informative replies.  I appreciate the heads up for Brazil visa requirements, too.

[WriterOnDeck]

I've been to Devil's Island twice in the past two months with HAL and it was never required. Like others, I suggest you go ahead and get the YF vaccination, as it will last you a lifetime and you never know when a country will start to require it. Better to have the vaccine when you can than wait until your doctor won't suggest it and risk getting yellow fever, I say. It looks like it pays to shop around for a better price.

 

If you are looking at longer cruises that could require it, it's only a rounding error in relation to the full cost of the cruise, and you can amortize it over your life of cruising! (I'm the queen of finding ways to justify spending money.)

[Mike B Landlubber]

My County Helth Department offers YF immunization for $161. Cheap to be able to travel in affected areas and not fear.

[OlsSalt]

To add to the YF twists, once around the time of the Rio Olympics Brazil was demanding YF shots only if you had visited Devils Island first, but I don't think Devil's Island was requiring them.

 

Then when the Rio Olympics were at hand, Brazil got rid of all YF requirements. So as Mary says stay tuned. It is a highly changeable scene.

 

I had to dig around and found my old UNESCO Yellow Book shot record from the 1960's, showing my YF inoculation done at a US military base. But the book and shot is registered in my previous name.  

 

I wonder what I would need to do to validate that YF shot under another last name, now over 50 years later? Do I still have an old passport in that name?  Hmmmmm.....

[Mary229]

One thing to note with YF is it moves around.  Though YF may not be present at this moment it could outbreak for your visit.  Tropical diseases can be tricky. 

[DCThunder]

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

One thing to note with YF is it moves around.  Though YF may not be present at this moment it could outbreak for your visit.  Tropical diseases can be tricky. 

This whole subject has been beaten to death in the RC for the Amazon cruise leaving on Feb. 17.  As I understand it, the issue is that certain countries we visit AFTER being in Brazil won't let you ashore unless you have the YF vaccine.  Brazil is listed as being a country "at risk of transmission" of YF and so places such as Barbados and Dominica require the vaccine or a waiver and no one is totally sure about the waiver.

 

So if you don't plan to go ashore in Barbados or Dominica, no issue whether or not you get the YF vax.  But as was said above, those pesky Amazonian mosquitoes don't always read so good and might not know you have a waiver from getting the shots.

[OlsSalt]

How to update old WHO Yellow Passports for proof of Yellow Fever inoculation:  due to name change

 

You can take it to a certified provider of Yellow Fever inoculations. With sufficient proof and your old WHO Yellow Passport, they can issue you a new official WHO passport with the prior inoculations records rectified.