covid test for US reentry

[suec12]

We are vacinnated but as I understand it, we must still get a covid test before US reentry from international destinations. We are booked on a Med. cruise, ending in Athens. We planned to fly home the day the ship gets in port but now I am panicking about getting the Covid test. Might we be able to get it on the ship? - seems it would be smart for HAL to offer that. Our cruise ends near the end of Sept. - of course I hope regulations will change but this morning I am thinking I might need to have a better plan!

[redpear1]

Good question we are doing transatlantic, arriving back to Ft lauderdale on November 3. Not sure what will be in place if folks want to fly out internationally on same day

[idiebabe]

57 minutes ago, suec12 said:

We are vacinnated but as I understand it, we must still get a covid test before US reentry from international destinations. We are booked on a Med. cruise, ending in Athens. We planned to fly home the day the ship gets in port but now I am panicking about getting the Covid test. Might we be able to get it on the ship? - seems it would be smart for HAL to offer that. Our cruise ends near the end of Sept. - of course I hope regulations will change but this morning I am thinking I might need to have a better plan!

Probably be best to call HAL to find out for your specific date.  I was told by my PCC regarding the Greece Cruise end of August Debarking in Venice on Sept. 12th  that Testing would be done pre-Embark by HAL and also on Debark by HAL.  The Test would be good for up to 72 hours.   

[HappyInVan]

"What types of SARS-CoV-2 test are acceptable under the Order?

Passengers must be tested with a viral test that could be either an antigen test or a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT). Examples of available NAATs for SARS-CoV-2 include but are not restricted to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), transcription-mediated amplification (TMA), nicking enzyme amplification reaction (NEAR), and helicase-dependent amplification (HDA). The test used must be authorized for use by the relevant national authority for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the country where the test is administered. A viral test conducted for U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) personnel, including DOD contractors, dependents, and other U.S. government employees, and tested by a DOD laboratory located in a foreign country also meets the requirements of the Order."

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

 

The airline has to check the documentation before they let you board. So, make sure that your airline accepts the validity of the test done on the ship.

Edited June 2, 2021 by HappyInVan

[seagarsmoker]

I do hope the tests onboard the ships give passengers time to retake test if needed. Tests on individuals who had had the shot(s) are resulting in a significant amount of false positive results.  

[CruiserBruce]

20 minutes ago, seagarsmoker said:

I do hope the tests onboard the ships give passengers time to retake test if needed. Tests on individuals who had had the shot(s) are resulting in a significant amount of false positive results.  

Source on this?

[CruiserBruce]

United Airlines is providing an accepted test for it's flyers. Are you flying United?

[seagarsmoker]

18 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Source on this?

Several articles are out there to read with a little research. Last month it happened during the playoffs where some players of the Blues who had there shots, then tested positive. Another test was performed and they were negative. Thus, the original test are considered false-positive results. 

Simple math comes in to play here on a cruise ship. False positive rate of half of one percent for 2000 or 3000 passengers will happen. I just hope when this happens, people will have enough time to retake test before departing ship. 

[CruiserBruce]

1 minute ago, seagarsmoker said:

Several articles are out there to read with a little research. Last month it happened during the playoffs where some players of the Blues who had there shots, then tested positive. Another test was performed and they were negative. Thus, the original test are considered false-positive results. 

Simple math comes in to play here on a cruise ship. False positive rate of half of one percent for 2000 or 3000 passengers will happen. I just hope when this happens, people will have enough time to retake test before departing ship. 

You said "significant" numbers of false positives. First, if you are vaccinated, how many (in the general population, not pro athletes...that is a special, and very small number of people) are taking tests? Shouldn't be very many.

 

Please provide studies from reputable sources. I am not against a secondary testing policy. There definitely needs to be, and in the situations I am aware of (Hawaii, for example) there is, whether vaccinated or not. The Hawaiian experience seems to be the faster the test, the greater likelyhood of a false positive. But the numbers are still very small.

[GeorgesGal]

3 hours ago, redpear1 said:

Good question we are doing transatlantic, arriving back to Ft lauderdale on November 3. Not sure what will be in place if folks want to fly out internationally on same day

Flying OUT will not be a problem, unless Canada needs a negative test to return.  This is the case with the USA; need a negative test to return by AIR, not cruises.

 

I was recently out of country (USA) at an all inclusive.  The resort provided testing on-site the day prior to departure at no cost to its guests.  Hopefully cruise lines will be doing the same for passengers disembarking in foreign ports who will be flying home to USA.

[Babr]

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

You said "significant" numbers of false positives. First, if you are vaccinated, how many (in the general population, not pro athletes...that is a special, and very small number of people) are taking tests? Shouldn't be very many.

 

Please provide studies from reputable sources. I am not against a secondary testing policy. There definitely needs to be, and in the situations I am aware of (Hawaii, for example) there is, whether vaccinated or not. The Hawaiian experience seems to be the faster the test, the greater likelyhood of a false positive. But the numbers are still very small.

I have only anecdotal evidence. A friend of mine tested positive when trying to check into the hospital for a procedure. It came as a surprise since she had been fully vaccinated for a couple of months. I can’t say it was a false positive, but she had no symptoms. Maybe it just meant virus was detected. She was sent home anyway to quarantine.

 

I had not considered the possibility before, but it is certainly something to think about in terms of travel since you will be exposed to many more people than most encounter in their normal routines. 

Edited June 2, 2021 by Babr

[leanstostarboard]

We are sailing from Barcelona to Rome in Sept 2021, it appears that that cruise will actually sail. I called HAL yesterday to ask them if I can get a covid test on board to meet the US airline requirements for flying home. I was told YES, HAL offers the tests for free on cruises that disembark in  foreign port.   

 

The agent I spoke to aid that this information is available on the HAL website; I said that I could not find it on the website which is why I called.  He said it is on the HAL website but did not provide a hint how to find it. 

[aliaschief]

40 minutes ago, leanstostarboard said:

We are sailing from Barcelona to Rome in Sept 2021, it appears that that cruise will actually sail. I called HAL yesterday to ask them if I can get a covid test on board to meet the US airline requirements for flying home. I was told YES, HAL offers the tests for free on cruises that disembark in  foreign port.   

 

The agent I spoke to aid that this information is available on the HAL website; I said that I could not find it on the website which is why I called.  He said it is on the HAL website but did not provide a hint how to find it. 

Now that’s more positive news! Thanks.

[ontheweb]

41 minutes ago, leanstostarboard said:

We are sailing from Barcelona to Rome in Sept 2021, it appears that that cruise will actually sail. I called HAL yesterday to ask them if I can get a covid test on board to meet the US airline requirements for flying home. I was told YES, HAL offers the tests for free on cruises that disembark in  foreign port.   

 

The agent I spoke to aid that this information is available on the HAL website; I said that I could not find it on the website which is why I called.  He said it is on the HAL website but did not provide a hint how to find it. 

Quite possibly because he or she did not know how to find it. I hope you kept insisting that you wanted to know how to find it on the website. And I wonder if you called back and asked a different representative the same question whether you would get the same answer.

[Vict0riann]

HAL has this under a heading "Travelling and Staying Healthy"

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/news/coronavirus-travel-advisory/traveling-and-staying-healthy/covid-guest-protocols.html

[dfish]

2 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

HAL has this under a heading "Travelling and Staying Healthy"

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/news/coronavirus-travel-advisory/traveling-and-staying-healthy/covid-guest-protocols.html

They mention testing for embarkation, but not for re-entry to the US after a cruise.   I was told by my PCC that they would do that on the ship.

[Vict0riann]

Just now, dfish said:

They mention testing for embarkation, but not for re-entry to the US after a cruise.   I was told by my PCC that they would do that on the ship.

 

Yes, not specifically for a return to the US, but it would mean they do have the facility for it on board.  We are hoping things loosen up, too.   I was just watching a BBC news interview about an EU certificate of vaccination using a QR code, sounds interesting, too, if perhaps what you do is present your own country's certificate when you enter the EU, and if it passes, you get your EU QR code certificate...  Lots of interesting things going on.

[Tiggerwudz]

This is a good website for checking entry requirements into the EU right now.

https://reopen.europa.eu/en/from-to/OTC/ITA