Canadians Looking to Sail With Princess...Check The FAQs!

[dog]

4 minutes ago, cruisintoddler said:

What Canada does is irrelevant.
 

If Princess decides that a particular combination of vaccines doesn't meet their requirements for a particular cruise,  we won't be allowed on board, no matter what our Canadian paperwork says.  

Hope it all works out for you 

[tert333]

1 minute ago, cruisintoddler said:

What Canada does is irrelevant.
 

If Princess decides that a particular combination of vaccines doesn't meet their requirements for a particular cruise,  we won't be allowed on board, no matter what our Canadian paperwork says.  

I agree.  I think the only answer is for those affected get an Astrazeneca/mRNA booster.   This is going to be an ongoing issue when we travel.  Should never have listened to NACI and their recommended.  Every week, they came up with different recommendations.  They should have foreseen this issue.   We could have stuck with AZ as our second dose and we would have been fine.

[CruisinFinsUp]

20 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Not sure why you say didn't have a choice in ON.  I didn't question the poster from NL as I am not familiar there, but we certainly had choices in ON.  You just had to check what a location was offering.  We knew we wanted mRNA and got Pfizer where we went.  When booking second shot, Pfizer was offered as that is what we had first shot.  I know Canada considers you fully vaccinated, but does the rest of the world?  Have heard there might be third shots later on for folks in your position.

 

Unfortunately for many of us, the way the age groups were released, it appeared at the time of booking and getting our AZ,   that AZ was the only available option for a long time coming.    So we choose to get AZ as we did not see the mRNA as being available for weeks.      We have at risk parents to care for, as well as other health considerations, so we did what we were recommended by our leaders and doctors to do, and got the AZ. 
 

Hindsight is 20/20, and things changed dramatically soon after, but now we are stuck with what was the best decision **at the time**.  
 

Where are you hearing about the 3rd shots?   Link?  
 

We are hoping Princess changes their position ..... have to wait and see.  

[tert333]

1 minute ago, cruisintoddler said:

 

Unfortunately for many of us, the way the age groups were released, it appeared at the time of booking and getting our AZ,   that AZ was the only available option for a long time coming.    So we choose to get AZ as we did not see the mRNA as being available for weeks.      We have at risk parents to care for, as well as other health considerations, so we did what we were recommended by our leaders and doctors to do, and got the AZ. 
 

Hindsight is 20/20, and things changed dramatically soon after, but now we are stuck with what was the best decision **at the time**.  
 

Where are you hearing about the 3rd shots?   Link?  
 

We are hoping Princess changes their position ..... have to wait and see.  

I think we need to contact Princess and escalate this issue to customer service.   The more people that contact them, the greater the chance they may change their position.   Interestingly, RCCL is silent on this.   NCL has said they will not accept mixed vaccines.  If we don't do anything, nothing will happen...

[CruisinFinsUp]

4 minutes ago, tert333 said:

I agree.  I think the only answer is for those affected get an Astrazeneca/mRNA booster.   This is going to be an ongoing issue when we travel.  

I hope this won't be ongoing !     From what I can tell right now, the "fully vaccinated" on Princess only applies to 2021 North America departures.    
 

I'm hoping things settle out for 2022 and on ..... or at least that everyone gets on the same page regarding vaccine acceptability!  
 

Our world sure has changed..... 

 

[Lady Arwen]

We’re hoping by the time we cruise next May, that this will not be an issue.  If it is, we’ll get a third booster shot of a mRNA.  Whatever it takes.  Like most folks, we had no choice of vaccines and did what was recommended to us at the time.  I do feel terrible for those Canadians who wanted to cruise in the next few weeks and find now that they are not eligible because of their vaccinations.  Just more frustration and disappointment.

[CruisinFinsUp]

2 minutes ago, tert333 said:

I think we need to contact Princess and escalate this issue to customer service.   The more people that contact them, the greater the chance they may change their position.   Interestingly, RCCL is silent on this.   NCL has said they will not accept mixed vaccines.  If we don't do anything, nothing will happen...

Agree.  
I contacted my travel agent already, and I posted on the Princess facebook page.  

I'll see what comes back from there and decide next steps. 
 

Hopefully they reverse, or we'll have to cancel our December cruise.   Our kids (18&21) are working on a farm this summer, so they qualifies before we did.  They both got 2 mRNA's.   Only hubby and I mixed, as that was what was avail ......  

[dog]

4 minutes ago, tert333 said:

I think we need to contact Princess and escalate this issue to customer service.   The more people that contact them, the greater the chance they may change their position.   Interestingly, RCCL is silent on this.   NCL has said they will not accept mixed vaccines.  If we don't do anything, nothing will happen...

Good idea 

as you can see from post above Barbados has changed their position and is now accepting mixed doses. 

[Lady Arwen]

1 minute ago, cruisintoddler said:

Agree.  
I contacted my travel agent already, and I posted on the Princess facebook page.  

I'll see what comes back from there and decide next steps. 
 

Hopefully they reverse, or we'll have to cancel our December cruise.   Our kids (18&21) are working on a farm this summer, so they qualifies before we did.  They both got 2 mRNA's.   Only hubby and I mixed, as that was what was avail ......  

I’m going to call our PVP and let her know, too.

[Daniel A]

1 hour ago, tert333 said:

I reached out to a Princess rep on June 25 and they said there would be no problem with a mixed vaccine as long as the two vaccines were approved by the WHO.  So my guess is a change was made sometime between then and now.  Also, looks like Carnival Cruise and Holland American has similar rules.

 

1 hour ago, ceilidh1 said:

And NCL

NCL is even more strict.  They require the doses to be from the same company, not the same type as the other lines are doing.

[CruisinFinsUp]

3 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

 

NCL is even more strict.  They require the doses to be from the same company, not the same type as the other lines are doing.

Wow.   Just Wow.  
 

In Ontario we have been mixing every which way.   

[dog]

3 hours ago, tartana said:

Same....hence I held out for double Pfizer...... 

yes!

[Lady Arwen]

10 minutes ago, cruisintoddler said:

Wow.   Just Wow.  
 

In Ontario we have been mixing every which way.   

Only my DIL has both Pfizer, because of her job she got early  vaccinations.  The rest of our family and all of our friends have a mix.  Really makes me angry that at no time was there even a hint of an issue with mixing vaccines relayed to us.

[CruisinFinsUp]

7 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

Only my DIL has both Pfizer, because of her job she got early  vaccinations.  The rest of our family and all of our friends have a mix.  Really makes me angry that at no time was there even a hint of an issue with mixing vaccines relayed to us.

Yup.  Same. 
 

Seems like every jurisdiction and company are doing their own thing. 
 

I’m hoping time will bring order to the chaos.  

[nbsjcruiser]

2 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

Only my DIL has both Pfizer, because of her job she got early  vaccinations.  The rest of our family and all of our friends have a mix.  Really makes me angry that at no time was there even a hint of an issue with mixing vaccines relayed to us.

I have a cruise booked for Nov and tried to do my due dalliance by calling Princess on 2 different occasions. I was assured that the AZ and a  Pfizer-BioNTech would be ok as they follow the WHO and both were approved vaccines.

I now have a cruise that I can not go on and non-refundable airfare. 

 

[tert333]

1 minute ago, nbsjcruiser said:

I have a cruise booked for Nov and tried to do my due dalliance by calling Princess on 2 different occasions. I was assured that the AZ and a  Pfizer-BioNTech would be ok as they follow the WHO and both were approved vaccines.

I now have a cruise that I can not go on and non-refundable airfare. 

 

I know.  I did the same thing.  Contacted Princess and asked for customer service on June 25 and got the same answer as you.

 

Is your cruise in the US or Europe.  It seems there might be two different sets of rules, as pointed out earlier.   I am taking a cruise in September out of southampton and the vaccination rules are not as clear as the ones out of the US.   I have found on the UK public health website, that while rare, mixing doses are acceptable.   So we may have two different issues.

[CruisinFinsUp]

15 minutes ago, nbsjcruiser said:

I have a cruise booked for Nov and tried to do my due dalliance by calling Princess on 2 different occasions. I was assured that the AZ and a  Pfizer-BioNTech would be ok as they follow the WHO and both were approved vaccines.

I now have a cruise that I can not go on and non-refundable airfare. 

 

Ugh that is frustrating!!!!!! 
 

What is your destination?    Can you plan another trip (land based?) with the same flights?

 

[Daniel A]

14 minutes ago, nbsjcruiser said:

I have a cruise booked for Nov and tried to do my due dalliance by calling Princess on 2 different occasions. I was assured that the AZ and a  Pfizer-BioNTech would be ok as they follow the WHO and both were approved vaccines.

I now have a cruise that I can not go on and non-refundable airfare. 

It may be that the cruises out of the US after November 1 will have different rules as the current CDC CSO expires then.  I think the CDC is defining who is adequately (fully) vaccinated and the cruise lines won't argue as long as the CDC permits them to sail.

[CruisinFinsUp]

6 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

It may be that the cruises out of the US after November 1 will have different rules as the current CDC CSO expires then.  I think the CDC is defining who is adequately (fully) vaccinated and the cruise lines won't argue as long as the CDC permits them to sail.

Princess has marked all 2021 US departures with the same requirements.  When you search the cruise, there is a banner on the top of the page that states its part of the 

 

Voyages Sailing per Current CDC Guidance

We will operate this cruise consistent with CDC guidelines, with exceptions as required by law. This cruise is available for guests who have received their final dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to the beginning of the cruise and have proof of vaccination. View Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

https://www.princess.com/plan/cruise-with-confidence/cruise-health/frequently-asked-questions/

 

 

 

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, dog said:

News just now- federal government is working on an International Passport so Canadians with mixed vaccines are accepted 

 

1 hour ago, cruisintoddler said:

What Canada does is irrelevant.
 

If Princess decides that a particular combination of vaccines doesn't meet their requirements for a particular cruise,  we won't be allowed on board, no matter what our Canadian paperwork says.  

Yes, Trudeau and Cabinet Ministers have a lot of arm twisting to do so that other countries will accept certain mixed dosages.  Each country makes it own decisions.

[dog]

12 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

 

Yes, Trudeau and Cabinet Ministers have a lot of arm twisting to do so that other countries will accept certain mixed dosages.  Each country makes it own decisions.

Right, and same goes for the ports. I stopped listening to them with the 16 weeks between doses. Controversy over AZ blood clots were red flags for me 

Edited July 16, 2021 by dog

[CruisinFinsUp]

1 minute ago, Steelers36 said:

 

Yes, Trudeau and Cabinet Ministers have a lot of arm twisting to do so that other countries will accept certain mixed dosages.  Each country makes it own decisions.

Agreed, but each of Princess, NCL, Carnival, etc are making their OWN rules, ignoring any US guidance.    NCL won't acknowledge mixing mRNA brands per their website!!

 

Understandably, this whole situation is still a moving target.    Lots of details to work out, worldwide.  But frustrating to anyone trying to plan more than 2 days in the future.  🙄
 

 

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, tert333 said:

I agree.  I think the only answer is for those affected get an Astrazeneca/mRNA booster.   This is going to be an ongoing issue when we travel.  Should never have listened to NACI and their recommended.  Every week, they came up with different recommendations.  They should have foreseen this issue.   We could have stuck with AZ as our second dose and we would have been fine.

Yes, things were in state of flux for quite a period of time.  I think two times AZ was pulled temporarily.  I didn't just read and listen to Canada.  It seemed a lot of the decisions were politically-driven since it was the supply they had at first.  It was pretty obvious to me from the get-go that Pfizer and Moderna were the superior vaccines and I just ignored the noise coming out of Ottawa.  Since our first dosing was in March and at a hospital, they were doing mRNA and we knew we were getting Pfizer, so good.  That setup the second booking for Pfizer and we weren't going to rush into something else earlier.  (In fact, Canada was another outlier in implementing a 16-week gap between doses).  We almost lost our second Pfizer dose as two days before our appt, there was a temporary shipping shortage and TPTB decided to save Pfizer for teens - at least at hospital type sites.  We were lucky to find a pharmacy (SDM for all the Canucks) out of town that still had some Pfizer and we went at 7:00am in the morning to line up.  Worked out - got lucky.  The store employees couldn't figure out why they had a big line-up before opening in this small town (Brantford).

 

1 hour ago, cruisintoddler said:

 

Unfortunately for many of us, the way the age groups were released, it appeared at the time of booking and getting our AZ,   that AZ was the only available option for a long time coming.    So we choose to get AZ as we did not see the mRNA as being available for weeks.      We have at risk parents to care for, as well as other health considerations, so we did what we were recommended by our leaders and doctors to do, and got the AZ. 
 

Hindsight is 20/20, and things changed dramatically soon after, but now we are stuck with what was the best decision **at the time**.  
 

Where are you hearing about the 3rd shots?   Link?  
 

We are hoping Princess changes their position ..... have to wait and see.  

 

I don't have a link but have heard it discussed on CTV News Channel and probably in an article online.  I don't think there is anything to it as yet since they are focused on getting second dose numbers up.  It may or may not become an issue after we get more of that done.  I'd say, JT will want to avoid that issue during the coming election campaign.  And it could be that more international authorities will come around and accept us.  We were worried at first we'd need a third mRNA due to having the 16-week gap that no other country had.  But, so far that has turned into a non-issue.

[Lady Arwen]

33 minutes ago, nbsjcruiser said:

I have a cruise booked for Nov and tried to do my due dalliance by calling Princess on 2 different occasions. I was assured that the AZ and a  Pfizer-BioNTech would be ok as they follow the WHO and both were approved vaccines.

I now have a cruise that I can not go on and non-refundable airfare. 

 

That is terrible!  Can you switch cruiselines and keep your flights?  So unfair, especially since you did check with Princess.  Just remembered that a member just posted that all cruise lines have the same policy!  I would be calling Princess and giving them an earful!

[Steelers36]

41 minutes ago, nbsjcruiser said:

I have a cruise booked for Nov and tried to do my due dalliance by calling Princess on 2 different occasions. I was assured that the AZ and a  Pfizer-BioNTech would be ok as they follow the WHO and both were approved vaccines.

I now have a cruise that I can not go on and non-refundable airfare. 

 

 

34 minutes ago, tert333 said:

I know.  I did the same thing.  Contacted Princess and asked for customer service on June 25 and got the same answer as you.

 

Is your cruise in the US or Europe.  It seems there might be two different sets of rules, as pointed out earlier.   I am taking a cruise in September out of southampton and the vaccination rules are not as clear as the ones out of the US.   I have found on the UK public health website, that while rare, mixing doses are acceptable.   So we may have two different issues.

And doesn't help when Princess did not have a clear consistent policy.  What a mess!!