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

[USCcruisecrazy]

18 hours ago, seaside sally said:

I am so disappointed.......I foolishly thought as a fully vaccinated Canadian that I might be able to cruise from Seattle to Alaska, albeit my cruise date is in September........

 

This rollercoaster ride of emotions is very uncomfortable......

 

The news release states that the borders will remain closed until at least August 21st......my cruise date would be September 12th

 

Nothing is booked......no money is involved.......financially, no worries.........emotionally, I am not a happy cruiser

 

As someone who so enjoys planning and packing early for a much anticipated cruise........isnt that half the fun.......not being able to control the present outcome,  is not something I am enjoying at the moment

 

As a senior lady of 74, being able to express some deep dissatisfaction with the ongoing border closing, is much appreciated on a day I had hoped for a more positive outcome

 

Good health and kindness to all

 

 

Not sure what the Borders Closed really means, because my son and DIL just traveled from Montana into Canada and drove to Alaska.  They tested before they entered Canada and could not travel through the Yukon for more than 24 hours from entry until exit, but were able to travel none the less.  Are you saying Canada won't let you go to the USA? 

[Lady Arwen]

17 hours ago, tert333 said:

True.  Luckily for me, it was exactly 12 weeks!

The same for us, to the day!  Our next cruise is May to Europe, so crossing our fingers we’re allowed to sail.

[dog]

USA has land borders closed until August 21/21. You can fly into US from Canada 

Canada is opening up border to fully vaccinated Americans August 9/21 

check requirements for testing/ quarantine as this is changing 

[nbsjcruiser]

40 minutes ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

Not sure what the Borders Closed really means, because my son and DIL just traveled from Montana into Canada and drove to Alaska.  They tested before they entered Canada and could not travel through the Yukon for more than 24 hours from entry until exit, but were able to travel none the less.  Are you saying Canada won't let you go to the USA? 

I think OP is disappointed that the US won let her in to the US. As a Canadian  I'm free to go to the US if I want but currently the US wont allow me to enter by land. I'm not sure of OP's position but many of us (me included) drive to the US to fly to our cruise destination because its so much cheaper than flying from Canada.

[CruisinFinsUp]

18 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Ah, but there is a catch for Canadians.  Our governments implemented a huge delay, beyond the science and any other country.  How many Canadians got their mRNA shot within 12 weeks of AZ?  Might not have been possible in many provinces if you were among the earlier vaccinations.

9 weeks for us

[USCcruisecrazy]

9 minutes ago, nbsjcruiser said:

I think OP is disappointed that the US won let her in to the US. As a Canadian  I'm free to go to the US if I want but currently the US wont allow me to enter by land. I'm not sure of OP's position but many of us (me included) drive to the US to fly to our cruise destination because its so much cheaper than flying from Canada.

Thanks for the response.  Hopefully they change that soon.  I would think if US citizens can drive into Canada that the US wouldn't have issue for certain reasons for Canadians to drive into the US.  But, I just work for a living and don't pretend to understand half the garbage our government does. Good luck!

[nocl]

37 minutes ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

Thanks for the response.  Hopefully they change that soon.  I would think if US citizens can drive into Canada that the US wouldn't have issue for certain reasons for Canadians to drive into the US.  But, I just work for a living and don't pretend to understand half the garbage our government does. Good luck!

A US citizen can drive from the US to Alaska by going through Canada, but currently you cannot drive into Canada with the goal of visiting Canada.  If you are driving through to Alaska it is a straight drive through, no deviations, no sight seeing, basically stopping  Gas, eat and sleep.  Not supposed to interact with the local population. 

 

There were a number of stories in the early days when some used the exception to cross the border and then tried to sight see, etc.  Major fines if caught.

 

Ran into a couple in Alaska in a B class Van.  She was a US citizen, he was from the UK.  He had to fly, while she drove the van up, because the US to Alaska exception was only for US citizens.

Edited July 22, 2021 by nocl

[USCcruisecrazy]

7 minutes ago, nocl said:

A US citizen can drive from the US to Alaska by going through Canada, but currently you cannot drive into Canada with the goal of visiting Canada.  If you are driving through to Alaska it is a straight drive through, no deviations, no sight seeing, basically stopping  Gas, eat and sleep.  Not supposed to interact with the local population. 

 

There were a number of stories in the early days when some used the exception to cross the border and then tried to sight see, etc.  Major fines if caught.

 

Ran into a couple in Alaska in a B class Van.  She was a US citizen, he was from the UK.  He had to fly, while she drove the van up, because the US to Alaska exception was only for US citizens.

Yeah, get all of that.  I had to help the DIL draw up a travel plan because they couldn't even drive through the Canadian National Parks.  And like I said earlier, once they entered the Yukon they had to exit within 24 hours, to include sleep.  So the question would be why the US doesn't allow the same courtesy for Canadian citizens driving to a port to leave on a ship.  Seems like such an inconsistency that really has no logical reason. 

[nbsjcruiser]

Interesting observation this afternoon. I notice that the FAQ on Princess that contained the policy on mixed dosages disappeared. 

 

hmmmmm, updating the policy perhaps? Fingers crossed.

 

 

Disregard - must have been just a blip. Its back

 

sorry for the false hope

Edited July 22, 2021 by nbsjcruiser

[seaside sally]

As far as I understand for now, there is still a Travel Advisory for Canadians wanting to go to The U S

 

I would want to be 100% sure that medical and health insurance would be valid for both my husband and myself before we left Canada........same as before Covid

 

That is the big stumbling block right now........if I can get a straight answer from our insurance provider that we are covered as in the past, we would be comfortable in travelling 

 

More than a few people in Canada and The U S are a bit confused with all the information available right now

 

Yesterday"s explanation as to why the border is still closed to Canadians until at least August 21st, did not help the cause

 

There are cruises to Alaska from Seattle until the end of September.  Time will tell.........

[nbsjcruiser]

4 hours ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

Thanks for the response.  Hopefully they change that soon.  I would think if US citizens can drive into Canada that the US wouldn't have issue for certain reasons for Canadians to drive into the US.  But, I just work for a living and don't pretend to understand half the garbage our government does. Good luck!

You're not alone. We're fed up as well up here.

[nbsjcruiser]

After a lot of humming and hawing, we decided to pull the plug on our fall cruise. Too risky to let the final payment date to pass and hope they let us on. Instead we've booked an VRBO place for November and we'll possibly book a last minute while we're down there. Hopefully by then we'll have an answer on whether or not they'll let us on with our vaccines. Also gives us a chance to see what happens after the conditional sail order expires on Oct 31. If the cruise lines let anyone on regardless of vaccine status, we'll pass on that as well.

 

Really bugs me that Princess changed the policy after we booked and were told we'd be able to cruise. I get that things will change but if Princess continues to change their policy to a more restrictive one, they're going to exclude already booked passengers and tick a bunch of people off. The cruise industry is in no place to be doing that right now.

 

 

[tert333]

3 hours ago, nbsjcruiser said:

After a lot of humming and hawing, we decided to pull the plug on our fall cruise. Too risky to let the final payment date to pass and hope they let us on. Instead we've booked an VRBO place for November and we'll possibly book a last minute while we're down there. Hopefully by then we'll have an answer on whether or not they'll let us on with our vaccines. Also gives us a chance to see what happens after the conditional sail order expires on Oct 31. If the cruise lines let anyone on regardless of vaccine status, we'll pass on that as well.

 

Really bugs me that Princess changed the policy after we booked and were told we'd be able to cruise. I get that things will change but if Princess continues to change their policy to a more restrictive one, they're going to exclude already booked passengers and tick a bunch of people off. The cruise industry is in no place to be doing that right now.

 

 

Thats too bad, but there lots of fun things to do on dry land.  I agree it is tough for the people that spent time planning a trip and incurred expenses outside of the cruise.   It will give people a chance to look at other options, which will affect the cruiselines.

 

I am booked on a cruise in April 2022 that goes from Rome to Venice.   Already putting a Airbnb contingency in place.  However, seems like the Europeans are being a bit more lenient around the mixed vaxxers though(as many of their countries are doing it now).

[tert333]

Not sure this changes anything, but time will tell.  The cruiselines in Florida no longer need to follow the CDC regulations.

 

WASHINGTON, July 23 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court late on Friday reversed course and let stand a lower court order prohibiting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from enforcing coronavirus-related cruise ship restrictions in Florida.

[hobbyfarmer2]

On 7/15/2021 at 10:35 AM, ceilidh1 said:

I hope I am not breaking any rules by posting this, but I just found it out yesterday and thought it important for other Canadians who may not know!

 

If you received a mixed dose for your vaccination, please be sure to check the FAQs on Princess to see if you are considered fully vaccinated. I was about to book a summer sailing to Alaska for a client and am so glad I read every piece of fine print. Princess are not accepting those with Astra Zeneca followed by Moderna/Pfizer. This could potentially impact MANY Canadians who were "urged" to accept whatever vaccine was offered. (On further investigation, I have found that NCL and Carnival also have similar restrictions).

 

Sorry if this is old news...I hadn't heard/seen it before yesterday!

Guess we get to save '000s of cruise $$$ in the short to mid term now as we are Astra/Moderna.

 

Looks like some cruise lines are not up to date with the current studies on mixing.

 

 

[caribill]

7 hours ago, tert333 said:

Not sure this changes anything, but time will tell.  The cruiselines in Florida no longer need to follow the CDC regulations.

 

WASHINGTON, July 23 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court late on Friday reversed course and let stand a lower court order prohibiting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from enforcing coronavirus-related cruise ship restrictions in Florida.

 

"No longer" may mean until the next court ruling.

 

But it definitely does change something. As posted on this and on other threads, many people will cancel a cruise to avoid being in a closed environment with a number of unvaccinated people.

[nbsjcruiser]

14 hours ago, tert333 said:

Not sure this changes anything, but time will tell.  The cruiselines in Florida no longer need to follow the CDC regulations.

 

WASHINGTON, July 23 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court late on Friday reversed course and let stand a lower court order prohibiting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from enforcing coronavirus-related cruise ship restrictions in Florida.

I dont see it changing much - the confusion continues. Two weeks ago our vaccine regimen was acceptable to cruise, last week it wasn't, this week it might be. Two weeks from now???  I'll let the entire industry fight it out with the courts and state governments and see where the chips fall next year. Its all too bad. The cruise industry can't afford to be in a position to let people walk away from cruises, not now.

[tert333]

Somebody posted this on the Celebrity Cruise blog:

 

https://www.vaughantoday.ca/unrecognized-mixed-vaccines-travelers-may-receive-a-third-dose/

 

Never heard of this news site, but if this is true, it could solve many people's issues.

[CruisinFinsUp]

15 minutes ago, tert333 said:

Somebody posted this on the Celebrity Cruise blog:

 

https://www.vaughantoday.ca/unrecognized-mixed-vaccines-travelers-may-receive-a-third-dose/

 

Never heard of this news site, but if this is true, it could solve many people's issues.

 

 

I tried to find the info elsewhere on the internet but didn't come up with anything. (Didn't try that hard either)

 

But if it is true, the article refers only to the province of Quebec Health department. 
So, not the rest of Canada yet. 
 

 

[tert333]

18 minutes ago, cruisintoddler said:

 

 

I tried to find the info elsewhere on the internet but didn't come up with anything. (Didn't try that hard either)

 

But if it is true, the article refers only to the province of Quebec Health department. 
So, not the rest of Canada yet. 
 

 

If it is true, then the other provinces will be under a lot of pressure to do the same.    Waiting for further confirmation to send to my MPP. 🙂

[ringers0815]

33 minutes ago, cruisintoddler said:

 

 

I tried to find the info elsewhere on the internet but didn't come up with anything. (Didn't try that hard either)

 

But if it is true, the article refers only to the province of Quebec Health department. 
So, not the rest of Canada yet. 
 

 

It is being reported in the french media. Quebec is offering a third dose of the vaccine to those who received AZ and pfizer/moderna if the mixed vaccine regime is not recognized by the country they are travelling to. Quebecers can obtain the 3rd dose by just going to a vaccine clinic and request it according to the article.

 

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1811537/quebec-troisieme-dose-voyages-etranger-vaccination-covid

[d9704011]

46 minutes ago, cruisintoddler said:

 

 

I tried to find the info elsewhere on the internet but didn't come up with anything. (Didn't try that hard either)

 

But if it is true, the article refers only to the province of Quebec Health department. 
So, not the rest of Canada yet. 
 

 

Look a little harder..

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1811537/quebec-troisieme-dose-voyages-etranger-vaccination-covid

 

Oops.... I took some time to eat my sandwich and the link got posted elsewhere.

Edited July 24, 2021 by d9704011

[tert333]

2 hours ago, d9704011 said:

Look a little harder..

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1811537/quebec-troisieme-dose-voyages-etranger-vaccination-covid

 

Oops.... I took some time to eat my sandwich and the link got posted elsewhere.

Ran it through google translate.  Also sent a note to my MPP.

 

Vaccinated travelers planning a trip abroad will be able to obtain a 3rd dose of vaccine against COVID-19 if those received in Canada are not recognized in the country where they wish to go, confirms the government of Quebec. The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) confirmed Saturday morning that "exceptionally" an additional dose of messenger RNA vaccine would be available for those whose international travel depends on it. They will be able to obtain it through the vaccination services already in place and on simple request from them. This measure concerns people vaccinated on a "mixed schedule", that is to say those who have received a dose of Covishield vaccine (manufactured by the Serum Institute of India) or AstraZeneca vaccine, and a dose of messenger RNA vaccine. . In Canada, approximately 81,000 people received a dose of Covishield vaccine and 481,000 a dose of AstraZeneca. It also applies to people vaccinated with two doses of Covishield vaccine. The travelers concerned can make a breakdown appointment or go to a walk-in clinic, informs the MSSS. In addition, the government of Quebec "is currently in discussion with the federal government so that representations are made so that the AZ and Covishield vaccines are recognized more broadly at the international level, as well as the mixed calendar", specifies the ministry. Some countries in the European Union do not recognize Covishield's vaccine and some cruise ship companies are refusing passengers who have received two different vaccines.

[hobbyfarmer2]

What a strange thread.  DW and I are Astra/Moderna.  We got fully jabbed to prevent death, serious illness and long COVID.  Cruising was not even a remote consideration despite having seven cruises cancelled in the past 18 months or so.

 

We are both doing very well healthwise and our paperwork says we are fully vaccinated.  We are talking about a couple of weeks in Italy now.  If Princess doesn't want us - SHRUG.

[Barry H]

This morning I received a phone call from Julie in response to my email to Jan Swartz. This confirms that all e-mails sent to jswartz@princesscruises.com are read.

 

We talked for ~40 minutes on the mixed vaccination topic and other related issues. Here are some things I learned.

 

Princess is following CDC rules on vaccination. This also applies to cruises out of Southampton.

Carnival Corp Executive Management has decided to require vaccinations through the end of 2021 (past the conditional sail order). That is not to say that the mixed vaccination rule could change. Everything is in flux. Check the web site daily.

 

Her first suggestion was that I get a third vaccine. When I told her that the Ontario Provincial health department (Hamilton) notified us that booster shots are not permitted she investigated whether I would get a medical exemption. Unfortunately for me our cruise is at capacity for medical exemptions.

 

If you cancel before final payment due to having mixed vaccines Princess will waive all cancellation fees.

 

I did mention that RCI is accepting mixed vaccinations for European cruises and the medical studies from UK and Europe that show better antibody response from AZ/mRNA mix than two AZ. 

 

If Ontario won't offer a third shot, I wonder if I could drive to Quebec to receive one. 

I have also sent emails to my MP, Christine Elliott and Chrystia Freeland regarding this matter. I have not received a response from any of them.