Updated FAQ - Covid Test Required eff 8/15

[caribill]

1 hour ago, nocl said:

The changes have occurred because of the data that shows that with Delta, unlike the previous variants, if a vaccinated individual gets infected the amount of virus present is considerably higher and as a result they can infect others.  The cruise lines all started making the changes about testing and masking right after that information was published.

 

Which is also when CDC changed their land based recommendations concerning masking indoors, even for vaccinated individuals.

 

With the other variants the data indicated that if a vaccinated individual did get infected, the amount of virus present was low enough that it was unlikely that they would infect anyone else.  No so with Delta where viral loads are much higher.

 

Which is a good reason to have testing at the pier.

 

A three-day old test does not tell if you are currently infected when you check-in. 

[Astro Flyer]

20 minutes ago, CeCe_ said:

 

I had a few conversation with Princess.  The person said after the final payment date, there will be a charge for cancellation.  And I was quoted a $4000 cancellation fees.

The FAQs state there will be cancelation fees for the cruise fare but when done more than 30 days in advance would get those fees back as FCC.

 

But today you were not accessed cancelation fees, correct?

[CeCe_]

8 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

The FAQs state there will be cancelation fees for the cruise fare but when done more than 30 days in advance would get those fees back as FCC.

 

But today you were not accessed cancelation fees, correct?

 

Correct. No cancellation fee today at all.  I was making sure that when I talked to the Princess agent.

Edited August 5, 2021 by CeCe_

[007colocruz]

1 minute ago, CeCe_ said:

 

Correct. No cancellation fee today at all.  I was making that when I talked to the Princess agent.

Did you get credit card refund or FCC?

[CeCe_]

8 minutes ago, 007colocruz said:

Agree, I tried calling but on hold 1/2 hour. 

 

I was on hold for nearly an hour before someone picked up.

[CeCe_]

3 minutes ago, 007colocruz said:

Did you get credit card refund or FCC?

 

Credit card refund including the Princess excursions that I paid separately.

 

 

Edited August 5, 2021 by CeCe_

[Astro Flyer]

17 minutes ago, CeCe_ said:

 

Correct. No cancellation fee today at all.  I was making that when I talked to the Princess agent.

Are you close to sailing? If so that could be a factor for your refund without any cancelation fees?

[CeCe_]

Just now, Astro Flyer said:

Are you close to sailing? If so that could be a factor for your refund without any cancelation fees?

 

My Alaska sailing was 8/22/2021.  And my other sailing was end of December 2021 also get full refund.

 

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

2 hours ago, pris993 said:

I can get a milder case at home too.... and will stay home till all this test and retesting is over.  As a vaccinated person I am not concerned about getting a mild case.  Anyone traveling should be vaccinated and then travelers would not be concerned either, making all this testing and retesting  not  necessary.   

Well you should be concerned about getting a mild case if you care at all about us ever getting back to normal.

 

If you get it then you might get it asymptomatically in which case you could be giving it to other people for many days or even if you get symptoms then you are likely to be contagious for 2-3 days prior to symptoms showing during which to could spread it to others.

 

It is this "I don't care if I get it" attitude that is really hindering our progress. You might not get sick or die but the people you give it to might and they might pass it on to others that might die... clearly that doesn't bother you. 

 

It is like the objection to masks with people saying I don't mind if I get it. The thing is that masks do a better job at preventing you spreading it to others than it does preventing you from getting infected. Wearing a mask is not about you... it is about you protecting others.

[Turk1]

So, my Wife and I could not celebrate our 50th Anniversary because on Covid like we want and now this. Have cruise booked for end of March so hoping this testing will end by then. Is Princess requiring a PCR or Antigen test? Would either work? Antigen is quicker results I believe.

[caribill]

With the new masking rules I would probably gain a lot of weight on a cruise.

 

I would spend much of the time in the buffet eating just so I could take my mask off.

 

Or at a bar until I reached my 15 drink limit for the day.

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

2 hours ago, Doug R. said:

You can thank those who won't get vaccinated or the "Knuckleheads" as my governor calls them for these new requirements.

Partly true. We can thank them AND the Delta Variant which is proving much more transmissible and can be spread even if you have been vaccinated.

[HBCcruiser]

3 minutes ago, caribill said:

Or at a bar

That will be my plan!! 🤣 🥂

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

I am disappointed to hear so many moans about having to test and mask up. It is as if people don't care whether we ever get back to normal or not nor do they seem to care whether other people get sick or die. 

This is early days for the re-start of cruising. Things are very fluid and changing day to day. Everyone should have no expectations if they have a cruise booked... nothing is guaranteed... things might change at any moment as the situation develops. If you can't cope with that degree of uncertainty then I hear you, but you would be advised not to cruise until things have settled down... might not be until well into next year 😞

[Iamcruzin]

1 hour ago, caribill said:

 

Does not appear to be a problem for the UK sailings.

The UK set up from the start. This was a last minute change. Perhaps in a few weeks with more time they can set testing at port. All of the cruise lines are scrambling now not just Princess.

[beg3yrs]

31 minutes ago, caribill said:

With the new masking rules I would probably gain a lot of weight on a cruise.

 

I would spend much of the time in the buffet eating just so I could take my mask off.

 

Or at a bar until I reached my 15 drink limit for the day.

Be right there with you! At least at the bar ...

[Iamcruzin]

3 hours ago, atexsix said:

This is a disaster from a risk management perspective.  And it has the CDC written all over it.  Cruise lines don't make decisions this quickly, it would be a first for them. 

 

The issues:

-confusion over allowable tests

-lack of appointment availability

-too narrow a window, especially Monday and Tuesday sailings when clinics are closed over the weekend (the government itself encourages people to test with their physician before resorting to drug stores)

-no guidance for people en route to the port early and staying in hotel packages sold by the cruise lines (this should have a refund policy at the very least)

-test results not received in time 

-forcing their customers to assume all risk while not accepting any responsibility from an hastily prepared untested implementation

 

What will this add up to for all passengers of Carnival Corporation (Princess, HAL, Carnival):

-half full ships as passengers are turned away at the pier because they got the wrong test, did not complete it within the 72 hour or 3 day window, did not get the results in time, or did not fulfill the requirement at all for whatever reason (i.e.. they don't read cruise critic or email). 

-lawsuits....regardless of the cruise contract, as nothing here indicates they have done their due diligence or acted in good faith.

 

 

I agree 110%. 

[Chai8]

19 minutes ago, Snaxmuppet said:

I am disappointed to hear so many moans about having to test and mask up. It is as if people don't care whether we ever get back to normal or not nor do they seem to care whether other people get sick or die. 

This is early days for the re-start of cruising. Things are very fluid and changing day to day. Everyone should have no expectations if they have a cruise booked... nothing is guaranteed... things might change at any moment as the situation develops. If you can't cope with that degree of uncertainty then I hear you, but you would be advised not to cruise until things have settled down... might not be until well into next year 😞

 

I don't think this is a fair assessment. If I had to guess, I'd say that most folks want the pandemic to end and want to return to "normal," whatever that means. Yeah, it's early in the return and things are changing without a lot of notice. 

 

People are sad and angry and grieving. People hoped that by being able to take a cruise, something that they did prior to the pandemic, unmasked, maybe they'd feel "normal" for a little while. There's grief when those expectations get dashed, especially when the communication is handled poorly. 

 

I don't fault anyone for being annoyed or angry for being told they have to deal with this on their own on extremely short notice. If anything is revealed in this marathon testing thread, it's that not everyone has access to the tests or their results. When you've invested thousands of dollars on a vacation and suddenly, this monkey wrench gets thrown into it, it's destabilizing. People need a space to vent and sound off with others. Some will cancel, some will get over it. But shaming folks isn't helpful. 

[Eaglecw]

2 hours ago, CeCe_ said:

 

No fees.   100% refund back to my card.

We are going on 8-22-21 and I'm going to have to look into this and see if we can cancel our cruise without incurring a huge 75% penalty.

The testing upsets me, but having to wear a mask almost everywhere on the ship is a little over the top. Look at flying on an airplane you don't see a requirement for everyone on an airplane to be tested and thy are crammed in the plane like cord wood. A filmy mask isn't going to stop much.

[Westsail32]

1 hour ago, Crystabel said:

Unfortunately the clinic in Seattle is only taking appointments for the Rapid Molecular test, which Princess won’t accept. I’m not sure how many more  hours I want to spend on this. If I can get a refund for the cruise, that may be my next step. But we’ve gotten no notifications from Princess of that option, and I can’t find anything on their website. For those who’ve cancelled and said they’ve gotten a refund or will get one, will you please let me know how you got the information. TYIA

 

It looks like these are some permanent King County sites available.

 

https://kingcounty.gov/~/media/depts/health/communicable-diseases/documents/C19/COVID-19-testing-locations.ashx?la=en

 

 

[TxShenanigans]

Ok so like everyone here I’ve been scrambling to adjust my plans.  My cruise is on Sept 12 out of seattle.  I confirmed with princess via chat and then phone that it is 3 days NOT 72 hours so for me anytime on Thursday Sept 9th is acceptable.  Im actually going up a few days in advance so would need to be tested in Seattle not here in Texas.  Next, I found a place https://discoveryhealthmd.com to get the testing done. They have rapid antigen testing (which is acceptable from everything ive heard and read) and rapid pcr testing.  I actually called the doubletree south center to make sure and the hotel did verify they do testing in the back of hotel.  Ive already set appointments for my party.  I wont say its cheap, and for some they might have better options but if your looking for a place in seattle, this is what I’ve found so far.  Free cancellation of appointment outside of 24 hours according to their faq. I wont say I’m pleased about these changes but at least once were on the boat I can feel like this will be as safe a cruise as you can make it.  Ive been traveling pretty much non stop during pandemic so while this is unwelcome its not a giant surprise for me. I will still enjoy the scenery from my balcony just fine.

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

48 minutes ago, caribill said:

With the new masking rules I would probably gain a lot of weight on a cruise.

 

I would spend much of the time in the buffet eating just so I could take my mask off.

 

Or at a bar until I reached my 15 drink limit for the day.

I have flown several times in the last few months.  On most of these flights, there has been someone who nibbles on a cracker or cookie to try to avoid masking.  That's a scam, and most times the flight attendant has taken care of it.  Once was per my request.  Please don't do this while onboard.  If you can't comply with rules that help protect others around you, you should stay home.  joking about it is of no help.

[CeCe_]

1 hour ago, Crystabel said:

For those who’ve cancelled and said they’ve gotten a refund or will get one, will you please let me know how you got the information. TYIA

 

There is no official announcement for refund.  I just called Customer Support.  Told her how I struggled getting a test appointment.  I hit a wall everywhere; I was willing to drive up to one hour if I could find an appointment, and I couldn't and gave up looking.  They could extend the testing timeline to 4 days prior boarding or give me 100% refund.  I got refund.

Edited August 5, 2021 by CeCe_

[spunks]

sorry if this has been discussed.

We have a cruise on the Sky from Southampton on Nov.5, 2021. Our plan was to fly out on Nov, 2 arriving on Nov 3 and going directly to Southampton, staying 2 nights in Southampton.

 

We could provide the airlines a negative antigen test taken within 72 hours of the flight, but we understand The UK requires a negative PCR test upon arrival. If that has to be within 72 hours that is not possible. If we COULD pass that hurdle we would have to find a clinic in Southampton that would do another antigen test that we could give Princess as our original would be 48 hours out of date.

 

Do we have a choice other than cancelling?...

 

TIA Doug 

[Italy52]

5 minutes ago, TxShenanigans said:

Ok so like everyone here I’ve been scrambling to adjust my plans.  My cruise is on Sept 12 out of seattle.  I confirmed with princess via chat and then phone that it is 3 days NOT 72 hours so for me anytime on Thursday Sept 9th is acceptable.  Im actually going up a few days in advance so would need to be tested in Seattle not here in Texas.  Next, I found a place https://discoveryhealthmd.com to get the testing done. They have rapid antigen testing (which is acceptable from everything ive heard and read) and rapid pcr testing.  I actually called the doubletree south center to make sure and the hotel did verify they do testing in the back of hotel.  Ive already set appointments for my party.  I wont say its cheap, and for some they might have better options but if your looking for a place in seattle, this is what I’ve found so far.  Free cancellation of appointment outside of 24 hours according to their faq. I wont say I’m pleased about these changes but at least once were on the boat I can feel like this will be as safe a cruise as you can make it.  Ive been traveling pretty much non stop during pandemic so while this is unwelcome its not a giant surprise for me. I will still enjoy the scenery from my balcony just fine.

Thanks for sharing your testing information.  I was scrambling for testing for two cruises.  I had already booked one test and then got the news that Princess was going to require testing.  Agree, cost is not cheap.  I did have to change test date for 1st one and saw the price went up $30 when I went to rebook appointment --- now I am wondering if the company somehow got the news that cruise lines were going to require tests for vaxed passengers so they saw a chance for more profit.  Enjoy your cruise.