Updated FAQ - Covid Test Required eff 8/15

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

Nobody is complaining about a test at the terminal.

 

The problem is getting a test away from the terminal within the 72 hours before boarding and have the results back in time to check-in.

And I did say in a later post that Princess should be carrying  out these tests (for free) at the terminal.

A real case of bad management by Princess, especially as they must have seen how efficiently the testing was being carried  out  in the UK 

[caribill]

9 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

This is over-the-top burden for fully-vaccinated folks.  Statistical chances of Covid are so remote.  It's time to realize will never go away and need to live with it reasonably.  

 

 

 

RCI recently had four vaccinated passengers test positive towards the end of a cruise. Chances are they were infected before boarding.

 

The publicity from this was quite negative for RCI. (Two unvaccinated children also tested positive on that cruise.)

 

[caribill]

10 hours ago, Jadn13 said:

Another good resource for testing.

https://curative.com
 

Looks too risky for the timing needed to get results:

 

"Please note that due to high sample volume, results may only be available 2 or more days after receipt at the lab."

[Alcairns]

10 hours ago, Cruise Crazy 62 said:

I’m sailing out of Southampton on October 5th on 4b2b cruises. The only way I can manage the 72 hour prior to boarding test is to pay for another rapid test in the U.K. in addition to my day 2 test and my 72 hour prior to flying test. It’s too much work and expense. I’m canceling all my Princess cruises and requesting refunds.

At the moment this is only applicable to US sailings. You will be tested at the terminal before boarding. However all US passengers arriving in the U.K. are required to take a 2 day PCR test.

Edited August 5, 2021 by Alcairns

[wowzz]

1 minute ago, Alcairns said:

At the moment this is only applicable to US sailings. You will be tested at the terminal before boarding. 

You misunderstand - the poster is travelling from the US,  and has to be tested  prior to travelling, and within 2 days of arriving in the UK, as per current government rules, nothing to do with Princess. 

[Alcairns]

11 minutes ago, wowzz said:

You misunderstand - the poster is travelling from the US,  and has to be tested  prior to travelling, and within 2 days of arriving in the UK, as per current government rules, nothing to do with Princess. 

Thanks - I had already clarified that and hope the passengers from the US appreciate that the cannot fly into the U.K. the same day or day before the cruise. 

[caribill]

49 minutes ago, wowzz said:

And I did say in a later post that Princess should be carrying out these tests (for free) at the terminal.

A real case of bad management by Princess, especially as they must have seen how efficiently the testing was being carried  out  in the UK 

 

I agree with you 100%.

 

My thought is that Princess is not offering these tests at the terminal is it would cost them $$$.

 

Yes, it costs them money in the UK, but there they were willing to cover the costs just to get cruising started again.

[caribill]

1 hour ago, CeCe_ said:

 

Would the masks really protect us among 3000+ other people?  Or are we more safe at home, since we have to wearing masks on the cruise now, that is not really a vacation. s.

 

The answer is "yes."

 

This is because wearing a mask provides minimal protection from the virus to the wearer.

 

The main purpose of the masks to to keep the virus particles out of the air from people who have the virus and do not realize it.

 

So if the 3000+ other people are wearing masks, the chances they can infect you are extremely low.

 

The CDC now recommends that vaccinated people wear masks now when inside is because recent evidence shows that vaccinated people can catch the Delta variant and have enough of it in their system to infect others.

[RJAM3]

8 hours ago, Coral said:

The Walgreen test I did was self administered (rapid) in the drive through. You only had to go 1/2" into your nose and swab each nostril for 15 seconds. 

 

I hate the deep tests and this I tolerated fine. BTW - I hate putting anything in my nose and it was fine.

drive through is not an option..physician must be prsent.

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

Does this apply to UK cruises also? We have not been informed that anything has changed.

[wowzz]

9 minutes ago, Snaxmuppet said:

Does this apply to UK cruises also? We have not been informed that anything has changed.

US cruises only.

[RJAM3]

13 minutes ago, wowzz said:

US cruises only.

since Princess line does testing at the pier in South Hampton they have a template all worked out which could be done at the pier in Seattle.  Seems they don’t want to bother.  Our age is such that this cruise was our last opportunity to cruise so a future cruise credit might as well be used as wall paper.  This Alaska cruise was way more expensive in the first place that previous Alaska cruises.  This would have been our 11th/  overcharged under serviced!  THEY REALLY SHOULD DO IT AT THE PIER EVEN IF THEY HAD TO CHARGE…THE WORRY OF A LAST MINUTE TEST GETTING BACK IS RUINING OUR VACATION.

Edited August 5, 2021 by RJAM3
spelling

[Bertie Doe]

Today's article by CC Staff "Which cruise line requires a C-19 vaccine". Under the Princess header it states "Acceptable Vaccines : Princess will only accept passengers vaccinated fully with either Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson. Mixed doses are not currently accepted, unless the mixed doses are both mRNA vaccines (Pfizer/Moderna)"

 

No mention is made of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. I know Regal Princess have been running Staycation trips from Southampton for a week now. 

 

We've paid deposits to Princess for cruises (from Southampton) to Norway, Iceland and Greenland. Is there an official exemption to the above ruling?

[Cornteen]

I will be calling today to cancel. I got the vaccine so i wouldn't have to wear a mask and now they're telling me I have to. Especially in the casino where i would be spending most of my nights. 

Things my change by November but not holding my breath. 

[wallyj]

6 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Let me chime in here.  I did read all 7 pages but not very carefully.  I may have missed a key word here or there.  So this is my disclaimer.

 

I HAD to have a negative PCR test within 72 hours BEFORE boarding a plane for Hawaii (multiple times).  I am guessing this also means that you will need 72 hours BEFORE boarding your Princess ship.

 

Still not sure how people are doing b2b's before November 1.

 

24 hours x 3 = 72 hours.

Boarding on Thursday noon - Wednesday noon (24 hours)

Wednesday noon - Tuesday noon (24  hours)

Tuesday noon - Monday noon. (24 hours)

You will have to take the test no sooner than Monday noon. 

If you take it Monday morning, that "technically" should be fine since the results probably won't go out until afternoon.  Keep in mind that the lab results will post what time the sample was taken.

 

Hi @cr8tiv1, I have also flown to Hawaii before they revised the safe travels program where you can now avoid quarantine if you are fully vaccinated, with your last shot being at least 14 days.

 

Hawaii rules specifically stated no more than 72 hours before boarding your final flight/leg to Hawaii. The Princess requirement says 3 days! Not the same! Until Princess specifically says 72 hours, I am very sure one does not have to worry about counting back hours from boarding/embarkation time.

 

Princess FAQ’s also say for those doing B2B or need testing to return to their home country, Princess will test on board for ‘free’.

 

IMHO, if Princess wanted 72 hours they would have noted. RCG(Royal Caribbean Group), initially had 5 days and now has reduced to 3 days but allows PCR or Antigen. Counting days, not hours. Rule of thumb was testing day is day 0, then count number of days, so if cruise day is Thursday, earliest day you can test is Monday for a 3 day requirement.

 

No where in the Princess email or FAQ’s as others have noted specify 72 hours. 

I think your previous experience with Hawaii is making you assume the same for Princess.

 

For those who are not familiar with Covid testing, Antigen testing usually results faster, but variances in lab facilities, pick ups, etc. can affect return of results.

 

Inquire as cr8tiv1 has suggested regarding expected turnaround time and if the sample will be processed on site or sent ‘out’. 
 

Remember Princess is still requiring those that can be vaccinated are still required, so where else can you go knowing such high percentage of those around you are vaccinated?

 

Yes, the Adventure of the Seas had a few Vaccinated passengers test positive, they were PCR retested to confirm, isolated and sent home by Private charter. No other ‘spread’ / outbreak, so really no other passengers were affected. One of those who tested positive reported in detail what happened and you can read on the Royal board.

Edited August 5, 2021 by wallyj

[devonuk]

44 minutes ago, Bertie Doe said:

Today's article by CC Staff "Which cruise line requires a C-19 vaccine". Under the Princess header it states "Acceptable Vaccines : Princess will only accept passengers vaccinated fully with either Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson. Mixed doses are not currently accepted, unless the mixed doses are both mRNA vaccines (Pfizer/Moderna)"

 

No mention is made of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. I know Regal Princess have been running Staycation trips from Southampton for a week now. 

 

We've paid deposits to Princess for cruises (from Southampton) to Norway, Iceland and Greenland. Is there an official exemption to the above ruling?

I noticed this statement re AZ vaccines too. I hope it’s poorly written and the AZ vaccine is okay..! 

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

52 minutes ago, Bertie Doe said:

Today's article by CC Staff "Which cruise line requires a C-19 vaccine". Under the Princess header it states "Acceptable Vaccines : Princess will only accept passengers vaccinated fully with either Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson. Mixed doses are not currently accepted, unless the mixed doses are both mRNA vaccines (Pfizer/Moderna)"

 

No mention is made of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. I know Regal Princess have been running Staycation trips from Southampton for a week now. 

 

We've paid deposits to Princess for cruises (from Southampton) to Norway, Iceland and Greenland. Is there an official exemption to the above ruling?

I don't think this applies to UK cruises.

[MissP22]

Looks like we'll be cancelling our next 2 cruises and possibly 2 after that as well. Having to wear a mask plus the other restrictions on a ship just isn't what we consider a nice vacation at all. 😖

Maybe by mid 2022 things might improve.

[Coral]

2 hours ago, RJAM3 said:

drive through is not an option..physician must be prsent.

This is what I found:

 

Yes, effective with cruises departing on August 15th, we will require ALL fully vaccinated guests to produce a negative, medically-observed viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) taken within 3 days of their embarkation on all Princess sailings.

 

Medically-observed. My drive through was medically observed by a pharmacist. My results were legit and would be accepted.

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

14 hours ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

I agree 100%...no sense in doing both.  Do the quick test before boarding and if you're negative, GTG!  Then if you go on excursions off the boat, test again...negative...GTG!  That way no masks on board for any reason.  

The quick test is not as accurate as the PCR test. It is better than nothing but a negative quick test still means you might have covid.

 

13 hours ago, Cruzinnana47 said:

Folks on our Nov. 30th cruise are cancelling because of this update, and we're seriously thinking of taking that route, as well---no fun to have to be masked virtually everywhere when we're fully vaccinated.  AND the final tipping point is having to obtain a negative covid test within 3 days of embarkation.  This really takes the fun out of getting back to cruising.

 

Our final payment coming up right around the corner--Sept. 1st.  Time for a decision we hoped we wouldn't have to consider.

We did a 4N cruise out of Southampton. We needed to mask whenever we were walking inside in public area and when sitting when not eating and drinking. No, it isn't as good but I'd rather be cruising with masks than not cruising at all.

 

12 hours ago, pris993 said:

Agree with you, the negative covid test 3 days before travel is over the top for me too, since we are vaccinated.  I want to travel to Israel, even have a $3000 credit on United but Israel requires the negative covid test to board the flight, another test upon arrival; plus a test to take return flight.  I will give up my credit before putting myself and my dh thru all this.    Does not make sense for vaccinated folks.  

You do know you can still catch covid if you are vaccinated don't you. You will still need a PCR test to check you don't have covid asymptomatically. You could have caught covid on the flight or while staying in Isreal. 

 

I have to say that I really don't understand people that seem to think that vaccination guarantees that they haven't caught covid. It reduces that chances of catching it and it reduces the severity of symptons if you do catch it but vaccinated people are still catching it (look at the Royal Caribbean cruise recently where 7 fully vaccinated passengers tested positive on board).

 

All this testing is a right PITA but it is necessary if we want to stop transmission.

[Coral]

Blame Delta variant. Things are changing!

[Jadn13]

4 hours ago, caribill said:

Looks too risky for the timing needed to get results:

 

"Please note that due to high sample volume, results may only be available 2 or more days after receipt at the lab."

What is risky is not getting multiple PCR tests. 

Antigen is same day return 

[Jadn13]

27 minutes ago, Coral said:

This is what I found:

 

Yes, effective with cruises departing on August 15th, we will require ALL fully vaccinated guests to produce a negative, medically-observed viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) taken within 3 days of their embarkation on all Princess sailings.

 

Medically-observed. My drive through was medically observed by a pharmacist. My results were legit and would be accepted.

Yes! 👍🏻
Even some at home tests are medically observed through zoom.

 

[1965]

We're scheduled to depart Nov. 3. Hoping things change for the better over the next 3 months, & desperately hope our cruise isn't cancelled. If the ship sets sail we'll be on it, vaccinated, masked, tested, whatever is required. We love cruising & love Princess. 

[spyro1952]

3 hours ago, RJAM3 said:

drive through is not an option..physician must be prsent.

In what Walgreens, CVS, or any other testing site is a physician present???