Covid test

[LLOM]

Has anyone who is going on the coastal cruise on 30th August from Newcastle managed to sort out and get the Covid tests that are required for this cruise yet , I am still waiting for our TA to get back to us about them but nothing so far.

[Spike11]

2 hours ago, LLOM said:

Has anyone who is going on the coastal cruise on 30th August from Newcastle managed to sort out and get the Covid tests that are required for this cruise yet , I am still waiting for our TA to get back to us about them but nothing so far.

There still doesn’t seem to have been any more info from Tui so far - which is disappointing. A recent post elsewhere suggested that you can use the chronomics link provided by Tui and select Spain, then when your booking reference is accepted, you can add France. You will then be sent a pack with a PCR ( for when you get back) and some lateral flow tests on board ( which you may or may not need). The cost is £30 apparently ( which is of course much lower than many other providers). I think I’ll wait for a couple more days and if nothing else if forthcoming from Tui, then I’ll go with this workaround. This will be our first cruise with Tui/Marella, and I’m afraid that it will be our last unless they start to get their act together. So far they seem to be answering any questions with generic answers - like suggesting you try a different internet browser for example!!!

[Pensioncruiser]

14 hours ago, Spike11 said:

This will be our first cruise with Tui/Marella, and I’m afraid that it will be our last unless they start to

Thomson /Tui/Marella have always been poor on administration in the UK. But once onboard its a different world. Hope you enjoy 😎 

[Spike11]

18 minutes ago, Pensioncruiser said:

Thomson /Tui/Marella have always been poor on administration in the UK. But once onboard its a different world. Hope you enjoy 😎 

Thanks - despite Marellas best efforts we are still looking forward to it!

[LLOM]

Just ordered our tests @ £20 each from Chronomics on the TUI website, you need to order the green package which has  a Healgen Rapid Covid-19 self-test and a Covid-19 day 2 test , the TA rang to say we will be having 2 tests on the ship free of charge also, hopes this helps , it was pretty straightforward to order online.

[GOQ]

Thanks LLOM for that information.

 

I was assuming  that I would need an onboard ship test before coming back to the UK and was guessing that was somehow part of the TUI pack. Thanks for the info on the 2 free tests as I was thinking it might be £60 (£20 x 3) for the onboard tests.

 

Is the onboard test the  "Healgen Rapid Covid-19 self-test" and the "Covid-19 day 2 test"  the test you do yourself on the second day after you arrive back home? How does the onboard test work, do you do it yourself and text the results back to somebody?

 

In Wales I am required to order the second day after arriving back at home test via NHS Wales, as they don't accept private testing companies. So that's £20 for the one TUI test and £68 for the NHS Wales test.

 

 

Edited August 21, 2021 by GOQ
added

[Brummijam]

30 minutes ago, GOQ said:

Thanks LLOM for that information.

 

I was assuming  that I would need an onboard ship test before coming back to the UK and was guessing that was somehow part of the TUI pack. Thanks for the info on the 2 free tests as I was thinking it might be £60 (£20 x 3) for the onboard tests.

 

Is the onboard test the  "Healgen Rapid Covid-19 self-test" and the "Covid-19 day 2 test"  the test you do yourself on the second day after you arrive back home? How does the onboard test work, do you do it yourself and text the results back to somebody?

 

In Wales I am required to order the second day after arriving back at home test via NHS Wales, as they don't accept private testing companies. So that's £20 for the one TUI test and £68 for the NHS Wales test.

 

 

Lots of noses in the trough regarding COVID tests.🤷🏻‍♂️

[LLOM]

Hi  GOQ, the TA said the 2 we have to do on board will be provided by TUI, she did not say who would do them and to be honest I never thought to ask, I would assume that they are just the lateral flow ones that we do our selves and perhaps upload the results,  I do believe that TUI staff will be able to help all of us who are not computer savvy in uploading if that is what is required, the  green package ordered  from Chronomics comes in two separate packages, the Healgen Rapid Covid 19 comes before we travel( estimated dispatch of that one is 26th August) and is the one we take with us and has to be done before we travel back to the uk , the Day 2 Covid 19 test( estimated dispatch is 10th September )for us to do on our return, then posted (or dropped of at a drop of centre). When you get the tests you have to register them, it does say instructions are included. 

[Spike11]

Also now ordered the test through Chonomics - with despatch dates of 26th August and 10th September. I was wondering what would happen if your test to return to the UK is positive. If you were on holiday abroad I guess you would have to quarantine there for another 10 days. In the case of a cruise, would you have to stay on the ship for another 10 days (i.e. the whole of the next cruise)? I suppose that's another reason why they can't run at full capacity at the moment - or for the foreseeable future.

[Northeastcruiser007]

On 8/21/2021 at 11:47 AM, LLOM said:

Just ordered our tests @ £20 each from Chronomics on the TUI website, you need to order the green package which has  a Healgen Rapid Covid-19 self-test and a Covid-19 day 2 test , the TA rang to say we will be having 2 tests on the ship free of charge also, hopes this helps , it was pretty straightforward to order online.

Thank you very much to everyone who is posting information on this. We want to go on 30 August Marella Explorer 2 (which seems to be classed as an international cruise as it calls in at Le Havre?) and have just wasted a lot of time on the phone and then on live chat dealing with Marella staff who could not give us a clear answer about what the testing requirements and costs would be. They kept telling us to look on the website, there are lots of suppliers to use, it is up to us to sort it etc etc, whereas it seems from this thread that Chronomics should be used. Could we just be totally clear - does the £20 charge per passenger cover all the tests required (ie the ones to take with us on board and the day 2 PCR taken on return) or is it £40 per person (ie £20 for each of the two tests referred to)? Or have we misunderstood? Would really appreciate it if someone could let us know! Many thanks.

[LLOM]

If you go on the Chronomics website via TUI you need to order the green package at £20 per person, this consists of a test to do onboard and the day 2 test after you get home Our travel agent told us that when on board we will be required to take another 2 tests which are provided free from TUI, our travel agent was very good in finding out what we needed and got in touch with us as soon as she was found out.

You can if you want to use another supplier for the tests but I believe they may be more expensive although I don’t know for sure. Hope this helps.

[Northeastcruiser007]

2 hours ago, LLOM said:

If you go on the Chronomics website via TUI you need to order the green package at £20 per person, this consists of a test to do onboard and the day 2 test after you get home Our travel agent told us that when on board we will be required to take another 2 tests which are provided free from TUI, our travel agent was very good in finding out what we needed and got in touch with us as soon as she was found out.

You can if you want to use another supplier for the tests but I believe they may be more expensive although I don’t know for sure. Hope this helps.

Many thanks for your speedy reply - it is much appreciated!

 

I hope you have a wonderful time on your cruise.

[Rebel Rouser]

Here is the link to the Covid tests from Marella:

 

https://www.chronomics.com/tuimarella

[Northeastcruiser007]

37 minutes ago, Rebel Rouser said:

Here is the link to the Covid tests from Marella:

 

https://www.chronomics.com/tuimarella

Thank you for posting the link.

Only passengers who have already booked can access the site to find out about the tests and costs.

I had the most frustrating live chat with Marella/Tui. I asked how much it would cost for testing for the specific cruise I was interested in and the response was, basically...  'anything between £20 and £90 depending on the cruise'. They could not or would not tell me, and said I would have to find out for myself by logging into the Chronomics website. When I pointed out that I did not have a booking number they then told me what I had already told them... that without a booking number I would not be able to log on to find out (!!!)

I'm grateful to posters on this forum who have helped by describing their own experience and giving advice. Passengers shouldn't have to rely on forums or social media to get basic cost information for their cruise, though! I still have not booked and I'm not sure I will. I'm an experienced cruiser and have never experienced such poor admin from a cruise line or agent in my life!

 

[Jim The Scot]

For any Scottish cruisers who dont already know the PCR test(which has to be carried out on day 2 of your return) Marella provide as part of their £20 testing pack  is not valid in Scotland.That will cost £88 and only available through scot gov website.You can however order the £20 Marella testing pack and use the lateral flow test provided for your pre return test

[idh2019]

Check this Marella page for your cruise  https://www.tui.co.uk/destinations/info/cruise-entry-requirements

 

Coastal Charms is on there. But make sure to look at both cruise and return requirements.

 

And as Jim points out, choose the correct package for your country!

[Megabear2]

Deleted

 

 

Edited August 25, 2021 by Megabear2
Wrong board delete

[Megabear2]

Deleted

[barnego]

Some good stuff on here...we are booked on the Explorer 2 for the Icelandic adventure,it sounded like a good idea at the time !. Like many others on this forum we just wanted a simple daily timeline from TUI explaining what needs too be done each day . In the event I made up my own timeline for the voyage trying to ensure we would have the right tests and documentation. A lot of the information came from this very forum,in fact I've learned some more today as I did not know that the day 3 and day 6 onboard tests are FOC. I bought the TUI recommended Chronomics Green package,which contains the dreaded Day 2 home test . However being resident in Scotland we have to purchase the CTM Day 2 home tests, other private suppliers and freebie NHS tests are not acceptable. So at a cool £68 each ,a rip off compared to Chronomics . I visited our local TUI shop last week to try and clarify my thoughts..0930 in the morning ,4 assistants not doing much, nobody else in, problem seems to be that they are geared up to answer questions on fly holidays. They all chipped in and I was told that I was over complicating the test protocols as we were sailing UK to UK. I pointed out that Iceland was not in UK waters last time I looked!  Realising they did not have a clue I backed off, the assistant I was dealing with looked at me and said "Its not really a good time to go on holiday"   I now believe her !!  I should say we have been cruising for years with many different lines,I know these are different times but maybe TUI need some expert advice.  

Edited August 27, 2021 by barnego
Just wanted to point out that we are far from being new to cruising

[Pensioncruiser]

1 hour ago, barnego said:

Its not really a good time to go on holiday"   I now believe her !!  I should say we have been cruising for years with many different lines,I know these are different times but maybe TUI need some expert advice.  

It's hard to believe that they would be so insensitive, but we have lots of experience with the Tui TA 🙄 Hope all works out for you. 

[GOQ]

On 8/22/2021 at 8:24 PM, LLOM said:

If you go on the Chronomics website via TUI you need to order the green package at £20 per person, this consists of a test to do onboard and the day 2 test after you get home Our travel agent told us that when on board we will be required to take another 2 tests which are provided free from TUI, our travel agent was very good in finding out what we needed and got in touch with us as soon as she was found out.

You can if you want to use another supplier for the tests but I believe they may be more expensive although I don’t know for sure. Hope this helps.

Again, thanks for this information.

My cruise first visits Spain. When I try and order the test pack from Chronomics and enter Spain as the destination it automatically defaults to Canary Islands, so I enter Portugal instead, and the cost ends up as £30 not £20.

 

So for my £30 from the Chronomics pack  I get:

 

Delivered before the cruise

Pre-Cruise LFT, but I believe Marella provide a test at the Port for free anyway or do we take this Chronomics one before leaving home.

Test to return LFT, which needs to be done 72 hours before returning home. ----- So definitely need this test -----, and Marella will provide Internet access to register the result of this test.

Delivered after the cruise on our arrival home

Day 2 (back at home) PCR. Which the Scottish and Welsh governments do not accept, so for Wales and Scotland we need to order a separate/additional Day 2 test from CTM for £68. 

 

And Marella provide 2 additional Covid tests on day 3 and day 6 for free.

 

Right I hope I have  got it now. 

 

 

[FIFE1]

I see that her majesty has now said Scotland will have a list providers early next month.so hopefully the marella supplier will be on it and test on day 2 return will be acceptable. 

[JuneDavid]

On 8/27/2021 at 9:38 PM, GOQ said:

 

 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2021 by JuneDavid

[JuneDavid]

On 8/27/2021 at 9:38 PM, GOQ said:

Pre-Cruise LFT, but I believe Marella provide a test at the Port for free anyway or do we take this Chronomics one before leaving home.

 

I am on Icelandic Adventure, have ordered my test kit from Chronomics too and wondered this exact same thing.
I too am a bit disappointed at the lack of clarity re when/where/what we need to do regarding testing requirements for our cruises 🤔
 

[LLOM]

Back from our coastal cruise on explorer 2 from Newcastle which we enjoyed and the weather was good to us. As posted on here we got the advice for what test kit  was needed for our trip from our TA, unfortunately this was wrong information we actually needed the £30 kit not the £20 which we had been informed from our TA ( I actually rang the TA to confirm it was the £20 because I thought it was the £30 kit )

The test needed before boarding was complimentary as stated but we needed to do 2 on board, (as the TA said but these were not complimentary as the TA said they would be )one prior to France and one the day before returning to England, and of course the day 2 after returning, fortunately we could buy onboard the extra test, it appeared that a lot of passengers had been given the same wrong  information as ourselves as there were lots buying the extra one also lots buying the full set who were not aware that they needed any. The WiFi connection was not very good when trying to register the kits onboard and this along with not really understanding what was needed or how to do it caused quite some  amount of stress for the passengers, the staff were helpful but even they said it was a learning curve for them as they had not done it before. Thankfully we muddled through but I am afraid it spoilt some passengers trip.  Hopefully it will run more smoothly for the passengers on the Icelandic trip.