Questions related to all things Covid testing relating to Princess Cruises

[travelhound]

23 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

To be honest with you, I don't worry about other people's vaccination status and whether they may be vulnerable.  If I were, I'd be wearing a mask the rest of my life because the covid virus is here to stay.  It will never be eradicated.  My intention is to stay vaccinated and boosted.

 

Here is some information from the CDC regarding so-called breakthrough transmissions.  Notice which groups caused the spikes.  

 

CDC COVID Data Tracker: Rates of COVID-19 Cases and Deaths by Vaccination Status

👍

[travelhound]

51 minutes ago, kml246 said:

 

It's time to stop testing and treat this as any other respiratory illness. Here's a report published this week: 

With breakthrough COVID cases commonplace, experts set expectations about 'vaccine efficacy' - ABC News (go.com)

👍

[Coupe]

3 hours ago, travelhound said:

Yup, if the cruise lines are going to impose these ridiculous protocols, they should be paying for this.

Yep, if it costs $129 per person to test then that's almost $260 that we won't have t spend on the cruise. Maybe better to just end the testing now.

[Maxsnz]

Does anyone know the requirements on proof of a negative test when sailing out of Australia? We are booked on the 8 December 2022 South Pacific sailing from Sydney.

 

The website says the below which isn't that clear. What are we uploading to the OceanReady app as proof - given we are allowed to self test at home with a RAT? Is it just a box to tick "yes" in the app and they trust us...?!

 

'Guests may use a self-test (sometimes referred to as an at-home test) or rapid antigen self-tests (RATs). If in Australia, RATs are available at most major supermarkets (such as Woolworths or Coles) or chemists/pharmacies (such as Chemist Warehouse or Priceline). 

...

What is acceptable proof of a negative COVID-19 test result?

We require all guests to complete the OceanReady steps via the MedallionClass App to simplify the pre-travel process of completing COVID-19 requirements and documentation. You will need to attest you have received a negative COVID-19 test result, provide proof of your COVID-19 vaccination status and to complete the health declaration. '

Edited July 2, 2022 by Maxsnz

[memoak]

1 hour ago, Maxsnz said:

Does anyone know the requirements on proof of a negative test when sailing out of Australia? We are booked on the 8 December 2022 South Pacific sailing from Sydney.

 

The website says the below which isn't that clear. What are we uploading to the OceanReady app as proof - given we are allowed to self test at home with a RAT? Is it just a box to tick "yes" in the app and they trust us...?!

 

'Guests may use a self-test (sometimes referred to as an at-home test) or rapid antigen self-tests (RATs). If in Australia, RATs are available at most major supermarkets (such as Woolworths or Coles) or chemists/pharmacies (such as Chemist Warehouse or Priceline). 

...

What is acceptable proof of a negative COVID-19 test result?

We require all guests to complete the OceanReady steps via the MedallionClass App to simplify the pre-travel process of completing COVID-19 requirements and documentation. You will need to attest you have received a negative COVID-19 test result, provide proof of your COVID-19 vaccination status and to complete the health declaration. '

It is still Princess requirements that count. You will have to show a negative results on embarkation not just a picture of your home test

[stevenr597]

I am sure that this question has been answered many times....but.... the guidelines seem to change.

My wife, son, and myself are fully vaccinated, specifically up to date.  Both my wife and I have had 4 Pfizer vaccinations, and my son has received three.

We plan to do the antigen test.  Our sailing date will be Sunday. 

Can we do this test on Thursday, or do we have to wait until Friday.

Sorry if this question is redundant, but we want to avoid any problems at the terminal. 
 

[PacnGoNow]

1 hour ago, stevenr597 said:

I am sure that this question has been answered many times....but.... the guidelines seem to change.

My wife, son, and myself are fully vaccinated, specifically up to date.  Both my wife and I have had 4 Pfizer vaccinations, and my son has received three.

We plan to do the antigen test.  Our sailing date will be Sunday. 

Can we do this test on Thursday, or do we have to wait until Friday.

Sorry if this question is redundant, but we want to avoid any problems at the terminal. 
 

Sailing from the US, up to date…

fully vaccinated and boosted…

yes, 3 days before is fine. Sailing

on Sunday ..you can test on Thursday.

Have a great trip!

 

[Expo67]

11 hours ago, travelhound said:

👍

I second that. 👍 If the cruise lines ever wish to crawl out of this without selling off more of their fleets then they need to stop the testing and treat the cases as they arise and just quarantine people in their own staterooms. My thought is if they did so then they numbers onboard would drop because people would not fear going to medical and would go just as they do for other medical issues like Noro, etc.

[nini]

3 hours ago, stevenr597 said:

I am sure that this question has been answered many times....but.... the guidelines seem to change.

My wife, son, and myself are fully vaccinated, specifically up to date.  Both my wife and I have had 4 Pfizer vaccinations, and my son has received three.

We plan to do the antigen test.  Our sailing date will be Sunday. 

Can we do this test on Thursday, or do we have to wait until Friday.

Sorry if this question is redundant, but we want to avoid any problems at the terminal. 
 

You can test on Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

[insidecabin]

1 hour ago, Expo67 said:

I second that. 👍 If the cruise lines ever wish to crawl out of this without selling off more of their fleets then they need to stop the testing and treat the cases as they arise and just quarantine people in their own staterooms. My thought is if they did so then they numbers onboard would drop because people would not fear going to medical and would go just as they do for other medical issues like Noro, etc.

Noro is very different many  are physically incapable of leaving their cabins as projecting both ends.

 

People will do the same as they are now and always have done with respiratory illness.

 

Ignore unless needing medical assistance.

 

Will happily carry on wandering around the ship coughing sneezing with poor hygiene standards.

 

When the next level of relaxation happens good chance the FCC for volunteering to get tested and isolated will also get dropped.

 

Dropping testing will probably increase bookings but many cruises are already selling out at current capacity.

 

Filtering out any positives is beneficial to numbers 

 

Currently testing is the option as many won't self declare symptoms at check in.

[kml246]

9 hours ago, Maxsnz said:

Does anyone know the requirements on proof of a negative test when sailing out of Australia? We are booked on the 8 December 2022 South Pacific sailing from Sydney.

 

The website says the below which isn't that clear. What are we uploading to the OceanReady app as proof - given we are allowed to self test at home with a RAT? Is it just a box to tick "yes" in the app and they trust us...?!

 

'Guests may use a self-test (sometimes referred to as an at-home test) or rapid antigen self-tests (RATs). If in Australia, RATs are available at most major supermarkets (such as Woolworths or Coles) or chemists/pharmacies (such as Chemist Warehouse or Priceline). 

...

What is acceptable proof of a negative COVID-19 test result?

We require all guests to complete the OceanReady steps via the MedallionClass App to simplify the pre-travel process of completing COVID-19 requirements and documentation. You will need to attest you have received a negative COVID-19 test result, provide proof of your COVID-19 vaccination status and to complete the health declaration. '

 

It's way too early to be concerned about that. Any answer you get now will likely be incorrect by the time you sail. 

 

As far as uploading the proof to the app, it's not necessary. You can just show the paperwork at the terminal. We've sailed three times since restart and I've never had them ask to see my phone at check-in. Handed the rep my passport, vaccination card, and proof of negative test. Much easier for them to read and check-in takes about two minutes. 

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

Kevin

[Expo67]

29 minutes ago, insidecabin said:

Noro is very different many  are physically incapable of leaving their cabins as projecting both ends.

 

People will do the same as they are now and always have done with respiratory illness.

 

Ignore unless needing medical assistance.

 

Will happily carry on wandering around the ship coughing sneezing with poor hygiene standards.

 

When the next level of relaxation happens good chance the FCC for volunteering to get tested and isolated will also get dropped.

 

Dropping testing will probably increase bookings but many cruises are already selling out at current capacity.

 

Filtering out any positives is beneficial to numbers 

 

Currently testing is the option as many won't self declare symptoms at check in.

 I wish I could agree with you but since testing is virtually useless we will have to learn to deal with Covid because it will be around for a long long time. The ability to test and determine whether someone is or is not infected is becoming less feasible. Case in point we started a land tour in Alaska on 6/12 with 72 negative tested paxs. 6 days later we were tested again before entering the Yukon. The next morning we were down to 1 bus and 27 paxs of which we were 2 of them. 2 days later my better half starts feeling like a cold is coming on. We fly home the next day and the next morning she tests positive. More than likely she was infected the day we tested before going to the Yukon but she still tested negative. 
 

The symptoms of the new variants with vaxed people have produced symptoms that mimic a common cold or even just being slightly exhausted. In the majority of these cases people will deal with it as they normally would and a week later be fine. The inaccuracies involving testing have made it essentially useless in the spread of the variants because almost all paxs on cruises are vaxed and only display symptoms that are to commonly associated with other issues aka common cold or just being over tired.

Edited July 3, 2022 by Expo67

[insidecabin]

4 minutes ago, Expo67 said:

 I wish I could agree with you but since testing is virtually useless we will have to learn to deal with Covid because it will be around for a long long time. The ability to test and determine whether someone is or is not infected is becoming less feasible. Case in point we started a land tour in Alaska on 6/12 with 72 negative tested paxs. 6 days later we were tested again before entering the Yukon. The next morning we were down to 1 bus and 27 paxs of which we were 2 of them. 2 days later my better half starts feeling like a cold is coming on. We fly home the next day and the next morning she tests positive. more than likely she was infected the day we tested before going to the Yukon but she still tested negative. 
 

The symptoms of the new variants with vaxed people have produced symptoms that mimic a common cold or even just being slightly exhausted. In the majority of these cases people will deal with it as they normally would and a week later be fine. The inaccuracies involving testing have made it essentially useless in the spread of the variants because almost all paxs on cruises are vaxed and only display symptoms that are to commonly associated with other issues aka common cold or just being over tired.

That shows that testing is very effective at filtering out positives if that is the objective, 6 day gap was probably too long allowing too much transmission within the group.

How many got filtered out by the first test leaving 72?

 

The issue is while there is quarantine people will avoid testing.

This is in line with the cruise line strategy, don't test you don't have a problem.

One you go to voluntary testing you need to go to voluntary isolating.

Same logic being used to justify dropping all testing applies to isolating

 

[kml246]

7 hours ago, insidecabin said:

That shows that testing is very effective at filtering out positives if that is the objective, 6 day gap was probably too long allowing too much transmission within the group.

How many got filtered out by the first test leaving 72?

 

The issue is while there is quarantine people will avoid testing.

This is in line with the cruise line strategy, don't test you don't have a problem.

One you go to voluntary testing you need to go to voluntary isolating.

Same logic being used to justify dropping all testing applies to isolating

 

 

I'd be fine continuing with testing if the strategy was effective. Unfortunately, with antigen testing (with its lower accuracy) allowed and permitting testing three days before boarding, then you're going to get people boarding, many asymptomatic, who are shedding virus. Testing in its current form is going to stop some contagious passengers from boarding, but it's spitting in the wind. Think about it - we test three days before, then we go about our lives, a day or two later we head to the airport mixing with thousands of people, get on a plane (one of the safer spaces due to new filtration), then mix with thousands of people at the arrival airport, immigration, customs, some of us get on a bus or train to head to the port, then stand on crowded lines at the port, all between the time we test and the time we board. Then, on the ship, we're in crowded places with some who are shedding virus likely picked up in the last few days since testing or was missed by the test. It's similar to the TSA - designed to keep us safer, but only looks that way or is marginally effective. There are many reports where TSA has failed to detect weapons in undercover tests. 

 

What may be effective is to have passengers arrive at the embarkation port days before sailing, quarantine while there, and then do PCR tests before boarding. Even then, it wouldn't catch all cases and the virus will still spread on board. This isn't feasible due to logistics, expense, and lack of passenger acceptance. Cruise lines have done a good job handling COVID and should be allowed to stop testing without losing their voluntary compliance accreditation. Why should cruise passengers be the only ones that need to test? Let individual passengers assess their own risk and tolerance and decide whether to cruise or not. 

 

It's time to stop the charade. 

[stevenr597]

9 hours ago, insidecabin said:

Noro is very different many  are physically incapable of leaving their cabins as projecting both ends.

 

People will do the same as they are now and always have done with respiratory illness.

 

Ignore unless needing medical assistance.

 

Will happily carry on wandering around the ship coughing sneezing with poor hygiene standards.

 

When the next level of relaxation happens good chance the FCC for volunteering to get tested and isolated will also get dropped.

 

Dropping testing will probably increase bookings but many cruises are already selling out at current capacity.

 

Filtering out any positives is beneficial to numbers 

 

Currently testing is the option as many won't self declare symptoms at check in.

My Sister-In-Law recently got back from a cruise on Celebrity.  She caught Covid and was confined to her cabin, not moved to a quarantine deck.  

At the end of the voyage the Cabin announced that only “three people tested positive” on the entire cruise.

I find that number hard to believe.  She does feel that many individuals had Covid, but they continued with their usual activities….”Don’t ask, don’t tell.”

[PacnGoNow]

35 minutes ago, stevenr597 said:

My Sister-In-Law recently got back from a cruise on Celebrity.  She caught Covid and was confined to her cabin, not moved to a quarantine deck.  

At the end of the voyage the Cabin announced that only “three people tested positive” on the entire cruise.

I find that number hard to believe.  She does feel that many individuals had Covid, but they continued with their usual activities….”Don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Yep…my daughter just got back from RCCL and said people were coughing up lungs…all over the ship. No masks hardly at all.  They all had recently had covid and maybe that kept them from getting 

it on the ship.  Some were quarantined, but no one would tell the amount.

 

If they start to quarantine in their own cabins, like they do for other viruses, then they can open up the quarantine decks to sell cabins.  

[Tedferg]

We sail in Sep this year. I recently had covid, symptoms just like a mild head cold. fully vaccinated and boosted. Still testing positive after ten days. I have a letter from my Dr. that states I had Covid on June 19, am fully recovered and points out that PCR can still test positive for 90 days.

 

I do not have original test showing positive. Will this be a problem? I do plan to take Antigen test.

[Expo67]

13 hours ago, insidecabin said:

That shows that testing is very effective at filtering out positives if that is the objective, 6 day gap was probably too long allowing too much transmission within the group.

How many got filtered out by the first test leaving 72?

 

The issue is while there is quarantine people will avoid testing.

This is in line with the cruise line strategy, don't test you don't have a problem.

One you go to voluntary testing you need to go to voluntary isolating.

Same logic being used to justify dropping all testing applies to isolating

 

Not sure about your logic about testing more frequently. First of all RATs are essentially useless due to their ability to miss a positive until it is a full blown positive. The PCR is much more reliable but far more time consuming from a test point. The group started at 72 so no filtering before which according to your theory may have been the issue. But once again how much testing is correct … every 2 days, 3 days or every day and should it be a PCR or a RAT? The one thing we probably can agree on is there is no perfect solution. 👍

[takemeaway2008]

3 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

Yep…my daughter just got back from RCCL and said people were coughing up lungs…all over the ship. No masks hardly at all.  They all had recently had covid and maybe that kept them from getting 

it on the ship.  Some were quarantined, but no one would tell the amount.

 

If they start to quarantine in their own cabins, like they do for other viruses, then they can open up the quarantine decks to sell cabins.  

 

I have the opposite problem. I have positive tests but still waiting for doctors to write notes. They are on vacation! Princess guidelines say ' a positive test OR a letter from a medical professional'....

 

Can my son who is a nurse write us a letter, I wonder? It doesn't specify a doctor. 

 

 

[Expo67]

2 minutes ago, takemeaway2008 said:

 

I have the opposite problem. I have positive tests but still waiting for doctors to write notes. They are on vacation! Princess guidelines say ' a positive test OR a letter from a medical professional'....

 

Can my son who is a nurse write us a letter, I wonder? It doesn't specify a doctor. 

 

 

Not really sure if you need the Dr note as the guidelines state one or the other. 🤔

[d9704011]

21 minutes ago, takemeaway2008 said:

 

I have the opposite problem. I have positive tests but still waiting for doctors to write notes. They are on vacation! Princess guidelines say ' a positive test OR a letter from a medical professional'....

 

Can my son who is a nurse write us a letter, I wonder? It doesn't specify a doctor. 

 

 

For cruises out of US and Canada here is what Princess is currently saying:

 

Documentation of Recovery consists of the following:

Paper or electronic copies of the positive viral test result from a certified laboratory (dated no more than 90 days ago), or

A valid digital COVID-19 certificate (DCC) or a document issued by an official health or government authority showing confirmed previous infection.

 

I'd say your son is not an official health or government authority.

[takemeaway2008]

31 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

 

A valid digital COVID-19 certificate (DCC) or a document issued by an official health or government authority showing confirmed previous infection.

 

I'd say your son is not an official health or government authority.

 

And a doctor is? Who is an official health authority? 

 

Edited July 3, 2022 by takemeaway2008

[takemeaway2008]

50 minutes ago, Expo67 said:

Not really sure if you need the Dr note as the guidelines state one or the other. 🤔

 

I know. It's driving me crazy. I figured I'd do both to be safe. I also signed us up for a antigen test because that might be the easier course of action. 

[travelhound]

On 7/2/2022 at 12:53 PM, Coupe said:

Yep, if it costs $129 per person to test then that's almost $260 that we won't have t spend on the cruise. Maybe better to just end the testing now.

👍

[d9704011]

4 minutes ago, takemeaway2008 said:

 

And a doctor is? Who is an official health authority? 

 

Beats me, but likely.  I didn't develop or write the protocol.