Switch RT-Lamp Tests from Europe

[waiting2retire]

I’m thinking these tests might be our best bet for returning to Canada from Amsterdam after a Spring transatlantic on HAL. 

 

I realize there is no way to predict what entry test requirements might be anywhere 3 or 4 months from now, but we believe our best chance of a successful return to Canada will be to go straight from the ship to the airport in Amsterdam at the end of our TA/Norwegian fjords cruise. The Netherlands still requires testing and/or quarantine unless your purpose is expressly for transit. No idea whether cruise lines will provide testing in Europe this spring/summer. 
 

does anyone know whether the tests can be proctored from Amsterdam?  If they can, should we do this using the ship’s internet the day before disembarking?  The day of?  We will have the ship’s internet package. Or are we better to wait until we are on terra firma at the port or the hotel?

 

Bonnie

[Fouremco]

Yes, the RT-LAMP test can be proctored wherever you are as long as you have an internet connection. And the Switch Health proctors are available 24/7. Given the time difference, you will probably get through more quickly than you would in North America. While I've read several posts about passengers being successful testing onboard, I don't recall if any were on a HAL ship, so I can't speak for the internet speed on your ship.

 

That said, if you are early risers you would probably have no difficulty connecting with a land cell tower during the last hours of your cruise. When we did the Voyage of the Midnight Sun on the Nieuw Statendam in 2019, we had cell coverage all the way from Amsterdam to the North Sea, and I would assume that it would be the same returning. And you definitely will be able to use a land cell tower once you are docked. Unless you have an early flight, you'll have plenty of time for testing before disembarking. I use the Rogers Rome Like Home package on embarkation and disembarkation days, which is why my phone was on when we left Amsterdam, and I just checked it from time to time on the way to the North Sea. 

 

I hope that you have a great trip. A TA followed by the fjords sounds wonderful!

 

Edited to add that I would do it on disembarkation day. Much less chance of something going wrong than if you aren't depending on the ship's internet.

Edited January 14, 2022 by Fouremco