Anyone on a Seabourn cruise departing from St. Maarten?

[cruiseej]

We're booked on an Odyssey cruise from St. Maarten on February 26, and now that we're past our possible 30-day cancellation deadline, I'm diving in to determine the testing and documents we'll need to travel in a few weeks. If anyone else is traveling to St. Maarten, I'm hoping you can provide some clarity on what appears to be conflicting information about arrival to St. Maarten.

 

Seabourn's webpage says:

 

St. Maarten:
Fully vaccinated guests will be required to show proof of a negative Standard (non-rapid) PCR COVID-19 test, performed within 2-days prior of their arrival in St. Maarten. This proof may be required at the departing airport prior to the guest being permitted to board their flight, as required by the Government of St. Maarten... Seabourn requires a negative Standard (non-rapid) PCR COVID-19 test performed within 3-days prior of cruise embarkation in St. Maarten, when checking in at the pier. Details can be found here: https://stmaartenehas.com/travel-requirements/.
 

 

But the St. Maarten Travel Requirements page shows that fully vaccinated and boosted people require no entry test:

 

 

So… is Seabourn's page out-of-date in stating that a PCR test within 2 days of entry to St. Maarten is required? And if so, will Seabourn not require us to have a PCR test within 3 days of boarding, since they will be doing an antigen test at the pier? Seabourn also says: "If arriving for a pre-cruise stay in St. Maarten, guests will not need another PCR test before embarking on their cruise." Well, we are arriving one day early. So if we don't need any test to arrive in St. Maarten, does that mean we won't need a test for Seabourn, because they will be doing an antigen test?

 

We will have to jump through some hoops involving time, travel and considerable expense if we need to get a PCR test with rapid results before flying St. Maarten — so if we don't need it, I'd love to find that out. And if we do need it, I need to try to find a testing location which can meet the tight time requirements. 

 

Our TA is escorting a trip this week, so I can reach out to her to reach out to Seabourn next week, but I'm hoping someone else traveling to St. Maarten has already sorted this out! 😉

 

[tvgraves]

We are on the same cruise and are also arriving early, on Thursday the 24th.  I am trying to sort out the testing logistics for my wife and I (both boosted).  

[SLSD]

I just read the latest "do not travel" list of countries from the CDC.  Sint Maarten is on the list.  This information might be useful to someone in the US who desires to cancel the cruise beginning there.  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/sint-maarten-travel-advisory.html

Edited February 1, 2022 by SLSD

[SLSD]

The link above is from the State Department, but Sint Maarten is also on the CDC list.  

[cruiseej]

@SLSD I have great respect for the CDC for the scientific research and testing they do; however, their recommendations regarding travel have always been, and continue to be, ultra-conservative. At this time they view the world this way:

 

   Level 4: 118 countries (Covid Very High; avoid travel)

   Level 3:   54 countries (Covid High)

   Level 2:  13 countries (Covid Moderate)

   Level 1:  12 countries (Covid Low)

   Unknown: 42 countries (Covid unknown; avoid travel)

 

So they say one shouldn't travel to two-thirds of the countries in the world, which at this point many people are not going to listen to. (It's worth noting that the United States isn't on the CDC list, since the list is for travel outside the US — but based on the number of cases in the US, it would also rank at Level 4, too!)

 

There's also a big difference between going to vacation for two weeks in a city and going on a cruise ship which spends 8 hours in port and perhaps people go ashore for an excursion for a few hours. But the CDC levels don't attempt to factor in length of or nature of visit.

 

So you have to put these rankings in proper perspective and make an informed decision about travel. Someone who is immunocompromised and perhaps not boosted or even fully vaccinated would likely be far more conservative about travel right now than someone who is in good health, vaccinated and boosted. 

 

If you were mentioning the CDC list merely as a way to possibly get out of the cruise, I appreciate it. We decided when we crossed through the 30 day deadline for canceling that we still want to go, despite the disappointment of losing most of our original ports of call and all our originally booked excursions. 

[SLSD]

4 hours ago, cruiseej said:

 

 

If you were mentioning the CDC list merely as a way to possibly get out of the cruise, I appreciate it. We decided when we crossed through the 30 day deadline for canceling that we still want to go, despite the disappointment of losing most of our original ports of call and all our originally booked excursions. 

Yes, I was mentioning the CDC list as it might be a means to a possible out of the cruise if you desired that.  And note, The State Department's list also include Sint Maarten.    I do understand that the CDC is conservative in their lists. 

 

[cruiseej]

Thanks. I don't know if Seabourn would let someone cancel their cruise under 30 days from sailing based on the CDC list; I haven't tried, nor have I heard anyone doing this either here on CC or one Facebook. Most of the countries on the list have been at "Level 4 - Do Not Travel" for multiple months, so I don't know if they'd accept that as a reason for a last-minute cancellation.

 

For Caribbean cruises, it's worth noting that nearly the entire Caribbean is listed as "Level 4 - Do Not Travel": Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos.

 

(The only Caribbean countries not listed as Level 4 are Saba and Sint Eustatius, which are both Level 3.)

[Sheila G]

My husband and I are sailing on the Star Flyer out of St Maarten in March. We don’t need a PCR test to enter St Maarten ( fully vaccinated)  but we do need a rapid PCR to board our ship. If anyone has be tested in St Maarten, please respond to this post. We arrive on a Wednesday afternoon and board our ship on Saturday. We need the Rapid PCR test on Thursday. 

[cruiseej]

@Sheila G Yes, St. Maarten does not require testing if you are vaccinated and boosted. Beyond that, testing requirements are set by each cruise line according to their own policies. You're cruising on a different cruise line, but it sounds like they're using a similar protocol as Seabourn, requiring a PCR test prior to boarding.

 

In your case, since you're flying on Wednesday, you might want to check directly with the cruise line to see if their rule is "72 hours before boarding" or "in the three days prior to boarding". With Seabourn, it's the latter, meaning we can get a test Wednesday prior to boarding on Saturday. If it's 72 hours, then you might be able to get a test Wednesday, depending on the time of the test and time of your scheduled boarding. I don't know where you're flying from, but the thought is that you might be able to get a PCR test at your originating airport just before boarding your flight, as many airports now have on-site testing companies. But the timing may just miss: if your flight is at 11 am Wednesday and you can't board until 2 pm Saturday, that's 75 hours. I would definitely check with your cruise line to see if they are enforcing a strict 72 hours, or 3 days as many other cruise lines and countries have done. 

 

You might also ask your cruise line what they will do if you show up without a test done within 72 hours. With Seabourn, they will perform a PCR test at the pier and charge $150 per person. If Star Clippers does anything similar, it may be easier to just skip the pre-arrival test and pay for it at the pier. But if they won't do a test at the pier and would deny you boarding, then obviously you'll want to get a test! Just Googling testing locations on St. Maarten, I see several. (This one, for instance, does testing with PCR results within 24 hours for $125 US.)

[Sheila G]

I appreciate your insights. Our flight from DFW is on Wednesday at 5:00 am, thus we definitely need a PCR test in St Maarten. We can’t board our ship until 3:00 pm on Saturday.  If anyone is reading this and has used any company in St Maarten, please let me know if you are pleased with everything. I’m a tad nervous about testing in St Maarten. I truly believed all of this Covid mess would not be an issue when we booked the cruise a year ago. I still believe the cruise will be worth all the testing and everyone will remain healthy while on board. 

Thank you for your quick response. I am sad that I can’t connect with others on the Star Flyer. I hope you have a great cruise!

[Sheila G]

On another note, if anyone enjoys a fun excursion in St. Kitts, please let me know.