Italy cruises testing

[Megabear2]

10 minutes ago, mimlypops said:

OK thank you. Good luck, hope everything goes well for you and you have a great holiday

I looked at C19 but they don't seem to have a video supervised test on their website. I am Italy for a number of  days before so essential I have one to take with me. Quite a lot of companies could not do the video link.

 

If you are at home in UK the day before sailing it's much easier with more choice.

 

Thanks for your good wishes, I hope you too have great trip.

[mimlypops]

25 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I looked at C19 but they don't seem to have a video supervised test on their website. I am Italy for a number of  days before so essential I have one to take with me. Quite a lot of companies could not do the video link.

 

If you are at home in UK the day before sailing it's much easier with more choice.

 

Thanks for your good wishes, I hope you too have great trip.

Hi, C19 definitely do supervised. I have put the link below for you. I also exchanged emails with them to check how the video link worked. Collinsons are one of the big test providers though so I am sure that will be just fine, I think they provide testing at a lot of the UK airports. Best wishes

 

Rapid Antigen Lateral Flow Pre-Departure Test for Travel | C19 Testing

[Megabear2]

2 hours ago, mimlypops said:

Hi, C19 definitely do supervised. I have put the link below for you. I also exchanged emails with them to check how the video link worked. Collinsons are one of the big test providers though so I am sure that will be just fine, I think they provide testing at a lot of the UK airports. Best wishes

 

Rapid Antigen Lateral Flow Pre-Departure Test for Travel | C19 Testing

Thank you. Just found it's an add on which I'd missed previously.  Actually the same price as Collinson so looks like a good option.

[cruisingxpert]

On 4/22/2022 at 4:05 AM, cruisingaussies said:

Thank you Tom and Judy.

I emailed our TA, who embarked on Oceania in Civitavecchia about five days ago.  She said:

 

"Oceania was a bit the same until about 2 weeks prior when got a document that clearly had two columns

Travelling from USA had to do the 24hr thing

Travelling from other countries had 72hr thing"

 

Make of that what you will.  There's still plenty of time for the Celebrity requirements to change for us for our June cruise.

By traveling I think she is referring to what port you are embarking.  O still says 48 hrs from US ports and 72 hrs from ports outside USA.  We are on O out of Italy in a few weeks and haven't had any update.

[cruisingaussies]

28 minutes ago, cruisingxpert said:

By traveling I think she is referring to what port you are embarking.  O still says 48 hrs from US ports and 72 hrs from ports outside USA.  We are on O out of Italy in a few weeks and haven't had any update.

So this one day prior to boarding is definitely a Celebrity requirement, not the port of Civitavecchia?

[cruisingxpert]

15 minutes ago, cruisingaussies said:

So this one day prior to boarding is definitely a Celebrity requirement, not the port of Civitavecchia?

I don't know.  I think the person who started this said they got notice quite close to departure

[cruisingaussies]

6 hours ago, laslomas said:

 

It was definitely 2 days originally, knowing Celebrity, they probably just got it wrong.

 

I had an email from Celebrity on 7th April with the checklist for my upcoming cruise on 2nd May. It stated "present a negative Antigen or PCR test conducted within two days of boarding the ship." Myself and several others also, booked tests to meet this requirement only to find when a second email arrived on 14th April that the requirement had changed to 1 day prior to boarding. 

Luckily I had not paid for the tests I booked, but others were not so lucky. I waited another week to see if it would change again before cancelling and rebooking tests.

Laslomas, hope that everything goes smoothly for you. If you find out any more information on this pre cruise testing as you board or once on board, I’m sure everyone on this thread would greatly appreciate it. 
Bon voyage!

[VitaminSea53]

Princess cruises makes it sound like it is a European requirement: Based on current European Union Healthy Gateways (EUHG) guidelines, to board the ship all guests age five and above will require a medically observed, negative viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) result taken within one day of embarkation. 

[cruisingaussies]

24 minutes ago, VitaminSea53 said:

Princess cruises makes it sound like it is a European requirement: Based on current European Union Healthy Gateways (EUHG) guidelines, to board the ship all guests age five and above will require a medically observed, negative viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) result taken within one day of embarkation. 

Thanks.  In which case all cruise lines surely should be offering this service to all their passengers at the port just prior to embarkation.  For many reasons, having the test and getting the results back in time elsewhere is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for many.

[Purplsmurf]

1 hour ago, cruisingaussies said:

Thanks.  In which case all cruise lines surely should be offering this service to all their passengers at the port just prior to embarkation.  For many reasons, having the test and getting the results back in time elsewhere is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for many.

It’s not difficult at all. We will test at the airport when we arrive in Rome and get the results quickly. There are many places that offer the testing the day before and results are quick

[cruisingaussies]

30 minutes ago, Purplsmurf said:

It’s not difficult at all. We will test at the airport when we arrive in Rome and get the results quickly. There are many places that offer the testing the day before and results are quick

Of course, if you're flying  into Rome it isn't difficult.  There are many people who are not, which is the main purpose of this thread.  Don't assume that every passenger is only flying in for the cruise.  We'll be in the middle of a long trip to Europe and will be in Italy for almost a month before we board the ship.

[s100onn]

20 hours ago, mimlypops said:

Hi

We are starting cruise on Monday 16th May from Civitavecchia. We are flying from the UK in to Pisa on the Saturday, so 2 days before. It is our intention to take tests with us that will be done supervised online from our hotel on the Sunday morning. We intend to buy them from C19 testing who we have used before, and we know are easy to use and reliable, and are the Which? recommended provider in the UK and on the UK government approved list. They are not, however, on the US FDA list. We can't get an answer from Celebrity as to whether that provider is acceptable. Which tests are others from UK taking to use ? Does anyone know if it matters who you get the tests from as long as they are supervised ?

 

Many thanks

 

Hi

We are one the same sailing as you and flying from Manchester on the Sunday morning. We had an email from Dave in Celebrity Protocol Queries as below:

 

"Following your covid related query I can confirm that Celebrity Cruises are looking for something called a 'fit to fly' certificate dated the day before you sail.

  This can be any kind of covid test as long as it is observed by a healthcare professional. As you may be required to take the test whilst in Italy, below are some options available to you. 

The companies in the following list can deliver a test to you, which you can take with you to Italy, then you can schedule a video call for a time that suits you and get the certficate digitally

  Below that I have also included a link to a worldwide portal for finding test locations which you can book online

 

 Please see below for a list of options for suppliers of antigen tests and 'fit to fly' certificates. 

 

Randox Tests: https://covid.randox.com/pre-departure/
Express Test: https://www.expresstest.co.uk/
Prenetics: https://www.projectscreen.co.uk/fit-to-fly/teleheath-lateral-flow-antigen-test/
Collinsons: www.collinsongroup.com/en/covid-19-testing

 

Find testing locations for sailings outside UK

https://testfortravel.com/"

[s100onn]

Just now, s100onn said:

 

Hi

We are one the same sailing as you and flying from Manchester on the Sunday morning. We had an email from Dave in Celebrity Protocol Queries as below:

 

"Following your covid related query I can confirm that Celebrity Cruises are looking for something called a 'fit to fly' certificate dated the day before you sail.

  This can be any kind of covid test as long as it is observed by a healthcare professional. As you may be required to take the test whilst in Italy, below are some options available to you. 

The companies in the following list can deliver a test to you, which you can take with you to Italy, then you can schedule a video call for a time that suits you and get the certficate digitally

  Below that I have also included a link to a worldwide portal for finding test locations which you can book online

 

 Please see below for a list of options for suppliers of antigen tests and 'fit to fly' certificates. 

 

Randox Tests: https://covid.randox.com/pre-departure/
Express Test: https://www.expresstest.co.uk/
Prenetics: https://www.projectscreen.co.uk/fit-to-fly/teleheath-lateral-flow-antigen-test/
Collinsons: www.collinsongroup.com/en/covid-19-testing

 

Find testing locations for sailings outside UK

https://testfortravel.com/"

 

Apologies, just realised this was from the Protocol team from our TA, not Celebrity directly although they have contacted Celebrity for the information.

[Ronin23]

All this fluffing around for tests is ridiculous. If this is a requirement to cruise then Celebrity need to step up and simply test everyone at the pier before boarding. Surely it’s not that difficult, it’s going to turn people off cruising so it’s in their best interest to do so.

[delondin]

8 hours ago, cruisingaussies said:

Thanks.  In which case all cruise lines surely should be offering this service to all their passengers at the port just prior to embarkation.  For many reasons, having the test and getting the results back in time elsewhere is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for many.

I think the logistics make it difficult for celebrity to do that with such a large ship like Beyond. In the early start up if I recall correctly the Edge did testing at the port in Fort Lauderdale and it was a mess. People lining up in the heat with no food and water for hours. The Rome port is not great for normal embarkation let alone trying to test as well. 

[cruisingaussies]

48 minutes ago, delondin said:

I think the logistics make it difficult for celebrity to do that with such a large ship like Beyond. In the early start up if I recall correctly the Edge did testing at the port in Fort Lauderdale and it was a mess. People lining up in the heat with no food and water for hours. The Rome port is not great for normal embarkation let alone trying to test as well. 

Any cruise line has had plenty of time to get this organised by now 

[Virginia100]

9 hours ago, Purplsmurf said:

It’s not difficult at all. We will test at the airport when we arrive in Rome and get the results quickly. There are many places that offer the testing the day before and results are quick

It sounds good on the website at the airport but how is it really? Do you know any arriving passengers that have done it? I don’t. My hotel at the port has been trying to secure a test for us at a Nearby pharmacy they deal  with for three weeks with no appointment time yet!!!

[Virginia100]

2 hours ago, delondin said:

I think the logistics make it difficult for celebrity to do that with such a large ship like Beyond. In the early start up if I recall correctly the Edge did testing at the port in Fort Lauderdale and it was a mess. People lining up in the heat with no food and water for hours. The Rome port is not great for normal embarkation let alone trying to test as well. 

Funny, Princess is doing it for all their Italy departures - for free mind you!!

[B x]

33 minutes ago, Virginia100 said:

It sounds good on the website at the airport but how is it really? Do you know any arriving passengers that have done it? I don’t. My hotel at the port has been trying to secure a test for us at a Nearby pharmacy they deal  with for three weeks with no appointment time yet!!!

In answer yes, a friend did it just yesterday and messaged me as promised. They arrived at Fiumicino mid PM and attended their booked appointment, that was almost 24 hours ago and they are still waiting for their results (Antigen). She said the test centre closes at 8pm and last testing appointment offered when they booked a couple of weeks ago was 7.30pm so something to bear in mid if you have late flights prior to embarkation day. 

 

I was interested to know how it all worked as now that I have our boarding time of 11am I guess tests will need doing after 11am the previous day to be within 24 hours. There still seems to be no guidance if Celebrity will allow one to board if tests haven't come through as in the case of my friend. I have asked TA this question, he in turn spoke to Celebrity and said the feedback was as clear as mud with no specific yes or no.

[delondin]

1 minute ago, B x said:

In answer yes, a friend did it just yesterday and messaged me as promised. They arrived at Fiumicino mid PM and attended their booked appointment, that was almost 24 hours ago and they are still waiting for their results (Antigen). She said the test centre closes at 8pm and last testing appointment offered when they booked a couple of weeks ago was 7.30pm so something to bear in mid if you have late flights prior to embarkation day. 

 

I was interested to know how it all worked as now that I have our boarding time of 11am I guess tests will need doing after 11am the previous day to be within 24 hours. There still seems to be no guidance if Celebrity will allow one to board if tests haven't come through as in the case of my friend. I have asked TA this question, he in turn spoke to Celebrity and said the feedback was as clear as mud with no specific yes or no.

I believe it is one day and not specifically 24 hours so as long as it is anytime the day before it should be ok. 

[Random Cruizer]

Oh boy, I thought the Rome airport was a quick test since it's for departures, too.  I'll still do it--but I'll bring along my own test to do at the hotel.  What a mess.  Fingers crossed they go back to 2 days.

Edited April 29, 2022 by Random Cruizer

[B x]

3 minutes ago, delondin said:

I believe it is one day and not specifically 24 hours so as long as it is anytime the day before it should be ok. 

It depends how you interpret what it say's on the web site "within 1 day prior to sailing" to me "within" means exactly that, within 24 hours. So for example if you test at 8am the previous day (which we originally planned to do at Heathrow) by the time we board at 11am it's outside a one day timeframe. I may be being pedantic here, it's my legalist head kicking in, but clarity would be useful as non of us want to arrive at the dock only to be told our test is out of date.

[laslomas]

3 minutes ago, B x said:

It depends how you interpret what it say's on the web site "within 1 day prior to sailing" to me "within" means exactly that, within 24 hours. So for example if you test at 8am the previous day (which we originally planned to do at Heathrow) by the time we board at 11am it's outside a one day timeframe. I may be being pedantic here, it's my legalist head kicking in, but clarity would be useful as non of us want to arrive at the dock only to be told our test is out of date.

 

From Celebrity FAQ's:

How do I calculate which days I may take my pre-cruise COVID-19 test?

When calculating which days you can take your test, be aware that the day you set sail is not counted as one of the days, unless the country of embarkation stipulates that the test be taken within 24 hours of arrival.

For example, if you are setting sail on a Saturday, and you are required to test 3 days before your sailing, you can take your test on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday; and for 2 days in advance, you can take the test Thursday or Friday.

To learn more about which types of tests are accepted, visit our Accepted COVID-19 Test webpage. 

[Random Cruizer]

OK--here's what's on the Rome airport's website--

Please note:
1. Access to the testing area is only permitted for passengers in possession of a ticket and staff in possession of an airport badge
2. The service will be guaranteed for rapid antigen tests from 00:01 to 20:00
3. The service will be guaranteed for PCR swabs from 08:00 to 16:00.

 

Seems weird-- 1 min to 20 HOURS for the rapid?  8 hours to 16 ours for PCR swabs?

[B x]

2 minutes ago, Random Cruizer said:

Oh boy, I thought the Rome airport was a quick test since it's for departures, too.  I'll still do it--but I'll bring along my own test to do at the hotel.  What a mess.  Fingers crossed they go back to 2 days.

Heathrow results are no quicker at times, eldest son flew out early for a meeting a couple of weeks ago, took an antigen test for his own peace of mind, results arrived as he returned home in evening, advertised at 4 hours.