HAL Not providing onboard covid testing in Vancouver

[Gray Lady]

1 hour ago, aledomom said:

I've looked through the thread and haven't found this addressed.  Would appreciate some feedback:  We dock in Vancouver on May 29.  We have flights out that afternoon at 2:30.  I'm trying to determine how much time to allow for disembarking and taxi to the airport so I can schedule our tests at the airport.  I've only been to Vancouver 1 time and we stayed extra days after the cruise.  

 

Any input would be appreciated.  I am worried that 11am might be too early?  It could quite possibly leave us with too much time milling around waiting for the time slot?  

Did you schedule your transfer to the airport through HAL? If so, call and ask them when you should schedule your appointment at the airport.I did that, but the timeline was too tight to make our 12:35 flight. We will do a proctored test on board the day before.

[Gray Lady]

13 hours ago, oakridger said:

@Gray Lady The price is even less from this company.  Thanks again!

 

~Nancy

When do you leave on your cruise? We leave on the 18th for land tour, then come back on July 3rd. If you sail later, I can let you know how it all goes.

[Fouremco]

7 hours ago, eagletwo said:

Good morning all. We get off the Noordam in Vancouver on May 29th and tranfer to Seattle by bus. Will have a Covid-19 test before boarding the ship in Anchorage and the Canadian arrival app done. 

 

Checking the Canadian Government website, it shows no requirement to have a negative Covid-19 test to enter Cananda by ship for fully vaccinated passengers and the US site shows the same,  no requirement to have a negative Covid-19 test to cross the boarder into the US by land. Am I missing something?

No, you seem to have it covered. Negative test before boarding, but none required to disembark in Canada or to enter US at a land crossing. And you are already aware of the need to use ArriveCAN, so I'd say you are good to go!

[kentuckycruiser]

6 hours ago, Gray Lady said:

Did you schedule your transfer to the airport through HAL? If so, call and ask them when you should schedule your appointment at the airport.I did that, but the timeline was too tight to make our 12:35 flight. We will do a proctored test on board the day before.

Good luck with that one. 

Edited May 13, 2022 by kentuckycruiser

[kentuckycruiser]

7 hours ago, aledomom said:

I've looked through the thread and haven't found this addressed.  Would appreciate some feedback:  We dock in Vancouver on May 29.  We have flights out that afternoon at 2:30.  I'm trying to determine how much time to allow for disembarking and taxi to the airport so I can schedule our tests at the airport.  I've only been to Vancouver 1 time and we stayed extra days after the cruise.  

 

Any input would be appreciated.  I am worried that 11am might be too early?  It could quite possibly leave us with too much time milling around waiting for the time slot?  

Friends of ours scheduled tests at the Vancouver airport for 10 .a.m. He first had 11 ish and I told him that was way too late - especially for a 1:30 flight. I think you can get to the airport easily by 10.

[Woofbite]

Just got off the Nieuw Amsterdam in Vancouver last Sunday, May 8 and HAL scheduled free covid tests in B B Kings the day before for those who were flying out of Vancouver.  Passengers crossing the border by land, i.e. the shuttle to SEA-TAC didn't need one.

 

[Gray Lady]

18 minutes ago, Woofbite said:

Just got off the Nieuw Amsterdam in Vancouver last Sunday, May 8 and HAL scheduled free covid tests in B B Kings the day before for those who were flying out of Vancouver.  Passengers crossing the border by land, i.e. the shuttle to SEA-TAC didn't need one.

 

You were very lucky! I think they may have given you the test because you boarded before they changed their policy. 

[HatRez]

They conducted them on our Koningsdam yesterday morning for disembarkation today.

[lderochi]

Interesting, but I just got another email today (boarding tomorrow) reminding me that I’m on my own for disembarkation testing next Sunday in Vancouver. I think there yet winding down the testing for people who were on board when they changed their policy. 

[gsmt47471015]

On 5/5/2022 at 3:38 PM, molly2kit said:

This is rotten news to get at the last minute……

 

If this information will help anyone

 

There are 2 testing sites at YVR.  You can make an appointment.  I have done this and had test results in 30 minutes 

 

CVM Medical at the far right end of the airport on international departure level

 

https://bookings.covid-medical.ca/#/customer/yvr

 

Bon Voyage (in the Fairmont hotel at the airport)

 

https://bonvoyage.janeapp.com/locations/bon-voyage-medical-fairmont-vancouver-airport/book#/staff_member/4/treatment/99

 

 

Used the facilities last week at the Fairmount ,but pre booked our appointments before we left the uk took just over an hour from going in to getting the result , hope this helps👍

[kentuckycruiser]

1 hour ago, lderochi said:

Interesting, but I just got another email today (boarding tomorrow) reminding me that I’m on my own for disembarkation testing next Sunday in Vancouver. I think there yet winding down the testing for people who were on board when they changed their policy. 

Here's what would be fantastic if there actually is a way to get tested onboard.  If you ask the right person, or you have an early flight, or you have paid for the ship transfer. Something that would still allow you to test. I would much rather pay HAL and get a test the night before vs. schlepping the entire family to a test at the pier or worry about internet connections for a proctored exam.

 

[Gray Lady]

2 hours ago, lderochi said:

Interesting, but I just got another email today (boarding tomorrow) reminding me that I’m on my own for disembarkation testing next Sunday in Vancouver. I think there yet winding down the testing for people who were on board when they changed their policy. 

Please let all of us know how it goes and where/how you decide to test. I hope that it all goes smoothly for you!

[david,Mississauga]

On 5/6/2022 at 10:37 PM, rj59 said:

... Amtrak is also supposed to finally restart service to Vancouver this summer, and it makes a nice ride along the coast.

...

 

When I was in Vancouver recently some VIA Rail staff told me that Amtrak had run some test trains into Vancouver so resumption of service was expected soon.  Amtrak now says the re-start of train service will be December.

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/amtrak-seattle-vancouver-postponed-1.6453663

 

[PoppyBanks]

5 hours ago, HatRez said:

They conducted them on our Koningsdam yesterday morning for disembarkation today.

Was on your sailing. Yes, we were tested and results delivered in sealed envelopes to our staterooms. I quickly cancelled the tests we had hastily scheduled just prior to

embarkation. I am grateful to HAL for providing tests for us. 

[david,Mississauga]

If this has been mentioned before I apolgise. I have had a quick look and could find no reference to it.

 

It is possible the main reason cruise lines do not want to provide on-board testing, especially at the end of the voyage, is the Canadian government's requirement that the line pay the cost of accommodation and meals for people who have to be quarantined on shore.  This could be up to 10 days.

 

https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-safety/ship-safety-bulletins/measures-support-safe-cruise-travel-canada-ssb-no-18-2021-modified-may-6-2022

 

 

 

[Florida_gal_50]

11 hours ago, david,Mississauga said:

If this has been mentioned before I apolgise. I have had a quick look and could find no reference to it.

 

It is possible the main reason cruise lines do not want to provide on-board testing, especially at the end of the voyage, is the Canadian government's requirement that the line pay the cost of accommodation and meals for people who have to be quarantined on shore.  This could be up to 10 days.

 

https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-safety/ship-safety-bulletins/measures-support-safe-cruise-travel-canada-ssb-no-18-2021-modified-may-6-2022

 

 

 

Absolutely that’s the reason.

[Mopree]

We arrived in Vancouver on the Zuiderdam on May11th. We chose a disembarkment time of 8:55am.  We used the HAL transfer to YVR. The transfer (bus) left at 9:20 and we were at the airport before 10:00am. You could choose an earlier time to disembark if like and should have plenty of time for an 11:00am covid test.

[kentuckycruiser]

I would love to see some data points from cruises that disembarked yesterday (Saturday) and today. Were all the passengers on their own? How crowded were the testing sites?  I feel like before this weekend HAL was still doing testing so assuming they changed this weekend, what was the result.

[DaveOKC]

5 hours ago, Mopree said:

We arrived in Vancouver on the Zuiderdam on May11th. We chose a disembarkment time of 8:55am.  We used the HAL transfer to YVR. The transfer (bus) left at 9:20 and we were at the airport before 10:00am. You could choose an earlier time to disembark if like and should have plenty of time for an 11:00am covid test.

How long did it take to go through security once you were at the YVR airport?  And how long to get to your gate?

[PoppyBanks]

2 hours ago, kentuckycruiser said:

I would love to see some data points from cruises that disembarked yesterday (Saturday) and today. Were all the passengers on their own? How crowded were the testing sites?  I feel like before this weekend HAL was still doing testing so assuming they changed this weekend, what was the result.

I disembarked yesterday. HAL provided rapid tests in the MDR early morning on Friday. It was organized and the group moved through quickly. There were approx 25 of us around the same time. 

[PoppyBanks]

1 hour ago, DaveOKC said:

How long did it take to go through security once you were at the YVR airport?  And how long to get to your gate?

My daughter arrived approx 10am to YVR ( at least 3 hours early) for her flight back to US. She said it wasn’t crowded and lines moved quickly. The rest of us arrived at 2pm for a 5:08 boarding and we were an hour just getting through the slow and disorganized security screening.  

[Boatdrill]

On 5/14/2022 at 4:41 PM, PoppyBanks said:

 

 

Edited May 16, 2022 by Boatdrill

[Hlitner]

Just some related Europe info re COVID.  Today is the first day that the European Air folks no longer suggest masking on flights.  We checked in at 6:15 am in Prague for a flight to Munich later connecting to a Lufthansa flight to Newark.  There is no masking in the Czech Republic but when we asked the Lufthansa rep whether we needed to mask on their flights she laughed and said nobody had any idea.  As we

entered the jetway for the short commuter flight o Munich we

were told to mask.  On the Flight we

had so much drink and food (45 min flight) that those of us in Bus Class removed masks.  Once we exited the plane at the Munich airport there was no mandatory masking.  Nobody seems to know if we will need to mask on the 9 hour flight to Newark.  
 

Another humorous incident was when we   cleared Passport Control here in Munich they wanted to know why we had no EU entree stamp in our Passports.  We explained that we had disembarked the Ovation in Monte Carlo (3 weeks ago) and nobody even checked our Passports.  The immigration guy shrugged and said we must have come ashore with the crew and than passed us without a Passport Stamp.  Crazy world.

 

Hank

 

[kentuckycruiser]

10 hours ago, PoppyBanks said:

I disembarked yesterday. HAL provided rapid tests in the MDR early morning on Friday. It was organized and the group moved through quickly. There were approx 25 of us around the same time. 

Had you been told beforehand that HAL would not be providing tests? I just wanted to double check if you all were on the cruise during the time the policy changed or did you board the day after...

Did having the ship's transfer allow you all to get the test?

Edited May 16, 2022 by kentuckycruiser

[kentuckycruiser]

11 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

How long did it take to go through security once you were at the YVR airport?  And how long to get to your gate?

Also note May 11 was a Wednesday. My guess would be more cruises will be ending Saturday and Sundays thus clogging the airport earlier. Will be interesting to see more reports, especially when Alaska cruise season is in high gear.