Pre cruise testing for Vancouver departure for U.K. travelers

[jackygirl]

Hi everyone 

We are in the U.K. and traveling to Vancouver to spend 2 nights in a hotel pre Alaska cruise on NCL Jewel.  We travel beginning of October.  I am getting really nervous about the pre testing we need to do to enable boarding.  Is there any indication this requirement will be lifted any time soon?  We really don’t want to travel all the way to Canada only to test positive and have to quarantine for 10 days.  Are there any readers who’ve traveled from the U.K. and able to let me know their experience?

[LHT28]

I would not travel  then 

no one knows who will test positive & who will be fine

It is  a chance you take when you travel or even just leave the security of your own space

 

 

[jackygirl]

8 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I would not travel  then 

no one knows who will test positive & who will be fine

It is  a chance you take when you travel or even just leave the security of your own space

 

 

It’s not an option not to travel, it’s all paid up and has been for 2 years.  The travel agent wouldn’t refund us as the flights and cruise are all good to go, we’d lose everything.  We’ve been on 5 cruises since restrictions lifted without issue.  I suppose it’s the what if and we have to quarantine in a hotel in Vancouver for 10 days that is not very appealing.

[gnome12]

55 minutes ago, jackygirl said:

It’s not an option not to travel, it’s all paid up and has been for 2 years.  The travel agent wouldn’t refund us as the flights and cruise are all good to go, we’d lose everything.  We’ve been on 5 cruises since restrictions lifted without issue.  I suppose it’s the what if and we have to quarantine in a hotel in Vancouver for 10 days that is not very appealing.

I suggest that you test before leaving the UK, to give you some peace of mind before you leave.

[Fouremco]

Depending on your travel  insurance, it may not save you much money should you test positive, but as @gnome12 suggests, take a test before leaving. At least you'd be able to quarantine at home. While a negative test isn't a guarantee that you won't test positive a day or two later, it certainly minimizes the likelihood.

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, jackygirl said:

Hi everyone 

We are in the U.K. and traveling to Vancouver to spend 2 nights in a hotel pre Alaska cruise on NCL Jewel.  We travel beginning of October.  I am getting really nervous about the pre testing we need to do to enable boarding.  Is there any indication this requirement will be lifted any time soon?  We really don’t want to travel all the way to Canada only to test positive and have to quarantine for 10 days.  Are there any readers who’ve traveled from the U.K. and able to let me know their experience?

 

Others have responded regarding testing, so I wanted to ensure you have completed your research and are aware of the challenges of cruising to Alaska in mid-October, then cruising down the West Coast.

 

I completed 2 entire Alaska seasons as Navigator with P&O and there are a number of reasons why we left Alaska, which was out highest revenue region, by mid-September. None of the experienced Alaska cruise lines leave ships up there in October.

 

Weather

After about mid-September, the weather is unpredictable and the potential for storms increases significantly. I experienced a 70 kt storm each year in September. In addition to wind, it is also colder and wetter.

 

Daylight

You are already past the Equinox, so the light is fading fast. Sunrise is not until about 07:30 and sunset about 18:00. Therefore, you will miss one of the Alaska highlights, which is scenic cruising.

 

Business/Tour Operators

Most of the business are also shutting down in September, so you may find few options when going ashore.

 

I believe the ship is bound to L/A, so you will steam down the entire West Coast. I've worked this coast for 35 years and October is when the winter storms start rolling in with a vengeance. Hopefully, you'll be lucky, but my experience indicates it could be a rather lumpy transit down the coast.

 

 

[sunviking90]

I’m going to be much more positive for you with much respect to the previous poster. As you say you’re all paid up and there’s no going back, so don’t worry and look in the bright side. We have done Coastal cruises almost every year for the last 20 years, spring and fall and the smoothest one we did was actually late October. The Sea was like glass. You just never know. Regarding Alaska, October is not ideal, with the shorter days, but a sad effect of climate change seems to be the nicer weather for longer. 
As far as testing, without a crystal ball, I don’t see it being dropped as it was part of the conditions for ships to sail out of Canada this season. 
Im sure you’ll wonderful trip!

Edited August 2, 2022 by sunviking90

[LHT28]

4 hours ago, jackygirl said:

It’s not an option not to travel, it’s all paid up and has been for 2 years.  The travel agent wouldn’t refund us as the flights and cruise are all good to go, we’d lose everything.  We’ve been on 5 cruises since restrictions lifted without issue.  I suppose it’s the what if and we have to quarantine in a hotel in Vancouver for 10 days that is not very appealing.

Maybe you will not test positive  at all

 Maybe you will while on the ship then be confined to your cabin 

Travelling with covid spreading you will take a chance  either way

I would stop stressing 

test before you get on the flight   then test  before boarding the ship in the required  time frame

 

Do not forget the get the eTA     & fill out the ARRIVECAN  forms

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/eta/apply.html

https://www.canada.ca/en/border-services-agency/services/arrivecan.html

 

[3Shelaghs]

Is the US attestation form still to be filled out for travel to US??

I agree, test before you leave UK, then test prior to embarkation in Vancouver. (On a side note, I would NEVER test while onboard a ship!)

I've sailed to Alaska twice at end of September. Cloudy, misty, really bad storms x2 north of Juneau, and sea of glass south of Juneau all the way to LA x2.

Have fun!

[Coquitlam Cruiser]

On 8/2/2022 at 10:56 AM, jackygirl said:

Hi everyone 

We are in the U.K. and traveling to Vancouver to spend 2 nights in a hotel pre Alaska cruise on NCL Jewel.  We travel beginning of October.  I am getting really nervous about the pre testing we need to do to enable boarding.  Is there any indication this requirement will be lifted any time soon?  We really don’t want to travel all the way to Canada only to test positive and have to quarantine for 10 days.  Are there any readers who’ve traveled from the U.K. and able to let me know their experience?

For your information all cruise ship passengers embarking at Canadian ports must compete either a PCR or Rapid Antigen test prior to boarding.   The results must be uploaded to ArriveCan app for smart phones or printed off.  As well prior to leaving the UK you must also complete the ArriveCan app (no test needed).  Canada is not lifting this requirement anytime soon.