jackygirl Posted August 2, 2022 #1 Share Posted August 2, 2022 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted August 2, 2022 #2 Share Posted August 2, 2022 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackygirl Posted August 2, 2022 Author #3 Share Posted August 2, 2022 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare gnome12 Posted August 2, 2022 #4 Share Posted August 2, 2022 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouremco Posted August 2, 2022 #5 Share Posted August 2, 2022 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. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi13 Posted August 2, 2022 #6 Share Posted August 2, 2022 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sunviking90 Posted August 2, 2022 #7 Share Posted August 2, 2022 (edited) 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 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted August 2, 2022 #8 Share Posted August 2, 2022 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Shelaghs Posted August 11, 2022 #9 Share Posted August 11, 2022 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! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coquitlam Cruiser Posted August 13, 2022 #10 Share Posted August 13, 2022 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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