Australia - Covid 19 Test

[Tedferg]

We are on Honolulu to Sydney Oct 2 2023. At a recent login I was asked to agree to notification about required Covid-19 test, 24 hours before boarding. Sel Test acceptable but must show negative result plus watch for time and photo ID.

 

I thought we were past all this.

[azbirdmom]

As of right now that is still the case but who knows if it will change.  This is the latest:  https://www.princess.com/plan/cruise-with-confidence/cruise-health/frequently-asked-questions/au-cruises/

 

Having recently gotten home from a cruise and testing positive I don't mind the extra precautions they are taking.  At least they only require a picture of your negative test along with your government ID.

[capriccio]

2 hours ago, Tedferg said:

We are on Honolulu to Sydney Oct 2 2023. At a recent login I was asked to agree to notification about required Covid-19 test, 24 hours before boarding. Sel Test acceptable but must show negative result plus watch for time and photo ID.

 

I thought we were past all this.

Australia is not past it; they (I think it is certain states in Australia including New South Wales where Sydney is located) are requiring it.  We had to do it for our Round Australia cruise in April.  Bring the tests with you from home (although they are easy to find in Australia) and just make sure your results are recorded within 24 hours of embarkation.  We placed one of our phones set to the home screen with date and time next to the test results plus our passport opened to the detail page.  The entire process including testing took less than 20 minutes.

[Steelers36]

I understand what folks are doing, but of course a cellphone can be set to any desired date/time for a quick photo and then reset back again.

[capriccio]

1 minute ago, Steelers36 said:

I understand what folks are doing, but of course a cellphone can be set to any desired date/time for a quick photo and then reset back again.

I won't argue that but it is acceptable by the Australian authorities and the cell phone is easy available for most people these days.  Being a guest in their country I certainly wasn't going to argue with the requirement which we knew of well in advance.

[2022cruisey]

You also must be vaccinated.  If you are not, or do not have a valid exemption, you will be refused boarding to come to Australia.

[CanadianCruiser21]

It’s an Austrailia requirement, not a Princess requirement. 
It actually works, because that is how I found out I had Covid the day I was supposed to board in Sydney. I ended up missing the cruise but Princess gave me FCC because of their Cruise with Confidence policy. 

[SargassoPirate]

10 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I understand what folks are doing, but of course a cellphone can be set to any desired date/time for a quick photo and then reset back again.

I still have a negative home test that I took quite some time ago, mostly to stop the nagging from She Who Must Be Obeyed after we returned from a trip that involved several flights.  Maybe I should take a photo of it and keep it in case I need to show a negative test.😁

 

It's just as effective as doing a test at the pier before boarding after flying in and taking a bus from the airport to the ship.

 

It's all theater.

 

And don't get me started on plastic gloves...😁

[Nebr.cruiser]

15 hours ago, Tedferg said:

We are on Honolulu to Sydney Oct 2 2023. At a recent login I was asked to agree to notification about required Covid-19 test, 24 hours before boarding. Sel Test acceptable but must show negative result plus watch for time and photo ID.

 

I thought we were past all this.

We boarded our cruise in late February.  We did all of the above, kind of obsessed to get it all right.  Boarding the Majestic, they just asked what the results of the test were (and just laughed when I said 'Positive' by mistake, I guess being flustered, in my mind positive meant good; I was actually negative) and never asked to see anything; no test, no photo, nothing.  

 

Of course it may be different for others, but none of the three in our party had to show anything.  Much hoorah about nothing.  On a later RCI cruise to New Zealand they barely glanced at our photo.

[capriccio]

12 minutes ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

 

Of course it may be different for others, but none of the three in our party had to show anything.  Much hoorah about nothing.  On a later RCI cruise to New Zealand they barely glanced at our photo.

Princess has already checked your submission on the App.  I know this because my sister and brother-in-law who were traveling with us got stopped because they had taken the test more than 24 hours before embarkation.  They had to take another test on the spot.  Everyone was very kind, the test was free, and they tested negative.

[Nebr.cruiser]

4 minutes ago, capriccio said:

Princess has already checked your submission on the App.  I know this because my sister and brother-in-law who were traveling with us got stopped because they had taken the test more than 24 hours before embarkation.  They had to take another test on the spot.  Everyone was very kind, the test was free, and they tested negative.

I don't remember putting it on the app, but maybe we did!  

[Tedferg]

Thanks for all the replies. Easy for us to do self-test the day before we fly.  We have 11 pm departure so will fly in on Sail Day.

[triple7tahoe]

On a slightly different note--We will board a cruise from Seattle to Sydney on September 23-One note we got said we would have to show/testify that we are covid free prior to boarding in Seattle-That would be about 3 weeks before arriving in Australia-Seems strange to do it that early but...? 🙂

 

[johnkylie]

On 7/29/2023 at 9:09 AM, Tedferg said:

We are on Honolulu to Sydney Oct 2 2023. At a recent login I was asked to agree to notification about required Covid-19 test, 24 hours before boarding. Sel Test acceptable but must show negative result plus watch for time and photo ID.

 

I thought we were past all this.

I refuse to cruise from Australia while they have this requirement.  Happy to take my money and cruise overseas. 

[SargassoPirate]

10 hours ago, triple7tahoe said:

On a slightly different note--We will board a cruise from Seattle to Sydney on September 23-One note we got said we would have to show/testify that we are covid free prior to boarding in Seattle-That would be about 3 weeks before arriving in Australia-Seems strange to do it that early but...? 🙂

 

That's exactly why I say the continued testing requirements are theater.  

 

For example, let's say I fly from San Francisco to Sydney for a cruise and arrive the day before the cruise.  I take the test 24 hours before boarding.  I test negative - even though I just spent 14 hours on a crowded airplane.  I board the ship and anywhere from 2 to 14 days later, I start feeling like I've got the flu.  Could be the flu.  Could be covid. Could be nothing and in a couple of days of symptomatic treatments I feel much better.

 

What was the value of the pre-boarding testing requirement?

 

 

[EDVM96]

22 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

That's exactly why I say the continued testing requirements are theater.  

 

Yes, Australia has some issues. Remember, they didn't let their own citizen back in the country for 15 months during Covid. 

[SargassoPirate]

11 minutes ago, EDVM96 said:

Yes, Australia has some issues. Remember, they didn't let their own citizen back in the country for 15 months during Covid. 

Yes, and I love Australia.  I was there in March 2020 and as they started to close their internal borders I scrambled to get across the country and get a flight out.  The day I left Sydney, Australian police were pulling people with an Australian passport out of the boarding line and preventing them from leaving.

 

Let's see, their own citizens were prevented from traveling within Australia and were prevented from leaving the country 

 

Sounds like a police state to me.

[EDVM96]

Sad but true.
But even that doesn't stop me cruising from Sydney in March. 😎

 

[SargassoPirate]

16 minutes ago, EDVM96 said:

Sad but true.
But even that doesn't stop me cruising from Sydney in March. 😎

 

I'll be back in OZ next year to finish what Covid interrupted.  Love the country and the people.

[Daniel A]

Just curious as I don't have any plans to go Down Under, but is the testing and vaccination requirement only for cruising or do these requirements apply to people travelling by air as well?

[EDVM96]

Only for cruisers.

[EDVM96]

18 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

Love the country and the people.

I agree. Super relaxed people, especially OZ cruisers.

[Nebr.cruiser]

1 hour ago, SargassoPirate said:

That's exactly why I say the continued testing requirements are theater.  

 

For example, let's say I fly from San Francisco to Sydney for a cruise and arrive the day before the cruise.  I take the test 24 hours before boarding.  I test negative - even though I just spent 14 hours on a crowded airplane.  I board the ship and anywhere from 2 to 14 days later, I start feeling like I've got the flu.  Could be the flu.  Could be covid. Could be nothing and in a couple of days of symptomatic treatments I feel much better.

 

What was the value of the pre-boarding testing requirement?

 

 

We had no issues on our Australian cruise, but we also cruised to New Zealand on that trip, doing the 24 hr before tests, along, supposedly, with all other passengers.  Many, many people obviously sick with lots of coughing, etc. on the cruise.  All three of us ended up feeling not the best at the end of the cruise--we all tested negative however.  Upon getting home, we all tested positive, plus I also tested positive for two types of influenza.  

 

The tests seem to have so many false results that I'm not sure how all that hassle helps.  This was in March.

[Kellyansapansa]

Hey, please don't put all Aussies in the same bucket. The Covid testing requirement is still in place thanks to the eastern and western states. Us in the middle are far more rational. 😂

[pompeii]

Looks like things might be changing.  The NSW Premier is talking about scrapping the remaining covid protocols for cruising.  

Leave your mask at home: Minns set to scrap all COVID regulations on NSW cruising - Travel Weekly