47 degrees with clear skies, heading toward a high of 73. How I love these deliciously cooler fall days.
Canada will drop all COVID-19 restrictions for travelers from Oct. 1, including vaccination and masking requirements for flights and trains, the government said on Monday. ~ Reuters
Prior to leaving town for our World Cruise in January, which I was completely unsure was going to actually happen, we had to run a gauntlet of covid tests, one here at home and then at embarkation with a day's quarantine in our cabin until we produced a second negative while the Viking Star was docked in LA. While we were on the Star, we were tested for covid every blessed day. All 121 of them!
Then in late July and August, when the DH and I had a bout with the bug, we tested and tested to see when we could stop feeling like lepers. (It still amazes me that we wandered the world for four months with no ill effects, not even a case of the sniffles, and then managed to contract the virus here at home!)
We were expecting to have to be tested again on October 6th prior to driving to St Louis on the 7th, and flying to Seattle on the 8th to catch the Holland America Eurodam for our 21 day Panama Canal cruise. Until I'm on the ship, I always fret that something will happen to stop the trip. The requirement for fully vaccinated passengers to take a covid test prior to embarking was one more thing on my worry list. Then there was anticipating using the ArriveCan app, which we wouldn't even be able to download until a few days before our trip. According to all reports, it was notoriously glitchy and not at all user-friendly.
But this morning we received a notice from HAL that directed us to this info on their website:
Standard Protocols
This specific booking and/or voyage follows our COVID-19 Standard Protocols for vaccination and testing requirements.
Vaccination Requirements We highly recommend all guests be up to date on their vaccination status. Vaccinations, however, are not required.
Testing Requirements Fully vaccinated guests are not required to take a COVID-19 test prior to embarkation.
Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated guests 5 years of age and older are required to take a COVID test prior to embarkation PCR COVID-19 test within 3 days before embarkation Medically observed or self-administered at home COVID-19 antigen test within 3 days before embarkation.
Please upload all required documentation to the VeriFLY app for a quick and seamless embarkation process.
Global COVID-19 regulations and protocols are continuously changing and we may revise or modify these requirements (effective immediately) to evolve in line with the latest practices at any time. Please check back regularly for any updates. These protocols only apply to the specific booking number or voyage entered. As of September 22, 2022
Hallelujah! We already have all the vaccinations, tests, and documentation we need uploaded on VeriFLY from our Viking cruise. Things are falling into place to make this an excellent, stress-free adventure!
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| Last time we boarded the Eurodam was in September of 2017 with our travel buddies Joy & Mike! This time it's just us, but fortunately, the ship is an old friend! |
Time to start packing in earnest!
Yes, Canada is lifting all of its restrictions so you won't even have to do ArriveCAN. We missed that by two days, arriving in Toronto yesterday. And guess what? Mui got selected randomly to do an arrival COVID-19 test ... no big deal, except that the contracted facility is not at the Toronto Airport so we had to use Uber to get there. At least the test was courtesy of the Canadian Government. Enjoy your cruise. Hoping the testing for our TransAtlantic will be lifted, but the ship will be stopping in Portugal and Spain, so our requirements might remain.
ReplyDeleteI support every country's right to make their own rules and defend their homeland, but I'm so relieved that now our stop in Vancouver will be more like our old "normal!" To be honest, the worst covid regulation we had to deal with on the WC was Italy's insistence that everyone wear N95 masks. Those made breathing really difficult for both me and the DH.
DeleteA different perspective here. I am boarding a cruise in Vancouver BC in early November and am disappointed the safeguards have been lifted. I was looking forward to being on a ship where everyone was vaccinated and tested.
ReplyDeleteI have already downloaded the ArriveCAN app and had filled out most of the information and did not find it burdensome.
Having said the above I am glad that your cruise will be going forward with fewer requirements for you and I hope you have a wonderful time.
Since we were thoroughly vaxxed and wore masks, & got it anyway, I guess I'm sort of fatalistic about covid now. Besides, even though I have a pretty substantial co-morbidity with my lung condition, the actual illness was very much like an inconvenient head cold that lasted about 3 weeks from first positive test to second negative. Not at all the deadly version that hit the US in 2020.
DeleteHAL is still requiring unvaccinated passengers to be tested prior to boarding. Our prior shots allow us to take a pass on that.
Enjoy your cruise in November! Where are you going?
Yes, we also caught Covid a few weeks back and thankfully it was short-lived and relatively mild. We are grateful for our initial shots and boosters.
DeleteIt is a Princess repo cruise from Vancouver BC to Victoria, Astoria, SF, and Santa Barbara - finishing in LA.
Very similar to our upcoming HAL trip.
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