No more testing for vaccinated (10 days or less) and NO MORE proctored tests at home!

[WaybackCruiser]

11 hours ago, WhiteSoxFan said:

Self testing is effectively equal to no testing.  Not much of a point to it.

Unless you're cruising from Singapore on Spectrum OTS - self-testing is NOT allowed and the eMed ones are not allowed either. There's even very strict criteria on 'time' of when to get tested for the cruise... for starters it HAS to be on the same day at Raffles but it also cannot be before 7 am on the day of the cruise or that test is not valid. Additionally, they verify the test result and vaccine proof at least four times before boarding the ship:

* once at before entering the Marina Bay Cruise Center,

* once at the check-in counters with RCL,
* once at the security / passport control line,
* and again by ship security upon boarding. All four verification ALSO scrutinize proper mask usage as well (ie mask CANNOT be below nose). The ship does provide The N95 masks for passengers though on a daily basis.

Wife and I are hoping that by our Mid October cruise there will be at least SOME relaxation on this testing though it seems VERY unlikely, there's no plans to get rid of the vaccine mandate for Spectrum anytime soon or masks.

For Adventure Ocean on Spectrum OTS, there are time slots to be booked from my understanding, and masking is required at all times for Adventure Ocean events including outdoors unless it involves the pool. There's also social distancing still for Adventure Ocean.

Test results are ALSO required to disembark in Malaysia at any of the port calls (although one doesn't need to disembark if they opt to not fill in the app), the results have to be uploaded to the "MySejahtera' app and cleared before we could even go on shore. Noticed some posters here complaining about ArriveCan, My Sejahtara is a similar type of app but it often crashes.

[smokeybandit]

Yes, we get it, spectrum has to follow asia rules.

 

 

[Pattycruise]

2 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Yes, we get it, spectrum has to follow asia rules.

 

 

I think that explains why there may not be a lot of people sailing on Spectrum!

[Farminger]

Woo Hoo! I am back and excited about this. After 3 cancelled cruises in the last two years, I am definitely overdue. 

[Gadget Hackwrench]

On 8/24/2022 at 4:02 PM, Debstr66 said:

Swab won't fit up her wee nostrils! 

 

Imagine your reaction if the test ended up coming back positive.

[JeffB]

On 8/23/2022 at 4:42 PM, Smeyers said:

This is actually incorrect. "Up to date" is defined as full dose (2 shots for pfizer, moderna, etc., or 1 shot for J&J for example) of the vaccine up to 270 days. If 270 days have passed since your full dose was completed, then you need a booster to be considered up to date. The booster does not expire for being considered "up to date", meaning I got my booster a year ago and I am still considered up to date.

.......... in the US.

Actually, it is correct to enter some, currently not all, EU member states or board a cruise ship departing from ports within EU member states. The salient point is that in some EU states the "vaccination record" is only valid for 275 days. The broader EU regulations published in February 2022 do not state from from which vaccination date, initial series or booster. However, that varies from EU state to EU state.

For example, if your booster was administered on January 1st, 2022 and you are traveling and planning on cruising from an EU state that still requires a valid vaccination certificate after October 3rd, 2022, your CDC vaccination record would only be valid if you had received a booster on or after October 3rd.

Admittedly, this issue for EU travel can be confusing. That is because not all member states have the same rules for proof of COVD vaccination. The rules have also changed since I traveled to Europe in April and upon which I based my point of clarification. Few EU states have any proof of vaccination requirement to enter and those that do have varying wording.

Here's a link to an EU sponsored web site that allows you to set your departure country and planned country of EU entry and find out what the COVID related entry restrictions are.

https://reopen.europa.eu/en/from-to/OTC/ESP

What's interesting is that most EU states, as of June, 2022, have lifted the requirement to show proof of vaccination to enter entirely. Spain and Luxembourg, two EU countries that still do require proof of vaccination to enter, use different wording to describe what is and what is not considered valid proof of vaccination.

Finally, your correction to my post is mostly accurate for travel in Europe as of the current date - the 275d expiration on the validity of your CDC card, if it has to be shown to enter, is based on the "initial series" or "initial pattern." It is still a very good idea if you are traveling to Europe to pay careful attention to COVID related entry requirements. They can change on a moments notice and if there is another surge in new COVID cases this fall - something that many epidemiologists are forecasting, proof of vaccination will almost certainly be required again.