ilovetotravel1977

I have a Disney World trip for Nov/Dec I need to bump until 2022, other than that I had no travel plans.

My mother turns 70 in February so would like to do an all inclusive at least and a cruise in the spring.

Plus, who knows what will happen once the Conditional Sail Order goes away November 1st. 

There is hope for folks:

https://news.paxeditions.com/news/buzz/wttc-urges-us-govt-speed-approval-uk-astrazeneca-vaccine

7 minutes ago, cruiztime said:

Happy it all worked out for you Russ with the testing. What was your plan if anyone in your travelling party tested positive? 

The million-dollar question these days! lol

Thanks for the report back @Russ LomasThat definitely reassures many of us.

deleted. Found my answer

@EvilmuffinDoes HAL test you AT the port before boarding? Or do they require you bring a test with you?

The testing before boarding doesn't concern me as I would already need a test to fly to the US and bring a test with me to get on the ship. You would already know if you can get on the ships or not. 

It's all on the other end.

If you have a cruise on or before October 31, that is awesome!

When I received an email from Blue Cross (my work plan), they said cruises have never left the plan, they only added the covid medical.  I asked "If I am on a cruise and I have a heart attack and need to be air evacuated from the ship, is that still covered"  They said yes.  That's what I want to know.  Will a helicopter be covered in case of an emergency.

The govt advisory "Avoid all non-essential travel" is a Level 3 warning.  A level 4 warning reads "Avoid All Travel".  Not sure if "Avoid Cruise Travel" falls under Level 3 or Level 4.  The Govt should code them accordingly for clarification, IMO.

As for insurance companies covering quarantine (which we all now know doesn't exist in any short-stay plans), that likely won't happen until travel is back down to a Level 1 or 2, which is not for a very long time, unfortunately.

Here's an important question that I don't see being discussed often by Canadians.  

What if you test positive on your cruise and you have to quarantine in the US at a hotel for 14 days?  Do hotels have an extended stay room rate? How do you get food, retested, etc if you can't leave your room? What day do you retest? Is it the honour system or is your room being manned by a "guard"?

I know Royal is flying infected passengers and parties home, but I think that is only until October 31, not forever.  I haven't heard of any other cruise line doing that. 

Honestly, all this testing doesn't even phase me.  It's the getting stuck in the US that is the real deterrent for me.

Thoughts?

The testing isn't so much of a big deal to me as is the 14-day quarantine in a hotel!  That is what is preventing me from cruising right now.

At least if you are staying at an all-inclusive resort, some resorts let you stay for free if you test positive as part of their covid-19 protocols.

OP, are you looking to cruise from US ports or outside of the US ports?  Which cruise line?

For Royal Caribbean, with cruises from a US port, there is no issues with the days between doses.  The 28-42 day issue is for cruise ports outside of the US.

For Cruises Departing from Ports Outside of the U.S. 

For cruises departing from ports outside of the U.S., we will accept guests who are vaccinated with a mixed regimen consisting of 2 shots of the following manufacturer combinations: Pfizer and Moderna, or AstraZeneca with either Pfizer or Moderna. The doses must be separated by at least 28 days and not more than 42 days for mixes of Pfizer and Moderna, and separated by at least 4 weeks and not more than 12 weeks for combinations of AstraZeneca with Pfizer or Moderna.

OP...Not a particularly interesting question, but could you ask if NCL is still offering PCR tests for guests that require one for flights home?  Website says yes, but rep says no (says only antigen).

Thank you.

@JessyCruises I'd be curious to know how many people are on board and how that translates to social distancing?  

@K_e_shortHere is the link to making appointments at FLL:

https://testing.nomihealth.com/easy_registration/34/onsite

You must have to make the appointment first, and then select the test type.  I didn't do a mock booking so not sure of that process.

I see where it says $159 under the FAQ, maybe increased the price of the RT-PCR from $159 to $179?  Either way, not cheap!  lol

It's a catch 22.  Conservatives are saying no to mandatory vaccines and yes to rapid testing for workplaces and travel.  I assume that they would also implement rapid testing for coming back to Canada, which means we wouldn't have to pay the crazy prices for the RT-PCR / PCR tests.  

The Canadian travel industry could do a 180 after September 20th.

11 minutes ago, K_e_short said:

Here are the websites with the information

 

Fort Lauderdale

 

https://www.broward.org/airport/passengers/flights/advisories/pages/default.aspx

 

FYI It was just updated this month. I had done research before (you can see my responses in other questions) and FLL was only doing 24- 48 hour turn around tests.

 

$159 USD for a rapid PCR test is the cheapest I've seen so far.

 

 

 

 

Right.  I just spoke to a rep yesterday, so the info I posted above should reflect the most up-to-date pricing/timing.  Miami airport website has the exact same info as they use the same company to do their testing (Nomi Health).

40 minutes ago, Magicat said:

These prices are in USD? 

Yes they are.  And do not include any state tax.  If I was just traveling with a friend (no other family members), I would pay the $179US, but once you get more people, that it very expensive.  However, if you are flying home the same day as you get off your cruise, this might be the easiest (not the cheapest) option, unfortunately.

I was just going to ask how the testing appointments are going at FLL? Are they getting backed up?  I assume if you have an actual appointment time you would get tested before the walk-ins would?  We would be traveling back to Canada, so timing is critical for our flights.

I just did some research on return testing and found this for both the Fort Lauderdale and Miami airports. Right now you can book as far out as Sept 19th.

Fort Lauderdale and Miami Airports:

• For Rapid RT-PCR test (oral swab), the result will be available within 1 hour.
• For PCR test, the projected result will be available in 24-48 hours - maximum of 72 hours.
• For Rapid Antigen test, the expected result will be available within 30 minutes.
• We offer Rapid RT-PCR for $179, PCR test for $99 and Rapid Antigen test for $69 without state tax.

Which hotel are you staying at in Fort Lauderdale / Miami?

Someone from Saint John, NB is doing a B2B2B on the Odyssey starting this weekend. They have a LIVE review over on the RCCL boards:

There is someone from Saint John, NB over on the RCL boards doing a B2B2B on the Odyssey starting this weekend and they are doing a LIVE review:

@JessyCruises I'll be interested to hear about your return testing process for getting back into Canada. That is what would stress me out the most.

Montreal will likely be less hectic then Pearson.

@JessyCruises Where is your connecting flight from NB? Toronto?