Now need a test EVEN if vaccinated!

[GW248]

8 minutes ago, erber said:

Our original cruise was for Nov 2020 on Oasis. Then we lifted and shifted that one to Nov 2021 ... Now we cancelled 2021 cruise and booked April 2022 on the Allure. So the first cruise that started all this was booked before covid!

@erberDid they refund as money or FCC?  We are in the same situation for Thanksgiving cruise on Oasis.

[erber]

Just now, GW248 said:

@erberDid they refund as money or FCC?  We are in the same situation for Thanksgiving cruise on Oasis.

They are refunding our deposit as money to our credit card. We were before final payment so only the deposit had been paid. I don't know if it would have been  refunded as an fcc if it had been after final payment. 

[GW248]

 

Thank you!  We are still before final payment as well.

[erber]

Ours was the oasis thanksgiving cruise as well and final payment was coming up so we made a decision to push out to next year.  I feel a lot better now. All the protocols and everything did not make the cruise sound too appealing anymore! 

[mek]

9 minutes ago, erber said:

They are refunding our deposit as money to our credit card. We were before final payment so only the deposit had been paid. I don't know if it would have been  refunded as an fcc if it had been after final payment. 

That is great.  I also purchased insurance through Royal and I'm not sure if I could push them far enough to refund that also.  

[erber]

We will do third party insurance co. Not looking into that yet. A lot can change with covid requirements for insurance etc. We used Geo Blue in the past but while they cover treatment for covid, right now they don't cover medical evacuation for covid. We shall see how things unfold over the next few months and will decide what to purchase for medical and evacuation  coverage. 

[RJ257]

On 7/30/2021 at 3:15 PM, SRF said:

 

The Moderna has a 94% efficacy.  That means 100 million people are vaccinated, 6 million of them do not have immunity.

 

The J&J has only 66& efficacy.  So 34 million out of 100 million are at risk.

 

NO vaccine is 100%.  There will always be "breakthrough" cases.  The point is, to get the point where it is unlikely someone with the disease will come in close enough contact to transmit to an at risk person.

 

This is how every vaccine against a disease that is transmitted person to person works.  

 

 

That is incorrect. 6 million have immunity but less that 94%

[xpcdoojk]

3 hours ago, kearney said:

Look if Covid's Delta variant is effectively prevented by masking... great.... but it seems to me social distancing is even more important... and given that you need to fly to get to Nassau... another good reason to cancel is the prospect of sitting shoulder to shoulder with people of unknown vaccine status... and then you go on a ship with virtually everyone vaccinated and have to wander the promenade wearing a mask... 

Distancing better than masking at protecting. 😉

[pcur]

6 hours ago, jcc1025 said:

So CVS is considered an out of network provider for Kaiser? The CARES act passed in March required medical insurance providers from charging for the test but I do think their is an exception for out of network provides, mostly to protect them from some of these labs setting up testing sites to screw people on last minute test needs. We live in CA and have a test scheduled with CVS next week. We are not with Kaiser and did have to provide an insurance card but the out of pocket is free. 

When I called Kaiser and asked, they said that right now since the Bay Area is under an emergency COVID mask order, they would reimburse for the CVS testing.  Otherwise, no.  I was not going to wait around to see what the situation would be in November.  My motto:  plan for the worst; hope for the best.  So, I moved the reservation to a CA sailing where no pre-testing is required, and if it will be, I don't have a holiday happening on the 3 day prior to sailing day.  I just didn't want to mess with the whole thing.

[nbsjcruiser]

21 hours ago, kearney said:

 

 

In the back ground are the changing protocols and AA problems with cancelations... feeling stressed I decided to go to yoga and get rid of the negative energy. While there another student suggested that perhaps the universe was trying to tell me something.. Reminded me of the old joke about the guy in a flood waiting for God to save him ... two boats and a helicopter come by to rescue him, but he says God will save him.. when he drowns and sees God.. he asks why he didn't save him..God says that he sent two boats and a helicopter... With this thought in the back of my mind... Royal added the mask requirement to sailings out of Nassau... the one place where they required everyone over 12 to be vaccinated...  this follows the shortening of time for testing an numerous other changes... just printing out the rules took a few sheets of paper... And I thought about the comment about the universe telling me something... So now I have two suitcases...packed and ready to go and no plans.. A friend staying with us..pointed out that we are ready to go... so perhaps we will.

Bingo! Nail on the head!

 

Two weeks ago we were trying all sorts of things to get a way to get on one of two cruises. Either FOS or Regal Princess. After the rules kept changing and frustrations kept mounting after several calls and emails, we finally looked at each other and asked "are we trying to pound a square peg into a round hole?". Maybe there's a reason why we can't seem to make this work out. We pulled both deposits and cancelled our cruises. We now are looking at a 2022 cruise with serious plans to cancel it while keeping the 2023 cruise we have booked as a maybe. 

 

Sometimes you have to listen to what you're being told. Often times its not hte answer you want to hear which is why you keep trying to find another solution. Sometimes its easier to accept what's in front of you and move on to something else.

[nbsjcruiser]

19 hours ago, molly361 said:

I just cancelled my August Mariner cruise.  Until yesterday I was ready to go.  It was a four night cruise and no test was required but today it is.  Too many hoops to jump thru.  I know I can get a test at one of the drug stores but I thought being vaccinated was going to be enough.

I'm genuinely confused why a fully vaccinated person needs to do a PCR test. Who are they trying to protect? If you're fully vaccinated you're almost certain not to get sick or end up in the hospital unless you have some deep underlying issue. If you're not vaccinated then if you're on the ship well, you pays your money and you takes your chances. If you choose not to be vaccinated I really don't see why a vaccinated person should be forced to go through a PCR test or any other hoops to protect you. So who are they trying to protect? Are the lawyers at it again?  Are they filling RCI's head so so much BS that they don't know what to do now? I suspect this is the case. Its not a medical decision but a legal one that has almost nothing to do with protecting people on their ships and instead is only protecting themselves.

 

The only people booking cruises right now are people like me - long term cruisers who are itching to get on a ship so yeah, lets pi$$ them off and chase them away. Who needs them. We'll just get a bunch of new cruisers to hop on ..... oh, wait.

[deliver42]

Now, all the cruise lines, as far as I can tell, are doing the same thing as far as testing is concerned.

[kearney]

1 hour ago, nbsjcruiser said:

I'm genuinely confused why a fully vaccinated person needs to do a PCR test. Who are they trying to protect? If you're fully vaccinated you're almost certain not to get sick or end up in the hospital unless you have some deep underlying issue. If you're not vaccinated then if you're on the ship well, you pays your money and you takes your chances. If you choose not to be vaccinated I really don't see why a vaccinated person should be forced to go through a PCR test or any other hoops to protect you. So who are they trying to protect? Are the lawyers at it again?  Are they filling RCI's head so so much BS that they don't know what to do now? I suspect this is the case. Its not a medical decision but a legal one that has almost nothing to do with protecting people on their ships and instead is only protecting themselves.

 

The only people booking cruises right now are people like me - long term cruisers who are itching to get on a ship so yeah, lets pi$$ them off and chase them away. Who needs them. We'll just get a bunch of new cruisers to hop on ..... oh, wait.

I can understand that with the Delta variant they want to make sure that no one comes aboard with it... BUT what I don't get is the shift from 5 days with PCR to 3 days with either PCR or antigen. I don't get what moving it two days gets you. From what I read antigen tests are more likely to have false negatives. By making this change Royal is essentially encouraging people to shift from the more accurate PCR test to the antigen test. So I don't see how that reduces the risk. Also this shifts the hassle burden more and more to passengers...since antigen tests aren't available everywhere and the PCR tests take more time and you run the risk of not having results in time. Add to the hassle factor that many passengers don't simply fly to port... Royal may not be aware but many people are not from the departure port and want to spend some time seeing the city ...a city they are likely unfamiliar with... So with either the 5 or 3 day requirement... the 3 in particular... requires these passengers to drop their plans to see local sites and instead roam the city looking for a place to get tested... Does this sound fun? They should have a policy that if you can show you flew in at least two days before the cruise that they test you at the port... and if you can prove you took a test but the results did not come in... they also test you at the port. Now the big risk for early arriving passengers would be a positive test result.

[molly361]

Sorry if I missed it but what happens if you don't get the results back in time?  By then your CWC cancellation window would have passed.  I assume if you can show you got tested in time you would get a refund?

[maggieq]

Is there a list of the specific tests accepted by rccl?  Thanks!

[mek]

7 hours ago, pcur said:

When I called Kaiser and asked, they said that right now since the Bay Area is under an emergency COVID mask order, they would reimburse for the CVS testing.  Otherwise, no.  I was not going to wait around to see what the situation would be in November.  My motto:  plan for the worst; hope for the best.  So, I moved the reservation to a CA sailing where no pre-testing is required, and if it will be, I don't have a holiday happening on the 3 day prior to sailing day.  I just didn't want to mess with the whole thing.

The holiday happening 3 days prior to sailing has been my main concern since all of these pre cruise requirements started.

I can live with any of the protocols once I'm on the ship and I want to go ahead with this cruise for a variety of reasons, but I have absolutely no intentions of booking another one until cruising is back the way it was pre-Covid.

[mek]

14 minutes ago, molly361 said:

Sorry if I missed it but what happens if you don't get the results back in time?  By then your CWC cancellation window would have passed.  I assume if you can show you got tested in time you would get a refund?

It's my understanding that as of right now, you will be denied boarding and will not be reimbursed for anything.

Who want's to take that chance?  Especially if you have to fly.

Edited August 7, 2021 by mek

[LuCruise]

16 hours ago, erber said:

We just cancelled a November cruise on OAS and booked a cruise on Allure for April 2022 instead. We are getting our NRD refunded back to us. So the cruise with confidence policy works for nonrefundable deposits. It was before final payment so we were only concerned about the deposit.

 

We just don’t think things will be resolved with COVID by the November cruise and hope that by the spring things will be much better for cruising. We actually prefer the Western Caribbean itinerary of the April cruise and prefer departing from Ft. Lauderdale over Miami. It’s also a little less price-wise, so a win-win all around. The only downside is waiting a few more months to get back on a cruise ship. But we feel that is the best decision for us.

We're deciding what to do about our December cruise.  We're all vaccinated but concerned with the scenario of testing positive and not being able to get back to Canada.  Typically we book refundable, but in this case we booked NRD as the price difference was large (and booked it March 2020 not dreaming this would go on so long).

 

Just wondering how your were able to get back your NRD as a refund?  I thought that it would go to a FCC...even if you cancel prior to final payment?  

[nbsjcruiser]

18 minutes ago, LuCruise said:

We're deciding what to do about our December cruise.  We're all vaccinated but concerned with the scenario of testing positive and not being able to get back to Canada.  Typically we book refundable, but in this case we booked NRD as the price difference was large (and booked it March 2020 not dreaming this would go on so long).

There's a TA from Ottawa (I think) who has a youtube page and cruised last week in the Celebrity Edge. He was 4 days trying to get home between tests, lost tests, cancelled flights and so on. He had the patience of Job but that sure as hell doesn't sound fun to me. Nope. Not going to do it.

[MommaBear55]

2 hours ago, nbsjcruiser said:

I'm genuinely confused why a fully vaccinated person needs to do a PCR test. Who are they trying to protect? If you're fully vaccinated you're almost certain not to get sick or end up in the hospital unless you have some deep underlying issue. If you're not vaccinated then if you're on the ship well, you pays your money and you takes your chances. If you choose not to be vaccinated I really don't see why a vaccinated person should be forced to go through a PCR test or any other hoops to protect you. So who are they trying to protect? Are the lawyers at it again?  Are they filling RCI's head so so much BS that they don't know what to do now? I suspect this is the case. Its not a medical decision but a legal one that has almost nothing to do with protecting people on their ships and instead is only protecting themselves.

 

The only people booking cruises right now are people like me - long term cruisers who are itching to get on a ship so yeah, lets pi$$ them off and chase them away. Who needs them. We'll just get a bunch of new cruisers to hop on ..... oh, wait.

At least 10% of vaccinated people can get Covid, so they don't want you carrying it on to a cruise. If they don't know you are positive, you can them spread it to others  A certain percentage will turn positive while on the cruise and they have to fly them home in a private jet. If they keep those who are positive off the cruise, those are fewer they have to fly home. 

[nbsjcruiser]

20 minutes ago, MommaBear55 said:

At least 10% of vaccinated people can get Covid, so they don't want you carrying it on to a cruise. If they don't know you are positive, you can them spread it to others  A certain percentage will turn positive while on the cruise and they have to fly them home in a private jet. If they keep those who are positive off the cruise, those are fewer they have to fly home. 

I hear what you're saying and yes you still can get it but its rare and as long as a cruise line is going to let unvaccinated people on, it becomes much more of a problem. In effect, as a vaccinated person, I'm being asked to inconvenience myself to the point where its far too frustrating to even bother just so those unvaccinated people can cruise.

 

If cruises were 100% vaccinated, cruise lines would be much better off. Yes one or more could contact it but there's a very good chance they'll do so and never even know it or if they do it will no more than mild flu symptoms. On rare occasions (very rare - somewhere under 1%) some might end up in a hospital and even rarer than that have serious problems. If you browse Reddit, have a look at the nursing subreddit. Lots of discussion on who is ending up in hospital. 98-99% are unvaccinated and when a breakthrough case occurs and they end up in hospital, its a quick stay with minimal intervention.

 

When covid becomes much less dangerous or when the cruise lines begin allowing ONLY vaccinated people on board, that's the time I'll resume cruising. Until then, let them keep trying to please everyone while making a complete mess of an industry that can ill afford such a fiasco. 

[nelblu]

1 hour ago, MommaBear55 said:

At least 10% of vaccinated people can get Covid, so they don't want you carrying it on to a cruise. If they don't know you are positive, you can them spread it to others  A certain percentage will turn positive while on the cruise and they have to fly them home in a private jet. If they keep those who are positive off the cruise, those are fewer they have to fly home. 

I'll bet that if you test all of the vaxed, the % will be much higher.

[dmwnc1959]

For anyone who did the CVS nasal swab COVID test, is this a self-service test in the drive-thru or did someone do it for you?

[not-enough-cruising]

1 minute ago, dmwnc1959 said:

For anyone who did the CVS nasal swab COVID test, is this a self-service test in the drive-thru or did someone do it for you?

Self service, drive up, both times we have done it recently 

[dmwnc1959]

Just now, not-enough-cruising said:

Self service, drive up, both times we have done it recently 

 

Thank you! I am deathly afraid of doing it wrong and coming up with an invalid result. Guess I was so used to seeing the news, with people going through drive-through testing and someone in scrubs or a hazmat suit doing it for them.