Stress has won out..

[pjhootch]

I don't blame you and wouldn't try to change your mind or suggest you made a mistake.  Everyone needs to do what is going to work best for THEM.  Testing around us is a joke.  Rapid testing here is far from rapid.

 

I got the online tests in August from EMED because we had a cruise scheduled for September and I couldn't see any other feasible way of testing at that point.  

 

Everyone has a different stress level tolerance and individual circumstances.  I am aware of people who failed the test and could not go on our cruise.  Some were stuck far from home and had to quarantine before they could fly.  

 

I was more stressed than I realized in the time leading up to our home testing and actually boarding the ship.  It was a huge relief to walk onto the ship and that is really the first time I realized just how stressed I had been about it.  

 

Enjoy the vacation you choose and have a great time.  

 

[momof3cruisers]

I had been stressed too. I decided to get the Binax at home proctored test. That relieved the stress of getting the test scheduled but still not the anxiety of either a false positive OR positive “leftover” from having COVID in August. I did test negative but it was stressful til the day before I left. 

[Cruisesfun65]

I waited too long to cruise to let this stress me out. Even having to fly in from overseas with a negative test result in my pocket couldn't stop me. I had the BEST time on the Mardi Gras. 

[cruisequeen4ever]

That really sucks. I’m sorry you had to cancel. I hope your new vacation plans will be awesome though!

[MrMarc]

Don't give in to the preaching on these boards from either side.  Do what makes you have the most fun, that's the idea of a vacation.  Thank you for not "blaming" the CDC, the cruise lines, the Government or anyone else.  The situation is what it is (and I used that phrase long before it was in the press, so please don't read anything else into it).  No amount of complaining or preaching on these boards will change it, and I have to admit I've given in and been one of those.  Saying you like or dislike something is fine, but no one is stupid, a sheep, a radical or anything else based on their decision.  Everyone has to do what is comfortable to them. And no one has to approve or be comfortable with what other people are or are not doing.

[ZoeyVictoria]

You did the right thing for your family, and I hope you will appreciate your decision and move on to the next phase.  I also cancelled an important cruise, although I did book a replacement.  We live in Florida, within four hours of four ports, and we hate to fly.  We did consider the effort to be worth it to be able to do a Southern Caribbean route out of San Juan, but that cruise was canceled for us three times.  We had our fourth try, Explorer of the Seas, booked for December.  I was concerned that the six ports would not be accepting cruise passengers and we would miss the ports most  important to us.  Then the expense of the flights and the two hotels was a consideration.  The cancellation date for the hotels was the day before we had to be tested, putting even more pressure on getting negative results.  This will be a one-time trip for us, and we want it to be right.  So I also gave up around September 1 and canceled everything.  We then booked Allure of the Seas, a three-hour drive from home, for the same week.  It is a huge relief to not be worried about something we should be looking forward to with excitement.

[ontheweb]

5 hours ago, Lalory777 said:

We only got vaccinated to begin with to be able to go on the cruise. Then to find out a month down the road we also need to be tested. So annoying lol 

There was the small window of time that the CDC said the fully vaccinated did not need to wear mask except in a few circumstances. And this also I am sure was a great incentive for some to finally get vaccinated. But then alas they backed off of that.

 

There should not be needed any incentive to be vaccinated other than the protection against Covid, but if some need an incentive like you can cruise, that should be provided. And if everyone on the cruise needs to be vaccinated, there should NOT be a test mandate. If they really believe in the vaccines, don't make it seem that they do not matter with the test requirements and the short timelines for them. They are killing the cruise industry!

[naxer]

I completely understand.  We live in a testing desert, and are 4 hours away from the airport, and flying in the day before.  And the second day out for us is Thanksgiving.  If I had known this when we booked this cruise on the Mardi Gras in 2019, I would not have booked it.  We will do the at-home tests, but I'm dreading it.  I just remember how easy and fun embarkation was.  

[jimbo5544]

8 hours ago, ontheweb said:

From your keyboard to the CDC or the cruise line bean counters or whoever has to end this. If you want everyone to get vaccinated, do not treat the vaccinated as if they were not vaccinated.

The virus will end when it ends, the CDC, any politician, cruise lines, people vaccinated or not wearing masks or not and you and I have no say.  

Edited October 25, 2021 by jimbo5544

[GTO-Girl]

Guys stop stressing yourselves out and just order the online home test.  They are so easy and you don’t have to worry about anyone canceling  on you!!

 

I admit I was nervous when we did ours a couple of weeks ago, but it honestly couldn’t have been any easier.  We did our tests, printed our results, loaded the car and were on our way!!

 

we have ordered more for our upcoming Mardi Gras cruise next month….

[RWolver672]

5 hours ago, GTO-Girl said:

Guys stop stressing yourselves out and just order the online home test.  They are so easy and you don’t have to worry about anyone canceling  on you!!

 

 

 

Even with the home test, there's still the worry of if you're going to test positive.  If you do, then there's a cancelled cruise, cancelled hotel, maybe cancelled flights.  The canceled test is only one part of the stress.  

[ontheweb]

10 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

The virus will end when it ends, the CDC, any politician, cruise lines, people vaccinated or not wearing masks or not and you and I have no say.  

Are you really saying that getting vaccinated or not and wearing masks and social distancing or not doing so has no effect on whether the pandemic will end at some point?

[GTO-Girl]

4 hours ago, RWolver672 said:

 

Even with the home test, there's still the worry of if you're going to test positive.  If you do, then there's a cancelled cruise, cancelled hotel, maybe cancelled flights.  The canceled test is only one part of the stress.  

Of course there is always a worry of a positive result, but the way I look at it is if I get a positive I am still at home and haven’t had the expense of driving to the port.

 

I will so glad when the vaccinated no longer has to test at all!!

[Drazil65]

And if everyone on the cruise needs to be vaccinated, there should NOT be a test mandate. If they really believe in the vaccines, don't make it seem that they do not matter with the test requirements and the short timelines for them. 

 

Vaccinated people can sill carry the virus and pass it on.  It lessens the affect of the virus so that you do not end up in hospital (in the majority of people) and also reduces death due to virus.  If EVERYONE was vaccinated then we could probably walk around in a more normal (what we were used to pre covid) manner.

 

As long as there are unvaccinated people, there will still be significant transmission and no one knows exactly how your own body will react to the virus should you get it.  Getting vaccinated is more for the people you have contact with that may not weather the virus very well or end up in the hospital.  

 

Young, healthy people have died from the virus with no expectation that would happen to them, this is our first time out of the gate with this virus, period!  There is no manual or protocol on the books yet, they are trying everything they can with what they know so far and it is slow going with so many not wanting to be part of the vaccination process at this time. 

 

So, it is what it is and the virus sets the pace right now.  Like it or not, this is what we have and the vaccine is the closest we have come to slowing down the virus currently, but it is slow going without everyone's help and now its our new normal.  

Edited October 25, 2021 by Drazil65

[mouche]

On 10/23/2021 at 6:26 PM, Lalory777 said:

After having major stress over finding a place to be tested for Covid we have decided to cancel our booking and spend our vacation at another destination. I’m sure some of you will see this as a stupid move but the anxiety and stress was very real. After seeing the CVS’s and Walgreens in my area constantly canceling appts and closing their test sites down with absolutely no notice at all I didn’t want to deal with it anymore. When Carnival decides to drop the testing requirement we will book again. Until then we will enjoy our vacation stress free elsewhere 🙂 

 

I completely understand, when they cancelled my upcoming Feb 12, 2022 cruise I was disappointed and relieved at the same time. I really didn't want to have to worried about finding a testing site and getting a home test since most were expiring by years end. I pray by Oct 2022 (Mardi Gras) and Feb 2023 (Sunshine) that testing is a thing of the past. At least a girl can hope!!! 

[LHARTWICK]

22 hours ago, ontheweb said:

From your keyboard to the CDC or the cruise line bean counters or whoever has to end this. If you want everyone to get vaccinated, do not treat the vaccinated as if they were not vaccinated.

Well said - AMEN, AMEN & AMEN!  And to the OP - I don't blame you one bit!  Enjoy your vacation, whatever that may be.  Blessings to you! 🥰

[Silent Penguin]

On 10/23/2021 at 6:26 PM, Lalory777 said:

 Until then we will enjoy our vacation stress free elsewhere 🙂 

Did you pick an alternative vacation yet?  When our October cruise became a "No-Go", we held onto the plane tickets to Miami because they were rock-bottom cheap (49.00 o/w).  Instead of getting off a plane and boarding a cruise ship, we rented a car and went on a Florida Keys road trip.   

[Joebucks]

I get the stress of all of the travel and potentially you or another party member testing positive. What would you do in that case?

 

However, to cancel over a "what-if" is excessive. Everyone and their mother offers rapid tests these days.

[RWolver672]

19 hours ago, GTO-Girl said:

Of course there is always a worry of a positive result, but the way I look at it is if I get a positive I am still at home and haven’t had the expense of driving to the port.

 

I will so glad when the vaccinated no longer has to test at all!!

 

Not everybody has the luxury of driving to the port.  Some fly in a day ahead of time and stay at a hotel.  If test positive, now you have a flight and a hotel that you have to pay for and can't use.

 

7 hours ago, Joebucks said:

I get the stress of all of the travel and potentially you or another party member testing positive. What would you do in that case?

 

However, to cancel over a "what-if" is excessive. Everyone and their mother offers rapid tests these days.

 

It may be excessive for you but not for the OP.  Everybody's stress level is different.  There has been a lot of postings on here where people are having a hard time finding the tests or even having trouble with the home tests.

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, RWolver672 said:

 

Not everybody has the luxury of driving to the port.  Some fly in a day ahead of time and stay at a hotel.  If test positive, now you have a flight and a hotel that you have to pay for and can't use.

 

 

It may be excessive for you but not for the OP.  Everybody's stress level is different.  There has been a lot of postings on here where people are having a hard time finding the tests or even having trouble with the home tests.

Yes, I too find it a real problem when someone basically posts it is easy where I live to find a rapid test therefore it is easy everywhere.

[Joanne G.]

2 hours ago, RWolver672 said:

 

Not everybody has the luxury of driving to the port.  Some fly in a day ahead of time and stay at a hotel.  If test positive, now you have a flight and a hotel that you have to pay for and can't use.

 

 

It may be excessive for you but not for the OP.  Everybody's stress level is different.  There has been a lot of postings on here where people are having a hard time finding the tests or even having trouble with the home tests.

Absolutely true.   The stress is getting to me, too.  A cruise isn't worth it anymore given the varying covid protocols on the part of the cruise lines and the port countries, especially given the up-front financial commitment of a cruise and the fact that we have no idea if the protocols will be more restrictive or less restrictive by the time we sail.   

 

Currently, any vacation has some level of covid-related stress, but there are options that cause me (vaccinated and boosted) less stress than a cruise, such as a land vacation at a hotel with a penalty-free cancelation policy and a refundable or no-change-fee flight to get there.  Any extra costs for that flexibility is worth it to me.  

 

To each his own in vacation choices.   Many of us really need a vacation of some type!

 

 

[K&RCurt]

Hey, your life, your decision.

 

We were also a bit worried about not being able to find a test appointment, most test providers in our area would only do the rapid test if you had COVID symptoms.

 

That is why we chose the EMED BiNax NOW proctored home test.  The tests got to our house within 3 days of ordering them and the whole test took about 20 min from logging in to printing our results.

 

i hope you enjoy wherever it is you spend your vacation.

[gigem_aggies]

On 10/24/2021 at 9:43 AM, BohJang said:

We broke down and booked the Vista for Thanksgiving week, BUT I'm a nervous wreck about the testing also.  I'm having a very special birthday that week and my daughter and son-in-law are joining us.  I really want to go but having to worry about covid test timing, results, etc. is really putting a damper on it for me.  At least we are just a two hour drive from Galveston.  I, too, hope this ridiculous over testing will be gone soon.

Same for us!  Going on same cruise and looks like we live in the same town.  Where are you planning to get tested?  We have 4 unvaccinated kids traveling with us, so it makes it a little trickier this go around.  My husband and I cruised on the Breeze last month and we went to the Walgreens on William D Fitch and had our results back with about 30 minutes!

[BohJang]

2 minutes ago, gigem_aggies said:

Same for us!  Going on same cruise and looks like we live in the same town.  Where are you planning to get tested?  We have 4 unvaccinated kids traveling with us, so it makes it a little trickier this go around.  My husband and I cruised on the Breeze last month and we went to the Walgreens on William D Fitch and had our results back with about 30 minutes!

Hi Neighbor - I ordered the Binax at home tests and I'm planning to make an appointment for the rapid test at either CVS or Walgreens in Bryan.  I follow many threads on Cruise Critic and that seems to be what lots of people are doing.  Back ups in case things go wrong. Good to know about the Walgreens on Fitch.  I hope everything works out for the kiddos.

 

Would love to meet up with you on the Vista. It's cool to find fellow cruisers close to home.

[pc_load_letter]

On 10/23/2021 at 5:31 PM, Rudyard said:

I don't blame you. After our cruise last week we've decided that we won't cruise again until the testing requirement is gone. The build up to the test, not knowing if it might be cancelled, then waiting on results was very stressful. We decided prior to the cruise that we didn't want to tie up any more money just in case we didn't get to go, so once we got the all clear we spent the next day and a half running around like maniacs buying things we needed for the cruise. Then to top it off there was an issue with my vacc card that took about half an hour to sort out at the terminal. It felt like we spent most of the cruise trying to unwind but never fully succeeding. We felt drained the first couple of days. I'm glad we got to cruise after waiting so long, but I won't do it like that again.

 

Well said. The wife and I REALLY want to go on a cruise right now but we feel this way and will hold off until after the holidays.