twangster

I did a PCR test yesterday morning at CVS and I just got the result. Basically next day. That's in Florida where cases have been skyrocketing. Looks like cases are starting to come down so testing is becoming faster. I have the home tests for a backup but if CVS can keep this up I've got a solid plan A with them even under a 2 day testing requirement.

If Royal needed to integrate a store front from an external partner with their cruise reservation backend that could be in place any time by 2029.

Good thing they weren't drinking Bunnahabhain or Bruichladdich.

It kind of does... Purchase Your At-Home Test Kit I just bought some of the same tests that Royal will soon be selling. It will be interesting to see if they subsidize the cost or negotiate a bulk rate.

Q. Is there a telemedicine or telehealth test option that is recommended for my pre-cruise COVID-19 test? A. For fully vaccinated guests only, we accept self-administered, FDA-authorized COVID-19 tests taken under live video supervision by a telehealth representative. Coming Soon: Purchase Your At-Home Test Kit Starting September 8th, fully vaccinated guests can order at-home test kits, shipped right to your door (anywhere in the U.S.) in two business days or less. Complete your pre-cruise test at home, with live video supervised by a Certified Guide. Get your results in 15 minutes. More About the Test Kit The Abbott BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test is an FDA-authorized rapid antigen home test that, when combined with eMed Telehealth Service, can be used by fully vaccinated guests to fulfill their pre-cruise test requirement. Your test kit includes a personal virtual visit with an eMed Certified Guide who will help you properly administer the test and verify the result. Your eMed Labs result report is provided via email and can be printed or displayed on your mobile device on boarding day. How It Works ORDER YOUR TEST KIT ONLINE: Visit Royal Caribbean’s online storefront, powered by Optum, to order your kit. The test kit ships within the U.S. and arrives in two days or less. TEST FROM HOME: Scan the QR code on your test kit box to start your video visit with a Certified Guide. GET YOUR RESULT: In 15 minutes, you’ll have a verified test result that you can use to board the ship.

Since I've been testing for cruising I've accidentally on purpose fallen within a 2 day window. I've been doing PCR at T-3 days and rapid at T-2 days. Guess I can drop the PCR test now. Seriously though this really has zero impact for me. It's what I have been doing for a number of cruises.

For the purpose of tracelets? In fact tracelts must have been successful in Singapore given they even tried using them in the US.

They've been using them for months and months in Singapore. You would think if they learned lessons that suggested any of that they never would have implemented them here.

Perhaps with the requirement to be vaccinated if over 12 they determined they weren't required.

When I was a younger man, getting a six pack had a whole different meaning. However I am happy to report my eMed six pack has arrived. Probably the only six pack I'll get at my age.

What? I'm booking more every week. It's a great time to cruise. No lines, no elevator wait. My test results from this morning just came in... I'm cruising this weekend! Bring. It. On.

I was there at the end of July. The beach club is very nice. Lunch is great. It does sell out but at the prices I see across all my cruises people aren't buying it so it isn't selling out. For me the current price point doesn't have enough value to justify the cost. Some of my cruises have it over $190 per person. The problem with the current price model is that there is so much to do on CocoCay and areas to explore that are included I can't justify the cost of the beach club. CocoCay is that great without the beach club so the price of the beach club doesn't work for me. In the future when two Oasis class at full capacity are visiting CocoCay at the same time I think the value proposition of the beach club changes. Right now at reduced capacity with so few guests competing for included resources I just don't see value in the beach club for a lunch. I also think anyone who hasn't been to CocoCay should not buy the beach club. If they do they are less likely to explore the rest of CocoCay and I believe newcomers should explore all that is CocoCay on their first visit.

Just got back from a Walgreens rapid test 2 days before my Sunday cruise. My standard approach has been PCR test at 3 days (because CVS here only has PCR tests but offers them 2 weeks in advance) followed by a Walgreens rapid test (because Walgreens only offers tests within the next 48 hours but they are rapid). Each is a backup to the other in case the facility closes or lab screws up. And just in case both CVS and Walgreens let me down I have the Binax proctored test 6 pack as my final back up which I can do the day before the cruise if it really comes down to it. As someone who has been getting tested within 2 days for a number of cruises the switch to 2 day testing will have no impact on my ability to cruise.

Happy anniversary!

I took an MSC cruise when they were including antigen testing in the terminal. It worked out pretty well. I was just under one hour from walking in the door to walking on the ship. The problem with this approach is with unknown positive cases showing up at the terminal and waiting in the same waiting areas as everyone else for their test result. The person two seats away in the waiting area gets called out with a positive test result. I was six feet away for 45 minutes. Am I a close contact now? Do they flag everyone in my waiting area? The benefit to advance testing is keeping unknown positive cases away from the port entirely. It's also interesting to see the different expectations placed on cruise lines. Should airlines test everyone boarding a flight? Should a resort in a beach destination test everyone arriving? Should Vegas test everyone going to gamble? Should Amtrak test everyone boarding a train? Why should cruise lines be required to do what no other vacation is required to do?

Come to think of it... That's a t-shirt idea. "%$#^ the CDC" and "I bought the drink package so I can take off my mask".

And that is exactly the conclusion the CDC wants you to reach. I'm NOT going to cancel because %$#^ the CDC. I am not going to let them win.

I know for C&A purposes guests in the UK can call the main Royal UK number and reach C&A but I don't know if the casino team can be reached in the same fashion.

Historically Oasis and Quantum class covered up to $13 while the rest of the fleet was $12. https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/royal/media/royal/shared_assets/pdf/Deluxe_Beverage_Package Flyer.pdf † Deluxe Beverage Package includes any single beverage item with a value of up to $12 for select ships and sail dates.

Paying only the difference above the threshold is another nice feature of Royal Caribbean. Some other cruises lines charge the whole amount even if it's a penny over their threshold as I recently observed on a different cruise line.

If they did that it would wipe out Carnival sales in Texas. But then Carnival would install bigger horns. Gives new meaning to cruise ship horn battles.

Royal sent out emails for Indy two weeks before she sailed. The requirement to test was known even before Indy performed her CDC simulation cruise. Somehow this couple didn't get the email AND their travel agent had never heard of these test requirements. The account as written smells awfully fishy to me. On the flip side Royal phone agents are well known to give out bad information. I had a cruise impacted when the 3 day test requirement was added for Florida sailings. In my case I will be coming off another cruise line and won't be on land to get tested. My first phone call was with an agent who recognized the issue and immediately offered to move my cruise without any fees. I wasn't prepared on the spot to reschedule it, the call was to ask what my options were. Shortly after I called back to move the cruise and the second phone agent told me I didn't need to test so I am good. I knew that wasn't case so I informed him he was incorrect. He was adamant so I told him to ask a supervisor. Fifteen minutes later he agreed to move my cruise. If I wasn't fully informed I could have accepted his incorrect answer and I would have been standing at the pier watching the ship sail away like this couple did. Somewhere beyond the story as reported is the truth. The truth rarely works in the news media so we'll likely never know what really happened to this couple.

Royal has indicated they will include testing for B2B and S2S (side to side) i.e. - changing ships. I have some cruises on other lines and I haven't asked if they'll provide testing so I can board another line. They did move a cruise for me without any fees since I wasn't going to be in a position to test coming off another line and boarding Royal. I've thought about trying to do a Binax over Voom but there is a lot of risk involved if it doesn't work or if heavy rain blocks the internet when I need it. Murphy's law - Voom won't work when you need it most for a critical activity.

Not sure how the process works exactly. Chartering a ship is complex. I can only imagine the level of details that must be negotiated. See royalcaribbeanincentives.com for some interesting information. http://www.royalcaribbeanincentives.com/full-ship-charter-faqs/

The CDC doesn't listen to cruise lines. I think that's been well established. The federal government does pay for testing. The problem is availability. The CDC is doing the change to 2 day to make it less convenient to cruise. They are not doing this based on science or data. The last thing the CDC is going to do is pay for it or make it convenient.