IRMO12HD

Thank you, Tom, for finding that information out.  I was setting on 6 test kits that I thought would expire Feb 19 but now I can use them for my next 3 cruises.  It is nice to hear they extended them for 6 months.  Saving me money to spend on the ship.
 

Okay, I heard back from eMed.  Much to our surprise they replied in a timely manner!  Response is below:
*******************************
Thank you for contacting eMed. 
 
I understand you may have some concerns about the expiration date on your BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card  HOME TEST kits.  
 
The BinaxNow COVID-19 test kits were originally made in a bulk in late 2020 thru early 2021 and was approved for testing by the FDA under the EUA (Emergency Use Authorization).  The test kits have an original expiration date of September 2021, October 2021, and November 2021.  Effective immediately, these expiration dates have since been extended for an additional 6 months by the FDA making the new expiration dates **March 2022, April 2022, and May 2022. 
 
**The new expiration date will be determined by the date you have on each test kit. Please take a look at second line of the white label to find the original expiration date. Once you locate the original expiration date, you can add an additional 6 months to that date. 
 
For example, if if your current expiration date is September 6, 2021, your new expiration date is now March 6, 2022.
 
Please note, if your purchase was made on or after December 1, 2021, you should have received test kits with an expiration date in October 2022 or November 2022.  These particular kits are not under the extension at this time since they were just recently manufactured.
 
When you are ready to test, please visit www.emed.com and click on "start testing".  Once your test kit expiration date falls within the afore mentioned dates, you will be able to test with no issues.
 
For more information regarding the extension date extension, you may visit www.fda.gov or click on the actual link to the FDA extension letter:  https://www.fda.gov/media/155326/download
 
Thank you for choosing eMed.

That's where I got the letter I attached.  Thanks though!

https://thepointsguy.com/news/fda-extends-expiration-abbott-at-home-covid-test/

I bought an abundance of at home tests for a November 21 cruise and found that their expiration was January, 2022.  I've held on to them due to the testing shortages.
I came across a letter from various sources today that the expiration had been extended another 3 months.  See below.  This should extend me through early April.  I've written to eMed to see if they are honoring this extension for their supervised testing.
If anyone has any additional info, it will be appreciated.  I'll let you know when I hear back from eMed.

Just came off Liberty of the Seas this past Sunday. The cruise was terrific and we visited each port with no issues. Due to COVID hitting the crew the main show, Saturday Night Fever, did not run but the singers got together and performed their favorite songs for us which was mind blowing. The ice skaters adapted with fewer skaters but you could not tell. Lastly all the performers put together a variety show which was again phenomenal. What this says is that you have to be flexible at this time and Royal and all the members of the ship staff are working hard to give us the vacation experience we are looking for. We are booked for another in March and are looking forward to another great time.
Also, if a member of your family tests positive for COVID you will be moved as a group to quarantine.

We cruised over Christmas on Oasis of the Seas just as Omicron cases began to surge. Our cruise experience was excellent but as others have said you need to be prepared for last minute changes/cancellations of onboard activities/entertainment and protocols. An example; when we landed in Florida we learned of Royals new new mask mandate and on Day 2 or 3 of our cruise they implemented a non smoking policy in the casino. Neither of these changes dampened our experience. I feel Royal did a very good job balancing the guest experience with Covid protocols but if you are looking for strictly enforced protocols similar to some states, provinces and countries now may not be the right time to cruise. Elevator capacity limits were disregarded by most people but if you weren’t comfortable getting on an elevator with more than 6 people, you could wait and catch the next one. If you wanted to wear a mask in a vaccinated venue, no one cared, just as others chose to take their masks off. Royals Covid insurance coupled with onboard PCR testing was a considerable incentive for us travelling from Canada because Covid travel/cancellation/quarantine insurance can be hard to find in Canada (many will not cover cruising).  If one of us happened to test positive onboard we would be flown home by Royal. Otherwise we must quarantine in the US for 14 days because Canada will not allow anyone with a positive case to fly home until day 15. And if you attempt to drive across the land border to quarantine at home you are subject to a $5k fine. 
Our onboard experience was truly outstanding and we would not hesitate to cruise again but unfortunately Canada has tightened their border measures even more since our cruise, complicating future travel.  And the possibility of flight delays and cancellations is another deterrent to travelling outside Canada right now.  Our Canadian friends that we cruised with had their flight cancelled for 6 days, requiring them to get new PCR tests. One of them tested positive and it has been nothing but a gong show for them since returning to Canada.  If you are from the US these issues will not apply to you.  
You can find more on our experience in my live blog: 
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/26592-🎄-🎄festivus-star-class-miracle-oasis-december-19-26th/
 

We just returned from sailing on Oasis Jan 9-16. It was a fantastic cruise. There is much to be said about a ship, especially and Oasis class, being at less than capacity and in our case, just at 50% or a little less. The boat never felt deserted but was a nice capacity to have no waits. We were able to port at all our ports (Western Caribbean) and all of the shows were going on as scheduled except for the second half of the Aqua theatre shows. The chief safety engineer responsible for making sure all safety equipment for the shows is up properly to keep the divers safe tested positive and without him they could not go on. I always felt there was plenty of room to distance ourselves from others, even in the bars and lounges but enough people to enjoy a group type atmosphere. Having done the whole cruise experience, we felt our greatest risk of contracting Covid was probably at the Miami airport. We were in an area were there were throngs of people and that was our most uncomfortable moment for the week. Whether to sail or not is a personal choice and we stressed about the testing and boarding during these times for about 2 weeks unnecessarily as we look back. Boarding was very easy and smooth. I hope if you feel comfortable enough, you will sail, as we had a fabulous time. Understanding and flexability is key but there is much to be embraced about sailing now. 

I’ve done nine since September, number ten is this Thursday. Oasis in Sept and Oct…the rest on Anthem. All out of Bayonne, NJ.  Here are some of my pros and cons. These are just my highlights and I’m sure each passenger has their own personal list.
The Pros:  Reduced capacity and everything that goes with it…easy boarding, less lines onboard, chairs available on the pool deck and solarium;  Easy peasy safety drill on the app…love it! No more herding like cattle waiting for those selfish late arrivals before the video starts;  Knowing every adult is vaccinated and tested…and every child is PCR tested prior to arrival and tested before boarding;  Knowing the crew is vaccinated and boosted when eligible;  The food, entertainment, venues, service and crew are fantastic as always.  Biggest pro, I’m on a cruise!
The Cons:  Getting the Antigen test…always a bit nerve wracking knowing a positive test is a personal cruise killer. Wearing a mask, although for me it’s no big deal and makes me feel safer.  A major con is the uncertainty…anything can change at a moment’s notice. Entertainment or itineraries changed or cancelled…port delays or denials…venues changing access times or limiting capacity. Changing protocols. And of course the biggest con…I may get quarantined.
So far…after nine cruises, I’m used to it and feel like it’s just normal. I’m an optimist and I love cruising. I usually sail solo and do my due diligence. I know what the requirements and protocols are. I’m also flexible and know that anything can change. I guess I’m lucky that I am able to cruise often and feel bad for those who plan a family vacation just to be hit with unexpected changes. It is a challenging time to cruise. Hopefully we can all get through this in good health and get back to pre-pandemic cruising. I’m looking forward to it. But not the chair hogs…I’m not looking forward to them. You know who you are! Good luck!😎

The link is now active to requests the federally-provided tests.
 
https://special.usps.com/testkits

@mnshortie21I received a 20% discount on a minimum bid for Interior - OV Balcony on Oasis in early December.  Minimum bid was reduced to $125 from $145 or $150 (can't remember which); I bid $135 and won the upgrade.  I probably could have won it with a minimum bid of $125.  If you don't care too much for your present location, I would double check current balcony fares and go from there.  I ended up saving about $300 total -- and my daughter's first cruise was in a balcony vs. in an interior 🙂

@mnshortie21I received a 20% discount on a minimum bid for Interior - OV Balcony on Oasis in early December.  Minimum bid was reduced to $125 from $145 or $150 (can't remember which); I bid $135 and won the upgrade.  I probably could have won it with a minimum bid of $125.  If you don't care too much for your present location, I would double check current balcony fares and go from there.  I ended up saving about $300 total -- and my daughter's first cruise was in a balcony vs. in an interior 🙂

I was not going to bid on a balcony, but I checked this week on the bid I do have for a neighborhood interior and saw for the balcony category a notice, "Pricing above reflects a 25% discount to normal bid pricing. Act fast as this promotion is only valid until Jan 31, 2022" 
Has anyone else seen this in RoyalUp? Is it normal? Might it go lower?  It's extremely tempting as I have never had a balcony.

I don't see the worrying aspect.
The charter companies cancelled their charters because they never sold out the ships and were having some booked guests cancel.  So they ran away from their charters not because of level of virus on board, but because they couldn't make any money during a pandemic.  That left Royal with an odd 2 night sailing that was in between the two charters.  
Understand when a company charters the full ship, it's on them to sell it.  Royal just performs the cruise, all the work to book guests is on the charter company.  While Royal is willing to operate at reduced capacity, the charter companies don't want to, so they bailed.  
If anything I think it's a good omen for you.  The ship is going out of service for 10 days.  That's 10 days to keep crew away from each other and most important there will be no guests bringing the virus on board for 10 days.  Come the 24th the ship should be in great shape.  Like pre-Omi shape.  The 31st shouldn't be much different.  Plus if Omi is winding down, 10 days from now will be that much further into Omi downturn.  

Catalina a nice place to walk around.  The town is Avalon and there's a circular structure called the Casino  on the beach (not gaming).   Boutique eateries etc.     They raise bison on the island and you used to be able to purchase  bison burgers, but been many years since I've been there.  Can't comment on Ensenada.

Not sure how snorkeling experienced you are. But one thing that will ruin your experience is mask fogging. I am an experienced scuba diver as well as snorkeler. One product I always bring, as well as my dive/snorkel buddies, is a small bottle of Johnson & Johnson No Tears Baby Shampoo. A few squirts, swish around in the mask, rinse out and no fogging. I have made many dives over 45 minutes with no fogging at all. And, no tears at all. I have a large bottle of this product at home and fill up a small 3 oz bottle travel before I go and that is good for many underwater experiences. Enjoy!😎

We've been on many, many snorkeling, diving or beach excursions and never once have we had any issues with personal items.  I just bring a beach bag and put everything in there...never had a problem.

I "borrowed" these from a CC thread. Basically if you are flying domestic, you're supposed to avail yourself of the CDC guidelines you need to adhere to. Then you have the option of having Royal put you in their hotel paid directly or you front the costs and get reimbursed based on their restrictions.


 

One more tip -- if you have the 1-device package and want to switch from one device to another, you don't have to log out of one and log in on another -- just use the "new" device to attempt to log in-- it will say "Too Many Devices" and then will give you the option to "bump" the first device off.  Of course, you may want to coordinate if there's another person using the device that will be bumped off.  It does save some time and complexity though.

Apparently Vision lost several lines. Allure came in to buffer the waves. Transferred crew as well. 
 
 

Good news on Optum Store expiration:
I ordered a 2-pack from Optum store directly.  Shipped Friday the 7th, arrived Monday 10th afternoon.
Production date December 2021.   Expiration Nov 20, 2022.     Perfect for my needs. 
 

Ordered mine through eMed on January 3rd received January 6th. Lot is 2021-12-29 expiration 2022-12-02.

Arrived here a few moments ago.  Expiry Date is : 2022/11/20
 
Start to finish from order to delivery, 3 days

I ordered from emed on 1/12 and received today. Expiration date 12/22

I submitted mine to my insurance on 12/28.  It's still processing.  I'll keep you posted if it gets  denied/approved.