wordell1

Too me, once everyone that wants the vaccine has received it, we should return to pre covid normal.  Those who chose to be vaccinated should not be restricted because of risk to those who chose not to get it.

Too me, once everyone that wants the vaccine has received it, we should return to pre covid normal.  Those who chose to be vaccinated should not be restricted because of risk to those who chose not to get it.

I agree with you that the prices should be clearly defined and Its good you brought this the attention of the board.  I am guessing that you will see the price lower between now and next year so I predict that it will all end well.

Construction in Texas tends to be easier than most states, there should be no problems with the deadline if they want it done by then.

Just as an FYI, I emailed the Bahamas Ministry of Health and they stated they do not accept saliva based PCR tests - must be the nasal test.  It looks like it may be a moot point for vaccinated adults but if you are planning this test for your kids, you may want to check.

I agree, that you are probably good.  I just wanted to pass on what they said when I asked about it.

Construction in Texas tends to be easier than most states, there should be no problems with the deadline if they want it done by then.

RC has not announced that they will require a Covid test for vaccinated adults, they did announce that kids would need it.
They have not announced what restrictions or Covid protocols would be followed on the ship. 
Keep in mind that the healthy sale panel was imagining non vaccinated cruisers so its hard to say what it will look like when it is announced, probably around May 14 (30 days before the 1st Bahamas cruise)

Just as an FYI, I emailed the Bahamas Ministry of Health and they stated they do not accept saliva based PCR tests - must be the nasal test.  It looks like it may be a moot point for vaccinated adults but if you are planning this test for your kids, you may want to check.

I don't think anyone would disagree that this is likely what the CDC will do by keep unnecessary requirements around longer than they need to.
In this case the Bahamian scientists guiding their travel policies are proving themselves much smarter than the American scientists in the CDC.

https://ewnews.com/pm-bahamas-to-allow-fully-vaccinated-travelers-to-bypass-pcr-testing-requirement
 
Fantastic.

Great info, Thanks!

I have found a few places in Austin that offer a 24hr results.  I believe they do their own lab work.
 
Swab day is day zero and you can still enter on day 5 so you could test on Monday and enter on Saturday.

I'm an old fan of Matt from his WDW Today days. I posted the info below on the RCCL thread over on the Dis, but I thought it might be helpful here.
I’ve been visiting Nassau and Atlantis nearly annually for almost 20 years. Staying at one of Nassau’s resorts for a night or two is nothing like being a cruiser on an excursion. On the two cruises I’ve been on with stops in Nassau, I didn’t get off the ship. But I love my annual vacation to Atlantis, and I bring friends and/or family along nearly every trip. Here are some tips if you’ve only been to Nassau as a cruiser on an excursion.

Flights:

Pre-covid, American, Delta, United, Southwest, and JetBlue generally ran flights from their major hubs on weekdays. On weekends, they’ll offer a few more non-stops from other cities during busy times. Plus a few other smaller a or international line :https://nassaulpia.com/flight-info/airlines-serving-lpia/.

Most flights from the U.S. arrive in Nassau between 11 AM and 2 PM, and then those planes then turnaround and head back to their origin city about an hour later (so the bulk of flight departures are usually between noon and 3). There are a few early/late exceptions to this, generally with connections in Miami or Fort Lauderdale, which is a 45ish minute flight.

Its also worth noting that the flight back to the U.S. is a lot more expensive than the flight from. This is because both the U.S. and the Bahamian collect a lot of taxes and fees on this leg of the flights…on my upcoming one-way flight home taxes and fees (US arrival CBP fees and Bahamian Departure taxes) are $128, plus airfare of $125.

Nassau’s airport is a nice modern airport. If you were there 10ish years ago, it was pretty dumpy. The old one is gone, and the new one is modern and typical of a small/medium sized U.S. city. The Bahamian arrival customs and immigration hall, and the baggage claim area has plenty of space and porters to help with luggage.

The departures gate area has nice shopping and dining. There’s a food court, a dunkin donuts, and numerous little shops. This is a huge improvement from the old days when the departures area was single room with one tiny gift shop and an unappetizing food venue. Especially because you might be waiting there a while, because:

YOU GO THROUGH U.S. CUSTOMS IN NASSAU’S AIRPORT (https://www.cbp.gov/travel/preclearance). This has pros and cons. The pro is you arrive in the U.S. as a domestic passenger and go to the regular baggage claims, then get on your way. The con is you have to get to the airport 3 hours ahead of departure because you have the extra step of U.S. customs and immigration before your flight. In recent years this has become a non-issue, as the U.S. CBP station in Nassau has plenty of automated kiosks, but there were times in the past it took us 90 minutes to get though this line (and this was the U.S.’s fault, not the Bahamian. They did not have enough CBP agents, and the line got enormous. We got Global Entry the next year – there are Global Entry Kiosks). Even though this step has become more efficient, they still recommend a arriving 3 hours before departure.

Transportation from the Airport:

There is no uber or Lyft in the Bahamas. There are taxis and shuttles. A taxi is usually the best choice for a group over two people. Most taxis are vans that can handle groups of 5-10. Limos are available for a higher price.

Nassau has a taxi zone system with regulated fares. Only licensed taxis are allowed to pick up at the airport, and the hotels are generally the same. Expect to pay $40ish for a family of 4 to Bahamar or $50ish to Atlantis. Cash only, and tips are customary. There are a few taxi companies you can pre-arrange payment with a credit card, but these companies usually ask for a higher fare. The fees and fares can be found here: https://nassaulpia.com/to-from/#local-taxi-rates.

Hotels:

Bahamar and Atlantis are the major resorts in Nassau. There’s one business hotel downtown (British Colonial Hilton). Then there are a few smaller hotels.

I would advise against Air BnB in Nassau. Most tourist are at their resorts in the evening, and once the cruise ships leave in the afternoon, the downtown area gets pretty quiet. There are a few off-resort restaurants that stay open for dinner, but people take a taxi to them….there’s not a lively downtown or boardwalk area to stroll in the evening (other than at Atlantis and possibly at Bahamar).

As for using loyalty points, there’s a Hyatt at Bahamar, you can use Marriott Bonvoy points at Atlantis, and you can use Choice Hotel points at the Comfort Suites Paradise Island (which also get you access to Atlantis’ grounds and Aquaventure).

I said in a prior post that I expect RCCL’s check-in will be done at either Atlantis or Bahamar. When there more clarity on how the embarkation process will go, I’ll update my suggestions.

I’m happy to answer questions.
 

I’m back from my annual week at Atlantis in Nassau. From my experience, I think they will be coming up with a different process for cruisers. I suspect the requirements for entering the Bahamas will stay the same. But the process once there, and departing almost certainly has to be adapted to visitors getting on a ship.

Bahamas Health Visa Entry Requirements

As noted above, to get a Bahamas Health Visa you have to get a negative COVID test (PCR only, not rapid antigen) a maximum of five days before your arrival. I arrived on a Saturday, so a test from the preceding Monday was valid. In our case, my family got tested Monday afternoon, paid for rush service and had our results Tuesday mid-morning.

After getting PDFs of the tests, we set up accounts on the travel visa website. Adults have to set up accounts individually, and one of the parents has to add the children as child profiles in their account. As part of the process of setting up the accounts, you have to upload scans of the information page on your passport. You have to do that as well for children.

To apply for the health visa, you add a ‘trip’ in your account, and upload the scan/PDF of your test results as part of the form. If you’re travelling with a child, you upload their test results in a ‘trip’ too. If the child is 10 or under, you should upload a scan of their passport as an exemption document (this part isn’t obvious and caused a ~48 hour delay in the processing of our visas).

My wife and I applied for the health visa at approximately the same time late morning Tuesday. I had the kids’ application on my account. My wife’s application was approved in less than 90 minutes. Mine took almost 48 hours, and multiple phone calls to the number provided on the visa website. The fact that I didn’t upload my son’s passport scan as a ‘test exemption document’ may have bene the cause of the delay, but I think the visa department may have been overwhelmed the week before Easter. I suspect this kind of delay may happen the first couple cruises, so be prepared to sit on hold for 60-90 minutes at $0.15 per minute (international call).

Airlines will check for your health visa before boarding the flight to Nassau, which means the document might not be checked until you’re in your connecting city. The border entry agent in the Nassau airport will also check.

Requirements While in The Bahamas

Currently, visitors to the Bahamas are required to respond to a daily health survey asking questions about COVID exposure or symptoms. This was an easy 6 question survey, that came through email. Responding means you have to have some form of internet access, so I expect that cruisers will be exempted.

Visitors are also required to get tested on day 5 of their visit. Most of the hotels have set up on-site testing facilities, so it was pretty convenient, though it took us around 2 hours due to the line. It’s a rapid test, and we got our results within a few hours.

I suspect that the Bahamas will adjust the day 5 requirement for people on the ship. Otherwise everyone on the ship may have to be tested on the same day. Unless that’s the plan and they’ll have the capacity to do so, that sounds impractical.

Entry Back into U.S.

To get back into the U.S., you have to present at the airport a negative test from no more than 3 days prior to your flight. Rapid test are accepted, and there is a testing site at the airport, but the line looked long. The check-in agent at the kiosks very quickly glanced at our tests, and that was the only point on the Bahamas departure/U.S. re-entry where it was checked.

We were returning on a Saturday, so a Wednesday test was acceptable. Conveniently and coincidentally, the Bahamas health visa day 5 test works for the U.S. re-entry test if you’re doing a weeklong stay. But since 10 year-olds and under aren’t required to have a test to enter the Bahamas (and pay for the health visa) we had to pay $20 for my 10-year-old’s test, which the U.S. requires to get back into the country.

I think the ship will have to have the ability to do the tests and provide a printout of the results. Otherwise I think the airport test site would be overwhelmed with 1,000 ship passengers all needing to be tested to get on their flights.

Royal has said we should get an update on the rules and changes about 30 days before sailing.
You're not wrong. I'm super excited to go on this first sailing, but gonna need to pack some XL patience (and I hope others do as well).

Being confined to them when not working has not existed and should not exist as long as crew members are vaccinated and there is no outbreak on the ship.

Being confined to them when not working has not existed and should not exist as long as crew members are vaccinated and there is no outbreak on the ship.

Being confined to them when not working has not existed and should not exist as long as crew members are vaccinated and there is no outbreak on the ship.

Being confined to them when not working has not existed and should not exist as long as crew members are vaccinated and there is no outbreak on the ship.

Being confined to them when not working has not existed and should not exist as long as crew members are vaccinated and there is no outbreak on the ship.

To be honest, we don't know yet on any of your questions.  I am assuming the worst (full masks at all times, RC excursions only) but hoping things are a little looser with fully vaccinated adults.  I'm OK with being a guinea pig and will have a good time with whatever happens.

Why I think it's time to defund the CDC and abolish it
The CDC is giving us a glimpse of what it would do if it had more power and control over our domestic lives.  
In shutting down and locking out the cruise industry the CDC has gone from a science based health research and knowledge agency to a federal police force.  
The United States of America is too big for a one size fits all approach.  Each State should have the power to develop a response to any emergency for that State alone.  No State or conglomerate of states should have the power to effect control over any other single or multiple States.  Yet that is what the CDC has grown into.
The CDC should be a source of information that each state can draw from to make informed decisions but the CDC should NOT have the power to exercise direct control.  That is a tremendous overstep of power and authority that needs to stop before the CDC attempts to grow that power and gain control over our daily lives to a far greater extent. 
If left unchecked the CDC will slowly grow more powerful to the point they can effectively lock us in our own homes "to protect us".  
Our States and our States alone should only have the power to make these choices using guidance to make informed decision.  No unelected federal authority should have this level of control.
#DefundTheCDC 

I am offended that there are still those who want to decide for others what we can and can't do.
I have been vaccinated and have yet to see any valid medical reason why I shouldn't be allowed to make my own choices about how I spend my time.  The overwhelming evidence is that I am highly unlikely to get the disease - even if I were directly exposed.  If I did manage to get it the evidence shows that with near 100% certainty, I would get a mild case - no worse than many other illnesses.  It will be 100% my choice whether I decide to go on a cruise and will have the full information available as to who else would be on the cruise with me, and what protocols would be in place.
You have the absolute right to live your life as you see fit.  If you still see risk, then stay away from others.  I assure you that I will defend your right to make whatever choices you are comfortable with.  Why wouldn't you allow others the same choice?

This is what bureaucrats do.  Its why the government never does anything well. They are not comfortable making decisions, they like to enforce things.