TBruce77

Last few times it took more than 48 hours for our doctors to get back to us. We are in Queens and I am not very confident since the doctor's office doesn't technically offer rapid results, they just said "should receive results by next day"

We have to get our tests on Wednesday, must receive results by Thursday so we can fly early Friday morning. We also have 11 year old who will be fully vaccinated but won't be considered fully since it will be only 10 days from 2nd dose. 

Where are fellow NYers getting tested and how quickly did you get your results?

Thanks in advance!

7 hours ago, ChrisK2793 said:

 

just make sure to get the earliest appointment possible as soon as you get the note in your cabin to make an appointment for their last day of cruise Covid test if it falls on the same day as CocoCay.  Most people who’s kids had appointments after the first hour of testing never got them back until afternoon on our October cruise and they missed half the day at CocoCay.  

Thank you so much, we are going on 4 day cruise, so there is only 1 test I believe, before embarking. Does it get super crowded, luckily my son wants to head out to quiet zone and relax in hammocks because "6th grade is really stressful"... 

11 minutes ago, twangster said:

Coco Cay is Royal's own private destination and he will be able to get off the ship there.

 

Sigh (of relief)! Thank you for confirming that  At least he can enjoy that island , praying weather will be nice, I heard some occasions they had to skip the port of call.

We'll look into getting excursions booked on board for Nassau, otherwise we'll stay on-board.

15 hours ago, ChessE4 said:

When you decide what to give to the porter on embarkation, remember to keep your valuables on your person.  Generally, you always want at least a small carryon/purse/satchel/backpack that you drag around or wear with your swimsuit or change of clothes plus any required medicines.  (Luggage can be lost or delayed in delivery to your stateroom.)

Thanks for the suggestion, we'll keep all valuables in backpacks and maybe a small duffel bag with spare clothing and emergencies! 

18 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

Otherwise you will have to drag them around until the cabins are available for you to go store them there.

Cafe Promenade is where they serve coffee and espresso. However the espresso based drinks aren't complimentary. They are included in the Refreshment and Deluxe Beverage packages or you can pay per drink.  Ben & Jerrys is also an additional charge.

I don't remember it taking long for cabins to be available in my old cruises, is that normal, maybe I got on board later than usual? Do you get a notification when it's ready, or is it for people who get on board too early?  Approx when are the cabins generally become ready ? Noted about the espresso requiring drink package, is that including coffe? I remember we could get OJ, Water, Milk, Tea and Coffee at breakfast in older cruises, I don't know if RC is different, especially for coffee and water.

17 hours ago, twangster said:

You'll find Cruise Compass from recent Indy sailings here:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass?ship=276

Two of the most recent include the entertainment line up, one for 3 night the other for 4 night.

How old is your son?  If unvaccinated there may be restrictions on self exploring.  If vaccinated then not a problem.  

This is a super example! I remember getting only 1 page with limited stuff every night under our door, but for 3 night cruise looks like a book!
He is 11. He will be fully vaccinated only about 10 days prior, unfortunately. I don't think it's possible to get 2nd dose any sooner, I don't even think that's an option or safe.
I see on the compass some activities are Vaccinated only, which is fine since they also have unvaccinated option since RC will consider him unvaccinated.  Does that apply to everyone including children?  Just worried now that I read in other thread unvaccinated passengers can't get off the ship. He was really happy to go to coco bay, will he not be able to go? 

17 hours ago, steverk said:

Welcome to the message boards and to Royal Caribbean! 

I was on Indy back in July and she's a wonderful ship. You'll find plenty to do. 

As suggested earlier, explore the app. The usually post the menus in the main dining room several weeks in advance.  Activities are a little later and subject to change. I'd suggest looking at the past cruise compasses on this website to get a good idea of what to expect. 

Most of all, enjoy yourself! This class of ship is my favorite

Thank You! Got the app already, waiting to make the final payment and then countdown begins.

1 hour ago, leesam82 said:

Hello, 

In my recent experience traveling with my children, the turnaround time is really determined by where you are and the type of test being used. 

Regular PCR tests take the longest as the test protocol takes about nearly 8 hours to run. 

RT-PCR or reverse transcriptase PCR testing takes a shorter period of time to run. 

Above are examples of NAAT or Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests. Which all are accepted by RCL. 

Walgreen uses the Abbott's NAAT test called ID NOw. which they say is run in 1 hour. 

There are other companies and labs that develop their own NAAT. 

RCL also accepts antigen tests such as Abbott's Binaxnow (again this must be supervised). This is a later flow test (which is basically like a pregnancy test). Two lines means positive and single line is negative.  

I personally on my most recent sailing used a website called curative.com which uses RT PCR. We actually didn't have to pay for the testing. Went in after work at around 330pm and had results for the whole family by 6 am the following day. I had multiple positive experiences with curative not for just cruising but also for my kids who had to provide a negative test to return back to school after a possible exposure to covid. I hope this helps 

Curative sounds great, but not a single location in New York. 

8 hours ago, ChrisK2793 said:

As fully vaccinated , you can only test up to TWO days before the cruise, so no earlier than Wednesday, but you can get rapid tests.

‘Unfortunately, because your child won’t be at least 14 days past their second vaccine when your cruise departs, Royal will NOT consider them to be vaccinated at all and they’ll have to follow the new unvaccinated protocols.  They’ll have to get a PCR test, but can get it up to 3 days before the cruise, so as early as Tuesday.  Also, your child will NOT be able to get off the ship at any ports unless they’re booked on one of Royal’s excursions at that port.  They’ll also NOT be able to go into any areas of the ships that say they’re for “vaccinated only” not will they be able to go to any show times for “vaccinated only” as they won’t get a band that fully vaccinated people get when boarding.

 

 

Does this mean No Coco Bay?

Hi everyone, after a long time we decided to cruise again, we've cruised 3 times before but with a different company and more than 11 years ago, so memory is a little foggy. This will be our first time on RC, sailing on Independence of the Seas on Dec 24th 2021.

I have few questions, we have small carry-on luggages, will they be taking those and bringing them to our cabins later, or do they let people go on with carry-ons?

Do they post the entertainment schedule like shows and programs in advance?

Ship will call Bahamas, last time they had Atlantis tours and the aquarium was a lot of fun, would love to take my son there, but I don't see this excursion option. I don't think I want to self-excursion, so is there anything you'd recommend we do in Nassau?

I watched the intro and walk-through videos, I can't believe how many restaurants and shops there are, even Ben & Jerrys. It says Café Promenade is included, does that also include coffee and late/espresso type drinks? As for ice cream, Only soft-serve is included, I didn't see B&J listed on the website.

Any other tips for this first-time cruiser? 

Is anyone in New York area facing the same issue, mine is a bit different, although for RC it doesn't matter because my little one (11 year old) will be fully vaccinated before the cruise, but only about 10 days before so it doesn't meet the requirement of at least 2 weeks before cruise. 

This means all 3 of us must get tested 2-3 days before. I am also nervous if we can get the results that quickly, do we have to ask that we get results right away and that we will be traveling? Our cruise is on Friday, it means we have to be tested on Wednesday and hope that results become available?