For those of you waiting, what would it take to get you there?

[CaptainCook]

Would you only consider booking with a short notice cancellation policy? I agree about not booking with a new variant/new wave, but i'm feeling a bit lost on how far in advance to book.

We've got hotels booked because we can cancel those without penalty up until the week of the trip. I'm not sure if train tickets are refundable, but they probably don't need to be purchased too far in advance. Airfare would be the big thing, and I'm hoping airlines will still have flexible policies by then - even if we needed to pay a bit more for it. But to be honest, I'm at the point where I'm willing to gamble a little bit with our vacation dollars. We have two teenagers and are losing precious time to do things as a family.

(Keep in mind that this 'fast and loose' attitude is not serving me well thus far. We bought nonrefundable Very Merriest Christmas Party tickets late last November, and it was literally only a week or two later that we started to hear about Omicron. We probably would not have taken that trip had we not purchased those tickets, but we went anyway, and came home with covid. )

 

[Trinity88]

We just booked for mid August. I'm hoping the testing requirements will change by then, but even if not, we got tired of waiting. lol

 

[starlite_]

For me it's a little dif, all travel I have planned is to go my parent's place by Disney. So worst thing that can happen is I stay an extra 2 weeks home and since I work from home I just take my computer anyways. I would think twice about it if I had kids or I wanted to go somewhere that would potentially cost more $$ to quarantine in place.

Hopefully things start to be better soon, been trying to get to Japan for a few years now haha.

 

[bababear_50]

All of that sounds super reasonable to me. We have been extremely covid cautious as well. My mom (soon to be retired ICU nurse) went to Mexico over christmas and spent the entire trip anxious and worried. She said that the trip was both nice and awful all rolled in one, so i understand your hesitancy and concerns.

Something a friend planned was a 1 week stay away with an option to extend by an additional week +. She planned her "trip A" which was a one week trip then fly home, but she also planned some contingencies in case someone in her party contracted covid and they were stuck away longer than they had planned. All were able to work remotely so they all brought their work stuff with them and budgeted as if they would be there for 2 weeks, etc.

My son mentioned the same thing to me last night ..."Mom book and go for one week,,,, worst case scenario is you call the airline and rebook the return flight
and just book another place for 10 days." Ah youth I hate it when they make things sound so simple. LOL

Hugs
Mel

 

[boogienights]

We're off to Universal in October -maybe. Will be driving to Minneapolis and flying from there. I hope the testing requirement or threat of the $5000 fine will be dropped for the return home or I may cancel. Biggest impediment to travel is the hassle that comes with testing and a positive test. Come October it will have been over 3 years since my daughter and I travelled, almost 4 years since my husband has travelled and about 6 years since my son has travelled. My son is moving back home next month after 4 years of living in another province. We've only seen him twice since Christmas of 2019. We all just want to go away and have fun together. I'm really really hoping we don't have to cancel.

 

[chezcurrie]

My son mentioned the same thing to me last night ..."Mom book and go for one week,,,, worst case scenario is you call the airline and rebook the return flight
and just book another place for 10 days." Ah youth I hate it when they make things sound so simple. LOL

Hugs
Mel

LOL, I like your son! Like he, I have been on 4 trips since September. The first one I was rather anxious for, but reading the boards here and knowing my (free) testing options and the fact that I was finally going to get to see my sister for the first time in almost 2 years (dang border cloisure!!!) was the cincher. I asked myself what is the worst that could happen (get covid, need medical attention and/or isolate) so I bought travel insurance. BEST. DECISION. EVER. (Caveat: this trip was to DL in California, where at the time masking was still in place.)

I came home a *new* person - it was as if the weight of the pandemic was lifted. Not that anyone was “ignoring“ it, people were simply living their lives with it. No issues with masks, no people getting uppity about it. Just general happiness to be doing something. On that trip as I was sitting in the Tiki Room thinking how much my 5 year old would love it, and realizing those years are slipping away for my soon to me teenager, I booked our family of 5 back to CA in December. We managed to get our littles their first vax, wore KF94s, dined outdoors, etc. Our return flight was cancelled as it was at the rise of Omicron (we left Dec 10 before things got wonky) but like your son said, I called the airline and got put on a direct flight the next day. Yay, one more day of sunshine! (We received our reimbursement as well, which was more than the extra hotel night + incidentals).

All of that to say, I got covid earlier this month, here in Ontario. From yoga! So my philosophy now is: don’t be an idiot, but don’t put our life on hold. I realize everyone has a different comfort level and circumstance, but sharing because that solo trip was the best thing I did for myself since the pandemic started.

 

[cdnSpinalTap]

We went last August and are scheduled to go again this August. I would classify our family as overly cautious, but realistic with expectations of others. If you recall, Delta was really spiking at that time and Florida was considered a hot spot.

The morning of our departure day, my wife and I were literally sitting in the living room trying to decide if we should still go or not. By that time, the money was irrelevant and safety was the primary concern. Also, our youngest daughter was not vaccinated.

In the end, it came down to two criteria that we used to decide in finally going:

1. We were comfortable that we could protect ourselves with our own protocols and we knew that we could not depend on others to protect us (worrying about others wearing masks, crowds, ride lines, etc). As long as we maintained the protocols that kept us safe to date, we were comfortable we would be fine (BTW, once we came to this realization/conclusion it was like a huge load was lifted from our shoulders. We realized that this worry was so unfounded, as long as we are comfortable we are doing everything to protect ourselves).

2. Even if things got bad and say we were uneasy leaving the hotel, we decided we would rather sit in a hotel in Florida and isolate over sitting in our house in Calgary and isolating. Again, most of the cost was sunk (except spending money, dining, etc), so that decision is different than trying to decide whether you should go in a few months or not.

Was it the same Disney vacation? Definitely not. But it definitely felt good to be there and get out and live a bit.

It is my belief (which I am not defending or expecting any one else to endorse), that my family will have to learn to live with this for a very long time to come..perhaps forever. We were just not willing to give up the things we love for it.

 

[Donald - my hero]

our reasons are not much different than those already mentioned - added stress of testing, lack of experiences we've come to expect from Disney trips, loss of transportation from the airport (too danged old to drive that far!) And rising costs. There is one however, that's specifically what's keeping us close to home, even removing the ability to travel within Canada - my numerous dietary restrictions! Disney is the only place in the world where I can safely eat food someone else had cooked, that's rarely offered here, and impossible at any other holiday location. Early in 2020 the FDA quietly put out a notice that allowed companies to substitute ingredients without modifications to labels so long as it doesn't change the basic product anything is fair game. Example, if it's a veggie mix and today they can't get carrots but squash is available there's no need to mention that. For most people that's fine but for those of us with life threatening allergies that's a huge risk. I can eat some tree nuts but cashews and pistachios would land me in the ER. we go in a heartbeat even if it meant staying where I can cook myself but If I can't trust what a label says then I simply can't eat it. Until that is changed, we're stuck home

 

[tgropp]

We are leaving for Hawaii in three weeks. We went to Florida last November for seven nights, then to WDW and Fort Lauderdale for 16 nights over Christmas. My son and DIL tested positive at during the Christmas trip and had to spend an extra Ten days there. They had a mild cold for three days but that was it. That being said, the majority of experts will tell you that the worst part of a pandemic will run its course in two years. I feel safe travelling but totally understand on why people are afraid to travel. Safer times are coming and if in doubt, wait it out.

 

[DisneyRookie2007]

Question for Canadian cruisers....knowing that we need a negative covid test to board an airplane to the USA...........AND a negative covid test to board a Carnival Cruise.....anyone with any direct experience having a PCR test done here (before leaving Canada) that was also able to be used to board the cruise ship in the USA ? We're trying to cut down on the testing "stress" and if 1 test here before leaving will " kill 2 birds with 1 stone", then I thought I ask the question in case someone here has some real-life experience with this.....Thanks !!

 

[CanucksRock]

Sometimes you just gotta do it. That was my moms attitude towards our two week trip back in January. She had not left Canada in two years. ..of course, I was the one that got Covid. Not her. I think she was kinda jealous I had to stay an extra 8 days (it was not a hardship by any means)

It’s kinda nice having that PCR test in my back pocket and not having to worry about testing for the next 6 months (at least for return). I have one possibly two more trips to Orlando in the next few months. My next trip outside that time frame will be an Alaska cruise at the end of August. It has already been pushed twice.

 

[Disney Addicted]

Question for Canadian cruisers....knowing that we need a negative covid test to board an airplane to the USA...........AND a negative covid test to board a Carnival Cruise.....anyone with any direct experience having a PCR test done here (before leaving Canada) that was also able to be used to board the cruise ship in the USA ? We're trying to cut down on the testing "stress" and if 1 test here before leaving will " kill 2 birds with 1 stone", then I thought I ask the question in case someone here has some real-life experience with this.....Thanks !!

No direct experience at this point, but I regularly read posts from a couple Virgin Voyages Facebook groups as I have a cruise booked in July. So far, that particular cruise line in any case, does not accept a previous/recent test and cruisers get tested right at the port before boarding. I do not know if that is the same for Carnival however.

I would suggest creating an account at Cruise Critics and looking at the forms for Carnival. It's quite similiar to DIS in that they know tons of information and are almost always up-to-date with the latest news.

 

[hdrolfe]

Question for Canadian cruisers....knowing that we need a negative covid test to board an airplane to the USA...........AND a negative covid test to board a Carnival Cruise.....anyone with any direct experience having a PCR test done here (before leaving Canada) that was also able to be used to board the cruise ship in the USA ? We're trying to cut down on the testing "stress" and if 1 test here before leaving will " kill 2 birds with 1 stone", then I thought I ask the question in case someone here has some real-life experience with this.....Thanks !!

Carnival recently changed their testing requirements, I believe you have to be tested within 3 days before the cruise now. They do accept antigen tests though, as does the US for entry, so you may be able to do that instead (could be cheaper?). But yes, if you time it right you can use the same test for flying to the US and also for boarding the cruise.

 

[Hopeful8]

our reasons are not much different than those already mentioned - added stress of testing, lack of experiences we've come to expect from Disney trips, loss of transportation from the airport (too danged old to drive that far!) And rising costs. There is one however, that's specifically what's keeping us close to home, even removing the ability to travel within Canada - my numerous dietary restrictions! Disney is the only place in the world where I can safely eat food someone else had cooked, that's rarely offered here, and impossible at any other holiday location. Early in 2020 the FDA quietly put out a notice that allowed companies to substitute ingredients without modifications to labels so long as it doesn't change the basic product anything is fair game. Example, if it's a veggie mix and today they can't get carrots but squash is available there's no need to mention that. For most people that's fine but for those of us with life threatening allergies that's a huge risk. I can eat some tree nuts but cashews and pistachios would land me in the ER. we go in a heartbeat even if it meant staying where I can cook myself but If I can't trust what a label says then I simply can't eat it. Until that is changed, we're stuck home

I had no idea the FDA did this - I'm shocked! My son has food allergies too and I just cannot believe that they would think this is acceptable for people who NEED to see what is in their food. So disappointing.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

We're off to Universal in October -maybe. Will be driving to Minneapolis and flying from there. I hope the testing requirement or threat of the $5000 fine will be dropped for the return home or I may cancel. Biggest impediment to travel is the hassle that comes with testing and a positive test. Come October it will have been over 3 years since my daughter and I travelled, almost 4 years since my husband has travelled and about 6 years since my son has travelled. My son is moving back home next month after 4 years of living in another province. We've only seen him twice since Christmas of 2019. We all just want to go away and have fun together. I'm really really hoping we don't have to cancel.

We fly from Minneapolis too. We must be neighbours!
We've rebooked our cancelled Christmas trip to next Christmas. I would have liked to have gone earlier, but there aren't any times that work for all of us. I'm hoping the testing is dropped for driving back into Canada or at least be able to drive back if we test positive in Minni before driving home.

 

[Donald - my hero]

I had no idea the FDA did this - I'm shocked! My son has food allergies too and I just cannot believe that they would think this is acceptable for people who NEED to see what is in their food. So disappointing.

this is the press release and while they state that they wouldn't allow changes to allergens they still don't include as many as Canada does and the one specific example they give of an acceptable undeclared change of sunflower oil for canola made the decision for us since I'm highly allergic to sunflower!!

FDA FOOD LABELS

 

[boogienights]

We fly from Minneapolis too. We must be neighbours!
We've rebooked our cancelled Christmas trip to next Christmas. I would have liked to have gone earlier, but there aren't any times that work for all of us. I'm hoping the testing is dropped for driving back into Canada or at least be able to drive back if we test positive in Minni before driving home.

Well hello, neighbour! Unless another variant raises it's ugly head, I'm cautiously hopeful travel restrictions will be dropped. Not optimistic, mind, but cautiously hopeful. I expect and am mentally prepared for a worst case scenario

 

[Jennkneefir]

We went last August and are scheduled to go again this August. I would classify our family as overly cautious, but realistic with expectations of others. If you recall, Delta was really spiking at that time and Florida was considered a hot spot.

The morning of our departure day, my wife and I were literally sitting in the living room trying to decide if we should still go or not. By that time, the money was irrelevant and safety was the primary concern. Also, our youngest daughter was not vaccinated.

In the end, it came down to two criteria that we used to decide in finally going:

1. We were comfortable that we could protect ourselves with our own protocols and we knew that we could not depend on others to protect us (worrying about others wearing masks, crowds, ride lines, etc). As long as we maintained the protocols that kept us safe to date, we were comfortable we would be fine (BTW, once we came to this realization/conclusion it was like a huge load was lifted from our shoulders. We realized that this worry was so unfounded, as long as we are comfortable we are doing everything to protect ourselves).

2. Even if things got bad and say we were uneasy leaving the hotel, we decided we would rather sit in a hotel in Florida and isolate over sitting in our house in Calgary and isolating. Again, most of the cost was sunk (except spending money, dining, etc), so that decision is different than trying to decide whether you should go in a few months or not.

Was it the same Disney vacation? Definitely not. But it definitely felt good to be there and get out and live a bit.

It is my belief (which I am not defending or expecting any one else to endorse), that my family will have to learn to live with this for a very long time to come..perhaps forever. We were just not willing to give up the things we love for it.

I really really value your perspective on this. Especially #2. I have really struggled to know how my day-to-day mental health will be. I think if i would still rather just hangout there then the trip would still have value. A nice hotel pool or airbnb can totally make or break any trip.

 

[Pumpkin1172]

We had our trip planned...then the new variant hit causing huge ripples with everything. We questioned and held out making final plans and laying out any more money.

We were watching the number of cases start to dramatically dip in Florida, and things were starting to trend down here as well when we made the decision to go.

We also isolated for the last 10 days before our trip (as we didn't want to test positive before getting onto the plane) which was kind of a mute point as no where along the way did we have to show our negative test result .

We did everything we could before hand - vaccinated, got our third dose, try to keep to ourselves and small social circle.

We purchased the covid insurance (incase we tested positive while in Florida) I also had enough rapid tests for us to test every second day, just to stay on top and if it was positive, we would have used our switch health tests to test, and start our quarantine to get back home.

Our thinking was this.

1 - covid is NOT going anywhere. It will be here and we will have to got our yearly shot like the flu. At what point do we start to live in a world where there is a risk of contracting covid? Covid will never be " under control" as someone else had stated. It's already proving that by mutating as it is.

2- contracting covid and getting very sick with it. Highly unlikely because of vaccinations, booster, masking, and using hand sanitizer after getting off rides and high touch surfaces. There are many ways you will require hospitalization that have risks everyday and no one even thinks about those...accidents, slip and falls, other horrible things such a cancer etc etc etc.

3- Tomorrow is NEVER guaranteed. Our time with our kids, and with each other to do a celebratory trip had/has a small window. You can't take back time. We have put off trips in the past citing other reasons, and then you never get to celebrate them the way you intended. The memories from those times spent together are priceless.

4- It was time. It was time to move forward and start living again. I'm not going to lie and say we wen't nervous about the testing requirements. Dh was extremely anxious about a positive test result. We tested negative, after being in extremely busy park days, the daytona 500 with 102,000 other people, restaurants, lines etc etc etc etc.

It was the best decision for us! We had a fantastic time. We don't regret going one little bit. Our physical, mental and emotional health needed this break. A break from where you can't even watch or listen to the news, radio or social platforms without having some sort of information being pumbled at you about risks, risks, risks, risks. The " what if's" We all take calculated risks everyday. When you get up and walk down a set of stairs, eat the doughnut, drive around in a vehicle, have the " beverage".

There is soooooooooooooooo much hyper fixation on the bad outcomes - what about the millions of people who have contracted it with no severe outcome? I want to state that some people get very sick and die from it - cause they do. It is heartbreaking for the families left behind. But many people die everyday from other things that we can prevent too, heart attacks, strokes, some cancers, diabetes, etc etc etc etc.

Everyone has a level at what they are comfortable at. For us, we are ready to move forward in a world where the virus will always be. We will do what we can to protect ourselves - vaccinate. Life is toooooooooooo short to wait any longer to keep putting things off because of the " what if's" .

 

[Starwind]

We had a DCL Alaska cruise booked for this summer [rebooked from summer 2021] that we will be moving to 2023 as we do not think it will be safe enough for our family to take it this year. We have a B2B on the Wish with before and after short resort only stays at WDW booked for January 2023, and while I am hopeful we will fell comfortable going by then, I am not confident we will be, and I am booking everything fully refundable.

I am moderately-severely immunocompromised and have had 4 vaccine doses. Unfortunately, no way to know how well they have taken, though I did have strong multi-day reactions to the first 3, so am hopeful that is a positive sign.

I also have medical conditions that make me at higher risk for more severe outcomes. Among other things, that means I won't travel while there is a test-to-return-to-Canada requirement as I am not willing to take the risk of having to do the quarantine outside Canada [it is one thing if I get sick while traveling and therefore have to wait to return, another thing if I am in the very early stages of illness at the end of my trip and am sill pre-symptomatic and have to stay there, if that makes sense].

So I have been and will continue to take precautions, even when the rest of society gets to drop most precautions. I have no idea when taking precautions will get to end, and quite honestly am resigned to wearing a mask outside the house pretty much forever [though on the plus side it helps with allergies ].

At some point I do want to be able to resume traveling to WDW and DCL cruises. Right now I don't know what metrics to use to tell me it is safe for someone in my position to do so.

Like the PP I also have concerns about the FDA's rule change re: ingredient labeling because of food allergies, which complicates things further.