This thread is a great resource. I've just decided to go to DLR for October (and yes, it took me from 9:15-4:15 to get my OBB ticket!), and looking at departure rules from Victoria, I need a negative test 3 days before I fly. I am double vaccinated, as is my hubby, but I'm going solo. This testing stuff adds a whole new dimension to trip planning!
I'm flying WestJet and I can get a quick one in Victoria without too much trouble and I think I can book at the local A&C Urgent Care or the CVS on Katella to get my return test. I need to calculate departure times to get the right appointment time so that it's not over the 72 hour limit, but is within the return time. I have already booked my return testing kit from LifeLabs at YVR to grab on my way to the connecting flight to Victoria.
The whole family is going to Aulani for Christmas. By then our teens will be double vaccinated too, and we're flying out of Nanaimo with AC. Hawaii is super locked down - they only accept tests from 'authorized travel partners', and AC has their list - mostly in Vancouver. The only two on the Island... *sigh. One is charging $500 for the PCR (yes, that's correct). The other, at Nanaimo Airport, says they don't recommend their test for international travellers because the test is flown to Vancouver and they can't guarantee the result before your flight.
I was told by them, "We are on the list for Air Canda trusted testing partners but if you wanted to test with us for Hawaii I would recommend seeing if you could get out to our Vancouver testing site in enough time to get your test done there as we don't have the same issue and can guarantee you have your results the day after your test by midnight at the latest. I'll also let you know that ideally, you should try not to book your flight on a Monday or a Tuesday as we don't test on weekends and those days can be difficult to accommodate within the timeline."
So we're expected to go to Vancouver - the whole family - for testing three days before our flight from Nanaimo to Vancouver. And because Hawaii ONLY accepts specific testing partner results, we can't get a fast antigen test at the airport. The tests add an extra $1,100 onto the cost, THEN testing in Oahu before we leave to come home. Add either a ferry ride, car to the testing site in Richmond/Coquitlam/Vancouver and the ferry ride back (or Harbour Air to and from Nanaimo and transport to the facility and back) the costs are rising exponentially. And if you don't guarantee for international travellers, why even bother offering the service in the first place? We don't need it for flying domestically so... What a gong show.
Hubby and I are going to wait until the beginning of November to see what the new rules may be. But if anyone has an easier way to get tested for Hawaii when leaving from Vancouver Island, I'd love to hear it.
