The stress

[DCLMP]

Wow. The part that really hit me was being stuck in a room for over 4 hours while DCL retrieved their luggage. Talk about heaping misery upon misery. For my cruise next month I'm definitely traveling with just a carry-on roller bag, and will take it with me onto the ship. I'm not going to let the porters take it this time. I'll probably also make a rental car reservation just in case, so that I know a car will be there for me if I have to be taken back to MCO. I'll cancel it if I test negative at the port.

When we cruised in August they insisted we drop off our luggage before our PCR test. We thought that was odd. We asked about what happens to our luggage if we test positive. The guy just laughed and said to stay positive. We had a rental car and parked in the garage. There was no reason for them to take our luggage. I would definitely keep your luggage with you.

I would recommend anyone that has a car to keep their luggage in their car until they test negative. You can roll your luggage across the street and hand it to the porter before you check-in.

 

[Cheburashka]

When we cruised in August they insisted we drop off our luggage before our PCR test. We thought that was odd. We asked about what happens to our luggage if we test positive. The guy just laughed and said to stay positive. We had a rental car and parked in the garage. There was no reason for them to take our luggage. I would definitely keep your luggage with you.

I would recommend anyone that has a car to keep their luggage in their car until they test negative. You can roll your luggage across the street and hand it to the porter before you check-in.

That was August. I don't think they are still keeping people from bringing carry-on bags onboard anymore. I also won't have a car. If they try to insist that I must check in my bag, I will insist that I must keep it with me because much needed personal items including medications are inside of it. We'll see what happens but I feel pretty sure that I'll be able to board with my one bag in hand.

 

[zuzu310]

Just thought I would chime in. We booked the 1/31 cruise aboard the Dream before omicron took over the world. I am having many sleepless nights over that port test. We are 2 adults, 2 kids all vaccinated and boosted (the adults at least). I am concerned about the breakthrough infections my husband is seeing at his work and also all of these asymptomatic infections.

I just have this ominous feeling one of us will test positive. I guess I am concerned one of us will test positive due to a previous asymptomatic infection. Would it be good to take a diagnostic PCR test close to the 15 day window to have a doctor's 90 day recovered letter in case we were unknowingly positive? I just can't decide what I want to do. It seems that even people who took a test a few days beforehand and were negative are still showing up positive on port day in some instances. Is it a no-win situation?

 

[DCLMP]

I don't know as Disney has not made any announcement about this new Bahamas policy.



https://www.bahamas.com/travelupdates

VACCINATED TRAVELLERS

• Effective Dec. 27, 2021, fully vaccinated persons travelling to The Bahamas from other countries will be required to obtain a negative COVID-19 test (either a Rapid Antigen Test or RT-PCR), taken no more than three days (72 hours) prior to the date of arrival to The Bahamas.
• Effective Jan. 7, 2022, fully vaccinated persons must present a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR (including PCR, NAA, NAAT, TMA or RNA) test.

When we cruised in August we were not vaccinated and I thought it was stressful waiting for the results. Now it's the same for everyone and it keeps getting more restrictive. I was not expecting that to happen. I really would not want to cruise right now.

 

[mzspaz]

Just thought I would chime in. We booked the 1/31 cruise aboard the Dream before omicron took over the world. I am having many sleepless nights over that port test. We are 2 adults, 2 kids all vaccinated and boosted (the adults at least). I am concerned about the breakthrough infections my husband is seeing at his work and also all of these asymptomatic infections.

I just have this ominous feeling one of us will test positive. I guess I am concerned one of us will test positive due to a previous asymptomatic infection. Would it be good to take a diagnostic PCR test close to the 15 day window to have a doctor's 90 day recovered letter in case we were unknowingly positive? I just can't decide what I want to do. It seems that even people who took a test a few days beforehand and were negative are still showing up positive on port day in some instances. Is it a no-win situation?

Where I am at, it is difficult to find a Covid test. Even the at home ones are all sold out. I just ordered some from Amazon (the On/Go ones) and they won't be delivered until next week.

It is beginning to feel like a no-win situation. I am just trying to plan for the unknown....rental car booked at Port Canaveral in case we don't board.....back up trip mapped out....a back up to the back up trip also mapped out.

 

[lanejudy]

Q-
What about if you … and adult … chooses to remain onboard ?
Do you still have to be Covid tested and come back negative???

how long will this new rule remain in effect ??

Since DCL has not commented on these new rules from The Bahamas, nobody can really answer your question yet. If they test onboard, I expect they will test everyone regardless of your plans for the day. But maybe not. We should know more later this week.

 

[TreeFalls]

When we cruised in August they insisted we drop off our luggage before our PCR test. We thought that was odd. We asked about what happens to our luggage if we test positive. The guy just laughed and said to stay positive. We had a rental car and parked in the garage. There was no reason for them to take our luggage. I would definitely keep your luggage with you.

I would recommend anyone that has a car to keep their luggage in their car until they test negative. You can roll your luggage across the street and hand it to the porter before you check-in.

Are you talking about at Port Canaveral? That's where we are leaving from, and since they do the test in the car I was planning to keep all our luggage with us until we are sure we're boarding. If we can't get on the ship, the last thing we want to do is sit at the port for hours waiting for our bags.

 

[Ila Sikorski]

We are set to sail on the Dream 01/21 and have the same feelings as all of the above…Both husband and I are fully vaccinated. Our 3 year daughter is not. Where we live it is so hard to find testing…

 

[TreeFalls]

Would it be good to take a diagnostic PCR test close to the 15 day window to have a doctor's 90 day recovered letter in case we were unknowingly positive? I just can't decide what I want to do. It seems that even people who took a test a few days beforehand and were negative are still showing up positive on port day in some instances. Is it a no-win situation?

That's what we did. We were all negative at 17 days out. So at least if we test positive at the port we can be reasonably sure it's a recent infection.

ETA- we are lucky that our health department has free testing centers 6 days a week.

 

[Cheburashka]

Where I am at, it is difficult to find a Covid test. Even the at home ones are all sold out.

Where we live it is so hard to find testing…

Do you have a CVS or Walgreens within driving distance? Typically, those both offer Covid testing. You make an appointment online, then drive up and they test you in your car. You can make an appointment about a week and a half in advance at most, and I recommend booking in advance to get a testing time as close to your departure as possible, preferably late in the day before your departure. In my area, CVS has more rapid testing availability than Walgreens, so I would check there first. It doesn't cost anything if you indicate on their intake form that you're testing prior to travel.

Some of the home testing kits seem to have accuracy issues, as well, so I would stick with 3rd party testing rather than DIY testing.

 

[Cheburashka]

It seems that even people who took a test a few days beforehand and were negative are still showing up positive on port day in some instances.

This is one reason to cruise during the first part of your trip, and not after a few days at WDW, for example. If you want a land & sea vacation, do the sea portion first, to decrease the likelihood of a positive test at embarkation. Don't spend 2-3 nights at a hotel or resort before cruising, either. Some people are in the habit of doing that, to get fully into vacation mode before boarding, but it's not a wise practice now unless you live nearby & won't be floored by a positive test result at port.

I recommend getting rapid tested the evening before you fly (or drive) to your destination, not a few days before. A few days is all it takes to catch & build up Covid in your system.

 

[DCLMP]

Are you talking about at Port Canaveral? That's where we are leaving from, and since they do the test in the car I was planning to keep all our luggage with us until we are sure we're boarding. If we can't get on the ship, the last thing we want to do is sit at the port for hours waiting for our bags.

Yes I was referring to PC. I would keep your luggage with you. I don't know why the guy insisted we drop off our luggage before parking. They also wouldn't let us pull into the garage until our exact time. Hopefully by know they've come up with a better system.

 

[RedmonFamily]

Does Castaway Cay fall under the new Bahama Testing Announcement? I am on the Jan 30 Magic cruise, it is now a double dip CC and Bahamas stop.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Previously cruise line passengers were under different testing rules. Unless the testing rule is under cruise line pax, the testing rule may not apply.

 

[knewton64]

1. That's how I read it
2. Well, you have to test negative to even board the ship.

The concern I have is that it might affect the last day of the cruise. Since the test must be within 72 hours, the test we take to board the ship no longer meets Bahamian testing requirements.

I guess it will remain in effect as long as the Bahamian government sees a need for it.

Q-
I just called DCL and they are unaware of this rule change -

so I have to ask :


on a 5 night Bahamas DCL cruise , would an adult have to be tested for Covid and come back negative in order to get off the ship at Nassau ??
Be it now or in January 2022 on ??

can the adult just stay on the ship … thus avoiding having to be tested ???
This is sssooooooo confusing /

 

[mousefan73]

Just thought I would chime in. We booked the 1/31 cruise aboard the Dream before omicron took over the world. I am having many sleepless nights over that port test. We are 2 adults, 2 kids all vaccinated and boosted (the adults at least). I am concerned about the breakthrough infections my husband is seeing at his work and also all of these asymptomatic infections.

I just have this ominous feeling one of us will test positive. I guess I am concerned one of us will test positive due to a previous asymptomatic infection. Would it be good to take a diagnostic PCR test close to the 15 day window to have a doctor's 90 day recovered letter in case we were unknowingly positive? I just can't decide what I want to do. It seems that even people who took a test a few days beforehand and were negative are still showing up positive on port day in some instances. Is it a no-win situation?

correct me if I am wrong, but an antigen test wont keep showing positive after an infection. The PCR test will. ???

 

[mousefan73]

Does anyone know what brand of tests they use at port? they must be good seeing people are self administering these. And what I mean to say is I highly doubt most are really pushing that swab up there deep and really trying to get a full sample. KWIM?

that is why here in germany an official test needs to given by somebody not self.

 

[Ila Sikorski]

Do you have a CVS or Walgreens within driving distance? Typically, those both offer Covid testing. You make an appointment online, then drive up and they test you in your car. You can make an appointment about a week and a half in advance at most, and I recommend booking in advance to get a testing time as close to your departure as possible, preferably late in the day before your departure. In my area, CVS has more rapid testing availability than Walgreens, so I would check there first. It doesn't cost anything if you indicate on their intake form that you're testing prior to travel.

Some of the home testing kits seem to have accuracy issues, as well, so I would stick with 3rd party testing rather than DIY testing.

All Walgreens and Cvs’ around here are fully booked. We’ve barely found at home test kits. It’s a shame but I guess we’ll just be as careful possible and isolate as much as we can through January.

 

[Sykes]

Previously cruise line passengers were under different testing rules. Unless the testing rule is under cruise line pax, the testing rule may not apply.

This. The Bahamas has separate rules for cruise passengers. The full text of the order is here, and the parts pertaining to cruise ship passengers did not change--passengers 12 or older must be fully vaccinated, and they must comply with the testing protocols issued by the cruise lines and approved by the Bahamian government. They could always revise the rules to change the requirements for cruise ships, but the changes that were announced on December 23rd aren't directly applicable to cruises, and the new order explicitly states that the previously approved testing protocols are still accepted.

 

[LisaRN97]

Does anyone know what brand of tests they use at port? they must be good seeing people are self administering these. And what I mean to say is I highly doubt most are really pushing that swab up there deep and really trying to get a full sample. KWIM?

that is why here in germany an official test needs to given by somebody not self.

Not sure the brand they use, but they do have staff instructing you each step of the way and witnessing you insert in your nose. They will tell you to insert more or twist a few more times...my daughter actually had a nosebleed while doing it. They watched us like hawks...