UK-US travel, 2021/2022

[zavandor]

Royal Pacific gave me the number of a medical concierge which is nearby (5 minutes by car), their antigen tests costs $95. A bit more costly than the Airport one, but much more convenient.
(855) 932 5252
6000 turkey lake road
I prefer to take the test 2 days in advance, so I can try to reschedule the flight if I end up being positive.

Anyone knows if Walgreens does testing for tourists? On the website I could only find info for locals and calling I couldn't find a way to talk to a human being.

 

[2Tiggies]

Anyone knows if Walgreens does testing for tourists? On the website I could only find info for locals and calling I couldn't find a way to talk to a human being.

Any place that does testing here will do testing for tourists. The only difference is what they will charge you. I called seven different places, including CVS, Walgreens, Advent Health, Orlando Health and a few others. All gave the same question and answer when I asked for the cost.

Are you a US Citizen?
Yes, but it's not for me - the patients are non citizen tourists.

Answer at each place: out of pocket for USC ranged between $25- $29. For visitors, it ranged between $139 per person (which we took) and $209.

My recommendation now that this is known, if you can plan ahead you can get it cheaper so do some homework. watch the threads and schedule in advance. The issue we had is that my parents were affected by the change within a few days of departure so the place that offered cheaper options was full booked. If you get in early, you CAN get a better price. For us, we just didn't have the time to play with and the distress it was causing my elderly parents was not worth it so we took them on Tuesday night and got it done.

Also, I hope things will ease up as this is now a known requirement, but nobody was able to check in online for the outbound flight due to the paperwork that has to be checked. Hopefully in the upcoming days/weeks things will be set up so that more verification can be submitted online. When we took my parents to MCO this afternoon we showed up four hours ahead of the flight. The check in desk was already open and there was a significantly long line. The airport itself was not busy, but lines for all airlines seemed substantial. Things will probably settle a little as they have time to implement the appropriate systems etc, but if you are flying out this week it won't hurt to arrive early.

I noticed the flight was delayed by over an hour. No way to connect with my folks until they get to the UK (tech and all that stuff ain't their thing) but we suspect that all the additional checks made checkin a longer than usual process for the staff. When I get more info in the morning I'll be able to update you if there is anything else that may help.

 

[schumigirl]

my husband and I decided this evening that for the sake of everyone’s sanity and the fact that we’re so over all this BS we are just going to pay what these sharks want for the expensive prices, cover the costs ourselves and be done with it.

My heart goes out to those in this situation who don’t have friends or family or transportation.

I hope your parents were sorted out ok, it did seem quite difficult to find the correct info.

We decided for peace of mind and convenience to pay $75 each for the rapid antigen and we went to a place on Turkey Lake Rd which was a pop up tent......seemed very surreal and dodgy to be honest, but it was fine and we got the certificates we needed, and going through check in with the correct info was a breeze in the end. They were very thorough though checking through everything.

Peace of mind is worth more at times.

We took a young lady who was staying at the same hotel as us along with us too as she was stuck with no transport, she was on her own and was confused too with where to go for the correct test.....we were glad to help though as you said, to be alone without any transport must be dreadful. This being thrown at us last minute was not fun.

 

[2Tiggies]

I hope your parents were sorted out ok, it did seem quite difficult to find the correct info.

We decided for peace of mind and convenience to pay $75 each for the rapid antigen and we went to a place on Turkey Lake Rd which was a pop up tent......seemed very surreal and dodgy to be honest, but it was fine and we got the certificates we needed, and going through check in with the correct info was a breeze in the end. They were very thorough though checking through everything.

Peace of mind is worth more at times.

We took a young lady who was staying at the same hotel as us along with us too as she was stuck with no transport, she was on her own and was confused too with where to go for the correct test.....we were glad to help though as you said, to be alone without any transport must be dreadful. This being thrown at us last minute was not fun.

Thank you, yes we did. We just went with a local urgent care center because it was convenient and the nurse we spoke to on the phone was the same one who did the tests for them and she was so sweet with them. It became a case of willingness on our part to pay for the convenience and reduce stress on them.


I agree, the info was spotty, at best. We are not in the tourist area - we're slightly north or Orlando - so I can't make any recommendations on places to go from experience. At least none that will be helpful to anyone on vacation. I really hope that they get things a little more organized. Communication would be a good start.

The problem is that the UK government put in an eleventh hour requirement for people outside of their country and they have no control over how to support their British travelers, financially or otherwise. Medical care in the US is horrendously expensive and it's assumed that everyone has medical insurance, which is fine if you live here, but useless for everyone else. My husband and I both work from home so we've been largely unaffected by testing and lockdowns etc, which rendered us clueless when all these changes came out.

By the way, that was really sweet of you to take someone else to the testing center with you. The two changes in as many weeks has added on some additional costs as well as hassle for travelers. Those with larger families are going to be hit hard. Hopefully some care providers in the tourist areas will see the opportunity to offer some cost effective solutions to visitors over the coming days and weeks.

 

[schumigirl]

Thank you, yes we did. We just went with a local urgent care center because it was convenient and the nurse we spoke to on the phone was the same one who did the tests for them and she was so sweet with them. It became a case of willingness on our part to pay for the convenience and reduce stress on them.


I agree, the info was spotty, at best. We are not in the tourist area - we're slightly north or Orlando - so I can't make any recommendations on places to go from experience. At least none that will be helpful to anyone on vacation. I really hope that they get things a little more organized. Communication would be a good start.

The problem is that the UK government put in an eleventh hour requirement for people outside of their country and they have no control over how to support their British travelers, financially or otherwise. Medical care in the US is horrendously expensive and it's assumed that everyone has medical insurance, which is fine if you live here, but useless for everyone else. My husband and I both work from home so we've been largely unaffected by testing and lockdowns etc, which rendered us clueless when all these changes came out.

By the way, that was really sweet of you to take someone else to the testing center with you. The two changes in as many weeks has added on some additional costs as well as hassle for travelers. Those with larger families are going to be hit hard. Hopefully some care providers in the tourist areas will see the opportunity to offer some cost effective solutions to visitors over the coming days and weeks.

Oh I’m so glad you got them sorted. Yes, it is stressful trying to navigate the new rules that came in.

We got the email Saturday night to say we needed the new test/isolation as well as the other stuff like PLF which was not fun to fill out! It did not like some of our answers lol……but for folks who can’t navigate computers and such you would hope they get some help. Like others we were kind of blindsided when we saw what we had to do and most Concierge in most hotels were lost too as it was SO sudden. Shouldn’t have been allowed.

I feel you should have been able to return to the UK on the rules you left under to stay least give folks a chance, 2-3 days was disgusting. I agree it will hit some families more than others, and that’s a shame. I’ve lost count now of how much we’ve spent on tests alone, but I admit we’re fortunate it’s fine for us, we just grumble a lot, but for large families who can’t get help it’s downright criminal. There are some places that do it for free apparently, but I’d have been too nervous to take the risk in case they weren’t accepted, I’d rather pay.

Oh we would have helped anyone and happy to do it, I couldn’t imagine being alone and panicking where to go and how to get there.

Funny, we did say to her we weren’t axe murders or anything…..which is exactly what an axe murder would say……lol…….

Fingers crossed it all went well for them and they’re home safe and sound.

 

[scottishgirl1]

Royal Pacific gave me the number of a medical concierge which is nearby (5 minutes by car), their antigen tests costs $95. A bit more costly than the Airport one, but much more convenient.
(855) 932 5252
6000 turkey lake road
I prefer to take the test 2 days in advance, so I can try to reschedule the flight if I end up being positive.

Anyone knows if Walgreens does testing for tourists? On the website I could only find info for locals and calling I couldn't find a way to talk to a human being.

Can I ask what was the name of this company as we are staying at Portofino Bay and have to test on 2nd or 3rd January and have no car so want somewher close by to Universal

 

[chefski]

OK so it happened one of my boys has tested positive so I will be dropping a lot of reservations shortly.

Gutted totally.

 

[schumigirl]

OK so it happened one of my boys has tested positive so I will be dropping a lot of reservations shortly.

Gutted totally.

I`m so, so sorry.

It is the worst possible result for any family.

 

[mamamia2005]

Oh I'm so sorry. I hope your son is ok, and you manage to get things re arranged or refunded.

 

[scottishgirl1]

So sorry to see this news, take care

 

[chefski]

Thank you all as stated we are totally gutted but it is the risk of booking a holiday in a pandemic.

I will be dropping loads on the cancellations thread thought id give you a heads up

 

[Plague]

OK so it happened one of my boys has tested positive so I will be dropping a lot of reservations shortly.

Gutted totally.

Oh, after all the effort you've put in ... that's a royal pain. So sorry ☹

 

[chefski]

Oh, after all the effort you've put in ... that's a royal pain. So sorry ☹

Thanks

pick ourselves up dust it off and wait till the prices are not actually double or triple what they should be

 

[Ronaldo17]

OK so it happened one of my boys has tested positive so I will be dropping a lot of reservations shortly.

Gutted totally.

I feel your pain, hope your son is okay

 

[bavarian princess]

OK so it happened one of my boys has tested positive so I will be dropping a lot of reservations shortly.

Gutted totally.

So sorry to hear that!! I hope he is doing okay.

I came back yesterday afternoon from my one week trip to Disney (and an after hours event at Universal). I had a wonderful time and the weather was perfect. I don’t want to rave more about the trip as I feel so sorry for all of you who are currently struggling to even get there

Since I was transiting through LHR to Germany I had to get tested as well. Germany on the other hand doesn’t require a negative test but only the vaccination certificate.

There are several testing facilities near Universal and I went to the pop up testing at the north premium outlet mall. Walgreens does testing as well but the mall was very convenient for me. As someone else said these pop up testing facilities seem a bit…dodgy since they told us the credit card machine was broken and we had to pay cash You could show up without an appointment though which was very convenient. And we got the result after 15 min via Email.
Check in at the airport was a breeze. The BA lady had a quick look at my negative test result and my vaccination certificate and that was it (I couldn’t use VeriFLY on my way back since the app wouldn’t recognize that I don’t need the passenger locator form due to only transiting through the UK).

After reading reports of people testing positive while on vacation in Orlando, I made sure to wear a FFP2 mask in crowded situations, especially in indoor queues at Universal where masks are no longer required. I ate indoors though in places like Space 220, Californian Grill and Brown Derby. The tables were spaced out and I felt quite comfortable I got tested today again (it isn’t required in Germany but since it’s free I did it as a precaution) and the result was again negative

 

[elena980]

I had the option to make it into the US to see family (in reality returned to Europe toward the beginning of today - I'm not in the UK, but rather am « labeling » onto this string), by going through about fourteen days in Canada first (I'm a Canadian residing in Europe with family in the US, so generally split my excursions home between the two nations at any rate).

I'm not persuaded that anybody checked how long it had been since I was in Europe when I flew into the US (I expect that the US can just see my entrances/exits into the US when my visa is filtered and nobody searched for Schengen leave stamps - yet maybe the US can see every one of my entrances/exits), however not something that I'd hazard.

I'm expecting to visit companions in the US in October (I have a constrained month off), however that is appearing to be increasingly improbable (except if I rehash the fourteen days in Canada first).

 

[Plague]

I'm not persuaded that anybody checked how long it had been since I was in Europe

For the US that restriction was lifted last month, so unless it is resurrected future entry should be OK, subject to testing regimes.

 

[SirDuff]

I had the option to make it into the US to see family (in reality returned to Europe toward the beginning of today - I'm not in the UK, but rather am « labeling » onto this string), by going through about fourteen days in Canada first (I'm a Canadian residing in Europe with family in the US, so generally split my excursions home between the two nations at any rate).

I'm not persuaded that anybody checked how long it had been since I was in Europe when I flew into the US (I expect that the US can just see my entrances/exits into the US when my visa is filtered and nobody searched for Schengen leave stamps - yet maybe the US can see every one of my entrances/exits), however not something that I'd hazard.

I'm expecting to visit companions in the US in October (I have a constrained month off), however that is appearing to be increasingly improbable (except if I rehash the fourteen days in Canada first).

We've been able to fly directly into the US from Europe since early November. There was no need to spend any time in Canada (unless, of course, you wanted to see your family there). Nor would the US officials care when you left Europe.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I had the option to make it into the US to see family (in reality returned to Europe toward the beginning of today - I'm not in the UK, but rather am « labeling » onto this string), by going through about fourteen days in Canada first (I'm a Canadian residing in Europe with family in the US, so normally split my outings home between the two nations in any case).

I'm not persuaded that anybody checked how long it had been since I was in Europe when I flew into the US (I expect that the US can see my entrances/exits into the US when my identification is examined and nobody searched for Schengen leave stamps - however maybe the US can see every one of my entrances/exits), however not something that I'd chance.

I'm expecting to visit companions in the US in October (I have a constrained month off), yet that is appearing to be increasingly far-fetched (except if I rehash the fourteen days in Canada first).

The travel ban was removed on November 8. You can fly direct from Europe to USA, you don't need to have to go somewhere else for 14 days any more.

 

[Plague]

I'm getting deja vu