MTtraveler

We've been to the steakhouse on several ships. The first time I was sent back to the cabin to put pants on the first night (I don't remember which ship it was). Other times I've been told no jeans or shorts. On the Panorama last November, I wore khaki shorts on elegant night no problem. I did have a screenshot of when I made the reservations that stated "Cruise Casual", so if they gave me a hard time I could whip that out. Recently on the Magic, again on a elegant night, I wore khaki shorts and was not turned away. In fact they were seating people who were wearing t-shirts and jean shorts. I am of the opinion that what other people wear has no bearing on my dining experience! I'm on vacation!

2 hours ago, DevonfromAcme said:

 

Holy crap, we get it already.  You're an Oceania cruiser.  

 

There's a board for that.  Go find it.

Oceania cruiser? Sounds like they're a recruiter or spokesperson! 

We typically bring cards, Rummnikub (travel size), and Yahtzee to entertain ourselves on sea days - between trivia games of course! We set up in an empty bar area, the library, or the Red Frog Pub (on some ships).

51 minutes ago, nascartim said:

When you buy the tests, they are not tied to anyone. When you are ready to take one of the tests, you will have to download the Navica app and sign up using a login & password, that's how they know it belongs to you. Each person has to do this.

I would add that you might want an extra one or two on hand in case there's a problem with one of the test kits. I've heard that there have been occasionally issues with the test kits. Personally, we have used more than 15 of them with no issues other that the results not showing up in the app once, but we have always received a PDF in an email with the negative results.

On our December 2021 cruise, the there were no self service taps of any type in the Library Bar.

On our recent Panorama cruise we had signed up for the sushi, pasta, and BBQ classes. The sushi class was on the first sea day and was a huge disappointment. You only cook the rice and then roll together pre-cut fish and pre-cooked shrimp along with pre-sliced accompaniments. I don't consider mixing mayo and siracha "cooking". If you want to learn about how to cook rice or the "secret" of spicy mayo, then this is the class for you. I thought we'd get into slicing of the fish, but the knives they give you could hardly slice the completed roll since they were so dull. Full disclosure, I have been to culinary school and am a more than competent home cook, so my expectations might have been set too high. 

Next up was the BBQ class, which we were very much looking forward to. We arrived 10 minutes before the scheduled time as instructed and sat at the group table waiting for some type of communication to happen or the chef to start the class. By 12:20 (20 minutes late) no one had said anything about a delay, or communicated with us at all. The chef was kind of still setting up stuff when we just gave up and left, asking for a refund at the guest services desk. They agreed and a refund was given. 

We also had signed up for the pasta class, but given that our sushi experience wasn't as thorough as expected and the BBQ class left us hanging, I decided just to cancelled our pasta class, with a refund given as well. 

I agree with the others that the spatula gift was a nice thought, but a poor quality gift.

3 hours ago, lele100 said:

I called Emed, and they said only 3 people will be prescription filled and proctored, I asked if 4 people can take the test and be proctored (televisit), ,they say no the $150 price includes only 3 televisits,  He said you can use the other tests to self test if you want, but not proctored. Just an FYI

 

I'm curious though about the 2pk and 3pk sold by Optum how that works, is it still a 2pk for only one person?  I forgot to ask Emed that question.

This is the confusing part of ordering the 6 pack. You will only receive up to 3 prescriptions, which are not necessary for the video proctoring. I believe it's for reimbursement from HSA, Flex, or insurance. Each of the six boxes have an unique code for a single video session and are not associated with the prescription. I originally ordered a two pack from Optum and answered the questionnaire that they were both going to be used by me. When testing time came along, I used one kit and my wife used the other. Each of us had to schedule an appointment on the eMed site and each of us had to setup a NAVICA app account. Testing was seamless and quick. No questions about the prescription. In fact, I ordered a 6 pack from eMed and will be using them for 4 different people - and when ordering this time, I again said they were only for me. I'm 100% confident that this is going to work. They do recommend having more than 1 kit available for each person taking the test in case there are problems with the kit itself or a false reading.

On 8/23/2021 at 2:42 PM, Buffalobills said:

Is everyone using this as a backup plan because of issues on testing sites or just using this as your primary source?  
 

We used it as our primary test. We did have appointments scheduled in Houston the day before our cruise last Saturday in case the final results from the Binaxnow test didn't meet the requirements. We log into the eMed site and the proctor had us conduct the test in front of him. We were able to get right on with them - no wait whatsoever. The whole process took less than 25 minutes with about 5-8 minutes of actual video chatting time. The results provided checked all the Carnival requirement boxes, so we gambled and cancelled our CVS appointments. We boarded with the printed test results - the person hardly even looked at our vaccination cards or the test results. All-in-all I would recommend this test. In fact, I'm going to order the 6 pack for our November cruise if Carnival extends the testing requirement.

We just boarded the Breeze and we presented the report from the BinaxNow proctored test and it was accepted. They literally spent more time examining the bottle of wine we brought on than the COVID-19 documents!

56 minutes ago, chamorroroots said:

I also would like folks to know that I am currently unable to download my prescription file for the Home Test kit and have reported it to eMed. It's been two days since my initial report, so they do seem pretty slow at responding. 

 

I'm confused. At what point do you need to download the prescription? After receiving it and scheduling the video appointment? I should receive mine today, so I may be lacking some information. Thanks!

12 minutes ago, Moparfiend said:

When I go to checkout it says "Purchasing this product requires approval from a medical professional."
And then that it requires a prescription

Do they make that prescription? 

I purchased mine at Optum .com (https://store.optum.com/shop/products/abbott-binaxNOW-COVID-19-ag-at-home-test-kit-2-pack) and filled out their screener questions and was able to purchase immediately. If I recall correctly, I marked Travel and for Myself.

1 hour ago, Jasalth said:

I was actually researching last night and decided on this one myself as a "back-up" test to buy. It actually seems to be the ONLY rapid test that is telehealth with printed results as far as I can tell (But I only spent 2 hours looking so..)The reason I started looking was the book of faces group for this cruise someone said they were going to bring extra of the tests you can get in the store, which doesn't actually seem like it meets the requirements so... yeah... 

 

I was going to order some today as back up's for our 8/28 cruise. What I am debating on is ordering the 6 pack from eMed themselves, or the only other place I found for shipping is OptumRx, which has 2 packs ($70) and 3 packs ($100). From what it seems like, the expiration date is 12 months, and might go up again, so I am leaning to the 6 pack and can use them for other travel. 

 

As a warning, it seems like eMed's wait times are.. excessive right now according to reports. Excessive as in 2-4 hours in line waiting for the proctor which is what makes this test acceptable for Carnival.

 

I also looked into back up rapid same day Antigen/PCR tests in my area, and if for some reason our CVS results don't come back by Friday also I wanted to have a backup plan. They are $75-$150pp in our area for rapid in house lab testing for travel, so the 6 pack for just a little more in cost of 2 rapid antigen's in my area looks like a no brainer. 

 

 

I spent a little more than 2 hours looking and I also solicitated the input from my brother-in-law who's a biochemist who works with COVID stuff and had him read all the sciencey things and he said as far as he could tell it would work. As a backup plan, 2-4 hours wait for a proctor is OK by me. I bought the 2 pack and should have it tomorrow. Upon reflection, if this is acceptable by Carnival, I'll be ordering the 6 pack (or more!) since we have 5 cruises scheduled in the next several months.

We are cruising next Saturday and this new testing requirement has thrown a curveball into our plans. Living in rural Montana is amazing however, sometimes there are challenges - such as this COVID testing requirement. We are flying out the day before our cruise as we normally do, but travel delays are always a possibility. As an example of an unforeseen delay is our airport ran out of jet fuel (fire fighting aircraft get priority - the nerve 🙂!) for commercial flights and they were canceled for that day. We did schedule a test at a CVS on Friday, but it could be an issue if we don't get in early enough for the appointment or get a false positive and need retested, hence the need for a backup plan. The last thing we need is to be denied boarding - we've already had so many cruises canceled and NEED THIS ONE BADLY!

I've been looking at Abbott BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test with eMed Telehealth Services and as far as I can tell, it would meet the requirements of a self administered antigen test with the eMed Telehealth services.

Is a self-test acceptable?

Vaccinated guests may use a medically observed self-test (sometimes referred to as home test) that meets the following criteria:

• The test must be a SARS-CoV-2 viral test (nucleic acid amplification test [NAAT] or antigen test) with Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Please note, antigen tests are accepted for fully vaccinated guests, but not for unvaccinated guests.
• The testing procedure must include a telehealth service affiliated with the manufacturer of the test that provides real-time supervision remotely through an audio and video connection. Some FDA-authorized self-tests that include a telehealth service may require a prescription.
• The telehealth provider must confirm the person’s identity, observe the specimen collection and testing procedures, confirm the test result, and issue a report that meets the requirements of acceptable proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

This test complies with the CDC requirements for international travelers returning to the USA and is recommended by United Airlines. Since I read that Carnival is not recommending any particular test, I'm curious if anyone has thoughts as to whether or not this product would comply. FYI we are fully vaccinated.

Thanks!

I have had plenty of McCallan on previous Carnival cruises. McCallan is my go to Scotch, so I'm not sure what others are available, but if he likes McCallan, he'll be satisfied. Have fun!

C

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Thanks for your replies everyone!

So yes, will most likely not have a car anywhere. Just was thinking about grabbing a car to get from DC to the port of Baltimore, but if there is a train, we will most likely do that.

Our dates are the first weeks of June, and yes - 5 to a room is a pain. We do have a niece in NY so may plop the kids there for the 2-3 nights were are there if hotels for 5 are just too pricey.

As for luggage - even with 4 girls, we are known to pack super light - only carry-ons for us... hopefully :)

Thanks again!

I can't exactly find the information I'm looking for... so any input would be appreciated. We are a family of 5. Two teens going to DC for a school trip, so thought we would cruise out of Baltimore this summer. AND since we are on the east coast, thought we would run up to New York after the cruise. Here are my questions/thoughts.

I'm thinking we can do without a car for the two days we will be in DC before the cruise. Have been there before and done most of the sights and are OK with the metro. What is the best way to get from DC to the port of Baltimore? Should we rent a car for that morning? Can we drop off at the pier?

Then, after the cruise - I see that there is a train that goes from Baltimore to NY. Would probably take a taxi from the pier to the train station. Is this the best option? $40 per ticket for the train - is that a good price?

Again, in NY we are thinking of just not having a car. However, this would be really unfamiliar territory. Any suggestions on where to stay? What would be easy? We will be there for just a couple of days to hit the highlights - Statue of Liberty, World Trade Center memorial etc. Then, how do we get back to the airport?

Sorry this is long - just hoping someone has done this before with success and could give me their insight.

Thanks in advance!!