publicpersona

Also note that they are recommending that testing not be done more than one day in advance if possible. Saying that at the same time they essentially rule out rapid testing makes no sense. I think we're all in agreement that the guidance is confusing, MSC doesn't do a good job at communication, and it will all change again and again.

I mentioned that post as well. However, understand that the context of the last several posts is what happens after August 29th, so a data point from before now may not be compelling. That said, I see no reason to think that home rapid antigen tests proctored by a trained professional (which could be your own doctor, eMed, OnPoint, etc.) will continue to be honored. But it will take some clarification on MSC's protocol statements before that can be said with high confidence.

While noteworthy, I'm in the camp with @style2k7who commented that if we each called MSC, we'd each get different answers. To believe that tests proctored by a remote trained proctor are no longer accepted requires that At a time when all the cruise lines are rapidly easing protocols to reduce friction to taking a cruise, MSC is going out of their way to make it less convenient by eliminating what the industry has been recommending and accepting for quite a while. They did this with no mention, commentary, or kickback from those in the cruise new social media. There is a well understood meaning of a "lab administered" rapid antigen test. I'm sure there are exceptions, but I've not heard of any antigen testing being done in a "lab." It's always drive-up windows at the drugstore, testing at home, a white tent at the port, a kiosk at the airport, etc., none of which are lab administered. Update: I consulted my own medical provider portal for what might be meant by "lab administered" test. Per their definition, requiring a lab administered test would mean no rapid tests are accepted, period. And I really, really doubt MSC has made that decision.

What article are you referring to? The link provided Norwegian Cruise Line | Sail Safe | Health & Safety Protocols (ncl.com) clearly says that vaccinated passengers won't need a test after Sep 3 (except as required by destintions such as Canada) .

TBH, my cruise debarks on Aug 27th so I'm not concerned about the change you seem to be reading into this. However, I have no idea where you've come up with the interpretation that specifically "healthcare professional, pharmacy, or clinic" is any different from the telehealth agents proctoring the tests. Don't those folks work in the healthcare industry? No one knows what a "lab administered" antigen test is. Unlike a PCR, you can't exactly send the sample of to a "lab" and await results. The results are, well, rapid. There's no reason to be stressing out about those words.

I've never heard of anyone taking a "laboratory" antigen test. I'm imagining a Dr. Frankenstein laboratory with white-coated technicians huddled over a flow strip that is only valid for about 15-20 minutes after the sample was collected. Anyway, I think the wording omitting proctored home test is just a temporary oversight. I do believe there was a post today in this forum indicating success with the pay to proctor (of the USPS/drugstore OTC test) service. I plan to do that for my Seashore cruise on the 28th.

I'm 0 for 2 with MSC and the photo upload. The last time I asked a supervisor there (because she was standing there, not because I sought her out to complain) and she gave me the most reasonable explanation ... "The picture you upload is for check-in, but here at the port when you check in, we need to take it." So there ya go.

No, there is not.

I think you've answered your own question. It isn't necessary to upload a photo for web check in. They usually take it at the port anyway.

As an experiment, do what some ill-informed cruisers do and bring your stateroom attendant some worthless tchotchke from your hometown .. maybe a decorative rock for their cabin. I would bet anything they would appear to be extremely grateful.

What risks are you insuring against? Does your health care coverage cover you sufficiently when travelling internationally? If not, that would be my biggest concern. Other than that, I would be inclined to insure against only that risk that would be a significant hardship to your financial condition. At the end of the day, it's gambling against the house, and the house has actuaries that have it all figured out in their favor. Check also to see what travel insurance your credit card might provide. Chase Sapphire Reserve has decent insurance if any part of the trip was paid using that card. I know this is the contrarian position. There will be people whose having insurance has worked out extremely well for them. They will be more vocal than those that have always paid for insurance and never had the occasion to use it.

Awesome. Well then, I'll just say that on the two MSC cruises I've taken in the last year (Divina, Meraviglia; not YC), this was the soap situation

It is increasingly common lately in the hospitality industry to eschew bar soap in favor of liquid. I've had notes in my post-cruise packing notes (including MSC) to "Bring some bar soap next time!". The room attendant may have access to some to supply to you, but best bet is BYOB (bring your own bar).

Oh good. An excellent informative thread descending into a tipping rathole. I'll see if I can help ... MSC does not recommend tipping individual members of staff. (But if you want to, I say go ahead and do what pleases you. But maybe keep that to yourself as a very personal decision.)

I've not seen this documented anywhere and this is solely the result of my own testing, but I don't believe there is any difference in speed between the packages. The surf package just blocks popular video streaming sites as well as media that they can tell is video.

The Bahamas don't require anything of vaccinated passengers at this time. What you need to board the ship depends on when your cruise is, and what ports of call it has.

The Abbott BinaxNOW kits with eMed proctoring are about $30-$35 each including shipping purchased through Optum.com. The problem with buying the test kit and proctoring together like this is that you really need one or two extra kits on hand should the test come back invalid, or you drop the card on the floor. A somewhat cheaper option is to pay $15-$25 for proctoring by itself which can use any FDA approved test kit like the ones you can get through USPS. I got four kits from the grocery store pharmacy. This solves the problem of having a spare, although having never used this approach, I can't personally recommend it or not.

It is scary what Google knows. They do (ostensibly) make available all the data they collect on you, and pulling this data is quite interesting. I have a Nest smoke alarm that lights up when I go down the hall in the middle of the night. I can't remember if I got up in the middle of the night to pee on February 20, 2021. But Google can tell you.

It is impossible to answer the question "How early can I book my flight?" without knowing the downside to not being able to make the flight, and what alternative flights you'd be able to take. If I was flying Southwest and they had flights at 9, 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, 3 and 4, I'd book 9 AM, and change it to 10 if it looked like I couldn't make, then maybe 11, etc. If I was flying a family of 4 on nonrefundable/nonchangeable $600 fares and my choices were 10 AM or 1 PM, I'd book 1 PM.

Not without buying a package, I don't think. You'd have better luck thinking about which of your ports of call might have a convenient Internet cafe. If your ports of call include Puerto Rico or USVI, your cellular plan might work and if your plan/phone supports it, hotspot to your Nook.

Yes, my answer above was in the context of using the phone hotspot. If you extend the question to using other hardware, then there are many workarounds. However, if your package is only one device and that device is your travel router, then you'd need to take it with you around the ship if you wanted wi-fi other than in your room.

Carnival is continuing to say pre-cruise testing is required for Bahamas, though no such destination requirement has existed since June 19, 2022 (for vax pax). COVID-19 Status - The Bahamas

Could you elaborate on what phone and mobile operating system allow sharing bridging from wi-fi to wi-fi? As I said above, hotspot provides the ability to bridge internet connectivity from cellular to someone as wi-fi. But I am mostly knowledgeable about iOS devices.

The last two sailings I did on MSC (both post-restart, one Divina and one Meraviglia), the cabin steward told me that he would service the room once a day in the morning. I asked if I could get a towel swap in the evening and he said of course. As far as I could tell my experience was the same had they done it twice a day.

I would normally agree, but on the last cruise I booked, the difference was substantial. In fact, the amount seemed to vary from time to time while the cruise price stayed the same .. must be dynamic pricing. Is there a known formula for the Fantastica pricing? I've done it both ways. Fortunately, the times I chose Bella, I got a desirable (formerly Fantastica) balcony anyway.