Border closure and getting to TX

[luvalot]

Hey all!

 

We live in Ontario and have a RCCL cruise booked out of Galveston August 22. 

 

I much prefer to fly out of Detroit via Southwest than spend a significant amount more to fly out of Toronto. 

 

BUT they just extended the land closure another month. Now I'm not sure what to do...take my chances that the border will open by August 21 and buy Southwest tickets now anyway, cancel cruise altogether or suck it up and pay the extra $1200 to fly from Canada. 

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

Janet

[broberts]

News this morning is that Ottawa will announce new travel restrictions later this morning.

 

Speculation is that restrictions will ease for fully vaccinated but land border will stay closed for another month.

 

I can't imagine the land border staying closed to fully vaccinated much longer. The pressure to open is going to be enormous.

[lostinparadise999]

2 hours ago, broberts said:

News this morning is that Ottawa will announce new travel restrictions later this morning.

 

Speculation is that restrictions will ease for fully vaccinated but land border will stay closed for another month.

 

I can't imagine the land border staying closed to fully vaccinated much longer. The pressure to open is going to be enormous.

This is the news article this morning: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/canada-lifting-restrictions-for-fully-vaccinated-travellers-starting-july-5-1.5478703

[gnome12]

This good news affects Canadians returning, but it doesn't say anything about Canadians crossing into the US. While I agree that the Canada/US land border should be more open, it doesn't look like anything will happen until  (at least) July 21.

 

 

 

[Josie201]

I am disappointed, though not surprised, at the testing requirements.  I have no problem getting tested, but for a weekend getaway (land border crossing) to have to pay $200 for a test in Canada to drive across to NY for some shopping and sightseeing, then essentially on arrival in the US get another test (and pay for another test) to enable my return to Canada two days later (to ensure timely results), effectively keeps the border closed for short-term trips.  Hopefully by the time our cruise and two week trip comes in November this will be further simplified if not eliminated...

[broberts]

1 hour ago, Josie201 said:

I am disappointed, though not surprised, at the testing requirements.  I have no problem getting tested, but for a weekend getaway (land border crossing) to have to pay $200 for a test in Canada to drive across to NY for some shopping and sightseeing, then essentially on arrival in the US get another test (and pay for another test) to enable my return to Canada two days later (to ensure timely results), effectively keeps the border closed for short-term trips.  Hopefully by the time our cruise and two week trip comes in November this will be further simplified if not eliminated...

 

I don't follow, my reading is that as of July 5 fully vaccinated travellers do not need testing.

[Josie201]

No change to testing requirements. Just quarantine requirements.  

[gnome12]

45 minutes ago, Josie201 said:

No change to testing requirements. Just quarantine requirements.  

Not absolutely true. You don't have to do the test at day 8 of return. But you are correct, you still need one test within 72 hours of your departure (by plane) or border crossing (by car), and another at the border. As long as both of those are negative you will be done. (But you do have to have a quarantine plan in case the test at the border comes up positive.)

[Josie201]

37 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

Not absolutely true. You don't have to do the test at day 8 of return. But you are correct, you still need one test within 72 hours of your departure (by plane) or border crossing (by car), and another at the border. As long as both of those are negative you will be done. (But you do have to have a quarantine plan in case the test at the border comes up positive.)

Yes, that's more accurate.  Still, essentially the border remains closed, or at least difficult, for any desired short land trips even if fully vaxxed. 

[broberts]

The reasoning in the press release for two tests doesn't really make sense. I understand wanting to track the entry of variants, but surely just a single test done on arrival would provide this data.

[A&L_Ont]

18 minutes ago, broberts said:

The reasoning in the press release for two tests doesn't really make sense. I understand wanting to track the entry of variants, but surely just a single test done on arrival would provide this data.

 

If I had to guess, they want to know that the fully vaccinated are negative prior to their return home as well as after they get home.  Fully vaccinated are also to track close contracts for two week after they return home as well.

 

We were breaking it down here at home during the press conference.  

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, broberts said:

The reasoning in the press release for two tests doesn't really make sense. I understand wanting to track the entry of variants, but surely just a single test done on arrival would provide this data.

I would think the rationale for the pre-departure test is that if you are positive you can’t get on the plane at all. 

[Josie201]

Whatever the rationales are as I said it still effectively prohibits short land based crossings - cottage weekend etc.  

[gnome12]

14 minutes ago, Josie201 said:

Whatever the rationales are as I said it still effectively prohibits short land based crossings - cottage weekend etc.  

If you live here in Canada, unless you are a US citizen you can't yet drive to the US anyway. For my dual citizen sister who lives in the US, as long as she is prepared to possibly have to quarantine in her daughter's basement for 14 days if she tests positive, she can come to Canada (drive up) for a weekend to visit her 2 daughters who live in Montreal.

[DirtyDawg]

You still have 2 months before your cruise and 2 months is a lifetime in these Covid times. All along there have been options to get non-essential travelers across the land borders but these options have been expensive. If you can wait, the border should likely be open by August. Of course, if this happens, there in no guarantee the border will stay open.  If you don't want to risk it, book a flight from Toronto or reschedule your cruise to a later date when the situation, hopefully will be clearer.    

[A&L_Ont]

On 6/21/2021 at 5:09 PM, Josie201 said:

Whatever the rationales are as I said it still effectively prohibits short land based crossings - cottage weekend etc.  

 

I have a co-worker who lives in Strathroy and they would typically cross the border once a week for gas, groceries etc.  They say the last year has been "strange" for them. 

[A&L_Ont]

49 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

If you don't want to risk it, book a flight from Toronto

 

And I might add, book fully refundable if possible.

[TeaBag]

3 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

I have a co-worker who lives in Strathroy and they would typically cross the border once a week for gas, groceries etc.  They say the last year has been "strange" for them. 

We are feeling the same way as your coworker.

[gnome12]

I have a trip to Europe booked for September. I booked with Air Canada because they offered flexible rebooking with no fees, and you don't have to rebook the same destination. I think they extended that option to the end of June, but I'm not certain. I'm actually flying with Lufthansa, but I ticketed with Air Canada because it gives us Canadians more options. (I have a trip to Africa planned for July 2022, and if I have Air Canada credit I have way more choices of routing.)

[poffles]

Doesn't one also have to consider not only what the US border restrictions are but but what might be required in the specific state (Michigan) like quarantine?  Each state has their own 'rules' within the bigger country restrictions, same as Canada, so make sure to consider that in the mix.

 

 

Edited June 29, 2021 by poffles

[Russ Lomas]

On 6/20/2021 at 11:34 PM, luvalot said:

Hey all!

 

We live in Ontario and have a RCCL cruise booked out of Galveston August 22. 

 

I much prefer to fly out of Detroit via Southwest than spend a significant amount more to fly out of Toronto. 

 

BUT they just extended the land closure another month. Now I'm not sure what to do...take my chances that the border will open by August 21 and buy Southwest tickets now anyway, cancel cruise altogether or suck it up and pay the extra $1200 to fly from Canada. 

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

Janet

I feel your pain.  We are set to cruise out of Florida in August the week before you are to set sail.  We hope to drive to Florida.  We are really hoping that the land border is open after July 21st since the vaccination rates will by very high by then.  The cost of a $200 test to get into the US and a $200 test times six people also makes it insanely expensive to take our $500 cruise, so we hope this requirement goes by the wayside as well for fully vaccinated individuals.