These Covid Times and Surprises

[Oakman58]

For our Dec 5th Mexican Riviera cruise out of L.A. we stayed at the Hilton Airport hotel.  We were caught off guard when we went to dinner that evening in the Hotel’s restaurant because we had to show our Covid vaccination cards to get served.  No proof of being fully vaccinated, no service.  We had to go back up to our room to retrieve our Covid cards.

 

Our next surprise was how long the Covid test procedure took at the cruise port.  I had read on various social media sites how quick and easy the NCL test procedure was, hmmm, not so quick for us.  We arrived at the port via NCL provided transportation at 11:25 AM and I was surprised to see a long line outside the building that was being used for Covid testing.  After giving our luggage to the stevedore we walked across the street and joined the long line to get inside the building.

 

 

Once inside the building we had to join another long que for the Covid test.  All the standing and waiting had my bad knee aching and in hindsight I should have asked for a wheelchair.

 

 

From that que we finally made it to the actual line to be tested.  This was also the only line where some degree of social distancing was practiced.

 

 

After the test we were herded into a corral where thankfully we could sit to await the result of our nose swab.

 

 

My wife received her negative result via text in 15 minutes but it took an additional 15 minutes before I finally received my negative result.  Sitting for 30 minutes with 100 or so of your fellow passengers waiting for a test result can seem like an eternity.   Especially when many have come in after you and have already left.

 

Once we were both proven negative we went back outside to walk to the adjacent building where we would actually check in for our cruise.  Fortunately there was no line for Platinum and above passengers so the check in was quick and easy.  Even so, it was 2:45 PM before we were finally on the Bliss.  Thank goodness our ship was sailing at half capacity or the Covid testing would have been a nightmare.

 

 

[PelicanBill]

Thanks for the firsthand report!  You make a really good point as we experience a new surge. Rules in port cities and states are going to vary... I would carry my vaccine card everwhere.

[debenson0723]

Wow...sorry about those lines and waiting times.  I sailed on the Bliss Thanksgiving week.  Arrived at the port at my check-in time of 11:30 and was onboard well before 1pm.  I think it is always going to vary based on when most people show up and how long it takes to get the tests processed.  Won't matter after 1/17/22 when testing at the port stops for the majority.

[Laszlo]

If travelers haven't learned by now they never will. Know the rules and regulations where you are going before you go. The rules about restaurants in LA requiring vaccine cards goes back 6 weeks

[dobiemom]

@Oakman58 Was there a Princess ship with you?
I was on the Bliss Nov 14 sailing. Testing (and luggage drop off) was at Berth 93 (usual Princess check in area). After we got our wristbands we took a shuttle to Berth 92 for NCL check in. (Could have walked but didn’t feel like it. 😉)

No line for testing, although my results took 50 min. (I was getting nervous.) Small line/waiting for shuttle. Little line for NCL security and check in.
Not bad at all on Nov 14. 

[Oakman58]

1 hour ago, dobiemom said:

@Oakman58 Was there a Princess ship with you?
I was on the Bliss Nov 14 sailing. Testing (and luggage drop off) was at Berth 93 (usual Princess check in area). After we got our wristbands we took a shuttle to Berth 92 for NCL check in. (Could have walked but didn’t feel like it. 😉)

No line for testing, although my results took 50 min. (I was getting nervous.) Small line/waiting for shuttle. Little line for NCL security and check in.
Not bad at all on Nov 14. 

 

Although there was a Princess ship in port, NCL changed things up since your cruise and they no longer use the Princess berth 93 for testing.  All passengers in my photos were NCL passengers.  Here’s a pic of the testing building and the building we checked in.  In the picture below we were tested in the building on the left and then walked to the building marked Berth 91 for check in.

 

[MichiganBound]

Kudos to the city of LA for requiring vaccine proof to go into restaurants!  I wish this was in place country-wide....and for domestic travel as well.   

[milolii]

@Oakman58 Thank you for the thread. Update us when you get on the ship!  
 

Many places across the US are requiring vaccines for dinning.  Yes, It is best to check before you go, but now many more people know because of your posts. 

 The vaccination proof is widely required in other countries for all kinds of events or establishments as well, especially in Europe.  So it is best to carry it(or at least a copy) with you. 

 

[BirdTravels]

Our testing (including time in line) took over an hour and a half. So 30 minutes, while it may feel like an eternity, was a lot better than our experience. 

[UKstages]

tested in NOLA this past sunday. one hour and fifteen minutes top to bottom, including wait time pre and post. i thought it was pretty efficient.

 

bonus points for use of the word “stevedore.”