A Canadian takes on a S2B2B on Oasis 1/2/22, Odyssey 1/9/22 & 1/15/22 (hopefully)

[JessyCruises]

8 hours ago, karebare22 said:

Check with officials, but this was my interpretation of entry requirements for Canada (I read them over many times - but maybe I’ve missed something?). The website states that as a fully vaccinated Canadian, you can re-enter with EITHER a negative covid test OR a positive test result if more than 10 days post positive (just changed from 14 days) , with no symptoms. I think that latter case is for those people who continue to test positive. 

Thank you - I had never heard that before.  We will definitely check it out!  I would be nice to get home earlier

[dpostman]

Hi Jessica, I do wish you all the best of luck getting back home soon.  I was very interested in reading about your adventure, especially from someone who lives so close to us.  I tip my hat to folks like you,  that are brave enough and can go with the flow, travelling in these unpredictable times.  I'm way too chicken sh!t to attempt such a trip.  So, we travel in our heads by following along in the forums.  Don't be in too much of a rush to get back... more crappy weather in on the way 😉.

 

Thank you for doing such a great job of writing up your evolving situation.  It answers so many questions for so many people.

 

On a good note, you are so close to a Total Wine 🍷.

 

Best regards,

P.S. I think I remember that we sailed together on Anthem in march of 2017.

Dennis

Edited January 17, 2022 by dpostman

[A&L_Ont]

2 hours ago, JessyCruises said:

Thank you - I had never heard that before.  We will definitely check it out!  I would be nice to get home earlier

Jessy, you might want to read this story. Hopefully it will open and work for you.
 

It makes me think twice about heading south and making final payment at the end of the month. 
 

https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2022/01/16/tropic-lockdown-my-family-vacation-in-quarantine.html

[D4]

@A&L_Ont Thanks for posting that article.  Very interesting.

[JessyCruises]

3 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

Jessy, you might want to read this story. Hopefully it will open and work for you.
 

It makes me think twice about heading south and making final payment at the end of the month. 
 

https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2022/01/16/tropic-lockdown-my-family-vacation-in-quarantine.html

I always thought we were handling it best in North America but now I am

 not so sure…

Edited January 17, 2022 by JessyCruises

[barbeyg]

5 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2022/01/16/tropic-lockdown-my-family-vacation-in-quarantine.html

Bureaucracy at its finest, isn’t it? 🙄 😕  Especially with the stark contrast to ‘island hospitality’ with a dose of humanity tossed in.  ❤️
 

Now I can’t wait to get to Aruba later this year. 
 

Thanks for sharing. 🙂

Edited January 17, 2022 by barbeyg

[binro01]

I just might have to move to Aruba and apply for Dutch citizenship.

[A&L_Ont]

2 hours ago, JessyCruises said:

I always thought we were handling it best in North America but now I am

 not so sure…

I hope that your return is much more uneventful. 🤞

[Missusdubbya]

On 1/16/2022 at 10:41 AM, JessyCruises said:

It sure was a bummer watching the ship sail away from our hotel balcony 😭😭

Jessy I am just catching up on this thread. So sorry you couldn’t take your last cruise, hope Paul is feeling better

 

[#55worktoplay]

@A&L_Ont Thanks for posting this article Andrew good to know first hand news of what’s happening upon return. 
 

Aruba sounds like a great place to go to. 
 

@JessyCruises  Good luck with everything. 
 

Are you still able to work or did you keep your vacation time as it was?

[JessyCruises]

6 hours ago, #55worktoplay said:

@JessyCruises  Good luck with everything. 
 

Are you still able to work or did you keep your vacation time as it was?

 

Thanks!  I work a US schedule so I was off yesterday anyway.  I am working today and I think I might work tomorrow and take off Thursday and Friday. It depends on Paul's schedule.  He is technically allowed to go out into the wild today but had not scheduled any vacation.  I think he is planning on taking some time but not sure when.

[JessyCruises]

I left another voicemail for the Care Team this morning as I had still not heard back. 

 

My SISTER msged me a little while ago that she got a voicemail on HER cell with a msg for Paul  to call the "Covid Care Line" at 305-599-9931.  I am assuming they got her number from his C&A profile.  I have no idea why but Royal keeps mixing up all of our numbers and emails.  I have corrected it MANY times.  I will have to call them after I am done making some airline calls.

 

I called this new number.  It appeared to take me to the same place as the toll free one that was provided above (888)880-7550 except this time a human answered eventually.  She said she tried to call me at the hotel earlier but could not figure out how to get my room.  Not sure why she did not just hit the extension for the front desk and ask for us, but who knows?

 

So apparently, we can go home on Monday 1/24/22  assuming I do not test positive in the meantime.  The great rep onboard had told us that the onshore Care Team would help us book return flights, etc but that is not the case.  The care team is not staffed by Royal.  They are a third party.  The person I talked to today basically said Royal does a great job for 48 hours (ie when you are still onboard) but people are left to the wolves after that and are on their own to book everything and there is no phone number to call RCL directly about anything.

 

She said we need to book our new flight and submit the receipt to Royal along with the rest of our expenses.  It is my understanding they will cover the change fees or any difference in fares.  Now that I know I need to book on my own, I am currently on hold with WestJet to cancel my flight as we cannot use them to fly home now.  We had been flying into a different city (Moncton) because there were others going with us that were driving us home to Saint John.  Now that they cancelled we need to fly right into Saint John so the only option is Air Canada (Westjet only flies into Moncton or Fredericton in New Brunswick).  I am not sure how the Westjet cancel is going to work as we had used some companion vouchers etc so I am sure it will be a mess and we will likely lose them.  I just booked our flight home on 1/24.  We leave FLL at 8:30 AM and arrive home to Saint John at 3:52PM which is a great return time for our crappy airport.  The price for 2 one way tickets was $930 CAD  - OUCH!!  That is not that much less than the return ticket prices were on Westjet.  I HATE buying last minute tickets...

 

I asked how do go about arranging for my PCR test to get home?  She said I need to take care of that too and submit the receipt with the rest of the stuff if I am charged.  So now I need to find somewhere to get a rapid PCR test on Friday near the Embassy Suites.  I am going to post over on the FL Home Port thread, but if you have any suggestions, please let me know 🙂  I do not want to wait to take it when I am at the airport.  If I am going to test positive, I want to know as far in advance as possible.  And if I am negative, I would like to enjoy the last few days in Florida.

 

Usually when I call Westjet I am on hold for about 4 hours or so.  So far it has been a little over an hour. Wish me luck!

[Tree_skier]

9 minutes ago, JessyCruises said:

I asked how do go about arranging for my PCR test to get home?  She said I need to take care of that too and submit the receipt with the rest of the stuff if I am charged.  So now I need to find somewhere to get a rapid PCR test on Friday near the Embassy Suites.  I am going to post over on the FL Home Port thread, but if you have any suggestions, please let me know 🙂  I do not want to wait to take it when I am at the airport.  If I am going to test positive, I want to know as far in advance as possible.  And if I am negative, I would like to enjoy the last few days in Florida.

 

 

Thanks for this great thread Jessy.  I've been following along since the beginning. 

 

Here is a covid test location walking distance to your hotel.

 

https://labdoctor.org

[JessyCruises]

17 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

 

 

Thanks for this great thread Jessy.  I've been following along since the beginning. 

 

Here is a covid test location walking distance to your hotel.

 

https://labdoctor.org

Thank you!!

[JessyCruises]

1 hour ago, JessyCruises said:

Usually when I call Westjet I am on hold for about 4 hours or so.  So far it has been a little over an hour. Wish me luck!

 

2.5 hours and counting...

[#55worktoplay]

4 minutes ago, JessyCruises said:

 

2.5 hours and counting...

Don’t give in and choose request callback because it could be 5 days for the call to come. Speaking from experience 😀

[JessyCruises]

4 minutes ago, #55worktoplay said:

Don’t give in and choose request callback because it could be 5 days for the call to come. Speaking from experience 😀

 

Nope, Not going to happen.  On their site the call back said 1/22.  I want this done ASAP.  I am just sitting here working anyway so it is really not that big of a deal, just annoying lol

[#55worktoplay]

Just now, JessyCruises said:

 

Nope, Not going to happen.  On their site the call back said 1/22.  I want this done ASAP.  I am just sitting here working anyway so it is really not that big of a deal, just annoying lol

I hope you get one who knows what they are doing. That’s how I ended up with the call back after waiting on hold forever I got “not the best cat in the house” and finally gave up on them so resorted to requesting call back. The gal that called back was excellent and I was on the phone with issues resolved within 3 minutes. 

[JessyCruises]

1 hour ago, #55worktoplay said:

I hope you get one who knows what they are doing. That’s how I ended up with the call back after waiting on hold forever I got “not the best cat in the house” and finally gave up on them so resorted to requesting call back. The gal that called back was excellent and I was on the phone with issues resolved within 3 minutes. 

I hope so.  I am at 3 hrs & 52 minutes

[#55worktoplay]

2 minutes ago, JessyCruises said:

I hope so.  I am at 3 hrs & 52 minutes

Good thing you don’t have anywhere to go. 
 

BTW, did your husband ever feel really awful throughout this ordeal?  I hope not. 

[JessyCruises]

27 minutes ago, #55worktoplay said:

Good thing you don’t have anywhere to go. 
 

BTW, did your husband ever feel really awful throughout this ordeal?  I hope not. 

We had been planning on actually going outside for dinner tonight but I do not dare leave so Doordash/Uber it is again.

 

I would not say he felt "awful".  He says it felt like a bad cold.  He is feeling almost normal now, just tires easily.

Edited January 18, 2022 by JessyCruises

[#55worktoplay]

8 minutes ago, JessyCruises said:

We had been planning on actually going outside for dinner tonight but I do not date leave so Doordash/Uber it is again.

 

I would not say he felt "awful".  He says it felt like a bad cold.  He is feeling almost normal now, just tires easily.

Glad to hear he wasn’t too sick but being really tired while working had to pose some challenges. 
 

Tomorrow you can have breakfast outside in hopefully nice warm weather.

[ticketsunlimited]

13 minutes ago, JessyCruises said:

We had been planning on actually going outside for dinner tonight but I do not date leave so Doordash/Uber it is again.

 

I would not say he felt "awful".  He says it felt like a bad cold.  He is feeling almost normal now, just tires easily.

Hoping you get your flights done tonight JESSY!! Has the Embassy suites and its location worked out alright for you?  Dan

[JessyCruises]

12 minutes ago, ticketsunlimited said:

Hoping you get your flights done tonight JESSY!! Has the Embassy suites and its location worked out alright for you?  Dan

 

Somone finally answered after 4 hours and 9 minutes.  They have me on hold while they figure out the cancel.  It is complicated because of the companion voucher/westjet $$s/ and travel bank.  Hopefully I do not get disconnected while they have me on hold - it would certainly not be the 1st time.  

 

We had discussed changing hotels because the wifi the 1st night was atrocious but decided to wait because RCL had us listed as being here and we did not date move until we actually made contact with someone which did not happen until today.  The wifi is still an issue in the bedroom but it seems to work okay in the living area which is where we are working so it is better. I think we are at the point where we cannot be bothered to move.  The room is showing some wear and tear, but the grounds are atrium are nice and it is a great location close to lots of stuff.  I was able to do Laundry yesterday for $6 which was good.  The hotel staff has been great.  The evening reception is nice (gotta love free drinks although I would rather be getting our unlimited ones in the Casino on the Odyssey).  We have also booked a Premium Room so we are getting 5 free non-alcoholic drinks and 10 snacks a day which is nice.  We have a nice little snack stash building up.  Unless something changes, I think we will be staying put.

 

[Bronx12]

Thanks for keeping us updated 😉