JamieLogical's March 19 Summit Sailing

[Honolulu Blue]

On 3/4/2022 at 12:19 PM, JamieLogical said:

I will avoid all face-to-face interaction with other humans.

 

Sometimes I think that's a life goal, not just prepping for cruise trips. 😁😁😁

 

Just kidding. Most people aren't too bad. Sometimes. 😁

 

I was on the Summit two weeks ago. It's still a great ship with a great staff onboard. I wish you well!

[JamieLogical]

1 minute ago, Honolulu Blue said:

 

Sometimes I think that's a life goal, not just prepping for cruise trips. 😁😁😁

 

Just kidding. Most people aren't too bad. Sometimes. 😁

 

I was on the Summit two weeks ago. It's still a great ship with a great staff onboard. I wish you well!

 

Ha! I am definitely missing hanging out with my friends. I think the worst part, though, is that my husband is having to self-isolate with me and he doesn't even get to cruise! I feel bad about keeping him away from social activities for 10 days. He's hanging in there, though. Actually had a bit of a scare this morning. He was cold, achy, and fatigued. He took a home COVID test and it was negative. But the whole time he was waiting for the results, what I would have to do to cancel my cruises. 😕

 

He's taking the morning off work. Hopefully he'll feel better quickly.

[Laurab23]

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

Exciting movement in my cruise prep this morning! I got my Walgreens COVID test scheduled for next Thursday! The Walgreens around here let you schedule one week out, so first thing this morning, I was on the site getting my test scheduled. In other news, I have determined that the stains on my white linen shirt from my last cruise came out successfully in the wash, so I do not need to buy a new one. No update on my Rebound Patch delivery. The weekend is sneaking up on me and I will have to do all my laundry and make sure I have all the supplies I need for packing.

Good to know about the one week out. Please let us know how long to get results. What time are you scheduled for the test?

 

Laura

[JamieLogical]

15 minutes ago, Laurab23 said:

Good to know about the one week out. Please let us know how long to get results. What time are you scheduled for the test?

 

Laura

 

Currently scheduled for 11:45am  Eastern on the 17th. I have taken several Walgreens tests for cruises so far and the results have always been in the 30-50 minute range.

 

Edited March 10, 2022 by JamieLogical

[KKB]

24 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Currently scheduled for 11:45am  Eastern on the 17th. I have taken several Walgreens tests for cruises so far and the results have always been in the 30-50 minute range.

 

Good to know.

We have appt at Walgreens today. 

[micruiser2002]

27 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Currently scheduled for 11:45am  Eastern on the 17th. I have taken several Walgreens tests for cruises so far and the results have always been in the 30-50 minute range.

 

Last cruise I did the at home test at just after midnight the day I could test.  It was nice to not have to worry and I got a great nights sleep.  Plan to do that again in 2 weeks.

 

[zitsky]

26 minutes ago, micruiser2002 said:

Last cruise I did the at home test at just after midnight the day I could test.  It was nice to not have to worry and I got a great nights sleep.  Plan to do that again in 2 weeks.

 

At home test?  Where did you get the test and how do they send results?  It has to be in some form you can share with the cruise line?

[xraymomma]

26 minutes ago, zitsky said:

At home test?  Where did you get the test and how do they send results?  It has to be in some form you can share with the cruise line?

I’m not the person you asked, but Abbot Binax offers proctored Covid tests that can be done in your home, any day and any time. The results are sent to an app that you download and show at check-in. I print mine too, just in case. We’ve used them for two cruises so far and it was very easy. If you go that route, get extra tests. If you drop the swab, or do something wrong, or if the test is faulty, the results aren’t valid. 

[zanderblue]

35 minutes ago, xraymomma said:

I’m not the person you asked, but Abbot Binax offers proctored Covid tests that can be done in your home, any day and any time. The results are sent to an app that you download and show at check-in. I print mine too, just in case. We’ve used them for two cruises so far and it was very easy. If you go that route, get extra tests. If you drop the swab, or do something wrong, or if the test is faulty, the results aren’t valid. 

I can reconfirm this as a great option. Very straightforward when we did ours this morning. 

 

Edited March 10, 2022 by zanderblue

[zitsky]

51 minutes ago, zanderblue said:

I can reconfirm this as a great option. Very straightforward when we did ours this morning. 

 

I was going to do a government test until I read “negative result and you may still have Covid”.  I went to CVS.  Govt test you swab then rinse in liquid.  Proctor test similar?

 

 

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

At home test?  Where did you get the test and how do they send results?  It has to be in some form you can share with the cruise line?

 

If you have an upcoming cruise booked, you should have received an email from Celebrity with the subject "Your health and safety checklist to be ready for your cruise" with a link to order the at home test. Here is the link:

 

https://store.optum.com/celebrity-cruises

[JamieLogical]

2 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I was going to do a government test until I read “negative result and you may still have Covid”.  I went to CVS.  Govt test you swab then rinse in liquid.  Proctor test similar?

 

 

 

The rapid antigen test at CVS is the exact same test as the home kit. Literally the exact same. Walgreens does the Abbot ID Now tests, which is a different process. It uses a machine to process the results. Both are accepted by Celebrity.

[JamieLogical]

Speaking of testing, I had to reschedule my test. I got two huge trainings/meetings put on my calendar for Thursday and now only have a half hour break in between them from 12:30-1:00, so I rescheduled my test for 12:45. If something goes completely sideways and I can't fit that test in, I have now scheduled a second test at a different Walgreens location for 4:30. Hate putting it off that late in the day, but there were no other options.

[zitsky]

6 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

The rapid antigen test at CVS is the exact same test as the home kit. Literally the exact same. Walgreens does the Abbot ID Now tests, which is a different process. It uses a machine to process the results. Both are accepted by Celebrity.

Ok thanks!

[micruiser2002]

10 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I was going to do a government test until I read “negative result and you may still have Covid”.  I went to CVS.  Govt test you swab then rinse in liquid.  Proctor test similar?

 

 

A proctored test is done with a video link and they watch you.  The kit contains a swab and the tray with the liquid.  You swab then insert it into the liquid while they watch.  Video stays on for the 15 minute processing time.  You can get up and do other things but the test must stay visible.  They then confirm your results and send an email.  

[micruiser2002]

10 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

The rapid antigen test at CVS is the exact same test as the home kit. Literally the exact same. Walgreens does the Abbot ID Now tests, which is a different process. It uses a machine to process the results. Both are accepted by Celebrity.

Although the Walgreens ID NOW test I believe is a molecular and not an antigen.  Not sure if that means it is more likely to show positive after recent infections like the PCR.

 

[Laurab23]

10 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

Speaking of testing, I had to reschedule my test. I got two huge trainings/meetings put on my calendar for Thursday and now only have a half hour break in between them from 12:30-1:00, so I rescheduled my test for 12:45. If something goes completely sideways and I can't fit that test in, I have now scheduled a second test at a different Walgreens location for 4:30. Hate putting it off that late in the day, but there were no other options.

My cruise is not until May but when I am able to make an appt I plan on scheduling at least 2 tests just in case. If the first one goes through then I will cancel the second one. I also will schedule at two different locations.

 

Laura

[JamieLogical]

2 minutes ago, Laurab23 said:

My cruise is not until May but when I am able to make an appt I plan on scheduling at least 2 tests just in case. If the first one goes through then I will cancel the second one. I also will schedule at two different locations.

 

Laura

 

I did two tests for my last cruise in January and it really did feel wasteful and like overkill, since I got the results back from both quite promptly. So I had planned to only do one test this time and I still will, if I am able to make the 12:45 appointment. I will just cancel the 4:30.

[micruiser2002]

39 minutes ago, Laurab23 said:

My cruise is not until May but when I am able to make an appt I plan on scheduling at least 2 tests just in case. If the first one goes through then I will cancel the second one. I also will schedule at two different locations.

 

Laura

Even though I plan to do the home test, I also schedule a backup test at CVS just in case.  I just cancel it if the home test is successful.

[NCTribeFan]

There have probably been about 832 threads on Cruise Critic about the proctored tests since sailing resumed last summer.  And Uncle Google has plenty of info.  And Aunt YouTube has videos.

 

Let's talk about Summit!  I'm now 1 month away from flying to Miami to board.  😁 

[JamieLogical]

9 minutes ago, NCTribeFan said:

There have probably been about 832 threads on Cruise Critic about the proctored tests since sailing resumed last summer.  And Uncle Google has plenty of info.  And Aunt YouTube has videos.

 

Let's talk about Summit!  I'm now 1 month away from flying to Miami to board.  😁 

 

I am only 9 days away from boarding! I can't wait! I have been looking at all my photos and videos from my November sailings and it's making me so excited to be back on board.

[JamieLogical]

Got some good news yesterday. Thanks to @mrb5000, who posed in our roll call, I learned that the cable car in Puerto Plata has reopened! So I went ahead and rebooked the excursion I had previously canceled after learning the cable car was closed. I am super excited about this excursion, because it's one I could never have done with my husband. He is terrified of heights and I once made him do the cable car in St. Thomas and I am certain he will never every do anything like that again. So it's really nice to be doing an excursion where I don't have to feel guilty my husband is missing out.

 

Edited March 11, 2022 by JamieLogical

[misha1]

On 3/4/2022 at 8:58 AM, JamieLogical said:

I check inventory on the whole ship every day

May I ask how you check inventory?  And, if not allowed on this site, disregard.  Thank you

[mrb5000]

4 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

Got some good news yesterday. Thanks to @mrb5000, who posed in our roll call, I learned that the cable car in Puerto Plata has reopened! So I went ahead and rebooked the excursion I had previously canceled after learning the cable car was closed. I am super excited about this excursion, because it's one I could never have done with my husband. He is terrified of heights and I once made him do the cable car in St. Thomas and I am certain he will never every do anything like that again. So it's really nice to be doing an excursion where I don't have to feel guilty my husband is missing out.

 

 

I'm glad you were able to rebook! It looks like the cable car is only a 2 km (30 min) walk from the ship...I wish I could read a little more on the area to know if it would be a doable/safe walk, because if it ends up being a clear day, my husband and I thought about walking over to ride the cable car up to the gardens and take in the view. Since it's such a new port, I haven't been able to find much about the city. We don't really want to spend the time and $$ for the ship excursion, but it sounds like it would be a nice way to spend the morning. Maybe we'll see about taking a taxi.

[JamieLogical]

2 hours ago, mrb5000 said:

 

I'm glad you were able to rebook! It looks like the cable car is only a 2 km (30 min) walk from the ship...I wish I could read a little more on the area to know if it would be a doable/safe walk, because if it ends up being a clear day, my husband and I thought about walking over to ride the cable car up to the gardens and take in the view. Since it's such a new port, I haven't been able to find much about the city. We don't really want to spend the time and $$ for the ship excursion, but it sounds like it would be a nice way to spend the morning. Maybe we'll see about taking a taxi.

 

I read about past cruisers being able to take a taxi to the cable car from the cruise port back when it was still open, so I think that should be doable. Since I am traveling solo, I am hesitant to go off in a taxi on my own, so the ship excursion seems like the safest way for me to do it.