Regatta FP please post your entry , March cruise experience

[kibutzer]

So surprised how quiet the information is on first Regatta FP cruise. So glad everyone is having a great time live to hear about it. 

[Verokaren]

Yes! We are on the March 25 sailing and dying to hear how it's going. Wondering if they have limited connectivity? We are especially interested in the Covid testing protocols.

[sunlover12]

I am on the Regatta now. Pleased to report that everything is going smoothly. The staff is wearing masks and  I have seen very few passengers wearing them. That is fine with me. Glad that they are optional. There are no Covid issues that I am aware of. The full team of singers and dancers have been performing, also the string quartet has been performing every day.  Nothing that I know of has been canceled. Julie James is the cruise director and she is wonderful.
 

There is a big improvement in wi-fi on the ship since my last O cruise in 2019. 

[Verokaren]

Thank you for taking the time to post, Sunlover12!!  We really appreciate it and are excited to board on the 25th, but nervous about getting all the Covid testing done.    Can you share your experience with that?  

 

Thanks so much!

 

Karen

 

[sunlover12]

4 hours ago, Verokaren said:

Thank you for taking the time to post, Sunlover12!!  We really appreciate it and are excited to board on the 25th, but nervous about getting all the Covid testing done.    Can you share your experience with that?  

 

Thanks so much!

 

Karen

 

We got our Covid antigen tests near the airport in San Francisco. It was simple and fast. There are also testing sites at the airport. I don’t know about LAX but I believe there are testing sites at the airport. Make sure it’s not more than 24 hours before you board the plane. Also make sure your ETIS form is completed and paid for. We printed ours at home that shows the bar code. Your airline is required to look at it before you can board. 
 

Upon arrival in Papeete everyone receives a PCR test at the airport. We got our results via email about 36 hours later.  The Papeete airport is very efficient at handling the arrival of a large plane. The entire process of Covid testing, immigration and luggage collection was 45 minutes. 
 

When checking in at the Oceania dock, they paid a great deal of attention to the timing of the test to make sure it was not more than 3 days old. 
 

I was a little worried about it all too before we left home but it turned out to be easy.  Enjoy your cruise! 

[Verokaren]

Thank you for that information! What is it a place like CVS around the airport? We will also be flying out of SFO, but have booked a free appointment at CVS in the East Bay. 

[sunlover12]

We went to On Point in San Bruno.  Easy and quick. 

[lyon4uk]

REGATTA Legends to Lagoons March 6 out of Papetee was very good. The Dining Rm worked out some start-up problems (expected) but found their groove. Staff uniformly excellent.  Masks used by approx a third of cruisers. Proper paperwork for Tahiti arrival is essential. We went on to Moorea for 5 more laid-back nights at Linareva Maria bungalows on west coast. Highly recommended.  Post-cruise note: we spoke to a couple from Chicago area at PPT airport March 22. Approx 40 Regatta  passengers tested positive for Covid before disembarking and were quarantined. Oceania support for this group - quote: "Minimal and disappointing ".

[HaveDogWillTravel]

@lyon4ukthank you for coming back to report on this. I expect covid on all sailings, it’s been on every one of the 6 I’ve taken since the restart (all on Princess). I’ve just put a hold on a cabin for the Regatta sailing out of LA this Sept 9th. I’m lurking on the Oceania boards as I am interested in actual accounts of how Oceania responds to the inevitable cases of covid that arise. 

[Jancruz]

23 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

@lyon4ukthank you for coming back to report on this. I expect covid on all sailings, it’s been on every one of the 6 I’ve taken since the restart (all on Princess). I’ve just put a hold on a cabin for the Regatta sailing out of LA this Sept 9th. I’m lurking on the Oceania boards as I am interested in actual accounts of how Oceania responds to the inevitable cases of covid that arise. 

I am on this cruise..look forward to meeting you..actually I am doing almost the same cruise April 24..I have kids, grandkids and great grandkids in SFO

Jancruz1

Edited March 24, 2022 by Jancruz

[USNA 72]

Well we were 33 minutes from you may now and buckle your seat belt to Taxi. However our hotel operator said he had to wait a bit over an hour or more for the last of his guests. The testing well run all no pain just a line. We were sitting in coach but pretty near the mid aircraft exit. So I guess it's a bit of a crap shoot somewhere between a half an hour and 90 minutes 🙄

Edited March 25, 2022 by USNA 72

[vlthom]

We arrived last night via United from SFO.  As we were seated near the front of the Business Class cabin, we were off the plane quite fast and made our way inside.  Someone took our pink form and the we were directed to a kiosk where they checked our ETIS forms.  We were given a plastic bag for our COVID test sample and directed to a line where they took the swab.  It was a deep swab, deeper than I’ve had even prior to a recent hospital stay.  We were told that results would be ready in 48 hours and if we don’t hear anything, we’re good.  The next stop was Immigration.  Here they checked passports and vaccine cards.  No one ever asked to see our rapid COVID test results.  Once we were thru the Immigration kiosk, we could collect our bags and leave.  We were done with all of this in 15 minutes, which I am certain is because we were at the head of the line.  Even so, they were well organized and everything seemed even better organized then our prior pre-COVID visits.  We spent last night at the Hilton, which was very quiet.  It’s a beautiful day.  We will board Regatta in a few hours.

[vlthom]

We boarded the ship yesterday.  I’d selected a relatively early arrival time when I did the online check-in but I’m not sure that those check-in times were at all meaningful.  No one ever checked our appointment times.  We arrived near noon and there was a line to enter the check-in tent.  At the entrance, they checked our COvID test results and then gave us a wrist band.  We continued to the next line.  When it was our turn, they checked passports and had us sign a health attestation.  Then we went out to stand in line to board.  They only allowed groups to approach the gangway — about as many as would fill the stairs.  Otherwise you were held back in line to wait until the stairs cleared.  Once it was our turn to climb the stairs, when we reached the top, we again showed our passports and boarding pass.  Then we went thru security.  Finally onboard, we were directed  to go to the theater to get our keycards.  From there, we were redirected to our muster station to check-in there, too.  All in all, this was not very streamlined and it took approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete. Once that was done, it was a short wait for our cabin to be ready.  Staff are all wearing masks.  Few passengers are doing so.  We had our arrival COVID test results back in less than 24 hours.— negative, so were are supposedly free to move around without wearing masks.  Staff seem happy to have us aboard.