Covid Testing Post Cruise for Canadians - Updated

Awhile ago, September, I wrote about covid testing requirements for Canadians travelling on a cruise.  You can find a link to that blog here.

I wanted to add more information now that I have completed my cruises on Celebrity and am almost finished my first leg on Majestic Princess.

On Celebrity we were contacted to say we required a PCR test to fly home to Canada.  We got off early, one of the first groups, and we were tested right at the pier after we picked up our bags and cleared customs.  

We then drove to the airport and an hour later we had our results in our inbox.

We are now on the Majestic Princess on our 2nd to last day of this voyage.

A few days ago we received a letter saying since we are on a back to back we need to have a rapid Antigen test taken on last day.  We are to meet in the Vista lounge at a set time where the tests are administered free of charge.

Then yesterday we received a call saying since we are flying home to Canada we need at rapid PCR test that will be administered at the pier after we get our bags and clear customs.  Results will be sent to our phones within a short period, probably before we arrive at LAX.

Now we told him we were on a back to back and he said to ignore then.  But the test applies to us when we do get off in a few weeks.

These protocols are also good for any other non US citizens it is just I can not speak specifically about any other country entry requirements except my own.

But one thing is for sure.  Travelling on a cruise ship is wayyyyyy easier than any of the time we have spent on land prior to cruise or the time in between the cruises.  And we have felt much much safer.  No hotel or resort on land requires everyone to be vaccinated who is staying there.  Nor do they require you to have a negative test to stay there.  

Update!

We have now returned home after five weeks on the Majestic.  The night before we disembarked we received word that we would get off the ship, collect our bags, go thru customs then reenter the terminal to get our Covid test for our flight.

We did just that.  We got off at 9 am and collected our bags, breezed thru customs and then dragged the bags to the check in tent.  There were people already there reading to check in - which is crazy I think.

We were directed to a seating area where they took our name, cabin number.  We sat and waited for about a half hour when we were called.  We had to wheel our bags behind a partition and gave our names, email, address, phone etc.  Note make sure they spell everything correctly.  They entered our email wrong and I noticed and she said she would correct.  She corrected my email, but Bernie's email which is the same she did not.  Needless to say this caused some issues if you had to access your results online as you had to verity with that email. j

The test was administered quickly and we were directed to a new area where we sat and waiting for results.  About a half hour.  Some people got their results but they had to be redone because of an issue.  However ours were completed in about a half hour.  We were handed paper copies of our negative results.  Thankfully we got the paper version as we had no way to access Bernie's because of the wrong email.

We were then free to go.  The entire process took 1.5 hours.  So please make sure you plan accordingly.  Do not book a flight that is too early!

Currently the costs of the test is complimentary with Princess; however other companies are now charging for these test needed post cruise for travel home.  

Disneyland

We are staying at Courtyard by Marriott.  It is about a km away from the park and close to many things.  We are here for 6 nights and booked two days at Disney.  We wanted something midlevel price range (remember we are pensioners now).

Check in was a breeze and our only requirement was a quiet location.  We are quite happy.  Large room facing the courtyard, not the street.  Biggest pain with Covid rules is no daily housekeeping.  No place we have stayed at has had housekeeping.  Which for a day or two is no issue but 6 nights is a bit long without it. 

Although a simple front desk request and they deliver to our room.  Yesterday we requested new towels and it was here when we came back.  Garbage gets left outside door and picked up later.  Well at least we can tip ourselves what we would normally tip housekeeping.

Monday was spent getting use to the time change.  3 hours from Florida plus another hour because of daylight savings, so 4 hours in total.  We went to Target to stock up on supplies.  Laundry soap, water, wrinkle release, toothpaste, soap (we prefer the big bars of soap for use on the ship), shampoo/conditioner, air freshener for cabin, juice, and fruit.

When we got back we unloaded our bags of all the dirty clothes.  Celebrity does not have self serve laundries like Princess, something we desperately missed.  Thankfully we had a balcony cabin so did do some hand washing and drying.  Also the closet are closed closets and shoes are at the bottom and I find the clothes start to smell stale.  So everything is getting a wash.  5 loads!  

Then we both napped!  We feel beat.  But wake refreshed and ready to head out for the evening.

We head to downtown Disney and enjoy a rather crowded experience.  Normally Disney is quiet at this time of year.  The shoulder season between Halloween and Thanksgiving, but not this year.  Disney is back baby!  

We tried to get into Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar but it was full and the virtual queue was always full.  This proved to be an ongoing issue throughout our stay with the park.  But we learned to just go with the flow and enjoy.

A lovely dinner, a great stroll and it feels nice to be on land.  Although both of us are suffering with Mal de debarkment.  Something we use to get when we first started sailing but rarely had in the last decade.  I guess the 1.5 year break brought it right back.  

It is the feeling like the land is still moving once you get off the ship.  Has no correlation to sea sickness.  You don't feel nauseous at all, you just keep feeling like the land is moving.  It can be quite annoying.  Our doctor said it is from a swelling in your brain from the movement and to take anti inflammatory meds so we are dropping Advil every 4 hours.  After 3 days it is gone, thank goodness.

We enjoyed one day at each park.  Rode tons of rides, enjoyed the characters, soaked up the ambiance, and just had fun.  

But man are we tired at the end of the day,  we look at the families with the kids breaking down in sobs and we know how those kids feel,  it is hard.  But then I look at the parents and I send positive vibes because I am sure they are even more tired but they have to push thru for the kids.

One thing to make a note of is the park is busy.  According to their site you either have to be fully vaccinated or show a negative covid test to enter.  Neither time we entered where we asked to show either of these.  We asked and they said they are not enforcing.  The park does require face masks on indoor rides and spaces.  Sanitizing stations are throughout the park although we encounter many that were empty so we used our own every time we got off a ride.

Today we get our covid tests that is required to board the ship on Saturday.  We are heading to a community testing site in Anaheim not far away,  Fingers crossed!  

Travelling with Covid

We disembarked the Celebrity Equijox on Sunday.  I will do up a blog once I arrive home on the ship.  Need time to write, gather pictures, and reliable wifi to do it justice.

But suffice to say we really liked Celebrity and think their product is very good.  But our hearts are still with Princess.  

We flew non stop from Florida to LAX.  Now this made me nervous.  You have to remember where we live in Nova Scotia, and really in Canada, covid have always been low, compared to the rest of the world.  We had and still have very strict rules.

In Nova Scotia, for instance as of now, we must wear masks indoors.  No exceptions.  To dine, attend a gym, theater, concert, pretty much anything that is not groceries or pharmacy, you must show proof of vaccine. 

When we flew to the US everyone was vaccinated and everyone had a negative covid test.  But flying to LA this was not the case.  Neither were required.

The airport was packed, like it use to be, many didn't wear masks, nor was socially distancing adhered to.

On the plane everyone seemed to wear masks.  I did, actually wear two, mainly because I need to board a ship in a few days and can't risk it.  

Once in LA we jumped in an Uber to Anaheim, which was the cheapest option.  Under $70, note a Sunday night with lighter traffic helped.

We are staying at a hotel near Disneyland, which I will cover in another post.

This post is here to provide information on what I experienced so others can gain knowledge before they travel.

Fun Night in Fort Lauderdale

After a restful afternoon we both showered.  A nice hot, long shower felt great after travelling on a plane all day.

It was up to Bernie to choose the restaurant and he chose Carlos and Pepe's which is right near us on 17th Street.  

The food is great, service amazing.  But one thing I find interesting is most restaurants have tv's in them. Seems everyone needs a distraction from the people you are eating with.  This room where we are eating isn't huge but there are 9 tvs!  But people seem to like them, I am not a fan, but then again I am not a sports fan.  But if they put the Bachelorette on one I would be happy!  

Oh and the margaritas are so yummy.

We both comment again how weird all of this is.  On one hand it feels so natural to be back in Florida getting ready to cruise.  On the other hand it feels sort of odd, like we are doing something our parents told us not too.  One good thing is people really are happy to see travellers again and we feel very welcomed.  So cheers to that.

Someone commented on my blog yesterday saying "sorry you don't feel safe in florida".  I ask this person to go back and reread the blog, as I never said that.  I feel safe, sort of is what I said.  If you have ever had a surgery say on a shoulder, and it is in a sling for a few weeks.  Initially you feel very cautious about going out in public.  You overly protect the shoulder.  You feel safer at home where you can protect that shoulder.  But as your recovery continues you feel less and less nervous in surroundings you can't control.  Hmmm does that explain how I feel any better? 

We walked over to Total Wine to buy 2 bottles of wine to take on.  Here is a map from the restaurant to Total Wine.  

And as we walked thru the parking lot Bernie could see the top of a cruise ship and immediately said "it is a Princess ship". 

So after shopping we started walking up 17th Street to the bridge.  

Sure enough it is the beautiful Majestic Princess.  We stared at her in awe.  

Back at the hotel we asked for a later check out and they agreed to 1130.  Helps a little.

Tonight we need to sleep after two nights of minimal rest, tonight will make up for it.  And it did.

When I open my eyes at 740 am, I am like "where am I".  Oh yeah!  Fort Lauderdale!

One great thing about this hotel is it has laundry service.  Celebrity does not have self serve laundry facilities, but they do have laundry you can get washed for a fee.  Since we usually pack minimally we have 2 days worth of clothes needing cleaning.  Bernie is the laundry guy in this relationship.  $2 for wash and $2 for dryer.  

Oh and he went and got me a latte.  So lovely.

One thing worth noting is we have a deal in this relationship.  I do all the bookings, research, organizing, and of course all the work preparing the presentations, so Bernie takes care of all the little, although some are big things, to make our lives run smoothly.  

Florida With Covid Precautions - Not - And Our Pre Cruise Hotel

Now I want to start by saying this is my view only on what we have experienced since arriving.

The airport in Fort Lauderdale says masks are recommended and most were wearing them especially workers there.

We picked up our bags and requested an uber ($12 to 17th street hotels).  Driver was masked and car was very clean. 

Hotel is the Holiday Inn Express Cruise Port on 17th Street.  It is only 1:40 so room isn't ready, so they said to come back in one hour.  They stored our bags and off we went.  We wandered!  Which when you are tired and cranky isn't always a good thing.  

But to be in the warmth of the beautiful Florida sun makes us a bit better.

One thing we notice right away is the restaurants, stores, hotel, and other regular businesses have signs on front door saying masks are recommended,  Wow!  For us, at home in Nova Scotia, masks are mandatory and you must be vaccinated to dine, go to bar, gym, movies etc.  

Not many bottles of sanitizer around.  No real social distancing signs or markers.  Now this is a state that was hit really really bad with Covid.  I am saddened.

We did go to the Dollar Store and bought a Halloween decoration for our door.  But many shoppers were not wearing masks and we could not find sanitizer at entrance or cash to sanitize our hands (thankfully we had some on us).  We paid and left.

So neither Bernie and I really wanted to enter too many stores.  So after an hour we returned to the hotel where our room was ready.

We have a lovely room on the 5th floor.  It is a good size.  It is probably a 3 star.  Certainly works for the one night. The price was right.  They offer a free shuttle to the airport, but not the pier as of right now.  They use to have a shuttle to the pier for a price and they hope to have it back up and running soon,  but we would rather take an Uber anyways.  

First thing we did was wipe down all the surfaces with Chlorex wipes just to be safe.  

Bernie is napping next to me.  I am tired too but I am afraid if I nap I won't sleep tonight.  So I am blogging.

So do I feel safe here, well sort of.  You got to remember we are coming from some very strict Covid rules.  But they worked, low case numbers, low deaths (under a 100), and still social distancing and mask mandate. 

To arrive here where it is like nothing has changed feels weird to us.  But it is just we haven't lived like this since March of 2020.

So we will lay low, get some supper and enjoy a quiet evening.  Our boarding time is 2;30 tomorrow.  

Flying to Florida with Covid Rules

We were up with our 3 am wakeup call.  Oh I don't miss getting up at that hour for work.  For a trip not a problem.  Sadly very little sleep and it will be a long day,

So glad we stayed at an airport hotel.  We just pushed our bag across the walkway and checked in.  

In the line for the kiosks to check in a woman confirmed we had in fact a negative covid tests.  We also had uploaded the results to the Air Canada site.  Note, no one ever asked us if we were vaccinated, nor was it asked when booking.  Note this changes in November when travelling to the US, Canadians will require a full vaccine.

Security did get backed up so make sure to account for the extra time.

Boy we are out of practice.  First flight in 19 months.  We usually have a rhythm when going thru security. This nope, we had two left feet.  Left things in pocket.  Forgot to remove lap top, and lots of juggling of stuff.  But we made it thru.

Halifax to Montreal flight was on time.  Flight was probably a third full.  We arrived a few minutes early.

I prefer flying thru Montreal to the US as they don't require us to exit the secured area.  A long route to get to US connections, then you go thru security again but it us only those on connections so it was short.  Then a longer line at customs but since we have Nexus we went straight to the agent.  Only question is where is our final destination and when are you leaving, which they can see already that we are on a cruise.  Then he said "welcome to the US" wow!  Nicest, friendliest agent I have ever seen.

I will say now that so many people we encountered working were happy to see travellers coming back.

Our flight to Fort Lauderdale was full!  A bunch of people had to go to counter to show negative covid test, we didn't.

It was a large airbus and we were quite comfortable.  And the flight is only 3 hours long.   We arrived early too.

Everyone wore their masks.  We cleaned our seat area with wipes, and used sanitizer quite often.  I felt very safe.  It actually was pretty normal.  

Now arriving I Florida was another story.  

Covid Test Nervousness- Did We Pass

Like mentioned in previous posts, we required a negative Covid test to enter the United States within 72 hours.  Then we need the test to get on the ship within 2 days of boarding.  Both only required rapid Antigen.

For us in Nova Scotia the only place to get is in Halifax.  So we booked with thru Praxis who have sites all over Canada.  The cost was $70 plus tax. 

We booked it just over a week ago and had to pay when you book.   

We were in Halifax a half hour early and good thing as I directed Bernie to the wrong spot, but no worries the right spot was only 15 minutes away on foot.  

Test was much deeper than other tests we have gotten but still painless and Bernie didn't get a nose bleed like 2 times ago.  

We were told results would be in an hour to 2 hours.

Decided why not check out the mall.  But really! Who wants to buy anything when you know your bag is packed and under weight, so don't push it.  So we wandered.

A lovely lunch at Moxies was needed as I was impatient.  I must of refreshed that email screen every few minutes.  Then the 2 hour mark hit and I am like "where are my results"?

We went to visit our dear friend Janice for tea and a catch up.  She could see how I was.....   where are those results?

In the end it took just over 3 hours to get the results.

Ohhh. Yeah!   

Both negative!  Although I knew this was the most probable outcome you still wonder.

We are now at the ALT Hotel at the airport.  Stunning view!  Tomorrow all we have to do is cross the walkway to the airport for our 630 am flight.

Can't believe I am getting on a plane!  It has been since March 2020 when we struggled to get home from Santiago.  

Am I a little nervous, well sure.  But we are being smart.  Got my sanitizer, my chlorex wipes, n95 masks and my excitement.

Side note I won't be blogging like I usually do as this time we are not guests, I am the lecturer, plus I really don't have the time.  

I will occasionally drop a blog here if I feel I have something to help others, especially with covid and all.  

Preparing for Cruising With Covid

As fun as it is planning a cruise and booking everything, doing so with Covid does add more variable and that equals stress for me.

This trip involves a lot of bookings!  

• Covid test before flight
• Hotel at airport prior to flight
• Hotel in Fort Lauderdale
• Flight to Los Angeles 
• Covid test in Los Angeles
• Hotel in Los Angeles
• Flight Home

Currently my inbox is full of all these confirmation.  And both cruise lines Celebrity and Princess have been very helpful with any questions.

Now normally, I would book and then forget about it.  But of course I can't.  So many things change and change often.  Rules for entry, flying, borders, boarding a ship and testing.

We are trying to stay home as much as possible and away from others just in case.  Although cases are very low in our Province and very very very low in our region.  But best to be safe.  So this is a worry.

Booking tests is just part of travel now.  It is getting easier to find and do, but if you are Canadian in the United States it isn't so easy.  One reason I hope the cruise lines implement testing at the pier for non US citizens.

All my prep work is now done - thank goodness.  Trying to complete 6 presentations in 4 weeks is crazy.  Normally I take 40 hours to do just one presentation, but I made it work by working 10 hour days for the past 3 weeks.  And thankfully these ports I know so very well and have lots of information and pictures.  

The next big thing is getting the house ready for when we go.  We just moved here in April and we LOVE it here and I am actually sad to leave it, but especially sad to leave all the great neighbours we have and the little ones.

We once again have our nephew moving into the house while we are away.  It works out great for him as he works close by.  

But we are back just before Christmas so putting up Christmas lights in October does seem odd.  But they won't when I light them remotely from my tablet somewhere on the ocean.

Today we started pulling out clothes and trying things on and making piles - needs washing, needs mending, needs ironing. The suitcases are super excited to see the light of day.

Oh and other great news, we have had numerous friends book on the Majestic because we are there.  

So one week today!  But who is counting.

Review of the Safety Precautions First Hand While on the Grand Princess

This is a review from Janet who was recently on the Grand Princess.  She shares what she noticed in regards to the safety precautions Princess has put in place.  

Tomorrow, I’m leaving the Grand Princess after a 5 day cruise to Cabo. This is what I experienced and my observations. Warning: This is long but will hopefully help answer looming questions.

1. Boarding was super simple, similar to the last time with medallion except this time we had to show physical copies of our vaccine card and Covid test results along with our passports. 

Had to keep masks on going through security but mask lanyards and medallions had to come off. 

When we got on the ship, before we got indoors, security had to verify our identity (mask off) with our medallion and they took a picture of us.

2. We checked into our muster station on our way to our room and watched the drill on the TV in our room. 

3. The food and service has been excellent. We had Club Class with our friends and got the same waiters and table each night. They were so happy, chatty and attentive. We ate at the Crown Grill one night and the staff couldn’t do enough for us. They were so happy. 

4. The crew missed the passengers so much and have been a pleasure to talk to. I had some long conversations with many of the crew, something I wouldn’t have been able to do on a full ship. 

5. We had 646 passengers, which was an increase from the last cruise. The passenger count is increasing with each cruise. Some rooms are set aside in case someone has to be quarantined. 1017 crew. The Covid protocols they have in place are working and they are improving on them. This is what I was told by Passenger Services.

6. I like the buffet setup. There were sections where we were served by the crew and sections of takeaway items. 

7. I do not like the layout of JourneyView on the app. We did receive a physical Patter (two-sided) that showed only the day’s activities. 

8. I do not like Shipmate Chat anymore. It worked fine on our first medallion cruise but it doesn’t notify me when one of our traveling companions sent a message to me. So we ended up using WhatsApp since they have Android and we have iPhones and we all had internet. 

9. I do not like how I can’t shrink down my shipboard account so I can see the description and charges on one screen on the app. I recommend checking your shipboard account daily and do screenshots if you are using an electronic device. 

They have moved the kiosk (to print your shipboard account) away from the Passenger Services desk to keep the amount of people at the desk low. The kiosk was right by the piazza stairs. 

10. No boutique sale because they did want large gatherings. (However, large gatherings for trivia were okay.) When I paid for something and had to sign the sales slip, the pen was sanitized after I used it. A crew member was cleaning all handrails and counters. 

11. Except as mentioned, the medallion and app worked like a charm. The Shipmate Locator could be glitchy at times.

12. A USB port in all three of our lamps in our room. Made charging our devices a lot easier. 

13. It was my first time on the Grand and hopefully not my last. Yes, she’s old but we can still see her beauty and the crew was working hard to keep her maintained. Our room was comfortable and I slept like a happy baby. 

14. No mid-ship stairs. It’s not that they weren’t open. It’s they are not available to passengers. One passenger told me this ship wasn’t built to have mid-ship stairs for passengers. As one who takes the stairs every time we cruise, it was an adjustment. Elevators were easy to get and we were the only ones on them most of the time. 

15. Cabin steward service was once per day and no chocolate on the pillows (I didn’t miss that). Could request twice per day if you wanted. Steward said it was because they are trying to keep their distance from passengers since this area is close proximity. The crew gets tested often.

16. “Sip and Cover” signs in Explorers lounge but not in Crooners. Masks required inside the ship (that’s what it seemed like) but not outside. If we were outside and other passengers were going by us, we put our mask up to our face as a courtesy. People masked up where required for the most part and tried to keep distance. There were some that did neither but that is for Princess to deal with and not me.

17. The wonderful Daniel Oliver was the entertainer in Crooners. We also heard Danny Rembadi, who was excellent. 

18. At each food or drink location, there was a sign with a QR code so you could get the menu. We were given physical menus in the main dining room and the Crown Grill. 

19. Hand washing stations at the entrance to the buffet (which felt great) but also hand sanitizer all over the ship. 

20. Other than Daniel Oliver and Danny Rembadi, I don’t know anything about the entertainment, coffee, drinks, bingo, casino, pools, spa, gym or art auction. 

21. If you don’t have Princess Plus (like us), for Elite passengers, I recommend (and Passenger Services does too) purchasing MedallionNet before boarding. It’s cheaper buying before boarding. The discount is applied as a credit to your shipboard account. If you pre-purchase excursions, for Elite, the 10% discount is applied to your shipboard account. 

22. When we met in the Princess Theater for our excursion, there was no “social distancing” but everyone had a mask on. Same with the tender. 

23. Lots (and I mean too numerous to count) container ships waiting outside of the Port of Los Angeles to come in and unload their cargo. Pouring rain and a beautiful lightning show sending us off on a wonderful cruise. We had the best time on this cruise and can’t wait to sail again, even if we have to do it like this. We felt safe and cared for.

Covid Tests For Non US Citizens

Since we are sailing soon, and we are coming in from Canada.  And since the cruise lines require us to have a negative Covid test taken within two days of boarding.  We are having to secure tests. And it is not that straight forward.

Now I need to preface this blog by saying "I am not an expert"  I am just a traveller researching the information from numerous sources - cruise lines, state and government sites, and airports.

First we need to have a negative test taken 3 days prior to flying into the US.  Please confirm what your country requirements are.  After researching, we located locations in Halifax that do the necessary Rapid Antigen test, which is okay for Canadians going to the US, but again confirm what test is acceptable for your country.

We will get this test done on Monday, we fly first thing Tuesday and we board Wednesday.  So this test will meet the cruise lines requirements.  

But if you need a test and you fly down earlier into Florida you can get the tests for a fee at the airports - both Fort Lauderdale (which is close to the pier) and Miami have testing facilities.

When we fly to Los Angeles we don't require a test to fly there from within the US.  

However we will need one for the ship and since we are going five days early we need to secure one that is not at the airport as it is just to far to travel to.  But it is an option for those staying close to the airport.  LAX's site provides a link to testing at three terminals.  Make sure to book your test as early as possible to secure a spot you want.

We are staying in the Anaheim area and after a lot of research found that many cities can link you to a lab that is doing testing nearby.  But take note that not all are offering the Rapid Antigen test needed for travel.  But I found a place in Anaheim.

Take note that US citizens can get the test and it is billed to their insurance, but Canadians have to pay a fee.  So make sure the test you book is the right one.  If necessary call them to ensure.

Most results are returned within a few hours, and some as quickly as 30 minutes.

I should address a few other things I found out.

Yes CVS and RiteAid and other places provide testing, but again it is hard for Non US citizens to register.  They need a US address, so I put in the address of our hotel.  But another issue is the sites are almost all drive thru sites.  Which would work if you have a car.  So I quickly gave up trying to get tests there.

There is the option of at home tests that you order and are mailed to you but this is only for US shipping.  

I know the cruise lines are working at getting testing at the pier for those that can't secure it easily but not sure when that will be in place.  Lets hope soon.  

Again this is just some information I gathered these past two days and I am not an expert, but hopefully this helps those that are sailing soon from Canada or other countries.  

More Big News - I am Joining Princess

Exciting news!  Today I am happy to announce that I will be offering port lectures on board the Majestic Princess for Mexican Riviera cruises out of Los Angeles.

I join the ship November 13 until December 18.

Come and join me!

 

Big News! Cruising is Back and Vickie is Onboard As A Lecturer

I can't express in words how excited I am.  Things happen in mysterious ways.  

The other day I got an email from the agency that places cruise ship lecturers stating that Celebrity was looking for some lecturers.

First thing I checked was their mixed dose vaccine policy.  You see here in Canada many people have mixed dose vaccines.  I have two doses of Moderna, but Bernie got his first dose of Pfizer and his second dose is Moderna.  When I checked, Celebrity was not accepting guests with mixed vaccines.  This was Tuesday of last week.

Then Sunday night as I was laying in bed and we had just spent the weekend talking about travel and the possibilities.  But it seemed still far off.  

But as I lay there something told me to check Celebrity's sit again.  I like to believe it was my Mom guiding me.  And YES Celebrity had updated their vaccine requirements to accept mixed doses of Moderna and Pfizer.  

So I got up and went downstairs and sent in my request to apply for those Celebrity trips (3 of them).  My agent quickly responded and welcomed me back and stated he would be putting forth the applicants the next day!  He also stated he expected a quick decision since the sailings were so soon.  Boy he was so right.

The next day, Monday we were busy working the election all day so we had little time to check emails.  But when I got home I had been offered a back to back on Celebrity's Equinox.

Each cruise is a 9 night trip with stops in Nassau, Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire.  

If you want to join me there are some amazing deals right now.  Our sailings will be October 20 and 29th.  

Peter's Cruise Report - Regal Princess 4 Day Seacation

If you have followed my blog long enough you know that I sometimes get others to share their cruise report with me to put up on my blog.  And since I am not able to cruise I am so appreciative of Peter and Jacky for doing up a cruise report.  

This is a report on the Regal Princess 4-day Seacation Cruise from Southampton, England commencing 3^rd August 2021.

 First of all, let me say that we were so glad to be back on board a Princess ship after so long and we had a great time.

Setting up the cruise on the MeddallionClass app in advance was a challenge, which I won’t go into here, as there are so many forums that have covered the issues. We eventually did enough to show the Green Lane on our app. However, no-one looked at our phone screens or scanned the QR code that appeared. No one asked us what boarding time we were allocated, and no one checked if we were trying to arrive earlier than our allotted time. We were in group A, which was the earliest arrival window (11.45am to 12.15pm), but we arrived at around 11.30am. There were not many people there when we arrived compared to a usual embarkation day. Overall, I would estimate that the ship was no more than around half capacity.

We opted for offsite parking and were transferred to the terminal by minibus. Our driver dropped us off at the luggage area and told us to drop our cases and then cross the road to a marquee for our Covid test. We only had carry-on luggage, so we walked straight over to the marquee. We noticed long lines of cars as we crossed the road. This was for the drive through Covid testing for passengers who had opted to park at the port. We were glad we opted for offsite parking, as our testing was much, much quicker, with no queues.

At the marquee, we were met by a member of staff who wanted to see our proof of vaccine. Some people were opening the NHS app on their phone to show this, but I thought it would be quicker to download the proof to my phone and print it out. I handed the printed vaccination proofs to the staff member with our passports. After checking our names, we were allowed to enter the marquee, it took less than a minute.

We were directed to one of several desks and handed over our passports. We were asked to confirm some details including our mobile numbers and a wrist band was attached to us. We were then directed to another staff member who carried out our Covid Test. It consisted of a gentle swab around each nostril a few times. There was no throat swab taken. We were directed to socially distanced seats in the marquee and told we would get a text when our results were ready. Immediately, we received texts from Princess to say our details had been registered, this was at 11.39am. We waited until we got a second text at 12.01pm to say the test result was negative and we could proceed with the embarkation process. The whole thing was quick and painless. The only discomfort was that is was a hot day and the marquee had no air conditioning other than the open doors.

We were directed to cross the road back to the cruise terminal and entered the building. A staff member asked to see our all-clear text from Princess. We were then directed to one of several staff members who took our passports and asked us if there was any change to our health declaration that we had made through the app. She gave us a ticket indicating that we could proceed through the Green Lane.

There were options for Green, Blue or Yellow Lanes and staff members directed us accordingly. We were immediately shown to a free staff member behind a desk, who took our Green ticket and gave us our medallions. We were then told we could go to the ship and we headed for security. There were no queues and staff members just looked at our medallions. I told a security person that we had 2 bottles of wine in our luggage, but they were not concerned and there was no Princess desk to pay corkage for bottles over the one per person limit. We then got on the ship and our medallions were scanned in. The whole boarding process was very quick, but this might change when ships are full again.

All staff in the terminal and on the ship were welcoming and happy to see cruisers again. All staff members wore masks all the time. Cruisers were required to wear masks inside the ship while moving around, but these could be removed once you were seated in most venues. Masks had to be worn all the time in the Princess Theatre and in Princess Live. The precautions made us feel safe, but for someone with hearing difficulties, I struggled to hear many staff members. My wife came to the rescue by acting as my interpreter.

There was an information sheet in the stateroom to help you connect to MedallionNet WiFi. This was useful, as we could not work out how to connect without it. We opted for the 50% discount for internet for all 4 days ($5 per day instead of $10). You can buy it on a daily basis as well. We are disappointed that the free internet minutes we got before have been replaced with this discount, as it will be much more expensive for us on longer cruises. Being connected all the time means that we spent more time on our phones than previously. In the past we would ration our usage to eke out our free minutes. There was also a 1-page Princess Patter in the stateroom printed both sides. This arrived each night. We met our steward and opted to refuse the nightly turndown service, so she only serviced our room once a day. Staff were not allowed to enter the stateroom while we were inside, apart from the waiter who brought our breakfast, who placed it on our table as usual.

There is a useful option on the app, which is Crew Chat. Instead of going to guest services or phoning, you can send a message. Our medallions were blue instead of black for Elite. As we want to keep them on our fridge as mementos, I asked on the chat if they could be changed. I received a message back saying this can be done at guest services and to pop down. This was done quickly, and we had our black medallions. We then went to the Concerto Dining Room for lunch and really started to relax.

We ordered complimentary Princess Robes via the OceanNow section of the app and they were in our stateroom when we got back from lunch. I had to ask the steward to change them twice though, as they were too small for me. This has never happened before and I have not put on that much weight recently. I eventually got one that was a fit for me. The ordering section of the app is quite easy to use and it clearly shows which things are chargeable and which things are complimentary. Room service is still free, but additional items are available at a charge (e.g. food from Crown Grill). There is still a $3 charge for Pizza delivered to the stateroom.

We ordered specialty coffee while sitting by the sea walk and then again while in our stateroom. This took over 20 minutes to arrive to the sea walk and over 40 minutes to our stateroom. Both times the coffee was awful. The first time a supervisor spotted we were waiting near the sea walk and got a waiter to go and get us our coffee personally. He obviously knew something wasn’t working well but did not tell us what. The coffee the waiter brought back was great, but the order that arrived late through the app was undrinkable. When the same awful coffee arrived at our stateroom after 40 minutes, I took it down to the International Café and showed it to a supervisor. She said that coffee through the app comes from room service and not from the International Café. She replaced the coffee with a good one and said she would report it to room service. We got a call from the room service manager, and he subsequently visited us in person. He was very sorry and explained that all app orders are fulfilled by room service, who use automatic coffee machines in the dining rooms, not the fresh bean coffee machines in the International Café. This means that they cannot replicate the same quality. For that, you need to order direct from the International Café. He said that he would put a note on our account so that anytime we ordered, the room service staff would go to the International Café and get us the fresh bean coffee rather than the automatic machine coffee. He also sent chocolate covered strawberries to our stateroom with a half-bottle of champagne as an apology. That is what we love about Princess, he spotted that we had been disappointed and went the extra mile to make it right. Rest assured we gave him a commendation on our post cruise survey.

After a lot of fuss, we managed to set up our dining before the cruise using the new Dine My Way section of the app. A table for 2 each night at 6.40pm in the Allegro Dining Room (apart from 1 night at the Crown Grill). We had no problem getting seated, but it did not appear that the dining room had these reservations. Each night we arrived and were asked which stateroom we were in and whether we had a reservation. When replying positively to this, they then looked on the restaurant plan and found us a spare table. This was fine with the ship half empty, but I hope it works as well when ships are full.

Menus are on one sheet of paper and there is no salt or pepper. This is applied by the waiters on request. It is the same for bread and butter, as none is left on the table. We took our own bottle of wine to the dining room. We asked about paying corkage at the end of the meal, but they said no, this was not necessary. This might be because they will no longer store unfinished bottles of wine in the dining room. We had to take it back to our stateroom and bring it again the following night to finish it off. The food was as good as we remember and the service was great, although with less chatting with waiters. The option to select your ideal pace of dining in the app does not seem to have an effect. We had put fast, but all our meals were served at a leisurely pace. We decided not to see any shows on this cruise, as sitting in a mask for an hour was not something we wanted to do, so that was not an issue for us. The pace of dining idea sounds like a nice option, but I can’t see how they are going to make it work.

Our meal at the Crown Grill was very good. The service to start with was outstanding, with a very attentive and funny waiter. However, as the night went on, the restaurant got very busy and we saw less and less of our waiter. Again, we were in no rush, so it did not cause us an issue. The biggest disappointment of the night was hearing that they no longer serve Chocolate Fudge Obsession for dessert. It is our all-time favourite dessert and none of the replacements are anywhere near as good. Hopefully they will bring it back if more people ask for it.

The cruise was advertised as a UK coastal cruise. However, apart from departing Southampton, we saw nothing of the coast as the ship sailed out into the middle of the English Channel and towards the Bay of Biscay. This may have been due to the weather, and we had sun for around 3 of the 4 days. We had no complaints, as we love the sight and sound of the sea without any land in view.

Disembarkation was quick and easy. The disembarkation group option on the app did not work at all and so it was done the old-fashioned way with a disembarkation sheet and colour coded tags delivered to your room. As we only had carry-on luggage, I confirmed via crew chat that we could have breakfast in the dining room and then just walk off whenever we wanted. We did that at around 9am with no queues whatsoever.

Overall, it was great to be back, and we had a great time. The medallion disappointed us a little, as we expected that staff wherever we went would know who we were and what stateroom we were in. Most of the time, the scanners they had did not pick up the medallion quickly and we had to give our stateroom number. The app has far too much in it. It is slow to launch and is not very easy to use. If they simplified it and slimmed it down so that it launched and worked more quickly, I think it would be a lot better.

We found ordering food and drinks easier to do on the app than on the stateroom TV. However, I think it would be better to be able to view your stateroom account on the tv rather than just on the app. You can no longer view your account on the TV and the app became glitchy for a couple of days meaning you could not see your account. The only way to keep a check was to ask for a printout at guest services.

We are looking forward to our next cruise later this year and it will be interesting to see how things work with a full capacity and a crew with more experience of the new way of cruising.

Sunday in the Annapolis Valley

When we got up we thought, what a beautiful day let's go explore.

Our aim was to head west and visit Digby.  Known for their scallops and the ferry that you catch here that travels over to Saint John, New Brunswick.

Not a large town, but on Sundays they have a crafter's market so we checked it out.

Didn't really buy much.  Seems to be similar sellers as what we saw a week ago at the Annapolis market.  But it sure was pretty.

We drove around a bit and checked out where the ferry is.  For us it is an option when we travel further west in Canada or even down to the US.  We are about an hour from Digby, then the ferry and we are right in Saint John.  But that is only if everything lines up perfectly.  Below it says 2.5 hours, but that does not include the time waiting for the ferry and then there is added costs.  Also depends if you are going to US or Quebec as this route is faster if going to the US but not faster if going to Quebec.

In most cases it might just be faster to drive East to Truro and then head west thru Amherst.  But again if travelling to Quebec would be faster the second way as you just stay on the highway.

After touring around Digby we wanted to go to Maud Lewis' house as I  am a huge fan of her art only to realize that the original house is in the Art Gallery in Halifax and there is only a replica here in Digby where she lived.  

We were both hungry and thought lets search out a brunch place when I remembered Founder's House is close by.  Located at the Golf Course in Annapolis Royal we went online and made a reservation.  Here is their website.

Due to Covid only patio dining is allowed (restrictions have been lifted as of now and you can now dine indoors) and we are good with the patio as it is a beautiful day here in the Valley.

Our waiter recommend this Piquette which is cold, refreshing and local.  Made at Benjamin Bridge Winery and here is a link to their website. 

Locate right on the golf course, you get great views and it is very peaceful.

They have a great brunch menu. But note all their menus are outstanding.  Here is my breakfast.  A breakfast Poutine.   The menu describes it: Home fries, bacon lardons, cheese curds, 

two poached eggs, hollandaise.  Reminded me of the great breakfast in Sabatinis on board Princess. 

Bernie had the Lamb Burger (sorry no pic) describe as: Charred feta, artisan lettuce, tomato, pickled red onion, herb aioli.

A leisurely drive home and another great day in the Valley.  

 

Releasing Wildlife - Volunteer Work

You may remember that we posted a blog about our volunteering work we are doing for Hope For Wildlife.  You can read it here.

Today we got a message from Ashley that they had some animals to be released that had recuperated and they were set to be released in our area.

Oh YES!  This is the icing on the cake.  The day we dream about.  Every week we transport animals that have been injured, abandoned by a parent, or been hurt by humans.  Today is the best as it is the day the animal is well enough to go back into the wild.

So we drove to the center in New Minas (about a half hour away) and picked up two animals set for release.

The first was a snapping turtle who was getting released near Middleton. 

We went back to the park that it was found in and travelled down a quiet path along the water and released him.  Here is the video.

We then continued down the road a bit to Lawrencetown Nova Scotia to release the Woodpecker.  He was very anxious to get out.  Here is how noisy he was in the car ride.  He was pecking hard to get out.

We parked right across from where he was picked up after striking a window and getting injured.  There were lots of trees and no windows in the areas.

Here is the video of the release.

He flew away, right up into the trees and then chirped away.  It felt like he was saying thank you.

Thanks for following along in our journey.  Make sure to subscribe to get notifications when a new blog is put up.