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Re: Should we go?
[Re: MXS]
#262272
08/11/2021 02:19 PM
08/11/2021 02:19 PM
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 291 South Carolina
dvesc
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 291
South Carolina
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A lot can change over the next three months. Just look at the last three. Any advice given today might be reassuring now, but it may not help much in October or November. With that said, here's what reassured me when we traveled last December. - We had the option to cancel or change our flight and apartment reservations up until a few days before. If you're in the same boat, nothing has to be decided now and you have the luxury of seeing how things develop.
- I was also reassured that we had a direct flight that required passengers show negative results to board. It's not foolproof, but I felt safer than I would on a domestic flight.
- We bought additional travel insurance that covered costs for emergency evacuation and also included trip interruption expenses that would have given us plenty of money if we just needed to quarantine on the island for several days in the event of a positive test while traveling.
- Once we arrived, we were outdoors most of the time and rarely had any exposure inside to anyone not in our family.
I mentioned this in my trip report after returning, but the most stressful part was our time in the CLT airport. We were stuck in line for about 45 minutes, no one was social distancing, and there was no guarantee anyone checking in had been tested since the line was for multiple flights. Once that was done, we were able to avoid too much contact with others -- even on the plane. However, it wasn't a great way to start the trip. I worried about it the entire time I was gone.
Last edited by dvesc; 08/11/2021 02:21 PM.
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Re: Should we go?
[Re: MXS]
#262275
08/11/2021 02:29 PM
08/11/2021 02:29 PM
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,645 Brookfield, CT.
pat
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,645
Brookfield, CT.
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MXS,
We are long time SXM visitors and have made two trips back since Covid with our third scheduled for the early half of November. We are both seniors and fully vaccinated. If we are allowed to fly our trip will be a definite go.
Both trips we were very careful about staying out of shops and crowds and we did our dining in mostly open air restaurants and this will be our plan for November as well. Taking reasonable precautions is just the right thing to do - for you, for her and for those you might come in contact with - but no kissing or hugging island friends - even though it seemed so strange at the time not to.;
I will always be cautious and wear a mask as required but I will not live my life in fear of Covid, or anything else for that matter. Everyone has to make choices for themselves and honestly, if she really doesn’t choose to go, I’d wait until the time is right for both of you.
But we are going until they say we can’t or we just aren’t able to. 😊😊
Edited to add -
And yes, the hoops are annoying, aggravating and surely a test of your patience on occasion, but once you’ve made it through them, the trip itself is so worth all the efforts made.
Last edited by pat; 08/11/2021 08:09 PM.
Respectfully,
pat
"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them."
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Re: Should we go?
[Re: MXS]
#262276
08/11/2021 02:33 PM
08/11/2021 02:33 PM
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 399 Detroit
bluejacket
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 399
Detroit
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Jumping through those hoops is definitely worth it. I'd be more concerned with the November weather.
Last edited by bluejacket; 08/11/2021 02:34 PM.
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Re: Should we go?
[Re: MXS]
#262280
08/11/2021 03:10 PM
08/11/2021 03:10 PM
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Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 933
SammyM
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 933
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Personally, I would go. But, I would casually monitor the situation over the upcoming weeks. My wife and I are discussing this presently, and we have the advantage of having a son who is a scientist and worked with many of the leading laboratories in the world on COVID-19 treatments and vaccines. So, we still turn to him for advice (as we should). Watching too much news coverage on COVID can heighten stress to the point where we can't live our lives. Mankind and vaccines have existed together throughout history, and although this has been a really bad one it's still just a virus and we can't put our lives on 'indefinite hold' as we get older. You are both vaccinated (I assume with one of the mRNA vaccines) so that's all you can do at this point to ensure you won't develop severe illness that requires hospitalization should you get sick. Despite the flare for dramatic news coverage, breakthrough cases are still exceptionally rare at .0098. Yes, the Delta variant is more infectious given the mutations to its spike proteins, but our vaccines handle this variant just fine so I would lessen my level of concern here. On St. Maarten, when you dine in most cases you'll be in an open air environment and relatively safe from contracting anything. The same goes for being on the beach, hiking in Loterie Farms, or even visiting Parrot Ville.
So what could go wrong? Yes, a new variant could emerge, but it would likely be no worse than Delta. My son has assured me over and over again that it takes many years for a virus to be able to evade our immune systems, and SARS-Cov-2 is not there are this point. The only thing that I would hate to deal with is if I tested positive prior for our return trip back to states and couldn't get on our flight back home. But, I think that would be a long shot. If it did happen, then having alternate arrangements back home may be necessary for those who work, are boarding a pet, have a house sitter, etc. So, making sure you have cell service on SXM is a must at this time. As for November weather, maybe we've been just lucky, but we've had really nice weather on our November trips (with the exception of that stupid hurricane "Lenny" that travelled in the wrong direction back in 1999!). If we can find 'reasonable' air fare we may just run into you on SXM.
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Re: Should we go?
[Re: MXS]
#262288
08/11/2021 04:39 PM
08/11/2021 04:39 PM
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Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 49 Knoxville, Tennessee
Need island time
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 49
Knoxville, Tennessee
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Go! It is a little nerve racking filling in the paperwork & waiting for approval. But I actually have not heard of anyone getting completely turned down. We are not very tech savvy & I agonized about having our test in a PDF file. All we ended up doing was taking a picture of the document and attaching that,. Easy peasy! We were there in July & are going back in mid October for another month. We were able to spend time with friends. We made sure we masked in stores or any indoor places. Washed our hands often, carried hand sanitizer. We had no problem with the test to come back either. Took about 15 minutes & we were on our way. Just make sure you give yourself plenty of time at the airport when returning. We got there 3 hours early on a Wednesday & took about 2 hours to get through. ( We could not check in early because of checking bags.). Our time on the island was so special. The clock is ticking on us, We get older even with covid around. Just use common sense. You are vaccinated, you already know how to protect yourself!
We always need island time! Ben & Katie
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Re: Should we go?
[Re: MXS]
#262301
08/11/2021 07:16 PM
08/11/2021 07:16 PM
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,288
PelicanPirate
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,288
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Re: Should we go?
[Re: MXS]
#262338
08/12/2021 12:26 PM
08/12/2021 12:26 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,666 MIA
irina
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,666
MIA
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Re: Should we go?
[Re: BeachKitten]
#262368
08/12/2021 03:46 PM
08/12/2021 03:46 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,715 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,715
Central Florida!
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Regarding travel insurance, you need to look at the limits on the various policies and what types of perils you are most interested in covering. I am not necessarily that worried about Covid coverage now, as coverage for regular medical expenses and medical evac. But some things, like cancel for any reason insurance, have to be purchased within a very short period of time from when you made your initial payment, so if you're outside that window, you don't need to worry about that. Also, on medical insurance, I look for PRIMARY coverage, not secondary coverage. That is what is very important to me, because my Medicare Supplement has only partial coverage for medical costs outside the US, and I don't want to have to shell out extraordinary amounts of money and wait 6 months for an insurance company to pay me back. For the actual cost of the trip and trip cancellation, those aren't that important to me for a trip to SXM because I could probably get my money on that applied to a future trip for the hotel and the airfare probably I could get refunded. Your mileage may vary.
Carol Hill
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Re: Should we go?
[Re: PelicanPirate]
#262507
08/14/2021 09:33 AM
08/14/2021 09:33 AM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,715 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,715
Central Florida!
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Sorry, if your premise is that there is ANY value to SXM to someone coming to the island who is Covid positive, I do not agree. It has to be a negative.
Carol Hill
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Re: Should we go?
[Re: PelicanPirate]
#262512
08/14/2021 10:12 AM
08/14/2021 10:12 AM
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,723 Auburn, WA
SXMScubaman
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,723
Auburn, WA
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I meant with the 5+ days is having folks indicate they are coming by signing up with EHAS and then if you test positive you get your money back and then they have a data point of who was kept out. Still don't get it.
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Re: Should we go?
[Re: SXMScubaman]
#262532
08/14/2021 01:31 PM
08/14/2021 01:31 PM
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,085 Massachusetts
boucharda
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,085
Massachusetts
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[/quote]Still don't get it. [/quote]
Nope
Last edited by boucharda; 08/14/2021 01:31 PM.
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Re: Should we go?
[Re: Colour1]
#262544
08/14/2021 03:34 PM
08/14/2021 03:34 PM
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Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,882 Portland, OR
jazzgal
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,882
Portland, OR
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We brought our own straws (Stainless steal reusable) and the staff was more than willing to give them a quick rinse! David - Consider these stainless steel straws. They come with their own collapsible brush and are easy to carry. I have several and love them. Collapsible Straws LINK I just wash the straws and their container out every time I come back home from using them.
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Re: Should we go?
[Re: indi]
#262588
08/15/2021 11:12 AM
08/15/2021 11:12 AM
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,645 Brookfield, CT.
pat
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,645
Brookfield, CT.
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If there was a ‘like’ button I’d use it on this post!! 🙂🙂
Respectfully,
pat
"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them."
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Re: Should we go?
[Re: dustinbh]
#262590
08/15/2021 11:56 AM
08/15/2021 11:56 AM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,415 Peaceful Eastern North Carolin...
GaKaye
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,415
Peaceful Eastern North Carolin...
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Has anyone considered what happens if you test positive for the return test to the US? Having to stay an extra 10-14 days on island sounds fun but not practical for most of us that are not working remotely. Even vaccinated, it’s still possible to test positive, especially with Delta spreading like it is. Feeling nervous about October That's really my only concern, and we're both retired. I can imagine you young folks who are still gainfully employed would be even more concerned! And Joyce, I couldn't agree more! Hope to see you and Matt there.
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