By Karen Quinn-Panzer
Travel Matters
Karen Quinn-Panzer
On July 3, my husband and I went on our first cruise in 18 months on Crystal Serenity, a luxury cruise ship, sailing from Nassau, Bahamas to Great Exuma, San Salvador and Long Island. Some of these islands had never experienced a visiting cruise ship before.
We followed new COVID-19 protocols that made us feel safe but never impeded our enjoyment of the experience. This sailing was for fully vaccinated guests only, and we were required to get a rapid antigen test (complimentary) just to make sure that we were COVID negative before boarding the ship. Upon our arrival, we had a full Junkanoo greeting: a local Bahamian street parade with music, dance and costumes.
Here are a few tips based on our experience.
Be flexible. We had originally been scheduled to make our first stop on Bimini, but since they had some recent COVID spikes on that island the stop was canceled. Safety is always first. Instead, we had a day at sea and Crystal compensated us with bonus onboard credit to spend. With $180 pocket money and two dozen things to do onboard, we had a great time exploring the ship and relaxing. I enjoyed golf lessons with a pro, high tea at the Palm Court with musicians and watching a movie in a theater for the first time in 16 months. Our friend even won $650 at the slots.
Be adventurous. As we return to all these gorgeous destinations, people are working hard to provide the services offered pre-COVID. For example, on our Bahamas cruise, they are fine-tuning transit options and reopening things like beach clubs, so the cruise line warned us in advance that some shore excursions may not be at the same level of service that we expected from years past. On some islands we were the first cruise ship ever to be there, and we tendered in since there was no established dock for a cruise ship.
Being adventurous had its rewards. We went to three of the purest, turquoise-water beaches we have ever seen in Exuma, San Salvador and Long Island.
Be patient. As we get back to cruising and international travel, we need to be patient with new protocols and forms that we have to present upon arrival. Vaccinated travel is a reality in many countries. Each country has its own form to complete (your agent can advise).
For the Bahamas, upload your Centers for Disease Control vaccine card and answer questions about your proximity to COVID-19 on the Bahamas Travel Health Visa site. Present your “visa” before getting on the plane to the Bahamas. A $40 fee also gives you travel protection if you need to stay longer. You can also purchase your COVID-19 rapid antigen test on this site for your return to the US, conducted onboard, with upload of negative results to your phone. Easy.
Reward: the beauty and serenity of the Bahamas.
Karen Quinn-Panzer is the owner and vacation specialist at Dream Vacations Quinn Panzer Travel in Milford.