December 2021 trip planning

[BadPinkTink]

I have just posted a new thread with a summary of Genie+ in the UK section. The Americans are too busy being negative to make a thread with just facts!

 

[zavandor]

I woke up early and decided to read the Genie+ thread. It will be interesting to see how overseas visitors use it. We have two APs and one U.K. 14 day ticket. With the APs we have to purchase G+ day by day, actually night by night, as it will become available at midnight or 3am (depending upon which reports one reads). For the 14 day ticket, I can attach G+ to the entire ticket or purchase day by day. I can’t pre purchase a few days. It seems G+ is $15.98 including tax and ILL$ approx $10 each plus tax. So I am looking at just over $100 per day or around $1500 for 14 days for 3 people.
We usually rope drop but then have a break midday and return to another park late afternoon, but I suppose to get full value from G+ it makes sense to do some rope drop until close days.
How do you see yourselves using it?

You can still make it work. When booking for the next pass, if you don't have a good return time for an attraction you want in the current park, switch to the park you want to visit in the evening. If you see an attraction for a return time that works for you, book it. Then after 2 hours, look again and book a second pass. You might enter the second park in the evening with 2-3 passes "banked".

 

[mamamia2005]

Virgin Atlantic are changing flight times again - our outbound and inbound flights have both been changed. The aircraft type has changed, but it says our seats have remained the same. Yet, when I go into the seat map, DH doesn't have a seat on the way home!
When I try to select seats it says the flight is provided by another airline, so contact them.
Hopefully it will all be sorted again by later today.
Bit put out really, I was looking forward to arriving into MCO at 2.45pm!

 

[jockdog]

If you haven’t done so already, try logging into your account on their website and selecting your booking. You may have a red button to accept the changes. That may open up seat selection. May not.

 

[mamamia2005]

If you haven’t done so already, try logging into your account on their website and selecting your booking. You may have a red button to accept the changes. That may open up seat selection. May not.

Thanks, I'd read about that before when they did some changes a couple of weeks ago. I can't see an accept the changes button on my VH mmb though!

 

[BadPinkTink]

US details new international COVID-19 travel requirements
By ZEKE MILLER and DAVID KOENIG


WASHINGTON (AP) — Two weeks before a new vaccination requirement kicks in for most foreign travelers to the U.S., the Biden administration detailed the new international COVID-19 air travel polices, including exemptions for kids, and new federal contact tracing requirements.

Beginning on Nov. 8, foreign, non-immigrant adults traveling to the United States will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with limited exceptions, and all travelers will need to be tested for the virus before boarding an aircraft to the U.S., with tightened restrictions for those who are not fully vaccinated.

The new policy comes as the Biden administration moves away from broader country-based travel restrictions and bans toward what it terms a “vaccinations-based” system focused on the individual risk of the traveler. It almost reflects the White House’s embrace of vaccination requirements in an effort to drive more Americans to get vaccinated by piling on inconveniences to those remaining without a shot.

Under the policy, those who are unvaccinated will need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test within a day of travel, while those who are vaccinated will be allowed to present a test taken within three days of travel.

Children under 18 will not be required to be fully vaccinated, given the inconsistency in the global roll-out of shots for their age cohort, but those aged 2 and over will be subjected to the same COVID-19 testing policy as their parent or guardian.

The Biden administration has been working with airlines, who will be required to enforce the new procedures, to explain the new policies so they can prepare for implementation. Airlines will be mandated to verify vaccine records and match them against identify information. They will also need to make certain that the shots given are on the Food and Drug Administration or World Health Organization’s approved list. Mixing-and-matching of approved shots will be permitted.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s quarantine officers will spot-check passengers after arrival in the U.S. for compliance, according to an administration official. Airlines that don’t enforce the requirements could be subject to penalties of up to nearly $35,000 per violation.

The administration announced limited exceptions to the vaccination requirement, including children, those who participated in COVID-19 clinical trials, who have medical reasons for not getting vaccinated, or are from a country where shots are not widely available. Unvaccinated residents of countries with vaccination rates below 10% of adults may be admitted to the U.S. with a government letter authorizing travel for pressing, non-tourism purposes, the administration said.

CDC is also requiring airlines to collect contact information for international air travelers regardless of vaccination status to facilitate contact tracing.

 

[mamamia2005]

Just the worry of the tests 3 days before now!

Who is everyone using for their tests?

 

[Thegoatfeeder]

Just the worry of the tests 3 days before now!

Who is everyone using for their tests?

Not sure where you are flying from, but we booked Randox through the Manchester Airport website when we came back from DLP in September, and will be booking with them again for an Anitgen test 48 hours before our Orlando flights.

It's really easy, it's a drive through setup and you get the results in 60 minutes.

 

[mamamia2005]

Thanks, but we are flying from LHR, and live about an hour and a half from the airport.

I'm planning to use on of the companies that send you the tests and you arrange a video call - which is another worry as I'm not exactly technical!

We fly on a Sunday, so can test from Thursday. We are at work / school on the Thurs and Fri, so thinking of arranging the video call for Thursday evening.

 

[Thegoatfeeder]

Maybe check the website for the airline too, I know Virgin have some providers at various airports. I think some get discounted rates and may do the video call thing .

 

[jockdog]

Some Boots and Lloyds Pharmacy do them in-store. If you have one near.

 

[mamamia2005]

I'll have to check about the two Boots stores nearby, no Lloyds near us.

 

[Zeusenbull]

Joining in!
I had all but given up on our December trip happening. Until I see the words in print that kids age 12+ are allowed in without being fully vaccinated, I don't think I will probably believe it!

We are flying LHR to MCO with Virgin on 19th December
19th - 23rd December staying at Hyatt place LBV
23rd December to 3rd January staying at OKW, then flying home.

I have the Premier inn booked for the night before we fly. PI were really good about refunding before, or if we can't go, I could always change the booking to a couple of nights in London which is our back up plan. Need to book car parking and do our ESTA's. Hadn't bothered before as I didn't want to lay out even more money, or waste our ESTA time!
ADR day for me next Saturday for 22/12 (our first Disney park day), and then on Sunday for the +10.

Keeping everything crossed it will actually happen.

hello there.

Apologies if you have already found this out but unvaccinated children are able to travel as long as they have a negative test beforehand. Quote from the Guardian news yesterday:

'Children under 18 are excepted from the vaccination requirement for foreign national travellers, given both the ineligibility of some younger children for vaccination, as well as the global variability in access to vaccination for older children who are eligible to be vaccinated.

Children between the ages of 2 and 17 are required to take a pre-departure test.

If travelling with a fully vaccinated adult, an unvaccinated child can test three days prior to departure (consistent with the timeline for fully vaccinated adults).

If an unvaccinated child is travelling alone or with unvaccinated adults, they will have to test within one day of departure, the White House said in a fact sheet.'

 

[mamamia2005]

hello there.

Apologies if you have already found this out but unvaccinated children are able to travel as long as they have a negative test beforehand. Quote from the Guardian news yesterday:

'Children under 18 are excepted from the vaccination requirement for foreign national travellers, given both the ineligibility of some younger children for vaccination, as well as the global variability in access to vaccination for older children who are eligible to be vaccinated.

Children between the ages of 2 and 17 are required to take a pre-departure test.

If travelling with a fully vaccinated adult, an unvaccinated child can test three days prior to departure (consistent with the timeline for fully vaccinated adults).

If an unvaccinated child is travelling alone or with unvaccinated adults, they will have to test within one day of departure, the White House said in a fact sheet.'

Hi
Thankyou, its really good news. Although there is now huge debate going on, on another forum about whether children will have to quarantine for 7 days on arrival. Its all to do with the wording on the CDC website, and the attestation.
I'm not booking anything until this is ironed out!

 

[mamamia2005]

And now its being said that no, kids do not have to quarantine, but will have to take a test 3 - 5 days after arrival. But no details on where it can be done, if it has to be supervised, what type of test, who you report the test result to etc etc.
Its just a mess really, and causing a lot of anxiety in what should be finally a happy build up to a long awaited holiday.
Pretty fed up this morning

 

[Thegoatfeeder]

And now its being said that no, kids do not have to quarantine, but will have to take a test 3 - 5 days after arrival. But no details on where it can be done, if it has to be supervised, what type of test, who you report the test result to etc etc.
Its just a mess really, and causing a lot of anxiety in what should be finally a happy build up to a long awaited holiday.
Pretty fed up this morning

I’m almost certain that Walgreens do testing in the US and there’s a lot of those in the Disney area. I also think you’ll see testing for kids offered really widely, if it’s a requirement, they’ll be many in the same boat as you.

Disney may even offer it themselves through a 3rd party, they do in Paris and I think have done in WDW previously.

 

[mamamia2005]

We're staying off site our first few days, and there's a Walgreens nearby that I figured we could use.
It just adds another layer of worry though.

 

[Plague]

And now its being said that no, kids do not have to quarantine, but will have to take a test 3 - 5 days after arrival. But no details on where it can be done, if it has to be supervised, what type of test, who you report the test result to etc etc.
Its just a mess really, and causing a lot of anxiety in what should be finally a happy build up to a long awaited holiday.

It's not really a surprise though. The idea that this announcement (about 8 Nov) would produce a fully thought out and operational system from that date is unrealistic. There will be bugs.

On the bright side ... For those going in December there will have been about a month (so probably a few/several thousand travellers) debugging or at least learning how to get through the systems, plus Disney, CVS, Walgreens, etc, also getting to grips with handling things. So by then there will be a much clearer idea of what is needed to be done and lots of experience in how to do it ... and how not to

Don't worry about it - yet anyway

 

[Zeusenbull]

It's not really a surprise though. The idea that this announcement (about 8 Nov) would produce a fully thought out and operational system from that date is unrealistic. There will be bugs.

On the bright side ... For those going in December there will have been about a month (so probably a few/several thousand travellers) debugging or at least learning how to get through the systems, plus Disney, CVS, Walgreens, etc, also getting to grips with handling things. So by then there will be a much clearer idea of what is needed to be done and lots of experience in how to do it ... and how not to

Don't worry about it - yet anyway

Great advice, I have a friend who is going out mid November so anything I find out I'll post on here as soon as its useful. So excited about the prospect of visiting Florida again, I know the wait and uncertainty will all be worth while once were there

 

[Plague]

I have a friend who is going out mid November

That's the kind of friends we need ... the guinea pig kind