Wickedly Sassy Travel

Starting on March 26, U.S. domestic travelers to Hawaii will no longer need to show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test to bypass quarantine and enter the Aloha State, Gov. David Ige announced in a press conference.

The current version of the screening program known as Safe Travels requires visitors to upload testing or vaccine information to a state-run website along with contact information and details of the traveler's itinerary. Those who are not vaccinated and do not produce a negative test result are subject to a five-day quarantine.

Since its launch in October 2020, more than 11 million people have been screened through the Safe Travels program.

Ige added during the press conference that he was not yet ready to let the statewide indoor mask mandate sunset, making Hawaii the only U.S. state to leave its mask mandate in effect.

"We're not done with Covid-19, but we do recognize that we have to transition to the new normal," Ige said.

Travelers to Hawaii and travel advisors said Safe Travels frequently resulted in delays and long lines for screening at airports, and the system was at times confusing to use. Airlines eventually dedicated staff to help expedite the screening process.

"The Safe Travels program was an immense undertaking that would not have been possible without the collaboration and support of our fellow government agencies and numerous visitor industry partners who worked tirelessly to serve our communities in this effort," Hawaii Tourism Authority CEO John De Fries said in a statement.

"Bringing the Safe Travels program to a close reflects the progress we have made as a state," he said, "and Gov. Ige's decision is a good balance of maintaining reasonable health precautions while reopening our society and economy."

International, non-U.S. resident arrivals to Hawaii must follow the U.S. federal guidelines for entry, including required vaccination and proof of a negative Covid test or recovery from a recent Covid infection.

"The pandemic is not over," Ige said, encouraging people to remain vigilant.

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Select cruises and cruisetours departing May 2022 through November 2022 sailing to the following destinations: Alaska, Europe, the Caribbean, California Coast, Mexico, Hawaii, Panama Canal and Canada & New England.

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Our website should be up and running very soon.

Page Not Found This GoDaddy domain has no website. Why not create a professional, inspiring website of your own? All it takes is an hour.

The trick to getting through life is always having a booked vacation to look forward to!

Packing tip- utilize space. Place a dryer sheet in your shoes, and pack underwear and socks down inside. It helps keep the form of the sneakers while not letting space go to waste.

Packing tip-
Always lay out your stuff and money. Take half the stuff and twice the $$

Special offer for
Los Cabos

Excellent info to have right now with all the constant changes.

https://www.travelweekly.com/covid-entry-rules-map?utm_source=eNewsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=eltrdb&oly_enc_id=2882G4203656G4G

Covid Entry Rules Map This interactive map provides detailed info on Covid-19-era travel restrictions, quarantine requirements, testing rules and documentation required for travel. Powered by Sherpa.

I have yet to be anywhere near the East Coast. 😔
This looks like a great stop when I finally get there.

The U.S. has an amazing number of Castles.
Have you been to any?

Take time to see your surroundings!

A cousin to Devil's Tower?

Bucket list, been there or never considered it?

I am going to try doing series of pictures. Places you should visit,
And maybe Castles in the US.

Florida Sues to Force CDC, Biden Administration to Restart Ocean Cruising Out of U.S. Ports

Insider Travel Report

04/09/21

Last week Florida’s governor threated to sue the government, namely the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Biden administration, to force it to restart cruising out of U.S. ports. Yesterday, Gov. Ron DeSantis (pictured above) went ahead and did just that, announcing that his state had sued the government and the CDC demanding they allow cruise ships to sail from U.S. ports immediately.

“Today, Florida’s fighting back,” Gov. DeSantis said as he stood with his State Attorney General Ashley Moody in PortMiami, the largest cruise port in the U.S.. “We don’t believe the federal government has the right to mothball a major industry for over a year based on very little evidence and very little data. I think we have a good chance for success,” DeSantis said.

Filed in the United States District Court in Tampa, the state’s lawsuit seeks a preliminary and permanent injunction against CDC guidelines on cruise ships. It claims the industry “has been singled out, and unlike the rest of America, prevented from reopening… As a result, the industry is on the brink of financial ruin.”

“If we do not do this, you will see companies continue to move these cruises to other countries,” Moody said. “Florida will not allow that to happen. Lives are on the line.” Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Crystal Cruises have already announced plans to base ships in Bermuda, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean starting as early as this June.

Florida’s lawsuit comes just days after Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) sent a strongly worded letter to the CDC maintaining that its cruise brands had fulfilled all the requirements mandated by the CDC, including its most recent statement that people who have been vaccinated can safely travel. NCLH said it would only permit vaccinated guests and crew to sail on its ships, which it urged the CDC to allow to cruise starting July 4.

Florida has three of the world’s largest cruise ports—PortMiami, Port Canaveral and Port Everglades. The industry employs thousands of workers and generates billions for the state’s economy each year. The cruise industry has been shuttered since March 2020 due to coronavirus outbreaks on several cruise ship and the CDC’s concern that the virus could spread in the close quarters on a ship. The CDC “no sail” order was updated in October to require cruise lines to pass a series of health and safety protocols before sailing.

Several cruise lines, such as MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean, have returned to sailing in other parts of the world, but none have met the CDC’s requirements so far to be able to cruise from U.S. ports.

Florida’s lawsuit claims that because other segments of the travel industry such as airlines, hotels, restaurants, theme parks, casinos and bars “have continued to reopen successfully with reasonable COVID-19 protocols,” the CDC’s restrictions on the cruise industry are now “obsolete.” The suit claims that Florida “has the authority and responsibility to protect the wellbeing of its public [treasury]]and the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens.”

Calling the CDC’s decision to delay cruising “irrational,” Gov. DeSantis said he believed the state’s lawsuit has “good chance for success.” But some legal experts reportedly said the state will have a hard time making the case that it has legal standing to sue the CDC and the federal government.

Meanwhile, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) said It supported Florida’s lawsuit against the CDC: “Last October, CDC replaced its March 2020 ‘No Sail Order’ with a ‘Framework for Conditional Sailing Order,’” said Zane Kerby, ASTA president and CEO. “At the time, many in the travel industry saw it as a sign of real progress toward the resumption of cruise travel. Six months later, despite more than 170 million vaccines administered, falling infection and mortality rates in most states, political inquiry and pressure, including [now] a lawsuit from Florida’s Governor, the CDC has taken little substantive action and, by all appearances, maintains that cruising cannot be resumed safely.”

"We find the CDC’s position singling out cruising perplexing given that nearly every other group activity one can envision—from attending sporting events to dining indoors in restaurants, to visiting movie theaters and gyms, not to mention traveling by air and staying in hotels—has already resumed safely with masking requirements and social distancing protocols in place,” Kerby said. "With state-of-the-art medical facilities and medical staff on board, cruise lines are uniquely positioned to deal with a variety of challenges, including COVID-19. Their thorough protocols have been effective, as we have seen in both Asia and Europe, where cruising has already resumed. Out of 400,000 passengers, there have been only 50 cases of on-board infection, an exceedingly low rate, and with zero fatalities. What’s more, no government assistance was needed to manage those rare instances because they were managed properly by the cruise lines and never escalated to the point of needing outside intervention.”

Kerby noted that the CDC last week said that those who have been vaccinated are at low risk to spread infection and can resume domestic travel as long as they adhere to social distancing and masking protocols. “Why this pronouncement applies to the 1.5 million airline passengers flying every day, but does not apply to those who would choose to cruise, is arbitrary and capricious,” he said. “It is long past time for the CDC to issue the guidance needed to permit sailing to resume or rescind the order in its entirety, as we stated yesterday in our letter to the White House COVID-19 Recovery Team Coordinator, Jeffrey Zients.”

"150,000 American travel advisors are the worldwide sales channel for the cruise industry,” Kerby said. “Accordingly, we stand with U.S. Senators Rubio, Scott, Murkowski and Sullivan and our partners at the Cruise Lines Industry Association (CLIA) urging immediate action and express our support for the legal action to being taken by Governor DeSantis to immediately rescind the CDC’s Conditional Sailing Order."

As Kerby noted, ASTA on April 7 sent a letter to the White House COVID-19 Recovery Team Coordinator Jeff Zients demanding clarification on the CDC Conditional Sail Order. Financial support for travel advisors has been tragically inadequate. U.S.-based travel agencies are the sales force for cruise ships worldwide and their livelihoods depend on the resumption of cruising. “Cruising is the only voluntary experience that has been singled out for scrutiny and additional, yet to be determined, regulations,” Kerby said.

APRIL 30 Disneyland Park and California Adventures are reopening! Limited capacity, so it's a great time to start planning your summer trip!

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I wish I had never gone traveling, said no one ever

Wow! April is here, spring is in the air and I have been busy checking prices for flights, VRBOs and car rentals. People are ready to travel! Are.you one of them? Where do you want to go?