A visitor summed it up, stating, “Yes….This is a Hot Mess.” The deeper we all dig, the more problems that surface.
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276 thoughts on “Latest Testing Rules Fail: Hawaii Vacations Upended”
A visitor summed it up, stating, “Yes….This is a Hot Mess.” The deeper we all dig, the more problems that surface.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
I am so confused. We are a family of five traveling to Honolulu from Vegas in March. Then plan of going to Maui for one day, then back to Vegas the following day. Do we need to take another test to get to Maui?
Check back in March, because whatever the rules are now, they will be different then.
We arrived in Oahu Sat 11/21 and had to quarantine for 2 days. It just took CVS/Quest 5 days to get us the results. We survived of course, so not complaining. We’re off to Maui now, under the new rules, and have all tested negative. We used UrgentHI and DLS Labs and they were awesome! They’re an approved facility for interisland travel testing and they had our results, negative, in about 24 hours. So happy that we’re not going to need to quarantine again! The question is, “Would we do this all over again?” Not quite sure. We’re having a great time and met a lot of wonderful people. All of the residents that we’ve spoken with, working at the hotel, restaurants and tour operators are a bit relieved that they’re working again. And like everyone else out there, they’re very frustrated with the current world we live in. Unemployment and benefits that were supposed to be extended ran out months ago. We all need each other, so let’s appreciate every moment we have. Aloha folks!
Changing rules will affect the tourism. Requirement of negative test within 72 hours is really difficult for tourists, instead it should be one week. Many places suggested by travel website, are actually not offering COVID test. When we phoned CVS, the answer was we never heard of offering this test???There are limited sites for testing….. this is very frustrating
Spent over $500 getting family tested at CVS. Took 6 days to get results. CVS is awful! Don’t use CVS!
Does anyone know of any partners besides Walgreens and CVS for testing in Austin, TX. CVS says they won’t guarantee results in time. Walgreens will only take reservations for the next 3 days and as soon as they post a day, it gets filled. Thanks for anyone’s help.
Hi Sue.
Look for an update here shortly. If you are flying after the holidays that should be a better time for mail-in testing. CVS is a no-go for sure.
Aloha.
We are flying Dec. 9 before Christmas so I could quarantine if necessary. My kids live there but we got an Airbnb for 2 weeks in case we have to quarantine. I’ll keep trying Walgreens since that is the only approved testing place I can find on Hawaii’s list. Hope they come up with more partners before we leave. Thanks
Hi Sue.
You cannot quarantine in an Airbnb. It has to be a hotel.
Aloha.
According to the Safe Travels site, if you are renting for more than 30 days, you can quarantine in your condo.
My children and grandson live on Oahu. I live in Austin, TX and will be arriving Dec. 9. I’m trying to find a place to test for Covid in time. I see CVS and Walgreens are the only Austin places I can find that Hawaii will accept. CVS says they will not guarantee results in time. Walgreens will only take reservations for the next 3 days. I hate to wait until Dec. 6 to have a reservation. Right now as soon as they post a new date, it is filled. Any other places you can recommend to get tested in our area? Thanks for the help. Sue Pliszka
Hi Sue.
Have you considered using the Vault test-by-mail option? Overall good results reported by other commentators.
Aloha.
Does anyone know how quest is doing with turn around?
They aren’t listed as a trusted partner anymore
Where can I find trusted partners? And thank you. I am flying out from Portland Oregon on alaska
Hi Lauri.
The list is found here on the state’s official website: https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel-partners/.
Aloha.
Wait as a US citizen I thought it was our right. I guess you should not come to any part of the mainland since it’s not sure right.
Basically I respect your issue but Hawaii should just shut down for visitors..and do it right! Instead of being incompetent and playing games. Aloha
Not a good idea to go anywhere those days. To expect travel plans to stay the same is silly or at the very least half expected because of covid-19. C’est la vie these days.
We have flights on United for December 5 that have changed three times. It’s making it very hard to schedule a COVID test for 72 hours before the last leg. And coming from the east coast, our 1:45 connection in Los Angeles is 4:45 in Pennsylvania. That also makes it very hard to get a Vault test to UPS by the end of the day or a test at CVS or Walgreens. Not sure this is going to work out. Very stressed.
It’s Hawaii. These are islands. They cannot predict in advance, day to day. what public health numbers will show. So yes folks, its pandemic tines and all travelers to anywhere in the world are taking their chances, day to day, of changes. We love Hawaii. We look forward to traveling there when things are safe. They deserve to be praised for protecting everyone. Mahalo.
If you read the rules you will know what to expect when you get here. I still can’t believe they are letting people on the planes without a negative result in hand! If it turns out to be positive, they have just contaminated the whole plane!
The rules just changed though. Arbitrarily. There are people that made plans based on one set of rules and now with limited warning there are a new set of rules.
I was planning on coming on 11/29. Because of thanksgiving, that effectively gave me 48 hours to get a covid test since all testing and shipping is closed on thanksgiving by me. Which is impossible to guarantee a result as there are limited approved testing available on the east coast.
I had been quarantining for weeks. I had planned to take a covid test yesterday (get confidence Im negative) and then another take another test friday and hopefully get results sunday, maybe monday.
So you can be safe. Quarantine. Have negative covid results. But because of the ridiculously tight window it is almost guaranteed I would have to quarantine.
I would be more than happy to pay for a rapid test before I get on a flight, but it isnt offered. So you claim people are being irresponsible and that just isnt the case. The rules and available testing arent in harmony.
There are rapid tests at Walgreens that are Hawaii approved according to their website.
I’ve tried to get an appointment at Walgreens and they are only taking them for the next 3 days and those are full. If you know of another way to test I’d appreciate knowing. Thanks. We are staying for a month in case we have to quarantine. Sue
FYI, I’ve cancelled my Maui trip scheduled for 11/27/20 as a result of this ridiculous new Catch-19 rule for going to Hawaii. Hope everyone else planning a Hawaii non-vacation does the same.
We arrived on 11/16 and our results didn’t come in until the morning of 11/17. You can’t rent a car if your results aren’t back, so we had to take a 45 min cab ride to our condo rental and then taxi back to the airport in the morning to get our rental car after results came in. This cost $100 each way.
Additionally, we were let into the condo, but not given a key, so we couldn’t leave and had to order food for delivery. The locals do not want us here and are very vocal about it, so we’ve tried to keep to ourselves for the most part… no eating out, minimal shopping, pretty much just staying at our resort.
I arrived in Honolulu on Thursday Nov 19th from Edmonton VIA San Francisco. I had my covid negative test in my hand along with my code from the State. I was told they will not accept a Covid test from a lab in Canada. This test was done by Dyna life which is our major Lab company and was done 72 hours before my last leg of my flight which was San Francisco. I was told they are not accepting covid tests from Canadian labs. I have to stay in 14-day quarantine. Seems to me the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing as everywhere you read it was saying that if you have a negative covid test 72 hours before your last leg of the flight you do not have to go into quarantine
Definitely false advertising. I even called the state office the following day to explain my situation and the answer was still I had to remain in 14-day quarantine. Not a happy camper. Marion
Marion, if you read the rules correctly, you had to use specific labs for your 72 hour test to be accepted. So it appears that you didn’t do things correctly and it back fired on you
Hi, just visited Hawaii from the 14th of Nov. To the 22nd. Make sure you read the Hawaii requirements to enter. CVS AND WALGREENS is a 3-5 day window Quest 2- 3 i was very stressed. I met someone that when boarding in LA did not have results, got to Hawaii had the Negative results but the WRONG TEST, was turned away, Retd that same day back to Florida, did not want to quarentine, was in Hawaii for 3 days only.
What Island?
Let it be known that even if you have a negative result and NO QR code. You will not even be able to pick up a rent a car. You get quarentined at the airport and need to catch a taxi to the hotel. Hawaiian airlines trusted labs had false advertising for the rapid test.
I didn’t recieve my test results until my 2nd of 3 flights. I uploaded them to the site and it still hadn’t been reviewed when I landed in Honolulu over 6 hours later. The process was smooth when I landed and I was luckily able to show her the negative result that walgreens emailed me but the site doesn’t seem to be in as big of a hurry for results than the state does.
Hawaii continues to shoot itself in both feet by implementing draconian requirements to get in. These policies are crushing their people and businesses who depend almost entirely on tourism. The cure is worse than the disease, a disease in fact that has a 99.6% survival rate. If you’re afraid of grandma dying, then quarantine grandma, not the entire state of Hawaii. Protect your money and your sanity: do not book a vacation to Hawaii until they rescind all these policies which hurt far more people than they help.
Seems like an easier task would be to focus on the people getting sick instead of an entire population. Politicians know zero about management.
Good one
We canceled our vacation to Hawaii because of the change in rules. It just doesn’t sit well with us that we can do everything right and have our vacation ruined because of things outside of our control.
The new rules are clearly designed to discourage those with 1 or more legs (East Coast travelers) from going to Hawaii. There is no additional safety this new set of rules add.
My guess is Hawaii just cant staff the system they put in place and want to reduce the number of visitors. Theres no real other explanation for the change.
We all saw the mug shots of tourist arrested like criminals for breaking quarantine. They track your cell phones and fly over with helicopters and police patrol even on private property if congregating with fellow persons.
I tested through Quest Diagnostics on a Monday afternoon for a business trip to Kauai on Tuesday. I didn’t get my results until Saturday morning, the day after I had already returned home.. I spent the entire time on Kauai in quarantine awaiting results that I was told would take 1-2 days. That long of a delay puts you outside the 72 hour requirement window. Do Not Use Quest Diagnostics!!
This is a Hot Topic! I feel the new ruling is a bit extreme. If you don’t have your negative test results, Yes, quarantine should happen, however, only until your Negative Test Results arrive and you are able to upload them. If you are questioned, you have the download to show as proof. Let’s get real…. If people are wanting to travel to Hawaii, they will do so. Most people are gracious and respectful. Why is there so much negativity on this site? My husband and I traveled to Maui on Oct. 17, 2020 from PA. We had No Problem. We both scheduled our Covid tests within the 72 hour requested time frame. My husband received his test results back within 24 hours, downloaded them, Printed them out as well. I not so lucky, I didn’t receive my negative test results for 3 days. They arrives while we were awaiting our flight from Dallas to Maui. I downloaded them ASAP and all was well. If they hadn’t arrived, we would have changed our flight to the next day and stayed overnight in Dallas.
There needs to be give and take on Both sides of this issue. Everyone just needs to use common sense and Work Together. We all have the same goal!
We love coming to Hawaii but even paradise is not worth this mess. Tge people of Hawaii obviously dont want visitors so i believe we will just wait a year or so before we try again.
Should people be traveling now? The CDC says no.
Sadly, I just had to cancel our trip to Honolulu because the test results from Quest weren’t back in time. My daughter used the Walgreens fast test and had results in hours.
Like the article says, no problem with flight and car rental cancellation, but I had a penalty charge for the same day hotel cancellation.
It would be nice if the official Hawaii testing partners committed to getting tests back within the 72 hour window, but that’s not the case. Best thing I can recommend is to avoid Quest testing.
Our frustration was the 72 hour window for test results. Where we live Walgreens was our only testing option being there is the “approved” list of testing sites. Working within the 72 hr my husband’s results were in when we landed mine were not. At that time I was placed in a temporary quarantine. Airport process was quick and efficient. My outrage began at our accommodations when we were denied our room keys and escorted to our room by security as if we were criminals, not paying tourist who have owned property on this island and who have routinely been coming for 50 years. The situationt was not handled well, good communication is essential.
I won’t be going back to Hawaii for a very long time. Won’t be a prisoner in my own country .
Six days fir my CVS test results.
Thank you. Just an update. I was able to get a rapid test at CVS yesterday. The results were online within 2 hours. I uploaded them to the State Website where it read my document and confirmed the negative results in minutes. It was much easier than expected. I still plan to have my papers and also have the file on my devices just in case.
Question for you-you were able to find a location that could complete a NAAT test within a couple hours? From my understanding, they will only accept the NAAT test and not the rapid. The new rule that went into effect still states that a NAAT test (usually 2-3 days for results) must be used. Did the Safe Travels account approve a rapid negative result as certified to travel? Just curious as I’m trying to figure out how I can make my own trip still happen.
My daughter is on day 6 with no results. Quest diagnostics advertises 2-3 results. You can’t even talk to a live person about the status of your test results. She’s spending her vacation stuck inside the house because of this none of a testing system through approved partners. Luckily she still has a chance to enjoy Hawaii IF she ever gets her test results but only because she arrived before this new rule. How about we get new partners who can actually have results by the time you have to get on the flight!!!
With the delays happening to get results back within the 72 hour window before the last leg of the trip, will it be acceptable to do the test 4 days before travel to Maui?
Thanks for your question.
Nope, the test must be taken 72 hours before travel from an approved testing partner! This part of the program hasn’t changed. If you are worried about not getting testing results back, I encourage you to reschedule your travel to a time not during a pandemic!
Best of luck getting the results before you travel!
This seems to be the story of the current Administration. Half baked ideas with zero follow through. The rail is another glaring example. Poor leadership equals poor results.
I tried to visit Maui last week and was turned away. I printed out all of my documents thinking it would help out, but the gal became confused. She was reading the Quest Lab Report as Quest Lab, which didn’t match with Quest Corps. She decided that the lab I used wasn’t valid, but actually is. She was confused and by then, there was no convincing her otherwise. My vacation ended before it started because of her wrong decision.
State of Hawaii cannot make up her mind of what would be her policy for traveling tourists vacationing to Hawaii, she is still confused herself.
I am a Maui resident, mom, and small business owner. I took a necessary work trip to California for five nights. I took my pre-travel Covid-19 test at CVS in Woodland Hills on Saturday, Nov 14 at 2:10pm. My flight home left LAX on Tuesday, Nov 17 at 1:30pm. Today is Sunday, Nov 22 and my test results are still pending! Due to this major issue of the lab not processing tests within the time frame stated (it’s now been 8 going on 9 full days with zero results) I’ve had to keep my son home from kindergarten, I am unable to service my clients, my business and family of four’s lifeline is remaining closed, and I was not even granted the opportunity to take the post travel Covid-19 test because I am required to have my pre-travel negative test results already uploaded, reviewed, and accepted. I don’t think I have ever been this frustrated about anything before. How is this being allowed to happen to people?
Small sacrifice and not a very big deal. I am currently in Hawaii and those were basically the requirements since October 15th. Unless you wanted to be quarantined in your hotel until a negative test came back. Not sure why you would even get on the plane without a negative test. Unless you were OK with spending your vacation time inside your hotel room. These islands simply do not have the capacity to deal with mainland covid numbers so if its such a hassle stay home. Tired of all the complaining and crying. Grow up and follow the “F”ing rules or stay home.
I’m going to stop reading comments and just +1 yours. “Grow up and follow the “F”ing rules or stay home.” Yes, exactly.
We sent in our Vault tests, they got to the lab on the other side of the country in 24 hours, and we had results less than 24 hours after that – plenty of time to print out before our flight. If all of this is a big deal for you all then maybe go to Florida or just stay home.
I did cancel our trip two hours before our flight because the CVS test which was promised in 2-3 days did not arrive in time. What irritates me is that I tried to follow all the rules, spent nearly $500 at the Hawaii Trusted Partner CVS lab and they did not come through. You would think Hawaii would have partnered with partners they can trust! I am very glad we did cancel and it took CVS six days to get me my test results. It all worked out well. No penalty in the cancelled flights. Changed our Hawaii timeshare for a Palm Desert timeshare. Had a great time and spent lots of money on the local economy. Hawaii needs to get their act together and maybe a complete ban on travel is the right thing to do. (Don’t use CVS!! A trusted partner that cannot be trusted.)
“You would think Hawaii would have partnered with partners they can trust!”
Hawaii trusts them, just fine. It’s travelers that need to decide whether to trust them.
Only a Government employee or an idiot (maybe one if the same, would take that position).
Most business team up with businesses they trust and know will treat their client in a professional manner. No business in the right mind would team up with someone that they could not trust to perform. But this is the Government, not a business. If the Hawaii Government has balanced the interests of the economy and the health of its citizens and concludes the best way to protect their citizens is to shut down tourism, fine – I support that. But don’t set up a system that is bound to fail or worse, team up with a “partner” that is failing.
Awwww, you had to spend $500 for test results that didn’t arrive in time. First, every lab on the mainland is backed up right now because, as you may not have heard, there’s over 180,000 daily cases right now….how many ACTUAL tests does that equate to? Second, CVS said yesterday they’re no longer able to guarantee timely results and has opted out as a trusted partner. Why would you blame Hawai’i for that? While I admit our system has some minor flaws, overall the rules and procedures are in place to keep us residents safe. A better question is why you feel entitled to get a test for a vacation when there’s 1000’s of people who Can’t even get a test who legitimately need one? Traveling across an ocean for pleasure right now strikes me as incredibly selfish, and whining about the protocols we have in place….which, by the way, has kept us with the lowest positivity and death rate in the country, is unbelievably short sighted. Feel free to come visit when there’s a vaccine or when you people can stop listening to the Dear Leader and wear your damn masks…then maybe there wouldn’t be this unprecedented surge. I have zero sympathy for you. Thanks for playing tho………
Your argument is ridiculous. Why have protocols if you know they don’t work? Yes, I expect when an organization (Hawaii or CVS) establishes an publishes a protocol that involves spending $500 then I think it is a reasonable expectation that it work.
If Hawaii believes the best way to stop COVID spread is to shut down (which I would agree) then shut it down. Don’t set up a process that is bound to fail.
agreed!
Also why is Hawaii requiring this when every other state isn’t? I am confused.
Because we are an ISLAND ! that’s why! my question to you, is why do you feel so entitled ?
Well said!!! 🤙🏽
Mahalo
I can’t help but think that these new stricter rules(forcing many into the 14 day quarantine), will cause many to break quarantine, which can be a legal disaster (for them), and a possible additional source of transmission to Kauai’s essential workers & others. It is very painful to see since Oct 15 2020 when Kauai reopened to visitors with negative tests, we now have 26 additional cases. Since March we have had an average of two cases per month, until the “arrival with a negative test”rule began. Unfortunately, several of those tests were wrong, and that is how we got to this current situation.
To be honest most locals don’t want tourist here anyway. We would prefer the state to stay closed. Yes we are losing money but for a lot of us it’s about more than money. It is about family. Or as we call it Ohana. So sorry if your trip got disrupted but honestly was taking a vacation during a pandemic the best idea anyway. . We have very limited medical resources on most islands except for Oahu and even they only have so many beds and units. So sit back and think about that and how selfish you are being. Complaining about your vacation with everything going on in the world. That’s the problem with a lot of people. You are selfish you only think about yourselves. How about doing something for the benefit of everyone!
Right on, Larry…couldn’t agree more. It’s extremely selfish and unless people are legit coming to visit Ohana, just stay away until the vaccine is ready and mainland cases decrease…have some patience please. You really Don’t need to be going on vacation right now, do you?
Your problem is you sit on your high horse pontificating for the hawaiian people what is they want. You are the selfish one who does not consider the policies you support are crushing people’s livlihoiods and creating a crushing burden of stress on Ohana. People’s lives are being ruined by the policies you support. People are dying by suicide because of your policies. People are not going in for their chemo treatments or avoiding hospitals altogether because of the fear you spread. Your policies have terrible consequences that you ignore completely. Shame on you!
My high horse is Covid free, thanks. There’s a reason we have the lowest Covid numbers and Covid deaths, so call it whatever you like. And no one is avoiding getting chemo or any other necessary medical procedures…if anything, it’s thinking like yours that’s filling hospital beds with Covid patients and denying that bed space to people with medical emergencies. Our policies are in place to keep everyone safe and to help play a small part in preventing surge spread of Covid in the state. Mask up and stop whining. Shame on you with your Trumpian thinking
Please know my husband arrived in Hawaii today without any issues. He got his test done through the united airlines provider at SFO. He did the test Thursday night and had the results early Friday morning. He uploaded to the HI state site and only took a few minutes to get through the Covid area at HNL today. Cost to test at SFO was around $130. Hope this helps!
My son was a UH Manoa student who returned home to East coast mainland at the end of Spring semester, after putting his belongings into a storage unit near campus.
He made the decision to not return to UHM and now we can’t go back to get his stuff because of the ever-changing travel restrictions. Its roughly 2 days of flying for us just to get to Hawaii. This is all very frustrating.
I am a resident of Hawaii and wanting to see my son out of state. The challenges in getting an appointment in time from a trusted partner during Thanksgiving is almost impossible. I have not seen him for over a year. Hawaii is a hot mess. What about the island residents desperate to see loved ones?
Thanks, Madeleine for you question!
As a Hawaii resident your are given to travel options, a 14 day post arrival quarantine or participating in the Safe Travels program.
The state isn’t telling you can’t travel just that you need to do it safely.
I get that testing for the Safe Travels program around Thanksgiving is tough however maybe this a a year you travel to see son at a different time.