A visitor summed it up, stating, “Yes….This is a Hot Mess.” The deeper we all dig, the more problems that surface.
276 thoughts on “Latest Testing Rules Fail: Hawaii Vacations Upended”
Comments are closed.
A visitor summed it up, stating, “Yes….This is a Hot Mess.” The deeper we all dig, the more problems that surface.
Comments are closed.
It is a problem and will get worse, I think, with the new rules effective Monday. We had problems this week getting the few Walgreens appts available (free test). Then they were late so had to do a last minute “next morning” test for $170 each. Still one result was late so one person had to quarantine which meant renting a special hotel lock-down for that person, another $150 extra, since the timeshare was not an approved quarantine resort.
So an unanticipated extra $490 and a lost day for our current vacation.
I would caution anybody to wait on a Kauai vacation.
Threading the needle with slow test results and a 72 hour window is tricky and potentially disruptive to your vacation plans and enjoyment.
Expect some long lines on Kauai as well since car rental agencies are low on staff an not yet geared up for the influx of visitors.
We canceled our 8000.00 trip to Hawaii and went to Florida instead!! I love Hawaii and am sad however that’s too much money to risk when traveling with a family. Hopefully some day will be free to see Hawaii again 😥
Aloha. I would like to mention another frustrating aspect to testing.There is nothing linked to “Hawaii approved sites” in Southern Oregon. Nothing closer than 200 mi away!There are Walmarts here, CVS, Walgreens. Probably labs and Medical centers that use Quest Diagnostics.But none are testing for Hawaii. I have been tested twice. One Rapid Antigen test with results in 20 min.Right now my only choice will be to drive 200+ miles to a Kaiser or other lab. Yes I can order Vault but they can take 72 hrs.There are 3 of us who will have to find a lab. It’s just a little piece of this work in progress. There is a very strong link with Hawaii in Oregon as UO Manoa and many colleges here reciprocate no out of state fees to attend.We will do what it takes. We miss the islands and want support reopening, despite some risks. Mahalo for your newsletter and all the updates!
Hi Liz.
Thanks. From the comments we’ve received, Vault would seem to be your best option, and most people reported much faster results than you indicated.
Aloha.
I just got back from a trip to Maui (I live in New York). My party of four tested at a Walgreens 48 hours before the flight. We all got our results within 6 hours. We attached the results in PDF form to our Safe Travels Hawaii trip and they we accepted. The only issue was with the transfer in HNL. They cleared us through to enter Oahu. So when we got to Maui, we had to fill out another “trip” with the same info. It was accepted and we had a wonderful time despite all that mask wearing.
This is an ever changing requirement in Hawaii. My wife and I moved our trip once and then cancelled it, going elsewhere. We have no plans to go to Hawaii until things are stable. It may take years for things to be stable in Hawaii – if ever. I just hope the decision makers can come up with a plan and not change it every couple days.
That said, I understand the infrastructure issues in Hawaii and the havoc COVID has caused everywhere.
I totally understand the change not knowing if you positive before yoy get On the plane makes sense so others flying with you are not at risk. However the state needs to open to more testings places that arw in compliance with NAAT test and the lab…..which i know more places offer then in the list. Results hopefully wouldn’t take or delay as long. The Best solutions would be rapid test at the airport the day of travel as well. We want to keep everyone safe and slow the spread of virus to All people not just the islanders.
Please add more testing places. So hard to get into and now hearing they are backed up has me worried for next week.
Please remember that everyone in the world has been in isolation… and this can lead to various emotions. Hawaiians have endured a lot of invasion… I’m not saying that tourists aren’t welcome, just not at the moment. Isn’t it obvious? Everyone should be on their upmost best behavior. So, to feel scared is a perfectly normal emotion in the middle of a, hello, pandemic. I validate you and your emotions, please don’t take it out on local folks by calling them mean. -a peace educator with Aloha and forgiveness for all
The island of Bermuda has set up fast (same day results) preflight testing for incoming visitors through an organization called OpenClear. No need for searching and guessing about what provider to use or will the results be accepted. Why can’t Hawaii make it simple?
I just traveled to Hawaii, so I’ll share my experience. It was my understanding before I booked my flights that a negative COVID result was required to enter the state, and that the test had to be taken within 72 hours of departure. I scheduled an appointment with Walgreens for the rapid test and had results within 8 hours. We were scheduled for 5 nights on Maui, 2 on Oahu, and 5 on Kauai. When we landed on Maui, they line everyone up to have you pull up your barcode from your SafeTravels profile to review your results. There is a delay once the results are uploaded, so I had them ready to show in PDF format. Be prepared to show results at rental car agencies, as well as some hotels upon check-in. Maui was amazing and the trip was seamless, Oahu as well. However, this trip was quite different than the past several trips I’ve made to Hawaii, people were definitely not in the Aloha spirit. I somewhat understood, because of the COVID fears, so I did not let it affect my trip. Once we arrived on Kauai, we were told that since we didn’t have an updated COVID test within 72 hours of arrival, we would have to quarantine or leave. I had 5 nights left of my vacation, so we stayed quarantined in our hotel one night so I could get flights re-booked and we left the next day and continued our vacation on the mainland. I was told multiple times that multiple tests were not required for intra-island travel, just the initial test to enter the state. Kauai is my favorite place on earth, so I was highly disappointed, but at the same time, I understood. It was a beautiful trip, but the overall experience was quite different, and until we get COVID under control I don’t see it changing. I’m planning to go back in the spring for my much needed and desired time on Kauai. Hawaii is a magical place, but right now the experience is not what it once was, or will be in the future, hopefully.
We just got back from a similar trip as you. Wife had everything ready and printed out but they requested that they see our qr code and trips via the safe travels website to prevent forgery. We were aware of interisland covid testing so 3 days out we scheduled covid testing out in Maui which we got results within 48 hours at minutmedical. You are correct with thr rental car companies following the same practice as checking in after flying into Hawaii at the airport.