Puerto Vallarta, Mexico...

Tough day today…  Beautiful day here in Puerto Vallarta but for various reasons, we didn’t feel that it was prudent to go out and get any more exposure to COVID than is necessary….  To that point, the game has changed dramatically, for us, in trying to sail on a 6 ½ month voyage during a pandemic.  It was always going to be a challenge but, Holland America needed to get back to business and we were more than happy to do our part.  We would have done a longer voyage, but it just wasn’t possible with the jumbled schedules of Holland America restarting after being on pause for 19 months.  Last night was a total game changer for us…  I was notified, only because of a question I asked about another matter, that if I tested positive this coming Sunday morning in San Diego, I will be put off the ship. This coming after months and months of assurances that if I were to test positive, I would remain on the ship and quarantine there.   As a result, I am packing everything thing up, just in case.... I am so pissed off with them. They can't give me a good reason. Tried working with them to get it changed but to no avail. The best understanding that I have is they want everyone who tests positive off at the earliest possible port, wherever that may be in case they get really ill even if asymptomatic. If I pass Sunday, and am able to make it to Fort Lauderdale, I have 9 cruises booked, not longer than 7 days. It wouldn’t pay to ever unpack with the weekly threat of being tossed off the ship hanging over your head. At some point I may have to stop this craziness and come home much sooner than expected. So disappointed in Holland America Line. Just a word of advice to all you people out there that want to book back-to-back cruises…. You may be left hanging out to dry at some port halfway around the world depending on where you are sailing.  Just so happy we didn’t book voyages going too far afield from the US…. I’m very sad that a lot of the joy of cruising has been ripped away…. Instead of enjoying each day and the ports along the way, we must hunker down and minimize our exposure, so we aren’t dumped off somewhere….  Starting in the Fall, I am booked on voyages beginning in October and not returning home until the latter part of July, all over the world.  That certainly is subject to a serious, are you kidding me, review now…