Is it safe to travel to the Caribbean? One Wishdrawals Agent Shares Her Family’s Experience

There is a lot of concern with travelling under current conditions and rightfully so. It can be scary risking your family’s health for a vacation. For my family, vacation is part of our well-being and reenergizes us. In the midst of chaos, we took leap of faith and opted to go for it. We’ve actually packed more in this summer than any I can remember – we were able to experience Universal Studios with little to no wait for most rides (with our masks of course) and we’ve been to several beaches on the East Coast including one of our favorite beaches in Jamaica, the 7-Mile Beach in Negril. Throughout our travels whether it was a theme park, hotel, resort or beach, we were impressed with the increased standards in cleanliness such as seals on room doors, hand sanitizer EVERYWHERE and nonstop sanitization.

Here are some details about our Beaches Negril experience:

Prior to Travel

COVID has caused delays in processing of passports. Be sure to allow enough time to ensure you get your passport in time. Jamaica requires a preauthorization to travel which includes a health screening form and results of a negative (RT-PCR) COVID test within 10 days of travel for anyone 12 and older. Visit www.visitjamica.com for more information.

Getting there

We prefer to fly Southwest because we like our bags to fly for free, and they have an excellent cancellation policy that allows you to change your flight without a fee at prevailing rates. They also had direct flights from BWI, one of our local airports. We didn’t want to risk flying through a COVID hot spot. Middle seats are open through September (now October!0 so our family had an entire row to ourselves with that coveted extra space between us.

The long-term and express airport parking lots were closed, so we were able to park in their hourly garage at long-term rates. The advantage was being able to walk to the terminal and not having to be transported on a bus. Aside from masks, screening questions, and some of the vendors being closed, our check-in was smooth. Beverage service on the airplane was limited to water and a snack, so pack an extra snack or grab a drink or snack if you want more. Passengers were asked to wear their masks at all times unless they were actively eating and drinking.

Upon arrival to Montego Bay, passengers undergo another health screening. Travelers wait in line to first have their temperature taken which is annotated on a slip pf paper and given to you to provide to the counselor. Once you sit down with a health counselor, they go over the same questions you filled out prior to travel. You will be asked to sign their tablet acknowledging everything you’ve told them is true. They then notify everyone in your group you must to stay in your resort corridor while you are in Jamaica. At this point you are able to proceed to immigration and customs. Having flown to Jamaica before, I would say the health screening process helps keep the immigration and customs lines short. We waited only minutes at each.

The entire process from the time we landed took just under an hour. At this point we were one step closer to starting our vacation as we made our way to the Sandals/Beaches lounge. They tagged our luggage and we entered the beautiful lounge but were only there a few minutes – enough time for a restroom break and to grab a bottle of water and snack before our ride was ready. They offered beer and soda as well and all refreshments were handled only by the attendants. We were then escorted to a private 10-passenger van for the 90-minute ride to the resort.

On our way to Beaches Negril!

Guestroom

Upon arriving to Beaches Negril, we all had our temperature taken once again. We waited briefly before being escorted to the concierge lounge for check in. They were only checking in two families at a time, so there was separation between travel parties. We received all the information about our stay, and they explained the enhanced safety procedures in place at the resort.

Once checked in, our concierge attendant gave a us a tour of the property before showing us to our guestroom. Our room had a seal on the door letting us know we were the first ones to enter since it had been cleaned and sanitized. Beaches provided a full-size bottle of hand sanitizer and wet wipes with the other toiletries.  Housekeeping service and turn down service were available daily. The team wore disposable gowns and gloves while in our room.

 

Dining

Guests were asked to sanitize before all meals or upon entrance to a restaurant, and if you did it before the staff were watching, you were doing again for a bonus round! At The Mill, the resort’s buffet, servers provided us each a plate and would allow us to select what we would like. It seemed as if there were one or two assigned to stations or sides. We never really had much of a wait. The only downside is being able to really control how much you get when you may just want a bite of one thing or two scoops of another. I suspect this is the way forward, so it is time to adjust. 

 

 

For table service options, QR codes allowed guests to review menu items from their personal electronic devices instead of using traditional menus if they prefer. Typically, only some of the restaurants require dining reservations, but for COVID and to ensure proper physical distancing, reservations were required for all sit-down table service meals. At Kimonos there was only one other table the same time as ours. We were seated with another family but they were at the opposite end of the hibachi table. At The Venetian, we were one of only two tables initially and then as we were finishing up there were two more families seated in the restaurant.

Counter-service options included Dino’s pizza and a BBQ window with burgers, jerk chicken, and other traditional quick-bite options. Instead of ordering at the window or counter, one of the staff would take your order a few feet away from the ordering window. I recommend avoiding these during peak dining hours because the wait could be sometime. If you are looking for something quick, I recommend checking out The Mill and asking for a take-out cover. The Mill offers a variety of options as well as some kid-friendly choices and was much quicker if you don’t want to wait.

If you’re looking for something sweet, unlimited frozen yogurt with an array of toppings is available at Yo-Yo’s. After sanitizing hands, customers receive a cone or cup for their yogurt and may select toppings for the attendant to pile on. This was the favorite spot for my kids – and the color-changing spoons were a nice touch. Soft-serve ice cream is also available by Dino’s Pizza but also with an attendant providing cones. Café Paris offers made-to-order crepes and an assortment of baked goods.  This is also where coffee lovers will enjoy a latte or espresso during their stay. Don’t even think about ordering before sanitizing your hands.

I'm going to hit other things like kids' club, activities, and spa in the next blog!

NOTE: This is a 2-part blog, so make sure to check back next week for the remainder! 

Guest Blogger: Christin Michaud is an avid cruiser and loves making memories with her family. In light of the cancellation with cruise travel, she and her family opted to try an all-inclusive family resort for their last summer vacation adventure. You can contact Christin or your Wishdrawals agent to assist you with booking your next adult-only or family all-inclusive or a cruise for your family.  Contact her at christin@wishdrawals.com.