What Happened When We Tried to Vacation in St. Kitts
Covid restrictions are relaxing, but travel hasn’t caught up yet
For more than a decade, our daughter Jessica, her husband Ric, and their four children have gone on an annual winter vacation with us. They all live in New Hampshire while Grandpa Curt and I live in Philadelphia, so it’s always fun to meet them somewhere for a week in the sun.
This has been a long year with no travel for anyone, and we missed seeing and hugging them. We know from our FaceTime visits that they have grown so much. By the time their April “spring break” rolled around, things had begun to change. Curt and I were fully vaccinated, and we couldn’t wait to reunite with our grandkids.
As usual, Jess and Curt took on the job of finding a destination able to accommodate all eight of us. We’ve crammed ourselves into small sets of rooms in California, Florida, Virginia, and Hawaii and embraced the chaos of rooming together. Although I was still leery of air travel, Dr. Fauci was beginning to sound a little more hopeful. The family convinced me, and we all looked forward to it with great anticipation.
They settled on St. Kitts. Jess read all about the island and its COVID-19 precautions and reported that there had only been roughly forty cases on the island. The weather forecast was perfect and, for me, this trip fulfilled every requirement. Put simply, I wanted to spend a week with my grandchildren, daughter, and son-in-law, and I wanted everybody to have fun!
Here is what happened instead.
St. Kitts requires a negative COVID test within seventy-two hours of departure, uploaded with their Immigration, Customs, and Health Declaration Form to their specified website, with the return of an approval letter. Ric and Jess uploaded the paperwork for 5 out of 6 in their group, but their eldest son, Bennett, had his test a day after the rest of the family. When they left Boston, they were still waiting for his test results.
Put simply, I wanted to spend a week with my grandchildren, daughter, and son-in-law, and I wanted everybody to have fun!
We had a happy mini-reunion at the airport in Charlotte. The excitement of our week together was palpable. Everyone's documents were rechecked, and we all boarded the plane. Once on board, the flight attendants happily moved seats around so that we could be closer to our grandkids.
During the flight, Ric got an email of rejection because Bennett’s test wasn’t uploaded with the rest. However, it was a relief when Bennett’s test results, showing a negative test, were also received during this part of the flight.
When we arrived, there was a request that the Hayes family sit in the back of the room, and Curt and I were asked to go ahead with the rest of the passengers.
Soon Jess was sending frantic texts to me. The St. Kitts officials would not even look at Bennett’s negative test results or any of their documents. Everything had to have been uploaded and approved in advance. The family was being sent back.
They had separated us from the family and one of their official employees walked back and forth to deliver bits of bad news. I had no desire to stay without my family, and Curt agreed. The whole point of this week was to be with my loved ones. It had been a long time coming.
“There is no room on this plane for two more people. You’ll have to stay one night,” we were told. We protested. I was in tears, and they didn’t care. There was no humanity in any of it. Rules are rules.
What they didn’t tell us is that we could not get on tomorrow’s plane because another covid test would be required. The 72- hour window had closed on our original test. From the air, Jess texted me in complete dismay. She was most upset that we had been separated when there was clearly room on the flight for Curt and me.
When they landed in Charlotte, they were told there were no St. Kitts flights back until Wednesday, and that American Airlines would put them up in the Charlotte Airport hotel for one night as a concession.
The whole point of this week was to be with my loved ones. It had been a long time coming.
Meanwhile, at the Marriott Beach Club, I counseled myself, “How bad can it be to stay in this paradise for a week?” I said.
The reality: It can be pretty boring to stay in paradise when it is not open for business. There are no tours, the spa is “closed for renovations,” and I don’t swim. The beach is a nice place to spend an hour or two, but then what? As usual, I brought a few books but I could have just as comfortably read them at home.
As the week progressed and we talked to the other few guests we learned that the restaurants are understaffed, and they open and close on a schedule known only to their employees. There is a casino and golf course, but it is closed to all except the local residents. I have not seen anyone frolicking or swimming in the water since our arrival. I am told by other travelers that the seaweed accumulation makes ocean swimming untenable.
I decided to try to make something out of this vacation. Our room was in a third-floor walk-up with no elevator and I challenged myself to at least improve my lung capacity while I was there, vowing to devote the rest of the week to some form of self-improvement.
I spent a little bit of time at the pool every day, pretending to be a swimmer. I applied sunblock liberally. The days passed. Curt is easier to please than I am. He really just wanted me to be happy. If I’m unhappy, I can make him pretty miserable. But I swore to myself that I would not take it out on him this time.
On Thursday, we had another COVID test. Both nostrils were swabbed. One of my swabs was dropped on the floor and had to be redone. I wondered if there would be an extra charge for that. Or just another spell of bad luck.
We waited it out, smiling at everyone, careful not to let slip all of those things that I was thinking. I was afraid if I rocked the boat, I would be there for the rest of my life. But our negative test results were emailed to us the next day. Finally, we were going home!
Now it’s time for a vacation.
Ramona Johnson is the mother of two and grandmother of six living in Philadelphia, PA. She is a retired attorney, who loves spending time with her children, reading, listening to music, and gardening on her small balcony.
