How far in advance did you order your COVID kit from Celebrity ?

[TeeRick]

If in general people order back up kits " just in case" and don't really need to use them- this is the type of thinking and actions that create pandemic supply shortages.  No problem to me ordering early for future cruises planned, keeping in mind the expiration dates.  I would like to suggest here that if you do have extra back up tests and have already cruised - and if you have no use for them - perhaps donate to your local school district or other community need?

[cricketgirl]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

We just registered yesterday and each of us had to register individually.    There was no question that would have tied us to each other and be able to limit the number tested.

 

As a trial you can go in now and register accounts for each of you individually (all 4).   You do not need to identify the kit until you are tested.  As for the tests ---all of the bar codes and QV codes are identical so will not be used for tying each of you together.

 

 

When I look at the site it offers a 2 pack and a 3 pack.  I'm thinking of ordering the 3 pack for the two of us so we have one extra just in case.  But it looks like it only asks me questions about one person.  Do I have to order a separate package (i.e. a 2 pack) for each person?  Maybe a stupid question but I just want to make sure I'm ordering correctly.

Edited October 8, 2021 by cricketgirl

[DCPIV]

I think I ordered mine about 3 weeks before my current sailing. I got a 3-pack since we have a lot of cruising coming up. I think it took a few days to show up, but I really didn't pay that much attention since time was not an issue. I do recall that the kits showed up the day after they shipped. 

 

Since expiration dates aren't a problem for a cruise next month, there's not much sense in waiting to order. May as well do it while you're thinking about it. 

 

Even if I hadn't seen that article linked above, I'd have been floored if the testing requirement didn't continue until well into next year or even beyond. 

[susiesan]

Curious, what happens if you have ordered and received the tests and you go online for the proctor and you can't get in because they are overloaded? With so many cruises set to resume in November and December, and thousands of people all trying to do the test at the same time, I can see where this could become a problem.

[phoenix_dream]

15 minutes ago, susiesan said:

Curious, what happens if you have ordered and received the tests and you go online for the proctor and you can't get in because they are overloaded? With so many cruises set to resume in November and December, and thousands of people all trying to do the test at the same time, I can see where this could become a problem.

no one knows what happens.  This is a concern of mine as well.  

[sunsetme]

get a kit before they run out, its good for a back up plan

[susiesan]

Interesting, I found this language/warning on the eMed web site:

Note: Because of the anticipated high volume of testing expected, it may take up to 24 hours for you to receive your test result documentation, so please plan your testing day/time accordingly to allow for delivery of your test result documentation prior to departing for the airport.

[Turtles06]

5 minutes ago, susiesan said:

Interesting, I found this language/warning on the eMed web site:

Note: Because of the anticipated high volume of testing expected, it may take up to 24 hours for you to receive your test result documentation, so please plan your testing day/time accordingly to allow for delivery of your test result documentation prior to departing for the airport.

Could you please link to the specific web page where you saw that?  The “About”  page says get results in 15 minutes. 
 

https://www.emed.com/about

[susiesan]

https://www.emed.com/airline-travel

 

Look at the page at under how it works for flights. Look at step 5 and click on the small i box for  more info. A pop up has this information as a note. This would be the same for cruise travel as airline travel.

[lv2cruisgrl]

How were they shipped to you, FedEx, UPS, etc? I just ordered some today and wonder how they will be delivered.

[dreams_of_travel]

1 hour ago, susiesan said:

Curious, what happens if you have ordered and received the tests and you go online for the proctor and you can't get in because they are overloaded? With so many cruises set to resume in November and December, and thousands of people all trying to do the test at the same time, I can see where this could become a problem.

A few months ago, there was a huge wait (8hrs or more) for the proctors, but they have since fixed their staffing issues.  Travelers to overseas via air have been using these tests for 6-9months to enter some countries, but mostly to re-enter the US.  I don't think cruising travelers will be much of a problem.  YMMV

[Fouremco]

2 hours ago, TeeRick said:

If in general people order back up kits " just in case" and don't really need to use them- this is the type of thinking and actions that create pandemic supply shortages.  No problem to me ordering early for future cruises planned, keeping in mind the expiration dates.  I would like to suggest here that if you do have extra back up tests and have already cruised - and if you have no use for them - perhaps donate to your local school district or other community need?

Interesting timing for your post, as I just finished reading the Reuters article on shortages. While cruise passengers will probably never be a major cause of shortages and resulting higher prices, they certainly contribute to it by hoarding.

 

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/rapid-covid-19-tests-increasingly-scarce-pricey-demand-employers-jumps-2021-10-05/

[Harrylinden]

4 hours ago, canderson said:

Yes.  It's the login/email account that you use for each test that must be different.

So what your saying is we have to have 2 separate email accounts? Or can we use the same email just register separate? Hubby dosen't have an email address!😏

[canderson]

2 minutes ago, Harrylinden said:

So what your saying is we have to have 2 separate email accounts? Or can we use the same email just register separate? Hubby dosen't have an email address!😏

Because you and your results are identified by the account you set up for each of you before you take the test, they need two email accounts.  Further, it seems they want to send results for two people to those two different email accounts.  Fix him up with an address for your own ISP or a throw-away Google (Gmail) email.  If you need help, let us know.

 

I plan to set my wife's phone up with a Gmail address just so we have the docs there when we need them.

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, susiesan said:

https://www.emed.com/airline-travel

 

Look at the page at under how it works for flights. Look at step 5 and click on the small i box for  more info. A pop up has this information as a note. This would be the same for cruise travel as airline travel.

 

Thanks.  I wonder how old that pop up is.  No one on CC has reported any issues like that.

[Turtles06]

25 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Interesting timing for your post, as I just finished reading the Reuters article on shortages. While cruise passengers will probably never be a major cause of shortages and resulting higher prices, they certainly contribute to it by hoarding.

 

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/rapid-covid-19-tests-increasingly-scarce-pricey-demand-employers-jumps-2021-10-05/

 

Thanks for sharing that article.  Relatedly, we've done such a poor job in the U.S. in terms of testing.  Nearly two years into the pandemic, it's like we've finally just discovered how important it is.  I think this article in the NYT the other day about test shortages and America's failures around testing is worth a read.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/06/briefing/covid-rapid-tests-fda-approval.html?fbclid=IwAR18GgYhQNq1TyfHz7WMr8ga49kQARP7DYnkcHINMGl7jsNVMWg_mOKhW8o

[susiesan]

1 hour ago, dreams_of_travel said:

A few months ago, there was a huge wait (8hrs or more) for the proctors, but they have since fixed their staffing issues.  Travelers to overseas via air have been using these tests for 6-9months to enter some countries, but mostly to re-enter the US.  I don't think cruising travelers will be much of a problem.  YMMV

Until thousands and thousands resume Caribbean cruises in November. It's not just Celebrity that is cranking back up. Look online at how many Caribbean cruises from Florida are scheduled for November and December.

[Denny01]

We ordered out 3-kit on Monday and got it Thursday and live in a small town not close to a distributor. I watched a YouTube and the guy doing it accidentally knocked the opened kit off the table and the Optim monitor told him he couldn’t use that kit. He had backups and it was ok. 
 

because of that I ordered a 2-kit backup for the 3 of us traveling  in late Nov. 

 

right now, all of us are teaching classes so we are in contact w many people and a few may not be vaccinated. So once we finish teaching first week of Nov we will get a free test at our pharmacy which takes a few days to get results to insure we are ok. Then 2 days prior to the cruise we will use the at home tests. That way if one of us tested positive in early Nov we have more options than learning just prior. We just got boosters so very low risk of getting COVID but…..
 

den

[Jim_Iain]

On 10/8/2021 at 9:57 AM, cricketgirl said:

 

When I look at the site it offers a 2 pack and a 3 pack.  I'm thinking of ordering the 3 pack for the two of us so we have one extra just in case.  But it looks like it only asks me questions about one person.  Do I have to order a separate package (i.e. a 2 pack) for each person?  Maybe a stupid question but I just want to make sure I'm ordering correctly.

You can just do it yourself for all 3 kits.    I did that for 2 and had no problem.   There is nothing on the box that identifies them as individual tests.    The inside card does have different QR codes on them.

[susiesan]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

You can just do it yourself for all 3 kits.    I did that for 2 and had no problem.   There is nothing on the box that identifies them as individual tests.    The inside card does have different QR codes on them.

All this self home testing could get very expensive. Rapid antigen tests at CVS or Walgreens are free.

[WestLakeGirl]

We are many, many miles away from a CVS or a Walgreens. Local pharmacy in town does not offer this service.

[phoenix_dream]

27 minutes ago, susiesan said:

All this self home testing could get very expensive. Rapid antigen tests at CVS or Walgreens are free.

yes they are, but not a valid option for many of us with this change to 2 day testing!  We always fly down a couple of days before.  So our flights for our several upcoming cruises are already booked.  In order to do a Walgreens or CVS test you first need to locate one near you, and then you need to drive there.  We will be staying at a hotel without a car.  If we can find a location close, we might (emphasis on might) be able to talk an Uber driver to take us and wait in the (sometimes) long line waiting for us to test.  But we can't count on being able to do that, so we will have to bring at least a couple of the self tests with us.  

 

IMHO the change from 3 day to 2 day testing really, really messed up many people's plans and significantly added to the stress of getting ready for a cruise.  In addition to finding the tests, it is literally impossible for us to know before we get on that plane if we will test negative for our cruise.  We can try a CVS or Walgreens test the day before we fly and that will give some peace of mind but is no guarantee.  If we get to our port and then test positive, then what?!?!  Can't get on a plane.  May have trouble finding a hotel that will let you quarantine until you test negative again.  Hugely stressful.

[floridatravelersforlife]

On 10/8/2021 at 4:34 PM, Denny01 said:

We ordered out 3-kit on Monday and got it Thursday and live in a small town not close to a distributor. I watched a YouTube and the guy doing it accidentally knocked the opened kit off the table and the Optim monitor told him he couldn’t use that kit. He had backups and it was ok. 
 

because of that I ordered a 2-kit backup for the 3 of us traveling  in late Nov. 

 

right now, all of us are teaching classes so we are in contact w many people and a few may not be vaccinated. So once we finish teaching first week of Nov we will get a free test at our pharmacy which takes a few days to get results to insure we are ok. Then 2 days prior to the cruise we will use the at home tests. That way if one of us tested positive in early Nov we have more options than learning just prior. We just got boosters so very low risk of getting COVID but…..
 

den

 

Ordered our kits Wednesday afternoon and received them by Noon Friday.  One kit has a 9/27/21 expiration and the other is 10/3/21.    guess they are catching up.

[floridatravelersforlife]

On 10/8/2021 at 3:09 PM, dreams_of_travel said:

A few months ago, there was a huge wait (8hrs or more) for the proctors, but they have since fixed their staffing issues.  Travelers to overseas via air have been using these tests for 6-9months to enter some countries, but mostly to re-enter the US.  I don't think cruising travelers will be much of a problem.  YMMV

Since they are supposedly 24/7, we will try late at after mid-night up to 2 AM on the day of the test.  Those times will have most of the US in sleep time mode and in the UK it will be early.   

[dreams_of_travel]

28 minutes ago, floridatravelersforlife said:

Since they are supposedly 24/7, we will try late at after mid-night up to 2 AM on the day of the test.  Those times will have most of the US in sleep time mode and in the UK it will be early.   

Last month I did a test at about 10am EDT with zero wait time.  The whole process was done much faster than I expected.  Good luck with your test.  I have to do one next week for another trip, and hope for another easy and quick process.