The 2 Days pre Test

[mcrcruiser]

Which Test Results come back the same day in writing ?

Where have you found the best place   places to get the test ?

Are appointments easy to make  ? How do you make the appointment ?

 

 Thanks in advance for your replies 

[Crew News]

15 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Which Test Results come back the same day in writing ?

Where have you found the best place   places to get the test ?

Are appointments easy to make  ? How do you make the appointment ?

 

 Thanks in advance for your replies 

I booked one week in advance for CVS rapid test.  No charge.  Results received before I got home.

[cruisemom42]

DS and I went to CVS for the antigen test (not PCR); I made our appointment about 2 weeks in advance. They provide you with results through a secure portal that you must create an account for and log into, after that you can access, read and download your results.  At the time we did this Celebrity required a hard copy of the test results -- we had no issue complying. It was quite simple.  We had our results in about 45 minutes.

[dobiemom]

I’ve used covidclinic.org twice ($75 & $129 - two different places) for a rapid antigen test. Results in 15-30 min via email.  When I made the appt I was also eligible for a free PCR test. That result came in about 70 hours and 44 hours respectively,

(I’ve had problems with CVS appts. Luckily there’s a nephrology clinic nearby that offers free testing.)

[Cruise Suzy]

DH and I used Walgreens; there was no charge in our area. Appointments are made online and you must provide an e-address. If you already have a Walgreens account, the info is automatically filled in, but you don't need to create an account. There were a few simple questions to answer before you could make the appointment. All of the Walgreens in our area offer the Rapid Diagnostic Test (aka ID NOW) with results available within 24 hours. In less than 45 minutes, we each had an e-mail with a link to a printable report. Sensitive info won't be in the e-mail.

 

I did a mock appointment reservation three weeks before we needed the tests so I would know what info was needed and how far out the appointments could be made. You may want to do the same as this varies depending upon which state/county the store is located.

 

No CVS stores in our town were offering a free test with quick results. The county health department was giving tests only on doctor's referral. In some counties, both CVS and the health department were giving the needed tests. You just need to check in your area.

[CruiserBruce]

This is also being discussed frequently in the board for the port you are interested in.

 

We have, and will in the near future, use Worksite Labs, PCR test, always back in under 14 hours, as few as 9. 

[mcrcruiser]

1 hour ago, Crew News said:

I booked one week in advance for CVS rapid test.  No charge.  Results received before I got home.

Did you get the test at a CVS minute clinic ? 

[mcrcruiser]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

DS and I went to CVS for the antigen test (not PCR); I made our appointment about 2 weeks in advance. They provide you with results through a secure portal that you must create an account for and log into, after that you can access, read and download your results.  At the time we did this Celebrity required a hard copy of the test results -- we had no issue complying. It was quite simple.  We had our results in about 45 minutes.

 Was your test at a CVS Minute clinic  with your advanced appointment . TIA  

[DaveOKC]

13 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

 Was your test at a CVS Minute clinic  with your advanced appointment . TIA  

Ours was.  They did mess up a bit by trying to text me via my landline while we were waiting in the parking lot!  That is after they sent we two texts to my cell within 60 minutes of our test = Crazy!

[cruisemom42]

14 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

 Was your test at a CVS Minute clinic  with your advanced appointment . TIA  

 

It was at a CVS that has a Minute Clinic but I am not sure whether it is tied to the Minute Clinic or not, as I was offered online the opportunity to make an appointment at either of two CVS locations that are about equally close to me, one with a Minute Clinic (which I chose) and one without.

[Crew News]

39 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Did you get the test at a CVS minute clinic ? 

My test was done at a very small cabin outside the CVS store and billed to my insurance plan. 

 

I was handed a short swab and told to swirl in each nostril 15 times (Nieuw Statendem onboard test was 10 swirls in each nostril and they did the swirling) and then stick the swab into a small tube.

 

Both big changes from the horror stories of inserting swabs up to your eye sockets.

[sergel02]

My family used CVS that had a 2 day turnaround but it didn’t work so well. One member got theirs back but myself and another didn’t. Luckily we brought those home test kits  just in case and did them the morning of the cruise. 

Edited December 13, 2021 by sergel02

[Sea42]

3 minutes ago, sergel02 said:

My family used CVS that had a 2 day turnaround but it didn’t work so well. One member got theirs back but myself and another didn’t. Luckily we brought those home test kits  just in case and did them the morning of the cruise. 

I think having a back up plan is a smart move!

I had purchased the home test kit but I wasn't able to use it due to internet problems. My slow satellite internet wasn't sufficient for the video part of the test. We had made appointments at a community center as a back up.

[sergel02]

14 minutes ago, Sea42 said:

I think having a back up plan is a smart move!

I had purchased the home test kit but I wasn't able to use it due to internet problems. My slow satellite internet wasn't sufficient for the video part of the test. We had made appointments at a community center as a back up.

Definitely. The testing was probably the most stressful part.   Two days is pretty tight. In retrospect I should have done the at home tests the day before when we flew out but whatever. 

[Sea42]

13 minutes ago, sergel02 said:

Definitely. The testing was probably the most stressful part.   Two days is pretty tight. In retrospect I should have done the at home tests the day before when we flew out but whatever. 

That was my plan, to test before flying down to my mom's house in Florida. But it all worked out in the end and it was great to be back on a ship!

[cruise kitty]

We used Covid Clinic dot org, the home proctored Emed test, & Celebrity on board....  in every case I had printable results within 20 minutes

 

The home test was way easier than I would have thought, would love to do it again for our May cruise, but the kits we have expire before then.

 

I guess we'll see if it's even still a requirement in May...  we have to get tested for our flights, but then have about 9 days in Europe pre-cruise....  waiting until we are much closer to see what the requirements are then 🙂

 

[AFNavigator]

Our family of three did the E-med-monitored Abbott Binax-Now AG home tests this morning.  We're departing on Eurodam on Wednesday.  Testing was easy and only took about 25 minutes each, start to results.

 

These are not over the counter Binax-Now home test kits.  These are the monitored versions that must be ordered.  The non-monitored versions are not valid for cruise or air travel verification.  Cost was $99 (free shipping) for 3 kits, sold through Optum.  The cost was worth it to me in the convenience of not having to drive somewhere to get a test.  Locally, it would have been an hour drive to a free rapid test Walgreens (no CVS rapid tests locally at all).  Our local Walgreens and CVS only have the 3-day return tests so those wouldn't work for cruise travel.

 

Prior to starting the test, you set up an account through Abbott's Navica app--that took about 15 minutes to enter information for all three of us.  On test day, you log in on your PC or smartphone to the E-med site and Navica (easy to do).  At that point, a live proctor comes up online and walks you through the test.  It was very to follow and the results post to Navica (which most cruise lines monitor) and are sent to you via e-mail for printing.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

23 hours ago, Crew News said:

I booked one week in advance for CVS rapid test.  No charge.  Results received before I got home.

We have don the same ..

[Caribbean Chris]

We went to the drive-through free rapid test site offered by Sarasota County where we live. No appointments. We got there (near our SRQ airport) at 9 am before they opened and were in a short line. Staff people had a clipboard with a QR code to read with your smart phone for setting up an account. They handed us the swabs through the car window and gave us instructions. Quick and easy. We had results 15 minutes later while driving home.

 

OP - may want to check on what your county health department offers.

[Caribbean Chris]

Several people mentioned printing their test results (which we did last month).
 

Has anyone just showed the results by handing over their phone or iPad at embarkation?

 

I ask because we’ll be traveling two days before and will have to try and get the result printed at the hotel. Several hotels where I stayed during the pandemic had shut down their business centers. 

[surfone]

2 minutes ago, Caribbean Chris said:

Several people mentioned printing their test results (which we did last month).
 

Has anyone just showed the results by handing over their phone or iPad at embarkation?

 

I ask because we’ll be traveling two days before and will have to try and get the result printed at the hotel. Several hotels where I stayed during the pandemic had shut down their business centers. 

Hi,  I see you live in Florida.  Our cruise is out of Ft Lauderdale and we will be down in Florida about 4 days prior to our cruise. Have you heard if CVS or Walgreens have been reliable for the tests when scheduled in advance?   We had no problem at our CVS here in VA when we had our results within 30 minutes for our cruise last week.  Thanks

[Caribbean Chris]

2 minutes ago, surfone said:

Hi,  I see you live in Florida.  Our cruise is out of Ft Lauderdale and we will be down in Florida about 4 days prior to our cruise. Have you heard if CVS or Walgreens have been reliable for the tests when scheduled in advance?   We had no problem at our CVS here in VA when we had our results within 30 minutes for our cruise last week.  Thanks

We have friends who used a Walgreen’s in our area several months ago and had no problems. It wasn’t a rapid test, but they both got results within about 18 hours.

[surfone]

1 minute ago, Caribbean Chris said:

We have friends who used a Walgreen’s in our area several months ago and had no problems. It wasn’t a rapid test, but they both got results within about 18 hours.

Thank you for responding so quickly.  We will try Walgreens.  We cruise January 26th.  Do you know if masks are required as far as walking around the ship in open areas? We just got off Carnival who I realize owns HAL but we only were required to wear a mask in group settings i.e  on our tender to the island,  at the shows, comedy club, casino, but not walking on the ship itself.  Thanks

[Caribbean Chris]

Yes, HAL does require masks when you are in public areas such as walking down a corridor, in an elevator, and entering public rooms (obviously you have to unmask to eat and drink after you've been seated and order taken).

[DaveOKC]

My brother was on our cruise and came in two days early, so he had to be tested in Fort Lauderdale.  He did it at the airport, terminal 3 baggage claim area - Nomi Health - for $59 each and had the results in less than 15 minutes via email.

 

He thought it was a great deal overall.