Watch out for testing cancellations!

[kacurl]

Hey all, heads up if you have covid test scheduled at a CVS this week. After cancelling our cruise for the 16th got word cvs cancelled our test for Friday before I had a chance to. Tried to find another appointment just to see if I cod but could not. Hope you all have a plan B in effect just in case. I would have been freaking out!! 

[KirkNC]

We have a test appointment but also just ordered the Abbott home tests as a backup.

[zelker]

23 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

We have a test appointment but also just ordered the Abbott home tests as a backup.

Kirk - since we're on the same SoPac cruise and Volendam this summer, would be interested to know the dates your kits show and if there's a note that says the date on the box is extended past that.  Thanks.  Barb

 

PS - how far out were you able to schedule your test? (assume it's for the Canal cruise?)

[KirkNC]

I will let you know the dates but someone recently reported the ones they received had a date of November 2022 I believe.

 

We live in a small village, roughly 1,000 full time residents.  We have a local clinic here that when we got our booster shot in November, scheduled a test for the Friday before our Sunday February 13th 2022 canal cruise.  Given we are on an island and can only get off via ferry, I want the Abbott tests in case we have to leave the island  earlier due to weather (the ferries don’t run in winds much over 30 mph).  

[SFO Peter]

31 minutes ago, zelker said:

Kirk - since we're on the same SoPac cruise and Volendam this summer, would be interested to know the dates your kits show and if there's a note that says the date on the box is extended past that.  Thanks.  Barb

 

PS - how far out were you able to schedule your test? (assume it's for the Canal cruise?)

====

hi Zelker,

Not Kirk.   Perhaps you have not seen the many posts on Abbott Kits.   Currently they all expire Nov 2022 which is the date on the box.   There is no extension date for these new supplies.   I purchased two sets at different times.

 

Peter

[jeh10641]

THUMBS DOWN COVID 19 TESTING

     Before we embarked, we were going to spend several days visiting relatives across the state of Florida. That presented us with our first problem: How do we get tested for COVID 19 before the trip? HAL recommended QUEST DIAGNOSTICS through their health protocols on HAL’S website.

     Our boarding date was Wednesday, December 1, 2021. Our boarding time changed several times but finalized at 1 PM. We were happy with the time.  Our cousins had synchronized their boarding time with ours and were happy with the time.

     We booked a date/time for our COVID 19 test through QUEST DIAGNOSTICS.  It was on Monday November 29, 2021 at 10 AM at a Walmart drive through pharmacy in Boynton Beach on Military Trail. The night before we stayed in Port St. Lucie about a 90 minute drive from our testing site. We arrived 15 minutes early for our tests. As we sat in our car, a pharmacist supervised the testing process through the Drive Through window. We were done in about 15 minutes. We placed our test samples in the box indicated by the pharmacist. Before we left, I specifically asked the testing supervisor how long would it take to get our results. He said “24 to 48 hours”.  That meant about 10 AM on December 1, the day of our embarkation. I told him that was IMPORTANT as we taking a cruise on Wednesday. The timing was okay. This is where it all went wrong.

     Through my tablet and the hotel’s computer, I kept checking QUEST’s website and my email for written confirmation. I checked every couple of hours through Tuesday and into Wednesday morning. NO TEST RESULTS were available by 11 AM on Wednesday. Through Cruise Critic, I knew that if we had proof of testing but no results, HAL could test us at embarkation. The stress of not knowing if we would be able to board was palpable. I DO NOT ENDORSE OR RECOMMEND QUEST DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES FOR TESTING.

     Arriving at Port Everglades at Noon on December 1, we left our bags with a porter and entered the terminal. I explained our situation to the greeter at the entrance. She called over another staff member who escorted us to an area for testing. We took our tests and went to a waiting area. After 15 minutes, our name was called and we were given our test results. NEGATIVE!!!! We then were allowed to board.

     My wife finally got her test results Thursday December 2, 2021 when we were on our second day at sea. On Friday, I received a note that QUEST DIAGNOSTICS COULD NOT FIND MY RESULTS!

SUCCESS LEADS TO BOARDING

     I mentioned to the crewmembers greeting us on board that I felt like getting down on my knees to kiss the deck. I said that if I did, I would need a lot of help to to stand up. They laughed. However, it was true.

     From the time we dropped off our bags at the terminal until we actually entered our cabin (1146, Main Deck, Inside), a total of less than 40 minutes had elapsed. Holland America deserves much credit for their handling of the testing and boarding process. It was an awesome start for what turned out to be an even better cruise. ROTTERDAM VII lived up to its hype.

[iflyrc5]

1 hour ago, zelker said:

Kirk - since we're on the same SoPac cruise and Volendam this summer, would be interested to know the dates your kits show and if there's a note that says the date on the box is extended past that.  Thanks.  Barb

 

PS - how far out were you able to schedule your test? (assume it's for the Canal cruise?)

I ordered our tests from Optum on Dec 20 and got them on Dec 23.  Expiration dates are Nov 2022

I have our accounts setup and will watch the video again before we take our tests on 31 Jan.

[12cruise2]

Just got our 6 test kits from eMed Tuesday and they are 11/22.  I emailed Optum who sell the 2 and 3 packs re expiration date, and they said also 11/22.

[boze9999]

22 hours ago, zelker said:

Kirk - since we're on the same SoPac cruise and Volendam this summer, would be interested to know the dates your kits show and if there's a note that says the date on the box is extended past that.  Thanks.  Barb

 

PS - how far out were you able to schedule your test? (assume it's for the Canal cruise?)

Our 6 tests we just ordered from EMED @zelker  have a November 2022 expiration date

[KirkNC]

22 hours ago, zelker said:

Kirk - since we're on the same SoPac cruise and Volendam this summer, would be interested to know the dates your kits show and if there's a note that says the date on the box is extended past that.  Thanks.  Barb

 

PS - how far out were you able to schedule your test? (assume it's for the Canal cruise?)

We just received an email that our tests have been shipped with expected arrival on the 10th.  That’s a five day turnaround, pretty impressive in these times.

[highland cruiser]

We ordered out tests from Optum on Monday and they arrived on Wednesday.  Granted they came from California and we received them in Washington but I was impressed with the turn around time.  Ours also expire in November 2022.  We were able to track our package and tracking said we would have it by noon.  It came at 12:30pm.  A bit of a relief for us as tests are hard to get here also.

 

[madera1]

I wonder how easy it is to have these home tests monitored by a medical professional on line now that so many more people are ordering these kits?

[cruiseguy56]

6 minutes ago, madera1 said:

I wonder how easy it is to have these home tests monitored by a medical professional on line now that so many more people are ordering these kits?

There was another thread I saw here a couple days ago about people having issues getting the proctor after calling in. They were on their phones though. Seems everyone using a computer or ipad had NO problems.

[Cajuntraveler]

We have been blessed that our doctor gave us an order for COVID testing through the lab at our local hospital prior to our August 2021 and October 2021 HAL cruises.  We received results within 2 hours, so I was not worried about COVID testing for our Jan. 9th cruise.  I checked with the hospital earlier this week to make sure we could get same day results.

When I went to the hospital early this morning, I was told that due to the volume of testing the hospital no longer was testing on site and had to use a third party lab & that results wouldn't be available for 48 hours. Flying to FLL tomorrow. Panic!  Tried Walgreens & CVS - nothing available.  Got lucky and was able to get rapid testing at our local health unit. (They only test on Wednesday and Friday.)

The point to this story - I will be sure to have a backup plan prior to my next cruise.

[Riversedge]

We were able to get tested at CVS in San Diego yesterday.  Results in 20 minutes.  We had made the appointment 2 weeks ago.  Very organized.  We had also ordered online tests as a backup.  We will save those for another time. 

[nimi17]

I received a random cancellation email from Quest last week for a PCR test (I booked this through an old HAL link when they were still partnering with them). 
 

Today, my husband received an email confirming that his appointment is still on. I went to my app and sure enough it shows my appointment as still active as well. 
 

I’ll show up for my test today just in case the appointment is still valid and will report back. 

[nimi17]

4 hours ago, nimi17 said:

I received a random cancellation email from Quest last week for a PCR test (I booked this through an old HAL link when they were still partnering with them). 
 

Today, my husband received an email confirming that his appointment is still on. I went to my app and sure enough it shows my appointment as still active as well. 
 

I’ll show up for my test today just in case the appointment is still valid and will report back. 

Yes, DH was still able to proceed with his Quest PCR test as originally planned 🙌

[travellovers2]

On 1/6/2022 at 1:17 PM, SFO PETER said:

====

hi Zelker,

Not Kirk.   Perhaps you have not seen the many posts on Abbott Kits.   Currently they all expire Nov 2022 which is the date on the box.   There is no extension date for these new supplies.   I purchased two sets at different times.

 

Peter

I bought 4 boxes the other day. I called emed to find out when their kits expire and they said that they all have a 3 months extension from the date on the box. 

[SFO Peter]

Somehow I do not think this is right but what do I know.   You can ask them for the Chart which says the kits have extensions beyond Nov 2022.    There was a published chart showing extensions for the "expiring" kits but the new kits do not expire until Nov 2022.

 

Peter

[Turtles06]

On 1/6/2022 at 12:42 PM, zelker said:

Kirk - since we're on the same SoPac cruise and Volendam this summer, would be interested to know the dates your kits show and if there's a note that says the date on the box is extended past that.  Thanks.  Barb

 

 

 

Barb,

 

The kits we ordered from eMed.com a couple of weeks ago (and received promptly) were manufactured on Dec.17,  2021 and expire on Nov. 21, 2022 (12 months).  That expiration date seems to be pretty common right now.  I think it's apparent that Abbott has cleared out the backlog of older kits and has ramped up to meet the new demand, hence these newly-manufactured kits.

 

Also, the three-month extension was for the older kits that were manufactured earlier in 2021 when the expiration date on the label was 9-months.  Shelf-life data later showed that the kits were good for 12 months, so the FDA gave those early kits a 3-month extension.

 

But the kits being manufactured now are already showing an expiration date of 12 months (there's no extension for them).

Hope that's helpful.

 

Judith

[cccole]

For those making appointments with CVS and Walgreens for PCR tests you might consider what lab they use.  Some of these pharmacies have contracted with local labs and others FED EX the tests to labs outside of their area.  We have learned that when FED EXed tests are involved the results may be REALLY delayed.  This happened to our son in Idaho over Christmas.  Their first few days in Hawaii were missed because the Walgreens website said 72 hour results but that was not the case.  

In L.A., where we live, there has been a huge change in getting PCR test results as soon as we got them last summer from CVS and Walgreens.  We now use a testing location that costs $99 per test but the results are in hand within 12 hours.  

When living in a remote area the approved at-home tests might be the answer.  Cherie