Questions related to all things Covid testing relating to Princess Cruises

[orangetabby]

On 1/8/2022 at 12:53 PM, 1stCruiser said:

Any Canadians have experience with testing in Fort Lauderdale? We are flying in 3 days before cruise in February so will have to re-test prior to boarding. Can Canadians get a test at a pharmacy? Thanks for any help!

 

On 1/18/2022 at 2:46 PM, 1stCruiser said:

Thanks for the information. I have been trying to get in touch with Curative for over a week but no response. I went online to book an appointment and it seemed to work though. I just gave the hotel address! I will just have to update since February appointments were not yet available. Do you have to show anything other that the confirmation email when you go?

Thanks again!

The confirmation email and ID is all you need

[trbarton]

FYI…I have all of the required documents in a photo folder labeled with the cruise I’m on. I just show them my screens & everything was OK. I have all of the printouts just in case. 
 

Tom😀

[travellingnana]

For those of you who have used the Binax tests to cruise,  can you buy one 2 pack and share it with your spouse, or do you each have to buy your own?  Sorry if I missed this in the thread

[capriccio]

2 minutes ago, travellingnana said:

For those of you who have used the Binax tests to cruise,  can you buy one 2 pack and share it with your spouse, or do you each have to buy your own?  Sorry if I missed this in the thread

You can share it.

[travellingnana]

Thank you!  It was unclear (to me) on the Optum site. 

[AstoriaPreppy]

On 1/23/2022 at 12:55 PM, travling1 said:

The NFL.. .. ,National Football league,... has given up on daily testing.  When do you think that Princess will follow that policy?  

Once Aaron Rodgers becomes a captain?

 

Seriously though, we’re booked on the 2 May Royal departure from Vancouver… a 12 day Alaskan RT. Final payment is due next week, and I’m flummoxed that Princess hasn’t released any guidelines for this voyage, or anything out of Vancouver this spring and summer. Will they have COVID testing at disembarkation for Americans returning home? Will there be testing onboard for disembarkation if Canada requires it? So many questions, and I don’t love the option of giving Princess thousands of dollars that get locked into FCC in a few days. 

[floridababa]

I would like to know how Princess handles the testing at the different ports in Europe? I will be ending in Rome from Ft Lauderdale and not sure if we need a Green card to enter restaurants etc in Rome. I am staying 1  night in hotel so I don't know how we are going to get tested to get back to USA.  Hoping someone knows some of these answers.

Thank you

[Tedferg]

On 1/24/2022 at 6:54 PM, travellingnana said:

For those of you who have used the Binax tests to cruise,  can you buy one 2 pack and share it with your spouse, or do you each have to buy your own?  Sorry if I missed this in the thread

As stated, you can share it however people have reported problems with kits having empty bottles. So having two might be insurance.

[jeno]

I just went back into the CVS site to schedule our test appointments.  Last week they were free and this week $139 pp. I wonder if that has to do with the free home tests that are being sent out.  I wonder if I’m doing something wrong on the site or different than I did last week when I first looked. 

[Stacy12312]

Good Evening - 

My husband and I are cruising from Barcelona to Rome in October.  We are staying a night in London and a night in Barcelona before our cruise leaves.  We leave the US on the 12th and our Cruise leaves on the 15th.  I am wondering if we should try and get a test done in London or wait until we get to Barcelona.  If we test positive, I don't know what the quarantine process is for London, or Barcelona.  Can anyone share any information they may have?  

 

Thanks!
Tracy

 

[jat1977]

On 1/27/2022 at 7:36 AM, jeno said:

I just went back into the CVS site to schedule our test appointments.  Last week they were free and this week $139 pp. I wonder if that has to do with the free home tests that are being sent out.  I wonder if I’m doing something wrong on the site or different than I did last week when I first looked. 

I noticed that change as well.  I discovered that if you answer no to all the questions, it will tell you that you are not eligible for free testing and that you have to pay the fee.  But if you answer the first question yes, about being concerned about the high transmissibility and inadequacy of social distancing, it will allow you to book the test without mentioning a fee.  It may also allow you to schedule the free version if you answer the second question yes, which is about whether you have been in a place where social distancing could not be done, but I'm not sure as I answered yes to both the first and second question.  Personally, I think anyone who goes to a restaurant, church, school, gym, grocery store, etc. can honestly say they have been somewhere where social distancing was not possible (at least not completely), or, at the very least, that they were concerned about the inadequacy of social distancing.  

Also, I believe that Walgreens is still offering their Rapid NAAT test (Abbott ID Now) which is an acceptable test for free, without asking those questions. 

Edited January 29, 2022 by jat1977
Forgot to add something

[jat1977]

Has anyone had problems using a digital Covid test result from either Walgreens or CVS? I've read that CVS typically sends the results by text, and their website says you can save the results to your phone.  I see on the Princess site that it says digital or email results are acceptable, but just wondering if anyone had any problems using the text link provided by CVS/Walgreens and showing the results in that format?  

Asking because we have (vaccinated) kids and they cannot have their own CVS account since they are minors so the only easy way to get their results is via text (I've read you can call a special number to get them sent via secured email or faxed but that seems tedious especially when you are in a time crunch to get the results before boarding).  

[VibeGuy]

13 hours ago, jat1977 said:

Has anyone had problems using a digital Covid test result from either Walgreens or CVS? I've read that CVS typically sends the results by text, and their website says you can save the results to your phone.  I see on the Princess site that it says digital or email results are acceptable, but just wondering if anyone had any problems using the text link provided by CVS/Walgreens and showing the results in that format?  

Asking because we have (vaccinated) kids and they cannot have their own CVS account since they are minors so the only easy way to get their results is via text (I've read you can call a special number to get them sent via secured email or faxed but that seems tedious especially when you are in a time crunch to get the results before boarding).  

Absolutely no issue with the Walgreens digital results.  

[lahoban]

We are leaving on Monday on Regal Princess. Six of us went to three different testing facilities in our city. The hours were supposed to be from 8am-7pm. There were many people lined up but no one working at any facility. We waited over an hour and finally at one of the testing sites someone showed up. We also had backup appointments at CVS for a PCR test later that day. I was worried about a PCR test not coming back in time. We were all scrambling trying to find a site that we could get an Antigen test. Closest place was an hour drive away and no way to find out for sure if they were open. It was a pretty stressful morning. 
 

A couple of months ago we took a Celebrity cruise. We used the Binax Now test I ordered from Celebrity’s website. Cost 60.00 for two. It was a joy taking those tests. I watched the UTube videos for instructions on the process. We got up early around 6am, made our coffee and took the tests. Easy, had our results in 30 minutes. 
 

Next cruise if we still have to test I’m going to get the Binax Now tests. I’ll order an extra in case there is a problem, and have a stress free day or two days before the cruise. I won’t put myself through that kind of stress again. 

[PacnGoNow]

24 minutes ago, lahoban said:

We are leaving on Monday on Regal Princess. Six of us went to three different testing facilities in our city. The hours were supposed to be from 8am-7pm. There were many people lined up but no one working at any facility. We waited over an hour and finally at one of the testing sites someone showed up. We also had backup appointments at CVS for a PCR test later that day. I was worried about a PCR test not coming back in time. We were all scrambling trying to find a site that we could get an Antigen test. Closest place was an hour drive away and no way to find out for sure if they were open. It was a pretty stressful morning. 
 

A couple of months ago we took a Celebrity cruise. We used the Binax Now test I ordered from Celebrity’s website. Cost 60.00 for two. It was a joy taking those tests. I watched the UTube videos for instructions on the process. We got up early around 6am, made our coffee and took the tests. Easy, had our results in 30 minutes. 
 

Next cruise if we still have to test I’m going to get the Binax Now tests. I’ll order an extra in case there is a problem, and have a stress free day or two days before the cruise. I won’t put myself through that kind of stress again. 

That’s awful!  Stressful way to start a vacation.  Did everyone have issues?

[kamelia]

8 hours ago, lahoban said:

 I was worried about a PCR test not coming back in time.

That's not a pleasant way to start any trip!  It's not obvious from your comments if you have gotten your results back yet or not, but if you're still waiting for them on Monday when you're due to board, this is from Health Protocols section on Princess.com:

 

For fully vaccinated guests that can show proof of testing within the 2-day window but did not receive their test results back in time, we have mobile testing sites as a back-up near our embarkation ports to conduct COVID-19 testing on the day of your cruise departure. On-site providers will not accept insurance, but you will be provided a receipt should you wish to submit the cost to your insurance carrier.

[skents]

On 1/26/2022 at 9:07 PM, Tedferg said:

As stated, you can share it however people have reported problems with kits having empty bottles. So having two might be insurance.

I concur.  Have an extra test. When I tested last week for my current cruise on the Regal, the solution bottle was empty. I had an extra and everything worked out. 

The proctor started a claim to get the test kit replaced and it arrived at my house in four days.

[PacnGoNow]

1 minute ago, skents said:

I concur.  Have an extra test. When I tested last week for my current cruise on the Regal, the solution bottle was empty. I had an extra and everything worked out. 

The proctor started a claim to get the test kit replaced and it arrived at my house in four days.

Was the empty vial from the old batch

or the new lot which expires Nov 2022?

 

 

 

 

[pm7334]

I apologize if this has been discussed. We are a group of 9 and one in the group asked me a question about testing. If one person in your group tests positive, does that mean the whole group can’t cruise? Or just their roommate? 4 of us are traveling down together and the other 5 are meeting us there.

 Thanks all!

[skents]

3 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

Was the empty vial from the old batch

or the new lot which expires Nov 2022?

 

 

 

 

It was the old batch.  We had used them on two previous cruises, Nov 21 and Jan 22, with no problems. The extended expiration date had it expiring early Feb 22.

[PacnGoNow]

24 minutes ago, skents said:

It was the old batch.  We had used them on two previous cruises, Nov 21 and Jan 22, with no problems. The extended expiration date had it expiring early Feb 22.

I wonder if anyone has found empty ones in the new batches?  Hope it’s not me. Lol  I do have extras. 

[chubbypiggy]

If I buy the Abbott BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test 3-pack kit for $99.99, can my family of 3 persons each use our own cell phone to get a personal virtual visit with an eMed Certified Guide who will help us properly administer the test and the third-party verifies the result? Will each of us be provided via our own email address with the official eMed Labs report in order to board our cruise? Or each of us needs to buy our own test kit?

[jwattle]

If you each register, yes. I would want at least one extra, in case there is a problem

[chubbypiggy]

12 minutes ago, jwattle said:

If you each register, yes. I would want at least one extra, in case there is a problem

I think each kit contains 2 tests, so 3 kits will have 6 tests, so we should have 3 extra tests.  I wonder if each of us will need to open one kit (2 tests inside) in order for each to register?  Or 2 persons can each use 1 test from the same kit?  

 

[chubbypiggy]

5 hours ago, chubbypiggy said:

I think each kit contains 2 tests, so 3 kits will have 6 tests, so we should have 3 extra tests.  I wonder if each of us will need to open one kit (2 tests inside) in order for each to register?  Or 2 persons can each use 1 test from the same kit?  

 

Never mind my questions above.  Just found out there is only 1 test in each kit.