Test from Shoppers Drug Mart

[sayvan]

Just a quick question… what are the experiences with Shoppers Drug Mart and the covid test.  Any issues having the result accepted by US border folks to get into the US and any issues with Cruise line accepting the test? 

[edrussell]

We didn't use the SDM test for cruising but did so for our trip to Vegas.  One word of caution is be VERY careful and go over every single detail that they fill in.  I have read several reports of them making errors.  In our case they messed up my birthday AND put the time we took the tests at 1:00am rather than pm.  We were not careful and left with the mistakes and had to go back.  They then offered to hand write in the correct entries as the original test taker was not there.  We did eventually get it sorted but it was a pain.  So go over everything.  Apart from that the antigen tests from SDM are widely accepted.

 

 

 

[Fouremco]

No personal experience, but I've not read a single post so far where an SDM test has not been accepted. Just take your passport with you and make sure that your name and identifying information on the test result match those in your passport.

[If only]

We used Shoppers Drug Mart for our Nov cruise & edrussell is correct just make sure they type in the names correctly as they spelled my spouses name wrong & good thing we noticed it or it would have been a problem.  Other than that it worked great for airline & Celelbrity.

Shoppers also do their certificates on the computer, print them off & they did look very official plus we had them in 15 min.  We did not take our passports as we didn’t realize we had to but had drivers lic & Ohip card.

Edited January 17, 2022 by If only

[AlbertaCruisers]

We used the Shopper's Rapid Antigen test for all 3 of our cruises so far (all on Celebrity).  The test worked fine for all of our flights and our cruises.  As others have noted, I suggest taking your passport, they have a place to put the number in as your form of ID, and before you leave go through the form and make sure it says "Negative" and has all of your information correct and it has the address of the Shoppers it was done at.  The Shoppers I sent to also completed all the information on the computer and then printed it off. 

 

I do believe I read on here somewhere that one person had an issue where their Shoppers handwrote everything into the form and Royal didn't like that.  The person ended up calling the Shoppers from the port and getting a printed form emailed.

[sun~]

No problem using shoppers for my last couple of flights into the US.  The pharmacist was very careful about names and dates. 

 

It gets shown to the airline before you board.

[K_e_short]

I used it for my December cruise.

 

I printed out the information from the cruise line and from the CDC regarding what needed to be on the document.

 

I did not leave until I made sure that all the information was correct.

 

 

[sayvan]

Sounds good thanks all… 

[xcell]

We booked online and I thnk that made the errors much less.  I don't know if they manually fill in from the online booking or if it is seemless (I think it would carry over).

 

 

In any case, check everything twice regardless so less surprises later. 

[lost4sure]

Thinking of cruising on  Princess in FEB and HAL in APR, does Princess or HAL accept SDM test for embarkation?  What test name do I ask for these cruise lines?

 

Thanks,

Grace

[Fouremco]

9 hours ago, lost4sure said:

Thinking of cruising on  Princess in FEB and HAL in APR, does Princess or HAL accept SDM test for embarkation?  What test name do I ask for these cruise lines?

 

Thanks,

Grace

Both accept SDM's Rapid Antigen test. However, SDM may not offer that test in BC. You should check with your local store for availability. 

[DHP1]

17 hours ago, lost4sure said:

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2022 by DHP1

[DHP1]

1 minute ago, DHP1 said:

 

We’ve just booked an Alaska cruise and therefore, I was checking last night where to get a “Antigen Test” in Vancouver and what I discovered it was not cheap. Plus I don’t think SDM does Antigen Testing. Let me know if this is true or not. 

[Tango99]

We’re in Ottawa and cruising from Miami on Feb 27 on NcL. We’ve 96 hours pre cruise for our covid teat.  We’re thinking of flying to Florida instead of driving. Air Canada needs any of the types of tests done 1 day before flight.  Anyone managed to have a PCR test done in that time frame? It doesn't seem possible.  Worrying if PCR is the way to go (for insurance and quarantine purposes) in case we later end up positive at cruise pre boarding test.  Any advice appreciated. 

[lost4sure]

13 hours ago, Fouremco said:

Both accept SDM's Rapid Antigen test. However, SDM may not offer that test in BC. You should check with your local store for availability. 

Fouremco,

Thanks for your response.

SDM does offer the NAAT test in BC.  Is it the same as Rapid Antigen test?  It is $150.00 per test, not cheap at all.  I have to be sure to have it booked 48 hours from ship embarkation in case my flight is delayed.  Still debating on this upcoming cruise.  Too many what ifs.

[Fouremco]

10 hours ago, lost4sure said:

Fouremco,

Thanks for your response.

SDM does offer the NAAT test in BC.  Is it the same as Rapid Antigen test?  It is $150.00 per test, not cheap at all.  I have to be sure to have it booked 48 hours from ship embarkation in case my flight is delayed.  Still debating on this upcoming cruise.  Too many what ifs.

No, the NAAT test is not the same as an Antigen test. NAAT tests can use many different methods to amplify nucleic acids and detect the virus, two of the better known ones being the RT-PCR and LAMP tests. The test offered by SDM in BC is a PCR test, and as you have noted, is not cheap at $150. I have no idea why SDM in BC does not offer the far less expensive Antigen test ($40) that they offer in Ontario. It is accepted for flying into the US and for boarding cruises there.

 

Your options vary depending on such things as travel arrangements. For example, if you fly to Florida out of YVR the day before your cruise, you might be able to get your Antigen test at the airport. On the other hand, there are other testing facilities in Victoria that you might want to check out. This link should be of some assistance: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/testing/where-to-get-a-covid-19-test-in-bc

 

 

[Fouremco]

12 hours ago, Tango99 said:

We’re in Ottawa and cruising from Miami on Feb 27 on NcL. We’ve 96 hours pre cruise for our covid teat.  We’re thinking of flying to Florida instead of driving. Air Canada needs any of the types of tests done 1 day before flight.  Anyone managed to have a PCR test done in that time frame? It doesn't seem possible.  Worrying if PCR is the way to go (for insurance and quarantine purposes) in case we later end up positive at cruise pre boarding test.  Any advice appreciated. 

Your negative test for flying to the US must be taken a maximum of one day before the flight, but can also be taken on the day of the flight. That's why there are test facilities at major Canadian airports. If you are flying directly from Ottawa, there is no facility at YOW, but just go and get tested at your local SDM, Costco, or Walmart the day before you fly. Book an appointment beforehand. 

 

Secondly, you don't require a PCR test to fly to the US, you can just take the quicker and far less expensive Antigen test. It is possible than an Antigen test taken pre-flight might fail to detect an infection that a PCR test would catch and let you cancel and remain in Canada, but I think that the odds are slim. But if you are willing to pay the considerably higher price for the additional peace of mind, go for the PCR test. There are fewer facilities offering Rapid PCR testing, but they are available in Ottawa. This site offers same-day PCR results for $159 per person, or 1-2 hour PCR results for $299:

https://ottawa.swiftclinics.ca/rapid-antigen-and-pcr-testing/?gclid=CjwKCAiA0KmPBhBqEiwAJqKK4_1xizNSPTjgtLvMtbIU06cC0kZDM9TqpTw9m2YyLxBFc7oTUWZZCBoCHPgQAvD_BwE

[lost4sure]

Fouremco,

 

Thanks for your response.  I decided to cancel my February cruises from LA (B2B2B2B) due to the covid testing, flight, travel advisory, and possible quarantine (if positive).  Too many what ifs.  My next cruise will be April from Vancouver to Vancouver.  Hopefully, it will be a go by then only if Canada won't close the ports.

[Fouremco]

51 minutes ago, lost4sure said:

Fouremco,

 

Thanks for your response.  I decided to cancel my February cruises from LA (B2B2B2B) due to the covid testing, flight, travel advisory, and possible quarantine (if positive).  Too many what ifs.  My next cruise will be April from Vancouver to Vancouver.  Hopefully, it will be a go by then only if Canada won't close the ports.

You're very welcome. We cancelled a March cruise because of the quarantine issue (mostly) and definitely sympathize with you.

[archer_310]

On 1/17/2022 at 1:26 PM, AlbertaCruisers said:

We used the Shopper's Rapid Antigen test for all 3 of our cruises so far (all on Celebrity).  The test worked fine for all of our flights and our cruises.  As others have noted, I suggest taking your passport, they have a place to put the number in as your form of ID, and before you leave go through the form and make sure it says "Negative" and has all of your information correct and it has the address of the Shoppers it was done at.  The Shoppers I sent to also completed all the information on the computer and then printed it off. 

 

I do believe I read on here somewhere that one person had an issue where their Shoppers handwrote everything into the form and Royal didn't like that.  The person ended up calling the Shoppers from the port and getting a printed form emailed.

 

That was me.  Yes, make sure that everything on your form is PRINTED, not filled in by hand.  Royal would not accept them until we got printed results.  Lesson learned!

[Tango99]

On 1/21/2022 at 11:41 AM, Fouremco said:

Your negative test for flying to the US must be taken a maximum of one day before the flight, but can also be taken on the day of the flight. That's why there are test facilities at major Canadian airports. If you are flying directly from Ottawa, there is no facility at YOW, but just go and get tested at your local SDM, Costco, or Walmart the day before you fly. Book an appointment beforehand. 

 

Secondly, you don't require a PCR test to fly to the US, you can just take the quicker and far less expensive Antigen test. It is possible than an Antigen test taken pre-flight might fail to detect an infection that a PCR test would catch and let you cancel and remain in Canada, but I think that the odds are slim. But if you are willing to pay the considerably higher price for the additional peace of mind, go for the PCR test. There are fewer facilities offering Rapid PCR testing, but they are available in Ottawa. This site offers same-day PCR results for $159 per person, or 1-2 hour PCR results for $299:

https://ottawa.swiftclinics.ca/rapid-antigen-and-pcr-testing/?gclid=CjwKCAiA0KmPBhBqEiwAJqKK4_1xizNSPTjgtLvMtbIU06cC0kZDM9TqpTw9m2YyLxBFc7oTUWZZCBoCHPgQAvD_BwE

Thank you so much for providing this info.  I really appreciate it! 

[Fouremco]

35 minutes ago, Tango99 said:

Thank you so much for providing this info.  I really appreciate it! 

Happy to help! Don't get caught in the truck traffic this weekend! 😇