Where to get tested and a letter of recovery in Toronto, Ontario so you can go on a cruise ship?

[gam888]

We are planning on a cruise in May and need a negative test to get on. Has any folks managed to get a "Letter Of Recovery" in Toronto? If we have tested positive on our home test kit, and have recovered,  but keep getting a positive test from the home test kit. I read that if you can show a positive test result, and more than 10 days have passed, you can get one of these letter of recovery from a clinic. They usually charge about $50? for it. But the situation is, the clinics or Shoppers that do the Covid test, it says that you should be asymptomatic when you walk into the door. So ethically, it is not a good idea to walk into the clinic when we show no symptoms but still showing positive on a home test. We need an official positive test so we can use it to apply for this letter of recovery so we can get on a ship. On the other hand, I wonder if we are sailing on Princess, if just a positive test result that is older than 11 days is sufficient. But either way, need to get a official positive test to show the cruise line.

[broberts]

1 hour ago, gam888 said:

We are planning on a cruise in May and need a negative test to get on. Has any folks managed to get a "Letter Of Recovery" in Toronto? If we have tested positive on our home test kit, and have recovered,  but keep getting a positive test from the home test kit. I read that if you can show a positive test result, and more than 10 days have passed, you can get one of these letter of recovery from a clinic. They usually charge about $50? for it. But the situation is, the clinics or Shoppers that do the Covid test, it says that you should be asymptomatic when you walk into the door. So ethically, it is not a good idea to walk into the clinic when we show no symptoms but still showing positive on a home test. We need an official positive test so we can use it to apply for this letter of recovery so we can get on a ship. On the other hand, I wonder if we are sailing on Princess, if just a positive test result that is older than 11 days is sufficient. But either way, need to get a official positive test to show the cruise line.

 

Asymptomatic means no symptoms. 

[bookbabe]

@gam888If you have time, you could get a couple of the Switch Health LAMP-RT tests with expedited shipping, but if you’ve been testing positive for a while you might not still be positive by the time they get there.  (If you have someone who could pick them up in Markham, I’ve got two extras I could sell you this afternoon but I leave on vacation just before 5pm today so you’d have to move fast. Email me at bookbabe626 @ gmail.com if interested.)

 

Your only other option would be a paid test somewhere, unless you qualify for the provincial testing. They give lots of options on the website, I guess just call until you find somewhere?

https://covid-19.ontario.ca/covid-19-clinical-assessments-and-testing#who-is-eligible-for-pcr-or-rapid-molecular-testing

[Senga]

If you are fully vaccinated, why not just go to Costco and get a $17. antigen test?

[cmich068]

To be valid for both US entry and boarding a cruise ship, the letter of recovery must be accompanied by a PCR test result, an antigen test result is not valid for that. 

 

Family members have paid for symptomatic tests from the Medionerx location on Lawrence Avenue West - they have a entrance on the north side of the building for symptomatic testing that is completely separate from the asymptomatic travel side of things. 

 

Believe it was $80 for the PCR test - and after 10 days they will do a Letter of Recovery for you for an additional $30, or you can try to get a letter from your doctor or public health. 

Edited April 22, 2022 by cmich068

[stormin1976]

We are in the same boat. We were both positive a while back....

 

Tests can be done at most pharmacies... yes.. costco too.

 

We will be going back to our pharmacy for another test before we head south to go on our cruise

but... in the meantime.... we are both getting letters of recovery from our family doctors.

That is just an insurance in case one of the tests we get still shows us positive. 

Apparently you can test positive for some time after your recovery and isolation. 

 

So.. we just make sure we cover all bases. 

[ByThePond]

You did not specify which cruise line. Some do not accept a “letter of recovery” to board. 

[stormin1976]

1 hour ago, ByThePond said:

You did not specify which cruise line. Some do not accept a “letter of recovery” to board. 

Ours is for Royal Carribean

[gam888]

Thanks everyone for replying my post. We are planning on going on Princess departing from Southampton England in May.  I spoke with a Princess agent and he said Princess would accept an negative Antigen or PCR test for boarding. I asked about the positive test that is more than 11 days ago, less than 90 days ago, does it have to be an Antigen test or PCR test for them to accept it instead of a negative test,  he said it could be either. But I will double check again on another day. Sometimes different agent could say different things. We are trying to select the best option so there is no mishap when we try to check in at the pier. 

[AandBmom]

we had great success booking at costco for $17 might be easier than getting a letter. 

 

walmart is fairly cheap too