Covid Test Question

[bh6605]

So we have sort of a unique situation. Going to be sailing out of Seattle next month for an Alaska Cruise.  While my wife and son are flying out I and my other son will be taking the Amtrak Train cross country. We're so excited except not sure how we'll do the covid test

...

 

We embark on a Friday. Which means, I believe, we need our test on Wed or Thursday. Both of those days we'll be on a train with spotty internet/cell coverage. 

 

I called celebrity earlier today and the rep told me they have a version of the test that will allow us to record the test offline and then upload it later. I had never heard of that and the rep was a little lost. 

 

So I told my family the fine folks on cruise critic might know!

 

 

[RichYak]

Take a test before you board on Friday.

[mom says]

I don't think you want to go down an unknown rabbit hole. Keep it simple. When does your train arrive? Take the test when you arrive.

[CruiseMrB]

I'm more worried about the train as transportation. The general consensus is that you would never want to fly in to port on embarkation day. This is because one snafu and you miss the ship.

 

I'm thinking that the same would be true of Amtrak. As they own NONE of the tracks they travel on to Seattle, they are often a much lower priority than the freight trains of the rail owners. They often get delayed for that and myriad other reasons. Add in the uncertainty of a required COVID test, and it's well past my pain threshold to not arrive the night before. 

 

I know that may mean that Amtrak might not fit your schedule. Totally up to you, but hoo boy, this sounds like very tight scheduling. 

 

Edited June 17, 2022 by CruiseMrB

[Jim_Iain]

While I have never traveled on Amtrak my understanding is many of the trains have Internet Service as well as I would think you would have access via your Smart Phone.    Personally I would pick up a couple of the Proctored Tests and do the test while sitting at your seat on the train using the table.

 

I would probably plan on doing it near a major town or if the train has an extended stop.   

 

While you can do it anytime in the 2 days prior to sailing you could even do it on the day of your cruise after you arrive at the departure city.    The test takes only 15-20 minutes and results are sent to you via email or download from the testing company portal.  

[bh6605]

Thanks everyone! Yea this is giving us enough worry we're thinking of canceling the train portion and just fly.   Couple points of feedback...

 

- so nobody's heard of this option where you upload a video of yourself taking the test? Celebrity rep told me that today but  I didn't have much confidence in what he was telling me. 

 

- some of you are saying test the day of departure? I didn't think that was allowed? 

 

- reception on the train is really spotty. Getting 20 or 30 mins straight While moving is probably unrealistic. I can see if we have any long layovers. But would I be sure to get an agent if we have, say, a 30 minutee layover? I seem to remember when we did the testing for our cruise in March we had to wait a bit. 

 

 

[cruisestitch]

2 minutes ago, bh6605 said:

Thanks everyone! Yea this is giving us enough worry we're thinking of canceling the train portion and just fly.   Couple points of feedback...

 

- so nobody's heard of this option where you upload a video of yourself taking the test? Celebrity rep told me that today but  I didn't have much confidence in what he was telling me. 
 

I have not heard of that and it doesn’t really compute as far as I understand it. The test only takes a few minutes to do. Then there is a 15 minute wait before you and the proctor see the results.  I don’t see how it could be uploaded and accessed later. I think the Celebrity rep was confused

 

- some of you are saying test the day of departure? I didn't think that was allowed? 
 

Definitely not recommended but there have been some cases where it has happened. I would not plan to do it on embarkation day.

 

- reception on the train is really spotty. Getting 20 or 30 mins straight While moving is probably unrealistic. I can see if we have any long layovers. But would I be sure to get an agent if we have, say, a 30 minutee layover? I seem to remember when we did the testing for our cruise in March we had to wait a bit. 

 

If you had 30 minutes that would probably be enough time.

 

[bh6605]

2 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

 

I think there might be one stop that at least 30 mins. Are the live reps available 24/7? The stop might be late at night. 

[prmssk]

Is your train arriving the day you embark on the cruise?  If so, that would make me so nervous because of how often Amtrak is so horribly late. A couple hour delay on a short leg of the trip is pretty common. Multiple that over a cross country trip…..  I think your bigger worry is arriving in time for the cruise. 
 

If your train is scheduled to arrive a day or two ahead, I would just test once you arrive. 

[bh6605]

2 minutes ago, prmssk said:

Is your train arriving the day you embark on the cruise?  If so, that would make me so nervous because of how often Amtrak is so horribly late. A couple hour delay on a short leg of the trip is pretty common. Multiple that over a cross country trip…..  I think your bigger worry is arriving in time for the cruise. 
 

If your train is scheduled to arrive a day or two ahead, I would just test once you arrive. 

Oh yea. Amazingly I'm also on the Amtrak riders forum discussing the same. So our train arrives in San Francisco 410pm Thursday. The cruise leaves on Friday. To your point these trips can be notoriously delayed. Sometimes like 17 hours. The folks on the amtrak forum report it's late 18% of the time. And not a typical route with delays usually caused by the freight trains that own the tracks. 

 

So...our plan right now is to get off early in Sacramento. Supposed to arrive 2pm on Thursday the day before the cruise. We would plan an early AM flight like 7am out of Sacramento. 2 hr flight to SEA. Even if the train is 12 hrs late wet be fine. can deal with 13 hrs late. The Sacramento Airport is 15 mins from the amtrak station.  

 

Even so we're weighing the discomfort of worrying with the fun of the trip. If I and my son could pull off the ultimate travel trip : long distance overnight train with 7 day cruise our utopia would be complete:-)  but want to bw realistic. 

 

Thanks so much for such prompt and insightful responses!

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, bh6605 said:

some of you are saying test the day of departure? I didn't think that was allowed? 

Of course it is. It may not be permitted for unvaccinated children who also need to test at the port before boarding. That would result in 2 tests the same day, which Celebrity wants to avoid. Other than that, day of is fine.

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, bh6605 said:

I think there might be one stop that at least 30 mins. Are the live reps available 24/7? The stop might be late at night. 

Yes the proctors are available 24/7.  We have never waited more than 90 seconds to get a proctor.

[Peteymil]

6 hours ago, bh6605 said:

 

 

So...our plan right now is to get off early in Sacramento. Supposed to arrive 2pm on Thursday the day before the cruise. We would plan an early AM flight like 7am out of Sacramento. 2 hr flight to SEA. Even if the train is 12 hrs late wet be fine. can deal with 13 hrs late. The Sacramento Airport is 15 mins from the amtrak station.  

 

Even so we're weighing the discomfort of worrying with the fun of the trip. If I and my son could pull off the ultimate travel trip : long distance overnight train with 7 day cruise our utopia would be complete:-)  but want to bw realistic. 

 

Thanks so much for such prompt and insightful responses!

But wouldn't that mean you are still arriving in Seattle the day of your cruise? Flights are very unreliable lately, and this still seems risky. 

[12cruise2]

• Erase.

Edited June 18, 2022 by 12cruise2

[bh6605]

Heres what it says on the celebrity website FAQ:

 

"When calculating which days you can take your test, be aware that the day you set sail is not counted as one of the days, unless the country of embarkation stipulates that the test be taken within 24 hours of arrival."

 

That's great to know they're available 24/7. I think we have a 30 minute layover at one point  

 

lastly, yes, the above plan means we'd fly into SEA the day of the cruise. It's only a 2 hr flight and there are multiple. But yes I get it. More risky. 

 

It's also a 12 hr drive. Not something I'd like to do. 

Edited June 18, 2022 by bh6605

[Jim_Iain]

You can indeed test the day of a cruise.   The reason I say this is that I've done it.   The confusion often lies in the instruction of counting days.   To Figure out at least 2 days you don't count the current day - and count back 2 days.    Thus if your cruise is on Saturday - You can test anytime from 12:01 Thursday morning until boarding the ship. 

 

 

[TeeRick]

16 hours ago, bh6605 said:

So we have sort of a unique situation. Going to be sailing out of Seattle next month for an Alaska Cruise.  While my wife and son are flying out I and my other son will be taking the Amtrak Train cross country. We're so excited except not sure how we'll do the covid test

...

 

We embark on a Friday. Which means, I believe, we need our test on Wed or Thursday. Both of those days we'll be on a train with spotty internet/cell coverage. 

 

I called celebrity earlier today and the rep told me they have a version of the test that will allow us to record the test offline and then upload it later. I had never heard of that and the rep was a little lost. 

 

So I told my family the fine folks on cruise critic might know!

 

 

See this as a possible solution for your son.  Test on the train.  Check to see if any legs of the trip have on board WiFi or in-station WiFi.

 

https://www.amtrak.com/journey-with-wi-fi-train-station