Does QM2 have Covid "test for travel" available on board ship?

[terry&mike]

Hubby and I are sailing the QM2 on August 5, NYC to Southampton. We will debark QM2 on August 12, and board the Island Princess on the same day, August 12, in Southampton for an Iceland/Greenland itinerary. 

We are considering our options for getting our needed Covid test for boarding the Princess ship.  As vaccinated travelers, we can have an antigen test done up to 3 days before boarding, which opens up the possibility of having the test done by Cunard during our transatlantic sailing.  I know they have the ability to test passengers and crew who are symptomatic, but I am wondering if we would be able to pay for testing while on board and receive a document with our results so that we could use this to board the Princess ship? Anyone know if this is a possibility for non-symptomatic guests, and if we could get something in writing? 

Our other options are to make appointments at the Regenerative Wellness Clinic in Southampton for the morning of August 12 at 39L each; to try to find a quiet place with good and reliable wifi to take one of our zoom proctored tests; or to line up for the tests Princess offers at $69 usd each, but has very long queues for.  

Trying to find the most efficient and simple option.  

[ace2542]

31 minutes ago, terry&mike said:

Hubby and I are sailing the QM2 on August 5, NYC to Southampton. We will debark QM2 on August 12, and board the Island Princess on the same day, August 12, in Southampton for an Iceland/Greenland itinerary. 

We are considering our options for getting our needed Covid test for boarding the Princess ship.  As vaccinated travelers, we can have an antigen test done up to 3 days before boarding, which opens up the possibility of having the test done by Cunard during our transatlantic sailing.  I know they have the ability to test passengers and crew who are symptomatic, but I am wondering if we would be able to pay for testing while on board and receive a document with our results so that we could use this to board the Princess ship? Anyone know if this is a possibility for non-symptomatic guests, and if we could get something in writing? 

Our other options are to make appointments at the Regenerative Wellness Clinic in Southampton for the morning of August 12 at 39L each; to try to find a quiet place with good and reliable wifi to take one of our zoom proctored tests; or to line up for the tests Princess offers at $69 usd each, but has very long queues for.  

Trying to find the most efficient and simple option.  

Could you not test at the Southampton princess check in terminal? After fwiw a positive results would cause the Cunard quarantine procedures to kick in. And would testing at the terminal the most accurate results you could get as well?

Edited July 4, 2022 by ace2542

[terry&mike]

3 hours ago, ace2542 said:

Could you not test at the Southampton princess check in terminal? After fwiw a positive results would cause the Cunard quarantine procedures to kick in. And would testing at the terminal the most accurate results you could get as well?

Yes, we could test with Princess, but I have reading of their very long lines for testing at the pier, so was hoping to avoid that, if possible. But that may be what we do....

We are both likely to be Negative when we test, as hubby had Covid in Cyprus in February, and I had Covid last week when I returned from Portugal (just testing Negative this morning).  Are both vaccinated and boosted.  

[Jacqueline]

How about a proctored test? We did one in Mexico. All you need is good service and a cell phone or iPad. We used it fir our united airlines flight.

you do need to buy the Binax or other brand that is meant specifically for being proctored. So take care with purchasing the right one, We got an email pretty fast with the results.

[Bell Boy]

No !  I'm afraid the only testing onboard Cunard is for those who are on a Back to Back and are continuing on,  Cunard will offer a complimentary testing for those continuing their journey onboard the ship. 

 

Once you disembark in the UK I'm afraid Cunard are not interested what your onward travel is. You might be able to contact the Medical department once onboard  QM2 and see what their procedures are, however, it'll cost you $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. 

 

 

[terry&mike]

4 hours ago, Jacqueline said:

How about a proctored test? We did one in Mexico. All you need is good service and a cell phone or iPad. We used it fir our united airlines flight.

you do need to buy the Binax or other brand that is meant specifically for being proctored. So take care with purchasing the right one, We got an email pretty fast with the results.

We travel with those tests and have used them several times. My concern with them is finding a quiet place in Southampton with a reliable and strong Wi-Fi signal. But it is an option we are considering among our options above. 

[terry&mike]

3 hours ago, Bell Boy said:

No !  I'm afraid the only testing onboard Cunard is for those who are on a Back to Back and are continuing on,  Cunard will offer a complimentary testing for those continuing their journey onboard the ship. 

 

Once you disembark in the UK I'm afraid Cunard are not interested what your onward travel is. You might be able to contact the Medical department once onboard  QM2 and see what their procedures are, however, it'll cost you $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. 

 

 

Thank you. We are okay with a reasonable fee, say $75 pp or so for an antigen. 

[High C's]

We are on the same crossing on QM2, and boarding Emerald the day AFTER we disembark.  If we could get the test done on board it would ease our mind greatly!  Someone on another roll call indicated they would do it for $25, as per their website.  I've asked if they could please provide the exact spot they found this.  If they respond, I will post it here.

[ace2542]

14 hours ago, terry&mike said:

Yes, we could test with Princess, but I have reading of their very long lines for testing at the pier, so was hoping to avoid that, if possible. But that may be what we do....

We are both likely to be Negative when we test, as hubby had Covid in Cyprus in February, and I had Covid last week when I returned from Portugal (just testing Negative this morning).  Are both vaccinated and boosted.  

There apparently the 2 variants of Omicron going around you .4.and .5 so it is by no means certain you can't get both one after the other. I don't know if you can or you can't? But if you did test positive again Cunard quarantine would kick in at that point. Also what is to say you don't get it in the two days after the Cunard test before the end. Also your positive test result would be part of the onboard number for QM2. At the terminal your test is not record as any onboard number against any cruise line to my knowledge.

[ace2542]

7 hours ago, High C's said:

We are on the same crossing on QM2, and boarding Emerald the day AFTER we disembark.  If we could get the test done on board it would ease our mind greatly!  Someone on another roll call indicated they would do it for $25, as per their website.  I've asked if they could please provide the exact spot they found this.  If they respond, I will post it here.

And I will offer the same objection handle to that. The quarantine procedures and also your test goes against QM2 numbers and also would a test at pier not give you greater piece of mind for that trip. You could be positive in the time after Cunard test. And your period between test and boarding emerald is longer.And are the tests not free at the pier?

[ace2542]

9 hours ago, terry&mike said:

We travel with those tests and have used them several times. My concern with them is finding a quiet place in Southampton with a reliable and strong Wi-Fi signal. But it is an option we are considering among our options above. 

Everywhere in Southampton has strong wifi it is  major city. I think it is 5g now?

[terry&mike]

3 hours ago, ace2542 said:

Everywhere in Southampton has strong wifi it is  major city. I think it is 5g now?

Yes, it is a major city with strong wifi options available, but not every business has this. For example, if we choose a coffee shop and use their wifi, we will need a quiet corner to take the proctored test, and the wifi of the business would need to be a strong signal that does not drop out during the call.  We have taken these proctored tests in hotel rooms in several countries, and there can be issues. If the call drops during the test, once the box has been opened, then the test is forfeited and a new one needs to be opened. Trying to find the best use of our time.

And if we do test positive while we are onboard Cunard, then we are positive for Covid, and should be placed in quarantine and counted as part of their onboard numbers. 

 

[terry&mike]

10 hours ago, High C's said:

We are on the same crossing on QM2, and boarding Emerald the day AFTER we disembark.  If we could get the test done on board it would ease our mind greatly!  Someone on another roll call indicated they would do it for $25, as per their website.  I've asked if they could please provide the exact spot they found this.  If they respond, I will post it here.

Thank you. Yes, please post it here if you find out more.  I've looked on their site and cannot find this. 

[terry&mike]

I decided to go the 'sure thing' route that allowed me to lock something in, being as we don't have a huge window of time for things to not line up.  I booked us both appointments for antigen tests at Regenerative Wellness in Southampton at 10am. We'll debark QM2 on the morning of August 12, take a taxi to the West Quay Mall and have our tests. If all goes well, we will then taxi over to the Island Princess and take advantage of our early boarding. 

[Bell Boy]

13 minutes ago, terry&mike said:

I decided to go the 'sure thing' route that allowed me to lock something in, being as we don't have a huge window of time for things to not line up.  I booked us both appointments for antigen tests at Regenerative Wellness in Southampton at 10am. We'll debark QM2 on the morning of August 12, take a taxi to the West Quay Mall and have our tests. If all goes well, we will then taxi over to the Island Princess and take advantage of our early boarding. 

Much more sensible, this will take all the stress out of having to wait for a reply from Cunard if they are able to accommodate you with a test before you disembark .

I can highly recommend Regenerative in Southampton , they are use to dealing with many cruise ship passengers and are very professional , they will have your results in less than an hour or so. 

Good Luck 🤞

[ace2542]

39 minutes ago, terry&mike said:

I decided to go the 'sure thing' route that allowed me to lock something in, being as we don't have a huge window of time for things to not line up.  I booked us both appointments for antigen tests at Regenerative Wellness in Southampton at 10am. We'll debark QM2 on the morning of August 12, take a taxi to the West Quay Mall and have our tests. If all goes well, we will then taxi over to the Island Princess and take advantage of our early boarding. 

That will also give you the most accurate and up to date test for boarding the Island. And it looks to be very close to the cruise terminals.

[High C's]

2 hours ago, terry&mike said:

I decided to go the 'sure thing' route that allowed me to lock something in, being as we don't have a huge window of time for things to not line up.  I booked us both appointments for antigen tests at Regenerative Wellness in Southampton at 10am. We'll debark QM2 on the morning of August 12, take a taxi to the West Quay Mall and have our tests. If all goes well, we will then taxi over to the Island Princess and take advantage of our early boarding. 

I don't blame you, considering you are boarding the Island the same day that you disembark QM2.  We are there overnight, as we are on the Emerald on the 13th, so we are still weighing our options.  We can do a proctored test from the hotel, head over to the Regenerative clinic, or HOPEFULLY get our test done on board!!! 🙂

 

[ace2542]

16 minutes ago, High C's said:

I don't blame you, considering you are boarding the Island the same day that you disembark QM2.  We are there overnight, as we are on the Emerald on the 13th, so we are still weighing our options.  We can do a proctored test from the hotel, head over to the Regenerative clinic, or HOPEFULLY get our test done on board!!! 🙂

 

Would the QM2 test be acceptable with that extra day that you have?

[High C's]

28 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

Would the QM2 test be acceptable with that extra day that you have?

Yes.  Because we are fully vaxed, Princess allows 3 days.  We board on the 13th, so we could have the test done on board on the 11th (we disembark on the 12th).