Covid Test on Board by Seabourn $38

[trips_ahoy]

Due to developing a cold/cough while on board I decided to get a test for Covid. Seemed like the right thing to do.

 

I neglected to bring a test kit from home so went to Medical. They really had no opinion on whether I should take a test or not.

 

I neglected to bring a test kit from home. My mistake.
 

I was charged $38 for the Antigen test. Not a big deal, but It is not really the way to encourage folks to get a test if they think they may have Covid.

 

Good result though, Negative.
 

Be sure to take a test kit from home.
 

 

 

[johng75370]

4 hours ago, trips_ahoy said:

Be sure to take a test kit from home.

Thank you; great advice.  Do you know if they have Paxlovid onboard?  I've read some people have brought it with them, and thinking of asking doctor to prescribe it ahead of upcoming cruises in case it would be hard to get on ship.  

Edited August 11, 2023 by johng75370

[Covepointcruiser]

Was that the only cost?   Did they test you or give you the kit to take back to your suite?   If you have insurance it will cover the $38 cost.

[SLSD]

We brought four self test kits on our June cruise.  We didn't need them--thank goodness, but I was glad we had them.  We also had Paxlovid with us--no charge from our pharmacy here in the US.  We had taken Paxlovid last September when we had Covid and it knocked it out post haste.   Of course,  not everyone is safe to take this drug.  Your own doctor can advise you.  

[frantic36]

23 hours ago, trips_ahoy said:

I was charged $38 for the Antigen test.

 

Thank you for this information. This prompted me to 1) check the expiry date of the ones I had left which are now sadly out of date. However I can buy a pack of 5 for less then this at home so I will get them and pack them for our upcoming cruise.

 

Julie

[Earthtones]

15 minutes ago, frantic36 said:

This prompted me to 1) check the expiry date of the ones I had left which are now sadly out of date

Many expiration dates have been extended beyond what's printed on the test kit box. You can check online for the manufacturer name and batch to see if there's an extended expiration date for your boxes.

[frantic36]

Just now, Earthtones said:

Many expiration dates have been extended beyond what's printed on the test kit box. You can check online for the manufacturer name and batch to see if there's an extended expiration date for your boxes.

Thank you for this, I will check. I am also checking with my local council as a few weeks ago they called to offer free tests. As a retired immunisation nurse I am likely to worry about a false negative putting people at risk.

[trips_ahoy]

Not sure if they had Paxlovid aboard but based on price for a small bottle of cough medicine it would be expensive. I did the test in the office. Ten minutes and it was done.

[skybluewaters]

On 8/11/2023 at 8:04 AM, trips_ahoy said:

Be sure to take a test kit from home.

 

Great advice.  Even better...take two test kits per person because if you are symptomatic and the first test is negative, you should do a second test 48 hours later.

[2seabournsailors]

The Anti Viral stuff was close to $1000USD when on the WC. We can’t get it in Australia for “just in case “ situations. We have to already be Positive for COVID-19 to be able to get it. I only know one person who took it on the WC.

[SLSD]

21 minutes ago, 2seabournsailors said:

The Anti Viral stuff was close to $1000USD when on the WC. We can’t get it in Australia for “just in case “ situations. We have to already be Positive for COVID-19 to be able to get it. I only know one person who took it on the WC.

That is a shame as Paxlovid(an anti-viral) was no charge for us in the US with our doctor's prescription.  As my doctor put it--there is no longer a shortage of this drug, so he was very willing to prescirbe it for us to take along on our June cruise.  

[Covepointcruiser]

Paxlovid has many dangerous interactions with drugs usually taken by seniors.   I hope they don’t give this out as if it was a harmless antidote to COVID.   

[SLSD]

42 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Paxlovid has many dangerous interactions with drugs usually taken by seniors.   I hope they don’t give this out as if it was a harmless antidote to COVID.   

You are so right.  It is important to consult with your own doctor who knows your medical history and if you take any prescription drugs which would not work well with Paxlovid.  

[skybluewaters]

19 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Paxlovid has many dangerous interactions with drugs usually taken by seniors.   I hope they don’t give this out as if it was a harmless antidote to COVID.   

 

There is a licensed physician on board.  If you give him/her a list of your medications and tell them what your medical diagnoses are, they will be able to make the determination whether Paxlovid is appropriate for you. 

If one doesn't trust the physician with this fairly routine matter, perhaps one shouldn't be on the ship.  After all, there are many much more serious things that can befall you while on the ship, and that very same physician will be in charge of your care. 

[CILCIANRQTS]

On 8/16/2023 at 2:28 PM, skybluewaters said:

 

There is a licensed physician on board.  If you give him/her a list of your medications and tell them what your medical diagnoses are, they will be able to make the determination whether Paxlovid is appropriate for you. 

If one doesn't trust the physician with this fairly routine matter, perhaps one shouldn't be on the ship.  After all, there are many much more serious things that can befall you while on the ship, and that very same physician will be in charge of your care. 

And after paying $10-20k for a cruise, I’m not sure $38 for a medical test administered onboard should be that big an issue.

[PaulMCO]

When were on Regent we both caught COVID.  Doctor prescribed Paxlovid -- bill was $900 pp for the drug -- at home it was zero.  Our cruise insurance covered this after much prodding..

 

We now carry a kit for each of us, just in case.  We know the meds we have to stop 24 hours before our first dose.

Edited August 22, 2023 by PaulMCO

[gafnewyork]

Curious to know if they had you quarantine once you were confirmed Covid positive? Any restrictions if not? Tia. 

[DubLady]

As I wrote on another thread there are many viruses out there, some even worse than covid for certain people. I think it’s important to be careful while traveling to you cruise to mask up with N95s at airports 

and practice good hand hygiene and even then things happen. It’s just sad to book an expensive bucket list trip and not be able to partake in the adventure.

[johng75370]

6 hours ago, gafnewyork said:

Curious to know if they had you quarantine once you were confirmed Covid positive? Any restrictions if not? Tia. 

In October I came down with Covid onboard Seabourn; I let guest services know and from there the process was straightforward.  I was quarantined in cabin for 5 days (really 4 because we docked the last day), had the medical staff check up each day, and there was a stool outside my cabin door for trays to be left or picked up.  Seabourn was kind enough to provide future cruise credit for the days in quarantine, and overall I felt they handled it very well.  

[nancygp]

13 minutes ago, johng75370 said:

In October I came down with Covid onboard Seabourn; I let guest services know and from there the process was straightforward.  I was quarantined in cabin for 5 days (really 4 because we docked the last day), had the medical staff check up each day, and there was a stool outside my cabin door for trays to be left or picked up.  Seabourn was kind enough to provide future cruise credit for the days in quarantine, and overall I felt they handled it very well.  

we had the same experience in august of 2022…handled very well

 

Nancy

[gafnewyork]

Great to know.  Just in case.  Thank you!!!

[DubLady]

Nice to know Seabourn is kind in these situations. Can only help create loyal customers

[SwankPooch]

I proceeded to medical center for complimentary Covid test in April 2023. Fortunately , I was Covid negative but was diagnosed with respiratory virus.

[the_dylaness]

Nice to hear they have been handling COVID well. Punishing people who report COVID like sx to medical is not a way to encourage truthfulness.  This was a big problem on Celebrity when we sailed them in June 2022. (No one in our group had COVID but the way it was being handled onboard would make most sensical people reluctant to seek medical advice.)

 

I had to take my tween daughter to the pediatrician a few months ago for some vague symptoms and despite my report of 2x negative COVID antigen tests at home in the 24 hours prior to our visit they tested her again, which cost $55, so $38 seems like a relative bargain lol. (It was negative.)

 

I travel with 2 COVID tests for each member of my family, plus Paxlovid (obtained in US before they started charging a bazillion dollars for it) as well as Tamiflu just in case... and an entire "as needed" bag of probably another 15 medications. You just never know.

[Earthtones]

On 1/5/2024 at 2:10 PM, johng75370 said:

Seabourn was kind enough to provide future cruise credit for the days in quarantine

Did you purchase insurance through Seabourn (which specifically reimburses for days missed to Covid) or was this truly Seabourn being kind? We have been purchasing insurance through Seabourn for this very reason and now I'm wondering if we could get the same treatment if one of us came down with Covid and we didn't have the Seabourn insurance.