Binax Test Order - Mixed Results

[vplsh]

On 9/13/2021 at 5:41 PM, heimdall said:

Did they move your order status to shipped before they arrived?  I also ordered a 2-pack on the 8th… and they are reported as not yet shipped, today.   And I have a sailing on Sunday.  😕 About to cancel my order and order from eMed instead.

 

We ordered them on the 8th, received an email on the 10th that they would arrive on the 13th and they had not arrived by yesterday, the 15th. Called and was told they'd ship out and be here today. Not even shipped yet! We sail Sunday and ordered these as a backup. Hopefully they won't be needed!

[Lionesss]

We initially ordered these through the link on RCI on the first day which I believe was September 8th.

 

Our invoice said we would get them on the weekend around the 11th ish.

 

We did not.

 

We called the help Number on Monday September 13th  and they said they had abundant supplies but were delayed on shipping.

 

We told them we needed them for our upcoming cruise.

 

They put a rush on them.

 

Today the Fedex truck just delivered.

 

Peace of mind.

 

 

Gotta be pro active I guess.

 

Take care

[vplsh]

46 minutes ago, Lionesss said:

We initially ordered these through the link on RCI on the first day which I believe was September 8th.

 

Our invoice said we would get them on the weekend around the 11th ish.

 

We did not.

 

We called the help Number on Monday September 13th  and they said they had abundant supplies but were delayed on shipping.

 

We told them we needed them for our upcoming cruise.

 

They put a rush on them.

 

Today the Fedex truck just delivered.

 

Peace of mind.

 

 

Gotta be pro active I guess.

 

Take care

Had the same experience. Got the text this morning that they were out for delivery by FedEx by noon today. Fortunately my second call spurred them to ship. It's 11AM here and nothing yet, but I really don't need them now, as I was able to get a test at CVS this morning and received a negative result. 

That said, this really isn't an acceptable way to do business when time may be of the essence. I'd highly recommend people giving them a couple of weeks, just in case.

[xqueenfrostine]

I seem to be having better luck so far with Optum than some here.  I just ordered a pack of 2 tests yesterday, and I got a shipping notice with an official tracking # within 24 hours.  FedEx says the package will arrive Monday morning (which counts as next day since they don’t count the weekend).  I’ll report back about the test’s expiration date and condition when I get them.

Edited September 17, 2021 by xqueenfrostine

[vplsh]

1 hour ago, vplsh said:

Had the same experience. Got the text this morning that they were out for delivery by FedEx by noon today. Fortunately my second call spurred them to ship. It's 11AM here and nothing yet, but I really don't need them now, as I was able to get a test at CVS this morning and received a negative result. 

That said, this really isn't an acceptable way to do business when time may be of the essence. I'd highly recommend people giving them a couple of weeks, just in case.

Ok, tests arrived, as promised, before noon. Expiration date is 10-5-2021 and manufacture date is 2-10-2021, which means the “real” expiration date is 2-10-2022. Glad I only got these 2. 

[colesc15]

I had a really good experience with optum. Originally ordered 4 by mistake instead of 2. Called and got right through, she canceled the order and put the refund in and had me order the 2 pack. The 4 pack ended up still shipping, and when I called and asked they said sometimes the cancel doesn't get to the warehouse fast enough and I can just keep the 4 pack in addition to my 2. Refund showed up about two days later, and now I have 6 tests when I only needed and paid for 2. Lol 

[ampurp85]

@vplsh No its not a year from manufacture date, Its 3 months from expiration date so your test  expire Jan 5th 2022

[linga]

Sorry, if I missed something or if this is a stupid question, but why is everyone ordering these online & not just picking them up at Walgreens (and other stores) as needed?

[AshleyDillo]

4 minutes ago, linga said:

Sorry, if I missed something or if this is a stupid question, but why is everyone ordering these online & not just picking them up at Walgreens (and other stores) as needed?

The ones sold in the stores aren't the ones that Royal accepts as they aren't monitored through a telehealth appointment.

[linga]

Thank you so much for clarifying!  I appreciate it.  🙂

[dwayneb236]

8 hours ago, vplsh said:

Ok, tests arrived, as promised, before noon. Expiration date is 10-5-2021 and manufacture date is 2-10-2021, which means the “real” expiration date is 2-10-2022. Glad I only got these 2. 

Not meaning to be argumentative but I have the same expiration date and when I looked up the lot number the new expiration is 1/5/22.

[vplsh]

13 hours ago, dwayneb236 said:

Not meaning to be argumentative but I have the same expiration date and when I looked up the lot number the new expiration is 1/5/22.

 

20 hours ago, ampurp85 said:

@vplsh No its not a year from manufacture date, Its 3 months from expiration date so your test  expire Jan 5th 2022

 

Thanks for the clarification. Guess I'll be using them sooner than I thought.

[rj59]

If there are still people on here who think that home tests bought at a drug store are valid, then it means Royal will continue to turn away people who turn up for a cruise with those tests, meaning lost revenue and goodwill. But then they didn't help matters by identifying itself with near-expired tests sold through their website, meaning more lost revenue and goodwill because they can't be used for cruises past January, and people like me feel ripped off. It's even more offensive because people will be turned away when there's a testing facility at the port, but only for the unvaccinated. It's the equivalent of a person who needs urgent heart surgery being turned away from a hospital now because all ICU beds are full of unvaccinated Covid patients. 

[not-enough-cruising]

On 9/17/2021 at 8:27 PM, dwayneb236 said:

Not meaning to be argumentative but I have the same expiration date and when I looked up the lot number the new expiration is 1/5/22.

 

On 9/17/2021 at 1:11 PM, ampurp85 said:

@vplsh No its not a year from manufacture date, Its 3 months from expiration date so your test  expire Jan 5th 2022

To further muddy the waters, E-Med sent me this way to my question I submitted on their website RE expiration dates.  
 

[not-enough-cruising]

21 hours ago, rj59 said:

If there are still people on here who think that home tests bought at a drug store are valid, then it means Royal will continue to turn away people who turn up for a cruise with those tests, meaning lost revenue and goodwill. But then they didn't help matters by identifying itself with near-expired tests sold through their website, meaning more lost revenue and goodwill because they can't be used for cruises past January, and people like me feel ripped off. It's even more offensive because people will be turned away when there's a testing facility at the port, but only for the unvaccinated. It's the equivalent of a person who needs urgent heart surgery being turned away from a hospital now because all ICU beds are full of unvaccinated Covid patients. 

Give Royal a little credit. The expiration date issue is a know issue, it’s not like they are trying to pull the wool over your yes. Currently this is the only test that is proctored in a CDC/FDA authorized manner. Production will increase and tests received will be valid longer as we go along. 
The Binax proctored test isn’t the ONLY option, there is a laundry list of acceptable tests, one just needs to go get it. 
Regarding pier side testing, that is ONLY for unvaccinated children, a small number of passengers, we saw what happens when that process gets bogged down, and no one wants to go back down that road. Even Carnival realized it was a bad idea, and have cancelled their plans to offer check in testing for all. 
Personal responsibility comes into play here, and no one seems to be willing to accept it. 

[xqueenfrostine]

On 9/18/2021 at 11:28 AM, rj59 said:

It's the equivalent of a person who needs urgent heart surgery being turned away from a hospital now because all ICU beds are full of unvaccinated Covid patients. 

It is most certainly not that.  One is a life and death matter, the other is just a massive disappointment that could have been prevented if if they had read Royal’s testing policy which is extremely clear that they do not accept home tests that aren’t monitored by a health professional.   This is like turning up to the port with a photo copy of your birth certificate instead of the original document.  It’s an honest mistake for the customer, but one anyone who reads the cruiseline’s policy should be able to avoid.
 

Also a Royal isn’t selling anything on their website.  They’re directing you to an authorized 3rd party, which is sending tests with plenty of time left on them so long as you’re not buying them 3+ months before you need them.  I just received mine that I ordered last week and it expires in January, which is plenty generous for a cruise I have late next month.  If everyone just plans a month ahead, they won’t have to worry about the tests not being good.

[Homosassa]

I am shocked! Shocked, I tell you, that a medical product with temperature sensitive materials would have a expiration date!

 

Also shocking is the fact that with stock warehousing and inventory control of first in, first out, that kits would not be fresh from the manufacturer with an expiration date of exactly twelve months from the date ordered. 🙄

 

 

Edited September 20, 2021 by Homosassa

[ryano]

On 9/13/2021 at 6:41 PM, cb at sea said:

Honestly...is a cruise vacation WORTH this headache?  I mean, I love cruising...but not at this level of insanity.

 

 

Absolutely, it is.  At the risk of sounding like a broken record, 1864 guests on a ship that normally holds 4180 + is ABSOLUTELY  worth every bit of the "insanity" pre cruise.  Being spaced apart and not having to wait on a table, in a normally over crowded Winjammer is absolutely worth it.  Having free space basically all over the ship is absolutely worth it.  Being able to hail an elevator almost instantly as a wheelchair user and 99% of the time, it being empty is absolutely worth it.  Being able to get a chair in the Solarium most any time of the day is absolutely worth it.  Shall I go on?       Im ready to go again.     COVID cruising rules.  There, I said it.  

Edited September 20, 2021 by ryano

[Bunny72V]

I ordered on September  15, for our October 3rd cruise out of Bayonne, and have not received the test.  It is now Monday.  Called optum  and they said it appears in transit from Tennessee, but the delivery date day 9/17  they said to call Fed ex which I  did no response.  Also optum told me they would call me back.  6 hours later nothing.  They have been very unhelpful.  I did request a resend but no response  Please, if you use this option, have a back up plan.  

[Chauncey Picklepants]

14 hours ago, Bunny72V said:

I ordered on September  15, for our October 3rd cruise out of Bayonne, and have not received the test.  It is now Monday.  Called optum  and they said it appears in transit from Tennessee, but the delivery date day 9/17  they said to call Fed ex which I  did no response.  Also optum told me they would call me back.  6 hours later nothing.  They have been very unhelpful.  I did request a resend but no response  Please, if you use this option, have a back up plan.  

I ordered a two pack from Optum and  4 pack from Emed.  Optum took longer and their communication was non-existent..  If you get close, Emed had our tests here overnight and by the next day with tracking info.

Edited September 21, 2021 by Chauncey Picklepants

[Bunny72V]

Thank you for the info will try them.  We have another cruise in November so if we wind up getting both it will be ok.  

[dwayneb236]

ordered mine the friday before labor day. received them on the wednesday after. I'm good with that.

[xqueenfrostine]

14 minutes ago, dwayneb236 said:

ordered mine the friday before labor day. received them on the wednesday after. I'm good with that.

I had a similar turn around time for mine.  I ordered Thursday, got a notice that my order was being shipped on Friday and received it on Monday morning.  I’m curious why they’re having issues with some orders and not others.

[JasperCruiser]

I'm having bad luck too. My first shipment expires before my cruise leaves. I've been trying to call and email to see if I can get some shipped with a longer expiration date but so far no answer. 

[dwayneb236]

37 minutes ago, JasperCruiser said:

I'm having bad luck too. My first shipment expires before my cruise leaves. I've been trying to call and email to see if I can get some shipped with a longer expiration date but so far no answer. 

So your cruise is after the Jan and Feb dates people have been stating the extension goes to?