Angst About Pre-Cruise Testing - Wouldn't It Be Good Customer Service For Princess To Do The Testing At The Pier?

[SargassoPirate]

Several thread here document the angst people have trying to fit a Covid test into their pre-cruise flight and travel plans.  That coupled with a wonky app makes one wonder if it's worth the effort.

 

Wouldn't it be a much better start to a cruise if Princess set up pre-cruise Covid testing at the pier?

[fabby50]

There shouldn't be any angst anymore, you can easily meet the testing requirements testing at home.  Took 20 minutes and easy.  I think people are still learning about at home testing, the word needs to get out to everyone trying to cruise.

[Billish]

5 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

Several thread here document the angst people have trying to fit a Covid test into their pre-cruise flight and travel plans.  That coupled with a wonky app makes one wonder if it's worth the effort.

 

Wouldn't it be a much better start to a cruise if Princess set up pre-cruise Covid testing at the pier?

Seem to be doing it pretty well at the pier in the UK, but it is only a Lateral Flow test.

[Mike07]

Yes for the convenience factor.

 

However, if you pop positive on the test, there is a chance you will be hours away (by plane) from your home.  Considering the age of some of the passengers, that may not be a good thing.  Not all of us live within an hour (driving) of the pier.

 

A pier test would be great, but again, only if you know you're going to test negative.  COVID is weird as heck with the way symptoms present from asymptomatic to full blown.

Edited October 2, 2021 by Mike07

[Steelers36]

1 minute ago, fabby50 said:

There shouldn't be any angst anymore, you can easily meet the testing requirements testing at home.  Took 20 minutes and easy.  I think people are still learning about at home testing, the word needs to get out to everyone trying to cruise.

Easy if you live in USA or can get someone in the USA to forward an order to you if live out of country.

 

[Mike07]

The more I think about it, the more I would not want to go thru the **** of packing for a cruise, flying to the pier city, getting off, hauling myself over to the pier, taking a test, and then being told I'm positive for COVID, and finding hotel reservations and/or an airplane at the last minute.

 

While 2-3 days before the cruise is honestly a pain (especially with some of the details some of y'all have described), Princess, or any cruise line, will not let you on the ship if you're positive.

[fabby50]

7 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Easy if you live in USA or can get someone in the USA to forward an order to you if live out of country.

 

I did a quick search, looks like eMed will ship anywhere.  Policies are changing all the time, so who knows until its actually time to test.  Our next cruise is in six months, maybe we'll all be taking a pill that eliminates the virus by then (we can all hope).

[Jadn13]

You can always ask your pre cruise hotel if they will accept a package  for you and have your tests shipped there. I would have a back up plan just in case something goes wrong  but it’s worth the ask. 
 

Edited October 2, 2021 by Jadn13

[SargassoPirate]

Another thought is that the pre-cruise testing may fall by the wayside since they are testing vaccinated people joining other vaccinated people - belt and suspenders

 

[Essiesmom]

1 hour ago, SargassoPirate said:

Several thread here document the angst people have trying to fit a Covid test into their pre-cruise flight and travel plans.  That coupled with a wonky app makes one wonder if it's worth the effort.

 

Wouldn't it be a much better start to a cruise if Princess set up pre-cruise Covid testing at the pier?

You are missing the point that the pre-cruise testing is not a cruise line choice, it is CDC mandated.  Some cruise lines test at the pier, but that is in addition to the 2 day pre-cruise testing.  EM

[rj59]

To me the greater angst would be sitting at the pier for several hours, in crowded rooms, waiting for results that might not only require you to miss the cruise, to to have mandatory quarantine in a hotel. To me, embarkation day is stressful enough. That's especially true now that home proctored tests are widely available and publicized, and Delta cases are declining in Florida and other areas, and the government is trying to throw more money into quick testing. I stressed out over my RC cruise last week, angry at them for not allowing the vaccinated to access the same pier testing as the unvaxxed get. But I ordered some tests through Optum, but found I was able to order a Walgreen's antigen test two days before the cruise, and it was even less stressful and costly than the home test, just a quick drive-thru swabbing and results back in an hour. I still had my home test as a backup, and as a backup backup I could find an urgent care center. 

 

Actually, RC finally will be offering pier testing as well, but they sent out a good, simple email telling all the accepted testing options and the pros and cons of each. The pier option is said to be used only as a backup option, will cost '$99 or more', meaning they can adjust prices higher to discourage demand if too many people use it as a primary method. 

 

I think it would be awkward for Princess to promote pier testing, since the medallion/green lane experience is designed to maximize ease of getting on the ship. I've noted that Princess passengers also like to get on board as soon as possible, because of embarkation lunch and to use their Elite/Platinum status, and waiting for tests and results would prevent that, and they would show up even earlier and create a mess with disembarking traffic/passengers. 

[Billish]

3 minutes ago, rj59 said:

To me the greater angst would be sitting at the pier for several hours, in crowded rooms,

That does not happen in the UK, where arrival times are strictly controlled, so as to avoid that sort of issue.

[PrincessLuver]

1 hour ago, pms4104 said:

If people won't vax, what makes you think they'll take a pill?

 

My thoughts too.....sounds like on some Princess ships they are barely willing to wear their mask even though it is required.  We have had to get pre-covid tests in the past for trips to Hawaii and returning from Mexico and it really is not a big deal and pretty easy to do in this day and age.

[memoak]

Another issue with the home tests is many of them have expiration dates in 2021. What about cruises in early 2022 ?

[fabby50]

23 minutes ago, memoak said:

Another issue with the home tests is many of them have expiration dates in 2021. What about cruises in early 2022 ?

My understanding from the website is they expiration dates were extended by the CDC for an extra year (started out at 3 months).  We have called and emailed to try and get written confirmation of that from eMed, but haven't heard back yet.  We're going to keep trying.  You can also buy the tests one at a time, which is probably what we'll do next time (we got the 6 pack).

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, fabby50 said:

I did a quick search, looks like eMed will ship anywhere.  Policies are changing all the time, so who knows until its actually time to test.  Our next cruise is in six months, maybe we'll all be taking a pill that eliminates the virus by then (we can all hope).

Not sure where you saw this.  I went through the process of a mock order, including registering my name and email and when it got to the shipping section, the only possibilities shown were US states and far-flung territories in South Pacific (so it is too bad not doing it across the border).  Lots of Canadians travel to the USA, so these tests would be good for flying as well as cruising.

 

(They are not good at this time for re-entering Canada).

 

[Cruise Raider]

I can’t comprehend why anyone would want to test after traveling all the way to the pier only to find out that you may test positive.  The vaccines don’t prevent you from contracting CoVid … it’s a virus and that’s what viruses do…they mutate and spread.  What the vaccine does do is prevent the majority of the people that receive it from getting seriously ill if they do contract it.  But, even the vaccine’s benefits are proving to wane over time.  
But, my point is, whay would anybody go through the hassle of not testing until they get to the pier.  Why would anybody want to unknowingly infect anyone on a plane or an Uber or shuttle only to have to turn around and find a way home in the event they test positive at the pier … assuming the pier is further than walking distance from your home? 
We live relatively close to the port of San Francisco and even the home tests that we can order via the Princess website are cheaper than an Uber ride to our home port.  And with that known, would anybody really want to subject an Uber driver that is just trying to make a living or someone just trying to get from point A to point B on public transportation or a plane to this nasty virus?  
Hopefully,, the home kits can be sent out to anyone that wants one for a nominal fee in the near future … until then, I don’t believe $35 is too much to ask for one now.  If Princess sends therm out with their medallions and charges $35 more per person for the cruise, maybe that would be an equitable solution.  Someone is making a lot of money from the testing supplies but I don’t believe it is Princess.  
 

[Jadn13]

3 hours ago, fabby50 said:

My understanding from the website is they expiration dates were extended by the CDC for an extra year (started out at 3 months).  We have called and emailed to try and get written confirmation of that from eMed, but haven't heard back yet.  We're going to keep trying.  You can also buy the tests one at a time, which is probably what we'll do next time (we got the 6 pack).

Only till early 2021

Mine expire the first week of January and those are some of the later expirations. They should be making new batches due to supply and demand

Edited October 2, 2021 by Jadn13

[3kidsncats]

I think the angst is going to be there regardless of whether you arrange it yourself before you leave, or once you get there.  Personally, it’s mentally easier for me, to know before I leave home.  Being turned away at the pier would be so much harder.  Currently set to do our pre-cruise testing for the second cruise post covid.  Definitely more relaxed about it this time around.

[Sea Day Cruiser]

I would be fine with testing before leaving home if the test requirement had been kept at three days before the cruise instead of two. But my cruise is in January and I also have to be concerned with the weather to get from the Midwest to Florida. In the past I have always flown to Fort Lauderdale a day ahead of the cruise. My last cruise was in January 2020 and we had a snowstorm. My flight to Ft. Lauderdale was canceled. It was supposed to leave at 7 AM so I went to an airport hotel the night before and was at the airport ready to go. The flight was delayed twice and then canceled. I was lucky and was able to get a 6:30 PM flight that evening to Miami. It was after 10 PM when I got to Miami. My luggage didn’t get there and I didn’t see it for a week.

 

So for this cruise I made up my mind to lower the stress and not take a chance and booked air 2 days before the cruise. My flight leaves at 7 AM so there is no way I can get a COVID-19 test before leaving. I have to wait and take a chance on getting the test and testing negative after I get to Florida. Maybe some of you who don’t see this two day testing requirement as a big deal don’t have to worry about things like the weather, but for some of us that change from three days to two is a big deal. It’s big enough that I will probably end up canceling the cruise but I won’t do that until final payment is due in case requirements are changed again.

[Tedferg]

3 minutes ago, Sea Day Cruiser said:

I would be fine with testing before leaving home if the test requirement had been kept at three days before the cruise instead of two. But my cruise is in January and I also have to be concerned with the weather to get from the Midwest to Florida. In the past I have always flown to Fort Lauderdale a day ahead of the cruise. My last cruise was in January 2020 and we had a snowstorm. My flight to Ft. Lauderdale was canceled. It was supposed to leave at 7 AM so I went to an airport hotel the night before and was at the airport ready to go. The flight was delayed twice and then canceled. I was lucky and was able to get a 6:30 PM flight that evening to Miami. It was after 10 PM when I got to Miami. My luggage didn’t get there and I didn’t see it for a week.

 

So for this cruise I made up my mind to lower the stress and not take a chance and booked air 2 days before the cruise. My flight leaves at 7 AM so there is no way I can get a COVID-19 test before leaving. I have to wait and take a chance on getting the test and testing negative after I get to Florida. Maybe some of you who don’t see this two day testing requirement as a big deal don’t have to worry about things like the weather, but for some of us that change from three days to two is a big deal. It’s big enough that I will probably end up canceling the cruise but I won’t do that until final payment is due in case requirements are changed again.

Not sure I understand your time line, but wouldn't a negative Home Test before leaving reduce the stress of travelling only to test positive ?

[nocl]

35 minutes ago, Sea Day Cruiser said:

I would be fine with testing before leaving home if the test requirement had been kept at three days before the cruise instead of two. But my cruise is in January and I also have to be concerned with the weather to get from the Midwest to Florida. In the past I have always flown to Fort Lauderdale a day ahead of the cruise. My last cruise was in January 2020 and we had a snowstorm. My flight to Ft. Lauderdale was canceled. It was supposed to leave at 7 AM so I went to an airport hotel the night before and was at the airport ready to go. The flight was delayed twice and then canceled. I was lucky and was able to get a 6:30 PM flight that evening to Miami. It was after 10 PM when I got to Miami. My luggage didn’t get there and I didn’t see it for a week.

 

So for this cruise I made up my mind to lower the stress and not take a chance and booked air 2 days before the cruise. My flight leaves at 7 AM so there is no way I can get a COVID-19 test before leaving. I have to wait and take a chance on getting the test and testing negative after I get to Florida. Maybe some of you who don’t see this two day testing requirement as a big deal don’t have to worry about things like the weather, but for some of us that change from three days to two is a big deal. It’s big enough that I will probably end up canceling the cruise but I won’t do that until final payment is due in case requirements are changed again.

They do have testing at Miami Airport so you could test after arrival.

[Honolulu Blue]

7 hours ago, Tedferg said:

Not sure I understand your time line, but wouldn't a negative Home Test before leaving reduce the stress of travelling only to test positive ?

 

I'm pretty sure I understand Sea Day Cruiser's concerns and their timeline.  Let's say they're cruising on a Saturday.  They stated that they would be traveling to their cruise at 7 AM on a Thursday, two days before.  And let's further say it takes two hours to get to the airport plus time at the airport to get through security, etc.  That means they would have to take the home test at home sometime between midnight and 5 AM.  I've actually done the home test at 2 AM two days before, so it's not impossible, but the window is awfully narrow.

 

Of course, they could take a home test with them and test wherever they end up, but that would involve issues and stresses of its own.

[Jadn13]

1 hour ago, Honolulu Blue said:

 

I'm pretty sure I understand Sea Day Cruiser's concerns and their timeline.  Let's say they're cruising on a Saturday.  They stated that they would be traveling to their cruise at 7 AM on a Thursday, two days before.  And let's further say it takes two hours to get to the airport plus time at the airport to get through security, etc.  That means they would have to take the home test at home sometime between midnight and 5 AM.  I've actually done the home test at 2 AM two days before, so it's not impossible, but the window is awfully narrow.

 

Of course, they could take a home test with them and test wherever they end up, but that would involve issues and stresses of its own.

The proctors are available for all time zones so it could be done at any point and a proctor would be reached.

Like you said, you did it. 
The home test was easy and stress free it’s worth looking into for anyone who is stressing about getting a test.

It’s also cost efficient 

 

 

 

[Jadn13]

Just read this, unfortunately it explains that  unless you have a US phone you won't be able to ship to administer a test at the hotel.

 

Another wrench for international travelers in the US

 

Edited October 3, 2021 by Jadn13