ocean_wind Posted January 25, 2022 #1 Share Posted January 25, 2022 We are planning to take our pre-return (to Canada) COVID test using the Switch RT-Lamp kit late on Day 5 of our 7 day cruise. Two questions: 1. During the test we need to be a on video call with a test administrator. Am I correct to assume Xcelerate Stream is a sufficient connection? 2. Can you pay for only one day of Xcelerate Stream or do I need to pay for day 5-7? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTShaker Posted January 25, 2022 #2 Share Posted January 25, 2022 41 minutes ago, ocean_wind said: We are planning to take our pre-return (to Canada) COVID test using the Switch RT-Lamp kit late on Day 5 of our 7 day cruise. Two questions: 1. During the test we need to be a on video call with a test administrator. Am I correct to assume Xcelerate Stream is a sufficient connection? 2. Can you pay for only one day of Xcelerate Stream or do I need to pay for day 5-7? Just to throw a wrench in your plan, I do not believe the kits are PCR tests. The rapid antigen tests do not qualify - at this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocean_wind Posted January 25, 2022 Author #3 Share Posted January 25, 2022 Switch has antigen and lamp test kits. Lamp is a molecular test accepted for re-entry. from Gov of Canada site Accepted types of molecular tests PCR - Polymerase chain reaction Nucleic acid test (NAT) or Nucleic acid amplification test (NAATs) Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DCPIV Posted January 25, 2022 #4 Share Posted January 25, 2022 8 hours ago, ocean_wind said: Am I correct to assume Xcelerate Stream is a sufficient connection? It can be. It's designed and advertised to be. However, it might not be on the day you want it to be. I don't mean to be coy, but my experience with Xcelerate varied quite a bit from day to day. There have been days when it was almost as good as home, and there have been days that I had trouble sending a simple email. What ship are you on? I hear that the newer ships tend to have better wifi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trabeler Posted January 25, 2022 #5 Share Posted January 25, 2022 I agree that in theory, it should work. However, with these proctored tests you cannot afford any interruption in your video stream or it may invalidate the test. Streaming a movie is easier than what you're doing since when streaming a movie, some video is buffered to smooth out momentary connection glitches. I'd definitely want to have at least another test on hand in case the first attempt fails due to the connection dropping momentarily. You should also do a trial facetime call (or something similar) with someone prior to connecting for the test to confirm the ship is in an area where the signal is strong. The more stationary the ship, the better... so a port day might be best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted January 25, 2022 #6 Share Posted January 25, 2022 You should be able to use Xcelerate for taking the tests. I've had conference calls on Zoom and most other conferencing systems. You occasionally get a blip but usually work perfect. Yest they have a daily rate and hourly rates but to me they seem over the top. Hourly $34 and 1 Day Package $67. Elite and Elite plus members will receive 90 and 240 complimentary minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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