COVID Test Plan (from Canada)

[travel1light]

Just want to see if I have my plan correct. I fly in 2 days early for my Caribbean cruise. Flight into Toronto leaves at 10:10 AM, flight to Fort Lauderdale leaves at 4:45 PM. Staying 2 days in Miami after cruise.

 

Plan is to do Switch Health rapid test 7 AM on the Friday. That covers the flights, does that cover there cruise requirement leaving on the Sunday? Just checking to make sure it is a 2 day requirement, not 48 hours.

 

Return seems simpler, just do another Switch Health rapid test the morning of my flight.

 

Please let me know if I have missed anything or if there is a better way to do this.

 

Thanks

 

 

 

[jelayne]

Celebrity requirement is 2 days. Test Friday board Sunday works 

[Fouremco]

Is your planned 7:00 AM test at a Switch Health airport facility, or are you planning on using their proctored home test kit? Either would be acceptable to fly to the US, but bear in mind that the Switch Health test kits manufactured by SD Biosensor have not been given FDA emergency use authorization as required by Celebrity. While there are many posts by Canadians having successfully boarded various cruise lines with the same requirement, and you probably will be ok as the test results issued by Switch Health is the same for home tests as for tests at their facilities, you should be aware of the situation.

 

[travel1light]

Thanks for this. Going to use the proctored home ones. Odd that they are good enough without FDA approval to enter US, but not for Celebrity. 
 

Anyone have direct experience boarding Celebrity using proctored Switch Health test?

 

6 hour layover in YYZ, possible to do an airport test there? Do I need a test to board connecting flight to YYZ?

 

 Thanks. 

[Lena11033]

1 hour ago, travel1light said:

Thanks for this. Going to use the proctored home ones. Odd that they are good enough without FDA approval to enter US, but not for Celebrity. 
 

Anyone have direct experience boarding Celebrity using proctored Switch Health test?

 

6 hour layover in YYZ, possible to do an airport test there? Do I need a test to board connecting flight to YYZ?

 

 Thanks. 

I haven't used the at home switch health for a cruise. But I know Pearson does have testing (coworker tested there before flying to Brazil), I believe it's Switch Health but they have people who administer the test

[Fouremco]

7 hours ago, travel1light said:

Thanks for this. Going to use the proctored home ones. Odd that they are good enough without FDA approval to enter US, but not for Celebrity. 
 

Anyone have direct experience boarding Celebrity using proctored Switch Health test?

 

6 hour layover in YYZ, possible to do an airport test there? Do I need a test to board connecting flight to YYZ?

 

 Thanks. 

The regulations governing flights and cruises differ in a number of way. For example, for flight your test must be within one day of your flight, whereas testing for cruises can be as much as three days prior. The other big difference is that the flight regulations specify that the test must be approved by the FDA or the country from which the flight originates.

 

Testing in YYZ sounds ideal, but I believe that you require the test results for the initial flight. Check with the airline to be sure of their rules.

[travel1light]

The airport test kit is the same as proctored home ones? If so, they are not FDA approved and therefore not acceptable for Celebrity boarding as well?

Thanks 

 

 

Thanks for this. Going to use the proctored home ones. Odd that they are good enough without FDA approval to enter US, but not for Celebrity. 
 

Anyone have direct experience boarding Celebrity using proctored Switch Health test?

 

5 hour layover in YYZ, possible to do an airport test there? Do I need a test to board connecting flight to Y

[travel1light]

Ok, I think I have figured it out. At home test and in person rapid test from switch health are different but how they present the results for both, which I show to celebrity, is the same. Do I have this right? ( nothing in results that shows an at home test with Biosensor)

 

I think I will now get second test at Pearson if that one meets the celebrity requirements. Thanks. 

 

 

[sayvan]

5 hours ago, travel1light said:

Ok, I think I have figured it out. At home test and in person rapid test from switch health are different but how they present the results for both, which I show to celebrity, is the same. Do I have this right? ( nothing in results that shows an at home test with Biosensor)

 

I think I will now get second test at Pearson if that one meets the celebrity requirements. Thanks. 

 

 

We did the test at Pearson and it was fine to get on the ship… 

[Happiest when cruising]

5 hours ago, travel1light said:

Ok, I think I have figured it out. At home test and in person rapid test from switch health are different but how they present the results for both, which I show to celebrity, is the same. Do I have this right? ( nothing in results that shows an at home test with Biosensor)

 

I think I will now get second test at Pearson if that one meets the celebrity requirements. Thanks. 

 

 

Hi,

This wrinkle has just presented itself. I had no idea there was a difference in the tests for cruising, compared to entry to the USA. 

I was also planning on using the free at home Rapid Response ones we were given from our Government and have it proctored to get there, as those are accepted for entry and reentry. I am now taking my unopened box of 5 with me and as my back up, should Princess run out when we get off the ship, as we fly home the same day.  I also don’t understand how the cruise line would know the difference, and of course it is more expensive to go in person.  I guess we are going to go to the Vancouver location using the Aeroplan discount from AirCanada, and test on Thursday, fly to Fort Lauderdale  on Friday and board the Princess ship on Saturday. We will use the same test for both. I hope I have it right…

[nimiq]

We did a cruise on Holland America in December at use the switch health Antigen home supervised testing to board our flight to the U.S and to board the ahi and all was good. 
 

Thanks Sea Ya 

Eric 

[jflood]

To update the conversation, the teleconference at home rapid antigen test from switch health(Biosensor)  is now an authorized test by the US fda and is accepted by Celebrity. I have confirmed it with my Celebrity host for concierge class and it is listed in the table on the US fda site. Posted below are pics showing it in the list and the authorization letter from the US fda. Hope this helps

[Fouremco]

14 hours ago, jflood said:

To update the conversation, the teleconference at home rapid antigen test from switch health(Biosensor)  is now an authorized test by the US fda and is accepted by Celebrity. I have confirmed it with my Celebrity host for concierge class and it is listed in the table on the US fda site. Posted below are pics showing it in the list and the authorization letter from the US fda. Hope this helps

The SD Biosensor device approved by the FDA is not the one approved by Health Canada and sold by Switch Health. Whether or not the Celebrity concierge host knows or cares is a different matter, but the FDA approved device is not even intended for proctored home testing.

 

[jflood]

All 4 of us on safely on the Celebrity Millenium 10 day cruise using our switch health tests from Aeroplan! It was seemless and easy