Covid Testing in Vancouver to US

[H2oman]

Does anyone know if the Wifi on the Royal Princess is good enough to do the Emed covid testing while docked in Victoria?

We are also considering being tested at the Vancouver Airport, but unsure of the time to schedule and if an appointment is needed. 

Does the testing facility at Vancouver Airport accept walk-ins.

Thanks

[memoak]

27 minutes ago, H2oman said:

Does anyone know if the Wifi on the Royal Princess is good enough to do the Emed covid testing while docked in Victoria?

We are also considering being tested at the Vancouver Airport, but unsure of the time to schedule and if an appointment is needed. 

Does the testing facility at Vancouver Airport accept walk-ins.

Thanks

Our WiFi on a coastal ending in Vancouver dropped several times as we got further north. We took ground transport bro Seattle. No testing required for that

[martincath]

32 minutes ago, H2oman said:

Does anyone know if the Wifi on the Royal Princess is good enough to do the Emed covid testing while docked in Victoria?

We are also considering being tested at the Vancouver Airport, but unsure of the time to schedule and if an appointment is needed. 

Does the testing facility at Vancouver Airport accept walk-ins.

Thanks

Sorry, can't help on ship WiFi - but while docked in Victoria you can find plenty of free internet (follow the crew!) or even pay for 1 day of data on your phone and use a land-based option.

 

YVR does take walkups, but queues get long - if you decide to wait, book a timeslot as early as you could possibly make. If you're later than that they will still let you join the 'I have an appointment' queue, multiple reports of folks showing up earlier or later than their appointment time without any problem.

 

Definitely best to get tested BEFORE you disembark - if you are +ve onboard, Princess are on thew hook for your quarantine! Get off, test +ve, and now you're paying for 10 nights hotel, food delivery etc. out of your own pocket...

[maggieq]

7 minutes ago, memoak said:

Our WiFi on a coastal ending in Vancouver dropped several times as we got further north. We took ground transport bro Seattle. No testing required for that

How do you arrange ground transportation and cost?  Thanks!

[memoak]

38 minutes ago, maggieq said:

How do you arrange ground transportation and cost?  Thanks!

If you disembark in Vancouver Princess will bus you to SeaTac for $79 per person as a transfer. Private companies also provide service in town cars and SUVs at a much higher cost if you want     personal  space

[darnoc23]

There's a risk the connectivity would be unstable.  I was at a newer ship than Royal and the connection was unstable even at port.  Why isn't Princess providing the onboard Covid Test?  Is it the 24 hour policy of flight?  Is so, I would fight it and have them do the testing onboard, the requirement for U.S. is one day prior to the flight not 24 hours.  Otherwise, I would go with what Martincath said, ask a crew member where the free internet hotspots are or if you have Verizon or TMobile, the data plan is already included, so just use your phone.  Vancouver testing is $64 usd, if Princess tells you $179 that's incorrect.  Just make an appointment in advance from their website.  You'll get the results within 30 - 45 minutes.  

[Shelly97060]

35 minutes ago, darnoc23 said:

Why isn't Princess providing the onboard Covid Test?  Is it the 24 hour policy of flight?  Is so, I would fight it and have them do the testing onboard, the requirement for U.S. is one day prior to the flight not 24 hours. 

Princess has changed their testing policy for voyages ending in Canada. Guests are now responsible for arranging for their own tests:

 

[Wulfwyn]

We just got off Royal today.  The internet was horrible.   You can view pictures,  but any videos  was a no go.  Even in Victoria  yesterday  and stayed on ship. It was still bad

 

[erber]

Does anyone know if wifi at airport or at Canada Place would be sufficient to support doing an Emed test if we cannot do it onboard the ship the day before disembarkation? 

[darnoc23]

15 hours ago, Shelly97060 said:

Princess has changed their testing policy for voyages ending in Canada. Guests are now responsible for arranging for their own tests:

 

Interesting, thanks for the information.  Looks like the policy was just updated May 10.  I just completed a voyage on May 7th and they were testing onboard for anyone flying within 24 hours prior to 4pm disembarkation day.  The home kits would then be a better option as it's the cheapest and covered by medical insurance.