Why hasn't Celebrity offered a Covid test the last afternoon of the cruise for those that need it.

[kayakcove]

I was just reviewing travel requirements and saw that Celebrity was offering onboard testing for return to the US. Came here to CC to make sure others had seen this change. However, I tried the attached link for the provider and could not get anywhere as the first question was what sailing were you on and the only option offered, already sailed.  Was considering their provider as our last day was in La Spezia and will not be back on board until later in the day and early flight from Rome the next morning.

From Celebrity site.

To help with the U.S. re-entry process, we are providing guests with two options:

 

Onboard Testing - Guests who wish to test onboard can be tested within 24 hours prior to debark. Please use the following link to register: https://www.eurofins-eclinical.com/registration/si-gbr-onboard/. The cost for this test is $55 USD and will be charged to your onboard account. Our third-party vendor Eurofins will facilitate the test and you will receive your results within 10 minutes.

 

eMED Test Kits - Provided by eMed, an authorized medical provider, these tests provide the required proctored test and can be purchased onboard for $24.50 USD. For guests extending their stay in Europe, this option adds the convenience and flexibility of testing whenever it is appropriate for your return flight home.

[sherylc]

Just off the Refkection yesterday. They did offer the options you listed. About 200-300 passengers took advantage of the onboard testing with 13 of them testing positive. (Caused our numbers to hit at least 1 percent for cruise since so few passengers, 1327). Some chose to stay on in quarantine, others chose to quarantine in Italy.  

[yogini06]

Just off the constellation. They offered testing onboard yesterday for $55. 

[Susanb10567]

Anyone know if it was offered complementary to those who booked before November and was offered free testing for those who needed them to fly home.

[djh]

Does anyone know if the testing onboard before departure is fleet wide? We are on the Apex at the end of June and would like to know if we can use their testing option or if I need to carry a bunch of testing kits.

[Mark_T]

3 minutes ago, djh said:

Does anyone know if the testing onboard before departure is fleet wide? We are on the Apex at the end of June and would like to know if we can use their testing option or if I need to carry a bunch of testing kits.

It seems to be... it looks like all the European country information has been updated with this section...

 

[Roxydog15]

Interesting.  Wonder if that onboard testing for "uptodate" passengers, per the below, actually no charge, and the $55 is generic to the required "fully vaccinated" status?  so confusing.

Plus, when I attempted to "register" to see what happens, the only sailing to choose in the drop-down list is May 30th.  Go figure.

 

From web site, stated above the quote above by Mark_T:

Testing varies depending on vaccination status and itinerary. Unvaccinated and/or Fully Vaccinated** guests who are not Up to Date* will need to cover any required costs for embarkation, mid-cruise/port of call or debark/re-entry required testing. These tests cost $55 per test, per person

 

[tallyho8]

I was on the first cruise that restarted in the Caribbean, the Millennium, on June 5, 2021, out of St Martin, and they gave everyone a free test the day before disembarkation, for their flights home. When I booked this cruise, we figured that they would do the same for our Eclipse cruise on June 19. It was after I booked our flights that we learned we needed to get a test before flying home and that Celebrity was not giving them the night before. I would have flown back from Seattle instead of Vancouver if I had known that previously.

 

Now Celebrity says they will give us a free test in port after the cruise since we booked the cruise before November 16, but, we have an early flight home and don't know if we have time for the test which thousands may be taking. They ARE giving FREE tests the day before to unvacinnated children so why can't they give them to vacinnated travelers also?

 

Unvaccinated children are required to take a COVID-19 test prior to re-entry into the U.S. This complimentary test will be administered onboard. 

All fully vaccinated guests requiring a COVID-19 test to return to their home country will be provided the opportunity to receive testing in the cruise port during disembarkation. Proof of return travel scheduled within 24 hours of disembarkation will be required. Details on testing registration will be provided onboard. Testing will be complimentary for guests with cruise reservations booked prior to November 16, 2021.  For new bookings made on or after November 16, 2021, testing will be available for a per person fee. The cost for onsite cruise port testing starts at $99 per person.  Prices vary by port and test type. 

 

I have been on 4 Celebrity cruises in the last year and have had very poor wifi on all of them. Sometimes it is not available for many hours and other times cuts off and on. This makes testing on the internet highly unlikely.

Edited June 6, 2022 by tallyho8
Forgot to mention poor wifi

[RichYak]

10 hours ago, tallyho8 said:

I have been on 4 Celebrity cruises in the last year and have had very poor wifi on all of them. Sometimes it is not available for many hours and other times cuts off and on. This makes testing on the internet highly unlikely.

Just order the emed self tests and test in the morning using cellular as Eclipse arrives in Vancouver. You should be in range of cell towers by 5:30am.

[Guppy99]

12 hours ago, tallyho8 said:

I was on the first cruise that restarted in the Caribbean, the Millennium, on June 5, 2021, out of St Martin, and they gave everyone a free test the day before disembarkation, for their flights home. When I booked this cruise, we figured that they would do the same for our Eclipse cruise on June 19. It was after I booked our flights that we learned we needed to get a test before flying home and that Celebrity was not giving them the night before. I would have flown back from Seattle instead of Vancouver if I had known that previously.

 

Now Celebrity says they will give us a free test in port after the cruise since we booked the cruise before November 16, but, we have an early flight home and don't know if we have time for the test which thousands may be taking. They ARE giving FREE tests the day before to unvacinnated children so why can't they give them to vacinnated travelers also?

 

Unvaccinated children are required to take a COVID-19 test prior to re-entry into the U.S. This complimentary test will be administered onboard. 

All fully vaccinated guests requiring a COVID-19 test to return to their home country will be provided the opportunity to receive testing in the cruise port during disembarkation. Proof of return travel scheduled within 24 hours of disembarkation will be required. Details on testing registration will be provided onboard. Testing will be complimentary for guests with cruise reservations booked prior to November 16, 2021.  For new bookings made on or after November 16, 2021, testing will be available for a per person fee. The cost for onsite cruise port testing starts at $99 per person.  Prices vary by port and test type. 

 

I have been on 4 Celebrity cruises in the last year and have had very poor wifi on all of them. Sometimes it is not available for many hours and other times cuts off and on. This makes testing on the internet highly unlikely.

There are thousands on board potentially. Why should they stretch the limits of the staff to accommodate testing to vaccinated travelers...and free no less. There is a cost associated with everything. Why do some people think "oh, it's just a little thing, why don't they do it?" Someone has to pay. I certainly don't want to pay for your test and have the cost rolled into my fee.  

[sscohen]

7 hours ago, RichYak said:

Just order the emed self tests and test in the morning using cellular as Eclipse arrives in Vancouver. You should be in range of cell towers by 5:30am.

Just a note for those using cellular outside of North America.  I have Verizon unlimited and use travel pass for $10 a day (because I was too lazy to buy a sim card) I didn't realize Verizon travel pass limits to .5GB a day.  My video call to emed on cellular was fine until the they were about to read the results and I lost the feed.  The video call used all my data (about 20 minutes total)  I had to switch to the hotel wifi to finish giving them the results.  Pretty stressful.