Smitty29832 Posted July 31, 2022 Report Share Posted July 31, 2022 We are going on a Royal Caribbean cruise out of Boston, MA in late September 2022. Prior to our cruise we will be in the Boston area for 4 days of sightseeing. Is it best to schedule a covid test at a local Walgreens or CVS 48 hours prior to our cruise or just order the tests ahead of time through Royal Caribbean and test ourselves via online video? From what I've researched it appears the online testing would be cheapest but I'd appreciate hearing from others before we decided which way to go. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted August 1, 2022 Report Share Posted August 1, 2022 We (in North Carolina) used the Emed online proctored tests fairly easily. Our local drug stores wanted over $100 for a Covid test for travel. I don't know what sort of insurance you have. Now if you have symptoms, then don't tell the drug store you want a test for travel, because you have symptoms that may or may not be Covid. I am sure other members have experiences to share. Safe travels! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drb116 Posted August 1, 2022 Report Share Posted August 1, 2022 I would order free tests from the government and then use something like Rapid Test & Trace or OnPoint as they tend to be cheaper than the Royal Caribbean tests. The advantage of this is that you can also wait until the last minute in case Royal Caribbean changes their policy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted August 1, 2022 Report Share Posted August 1, 2022 3 hours ago, drb116 said: I would order free tests from the government and then use something like Rapid Test & Trace or OnPoint as they tend to be cheaper than the Royal Caribbean tests. The advantage of this is that you can also wait until the last minute in case Royal Caribbean changes their policy. Since you can get at least partially reimbursed for the purchased tests, the cost difference is a pretty much a wash. But no advanced costs using 3rd party proctoring of the free tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smitty29832 Posted August 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2022 I appreciate all the replies. I like the idea of testing ourselves online while in our airbnb, pllus it would be less hassle and expensive than going to a Walgreens or CVS in a city we're not familiar with. We already have some Abbott BinaxNOW antigen self tests that we can take on our flight so we could just schedule an online session with either OnPoint or Rapid Test & Trace and our cost would be approximately $30 - $40 total for the two of us. Will Royal Caribbean accept this particular brand and testing method for proof of negative covid test? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted August 2, 2022 Report Share Posted August 2, 2022 7 hours ago, Smitty29832 said: I appreciate all the replies. I like the idea of testing ourselves online while in our airbnb, pllus it would be less hassle and expensive than going to a Walgreens or CVS in a city we're not familiar with. We already have some Abbott BinaxNOW antigen self tests that we can take on our flight so we could just schedule an online session with either OnPoint or Rapid Test & Trace and our cost would be approximately $30 - $40 total for the two of us. Will Royal Caribbean accept this particular brand and testing method for proof of negative covid test? Yes as long as the proctored result have name, DOB, date and negative results, you will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrimsonCruiser Posted August 4, 2022 Report Share Posted August 4, 2022 On 8/1/2022 at 2:15 PM, Smitty29832 said: I appreciate all the replies. I like the idea of testing ourselves online while in our airbnb, pllus it would be less hassle and expensive than going to a Walgreens or CVS in a city we're not familiar with. We already have some Abbott BinaxNOW antigen self tests that we can take on our flight so we could just schedule an online session with either OnPoint or Rapid Test & Trace and our cost would be approximately $30 - $40 total for the two of us. Will Royal Caribbean accept this particular brand and testing method for proof of negative covid test? This particular one of the about isn't accepted because it's not monitored by a medical professional. The BinaxNow they're accepting is the "Abbott BinaxNow COVID-19 Ag Card Test" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted August 4, 2022 Report Share Posted August 4, 2022 28 minutes ago, CrimsonCruiser said: This particular one of the about isn't accepted because it's not monitored by a medical professional. The BinaxNow they're accepting is the "Abbott BinaxNow COVID-19 Ag Card Test" It is accepted if you use a 3rd party site like RT&T or OnPoint. That's the benefit of using them; you can use any FDA authorized test (i.e. free ones from the government). Maybe this will help... CrimsonCruiser 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrimsonCruiser Posted August 4, 2022 Report Share Posted August 4, 2022 44 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said: It is accepted if you use a 3rd party site like RT&T or OnPoint. That's the benefit of using them; you can use any FDA authorized test (i.e. free ones from the government). Maybe this will help... I was literally just back on the forums to ask if anyone had experience with this. I saw a horror story from JJ cruise with one of these types of sites so I'm cautious. Glad to hear it worked well at the port. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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