NattilyAttired

VeriFly is a way for a cruise company (or airline) to aggregate several travel requirements in one place, verify the legitimacy of same, and then speed the onboarding process. We boarded Eurodam in Seattle on September 3rd at noon and, by using Verifly and being in a Neptune Suite we were onboard within 7 minutes of dropping our bags. Of course we carried hard copies of everything just in case, but they were not needed, save for our passports. HAL also has new facial recognition software they used throughout the cruise to verify identities when re-embarking. All of these technologies actually do make things much faster, if you follow the directions. In my opinion, VeriFly made HAL look very efficient and organized due to how the app streamlined boarding. Boarding started at non and the ship sailed at 3pm.... and the app helped HAL board all those people in a very short amount of time. Quite an improvement over prior boarding issues I have experienced. I am not commenting on whether or not negative tests are required, since we all know that is cruise-specific. (We needed them on September 3). When a traveler gets within the final 72 hour window for a particular cruise, I am betting that the VeriFly app will only ask for the required credentials, whereas it may not beforehand.

Close, but no. When you are ready to take the test, you log on to their website using the internet. It's not a phone call.

Is there a difference between a cruise of 2,000 vs 3,600 people? Yes. The difference is 1600 more people. Sorry, I couldn't resist. But yes, there is a difference. More crowds, more kids (if it's summer), and decreased food quality on Princess. HAL costs more because it's a better product. Eurodam is a great ship, and I look forward to returning to it two weeks from today.

In our opinion it is the best restaurant on the ship (one of the best restaurants on any ship), and also has far and away the best/prettiest bar on the ship. We will eat there several times on our Eurodam cruise in three weeks. I understand that not everyone will agree, and tastes and palates vary. But it's worth a try!

I cannot say unequivocally, but let's hope so. Try to push the box back into shape as best you can before you go online. The proctor will first want you to hold the box up to the camera so they can read the QR code and expiration date on the sleeve, to make sure the test has not expired. Then you can slip off the sleeve and open the box end. Don't mention that the seals were/are broken. Pretend to use a knife or your fingernail to open the seal, then take the contents out. Since the swab, cartridge and solution are all still individually wrapped, you should be fine.

Yes, if you use it with the eMed online proctoring component.

Thank you for your thorough review. Much appreciated, and all noted for my upcoming Alaska cruise on Eurodam.

AF Navigator is correct. The BinaxNOW Ag tests are the only Binax tests that come with the online proctoring option. These tests come one test per box, not two tests. A three pack will include three separate boxes of one test each. Each test must remain sealed until you are on the internet call with the proctor. You can indeed purchase one three-pack for 2 or 3 different people to use. We bought a six-pack, and used two before departing for our cruise in April, two for the return trip home after post-cruising in Rome, and will use the other two in a month before an Alaska cruise.

We bought our tests in a six-pack for about $170, I think, from Optum (www.store.optum.com). I do not see the six-pack available today. However, they are selling a two pack for $69.99, and a 3-pack for $99.99. These prices include the test kit AND the online proctoring and validation report.

See my post in the other thread about tele-health testing. We bought BinaxNow Ag tests, which are administered/proctored by eMed, which is affiliated with BinaxNow (Abbott Labs). No one else can/will proctor a BinaxNow test. This is what HAL means. We used these tests on Oceania, and with airlines.

We bought our kits from Optum (www.store.optum.com). We bought a six-kit pack (two going over, two coming home, two in case we made errors) but I do not see that listed now on the site. I see a two-pack for $69.99, and a 3-pack for $99.99. And yes, the purchase price includes the online test component. Note: The Ag descriptor on the box (Binax NOW Covid-19 Ag Card Home Test) denotes that this is a tele-health test. Binax also has a home test (not labeled Ag) which is cheaper but does not include the tele-health component. Make sure to buy the Ag version if you want the proctored test result for your cruise.

We did them back to back on separate calls. I do not believe you can do two tests on one call. It was super easy though; just takes twice as long (about 20 minutes each).

We bought the BinaxNOW Covid-19 Ag test kits online (that is the very specific name for the telehealth version of the Binax test) made by Abbott Labs. When you purchase the kits, the price includes the online test fee; it's built into the cost, so you won't have to pay again. An affiliated company/service called eMed does the test supervision. Before you take the test, download the Navica app on your smartphone and register. That is where your test result will be sent. When you are ready to take the test, log in on your laptop, iPad, or cell phone to start.emed.com. It's an internet connection, not a phone call. The connection will use the camera on your device. Hint: a laptop is easier because it can be angled to show the table in front of you as you take the test and it has to stay focused on your test for 15 minutes. It is harder to do with an iPad or phone, but not impossible. You will be connected to a test administrator over the internet; you will hear the administrator but not see them. They will see you, however. They walk you through the test, including watching you open the test kit, so you must make sure it remains sealed until you start the online session. You will take the test and they will verify that you did it correctly. When you have placed the drops in the cartridge, the administrator will start a 15 minute timer and then they will sign off. However, you must keep your camera focused on the test cartridge the entire time so they know you have not switched it out. After 15 minutes, another administrator comes on and asks you to hold the cartridge up to the camera so they can see the result. They will verify if the test is positive or negative. Once that is determined, eMed will send an email to you with your results, as well as sending a QR code to your Navica app. It may sound complicated, but it is in fact super easy (with a laptop.) We have used the tests twice, once at home before departing on a cruise, and once in our hotel in Rome before returning home. It worked flawlessly. Hope this helps. Happy to answer any questions.

MichiganKate: The requirement to test negative before returning to the U.S. is not a cruise-specific requirement. If you fly to any foreign country and spend time there, you will be required to take a Covid test before boarding your flight home, at least for now. Maybe you already know that, and if so I apologize. I just want to make sure that cruising doesn't take all the blame for this controversial U.S. requirement.

Here was our April boarding experience: Traveled as a group of four couples from Lisbon to Rome on Nautica on April 23. Two couples had pre-selected an 11am embarkation so they could leave their luggage with the stevedores, get checked in and boarded, then leave the ship to see more of Lisbon. We did not sail until 9pm. They had a full afternoon of sightseeing planned. The two other couples (including my wife and I) had pre-selected a 2:30 embarkation. We left our luggage at our hotel and toured Lisbon, and had a wonderful local lunch in town. At 2:15 we gathered our belongings from the hotel and took a cab to the port. The results: The 11am boarding group experienced total chaos at the port and it took 90 minutes for them to step onto the gangway. There was confusion, crowds, buses of Oceania hotel transfers, and a lot of standing around. Once on the ship, they were told that because of Covid protocols, they were not allowed to leave the ship. Were my friends happy about all this? No, they were not. Meanwhile, my wife and I and the couple we spent the morning with showed up at 2:30 and were inside the ship at 2:44pm. Fourteen minutes in all, and that was only because we had to walk a quarter of a mile from the registration desk to the ship. Literally no one was checking in when we were. We showed proof of negative test within 3 days and they took our luggage. Then we went upstairs into the terminal and filled out a short health form (they actually filled it out for us and we signed it), and then walked inside to the deserted registration counter and showed our passports and proof of vax and got our cabin keys. And off we went. Found out later that the delay in early boarding had something to do with covid testing for continuing cruisers (several tested positive) and the need to reposition some passengers to quarantine rooms, and then a thorough cleaning of some cabins before new passengers could be boarded. Our ship, with a capacity of 700, only had 320 on board for our cruise, although there were over 500 on the disembarking leg. So.....I realize that not everyone will experience what our group did. I am only sharing our recent experience to give some perspective to this discussion.