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Any Canadians have their Covid PCR test cancelled on the July 24-31 cruise?


cruisingxpert
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I was just watching Don's Family vacation on you tube and he is still in Fort Lauderdale awaiting test results.  Apparently Celebrity cancelled his on board test because of the positive cases that were in the Infirmary.  He had to cancel his flight, book a hotel and  line up somewhere in Fort Lauderdale for a test when he got off the ship.  As of a few hours ago, he still doesn't have results.  Anyone else have a similar situation?

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1 hour ago, Sharon1927 said:

I have been following Don to, hopefully he will get home soon. It is a little scary because I sail on the 14th and also need the test to fly back into Canada.

I’m not impressed with all these changes being made. I think they should honour the rules in place when we booked. We don’t sail until January, and will probably cancel, but the guidelines for sailing have changed three times already. We were also guaranteed the test would be available to us on board. 

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Curious, not familiar with the cruiser in question, but based on the posts here, he's from Canada?

 

If he being quarantined off ship?

 

Has he tested positive?

 

Or, can he just go to the nearest pharmacy and get tested?

 

I guess I'm wondering if he's just hanging out in Fort Lauderdale, or if he's required to stay because of a quarantine?

 

If it's the latter, I hope he gets well soon and is able to return home in a couple of weeks.  Is Celebrity covering his expenses if he's positive?  I'm reading they are quite generous in their treatment of those who tested positive on board.

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13 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Curious, not familiar with the cruiser in question, but based on the posts here, he's from Canada?

 

If he being quarantined off ship?

 

Has he tested positive?

 

Or, can he just go to the nearest pharmacy and get tested?

 

I guess I'm wondering if he's just hanging out in Fort Lauderdale, or if he's required to stay because of a quarantine?

 

If it's the latter, I hope he gets well soon and is able to return home in a couple of weeks.  Is Celebrity covering his expenses if he's positive?  I'm reading they are quite generous in their treatment of those who tested positive on board.

 

Don is from Ontario so has been awaiting COVID test and results which are required to fly out from Fort Lauderdale to Canada.  He is not quarantined as there is no requirement for this just to get off the ship to Florida, only stuck due to flying back to Canada so it is FLL flight requirement.  And there is no reason at all to believe he is  COVID positive.

 

At this time, due to never getting the test results from the test Celebrity did for him on board the morning of debarkation, he has since been to the airport and scheduled and taken a test there and was waiting for those results (takes days I guess) which last vlog he had flight scheduled for today Tuesday so hopefully he got the results in time.  The test on board was originally supposed to be the last night before debarkation but was rescheduled, though at this point it would not have mattered since he never did get the results for the one they did take, still nothing the next day.

 

With not being able to fly out and all the mishap here, he has been staying in a (nice) hotel for the extra days he had to stay in FLL and from how he has reported he is saving all his receipts and stuff will be covered.  Also there would be many that are in the same situation of not having test results in time for their international flights so it would be interesting if these others fair the same  as him in the end.

 

Not fun.

Edited by poffles
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3 minutes ago, poffles said:

 

Don is from Ontario so has been awaiting COVID test and results which are required to fly out from Fort Lauderdale to Canada.  He is not quarantined as there is no requirement for this just to get off the ship to Florida, only stuck due to flying back to Canada so it is FLL flight requirement.  And there is no reason at all to believe he is  COVID positive.

 

At this time, due to never getting the test results from the test Celebrity did for him on board the morning of debarkation, he has since been to the airport and scheduled and taken a test there and was waiting for those results (takes days I guess) which last vlog he had flight scheduled for today Tuesday so hopefully he got the results in time.  The test on board was originally supposed to night before last day but was rescheduled but at this point it matters little since he didn't get the results for the one they did take, still nothing the next day.

 

With not being able to fly out and all the mishap here, he has been staying in a (nice) hotel for the extra days he had to stay in FLL and from how he has reported he is saving all his receipts and stuff will be covered.  Also there would be many that are in the same situation of not having test results in time for their international flights so it would be interesting if these others fair the same  as him in the end.

 

Not fun.

In his latest vlog Don was praising a Celebrity customer services rep for frequently contacting him to provide information, assurances and updates. 

I'm wondering if there are other passengers in the same situation but don't have a YouTube channel - are they receiving the same level of service?

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9 minutes ago, poffles said:

 

Don is from Ontario so has been awaiting COVID test and results which are required to fly out from Fort Lauderdale to Canada.  He is not quarantined as there is no requirement for this just to get off the ship to Florida, only stuck due to flying back to Canada so it is FLL flight requirement.  And there is no reason at all to believe he is  COVID positive.

 

At this time, due to never getting the test results from the test Celebrity did for him on board the morning of debarkation, he has since been to the airport and scheduled and taken a test there and was waiting for those results (takes days I guess) which last vlog he had flight scheduled for today Tuesday so hopefully he got the results in time.  The test on board was originally supposed to be the last night before debarkation but was rescheduled, though at this point it would not have mattered since he never did get the results for the one they did take, still nothing the next day.

 

With not being able to fly out and all the mishap here, he has been staying in a (nice) hotel for the extra days he had to stay in FLL and from how he has reported he is saving all his receipts and stuff will be covered.  Also there would be many that are in the same situation of not having test results in time for their international flights so it would be interesting if these others fair the same  as him in the end.

 

Not fun.

OK...thanks for the explanation.  That makes sense.  

 

But, this is just me, if I needed a negative COVID test to get on a flight back home to Canada, I think after a couple of hours not getting results from, who I assume is Celebrity), I'd be looking for the nearest pharmacy to get my test so I could be on my way home.

 

Or, is there something else I'm missing?

 

If he's staying at a nice hotel, maybe it's a reason not to be in a hurry to get home.  I know if I had someone make up my room every day and be able to eat at restaurants all the time, I might be willing to extend my stay, too.

 

Anyway, hope for whatever reason he's sticking around, he's having fun while doing it.

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The lesson learnt from his experience is to make your own arrangements for your testing.

 

I am confused because both Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports have PCR testing with a quick turnaround.time (45 minutes)

 

https://www.broward.org/airport/passengers/flights/advisories/pages/default.aspx

 

I would suggest if you are Canadian and flying out of Fort Lauderdale to book your appointment ahead of time and just make sure your flight leaves a few hours after your test happens.

 

 

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15 minutes ago, K_e_short said:

The lesson learnt from his experience is to make your own arrangements for your testing.

 

I am confused because both Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports have PCR testing with a quick turnaround.time (45 minutes)

 

https://www.broward.org/airport/passengers/flights/advisories/pages/default.aspx

 

I would suggest if you are Canadian and flying out of Fort Lauderdale to book your appointment ahead of time and just make sure your flight leaves a few hours after your test happens.

 

 

 

You need to read that again ...

 

Q: What’s the anticipated turnaround time for each test type?

A: Rapid Antigen test results are sent approximately 30 minutes after testing. The Rapid PCR test results are available up to 45 minutes after testing while the regular PCR test results are available approximately 48 hours after testing.

 

I just learned something myself, that there are two types of PCR tests.  Based on Don's events, the regular PCR must be what is required. ?????

Edited by poffles
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3 minutes ago, poffles said:

 

You need to read that again ...

Q: What’s the anticipated turnaround time for each test type?

A: Rapid Antigen test results are sent approximately 30 minutes after testing. The Rapid PCR test results are available up to 45 minutes after testing while the regular PCR test results are available approximately 48 hours after testing.

 

 

 

The Canadian government requires a PCR test to enter the country.

 

So shouldn't a rapid PCR test be valid?

 

The only difference is that you are paying more to get the test done quickly. 

 

PCR is the "type" of test needed, as opposed to a antigen and other types.

 

And if a rapid PCR test is not valid to enter the country where is that written in the requirements to enter Canada?

Edited by K_e_short
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2 minutes ago, K_e_short said:

 

 

The Canadian government requires a PCR test to enter the country.

 

So shouldn't a rapid PCR test be valid?

 

The only difference is that you are paying more to get the test done quickly. 

 

PCR is the "type" of test needed, as opposed to a antigen and other types.

 

And if a rapid PCR test is not valid to enter the country where is that written in the requirements to enter Canada?

 

Excellent questions.  Glad I'm not traveling anywhere for a long long time.

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I am on this cruise next month and would love to know if anyone knows the difference between a rapid PCR and a regular one.  Are they the same and just cost more to get the results faster?   Don also said there was a long line for testing at the airport.

Celebrity cancelled the day before test because of the Covid cases in the Infirmary and when they did do it, it appears the test results went into cyberspace.

I have a return flight the day I get off the ship at 1:40.  I am going to see if Celebrity will do the test on Thursday rather than Friday- it would still be good for Saturday departure.

I guess I should also check for appointments with rapid results after I get off ship- a pharmacy rather than the airport maybe- in case the Celebrity test results get lost.

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11 minutes ago, cruisingxpert said:

I am on this cruise next month and would love to know if anyone knows the difference between a rapid PCR and a regular one.  Are they the same and just cost more to get the results faster?   Don also said there was a long line for testing at the airport.

Celebrity cancelled the day before test because of the Covid cases in the Infirmary and when they did do it, it appears the test results went into cyberspace.

I have a return flight the day I get off the ship at 1:40.  I am going to see if Celebrity will do the test on Thursday rather than Friday- it would still be good for Saturday departure.

I guess I should also check for appointments with rapid results after I get off ship- a pharmacy rather than the airport maybe- in case the Celebrity test results get lost.

 

This is on the Canada site ... https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/flying-canada-checklist/covid-19-testing-travellers-coming-into-canada#getting-tested

 

Seems the following are acceptable if you can decipher it all.  But would the RT-PCR be the rapid PCR which can typically have quick turnaround (or maybe it isn't same?)  

 

All travellers 5 years of age or older, regardless of citizenship, must provide proof of a COVID-19 test result to enter Canada.

All travellers must provide one of the accepted types of tests, not an antigen test, including those who are fully vaccinated.

Accepted types of tests 

These tests are considered acceptable molecular tests:

PCR - Polymerase chain reaction

RT-PCR – reverse transcription real time PCR

Quantitative PCR (qPCR)

Nucleic acid test (NAT) or Nucleic acid amplification test (NAATs)

Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP)

Isothermal amplification

Droplet digital PCR or digital droplet PCR (ddPCR)

Transcription-mediated amplification (TMA)

RNA (Ribonucleic acid)

Ct (cycle threshold)

CRISPR

Sequencing

Next generational sequencing (NGS) or whole genome sequencing (WGS)

Oxford Nanopore sequencing (LamPORE)

Detection of the N gene

Detection of Orf1a/b

Detection of the S gene

Detection of the E gene

Detection of the RdRp gene

 

These tests use methods such as a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab, nose swab, or saliva sample. At this time, proof of having a vaccine will not replace a negative test result.

 

 

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8 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Thanks Graphicguy.  Loved your blogging on your first cruise.

 

I looked at these and the LabDoctor says results in 12-24 hrs which would mean staying over in Ft Lauderdale for a day at least.

 

The second site has the RT_PCR results for different prices.

RT-PCR Test Urgent Results in 30 Minutes

$349.00
~ International Travel Approved
~ Includes QR code

 

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11 minutes ago, poffles said:

Seems the following are acceptable if you can decipher it all.  But would the RT-PCR be the rapid PCR which can typically have quick turnaround (or maybe it isn't same?)  

 

Thanks Poffles.  Looks like RT-PCR is accepted and for a small fortune I could get one lol

I need to look a little more to see if I have to pay as soon as I book appointment or when I get the test.

If at time of booking, that's pricey insurance if Celebrity comes through with the results in time.

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4 minutes ago, cruisingxpert said:

Thanks Graphicguy.  Loved your blogging on your first cruise.

 

I looked at these and the LabDoctor says results in 12-24 hrs which would mean staying over in Ft Lauderdale for a day at least.

 

The second site has the RT_PCR results for different prices.

RT-PCR Test Urgent Results in 30 Minutes

$349.00
~ International Travel Approved
~ Includes QR code

 

Thank you.  Glad you liked it. 

 

Yeah, someone is capitalizing on those in need of a COVID test and result quickly.  You’ll pay for the privilege, unfortunately.

 

$350 is a hefty price.  I’ve seen some in the $150 range, but I still think that’s price gouging.

 

I noticed they say they do not take insurance for these tests, which is another reason they leave me with a bad taste.  Two reasons they don’t…..a) they’d rather have payment up front and not file any insurance paperwork, and b) they’ll already have your payment regardless if you test positive or negative.

 

If we can help any more, given you’re coming in from Canada, let us know.  Be happy to help where we can.

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1 minute ago, graphicguy said:

If we can help any more, given you’re coming in from Canada, let us know.  Be happy to help where we can.

You could go back to Eden again and order the alternate items with pictures and tell us which you prefer 😛

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21 hours ago, graphicguy said:

...But, this is just me, if I needed a negative COVID test to get on a flight back home to Canada, I think after a couple of hours not getting results from, who I assume is Celebrity), I'd be looking for the nearest pharmacy to get my test so I could be on my way home.

 

Or, is there something else I'm missing?....

At first, it was a matter of trying to get test results from Celebrity prior to the flight. Celebrity even released him to the airport with a promise they’d email his test results, but they never did. In the meantime, he missed his flight. The airline phone lines said the wait would be 2-5 hours just to speak with someone. I believe it ended up being a matter of when he could get the flight rescheduled, as the airport has the testing capabilities (he did try nearby pharmacies and they’re not doing testing).

 

In hindsight, as you said, just getting off the ship and getting the test at the airport would have been best. But when you’re in the moment and are promised you’ll get your results before disembarkation, you tend to trust what you’re told.

Edited by syesmar
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5 minutes ago, syesmar said:

At first, it was a matter of trying to get test results from Celebrity prior to the flight. Celebrity even released him to the airport with a promise they’d email his test results, but they never did. In the meantime, he missed his flight. The airline phone lines said the wait would be 2-5 hours just to speak with someone. I believe it ended up being a matter of when he could get the flight rescheduled, as the airport has the testing capabilities (he did try nearby pharmacies and they’re not doing testing).

 

In hindsight, as you said, just getting off the ship and getting the test at the airport would have been best. But when you’re in the moment and are promised you’ll get your results before disembarkation, you tend to trust what you’re told.

I get that….hindsight being what it is.

 

I actually looked up his YouTube channel last night.  Enjoyed some of his content.

 

I got the distinct impression that it was a mix of making YouTube content, with a little drama thrown in for more eyeballs, as much as it was about his not being able to get the test results.  Nothing wrong with that.  That’s how he makes his living, I presume.  I actually bought a GoPro with the thoughts of doing that myself (just need to take that first step).

 

That said, one it became unlikely they would not have had the test results in enough time for me to make a flight, I would have been trucking it to one of the quick test facilities to get a test so I would make my flight.  Sounds like he either has insurance.  So, at least he could offer a receipt for the out of pocket to have the test done.

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